Nearly a month passed since the fight with the chimera (3/30 – 4/23). During this time, Aderian arranged to have the statue of chimera carefully brought out of the cave and set in the yard before the humble homestead dwelling. Meanwhile, the three forts constructed by Amalgus were completed, which helped lower the threat of monsters in the area. It also make a bold statement to attackers from outside that St. Orlan was ready to defend herself. The forts were placed near Mulshoe (hex 0409), on the road going east to the cost (hex 1308) and a few miles south on the way to Milltown (hex 0911).
The monster lurking north of the river still visited terror upon the local ranchers. Their sacrifices hardly stopped it. A troop of Red Jacket Rangers arrived mid-month to assist, and they were deduced to have fallen victim to the monster after little but a tattered red jacket was found on a nearby hilltop. The people of St. Orlan strengthened their devotion to the monster, seeking to placate it with gifts of increasing wealth.
Despite the turmoil, the mood was lightened by the unusual appearance of a stray dog who wore a silver collar. It was pampered like royalty for most of the month, and then was found to be missing one day.
Gathering Information
Ghevont and Elaria used this downtime to gather more clues about the werewolves. The cleric made three weekly trips to revist the corpse of the slain werewolf, probing it with questions via his speak with dead spell.
- How many miles must we march from New St. Korus to reach the hills where Mangler is hiding? Six miles, directly to the southwest.
- Is the cave with the pools of water part of the same ridge where we fought the chimeras? No. Mangler has joined up with Grizzle in the swamp.
- Are there any prisoners being held for food in Mangler’s new lair? Not that I am aware of.
- Is the entrance to your new cave hidden by the high grass, or is it an open gash in the limestone? It is not hidden in grass. The cave is an opening the limestone walls of a large sinkhole in the swamp.
- Did you prefer the taste of the sheep to the taste of the townspeople? People are more tasty.
- How many “elite” werewolves remain to guard Mangler? He must only have five ordinary werewolves left with him, and Grizzle has six of his own followers.
- You said Grizzle’s clan has the magic mirrors. Are those mirrors hidden in the cave with the sarcophagus? I’ve heard Grizzle has magic mirrors, but I can’t say where they are precisely.
- Is there a back exit to Mangler’s cave that he plans to use to escape if we attack? No, the caves are simple and do not have any kind of back entrance.
- Are there any traps, like a pit or a rockfall, set inside the cave mouth to stop us? There are no elaborate traps. There are hazards. A descent must be made from above to the water level of the sinkhole in order to get into the various caves. The caves could have loose rock, and they may be inhabited by dangerous monsters. I haven’t been there myself.
- Do you think the Anointed One has a plan for your wretched spirit, or are you just a “shadow” like Sivros says? “The Anointed One’s ‘plan’ is the silver in my heart and the stake in my throat. I am no shadow. I was the hunger that kept your ‘faithful’ shivering behind their braziers. Sivros, whoever he might be, speaks of the spirit, but the moon only knows the blood. I was the hunter. Now I am the meat. You’d do better asking the worms for guidance.”
- If we go to your old den in the basement of Old St. Kortus, will we find any treasure you left behind? No. Why would we leave treasure behind?
- Was the man Grod saw in the woods near the homestead a member of your pack or a human sympathizer? I don’t know which man you’re talking about.
- Is Mangler staying in his hybrid wolf form, or is he hiding in his human skin to trick us? I can’t say, but what kind of trick could he pull at this point?
- Is Nate going to die again if we enter that cave, or will Ghevont have to save everyone once more? I can only speak to what I knew in life. I cannot give prophesy.
- What is the best way to approach the lair? Walk the ridge of hills and look down upon the sinkhole from the northeast. From there, you won’t have to cross the swamp nor the deep river.
Elaria scried the hideout several more times. She attempted to view it from the perspective described by the dead werewolf. From atop the hill, she looked down on the fetid swamp languishing between the two forks of the Belianassa River. Directly below her, a thick copse of trees rose from the surrounding water. As the first rays of the morning sun pierced the eastern sky, she could tell little light ever reached the soggy terrain beneath those branches. But there was one exception, a circle where no trees grew and the gentle ripples of water could be seen to reflect faint sunlight.
She produced several more glimpses of the lay of the land. Around this sinkhole were seven grottoes. As the caves reached back into darkness, the floors rose out of the water. The caves were not too deep, but they were well-shaded, as was the whole perimeter of the sinkhole.
She saw werewolves going in and out of all of the grottoes, sometimes swimming in the water to travel between them. She saw the werewolves driving prey off the cliff into the water where it would drown and then be dragged into a cave. Inside the caves, the werewolves would feast on the prey, usually large game, and leave the bones for disgusting worms as big as men. The worms could do no harm to the werewolves.
