Tea Party
The party was once again assembled before the Marshal. He informed them there is a renegade elf in the Tea Lands causing trouble. The party would be sent to the Tea Lands, to locate the renegade elf, and end his war against the Spessartites.
The Tea Lands were a series of kingdoms of the South Elves. These eleves were united by five kings who co-ruled in peace and who worked with the Spessartite traders to maintain a strong trade alliance with the Spessartites. One of the five kings however, decided he wanted full control. He led his army into battle against two of the kings, and then forced the other two to bow down to him. The Spessartite military was called in and the elf went into hiding. A period of peace rebounded while the renegade elf rebuilt his army.
The party landed at a port city called Masara. The Spessartite Governor told the party they should find his brother- a Spessartite general- who was preparing to embark on a campaign to fight the renegade. The party found General Hartza Gloriosa marching his army through a parade of color where the local elves through powdered paint amongst themselves. The party told Gloriosa about their mission- and that they were members of the Spessartite Special Operations Forces- and the next morning Gloriosa and the party departed with the army.
The army marched north the the renegade's last known location- the city of Ghacada. The army marched into the city and in a short battle, forced the rebel garrison to surrender, and returned to camp. The party remained outside the city, only hearing a sound of battle beyond as they searched the camp for information about the Spessartite general. The camp guards informed the party there are four kingdoms the Spessartite king rules. Gloriosa was born a Green Spessartite, was orphaned at a young age, and adopted by his Red Spessartite uncle. His adoptive brother- and biological counsin- became the governor of the Tea Lands and helped Gloriosa become the general of the Tea Lands Army.
When the army returned to the camp, Gloriosa found the party and told them the renegade had already left the city before their arrival. He did however discover the location of the elf after interogating those who surrendered. Gloriosa assembled his forces and moved north with the party.
"There's another general on his way to work with me," Gloriosa told the party as they marched north. "He and I have forced the renegade's forces into a position from which he cannot escape. We'll catch him with a pincer move."
Outside the town of Satara, Gloriosa met with the party. "The renegade is closer than I thought. He's only three miles away. If we wait for the other general to arrive, it will be too late. The elf will escape for good unless we strike now." Gloriosa formed the party with a battalion of Blue Spessartites- infantry feared for their ferocity in battle.
The Spessartites formed their battle lines against an army that outnumbered them two-to-one. Gloriosa's army was a mix of dwarves and elves. His dwarf infantry formed the flanks of the line while the elves held the center. Elf cavalry positioned on the left flank and dwarf cavalry formed the right across a shallow river to protect against the larger numbers. The elf renegade formed his cavalry on his left, opposite the dwarf cavalry. His infantry formed the center and right opposite the Spessartite forces. His ballista began a bombardment that shook the Spessartite lines, forcing them to advance under a rain of arrow fire. The party charged forward with the Blue Spessartites along the bank of the river. They pounded into the elves who fought hard in defense of the artillery. After an hour of combat, the elves abandoned the position and the party regrouped their battalion. A rider sprinted to the group to inform Bonastre that the Spessartites have moved forward and that Gloriosa needs the Blue Spessartites to advance further.
Bonastre led the party and the battalion of dwarf infantry south to trap the enemy army against a river. The exhausted dwarves prepared for another brutal fight, but the elves retreated at the sight of the surreounding army. The elves rushed south in an attempt to swim across the river to safety. Their cavalry had already fled in defeat. Bonastre ordered the Blue Spessartites forward and in a battle at the river engaged in violent combat. Dwarves were drowing elves in the river. The Party members fired arrows into the fleeing enemy. Bonastre and Mistahimaskwa rode their mounts into the river and slew dozens of elves each. After the army reformed at camp, Gloriosa assembled the party ast his tent.
"We've captured the renegade," he reported. "As far as the four of you are concerned, your mission here is over."
The party returned to the port city and departed for the Spessartite capital. At the Marshal's office, the party explained the battle they took part in and thier disapproval of General Gloriosa who they reported was blood thirsty and whose blood-lust was a danger to his own soldiers.