Undercover in Gograzh
Date: 723 GY
Location: Kyr and the Badlands
Outcome: Gograzhi plot to steal one of the Shards of Judgement was thwarted. The Shard is safely delivered to the College of Soaring Spears.
To maintain stability, the Wardens of the Endless Road constantly monitor Gograzhi activity. Oftentimes this requires high-risk operations. One such mission, the Wardens asked for volunteers to go undercover as mercenaries employed by the Gograzhi. The four people who volunteered were Dagmor, Paka, Dhergey, and Remiel b’Finwe. This mission required rendezvousing with a contact already undercover in Gograzh. They were to leave Kyr and follow directions supplied by the Wardens, leading them through the Badlands to a location where the Gograzhi were maintaining a mercenary camp.
After making all the necessary preparations, the party left the familiar territory of Kyr behind and made their way into Gograzhi territory. Like every land under Gograzhi control, navigation was nearly impossible. Even with the directions supplied by the Wardens, nothing was direct. The team relied heavily on Paka. Constantly keeping an eye out for tracks and landmarks, they led the team further and further away from civilization. Oftentimes they would have to scout ahead, disappearing for hours at a time, searching for the next landmark. Yet always they would return, setting the group upon the right path. After five days of trudging their way, they arrived at the mercenary camp, Bloodrock Keep.
Their point of contact at the location was a Ranger from the Wardens, a man named Siro. The location was so remote, reports from the Ranger were rare. Bringing back a full report was included in their mission. There was something odd about Siro, something they chalked up to working undercover for so long.
Siro informed the group that the Gograzhi had a job planned. They didn’t know what it was, but based on the number of mercenaries they had been hiring recently, Siro knew it was big and they knew it was soon. The team’s mission was to find out what they could about the job, and then get out. Deep within the Keep was a room where the Gograzhi kept all incoming communications before they were decoded. He provided the group with blueprints of the Keep, leaving it to them to complete their task.
Remiel b’Finwe took to the task immediately. They spent the first night doing reconnaissance, determining guard positions and patrol schedules. They worked late into the following nights, each time progressing further and further into the keep. By the fourth night, they had their route figured out. As quiet as a shadow, they infiltrated the facility. Passing by patrols as if they weren’t there, they made their way to the communication room. But that was only the first half. The documents were all encrypted. Doing a quick search, they took the documents that seemed to be the most recent. They then smuggled the documents out to Dhergey, for their part of the job.
Dhergey, as quick as humanly possible, made copies of all the documents. The originals would have to be returned by Remiel before the end of the night, so they wouldn’t be missed. Dhergey then spent their day decoding the documents, searching for any clues as to why the Gograzhi were hoarding mercenaries. The next few days followed the same pattern, Remiel smuggling documents, and Dhergey transcribing and decoding them.
Meanwhile, Dagmor took a different strategy: earn a reputation amongst the mercenaries. Try to get in good with the higher-ups, see what that gets you. They took to dueling in the mercenary camps. Dagmor won challenge after challenge. They started taking on multiple people at once, gaining more and more of a name. Eventually the reputation spread, impressing the Gograzhi.
As the days passed, Dhergey unraveled more and more communications. They began to piece together the plan of the Gograzhi. First they were going to strike a location called the Jagged Spire, a Warden Outpost in the Kyr mountains. A shipment was soon set to pass through, destined for the College of the Soaring Spears. That shipment contained one of the Shards of Judgement. Apparently the Gograzhi plan was to sack the outpost, then use human mercenaries to disguise themselves as Wardens, and ambush the shipment.
After a quick discussion, the team set a plan in motion. Paka was to wait for an opportune moment, and stealthily slip away. Being able to move faster on their own, they were to get to the Jagged Spire as quickly as possible, and give them warning. The rest of the team was to play a different role. Thanks to the reputation Dagmor gained, they were allowed to have the crew join the mercenaries set to hit the outpost.
Jagged Spire was along a common road, but due to the terrain, remained somewhat isolated. It had natural defenses. Set at a higher elevation, the road both entered and left from a lower position. However, the valleys also offered many places to hide. The Gograzhi approached the outpost at night, hoping to infiltrate the location before an alarm could be sounded. Marching with the Gograzhi, the team tried to position themselves toward the rear. There was going to be an ambush that day, it was just going to be the Gograzhi who would suffer it.
Paka had accomplished their task, alerting the Wardens to the approaching threat. As soon as the Gograzhi reached the foot of the outpost, shots rang out. From the elevated position, [someone with sparktech proficiency] took aim at the Gograzhi casters. They took down multiple targets quickly, almost entirely eliminating the Gograzhi’s ranged capabilities. Meanwhile [an Alchemist] rained down chemical fire and poison on the front lines of the Gograzhi, laying down cover while [three Channelers] charged the Gograzhi head-on.
At this moment, the team put their plan into motion, attacking the back ranks of the Gograzhi. Dagmor struck down the Gograzhi in charge, sinking the enemies further into chaos. Remiel worked with Dhergey, who was busy turning paper into a destructive force, to take out the support team of the Gograzhi. [The Channelers] took advantage of the discordination of the Gograzhi to take out their shield wall.
Even with the advantage of surprise, the fight wasn’t easy. The Gograzhi had numbers on their side. Yet the Wardens stood true, protecting the roads once more. After the fight [the Alchemist] tended to the wounds of the injured. While many were hurt, there was nothing serious.
The next day, an envoy carrying the Shard arrived. Akash Ullu and [one Pallas Adine] were the ones bearing the Artifact, with it never leaving their possession until it reached the College of the Soaring Spears. Accompanying them were also [three historians], who had been doing research into the artifact for the College. The Wardens informed the envoy of the Gograzhi ploy. [The Alchemist, sparktech user, and Channelers noted above] agreed to accompany the envoy the rest of the way, gaining the gratitude of the Pallas Adine and the College.
Meanwhile the initial crew stayed behind for a debriefing and to give the full report of their mission to the Wardens.
PC Roles
Paka: Jay S.
Dhergey: Daniel D.
Akash Ullu: Alaska C.
Remiel b’Finwe: Chris J.
Dagmor: Mike S.