Ozric, Quintus, Elinor finish their visit with the spirit talker and head to Oktar’s town. They hope to make a deal and get the magic tuning fork from Nymandus to trade with Farhat the dogman hedge wizard.

The party comes across a group of steppe warriors riding hard toward their wagon train.

The warriors have arrows knocked in their horse bows as they rein in. Elinor rides out to meet them on her mighty destrier, Quintus, and Ozric follow behind. The warriors demand tribute or they’ll attack and kill everyone.

Elinor, a paladin, asks them why they think it is acceptable to rob her and her friends. The warriors look at each other in confusion. Raiding is how you gain reputation and wealth on steppe. Everybody knows that.

As they sat confused, Ozric cast fireball and blasting four of the warriors and their horses.

The other four stood firm and fired arrows. The party killed another of the warriors in the exchange and the others turned to flee. Elinor demanded their surrender. Surprising everyone, they did.

After determining that the warriors had a flock of stolen livestock nearby. Elinor gathered up the warriors, their stolen goods and were headed toward the clan the warriors had raided. Warriors were already on the trail and met Elinor with her captives and their stolen goods. She turned over both and rejoined the party on the trail to Oktar’s town.

The party arrived on Oktar’s town and head straight to the chieftain’s long house once they got camp set up. Once there, they requested a meet with Oktar. They had to wait but managed to get in. They greeted Oktar and said they had become aware of a magic device that they could use to make Oktar’s sword more powerful. They knew a wizard who could use it but they needed the tool. Oktar was quite interested in this and wanted to know more. The party said that the item they needed was owned by Nymandus and he was loathe to sell it. Oktar asked Nymandus if this was true and the dark wizard said it was.

Oktar asked what the item was worth and Nymandus responded that it was worth 10,000 silver. Oktar turned to his treasure keeper and told him to count out 10,000 silver and Nymandus was to get the item from his house. Nymandus, looking sour, left for his abode. While they waited, Oktar told them he wsa giving the party the tuning fork. In exchange he required Elinor to swear an oath on her sword that she would return with the means to make Oktar’s sword more powerful. She agreed. As she knelt and swore the oath, she felt the power of the gods was in Oktar. She was bound by the gods to keep her oath to the chief. If she did not fulfill the oath, she would gain not only Oktar’s ire but that of the gods. Oktar gave them the tuning fork and the accoutrements contained in the box. It was theirs to keep so long as Elinor kept her oath.

After that was over, the nightly feast of lamb, horse and much drink was brought out. The party was invited to join Oktar and his warriors in their merry making. They stayed for the party and fun was had by all.

A plain looking but extroverted woman, brought Quentis a cup and offered him to drink. She wore many armbands, and a necklace of amber beads as large as sheep knuckles. Quintus accepted and introduced himself. She introduced herself as Liana, 4th daughter of Oktar, chieftain of the hall. Quintus was somewhat clumsy and unaware of the courtesy one showed high folk. Liana was quick to correct him when he suggested that maybe they should find a more private place. He apologized and her anger subsided. They had a pleasant evening together and exchanged gifts.

The next morning the party tried to find Nymandus’ agent Markus. Hoping they might influence him with a charm or suggestion, the party searched in vain. Quintus found Liana and asked her if she might know where Markus is. She responded with disdain, “I do not keep track of servants. Servants keep track of me.” Quintus apologized, once again and expressed interest in seeing her when he returned. She seemed to be amenable but hoped Quintus would learn the courtesy of the steppe in the meantime.

The party headed out and traveled toward Farhat’s warren with their prize.

They had been out several days when the ground rumbled near Quintus. A large ankheg, a danger well known in this part of the steppe, emerged from the soil. It had been sleeping just below the surface and was startled when Quintus nearly rode overtop of it. It sprang up and sprayed its acidic defenses. The spray caught Quintus and his horse. Quintus was able to deftly leap from the saddle as the horse went down.

Elinor spurred her horse and held her hand out to the dismounted warrior. He swung up behind her as she thundered past. Clear of the insect, she wheeled around. The giant bug was dragging Quintus’ horse toward its lair for a feast. Much of Quintus gear and treasure was in its saddle bags and he wasn’t going to lose that. Elinor drew her sword and rode for the monster. Ozric was trying to prevent the thing from dragging the horse away and cast enlarge. It was the first time he used the spell and didn’t realize it affected all the creatures in an area of effect. This made the horse twice its normal size and made the ankheg larger too.

