Annotated Campaign Timeline

ANNOTATED CAMPAIGN TIMELINE

Based on the The Nadrilian-Yuoric Calendar. Posts will typically be for days of the month, with additional posts per day as needed.

Dates and useful (LINK)s will connect to their proper reference page.
Blue text will highlight NPC's, Factions and similar entities.
Green text will highlight locations.
Red text will highlight items of interest (potential plot threads, noteworthy events, curiosities, etc).

---

The Nadrilian-Yuoric Calendar

Month: 30 days, 5 weeks
Week: 6 days

New Year

1. Mallucus (Winter)
2. Rygaran (Winter)
-. Reverence (5 Day Observance, Transition of Winter to Spring)
3. Raskine (Spring)
4. Gustavus (Spring)
5. Osomarn (Spring)
6. Mossauran (Summer)
7. Tyrei (Summer)
8. Callendial (Summer)
9. Mykelian (Fall)
10. Nevadte (Fall)
11. Galan (Fall)
12. Seranu (Winter)

End of Year

Total Annual Days 365

First month of Spring

Region Map: The Borderlands of Eastern Jeres

---

1st of Raskine
Kray, Talius, and Thorn leave Caerllon the day after Reverence, beginning their journey to meet Lord Viscount Nemes Zaituc (link), also known as the Capcaun.


2nd of Raskine
Kray, Talius, and Thorn meet briefly with Cullan at Melig Trade, then press on to camp outside of Low Creek. Chief Rine of the Bardh Clan lets them stay in the loft of a stable house, a luxury during the storm that night. The Baron's Ranger, Capulet, who is competing for Dannein warrior recruits with House Mercon, is spotted outside of Rine's Camp.


3rd of Raskine
Kray, Talius, and Thorn leave their horses with Chief Rine and set out for Fish Point (Baoill) before sunrise, heading east on a foot trail. On the way they they found passage at the Dunaigh camp, by raft across Lake Azan, from an old fisherman named Deach. They arrived at Fish Point (Murrough Clan; Chief Padrig) late in the afternoon and joined a small camp cook with Baraide, Culpon, and some of Baichan's sons, enjoying an early dinner of grilled drakk eel.

The three travelers meet their guide Ruacht and make their way toward Zaituc's camp as the sun begins to set in the Drakkenmire (weather similar to Georgia/South Carolina in the U.S.). Ruacht discerns that they are being followed, and a brief, non-lethal battle ensues with some young warriors sent by Riocardo (Murrough Clan) to spy on Zaituc. The young warriors are allowed to follow them to Zaituc's, where they are allowed to see only what Zaituc wants them to.

Kray, Talius, and Thorn meet Ivor and Qiu at Zaituc's longhouse; introductions are made all around. Everyone enjoys a night of partying in the warmth of the longhouse with good company, drink, smoke, gambling, and plenty of gorgeous women to go around.


4th of Raskine
Kray discusses smuggling business with Zaituc, who has some stellar goods and wants to establish a new smuggling route from Fish Point, through Low Creek, to Melig’s Trade, then finally through the gate at Caerlleon, where House Mercon can mark up the prices as they see fit, fencing or moving the goods at their leisure.

Zaituc tells Kray the story of the banterwood chair that he stole from a big wiry-haired Dasnishi in Heshba.

After breakfast, the women, except for Shen Lain the quartermaster, are left at the Longhouse, along with a few guards. The party accompanies Zaituc's warband to 'The Stones,' to deal with some Gandish captives his kin from the north have brought from the Broken Leg Lands, murderers and cannibals. He had them questioned to find out what they're up to. An old druid, called Scachan, who was once a Murrough got some answers. The druid now wants the Gandish captives offered up to The Morrigan in the old way, via a ritual wherein The Stones will become a Circle of War, and The Morrigan lays her doom upon the weakest.

Zaituc intends to see the druid's will done, and said "...As far as I know, the nightgoblins (slang for Gandish) have never been in these lands so far south before. I want everyone to see clearly that these wicked men are like no normal adversary. They are worse than animals, more like demons."

