Scavenger hunt with Orowa - Day 2

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Storm approaches...

Adventurers supped on the food they had found in the bandits’ hideout and spent the night underground. On the next day they set off to continue their journey. The sun was high above when MOD_V4lkyrie shouted: “Look! A sandstorm is coming!” You and Orowa joined her on the top of a small hill and saw the enormous dark cloud, slowly moving in your direction.
“Quickly, back to the caravan” - the ghost shouted. - “Unroll the magic carpet we took from the bandits, we’ll fly over the storm!”
Fortunately, the carpet was quite large and everyone fit. There were gasps of both horror and excitement when the carpet rose into the air.
Orowa was doing everything he could, but for some reason the carpet didn’t want to rise higher than just above the raging storm. Strong winds were throwing the magical vehicle in all directions, while clouds of dust were blowing into the faces of the adventurers, making it impossible to see anything.
Just when you were beginning to think that maybe you’re going in circles above the storm, the visibility started to get better. The endless dunes were no longer there, you were flying over a forest.
“Uhh, guys? I think I’m losing control over this thing...” - said Orowa.
The carpet started losing altitude, slowly at first, but then faster and faster.
“We’re going down! Hold on!” - cried the ghost.

The carpet hit the ground with a loud bang. The adventurers were thrown in all directions.
Empty of passangers, the magical artefact rose into the air on its own and disappeared in the trees.
“Ghosts shouldn't fly through any means other than their own powers...” - complained Orowa, shaking dirt and leaves out of his sheets.
“Are you alright?” - asked an unfamiliar voice.
You looked around and saw a man standing under a nearby tree. He was wearing torn and dirty clothing and was leaning on a branch. You could also see several fresh wounds.
“Are YOU alright?” - you asked the stranger.
“Is it possible? Could you be the answer to my prayers?” - the man said, as if he hadn’t heard the question. - “My name’s Rudolf. You must help me, please!”
The rest of the adventurers started gathering around you.
“Sure, why not! We have a skilled field medic in our group.” - said Orowa.
“No! My wounds don’t matter. It is my family that need help! They’re in our hut, this way.” - Rudolf pointed with a trembling hand. - “The invaders… they are torturing them! I tried to do something, but they beat me up! Please, help us!”
Seeing the man’s desperation, you decided not to waste any more time and set off forward. When you reached the hut, you saw 6 men guarding the entrance. They were wearing brown hooded robes and wielding large daggers. Something flashed inside the building and you heard a scream of pain.
“Drop your weapons and let us pass and you’ll not be harmed.”- said Orowa
“You shall not enter.” - said one of the guards. - “Our master is busy.”
One of the mods raised a crossbow and fired. The quarrel hit the doorframe, mere centimeters away from the head of one of the guards.
The robed strangers looked thoroughly unimpressed.
“You can fire all the arrows you want. The dark powers will protect us. You shall not enter.”

Suddenly the door flew open and another man came out of the building. He also was wearing a brown hooded robe, but he was much taller than the guards and his eyes seemed to be glowing with a pale yellow light.
“What is the meaning of this insolence?” - he said - “Leave now, fools, or you shall suffer my wrath!”
“You’re outnumbered. Surrender immediately, and let us into the house.” - said Orowa.
In response, the robed man raised his hand. There was a sharp crack and a shimmering bolt of light flew straight at the ghost. Orowa yelped and jumped aside. His sheets caught fire and he started zooming left and right, frantically trying to put the flames out.
The adventurers charged forward. One of the cultists fell down with a spear in his chest. Another dropped his dagger with a hiss, hit by MOD_Yardly with an arrow. Two more arrows struck their leader, but the tall stranger seemed not to even notice. He raised his hand again and another lightning flew through the air. It hit the shield MOD_Rebus was holding and ripped it apart, leaving only charred bits of wood and metal. Your household guard concentrated on the dagger-wielding cultists and defeated them without much hassle, but their leader proved to be a much tougher opponent. Crackling streams of energy were swirling around him, striking anyone who came too close. Bowmen were trying to hit him with more arrows, but were forced to duck behind trees to avoid bolts of energy he was shooting at them from his hands.


