![]() With the periphery secured, sentry posts are established along the borders. ![]() ![]() Scores of Druj are put to the sword while the rest flee East towards the Barrens. That strength becomes a weakness once the Empire is able to deploy large numbers of small military units through the area, allowing them to scour the regions clear. The Mallum orcs are skilled at avoiding open battle when the numbers do not favour them and an army, even a Navarr army, would have struggled to bring them to battle, strung out as they are. The Druj are quickly driven out, their scattered forces no match for the Imperial heroes. They favour the Navarr, understandably, but they are happy to fight alongside any Imperial force save perhaps the Dawnish. Hunters and warriors with keen spears, scouts with sharp eyes, and healers eager to battle corruption, join the Empire's heroes in the quest to explore Brocéliande. It is a horror that twists the natural power of the forest, creating a mockery of life. For the most part they view the vallorn as an unspeakable corruption. Many of them have joined Navarr stridings and travelled the Empire, encountering abominations in Hercynia and even Liathaven. That knowledge has only grown in the last few years as they dwelled in Therunin. Their time in Brocéliande gave them some familiarity with the vallorn. They abandoned their settlements here in 377YE when the Druj were driven from the Barrens, eager to return to their ancient home under the Eaves of Peytaht. They clashed from time to time with the northern Navarr, but rarely seriously. After they first fled the Barrens to avoid enslavement by the Druj, many of them made temporary homes for themselves in Boar's Dell. They soon prove to be effective allies who know the overgrown paths of Brocéliande surprisingly well. The Senator for Therunin has reached out to the Great Forest Orcs who also have an interest in keeping the forces of the Mallum from threatening their new home. Imperial champions receive additional support in both Boar's Dell and in Elerael. ![]() They are adept at avoiding direct encounters and melting back into the woods whenever they meet a questing knight or a Navarr scouting band. It seems to be only a matter of time before they establish a more significant presence. Reports suggest that more of them have been sneaking over the borders from The Barrens in the months since. The number of Druj in Brocéliande has been on the rise ever since their unexpected involvement in the battle against the Heirs of Terunael. The first order of business is to secure Elerael in the south and Boar's Dell in the north. Travid Longest Path, Senator for Therunin Into the Woods The more of us that go, t’more we can find out ‘n’ t’closer we get to t’heart- Do y’want to join us with t’Spears of the Pines to see what’s there. Over t’comin’ season many of us’ll be exporin’ Brocéliande t’hopefully see a bastard vallorn heart - an eternal is givin’ us safe(ish) passage, i don’t understand it but it’s makin’ the researchers happy. With their duty to oversee the cauldron done, they are eager to join the heroes exploring the depths of Brocéliande. The heralds of Rhianos have no interest in tarrying in the relative safety of the steading. It will remain in the Broch as a monument to the grand adventure of 384YE. After some discussion the cauldron is left in the keeping of the Navarr. The gold fades, and the cauldron is nothing more than a cauldron. As Autumn lengthens toward Winter, the magic begins to fail.Ī few late stragglers make it to the Broch in time to taste the last of its potence. The cauldron's power - like all things - must eventually diminish, and pass from the world. The dangerous, monster-filled, mystery-haunted woods of Brocéliande. The influence of the cauldron, and the urging of the heralds, mean few can resist the siren call of the forest. Then, as often as not, they leave the next morning. The heralds of Rhianos serve them their onion soup, infused with the rich power of the Summer realm. Some sneak along shadowed paths, avoiding the vallornspawn. Every nation save the Imperial Orcs is represented there is even a Freeborn hero come all the way from Madruga to explore the far eastern shores of the Empire. In this case “most committed” means over three hundred Imperial champions and their followers. The challenge of actually reaching the Broch serves, perhaps intentionally, to discourage all but the most committed. The miasma coils between the trees, making every fight a potentially fatal encounter. The vallornspawn throng the cursed woods in spite of the Winter curse hanging heavy over the territory. It lies deep within Brocéliande, and there are no roads to follow. Actually reaching the fortified steading at the heart of Black Boughs is no mean feat, even for the Navarr. The cauldron sits at the heart of the Broch, a golden island in a sea of darkness.
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