The Dungeon of Graves: Session 37
General Summary
North of the Canyon River
Report Date
20 Jun 2021
The conversation with Zhanna had been pleasant and she was able to mark various places on their map of potential bounties. As soon as Lord Thevius had stepped out of the circle of skulls the headless spider mark upon his hand was easily wiped away; however, the ever clean and proper warlock made sure the mark was gone with a quick spell. While Thevius was finishing up talking with Zhanna, Kachuun had started ambling up the hill with some of the underbrush still attached. The Damned assumed that Zelkor’s Ferry wouldn’t let them stay at Bristleback’s Inn and had decided to camp near Zhanna’s hut for the night. While they journeyed east of the hut, Kachuun noted the new faces and introduced themselves. The hills were similar to those they had traveled north of New Czira; however, at the base of them were bogs.
They had already traveled most of the day and did not want to find and make camp among the wetlands. The treeline wasn’t too far from the hut; they found a nice secure place for the night. Before resting for the night they discussed what bounty they should head to first. With the list in hand they started marking off the bounties they thought would be nearly impossible for them to deal with. It was fairly easy for them to mark off the red dragon. Some of them had met the vampire and not only knew where Simrath’s tomb was but what the vampire had at his disposal. Lothar and Kaertas had been spared from Simrath only because the vampire wanted them to know the power the Master had. What troubled them was how many worgs he had at his disposal. Next they discussed the Vrock and knew where it was and what protected the demon but they were not planning on facing off with the High Priest just yet. The high priestess troll was explained to be the matriarch of the troll town west of Zhanna’s hut. And although Zhanna explained that the trolls in the area were detrimental to the land they did not want to eliminate an entire group of trolls for one liver, well not yet at least.
The conversation turned to collecting bodies and selling them to Inako or trying to keep the bandits and clerics alive to somehow transport them to Zhanna. It was suggested that if the clerics or bandits perished then they would sell them to Inako and if they survived then they would bring them to Zhanna. During the conversation at the camp, Kachuun rustled through the nearby underbrush with an empty bag that was filled rather easily when they returned. Every time they discussed the bounty list they would agree on what to try first but then they would move onto another item on the list and that was the new plan. They were going around in circles. The kobold suggested that if they were trying to hone their skills to not fall when they fight minions of the Master then they should start with something small then move onto the harder bounties. This was wise advice that the group ignored. They decided on tackling the Froghemoth in the morning as it was close and it sounded interesting.
The cloud cover that was just moving in off the sea the day before had now settled over this part of the island. The morning brought stronger winds as well but the group readied themselves for hunting. During their breakfast they discussed what they would be fighting. Froghemoth are large even when they emerge from their large eggs. They are fiercely territorial and there would usually be one in the area; however, as it was now spring there was a chance that they could be mating. The creatures eat a lot and prefer meat. They are amphibians that can’t really jump because of their size but they are super stealthy and often bury themselves in the mud. Before heading into the bog, Vai’len contacted a spirit to help her gain the necessary skills for navigating this unfamiliar area. A spirit of a Wrenjer long dead came to her and explained the best ways to navigate the mud. With the knowledge gained they began their journey. They covered their footsteps by walking on the steps of the person ahead of them. Vai’len had communicated what the dead Wrenjer had shared with her about the area and as Amo had accidentally started to drift toward a small pond they were able to stop him from falling into the water filled with leeches.
After about five hours of travel across the bogs Vai’len stopped them and signed that the area should be where the Froghemoth would be hiding. They had spotted the large clawed toed footpaths. The water around them was about five feet deep and there were enough smaller trees that the group could hide in. Emil signed to Vai’len if they would like him to protect her or Lothar and the rogue nodded to Lothar and signed that she would hopefully be well out of the way of the froghemoth’s 20 foot tongue. They quickly constructed a plan of Thevius giving Terrance the ability to breath lightning on the water to force the amphibian out of its hiding place but as they were about to take action Lothar spotted the oddly thick tree in the center of the island. Instead of one singular trunk it looked to have three or four and they sent the familiar to the tree instead. The lightning burned the tree and the froghemoth emerged.
Kachuun had let out an energetic trill at the emergence of lightning as they sent their eldritch energy into the creature. Each of the skeletons from Lothar and Kaertas fired at the froghemoth with a few of them hitting their target. Emil moved forward to engage the creature as well as keep it farther away from the tree which most of the party was hiding in. Before approaching he blessed Lothar, Kachuun and himself. The froghemoth gripped the branches they had been hidden in to surge forward. Their tendrils and tongue lashed out. One smacked Terrance so hard they instantly poofed. Another tendril hit the ground near Lothar, a spray of mud arched up off the ground when it hit. The last lashed out and grabbed Emil but they spun in place not being brought closer to the large creature’s mouth. From her position tucked in the branches, Vai’len nailed the froghemoth with her bolt before falling back to hide among the leaves. One of the newer members of the Damned, Amo sent two magical scythes before the mask that looked suspiciously like the Shrike covered his face, boosting him. Their new bard, Ace animated the lovely rapier on their back and sent it at the creature. The dancing rapier hit the creature dealing some force damage.