Who is this terrifying foe?
eritsp rdka ighh
(You'll have to clean up the word order as well)

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Battle in the woods

“Soldiers, spread out! Archers, wait for my command.” - you shouted to the others.
Realizing that you’re the leader, the dark wizard pointed at you and another lightning shot from his fingers. You ducked behind a Well, narrowly avoiding the beam of light. In the meantime, your recruits surrounded the enemy and the archers drew their bows.
“Loose!” - you shouted a command.
Archers leaned from behind the trees and aimed their weapons. The warlock shoot one with a lightning strike, but the rest sent a rain of arrows in his direction. Hit by multiple projectiles, the man staggered and the swirling streams of light dimmed significantly. Seeing an opening, you jumped from behind the cover, rushed to the enemy and slashed at him with your sword.
The warlock tried to fire another lightning, but he was too slow. Your sword hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground. Dark clouds, flashing with pale blue light, started gathering above you. Everyone backed off, unsure as to what to do. There was a sudden, blinding flash and a lightning hit where the wizard was laying. When the smoke cleared, you saw that there was no trace of the man, only a deep hole in the ground.

The battle was over. Some of the group stayed outside to treat wounded, while others entered the hut. Rudolf’s family had been badly hurt by the dark wizard’s magic, but your Field Medic assured you that they would all eventually recover.
“Words cannot express how grateful we are to you, brave warriors from distant lands.” - said Rudolf, when you sat with him at the table. - “However, I’m afraid that the enemy has many more such fanatics and warlocks in his ranks. They invaded our island two weeks ago. They ruined our villages and set up military camps and Bone Churches in their place. They’ve turned our people into slaves and are forcing them to forge weapons and to build new fortifications and dark temples. I fear they’ll come again and in much greater numbers when the group you killed doesn’t come back.”

You decided to spend the night in the vicinity of Rudolf’s hut and head to the village on the next day. For now you ordered your men to scout the immediate area.


What is Orowa holding in his hands?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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The rebellion

The village was a sorry sight. Half of the buildings had been burned down. Some that were still standing had been turned into forges, storehouses and barracks. A menacing-looking Bone Church towered over them. Large iron cages were lined up against the wall of the building, each containing several scrawny people in ragged clothes. Those villagers that weren’t imprisoned were carrying sacks and boxes and construction materials and pushing wooden carts full of resources. Others were building fortifications, forging weapons and tools or preparing food, all the while being shouted at and hit with sticks and whips by the cultists.
“Alright, that’s enough!” - shouted Orowa, when the group emerged from the trees. - “Stop tormenting these people immediately!”
“You don’t give orders here, foul wraith.” - said one of the cultists, a very pale man with strange red symbols painted on his face.
“You’ll drop your weapons and surrender, or we will use force.” - said the ghost.
The cultist started laughing and suddenly burst into flames. He waved his hand and a crackling fireball flew towards Orowa.
“Watch out!” - the ghost shouted, dodging the flames - “It’s a firedancer!”
Other cultists rushed towards the adventurers and a chaotic battle ensued. People were fighting amidst the ruins of the village, tripping over pieces of wood and piles of debris. The firedancer walked through the mayhem, setting on fire anyone who was too slow to dodge his fireballs.
MOD_V4lkyrie and MOD_Hauter leaned from behind a ruined wall - the only part of a building that was still standing - and started shooting arrows at the burning warlock. He deflected the projectiles with waves of fire and smoke, but the distraction was enough for MOD_Rebus and MOD_Yardly to grab buckets of water from a nearby forge and hurl them at him. The Firedancer screamed as his flames were extinguished. He now resembled a walking skeleton. A hammer thrown by MOD_Klatchian hit him in the chest and the cultist turned into dust.
Encouraged by the fall of enemy leader, the villagers grabbed shovels and pitchforks and whatever was lying around and rose up against their oppressors. Surrounded by angry peasants on one side and battle-hardened soldiers on the other, the remaining cultists were quickly defeated. Some villagers searched the bodies of the fallen cultists and ran to the Bone Church, small metal objects in their hands.


