S0E18 - Landsharks Report

General Summary

The party woke with the light of dawn and a discussion ensued as breakfast was prepared at the edge of the Neverwinter Wood. Xanth , the centaur, had grown increasingly anxious at the thought of the Loggers' Camp and eventually refused to accompany the party. Not wanting to lose the chance at a guide to the secret ritual site Verity offered to forge ahead with Xanth on a scouting mission to the ritual site while the others carried on towards the Logging Camp. After packing up camp the two groups went their separate ways into the woods.   Not long after entering the dark wood, the main party came to a clearing where a boar glared suspiciously at them. Without much thought, the companions glibly mentioned bacon but passed the boar by with a wide berth. Thanks to Info’s excellent survival skills they arrived at the camp near the end of a full day’s march without becoming lost as travelers are want to do in the wood. What they found was unexpected - the camp was eerily deserted.   Sarwynn and Tyran made a quick aerial surveillance of the camp and found two deserted campsites, a main building with a wood pile outside it, some ruins and a dock along the river to the north. Tyran informed Sarwynn that there were signs of struggle in the norther camp but the strange tracks that indicated this mysteriously disappeared. The party continued forward with caution, deciding to first explore the main structure. Kolja tested the door and stepped through quietly, only to be greeted by what at first he feared was an earthquake and then discovered was an Ankheg bursting through the floor of the cabin!   The companions made quick work of the beast, despite it's acid spray causing some minor wounds to Kolja and Info as they dove out of its path; sadly, the unobstructed stream then hit Sarwynn square in the face as he landed outside the door.   After dispatching the vile beast the party discovers that the camp's foreman, half-brother to the townmaster of Phandalin, has barricaded himself behind the door to his office (a family trait it would seem!). He demands that the heroes clear the camp before he will venture forth. In a thorough exploration of the ruins and campsites the party find 13 stick dolls, dipped in blood and wrapped with humanoid hair, stuffed in the chimney of one of the ruined buildings; ominously there are 13 inhabitants of the camp they eventually confirm. While exploring the southern campsite the party encounters 3 more Ankheg and quickly dispatch each in turn.   Once the camp is clear the party informs the foreman and convince him that he should return with Vincent, the ox, to Phandalin to seek safety and reinforcements. The party then sets a watch order and begins a long, and well deserved, rest. Shortly after midnight, however, Info and Kolja hear snorting and rustling in some bushes north of the cabin. They find a boar that tries to flee, but this time they attack it viciously. It turns out to have been a sound move because the boar eventually transforms into a half-orc that launches a lightning bolt at Kolja!   A short, but brutal, battle and chase ensue but the half-orc manages to outpace the companions and slips into the woods along the stream bank. Kolja quickly loses sight of him and then hears the sounds of a boar moving quickly through the underbrush. Their prey has escaped...for now.   In the morning the party says its goodbyes to Tobin Wester and heads east towards the rendezvous point at Falcon's Hunting Lodge at the crack of dawn.

Missions/Quests Completed

The party completed the Logger's Camp quest.