Based on this evidence, the hardy band reduced the location to two areas of land. They made plans to cross the river and march along the hilltops until they spied the sinkhole.
Fight at the Sinkhole
The next day (3/24), a party was assembled. The roster was Ollie, Jerker, Elaria, Ghevont, Aderian, and Nate. They had little trouble hiring a barge to cross the river, and they were not opposed by any monsters on the way along the hills. Eventually, they came to the spot in Elaria’s vision and looked down on the sinkhole (hex 0603).
Elaria made herself into a green dragon. Jerker attached a chain to a tree and dropped it down beside one of the grottoes. Aderian, Jerker, Nate and Ollie climbed down and entered the cave. After moving down the cave, they came to see four wriggling worms, about the size of men. Finding no reason to engage with them, they backed out. The party climbed back up to the rim of the sinkhole.
Ghevont used a locate object spell to search for the sarcogphagus bed Elaria described she saw in the crystal ball. This identified the particular cave they knew they must enter. The chain was moved, and once again, the party descended. All five of them entered, with Elaria staying up at the top.
60 feet into the cave, they saw a flicker of light 70’ ahead. They had a moment of surprise that was used only by Ollie to holler at the werewolves. Elaria heard this call and flew down to the mouth of the cave. The werewolf leaders, sensing they could only fight to the death, sent six werewolf scouts forward to engage in battle in the 20′ wide cave. These enemies were mere fodder before the superior power of the fighters, especially after Elaria enhanced them with a haste spell.
Back at the mouth of the cave, Elaria noticed ripples in the water and retreated well out of view of the cave. Ghevont approached the mouth of the cave and turned sticks into snakes. As the werewolf numbers dwindled, the two leaders converged on Jerker, who was a producing a whirlwind of blows. The leader called Mangler was sorely injured while trying to grapple the fighter, and the other leader, Grizzle, managed to take Jerker’s sword, Ithush, away. Unfortunately for Grizzle, the next moment he was frozen in place by a hold spell cast by Nate.
Out at the mouth of the cave, the face of an undead dragon appeared and a long column of poison gas blasted out over the snakes and Ghevont. The cleric was sorely injured by the gas, and he retreated back to his companions and protected himself with the cube of force.
Ollie disengaged with the lesser werewolf he was fighting and stepped up to the paralyzed Grizzle to deliver a fatal blow with his axe. Jerker spun around, raced towards the dragon and used his ring, shouting “jump back jack!” The power of the ring turned the dragon away. It dove down below the surface of the water.
All of the werewolves were dead at this point, and the party made to leave. Ghevont dropped the cube walls and used a scroll to heal himself. Aderian used his bag to locate the nearest treasure, which lead him to read up to high, natural shelf and bring down a ceremonial dagger. Ghevont found that his two mirrors were there in the cave. Jerker decapitated the two werewolf leaders with the intent of bringing them to Amalgus as trophies or proof of conquest.
As they walked to the cave mouth, from out of the water came a second undead dragon, the mate of the first. This one appeared to be protected by several mirror images. Aderian destroyed one of the images, then Ghevont dispelled the rest. This allowed Jerker to step up a deliver a terrible blow. Ollie was ready to charge when this dragon breathed poison gas on the entire party. Most of them managed to clamp down their mouths, but Ollie took in a full measure into his lungs. He fell down on the wet cave floor, dead.
The dragon, grievously injured but still able to act, retreated down into the water. Jerker immediately climbed up the chain and jumped on Elaria’s back. They were ready to flee. Aderian hoisted Ollie’s lifeless body up with him to the surface. Together, the party made their way back home. Aderian brought the two severed heads to Amalgus who was happy to know that the oath to destroy all werewolf packs had been fulfilled. Also, knowledge of the sinkhole and its location was a boon to the city.
The next day (4/25), Ghevont performed a ceremony to raise Ollie from the dead as his body lay on the altar in the Temple of St. Orlan. During the previous day, Ollie’s spirit had been in a heavenly place where he stood before a jeweled gate. Standing before the gate was St. Orlan himself, astride an octopus as he was described in legend. Ollie knew the truth and fullness of the power of the Anointed One at that moment. And he knew that he faced no torment in the afterlife. Yet, a voice from the land of the living called out to him. It was Ghevont, calling him back. St. Orlan asked him if he accepted this beckoning, and the dwarf did accept it.
The next moment, Ollie opened his eyes and he was looking up at the visage of St. Orlan, this time his marble statue in his namesake temple. Ollie was alive again.