After a ten minute walk, the warband arrives at The Stones. Three Gandish captives, taken by the Lochlainns (friends of Clans Caubenain and Murrough) less than 5 leagues northwest of The Stones on the 1st of Raskine, are accused of boiling the skin and flesh off of dead Caubenain children, then eating the childrens’ livers, then cleaning their small skulls and finger bones to use as belts and necklaces. Three dozen of their Gandish kin, accused of razing a small camp of the Caubenain Clan (hunters of the wetlands around Hollow Reed Lake), were supposedly slain by the Lochlainns on the 2nd of Raskine.

Zaituc kicks off the Circle of War ritual, wherein The Morrigan will "place doom and ruin upon the weakest who fall and soak the green grass with their life blood" and "those who die in this Circle of War will fall to ruin even in the World of the Dead. In the world of the living, their clans will suffer doom until a new moon rises." Scachan offers gifts to those who emerge from it alive after dealing death.

Ivor, Qiu, and Talius volunteer to fight the Gandish captives in the Circle of War. Talius claims the first kill, using his hammer to break a Gand's sternum before caving in his skull. One of the Gand captives flee the Circle of War, forfeiting any protection offered by the ritual combat. Kray fires two arrows as the Gand runs for cover, dropping him with a shots to the shoulder and the back. A Voldruvan named Rori, also called Ru Lanskkeld, emerges from the cover, returns Kray's arrows and instructs some Dannein to return the fleeing Gand's corpse to the Circle of War, where Qiu is still wrestling with the last remaining Gand. Moments later, Ivor, Talius, and Qiu gang finish the last Gand, ensuing a pool of blood is well placed to satisfy The Morrigan. All of them receive torcs as a symbolic reward for their participation in the ritual.

During the melee, Thorn spoke with Scachan the druid, who had this to say when asked about the Gand: "I tell you what I told Nemes (Zaituc) too, traveler: they (the Gand) are not cooperating with the Bat Hannocs. They certainly do not know the witch (assuming Rutcrana)...Just remember what I tell you: the Gandish are not the neighbors that Rutcrana (the witch? unconfirmed) speaks of. I am certain of that now."


After the Circle of War, Zaituc spoke to the party about a mercenary contract to find his granddaughter (LINK). His opening pitch is quoted verbatim below:

"Why did I ask you to come out here then?" Zaituc says, looking. "I will get to it then. And I will tell you both what I know and what I do not. I need something fetched and returned to me. Something I know little about, have not even seen before, yet at this time in my life it is very important to me."

"For this task, I need warriors. Men not afraid of getting in a fight," he goes on, "Who can kill who has to be killed once it is figured that way. But I also need discernment. There are axe-juggler Dannis (derogatory term for Danneins) to deal with, so as usual all of them are poised like Gaeirmundi gorillas to jump out of the swamp and launch a war party stomping all up and down Owain Branch. That is definitely not what I want. War parties are not good for my business and the longhouse does not need Murroughs swarming around like flies looking for someone to bite and somewhere to land near my camp."

"So I need a light hand to steer things as best as possible, until treading lightly cannot be done any longer." Zaituc says looking at Kray a little longer. "And then when that happens, I need everyone to run a heavy hand across these boys. And they are a bad bunch for the most part, this crowd. The Bat Hannocs. Swampers through and through. Some say they hatch out of the mud instead of being born to their mothers because they are as mean as snakes."

"But even then, none of those rats are the worst of it. What is worse is that I have to get you to meet a demon of a woman there who is the most manipulative, most vindictive, most untruthful scorned bitch I have every known, and I have to ask you to work with her and not kill her, though I am going to say that she will likely be trying to kill you, even when it appears that she is cooperating."

"This slippery slut's name is Rutcrana. She is called Grave Scratcher. You must not be drawn in by her charms, but yet hardly a man can resist. She is a hex thrower, a potion brewer, a devil breeder, a witch. The worst trouble I have ever known, but likely the only person who can tell you where to go to find what I ask you to find." Zaituc trails off. Looking off to the southwest, peering into the swamp as if frustrated.

"Who I send you to find." He says quietly. He turns around, "Who" he repeats looking at everyone.

"She has green eyes. I do not know her name. I have never seen her. She will likely resist, but I ask you to bring her safely to me nonetheless. For she is my own flesh and blood. The daughter of my son. And the witch, her mother, must not be allowed to keep her any longer."

