18: Curse of the Weregiant

   

Morthwyl,
Dwarf Fighter

With Rowan gone, the group returned to the Happy Hall of Fortuitous Happenstance to consolidate their findings and forge a new plan. Crucially, they needed a replacement. It wasn't long before Morthwyl, a down-on-her-luck Dwarf, approached them. She was a seasoned fighter, the sole survivor of an adventuring party lost delving too deep into the cults' temples. Though she'd lost her weapons in her escape, the group had enough supplies to rearm her.

With their new companion, the trio decided to investigate the graveyard for the missing Devastation Orb. The key's inscription, 'NQM18', now made sense: North Quarter, Mausoleum 18. Joe, scouting ahead disguised as a grieving woman, passed the mausoleum and saw its door ajar, a torch flickering within. Not wanting to risk it alone, he waited for the others. Bessok took point, pushing the door open and moving in.

There was nothing to fear. Two recently killed bodies slumped inside beside a pair of stone caskets, which they left undisturbed. A magical scan by Bessok revealed the Orb had indeed been here, its corrupting power leaving a faint stain where it was no doubt stored. They were too late. However, Joe had another clue: a warehouse marked on a small drawing of the waterfront. Bessok also found tracks outside—a few human prints, but also something large with webbed feet. Curious!

Gark, transforming the eager Dwarf into a Bloodhound, instructed Bessok to track the distinct scent of the strange, web-footed creature. The path led them to the waterfront warehouse area. Bessok approached a closed, barred gate, peering through it to see "thugs" moving items into a nearby boat. One thug cursed at the "dog" and shouted for it to leave, prompting Bessok to follow the order and retreat into an alleyway where the rest of the group was hidden.

Birds Eye view of the Warehouse

Leveraging their aerial advantage, the group flew up to the roof and peered through the skylights, spotting more thugs inside. These were clearly guards, though poorly trained, as they wandered without purpose or coordination. A plan was born.

Joe pulled out a diamond-tipped tool, neatly slicing a small circle from a skylight's glass. He removed the piece, reached in, and unlatched the window. Waiting for the opportune moment, Bessok cast Silence over the area below as Joe silently eliminated the first guard. Dropping down, Joe assumed the guard's appearance and patrolled the catwalk above the storage shelves, while the others concealed the body and prepared for the next unsuspecting victim.

Map of the Warehouse Catwalks

Map of the Warehouse Interior

Like perfectly synchronized assassins, the guards fell one after another, leaving the area clear for a search. Bessok's magical sense located several boxes containing items, but nothing as powerful as the aura he was picking up from the basement. Gark decided to head down first, finding two more guards covering a southern area. These were different: they carried longswords and shortswords and wore heavier armour.

Map of the Warehouse Basement

They challenged Gark, their voices perhaps louder than necessary, potentially to raise an alarm. Gark, typically oblivious, didn't notice. As Bessok rushed down to engage these veteran guards, Gark transformed into a Sabretooth Tiger and leaped into the fray.

One by one, the group joined the fight. Morthwyl, their new companion, rushed headlong into battle, wielding a longsword and warhammer in a deadly dance of destruction. As the guards began to fall, another figure emerged: the large, web-footed creature Bessok had been tracking. It was a four-armed Sahuagin, draped in a black cloak, wielding a garrote and two shortswords.

Ghald,
Sahuagin Assassin

Attempting to bypass the Sahuagin, Bessok learned the folly of that idea as the garrote whipped out, wrapping around his neck. He was pulled off the ground, lifted to meet the Sahuagin's two swords. Unable to breathe, Bessok's situation looked dire for a moment, but he struggled free. Across the room, Joe fired a glass-tipped arrow. The glass shattered, releasing a cloud of sneezing and choking dust. A Cleric who had appeared behind the Sahuagin was caught in the cloud, stumbling backward, clutching his throat.

Worse, Bessok, now able to breathe, also inhaled a mouthful of the dust and began to turn a strange shade of purple! Fortunately, the group's teamwork prevailed. After a tough battle, the Sahuagin was down, and the Cleric had suffocated. The area was theirs.

