Off to Wroat

Gort wants to head out ASAP but I need to get my stuff and tell people I’m going to be gone. I ask him for two days. He’s not thrilled with the timeline but accepts it. Two days later we’re on the lightningrail to Wroat. It’s about a seven-hour trip but Gort had us on the 5 AM, so we get into the capitol early in the afternoon. During the trip, I convinced Gort to teach me a few conversational basics in Orc and I taught him a proper greeting for him to use when meeting this “great smith of the Dhakaan.”

We meet up and Gort does fine with his greeting. Jhazaali seems pleased to see me again and we make formal intros all around. The smith is Khelish’rek, a hobgoblin I’d met once while in Volaar Draal, but who I quickly learned to avoid. He was a bit more averse to non-goblinoids than the average Dhakaani (hate is a little too strong a word, but it’s pretty close to his feelings toward “us”). He was not pleased to be away from his forge but muut being what it is (duty to Dhakaan) he was resigned to his current position. Khel only spoke goblin so Jhazaali and I were doing translations between him and Gort and I finally got to hear a bit more detail on this vessel. Apparently, an “Overlord,” an unholy demonic force that cannot be destroyed, has been making a concerted attempt to get his minions (groups called “Carrion Tribes”) to escape the Demon Wastes through the Labyrinth (nope, doesn’t wholly make sense to me at this point, but I eventually learn more). His powers are increasing the minion’s abilities and there is concern that some of them are growing powerful enough to escape the Wastes. It is believed a vessel of flamesteel and byeshk, crafted by a great smith in the tradition of Dhakaan and blessed by a mighty korta’sha (a Ghaash’kala caster of divine magics) can imprison this Overlord and bind his powers so that the carrion tribes that serve him cannot use it. This story is pretty crazy, but Khel totally rolls with it and says he is ready to leave now. Seriously? Jhazaali even gives him a brief look of disbelief but quickly reverts to her stoic form and agrees. Gort then turns to me and says that we, obviously including me, should begin our trip north as soon as possible. I’m pretty sure I look a little dumbfounded, but I quickly recover my cool. It’s more excitement than stoicism though. This sounds like some scary stuff so I’m totally in for going along.