Switching to posts per day, with additions per day depending on need (e.g., a lot of contract info that deserves space, like the following posts will).

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter

Rather than try to create extracts from Zaituc's mission details, I thought it better to have all the info in one place, allowing key ideas to be highlighted with verbatim information available. The idea here is just to make it so none of us have to go flipping through pages of posts to find key info.

Unless otherwise specified, details about the contract are from Zaituc.

Clarifying who is the girl to be brought to Zaituc:

The girl's name is unknown. Physical description is that she has green eyes and should be 11 years old. She is the daughter of Nemes's son whose name is Dinu Zaituc (more on him below). She is said to have black hair, which means it is like nearly all of the Bat Hannoc's. Suspect that she may fairer skin than most of the clan, because the Bat Hannocs are generally darker skin complexion while Dinu as a Voldruvan has a lighter skin color.

Why is this girl there in the first place? What are the details of past relationships and storyline?

Though Dinu Zaituc now has his own ship and ventures, he used to travel with his father. 12 years ago, he was at the longhouse. Long story short: Dinu fell victim to some of the charms and temptations of Rutcrana, who lured him upstream on Owain Branch to the Bat Hannoc village. He (Dinu) had a love affair with the witch, lasted a week or so. Zaituc learned of what was going on and sent his guys to recover Dinu by force. Some confrontation, but no deaths. Rutcrana had what she wanted. Dinu was frustrated that his father was interfering with his choices, but was also ridiculed for falling under the witch's spells. This event began the decline of relationship between Dinu and Nemes. They parted ways completely within the next year and have had little contact since[/color]. Nemes says clearly that he is not here to talk too much about his relationship with his son. What is applicable here is that Dinu has heard that he has a daughter with Rutcrana, but is not raising a finger to do anything about it. Nemes has avoided the issue for a while, but will stand by no longer (more reasons below on that).


Why now? Why not claim the girl in the past? What has changed?

A simple reason is that Nemes was not interested in getting involved. Many people father kids in this world and provide no support to the mother nor the child. What's new? Perhaps this would have been left alone, but two things have changed for Nemes. One, he is having a change of heart later in his life. This is the first any of the PCs have heard of it, but Nemes Zaituc says his intentions are that this is his last year of life on the high seas as a corsair. He is returning to Voldruv when winter sets in this year and plans to take up headship of his father's family's historic estate in the mountains. So at this time of his life, family is more important to him. But perhaps most importantly, motivation Two...see next entry.

Series of communications from Rutcrana to Nemes Zaituc
Why now? continued...

The region where the Bat Hannoc clan lives is upstream on Owain Branch, and then to the south. The Danneins call the area the Borgh Riac (Dannein for Borgh Swamp). Two autumns ago (about a year and a half in the past), a Bat Hannoc messenger came to the longhouse to speak a message to Nemes Zaituc from Rutcrana. The messenger, speaking for Rutcrana, said that the Bat Hannocs had "new allies, neighbors of great power" and that Nemes should visit her in Borgh Riac to understand what it will mean for the ongoing blood feud against the Murroghs. She said that Murrogh would soon fall to the onslaught from the Bat Hannocs, who would soon have new strength and resources from "the neighbors." Zaituc dismissed the messenger, thinking of it as another one of Rutcrana's efforts to get him to visit her so that she could charm him.

On the following summer though (less than a year ago), another messenger came. This time it was a small youth male messenger, not an adult Bat Hannoc warrior. Rutcrana told Zaituc that he should come to see her and discuss the power of "the allies" which she also referred to this time as "the claimants of Nahrooma". Rutcrana also said that his grand daughter was growing very beautiful and was extremely gifted in skill. Again Zaituc dismissed the message.

During the winter, about a month ago, yet another messenger came. This time it was a young Bat Hannoc girl. One who was weak, malnourished, and suffering from exposure on the trip through the wilderness to deliver the message. Her message from Rutcrana detailed in next entry.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

A warning of danger in Borgh Riac (Dannein for Borgh Swamp)

The young girl Bat Hannoc messenger, speaking for Rutcrana, said that "the neighbors at Nahrooma" had turned from ally to oppressor. Bat Hannoc was nearly ruined. She asked Zaituc to bring his crew to her aid. She cannot provide more information, for fear of retribution from the collaborators in her own clan. She said that his grand daughter was not escaping this danger either, that she too was being drawn into peril.

