Defeating the bandits in Aldronard's Grave was no small task.  A handful of knights and priests had been captured in their assault and they, along with any surviving prisoners, proved to be a wealth of information.

The bandits were part of a gang called the Smilers, one of many in Scrapwall.  They are lead by a notorious hobgoblin necromancer named Marrow.  The second in command, Hatchet-Hand, is among those killed in the fighting.

Scrapwall itself is, unfortunately, a haven to many gangs.  The new kings of the heap only recently appeared and call themselves the Lords of Rust.  The other gangs have been eager to curry favor with them for months now, but they're not exactly friendly.  One of htem was apparently killed on a mission outside of Scrapwall very recently and the rest are angry and eager to lash out.  Their members include a violent troll named Helskarg, a half-orc cleric named Nalakai, a mysterious four-armed monster known as Zagmaander, a chain-wielding ettin named Draigs, and an orc barbarian named Kulgara. Until recently, a sixth lord was counted among the Lords of Rust—a purple-haired priestess of some sort that sounds quite familiar.

The Knights have also heard rumors of Hellion, the other name that stood out from the Torch affair. They don't believe it to be the name of a god, but the captive Smilers disagree.  “He is Hellion, the true leader of the Lords of Rust, a god who can grant miracles to those he favors. His sign is his claw, and his voice is his law. He will soon rise from the dust of Scrapwall to march upon Numeria, to make this land his own!”

---

Scrapwall itself... was a pile of junk.  It was a pile of junk with one obvious opening, though, and one that appeared to be guarded.  The question became... how would the group approach this?  Humble supplicants?  Visitors?  Angry crusaders?

"Eesh. What a pile of junk." Kaelyn comments as she takes in the all the sights of Scrappwall before she turns to the party.

"Well, now what? We could claim we are scavengers, maybe get some information from one of the lesser gangs? Try to find the priest's friend, this woman Dinvaya? She might know more on what is going around here, assuming she is here and still breathing."

Just getting things started. Any other ideas?

From not very far away, a smallish sort of creature emerged from within the protection and shelter of some rusted behemoth lost to time within the scarred and scattered landscape. Having survived several skirmishes with the rat-folk, those in the party were familiar with the gait and movements, but this creature was no enemy to them...

It was Torril Maw, a scout and sniper, and protege of Khonnir Baine himself.

"KREE-eesk! Torril Maw is pleased, eeskk, to see you! Torril Maw now returns, sk-skee-skr, to help the friends of KK-Khonnir Baine." The ratling said.

He was dressed in tattered rags or a holey cloak perhaps that should have been thrown away a very long time ago, or perhaps it had been, but was now pressed into service. He wore a bit of armor beneath, or so it appeared, had several pouches and a belt, filled with strange supplies and wicked-looking weapons. Save for his strange mannerisms and accent, he spoke the common tongue rather well.

"Torril Maw has been waiting, kk-eekree, waiting and watching. S-kkk-crapwall has many k-kek-customers..."

"What is it that you seek-kkee?"

Kaelyn greets Torril. "Good to see another friend of Khonnir."

"I think." She adds in a faint voice as she fully takes in his appearance.

"We are here to look for... well, we are not quite sure what exactly. A reason someone here would be messing with the Torch, I guess. Oh, and also a high priest's friend, Dinvaya. I don't suppose you know something about either of those?"

I forgot, has Kaelyn met Torril in game before? And even if not, can we just assume she knows him, as they are both working with Khonnir? I hate introduction scenes.

OOC: Torril and Kaelyn would have known each other, at least in the last several months if not longer, as they both associated with Baine, likely together from time to time. (see GM's aren't the only ones who can hand-wave!)


"No." Torril said in his rodent-like voice, answering both questions at the same time. "Torril Maw finds, Torril Maw track-kkk-s, and Torril Maw wishes to ex-kkk-plore more of this wonderful place!"

Considered fairly well-traveled in the region, as a scout and guide, the ratling had passed through Scrapwall a few times, but never had had the opportunity to nose around. The place was of immense interest to him, for certainly there were treasures, artifacts and unknown technology to discover still in such a place!