Elinor charged the monster with Quintus behind her in the saddle. Ozric decided his next spell would be the tried and true magic missile. The creature reared up as Quintus stood up on the rump of Elinor’s horse, and lept straight for the thing’s head, sword poised to strike. Elinor slashed the enlarged bug as she rode by. The magic missiles struck its abdomen. Quintus’ blade was true though the monster hit the leaping warrior as he passed in front of the creatures clacking mandibles. Quintus hit the ground and turned to see the ankheg topple over. The hirelings and laborers watched in mute awe at this display of martial brilliance.

A week and half later, the party came across a battle between some hunters and a pack of birdmen trying to steal some of their catch. Neither party seemed able to make telling blows. Elinor spurred forward intending to bring peace. As she rode ahead, Ozric enlarged her and her warhorse. Seeing a woman warrior and horse twice their normal size was enough to send the birdmen streaking away. The hunters thanked the party and offered some of their catch. Elinor turned them down, “Good deeds are their own reward.” The party continued on to the warrens of the dogmen.

The party tells Farhat they’ve brought his tools and ask him to tune the stone they have in their possession. They admit that they made a deal with Oktar and need Farhat to teach Osric how to use the fork. This presents a problem. Farhat can’t teach Ozric how to use the fork because Ozric is a human and can’t hear the sound produced by the stones or the tuning fork. “Only the dogmen can do that. That is why the empress, our goddess created the dogmen,” the furry hedge wizard claimed. The only way they could use the tuning fork to improve Oktar’s weapon was if Farhat himself came with them to Oktar’s town.

Oktar is a terrible foe of Farhat and his people. Farhat had collected most of the dogman tribes to join him in clearing the hypogeum when Oktar swept down on them and slaughtered the gathered warriors. Farhat, seeing he had few options offered the party a deal.

Help Farhat acquire the body of the Empress Zeleska, bring the statue and the body to her healing baths in the depths of the hypogeum. Help him to resurrect her and fulfill his destiny as her prophet and the priest of her cult. Together they would return civilization to the steppe and the power of the empress would bring peace and prosperity to all.

Elinor was skeptical about the kind of peace and prosperity Zeleska would bring. The paladin saw much evidence to the contrary among the images, sculptures and sorceries found in the hypogeum. The party said they would have to think about it and would return to discuss it further.

Back in their camp the party discussed options. Return the magic device to Oktar and tell him that it was not possible. Elinor’s oath would not be fulfilled but she would not be punished if she was honest and told Oktar what the facts were. They thought maybe they could try their luck with Vitalis the sorcerer ox. Farhat had been an apprentice of the minotaur sorcerer and there was some falling out. Vitalis was quite interested in the magic of the red stones and might have some knowledge about how they could be tuned without Farhat’s help.

The party took their crew and headed toward Vitallis’ mansion on the steppe. When they arrived, Vitallis came out to meet them.

They told Vitallis the news and asked if he could use the tuning fork. It turns out he could and would do so if the party gave him the tuning fork in exchange for tuning any redstone they brought to him in the future. The party agreed if Vitallis would go to Oktar’s town and tune Oktar’s blade as well. Vitallis agreed.

The stone was removed from the sword that Cullen the ranger had been carrying and attached the redstone to Elinor’s great two-handed sword. The ox sorcerer produced a horn of the type used by the hard of hearing. It had gold and silver banding, sigils of power and jewels set into it. The sorcerer opened the box, put the ear horn to his head and struck the tuning fork. None of the rest of the party could hear the sound it made but Vitallis could. Using the magic of the horn, the tuning fork and other eldritch devices in the kit, he was able to tune the powers of the stone to Elinor and her blade. It revealed wondrous powers that would serve her well in the future.

The party loaded up after a day at Vitallis’ mansion and headed toward Oktar’s town with the sorcerer ox and his minotaur body guards along for the journey.

They were two days on the trail when Farhat and his followers caught up with them.

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