Session 26 - Who Needs A Hug

General Summary

Bloodfang's Transformation

As the battle raged on, Dunner's greatsword struck true, piercing Gruul Bloodfang's chest with a sickening crunch. Gruul staggered, but his defiance did not falter. He dropped to one knee, driving his own sword into the earth and casting aside his shield. Dark energy crackled around him. Then, with a gut-wrenching sound like ripping flesh, massive black dragon wings erupted from his back. His wounds were sealed shut with unnatural speed. Gruul yanked Dunner's sword from his chest and kicked it back to its owner. Rising into the air, his new wings casting a shadow over the throne room, he challenged the Ruinlords to witness his true power.   But power can be a double-edged sword. Gruul's wings proved his downfall as Fiernar used them to wrap him in a cucoon of his own scaly skin, and Potato, Alfie's loyal owlbear, tore Gruul apart.  

Chamber of the Brides

Vaz'non, Alfie, and Dunner entered a dark, round chamber. Five coffins stood in a morbid arrangement, the air thick with sorrow and the stench of decay. The room seemed to breathe with a carnal, oppressive presence.   As they stood there, the air grew heavy with an unbearable sorrow. Ghostly apparitions began to form, the tragic memories of Gruul's brides replaying in a spectral theatre:

• Glorious marriage ceremonies with Gruul Bloodfang.
• Gruul, cold and ruthless, commands the slaughter of an orc clan, accepting a bride in exchange for sparing the people.
• An orc shaman inspecting each bride, disappointment etched into his ancient features.
• Gruul, consumed by rage, murders each bride and seals their lifeless bodies in coffins.

The spirit of Varkira, one of the brides, materialized before Vaz'non. Her voice was a whisper of pain and truth. Gruul’s pact with a black dragon rendered him undying, a curse disguised as a blessing.   Dunner brought Gruul's corpse into the room. When they saw that he was already starting to recover, Alfie used his healing magic to stop Gruul's unholy regeneration, killing him once and for all. A small buglike creature tried to flee from Gruul's corpse, but Dunner and Potato turned the creature to paste and smeared it across the floor.  

The Magical Laboratory

Cal and Fiernar ventured into a dark laboratory, a foreboding place reeking of old parchment and acrid alchemical reagents. They found four unfinished bloodstone medallions on a desk, their enchantments incomplete.   Cal's keen eyes spotted a ring of runes on the ground—a teleportation circle. Among the scattered tomes, he discovered the Nethertome of Trask, a book radiating ancient, ominous power. He quickly took all the books and tossed them into the Bag of Holding. Before leaving the laboratory, he destroyed the teleportation ring, rendering it useless for anyone to use.  

Encounter with Hishka

The party encountered Hishka, a lizardfolk shaman guarding the prisoners in a dimly lit chamber. Disillusioned by Gruul's brutal leadership, Hishka sought peace. He offered information and proposed a ceasefire if the party could eliminate Gruul. When informed of Gruul's death, Hishka rejoiced and desired to see the lizardfolk eggs.   Upon inspection, they found Ilthane's draconic egg infested with worms, threatening the lizardfolk eggs. Cal acted swiftly, destroying the dragon egg and saving over half of the infected eggs.  

Return to Blackwall Keep

Back at Blackwall Keep, chaos reigned. Soldiers were in a panic. A lizardfolk had freed a dreadful creature, now roaming the basement, capturing soldiers. The creature, described as a zombie-like being with green worms, struck fear into their hearts. The Ruinlords faced the creature, which briefly infected Dunner with its wormlike contagion, but he fought it off.   Marzena suggested seeking out a sage named Elric Toplo in Caliphas City. Elric, a scholar on the undead known as the Son of Descimus, could provide crucial insights into their horrific adversary.

Rewards Granted

Gruul Bloodfang's Personal Loot:

• +1 Flaming Longsword
• +2 Heavy Steel Shield

  Gruul Bloodfang's Treasury:

• 4,000 gp
• 800 pp
• Javelin of Lightning
• 5 silk packets of Dust of Disappearance
• Potion of Cure Serious Wounds
• Scroll of 4 Clerical Spells: Resist Energy, Find the Path, Raise Dead, Cure Critical Wounds
• Potion of Fly
• +1 Light Crossbow
• Amulet of Dragon’s Breath (Black)

  Faceless One's Laboratory:

• Wand of Infernal Healing (21 charges)
• Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
• Scroll of Fireball
• Scroll of Knock
• Alchemist's Fire (3)
• Bag of Holding (Type I)
• Elixir of Hiding: A small bottle filled with a smoky, gray liquid that grants a +10 competence bonus on Stealth checks for 1 hour.
• Tanglefoot Bags (2)
• Nethertome of Trask (see below)

LEVEL SIX

Missions/Quests Completed

• Recovered the Blackwall prisoners. Well, most of them.
• Recovered Marzena. The sorceress would return to Ravengro with the heroes to speak with Alistair Clancy.
• Killed Gruul Bloodfang, freeing the Tangled Branch tribe from his "Leadership."
• Discovered the potential source of the green worm - a Son of Descimus.

Character(s) interacted with

• Marzena - sorceress who returned to Ravengro with the party to speak with Alistair Clancy.
• Hishka - lizardfolk shaman concerned with his tribe and their offspring.

Related Reports

Gruul Bloodfang

The Journal of the Faceless One   The Faceless One documented that the Bloodfang Clan had diminished over the years. Gruul Bloodfang formed alliances with different clans through marriage, hoping to bolster their numbers. He was constantly enraged when none of his brides produced offspring. Gruul killed them and hid their bodies away to prevent the other clans from discovering the truth.   When the Whispering Tyrant came to the Holds of Belkzen to recruit the orcs to his side again, Gruul presented the Bloodfang Clan. He hoped to earn a prominent position in his employ. Gruul could be placed in charge of the orcs with the Whispering Tyrant supporting him. When the orcs refused to side with the Whispering Tyrant, Gruul was branded a traitor and was attacked by the orcs. The Whispering Tyrant fought back with his own undead armies. Caught in the middle, the Bloodfang Clan was wiped out once and for all.   However, Gruul Bloodfang would not die so easily. After the orcs and undead had left the battlefield, Gruul clutched his sword and began dragging himself out of the carnage. Predatory scavengers swooped down on the buffet of death, feeding on the remains. They scattered when Ilthane arrived. She saw Gruul, still alive somehow, and snatched him up. "You'll do," she growled and flew off with him.   The Faceless One had theories as to what she did to Gruul Bloodfang. He was fascinated with the orc and hoped to one day dissect him to see what gave him the power he had. There was something in his blood that the Faceless One could not identify.    

Nethertome of Trask

Cal's research in the library of Alistair Clancy   When the book was opened, the pages were filled with dense, archaic script penned in a meticulous hand. The text was interspersed with elaborate diagrams and arcane symbols belonging to the lost arts of rune magic from the Thassilonian Empire.   The author, an archmage of Osirion descent named Trask, chronicled his explorations of the ruins of Xirnakal (a once-thriving Thassalonian metropolis known for its magnificent architecture and powerful rune magic.) There, Trask unearthed the secrets of the Way of the Ebon Triad, a mysterious and ancient book that may have dated back to the early days of the Thassilonian Empire.   Intriguingly, the Nethertome mentioned the Shattered God, Malgorath. Trask detailed various prophecies found within the Way of the Ebon Triad, hinting at the eventual return of this dread entity. The book speaks of dark omens and hidden rituals that, if fulfilled, could herald Malgorath's resurgence.   The Nethertome seemed to be one of the cornerstone holy books of the Ebon Triad (the other being the older Way of the Ebon Triad).