The sun sets

General Summary

The Muffin Men found themselves surrounded by the well armed and armored security team onboard the Grand Dame, a casino boat moored in Yartar and owned by one Kaspere Drylund. The mage Pow Ming, having just revealed her involvement in the massacre at Tucker’s Hollow, inquired about Borgan’s mysterious penteract object. She referred to it as the Key of Amon’Taur, and could seemingly detect it even inside the pocket dimension inside of the party’s Bag of Holding. Trying to gain some advantage, Ophio attempted to arcanely read the mage’s thoughts, only to be soundly rebuffed at the tip of her wand. Seeing negotiations as fruitless, the Muffin Men took an aggressive posture and soon a battle was underway.
The crew of the ship were no match for the seasoned Muffins, and half their number fell in the first seconds of the melee. Pow Ming, clearly having underestimated the strength of her adversaries, quickly cast Dimension Door to escape certain death, and called her Shield Guardian servant down from the upper deck to defend her. After a significant battle involving an Allosaurus on a boat, a poorly cast fireball from the Shield Guardian, and 3 roasted crewmen, Ming once again cast Dimension Door and fled the scene, taking refuge inside of the Drylund Holdings warehouse. Borgan, feeling the bloodlust in his veins, took off after the fleeing Mage, accompanied by Ophio and with the rest of the party some ways behind.
Kaz and Nike, lacking the ability to get past the approaching city watchmen known as the Shields of Yartar, watched helplessly as their mates slipped inside of the office in pursuit of Ming. The Shields halted the duo for questioning, demanding answers as to why the luxury casino boat was broken and in flames. Kaz tried to explain, but found no sympathy among the Shields. It seemed that the Muffin Men couldn’t compete with the political capital of Kaspere Drylund and his company. The guards began to lead the duo away. Tengo, thinking quickly, sent his summoned owls to harass the Shields and allow for Kaz and Nike to make an escape into the building.
Inside, the party found a young brown-haired woman working the office books, and a trio of guardsmen coming up the stairs to investigate the commotion. Following behind the guardsmen was a hulking, lumbering Orc named Dur. Borgan, with a nearly insatiable hunger, cleaved the first guard in twain and leapt toward Dur, sword at the ready. Tengo moved in on the Orc’s flank, but soon found himself overpowered by the relentless flail strikes from Dur. The final hit shattered his jaw and cracked his skull, and he slumped on the floor. A crimson and purple puddle grew around the broken Firbolg’s head, and within seconds he breathed his last.
As the sun set and the moon began to rise above the horizon, Borgan crumpled to the floor and writhed in pain as the lycanthrope’s curse transformed him into a beast of the night… with pink hair. Completely under the feral instincts of the curse, Borgan dove down the stairs searching for the elusive Ming. With the Shields of Yartar bashing in the door, one companion dead, and other gone feral, Kaz made a leadership decision and fled through the open window, taking time to retrieve Tengo’s Tortleshell shield. Ophio and Nike followed closely behind, slipping into an alleyway before the Shields could come after them. As they fled, they could hear the snarling of a wolf, only seconds before the wet death rattle of a victim.
Epilogue
Kaz, Nike and Ophio took their chance to escape the offices of Kaspere Drylund and his staff. Thinking quickly, Kaz recovered Tengo’s shield before he left, motivated by the knowledge of the significance of the Tortle shell to their fallen friend.
His mind consumed by the cursed bloodlust coursing through his veins, Borgan quickly left the empty basement in search of prey. As he crept back into the office, he spied the young brunette cowering behind her desk. As he moved to lunge at her tender throat a blade fell, gashing his midsection and spilling crimson on the floor. Borgan growled, and lunged at his attacker. He never noticed the wound closing during the ensuing slaughter, but his newfound invulnerability was not lost on the half-dozen Shields of Yartar who died on that wooden floor. In the violence, the young woman found her senses and followed Kaz’s path out the side window. Borgan didn’t care or didn’t notice as he feasted on liver.
What happened afterwards is a mix of speculation, rumor, eyewitness testimony, and sheer conjecture. What is certain is the citizens of Yartar will forever remember the first day of Marpenoth as the night of the Wailing Bloodmoon. Some say he moved from kill to kill without taking time to eat, while others are certain he feasted on the entrails of every victim he found. The fear that came the next morning may have resulted in as many innocent deaths as Borgan’s rampage as the townsfolk vengefully extracted their “justice” on anyone suspected of being a lycanthrope.
The remaining Muffin Men felt helpless as they fled into the wilderness surrounding Yartar, constantly pursued by the soldiers of the Waterbaron and mercenaries in the employ of whatever sinister cabal Pow Ming and her employer belong to. On the eve of the second day, as they followed clues and rumors of naked Gnome sightings, Kaz, Nike, and Ophio found Borgan slumbering in the loft of a decrepit and abandoned hay barn. The Gnome was covered in a thick layer of dried gore, and seemingly had been sleeping for the past 24 hours after his metamorphosis. The party set up camp around their comatose compatriot. Everyone needed the downtime after the events of the past 2 days. Nike drilled and maintained his weapons while Ophio did… things… to the corpses of a few mice. Kaz took some time to reflect on their losses and to seek the guidance of Marthammor Duin, but felt like there was no reply. Frustrated, he picked up Tengo’s shell shield and prepared to throw it out of the loft. As he wound up his throw he stopped, noticing a small leather pouch tucked into the grip of the shield. He opened the pouch to find 9 large, brown beans that were quietly humming. A piece of parchment was wrapped around the drawstring of the pouch.
It read, in Tengo’s near child-like handwriting: “Plant the beans, don’t drop them.” Perplexed, Kaz spent the remainder of his rest focused on understanding the intricate mysteries of Tengo’s bean bag.

Report Date

20 Dec 2019