Zaituc, still relentlessly suspicious of Rutcrana, thinks the whole thing could be a trap, another lure. At the same time he is troubled by the message of increasing danger in the area. Zaituc sent Rori to explore for a while. The Vodruvan tracker found that the woods and marsh of Borgh Riac was exceptionally quiet and untraveled. He did not see any Bat Hannocs whatsoever, though he was far into their territory. That alone is reason for concern because the Bat Hannocs are avid scouts and hunters. Plus the decades long blood feud versus the Murrogh Clan has pretty much come to a halt because no Bat Hannoc skirmishers are traveling north and west to the edges of Murrogh territory as they did often in the past.


A Theory of Gandish Involvement Recently Discredited

Since last summer, Zaituc has suspected that these "new allies" and "neighbors" that Rutcrana spoke of were the Gands. Of all Danneins in the Danneinkiff, the only ones known to cooperate with the Gandish (in legends from the past at least) were the Daughters of Finni Hag. This was a villainous female-dominated clan from a few centuries ago. Though the Hag Daughters' Clan has since gone defunct, the Bat Hannocs are said to be descendants of this notorious group. With increased reports of Gandish roaming the Cairngorm Mountains and the Drakkenmire, Zaituc had a theory that Rutcrana and the Bat Hannocs had formed a dangerous alliance with the fiendish Gands.

Now though, Zaituc relents and says that he no longer thinks the Gands are involved. For one the young girl messenger did not seem to have familiarity with the Gand, although she was completely closed up and stood her ground relentlessly to not give any further information than her assigned message (a known pride and expertise of messengers).

Second, the recent captured Gand from up north (slain previous hour in the druid circle offering) were thoroughly interviewed and interrogated , byZaituc's crew but also by Scachan. It is said that no one can talk to a druid for any length of time and successfully lie to him. Druids have ancient ways to understand the words of all men, not just their words but their intentions. Scachan says that the Gandish knew absolutely nothing about the Bat Hannocs, nothing about a witch. They had come from the mountains. They knew of one other Gandish war party separate from their own, but those raiders were further north.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

Why does Nemes Zaituc distrust and despise Rutcrana so much? Why does he think she would be trying to kill the team? Why does he not address this himself directly?

Experience. Rutcrana charmed Zaituc when he was a younger man. He fell into an unholy passion for her and remained under her spell for nearly a month. Luckily, no pregnancy resulted, as it did later with his sonDinu. Nemes was able to escape the enthrallment, but knows that Rutcrana could likely get her clutches on him again if he were ever to see her or come close to her. She has material on him and has made a doll of him which she can use to do witchcraft upon him. Scachan has been able to release Nemes from most of the spell, but if Nemes were to come in close proximity to Rutcrana it would be a high risk.

In the years since, Rutcrana has both attempted to lure Nemes back to Borgh Riac and to kill him. She is vengeful against him and bounces back and forth between sending messages of love and scorn. Once she sent a Bat Hannoc hunter to spear Nemes. Later she sent a crafty Bat Hannoc girl to poison him.

Zaituc knows that Rutcrana's word is worth nothing. She is deceptive and a complete villain. Nonetheless, she likely holds some of the keys to solving this puzzle and will definitely be involved in capture of her daughter, Nemes' granddaughter. Surely she will not support that, yet she will be needed to find the girl in all likelihood.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

What are the details of Rutcrana? Who is she? What are her powers? Who are "The Barrow People"?

Rutcrana is a witch who calls on ancient powers of darkness. She likely has Hag lineage. She is also known to have access to ancient tombs of an old race that theDanneins most often call "the Barrow People" or "the Stone Cutters". Barrows are old mounds scattered across the Danneinkiff, that are known to serve as tombs to a now fallen and mostly forgotten civilization. The ruins of this past society can be found littered through the countryside. Fragments of statues and old stone structures can be found in wreckage now overgrown. The old group was apparently very skilled at building stone structures and cutting stone images and icons.

