Session 3: Finding the 4-armed demons Report

General Summary

Our heroes started this session at the home of the new beheaded, Kreiss and her lizardfolk community, leaving a message for the Emerald Enclave with Maku-Maku's newfound abilities. The PCs decide the best course of action is to head back to Blackwell to find their way again on the abandoned road. On the way back, the purple rain falls from the heavens and forces the PCs to take cover. Diving into a nearby cave, they discover the mutilated body of fellow trialist, Vulere. Studying the cave is stopped short by the occupying brown bear returning from hunting. A short fight results in the party chowing down on some bear stakes and resting in their newly acquired cave. During the evening, a park ranger Werebear named Smoggy visits the party and gives Reginald an eight hour lecture on fire safety before riding into the night on his Owlbear.
The next morning, rain cleared and wounds healed, returning to Blackwell is the goal, ferrying the remains of Vulere. Upon arrival, the mourning brother Ryo invites you to help bury his brother and say a few words. Their stay in Blackwell is brief, but not before a short encounter with Mr and Mrs Jones, where the party convinces them that they're no longer travelling with Reginald and he's safely on his way to Norcastle. James tells the group about his favourite duet, Thimbleshank & Scree.
Following the overgrown, old road, the PCs set off again into The Lonely Forest. Upon the third sighting of the creaky and clearly haunted windmill, they investigate. A specter and a shadow get the jump on them as the building rattles with the voices of the head and general creepy noises. The attic reveals the skeletal remains of two, clutching onto a small box. Opening the box (firstly with an axe), traps James' voice. After a little experimentation, the party seem to have the situation in hand with a kind of rota. Other points of interest in the forest include a gnome selling moonshine, then the same gnome selling firebeetles, a faerie dragon fighting a lemur, and a ring of trees surrounding a pool, which James cuts down and jumps in before making a life-or-death deal with a powerful carp. Obviously.
Finally, the players meet a T-junction, which would have held a small hamlet before the war; ruined buildings sit on both sides of the road. Looting (and minding their own business), a pack of Boggles search the area and stuff trinkets into their small sacks. The presence of the players alert them, before James manages to convince one to open the voice box. This witchcraft drives the other boggles to complete insanity as they pummel and crash the skull of the voiceless creature.
A little more searching and the party discovers a blood trail leading into the woods, and a short-search reveals a sack of body parts suspended thirty feet from a tree. As they hunker down and wait for 5 hours the boggles return to retrieve the sack and take it to their masters. Tailing them from a distance, the sack is left near a tree. After a few hours of resting, movement alerts Hank, as one of the four-armed demons seemingly rises from the ground to claim his sack of rotting limbs, triggering a battle between the sleepy party. Dispatching the demon doesn't present too difficult a challenge, but who knows what awaits as they stand over a dark staircase leading into the abyss.

Missions/Quests Completed

The PCs found and defeated one of the four-armed demons! Only one remains... hopefully.
James also met with a carp and bargained his life for a task for Auril, the Cold Godess.

Character(s) interacted with

This session saw the introduction of Smoggy, a "park ranger" at The Lonely Forest.
The players also helped return the body of Ryo's brother, where Ryo offered his services if the party is ever in need, once he's had time to mourn. Leaving Blackwell we also saw Bessie and Jonathan Jones, Reginald's parents, who were overly concerned and missing their little boy.

Created Content

Where would we be without Thimbleshank & Scree.

Campaign

Guardians of the Last Age

Protagonists

James Grom Jr.

Joe Smith

Reginald Jones

Maku Maku

Hank Strongsoul

Report Date

02 Feb 2020

Primary Location

Blackwell

Secondary Location

The Lonely Forest