Session 38: Coming Home to Roost

General Summary

Standing at the entrance to the Bullywug caves the heroes wondered what to do. They had just emerged from days in the tomb of the Lizard King and now the vampiric reptiles hordes were attacking Shaeje, or about to. Shaeje, however, was at least two days away. They could strike out east, toward the Vale of the Mage, or...
A fire on the horizon drew their eyes. Something was burning about a half a mile away. The heroes ran across the grasslands of Cullen Drae to a lone farmstead. A house was on fire, a ruined outbuidling stood near by and a host of lizard men with a troll had the house surrounded. The heroes attacked as humans emerged from the house -- a squad of Shaeje militia were trapped inside. With the Lizardmen and Troll dispatched the party learned that the Lizard King host was at the walls of Shaeje.
The party continued across the grasslands to the Watchtower Road on the way to Shaeje. On the way they met Merric Thorncage, a halfling "herbalist" on a flora gathering trip. Merric was escaping the war at Shaeje and had plans to head east, along with a stop at the Squarking Duck Inn at Thawr. He spoke of uncommon amounts of fungi across the landscape and whispered rumours of the return of Zuggtmoy along with the Old One himself to Cullen Drae.
As the party continued their journey to Shaeje their owl familiars relayed the devastation wrought by the Lizard King's army on the towns of Newcombe and Arth and, one presumes the Robin's Breast Inn (Session 28: Questions that Need Answers).
The heroes made their way to a lesser entrance to the city, a barbican held by a small group of Lizardmen and Ogres -- the city defences must have fallen. Brynnwythlinmardcaladog  tried to bluff the party past the Ogre guards, but despite his considerable bardic prowess the lizardmen did not believe him and attacked (i.e., they rolled a nat 20 to contest the bard's performance). The battle at the barbican will be immortalized in bardic songs: melee at the gates, arrows fired from the parapets, shammanic spells and gnome fireballs, storming the barbican and throwing lizardmes to their death. And after it all, the heroes prevailed and had the barbican.
Steno made his way into the wartorn city.

Rewards Granted

Monsters
Lizardmen x 14: 1400
Troll x 1: 1800
Ogre x 3: 1350

Story
Shaeje calls for aid and the party will answer: 500

XP per PC: 1000 (this is modified for xp given to Steno)

Battling Lizardmen and a Troll at the ruined farmstead

Report Date

01 Oct 2023

Primary Location

Fetid Fens

Secondary Location

Thawr

Related Characters

• Brimble Knackles
• Brynnwythlinmardcaladog
• Finn
• Mi'tsuru'gi
• Rivine

Brynn gets ready to hurl a Lizardman to his death!