Beyond the Sahuagin, they discovered a secret hallway leading into another room. One section held bookshelves and a chest overflowing with ill-gotten gains. Another smaller section appeared to be a shrine to a strange god, complete with an idol, a chalice emblazoned with a peculiar design, and a ceremonial dagger. A tapestry on the wall bore the same design. Reading through notes and papers, they realized this was an operation of something called The Kraken Society, later discovering them to be akin to the Zhentarim, but far more sinister.

Symbol of the
Kraken Society

Sitting on the altar of this strange shrine was the box they sought, its orb audibly humming. Opening it, they found a red glowing orb with dancing flames within, seated in a pool of water. Bessok closed the box, stored it in his Bag of Holding, and after thoroughly looting the place, the group made their way out.

Deciding they wouldn't be safe with the Orb in the city, knowing the Kraken Society would surely pursue it, Morthwyl took Rowan's Hippogriff, and they all took to the air, flying south to make camp in the wilds away from any more assassins. As a guard, Gark used his power to awaken a nearby tree, which slowly lumbered over to their camp and set down roots, ready to watch over them.

The night passed uneventfully. But as morning dawned and food cooked over the campfire, the fire seemed to grow hotter. No, it wasn't the campfire. Bessok's Bag of Holding slowly burned open, its contents spilling to the ground: the Spear from the Air Cult, and, of course, the box containing the Orb. The box fell open, the already cracked Orb splitting in two parts, releasing its full power now free from the confines of the bag.

A wave of intense heat rushed over the area, turning nearby bushes and leaves brown, causing them to curl and drop as if autumn had suddenly arrived. Even the grass began to wither as the temperature noticeably surged. Wisely, the group quickly gathered their belongings and moved away from the Orb.

The affected area seemed vast. They travelled a good mile before the temperature began to normalize. Looking back, they saw several fires had started, trees and other combustible materials igniting like kindling.

Taking to the air on their Hippogriffs once more, they returned to Yartar, seeking information on their next assignment.

Having found a flyer earlier advertising a gold reward for Werewolf heads, including a Giant Werewolf, the group sought out the Shields of Yartar, the mounted guards, for more information. They spoke with a guard who had personally witnessed the Giant Werewolf. Though seen from a distance, its massive size silhouetted against a full moon presented a truly powerful figure. The werewolves were reportedly south-east of Yartar, terrorizing a cluster of villages for over a month. The Waterbaron was offering the reward to end the threat.

Taking to the air again, the group located the affected villages and descended to speak with the common folk. Villagers reported missing people who were never seen again, and spoken of rangers who had tried to track the beasts but retreated upon discovering massive footprints. The group then spoke with these rangers, who pointed them to a valley winding through the Dessarin Hills where the footprints were found.

A Winter Wolf

The tracks were easily found. Bessok and Joe tracked ahead, easily following them towards what was undoubtedly their lair. Once the path became obvious, they took to the air. Below, in a small clearing surrounded by trees, a plume of smoke twisted upwards—a campfire near a very large cave entrance. The tree cover made it difficult to see clearly, so Bessok and Morthwyl leapt from their Hippogriffs and flew down, instantly attracting the attention of the camp.

Over half a dozen humans stood around the campfire, while two very large Winter Wolves stalked the area. As the two new arrivals landed, the humans shifted into their werewolf forms and charged. One even transformed into a werebear. The Winter Wolves moved in from the flanks, unleashing blasts of cold air.

The sheer number of attackers made the situation look concerning, until Joe found a clear line of sight. Almost overloading his wand of fireballs, he dropped a ball of flame into the advancing werewolves, turning their toughened hides into cooked bacon and their eyes into runny eggs. Most were instantly obliterated, leaving only the werebear and the Winter Wolves to put up a significant fight.

A Werebear

Meanwhile, Gark leaped from his Hippogriff into a tree, managing to keep his footing. Using his newfound talent, he caused the tree to awaken, instructing it to attack while he calmly summoned a fire elemental to deal with the werebear.

Needless to say, the fight didn't last much longer. Bodies littered the ground, and some trees burned, sending smoke high into the air. The nearby cave was undoubtedly the lair of the remaining werewolves. After asking, Gark learned from the awakened tree that the Weregiant was currently out hunting. Since the bounty required their heads, the group took the time to perform some grisly business.

A Werewolf