Solo Episode - Into Kyrptgarden Forest

General Summary

Having gathered his adventuring gear, equipped himself, and blocked off his basement for the journey into Kryptgarden Forest, Aren exited his home, and made his way back to the Crossed Staves Inn. The sky was cloudy and grey. He had to fight against the strong winds to keep his cloak wrapped around his shoulders. The chill touch of winter hung in the air, and tiny white snowflakes began to drift down from the sky as he pushed open the door to the inn. It seemed that Rholsk was already able to replace the wooden door that had been destroyed in the previous night’s altercation.
A warm blast of heat and a crackling fire greeted Aren as he entered the building. Three cloaked men stoodd at the bar. One of the men was massive, with a bald head and broad shoulders. Another was wiry and tall, and had the hood of his cloak drawn up, hiding his features in dark shadows. The last man had dark, oily hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and turned to greet Aren with a crooked smile.
Vattar was present, leaning against the bar and nursing a steaming mug of cider. Rholsk stood behind the bar, wiping a ceramic bowl with a towel. Both of their eyes flicked to Aren with concern. Other than the three strangers, the common room was vacant. A large rug had been thrown over the floorboards where the half-ghoul died. The broken furniture had been removed, and only a few tables remained, making the common room feel empty and bare.
"Ah, I suppose this is the man I was hearing so much about," the cloaked stranger remarked.
His face was gaunt, almost grey. His nose was long and narrow, and his eyes were too close together, appearing almost beady. Whiskers sprouted from his chin, and crooked yellow teeth composed a similarly crooked smile. He had dark lines beneath his eyes and wore his age.
"And I was just telling you that we’re closed for the day,” Rholsk added. "So if you won’t be bookin’ any rooms, I’m going to have to ask you to leave."
The half-orc set the bowl down he'd been cleaning on and crossed his arms over his chest as he demanded, "so, what’ll it be?"
"My mistake," the stranger offered, cocking his head to the side. Never takes his eyes off Aren, he continued, "order a round, will you lads? For the road. I have some questions for our new… friend. Now, what did you say your name was?"
"We’ve answered your questions, friend," Vattar responded, slamming his mug down on the counter and rising from bar. "We haven’t seen the man named Merric. I’m the only guest that has booked a room of late. You heard the barkeep, the inn is closed. Best be on your way."
"Tsk, tsk," the beady-eyed man clicked his tongue. "How is that for foreign hospitality? Let me at least introduce myself. The name is Xefna." He held out a gloved hand in Aren's direction. "And yours is…?"
"Aren, Aren Covenfire."
Xefna listened intently as Aren spoke, and then his eyes lit up. Aren could see now that he was wearing stained riding leathers beneath his cloak and he postulated that he'd come from afar and likely wanted much.
"Yes! This is the one I have heard so much about." He turned to his companions and pulled a stool away from the bar. He sits down and turned to face Aren.
"You are the one that defeated the devil single-handedly! At least, that’s what the other villagers said. Oh, they were a nice couple. Darby and Piqina, I think their names were? Two halfling folk. Made terrible shepherd’s pies." Xefna wrinkled his nose.
Vattar looked at Aren then, hurriedly, giving the slightest shake of his head. Aren knew then that the encounter was likely not to end well.
"You’re saying this weakling defeated one of the Turned, Xefna?" Another of the strangers asked, stepping forward and looking Aren up and down.
The man was stocky and bald, and had a bulbous nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. He took a swig of his ale and burped. "I doubt it."
He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm as Aren then caught sight of a heavy wooden club swinging at his waist. Looking over the visitors Aren remained silent and simply observed for a time. Then, he stood tall to speak gruffly.
"Oh, I certainly killed your beast."
Xefna clapped his hands together. "You see, I knew we had the right person."
"That one gets hit in the head a lot," Vattar dug desperately to get Aren out of the situation whilst quickly glaring at him. "Rumor has it, he survived a kick from a horse. He would agree with anything you say. Come now, let us share another drink before you have to be on your way."
Aren then noticed Vattar palm a clear vial out of his belt pouch. "Rholsk, another round, please."
"Really," Rholsk rumbled. "That one doesn’t know what he’s talking about."
The half orc motioned then in Aren's direction but the gesture was lost on him. "We don’t get many travelers through here. We don’t even know what these Turned are. What kind of beast did you say they were?"
Rholsk then gathered three more mugs and began filling them with ale.
"You see, lads," Xefna declared, rising to his feet, "this is why I hate coming to these backwater towns and questioning these inbred swine. They always just end up lying to our faces. They call us liars, we call them liars, it just goes on and on and on."
Vattar started to speak, but Xefna cut him off, holding up a hand. "Please, save us the charade. I know that you're lying. We know that our companion was here. We know what you have seen. We tracked Merric to this fine establishment."
"Never heard of him," Rholsk grumbled. Aren then notice his hand reach beneath the bar.
"Oh, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you his name, I don’t think," Xefna replied. "He probably looked…. unwell. He had an issue, you see. He couldn’t control the power that he was given. The power granted by our Blood Witch."
"But I’m afraid we’ve come to the hard part of the conversation. This really is my least favorite part." A wide grin spread across Xefna’s face, his eyes were sparkling with malice.
Xefna turned to Vattar. "We have been blessed with divine gifts to aid in our cause, and our mistress demands that we silence those who have witnessed the birth of her children." He held a gloved hand to his forehead, then turned back to face Aren.
Behind him, Vattar cursed, reaching for his weapon. Aren then heard the sound of steel being drawn. A dark rune was then revealed to be embedded in Xefna’s forehead.
"It’s nothing personal, you just saw something the realm is not yet ready for. I’m afraid we’ll have to kill you all, and burn your village to the ground."
Xefna’s words made Aren's blood run cold. The rune flared to life. Dark tendrils of shadow energy spilled forth from the rune as Xefna’s body began to grow thick tufts of fur. His ears became pointed, and his bones cracked. His jaw protruded violently, his nose widening. Long fangs dripping with saliva elongated dramatically from a massive underbite. He seemed to have taken on the form of a bugbear but a nasty gnarly one.
One of the other cloaked newcomers, a heavy-set bald man then kicked over a stool and drew a large wooden club as the shock of the scene wore off. The last of Xefna’s companions brandished two curved blades and clashed with Vattar. Sparks flashed in the room as the cloaked man and half-elf exchanged blows.
"Don’t let them turn!" Vattar shouted.
Xefna laughed, emitting a deep bestial noise, and lunged towards Aren. With a loud roar, Rholsk barreled into the back of the misshapen Xefna. The two fell to the floor, rolling and grunting. The door to the inn suddenly slammed open, and a gust of wind billowed past the scene. Aren turned to see Davian stride into the room, a large pack rested on his shoulders. The backpack was stacked high with traveling supplies.
"Thinking you could leave… without… me?" the halfling’s voice trailed off as he looked around the room, confusion wrinkling his face into a frown.
The heavy-set stranger chuckled to himself and stomped towards Davian, twirling his large club. "Another of the wee ones. Must be my lucky day. Let me introduce you to my friend, little man."
Aren then noticed the bald man’s club was stained with dried blood, likely that of the couple's he'd certainly killed. The fight was set, death soon to come.

Missions/Quests Completed

Quest Shadowborne Continued

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

• Aren has a swollen bite from a giant spider on his right shin and a small bite from one of its offspring on his right arm that are wrapped in bandages and slathered with salve.
  Noted Effects: None

Report Date

01 Feb 2021