Was This the End?
This time represented a great change in the land around St. Orlan, Tosasth and Slateholm, because it marked a point in time when the band called Tienarth’s Raiders came to an end. Those powerful adventurers who’d earned a name of renown had risen to such heights, that they largely gave up adventuring. While they spoke amongst themselves about the various monsters still lurking at the edges, they comforted themselves in knowing that younger adventurers would surely come along. They felt they had largely earned a retirement.
Somewhere northwest of St. Orlan, the dwarf called Azrak ruled over a small band of goblins. He continued to send his goblin bandits out to pester innocent travelers while he reclined on his throne, wearing his prized belt of giant strength. It has been years since he adventured with the Raiders, and he seemed content in his role as goblin king, an iconoclast to the end.
Ghevont, ever indecisive, spoke of abandoning his plans to build a new retreat out of the ruined tower atop the pass to Tosasth. This was after giving up a plan to build a retreate south of St. Orlan in the former hill giant cave. Now he spoke of replacing Father Anuak as the priest at the Temple of St. Orlan. This was another typical choice by the arrogant cleric, assuming that a member of a rebel sect might take over leadership of a temple belonging to the official faith of the empire. What he would ultimately choose could be be foreseen by no one.
Jerker announced his intention to renew his vows with Elaria, this time making sure Ollie was invited to the ceremony. The pair would leave St. Orlan for a more peaceful land, though they spoke not of where that might be.
Nate traveled to Lah’s Retreat, where he offered his services to Lah. This was not unlike the warrior Globo who became a monk under Lah’s order.
Ollie, newly restored, pondered a conflict in his mind. He now knew the truth of the Anointed One that few living beings had experienced. Yet, he was also devoted to Phakta, the goddess who had once cleansed him of stain of a vampire’s bite. He bid his companions farewell and made his way to Slateholm where he hoped to find a ship that would take him back to the Naked Isle and then on to Phakta’s island.
Aderian had to considered whether he ought to remain in St. Orlan to live a life of luxury, or if he ought to return to a life at sea. Over ales at the Iron Knight, he came to realize that in the relatively civilized land around St. Orlan, he had fewer opportunities to pursue his goal to rid the world of slavery. For he remembered that in the Southern Seas, there were many island that still enslaved men, dwarves and elves. He went along with Ollie, also hoping to find his way back to a ship, perhaps to acquire one of his own again and to raise a crew.
And there was Ferris, who was still overseeing the construction of a guild hall, which was part of his plan to train adventurers and eventually rehabilitate Tosasth. Mirana, the elf cleric of Nebro, had purchased a plot of land inside St. Orlan to raise a new temple to her patron, and she intended to adventure in order to raise funds for the completion of her project.
There were others who called themselves one of Tienarth’s Raiders but had not been seen for many years. The was Nebula the dwarf, who once operated a stable in Slateholm, lost it and then moved away. There was Longstream, who lost his leg in battle in the streets of Tosasth, who retired as a result. Somewhere in the Southern Seas, Saul, the sea elf druid, rode on the back of his orca companion.
On the Naked Isle, the barbarian Urgesh still brooded, wrestling with terrible thoughts, as if the devil himself whispered in his ear. He favored neither the druids nor the followers of the Anointed One who contested over the faithful. But the antidote of his sour mood was his wife, Jonja. She kept him from engaging in lasting trouble, placating him with ale and rum.
Also on the Naked Isle were Tienarth and Hocuspo, the master wizard and his apprentice. The two dwelt in the refurbished tower, practicing their dark arts. Tienarth made himself busy constructing magical devices for hire, which fueled his further research into new spells.
This may not have been the end of the adventures of these individuals, but it was surely the end of Tienarth’s Raiders as a cohesive unit.
End Notes
- Days
- 3/30 – 4/23 Downtime at home
- 4/24 Last two werewolf packs are killed at the sinkhole
- 4/25 Ollie is raised from the dead in the temple of St. Orlan
- Treasure:
- Golden Ceremonial Dagger (1000 gp)
- Discovery: 2,500 xp for finding the sinkhole
- Combat (4910 xp)
- 2 Werewolf leaders 915 xp each
- 11 Werewolf scouts 280 xp each
- Characters (5.5 shares of 1347 xp)
- Aderian (human, fight, up front) 1509 xp
- Elaria (hireling) 447 xp
- Ghevont (human, undead, tennet) 1509 xp
- Jerker (human, fight) 1495 xp
- Nate (human, fight) 1495 xp
- Ollie (rugged, underground, fight, in front) 1401 xp