What did the villagers took from the fallen enemies?
_ _ _ _

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Enemy of my enemy?

After the prisoners were released and the village was secured, you decided to stay there for the rest of the day, helping locals treat their wounded. Some members of your group wanted to stay and help some more, but you knew that there were other villages and camps of the cultists on this island and if you didn’t act quickly, they’d surely gather their full strength and try to hunt you down. The villagers told you about a mysterious Witch Tower, set up by the cultists shortly after their arrival. You decided to investigate.

When the group got close to the Tower, clearly visible even from far away, the adventurers set up a camp and some went to scout the area. There was a prevalent opinion that this tower might be the headquarters of the cultists and it'd be best not to rush head-on into unknown territory.
When your sentries gave a signal that someone is approaching, everyone stood up, weapons drawn, but it turned out to be MOD_Brujah and the rest of the scouts: a few bowmen of your household guard and volunteers from the village, who knew this land and offered to be your guides.
“It looks like the whole area is deserted.” - said MOD_Brujah. - “There are signs of fighting, but it seems that both the cultists and the attackers already left.”
“Let’s take a closer look.” - said Orowa.

The tower was surrounded by tents and rudimentary shacks. Many were damaged by weapons and fire and some had arrows sticking out of them. Broken and abandoned equipment was lying everywhere. The tower itself seemed to be undamaged, except for the broken doors.
Upon entering the building you saw that there was almost nothing inside. Only stairs to the higher floor and to the cellar.
“That’s interesting.” - said MOD_Yardly, pointing at a hole in the ground. Another hole was directly above it, in the ceiling. Judging by the faint light shining from above, there were holes on every floor and in the roof of the tower.
“It looks like the holes were made by an intense heat.” - MOD_Yardly said upon closer inspection. - “It reminds me of the way that dark wizard died, back at Rudolfs’ hut. When he was mortally wounded, a magical lightning hit the place where he fell and made a similar hole.”

You searched the whole tower, but you found nothing of interest. There were chests and bookshelves on the upper floors, but all were empty. In the cellar there was an ancient tomb. It looked like it had been carved in a large piece of rock long time ago and later uncovered by the cultists, and that the Witch Tower was built around it. The tomb was open and, just as the chests and the shelves, completely empty.


What is the opposite of everything?
_ _ _ _ _ _ g

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More unanswered questions

You decided to check the second Witch Tower, which was allegedly not very far. Immediately after you reached the place, it became clear that it suffered the same fate as the previous one. Signs of fighting were everywhere and nothing of value could be found.

You met some people at the foot of the tower. The villagers that joined you recognised them as residents of another village which had also been overtaken by the cultists.
“A few days ago, a group of armed men suddenly appeared in our village.” - one of them said. - “They killed all the cultists without mercy, kidnapped some of our people and disappeared. We decided to check this place, hoping we’d find the abductees here, and found it abandoned.”

Just as the previous one, this Witch Tower had been cleared of any valuable items. In the cellar you again found an empty tomb. This time you could clearly see that it had been recently opened.


Who could have opened the tombs?
rvbgbrraoee
Do not forget about spaces!

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The Black Raven

“Whoever attacked this place, left clear tracks.”- said MOD_Daz - “We can follow them and find these men.”
“The question is” - said Orowa - “are we sure we WANT to find them? They must be pretty powerful if they can wipe out so many cultists in such a short amount of time.”
“They kidnapped some of our people.” - said one of the villagers. - “Please, you’re the only ones who can help us.”

You decided to help the villagers and solve the mystery behind all those events. The tracks led you to the shore. A second, much smaller island was visible on the horizon.
“It’s not very far.” - said MOD_Rebus - “If we had boats, even small ones, we could get there easily.”
“We have many fishing boats.” - said one of the villagers. - “We’ll lend you as many as you need.”

