Bandit Country

Shank finds catching up with Rudiger, Fafnir and Bjorn is quite a feat. They’re moving quickly to catch up with the Dwarven reliquary as the Orcs haul it into Brindenburg. Shank infiltrates the Orc town during the night
Shank manages to find any way into the Orc temple he thinks holds the reliquary and is able to overhear the Orc Chieftain and Shaman speak about their intentions to move the reliquary west to the capital as soon as they've crushed the last remnants of Dwarvish resitance in the region. He can’t recover his throwing knives after he takes down a few Orc sentries on the way out,
Shank flees! And meet up with the party outside the Dwarvish holdfast of Arbour Deep…

Arbour Deep is destroyed. Detritus and the corpses of Dwarven dead litter the ground like the broken playthings of giant children. 

"I am hungry!" shouted Fafnir, though clearly munching one of his frightful weed-roots, spraying masticated tuber on the ground. The party scouted carefully through the wreckage in front of the wrecked fortress, searching for food. Despite Fafnir's protests at eating Orcish food, they all chowed down and discussed plans. They decided that the best course of action was to go back to the last known location of the Reliquary - the Orcish town of Brindenberg - and commit mayhem, all in the name of Foiling the Evil Plans of the Orcs. Before heading off though, Rudiger felt it time to attempt to read the Scroll of Evil. Once again, storm clouds gathered above the party's heads, but it was the poisoned arrow of an orc that stopped Rudiger from mouthing the ancient cursed words. Shank identified the arrow as 'blood-weed' - a particularly nasty poison.

The party headed off once more into the wilderness. Days later, tired and hungry, with much rumbling of tummies and moaning on the part of The Giant, they arrived unmolested at Brindenberg, and set about making a plan. All that was known about this minor walled town was that the Orcs are xenophobic and do not trade.

Darkness fell, and Shank set to work. Quiet as a shadow, he scampered over the wall and was gone, leaving Rudiger and Fafnir tending their weapons, Fafnir explaining the plan to Rudiger once more, just in case he did not get it. Shank wended his way through the shabby structures, finding a large tent in the middle of the place. Slipping quietly inside, he found a pit, with a ladder descending into the darkness. Deep underground, through a narrow tunnel, was the Dwarven reliquary, sitting on a pedestal. He quickly levered the lid off the box and relieved it of its contents: a warhammer, a bejewelled belt and a crown. As he turned to leave, he was interrupted by two orcs. A swift and scrappy altercation ensued, with Shank running for his life and screaming bloody murder. 

As soon as Fafnir and Rudiger heard the shouts, they charged the front gate. Mayhem, bloody, messy mayhem was laid thickly upon the Orc. Shank, sprawled upon the ground, scrabbling for his life, dodged between Rudiger and a massive Orcish chieftain, trading blow for blow. Fafnir stood at the open gates, bellowing challenges to the orcs amongst a litter of corpses.

After a lightening and entirely successful assault, they ran, before the orcs could regain their composure and retaliate in force.

The journey down to Ennet Bend was long. "I'm hungry!" echoed through the hills. Once more, Fafnir resorted to weed-root once more. The rest of the party, in desperation, gave it a go. It did not go well.

At Ennet Bend, success comes in the the shape of a mammoth party. Whilst Rudiger and Shank attempted a quiet night in an inn, eating good food and resting, Fafnir answered the call of the barbarian party animal, blowing every coin he had. 

On waking the next day, Fafnir had befriended a Vorloshi ranger named Jonah, who decided to join the group, spent all his money, and lost his dwarven swag: the golden crown. Shank attempted to make enquiries about the crown but failed miserably. Within hours the party was kicked out of the town, sitting in the dirt, friendless and once again, without food.