The creature was wrapped in blue electricity when Kachuun targeted it, giving their companions advantage to hitting the creature. Lothar sent a black beam of light at the froghemoth, they could all see the creature struggling as the magic took hold. Kaertas had attempted to shrink the large amphibian but it seemed to shake it off. The paladin closed the last few feet and landed two hits. It looked like the froghemoth was going to hit Lothar but Kachuun let out a hiss and beat their drum, causing the froghemoth to miss. Another round of attacks hit the creature. And as Lothar was confused with narrowly being missed he brought his weapon out and finished off the froghemoth. It was an efficient fight with only Terrance taking any damage from the amphibian. With the death of the creature, Vai’len and Kaertas started the task of removing the eyestalk and tongue. Carefully Vai’len cut the cartilage around the three foot eyestalk. She then moved onto sawing away at the tongue, two of the stronger Damned had to hold the massive jaw open for the sea elf to get to the tongue. While the rogue was busy, Kachuun scanned the area for trouble. Their battle had been quick but noisy. The tongue was roughly 30 feet after the rogue cut it from the mouth. After finishing the harvesting the rogue moved to the muddy hole in which the froghemoth had been hidden. It took some time but after clearing the mud they found some wonderful items; a magical staff, magical full plate and magical battleaxe.
A quick discussion happened about how much of the froghemoth they would like to carve but they pressed forward into the swamp. Only Kachuun had managed to cut a bit off for herself. They moved into the swamp a bit more and found a relatively dry spot. During their rest they identified the magical items and passed them out. The night passed without trouble and the morning found them finally clearing the marshy wetlands. Lord Thevius and Kachuun spend some time cleansing the group of the wet their armor, boots and items had collected while traversing the swamp.
Sometime during their journey they had picked up a tail. Vai’len spotted the humanoid figure moving deftly and magically behind them. They were about 500 feet behind them and carrying a longbow. Vai’len signed to Kachuun about their tail when Ace walked up and telepathically communicated what Vai’len had seen to the group. Kachuun and Vai’len slink into the trees to double back on their tail. Only the rogue could see the person moving through the brush as they were doing so now. Their face was mostly covered, a cloth draped over their hair with a backpack and bedroll on their back. The scouts let them pass, moving around a tree to keep the humanoid in front of them. However, as they moved around the tree two of the humanoid’s companions spotted them. An alert whistle rang out through the trees.
Both groups were surprised but the first to act was Kachuun who quickly targeted one of the supposed bandits before she fell back behind a tree. The one who had sounded the whistle targeted Vai’len communicating to their companions that they had this one. An arrow hit Vai’len as the half-orc approached her. Emil had been on his steed while they journeyed to the Gallow trees and upon hearing the activity from the area where the scouts had headed, Lothar asked if he could jump on. Emil nodded and Lothar’s skeletons started to move across the field. Trying to provide cover for those around him, Amo dropped a swirling darkness in front of the group. The ranger further back from the group heard the whistle and stepped out their cover. They could just see past the Hunger of Hadar, he takes out five arrows and lodges them into the sky. They land in a volley, hitting Kaertas and Amo. Emil pushed his horse through the field with Lothar riding behind him, the paladin readied a javelin if any of the combatants came close enough. The ranger that had alerted Vai’len to being followed, noticed the horse and aimed their longbow at the creature. Kachuun used her reaction to distract the ranger just enough to cause the arrow to not hit a vital spot. The ranger then marked the bard who hissed.
Vai’len drew her shortsword and aimed for the half-orcs liver; she then sent the wails of death to the ranger who had just targeted Kachuun. In a flash of silks and finery, Lord Thevius dashed across the field, somehow faster than the horse. The lord then flung himself on the ground behind a fallen log. Kachuun moved up to Vai’len trying to give the rogue help by distracting the rangers by cowering. The ranger near the rogue moved and both the bard and rogue landed massive hits. The half-orc then whistled another command. Kachuun quickly relayed that the whistle told the others not to be caught alive. The ranger’s eyes go wide and change their focus to the kobold before falling further away from the two. The rest of the Damned kept pushing forward trying to get to their companions and the battle. The ranger who had already volleyed some arrows brought out one arrow this time. They aimed their longbow into the sky and rained arrows done upon the Damned. They then whistle and fall further back into the underbrush. Emil released his javelin, falling well short but quaffed a potion. The inexperienced ranger fell back but not before nearly slaying Vai’len. Barely standing the rogue turned to the half-orc who had wounded her deeply. Drawing her crossbow, the rogue targeted the half-orc’s throat, causing them to fall but their relentless endurance kept the orc barely standing. Kachuun ran in front of the bleeding rogue and yelled to the rangers “stop and throw down your weapons and we will not kill you!” However, the half-orc instead searched their pocket, grabbed something small and threw it in their mouth. They nodded to the inexperienced ranger, bringing a hand out in a cup motion before swallowing whatever they had grabbed. Mere moments later the ranger exploded from within.
Meanwhile across the battlefield, Kaertas’ skeletons picked up their master and moved him close enough to drop a fireball upon the initiate ranger. Unfortunately they had enough left in them to grab something from their pocket and swallow. Before they exploded, the lone ranger in the woods nodded to them before whipping their cape and bamfing out of the area. As the others join Kachuun and Vai’len they discuss what had happened. Upon investigating it was obvious that they were being followed by Wrenjers and some wonder how this could affect their potential relationship. After being healed by the party, Vai’len drags the bodies to the clearing and burns them like she would do one of her companions. Some of them thought they didn’t deserve the ritual.