You crossed the small strait and landed on the other island. On the shore you found more boats and tracks leading into the forest. After a few minutes of walking through the woods, you reached a large clearing, full of people.

The strangers were all armed and armored, and all were looking at marble ruins in the center of the clearing. A large white pedestal stood there, with a gold statue at the top. A pile of wood had been set up at the base of the pedestal. A number of silver goblets stood around it, each full of magical purple flames. A huge man in black armor stood in front of the statue, chanting in a strange language. You noticed several cages, not unlike the ones set up by the cultists in the village you had liberated. Those too were full of people, ordinary villagers from the look of it.
One of the villagers who joined your group spotted the cages and quickly walked over to you.
“It’s them!” - he whispered - “It’s our people.”


tteasu gnale
Words and order - clean it up


Someone must have noticed your group lurking in the trees, because horns started blowing and the armed men turned in your direction, forming ranks with impressive effectiveness.
Their black-clad leader stopped chanting and stepped forward.
“Hello friends” - the man said in a slightly mocking tone - “I’m Brandubh, also called the Black Raven. This is my island. Who might you be? Lost travellers, perhaps?”
“We’re adventurers.” - said Orowa - “We’re looking for people abducted from a nearby island. Looks like you have them imprisoned here. Release them, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Have you gone mad, ghost?!” - hissed one of the villagers from your group. - “We need to kill those bandits or they’ll simply come back and attack us again after your group leaves!”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but there’s quite a lot of them.” - hissed Orowa in response - “And judging by how easily they defeated the cultists, they’re very well trained. I was supposed to take those people on an adventure, not to get them all killed! Once we have your people back, we can set up a fortified camp on the other island and send to the King for reinforc…”
“Don’t you think it’s quite rude to start talking in whispers with someone else in the middle of a conversation?” - Brandubh said loudly.

“There’s nothing to talk about!”- shouted the villager. - “Release our people or we’ll take them by force!”
Brandubh laughed loudly and drew his sword.
“Kill them all!” - he ordered and his men rushed forward.
A fierce battle ensued. Brandubh’s soldiers were better armed, better trained and much better armored than the villagers and your recruits. Only the Mods and your Elite Soldiers were able to stand their ground. Realizing that your only chance is to defeat the enemy leader and break the morale of his army, you started fighting your way to where the Black Raven stood.
The warlord noticed your intentions and rushed forward, accepting the challenge. The moment your swords clashed, you knew it wouldn't be an easy fight. Brandubh moved with unnatural speed, parrying and dodging your blows. One of the mods tried to shoot him with a bow, but the warlord destroyed the arrow in mid-flight with a slash of his sword.
“You fools” - he said - “When the dark cult managed to open the tombs of the ancient wizard-kings that ruled over those islands centuries ago, I took the crowns of those kings and absorbed their power.” - he deflected another arrow, not even looking at it. - “Now I have power and experience of countless ancient soldiers and commanders. You cannot pos…”
“Loose!” - one of the mods shouted.
Brandubh abruptly stopped his speech and quickly waved his sword around. Three arrows exploded into wooden splinters when they hit his sword, two more bounced off his black breastplate, but one hit him under the arm and pierced a weak spot in the armor.
The warlord staggered, looking at the arrow with astonishment. Taking advantage of his confusion, you lunged forward and stabbed with all your might.

The moment Brandubh fell on the ground, the sky went dark and strong winds started blowing. Several lightning flashed in the heavy grey clouds that formed out of nowhere. The strength of the wind was rising rapidly. In less than a minute it became so strong that people started to fall on their knees. Small objects were being taken by the forming hurricane.
“Everyone! To the monument!” - you heard Orowa’s voice.
You saw that the statue was glowing with a bright, warm light, and that the wind was much less powerful around it.
You ran to the monument as fast as you could...