08: Rivergard Keep Part 2

  
After tallying their initial gains, Lilium opted to remain on the keelboat, securing their escape route, while the rest of the group returned to higher ground to continue their assault on Riverguard Keep.

Map of Rivergard Keep

They targeted the tower adjacent to the main gate (K2/K3). To their surprise, a large boar was atop the wall, nudging a dead guard. They quickly realized it was no ordinary beast when it rolled the body over, revealing Joe's arrow in its chest. Recognizing its intelligence, they attacked, Joe's arrows striking deep into its flank. With a squeal, the beast charged the tower door, transforming into a wereboar as it ran. It rammed the door, shattering the lock, and disappeared inside with a shout of "We're under attack!" The group gave chase, rushing up the stairs and along the ramparts, with Joe covering the exits.

Jolliver Grimjaw, Wereboar

Inside, guards were stirring as a larger man barked orders. Gark, in bear form, had scaled the wall rather than taking the stairs, immediately engaging the guards, one dropping instantly. The leader stepped forward to protect the wereboar, drawing Gark's attacks. Rowan shot another guard before rushing in to finish him off, while Bessok joined Gark against the leader. The wereboar, meanwhile, continued its escape, heading down to the lower level.

The upstairs guards were swiftly dispatched. Below, more guards attempted to flee and raise the alarm, but Joe's arrows brought them down. The battle concluded quickly, leaving only the wereboar. Gark pursued him, Bessok attacked with his axe, Joe rained down arrows, and Rowan somersaulted over the beast from Gark's back. The wereboar absorbed heavy damage until a final arrow from Joe brought it down.

A silence fell over the area. The sounds of fighting hadn't travelled far enough to alert the barracks. The group took a moment to heal and regroup before heading to the barracks (K8), passing through the weapons storage (K6) along the way, where they found ample leather armour, weapons, arrows, and bolts.

Deciding to use the wereboar's demise as leverage, Gark dragged its body into the barracks, which was heavily occupied by guards and the distinct shark-tooth sword-wielding, shell-shielded cultists. The others followed, attempting to intimidate the guards with the corpse of the wereboar, who they soon learned was Captain Jolliver Grimjaw, the Keep's commander.

Crushing Wave Reaver

The lesser guards, terrified by the death of "Jolly," stood down. Some panicked and fled, only to be cut down by Joe's arrows—a planned outcome despite the lack of direct communication during the surrender. Seeing their comrades fall, the cultists decided to attack, though the remaining lesser guards, concerned for their own safety, abandoned them and fled.

The cultists proved stronger than the guards. Their shark-tooth swords sliced through Gark's bear form like saws, forcing him back into his Half-Orc shape. Rowan nimbly leapt around, using the bunk beds for better angles, while Bessok hacked through the cultists with his magical battle-axe until none remained.

The battle was hard-won, but nothing compared to what lay ahead. With only one area left, the group ascended the stairs and opened the door to another barracks, this one housing the elite troops protecting the most important inhabitants of the Keep (K20). Inside were half a dozen sleeping cultists and a chain-shirt wearing priestess on watch.

As the door opened, the priestess cast a spell, blurring her image with a watery shimmer. She yelled for the cultists to awaken. As they stumbled from their bunks, Bessok rushed in, followed by Rowan, who quickly killed a still-sleeping cultist. The priestess, with Bessok closest, placed a hand on his shoulder, numbing his nerves and causing his flesh to freeze.

Joe remained outside, raining arrows upon the priestess. As Gark (now in bear form again) charged in, she changed tactics, holding out a hand towards Bessok, who froze in place, unable to move. Simultaneously, water rushed under the second door, forming another water serpent that coiled around the immobilized Bessok, attempting to constrict him.

Owl to the Rescue!

Things looked grim: Bessok was near collapse, and the priestess and surrounding cultists remained a formidable threat. With a curious smile, Rowan tossed something from his pack into the room, which transformed into an owl, sweeping in to assist Gark against the cultists. The small owl strangely turned the tide. Gark sliced and bit his way through the cultists, while Joe fired arrow after arrow at the priestess, who conjured a sleet storm to blind them. Despite her efforts, the group, though heavily wounded, emerged victorious. Only one enemy escaped: the water serpent, which slinked back under the door and vanished into the main hall despite their pursuit.

The Keep, now silent and empty, was theirs. They searched the area, finding various treasures, a secret entrance (K22) to an underground waterway (likely the serpent's escape route), and a trove of letters, notes, and reports scattered across a desk in the great hall (K16).

The reports detailed the cultists' gains from highway robbery, ranging from small silver hauls to wagon-loads of goods. Routine supply notes for Riverguard Keep were found, along with manifests and logbooks from plundered ships. One report described an attack on a hamlet, where captives who didn't fight back were taken as slaves or "sent down to the temple." Another note, signed by Eyon, chillingly stated: "The delivery of captives were well received. We have no more use for slaves, so they were sent to the drowning pools. Their sacrifices will please Olhydra greatly." Lilium recognized Olhydra as an Archomental, a Princess of the Elemental Plane of Water—an incredibly powerful being.

Finally, a set of notes detailed caravan traffic through Red Larch, specifically mentioning "a group of new arrivals" and "that wench from here," their descriptions matching the adventurers. The writer considered the group a "concern" as they "already uncovered a priest of the Black Earth." A more recent note declared, "Red Larch is weak now the Justicars have gone and taken half the elders with them. The constable and his officers will offer little resistance." The notes were unsigned but had a distinctive handwriting that mixed block letters and script.

With information gained and locations uncovered, the group returned to Lilium on the boat. Their captive, still charmed, enthusiastically babbled about the wonders of Olhydra, her plan to drown the world, and how only the cultists would rule the waters. The captive also revealed that three other elemental cults were active in the area, each striving to unleash their respective Elemental Prince upon the world.

With a wealth of disturbing information, the adventurers sat down to discuss their next move. The fight for the Sumber Hills was far from over.