Gameplay - Chapter 2 - Dakaj's Solace Inn

For the uninitiated, let’s start by stating the obvious: Davokar is a forest like no other. Firstly, it is enormous, so vast that it takes weeks or months to cross it, depending on the selected route and what happens on the way. Second, it is so varied that the barbarians have more than a hundred words for describing its different parts – from the border territory in the south, Odovakar, to Symbar, the both alluring and horrifying heart of the forest. Thirdly, there are those who persist in portraying Davokar as a being, a hungering and striving, even thinking, organism. And although such portrayals echo the tall tales of barbarians and witches they cannot be readily ignored. As sure as I am standing before you now, I have often felt like an unwelcomed intruder in the leafy halls of Davokar; unwelcomed not only by elves and beasts but also by vegetation, waters and its very soil.

The enormity of the forest, paired with its varied vegetation and the uncertainty regarding its basic character, makes it impossible to produce a distinct and holistic account of its nature. And the task is made even harder when barbarians and elves make up tales of ancient evils and slumbering sources of corruption, hoping to scare honest folks away. But we must not be deterred by uncertainty and ghost stories! The treasures of Davokar can feed families, pay for castles and ultimately be the sun that makes the realm of Korinthia bloom.

Before I begin I need to comment on the restrictions established by our Queen, more precisely on the laws regulating our people’s access to Davokar. I am not man enough to question the wisdom in this, and maybe the newly established explorers license is essential for preventing the woods from overflowing with gold-sniffing paupers, thirsting for jewels and artifacts. But what good can come from a statute which require us explorers to register and pay taxes for our findings is harder to see; on the same note, the threat of imprisonment and even capital punishment seems unwarranted, to say the least. Personally, I have numerous friends, celebrated explorers, who are considering relocating their enterprises elsewhere in order to avoid pointless administration and unjust charges. Such a development will undoubtedly be the downfall of our Queen’s realm!

Davokar’s outer regions, the home of the barbarian clans, may be entered without directly endangering life and limb – the vegetation is comparatively young and lets more sunlight slip through than the horrors of the forest can endure. But to enter the clan territories without weapons is not advisable. Likewise, I would counsel prospective explorers to always travel in groups, to have their licenses in order, to make careful travelling plans and to stick to those plans no matter what. Good relations within the group, meticulous preparations and the ability to resist temptations are vital for securing a successful return!

Unlike the Odavs, the warmongering Karits are distrustful, if not hostile, towards the new lords
of the realm. This can probably be explained by the fact that Ambrian treasure-hunters have invaded their territory during the past decades, scaring game away and attracting elves. Or could it possibly have something to do with what happened to the former ally of Karohar – Haloban and his Jezites? Regardless, the territory of the Karits is far from safe.

Take the treasure-hunter, Onadae. She was worthy, an implacable foe to her enemies, but when she sought Barrvalg’s Cauldron, an artifact that allowed elixirs to be cooked into a mist so it may affect many rather than one, she found an unexpected challenge. Into the lands of the Karohar, she roamed, following rumour and speculation…

Black hawk expounds on Onadae’s tale, telling how she came upon a elven hunter who chased her far from her path, unimpressed by her 'license', her unexpected capture by Karit villagers, her unlikely escape from her bonds using a secreted blade, her headlong plunge into dangerous woods, hiding in a tree to escape a terrible horned, beast, and her eventual escape, haggard and empty handed back to the shores of the Eanor, the same river upon which Dakaj’s Solace Inn sits.

As to Barrvalg’s Cauldron, it remains a legend, and may rest somewhere within Davokar forest, along with untold other artifacts and riches.

"Get the ladder and kill the guard and that bell!"

The Nightblade is a minor robber baron whose dark dealings have lead to rumours of corruption sickness. You are surprised to hear that she is still alive.