Rutcrana apparently goes to a site in the Borgh Riac, an old burial mound. She scratches and writes on the walls of the ruins, hence her nickname of Grave Scratcher. It is believed that she has learned much of her dark magic from studying the remnants of the Barrow People's writing, runes, and iconic carvings. The site where she is known to visit for her powers is a large hill that rises up from an expansive and deep lake that is covered in the thick growth of the Borgh Riac. This ancient site is called Nahrooma by the Bat Hannoc. It is located near the Bat Hannoc village of Sruthadmad (means Driftwood in Dannein).

Rutcrana can cast hexes and other spells that confuse the senses, illusions and deceptions, lures and charms. Also, she has extended her own life through her dark powers. Her real age is unknown, but because of known interactions with the Murrogh clan, events involving Rutcrana go back for well over a century, likely closer to two centuries. Despite being inhumanely old, Rutcrana still appears to be a healthy woman in her late 20s early 30s, in the prime of her beauty.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

Why the effort to avoid killing of Bat Hannocs if possible?

There would be no way to wipe out the Bat Hannocs entirely. They are dispersed in small settlements and wigwams all through the Borgh Riac and even further south into other parts of the Drakkenmire. So anything that happens to some of the Bat Hannocs will be used as fuel to call for vengeance by the other Bat Hannocs. Zaituc does not want to revive or intensify the Murrogh - Bat Hannoc blood feud. When that happens, his longhouse hideout is caught in the middle. So he wants to focus on getting his granddaughter and getting out, not on killing as many Bat Hannocs as possible.

Rutcrana herself is also very valuable to the Bat Hannoc clan. Killing her would likely cause a furious response and demand for retribution against Zaituc and Murrogh. Again, he just wants to avoid it if possible, to spare the Murrogh's and Baoill (Fish Point in Yuoric) from a full invasion, but also most importantly Zaituc doesn't want his own territory upset and getting caught in the middle of a war.

So, as mentioned, Zaituc wants to go as far as possible without killing anyone. That being said, the top priority is getting the girl out safely. Zaituc is an experienced raider and marauder. He knows that even when you try to avoid a fight, sometimes you cannot. As motivation for keeping death count minimized, PAY STRUCTURE FOR THE CONTRACT will be based on bringing back Zaituc's granddaughter. BONUS MONEY is in play for getting the job done with no killings of Bat Hannocs. No restrictions will be given on hurting, injuring, or non-lethal assault of Bat Hannocs.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

In the Q&A, Qiu is able to recognize the name of the site called Nahrooma. He confirms, from Scachan, that it was once a city ruled by a Wizard King named Osankmek around 4000 years ago. Legend has it that Osankmek was a ruler of "The Barrow People" who gained an ability to soar into the clouds.

4th of Raskine
Zaituc outlines the contract to find and return his granddaughter
(Continued)

Investigation Check Results:

Sifting through the information and following a series of well-placed questions, Kray is also able to glean out a few more pieces of useful information that may have been overlooked. What is the situation like on Bat Hannoc leadership? Who is the chief? What are his main resources?

The Bat Hannoc's call their leader the Norach. It means something like "the remnant" in Dannein. The last known leader was Norach Onchu, known to be a demented and cruel leader, but widely feared by the Bat Hannocs. Years ago, he killed the Murrogh champion Caldeanich. Norach Onchu is also rather aged, and it is rumored that he had some contenders who would likely challenge him for leadership soon.

Champions among the Bat Hannocs often gain skill as fighters by raiding in the Yuoric borderlands. They are usually battle tested and capable warriors. They sometimes dress in fearsome body covers and masks, and are known for their ability to move around unseen and may wield enhanced abilities from the magics of Rutcrana.

Bat Hannocs are often known for their superior javelin throwing skills. They have a javelin launching hand tool called an atlatl that can cast javelins exceptionally far and at extremely high speeds, delivering notable lethality. They are also some of the few Dannein clans who tend to use poison.
(Nearly all other Danneins reject the use of poison as dishonorable, the weapon of weak men and conniving women of civilization.)

Bat Hannocs are also known for their large game traps and even man-traps.

SUMMARY ON BAT HANNOC TACTICS AND WARFARE: Watch for stealth, Rutcrana buffs (?), long range bad ass javelin throwing, assuming cleverly hidden man traps, and poison use. Ambush tactics seem likely.