Kaelyn is not sure she would have used the word "wonderful" to describe this gang-infested junkyard, but exploring it is what they are here for. "Right. So, any preference on where do we start? I still think searching for Dinvaya might be a good first step, possibly by questioning some of the lesser gangs. Asking around about the Lords of Rust directly could lead to trouble."

"Torril, that's Kaelyn." she laughed and shook her head.

"There. Now we're all friendly. So, seems to me we should put our heads together about what we know about this place before we try to go in. Which is easy for me, 'cause I don't know much, but maybe some of you know better?"

OOC: Well, maybe I know more than I thought I did... Still untrained so can't know much. Anybody got local trained? Might help us decide what to do next.

22:17, Today: Sofia rolled 17 using 1d20.  know. local untrained Scrapwall.

Torril's whiskers flicked a little as he cocked his head toward Sofia. "Yes, Torril Maw knows the scent of KKK-Kaelyn, eek-kkk..."

"We must gain, skkeeka, trust if anyone will talk-kkkeek with us," Torril said. "Gain entry, look-kkk, for wor-ksk-kk."

The ratling pointed toward the most likely entry point to Scrapwall, having scouted it out while awaiting the others to arrive with instruction from their benefactor.

OOC: Kaelyn has it, but I suspect we already have all the information it can get us. Here's a roll anyway.
10:42, Today: Kaelyn rolled 19 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge: Local.

OOC: if allowed, can we use Sofia role as an aid on Kaelyn's to get over the magic DC 20?

"Regardless I guess we need to go inside. That looks like a front door, right? no reason to sneak in the back, is there? we're traders and travelers, that's it. just like a dozen others."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Tue 08 Sept 2020.

Your recollections as mostly the same as what you managed to glean at the fort, though the prisoners and the crusaders certainly had more up-to-date information.  Scrapwall has been a land of squabbling gangs and shifting territories as long as anyone can remember.  The scrap from which it gets its name (and is largely composed of) has value but the treacherous, shifting piles make it difficult for large groups to operate for long.  The value of the scrap also varies widely and while one area might make a group rich for a year, it might hold nothing of value to be found for decades more.

Having been through here or at least having heard of the area, it's a bit impressive that one gang seems to have become the rulers of such a place.  Given the place's history, however, you're certain that they aren't the only remaining faction and the factions probably don't get along very well.

That still leaves the question of how to approach the gate.  From past visits, you know that the gate is as well guarded against outside attack as it is from attacks from the inside.  There tends to be a small faction that holds the gate area and derives their income mostly off "taxing" those coming and going.

How do you approach?

"Well, unless you all fancy trying to scale the junk walls or scout around for a back way in, seems like the front door is in our future. we'll just have to be nice and charming like bout how we don't need to be paying no taxes, right?" she smiled disturbingly.

"Lead the way then. Far be from me to shirk my civic duty of paying taxes." Before they head any further though, Kaelyn casts a protection spell on herself. Just in case.

The whole place is surrounded by a wall? Anyway, Mage Armor up.

"Torril Maw believes that you two should mak-kksk-e the talk-kkk..." Torril gestured toward the gate. This said, the ratling turned and lead the way toward the gate, his musket held in a neutral pose. Only the twitching of his whiskers gave away his nervousness.

OOC: Torril leads the party to the gates.

"Walls" is a liberal description for the barrier that surrounds Scrapwall.  The outer heaps of junk, dozens of feet tall, make a barrier that you would have to be either very adept or very suicidal to attempt to scale.  Aside from the one main entrance, you know of no way through to the more stable areas.

Torril approaches the gate to find it manned.  The gates themselves are an arrangement of levers and pulleys that move large pieces of debris out of the way.  The gatekeepers, themselves, are protected by a building built up one side of the gates and across the top.

"Names and business," a bored-looking man wearing a scrap metal helmet asks as you approach.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

She made eye contact with the bored-looking man, not looking away.

"I'm Sofia. There are my comrades. They can give their own names. We heard Scrapwall's the place for an enterprising team looking for work. A freedom loving settlement for folks looking for a place to call home who maybe don't have a lot of love for where the rules are too, erm, tight. Not looking to cause you no trouble, don't get me wrong. Just looking for a new start."

Kaelyn tries to back Sofia up. "I'm Kaelyn. That's us alright, enterprising freedom loving folk that don't like too many rules. Or taxes, we don't like taxes either."