Run 10: Owlbears, Rust-monsters, and Undead (Oh my)

Moldain, Thaymont 25

The room rented by Varis, Elariah and Shadarael becomes the site of a minor miracle at midnight – Varis floats about three feet off the bed as he sleeps, glowing with a pure light that’s bright as the dawn. It wakes both Elariah and Shadarael, who sit silently for the ten minutes it takes for the effect to wear off. Shadarael is uncomfortable sitting in the light – it’s as though the demonic blood flowing through his veins didn’t want to be in his presence. Elariah is pretty sure the effect is a spontaneous manifestation of arcane magic – similar to the effects a sorcerer undergoes when first manifesting their power – and remembers stories about the gods of the Church of Karameikos occasionally bestowing such a blessing. When woken, Varis isn’t particularly sure what happened and tries to make his gauntlets glow. For a few moments it almost seems like it’s going to happen, but ultimately he fails.

The decision is made to go and recruit Pim for the mission to the caves. The group sets out after breakfast and meet Pim close to his grove after the druid steps through a wall of thorns. Pim isn’t enthused about rescuing the girl, but agrees to accompany the party in exchange for a fair share of the loot and first dibs on any clothes they uncover that aren’t magical.

The party encounters a bugbear on their way to the Caves of Chaos. It pops up out of the undergrowth, near invisible to everyone but Pim, but it makes an attempt to communicate with the group in goblin. Since no-one speaks goblin, this proves problematic until Elariah manages to start a conversation in pidgin gnoll and hand gestures. The bugbear manages to convince the party it means no harm so long as they’re here to kill cultists, then invites them to meet with its leader. The party agrees to go along, whereupon an additional three bugbears not even Pim noticed step out of the shadows. Whey they reach the bugbear’s lair in the caves of Chaos, Varis starts to glow again (albeit dimmer and less holy this time around)

The party meets with the leader, Haggediah – an ancient, battered priest of Hruggeck the bugbear god (known as He who waits in the darkness to devour the world). Haggediah makes everyone drink a foul concoction that lets them communicate, tells them he had a vision of their coming, and cuts a deal with the party where the group will aid the bugbears against the Dark Ones (cultists) and Dead Ones (people raised by the cultists). The group gets information and the aid of three of his best warriors when they invade the temple of the Dark Ones. In exchange the bugbears will get the Caves of Chaos for themselves (it’s a sacred site) and promise not to attack humans from the keep. Haggediah tells the group that the girl they’re looking for is in a cave with the Dead Ones and a human Witch Doctor. The group also gets a run-down of what’s in all the other caves:

a)     Scaley Ones (small; presumably kobolds)

b)     The former bandit cave

c)      Massacred orcs. Possibly raised from the dead.

d)     The stunty folk of the people (presumably goblins)

e)     The Twisted One (Big, warped, very dangerous)

f)      Magic Dead Ones (Boney and Fleshy; Work in pairs)

g)     Dangerous plants

h)     The Bugbear cave

i)        Dangerous Cave – none of the Bugbears who have gone in ever returned

j)       The Dead Ones and the Witch Doctor – the cave is also guarded by a feathery-bear thing

k)     The Dark Ones – Very dangerous

The group charges across the valley and meets the feathery bear thing, which turns out to be a ten-foot-tall bear with the head of an owl. No-one is entirely sure why someone would do this, but it’s assumed it was probably descended by something made by the mad wizard John-Luc D’amberville (brother to Dubricus). The Owlbear’s been chained to a wall, which actually makes it pretty easy prey, and within a matter of moments the fearsome monster is routed and killed by the combined assault of missiles, glaive attacks, and magic stones.

Less calming is the rust-monster that gambols into the room while the group is picking their way through the bones and offal that line the owl-bear’s cave. It runs up to the group like an overenthusiastic puppy, cowers when it’s scolded, and gleefully devours the chain used to secure the owlbear when it's offered the metal as a treat. The party sneaks past while the rust-monster is busy.

The group delves further into the complex and discovers a room full of skeletons (which are easy to kill and do little damage) and zombies (which are harder to kill and nearly bludgeon Varis into unconsciousness). There is a door in the undead room that is bared on the party’s side, so they elect to leave it closed and explore in the other direction instead.

The second passage they follow has an intersection that leads into a large (and vaguely evil) library. Arpad, the missing girl from the keep, is busy studying a book of magical lore when the party enters, but quickly establishes the party is there to rescue her. She immediately identifies several of the most valuable (and least evil) tomes, tells the group that she’s the prisoner of a powerful necromancer named Tarlech associated with the cult, and wants to leave. The group sets fire to Tarlech’s library and flees the complex, heading back to the keep.

There is much celebrating at the keep. Books are sold to Dubricus, Arpad installs herself as his new apprentice, and the party drinks for free all night. If Varis glows in his sleep again, no-one wakes up to notice it.

Nytdain, Thaymont 26

While the party is eating breakfast they’re approached by Charl, one of the gate-guards, who rather uncomfortably (and apologetically) relates a message from the Keep’s Chaplin, Abercrombie: tell the boy Varis and his heathen friends they need to see me; I have information they need…