Session 07: Unnatural Hungers

General Summary

The party continued along the lesser used pathway through the forest. After a short while of travel, they heard cackling laughter and the painful whining of an animal. Illevaere scouted ahead and they found three hyenas, each with extended bellies as if they had eaten more than their fill. One of the hyenas whined in pain as its stomach was extended beyond the others, to the point where it was obviously unnatural and the hyena was in pain. One of the hyenas spotted Illevaere, but did approach them. Illevaere retreated back to the party to inform them what they had seen.   The party decided to approach the hyenas. Upon approaching them, they did not engage with them, watching them from a distance. Ilbreyn recalled a bit of lore that suggested that gnolls did not reproduce naturally, but instead a shaman called a Fang would bless (or to most, curse) a humanoid being that it had felled and a hyena feasting upon its flesh would transform into a gnoll. A small trail was seen heading off of the path and the Illevaere, Ilbryen, and Rieta went along the trail to scout ahead, leaving the rest watching the hyenas.   After the scouts left, those remaining behind were each in agreement that the hyenas should be slain. However, when Bolvaic approached the hyena in pain, he saw a form clawing its way out of the hyena’s belly. He brought a quick end to the hyena, but the creature, a newly formed gnoll, continued to claw its way out. The other hyenas lept to its defense and the party slew the newly formed gnoll and the hyenas as Thormod stood and watched with awe at the transformation.   Illevaere, Ilbryen, and Rieta, meanwhile, followed the small trail a few hundred yards to a ransacked farmhouse. They saw that all of the livestock was slaughtered and almost all of the meat was torn from the bones that remained. Humanoid bones were among the dead and several hyenas and gnolls still remained. One of the gnolls, however, seemed less feral and more competent than the others and watched over as the hyenas and his brethren continued to pick through the bones of the dead. With this information, the scouts returned along the trail to rejoin the others.   The scouting group returned as the remaining party were putting the slain bodies of the gnoll and hyenas on a pyre, burning them. After learning about the transformation, the party assumed that the hyenas at the farmhouse would likely also turn and they decided to put them down.   The party approached the farmhouse, with Levi pulling Tertius along at the front of the battlelines. Whenever one of the enemies fell, another of the hyenas or gnolls next to the body immediately began to eat the fallen, as if driven by a hungering compulsion. During the battle, Tertius was able to stab one of the hyenas with his sword, making the killing blow all by himself. Illevaere, who was hesitant to leave Thormod behind the party, rushed up to the battle, only to have Thormod move up behind them and attack with a belaying pin that they used as a club. Rieta and Illevaere’s poisonous spores were able to take down Thormod before he did much harm.   After the battle, Rieta found a journal among Thormod’s belongings, though it was written in the Northlander language of Rhytham, which only Levi spoke, but did not read. Rieta was able to phonetically read the last entry of the journal which Levi translated, though only with a rough translation. What they read was:   “As my connection to my Lord deepens, I let go of my old worries. Your hunger is all that matters. It is bigger than me; it is bigger than all of us. It is His brand. He made us. He drives us. Eat what we eat. Kill what we kill. It will come if we eat well. It will come if we kill well. It will come if we eat well. It will come if we kill well. We will kill and He will eat, and we will be He and He will be us, never together, never fearful, never hungry.”   Illevaere and Tiarjead scouted the area near the farmhouse as the others collected what few items seemed salvageable from the gnolls and burned their bodies. Illevaere and Tiarjead found tracks leading away from the farmhouse that seemed as if they were dragging bodies with them. Reluctant to leave Thormod behind so that he might escape after his betrayal to the party, he was slain.   The party rested only for a short while and began to follow the tracks.

Rewards Granted

A suit of well maintained black leather armor.
2 fresh water pearls
A glass eye
A glaive

Missions/Quests Completed

Thormod was slain after his betrayal, nullifying the need to take him to return to his home.

Tertius' List

• Rescue a damsel (alternatively, five maidens)
• Defeat a dragon
• Recover a magical weapon (sword preferred; wands, staffs, et al. excluded)
• Explore a ruin
• A classic dungeon crawl
• Engage in a spontaneous bar fight (preferably not in Eastbridge)
• Battling pirates on the high sea
• Uncover the nefarious plot of an evil vizier
• Find a secret chamber
• Perform the old switcheroo
• Destroy an evil cult
• Slay a demon (devil qualifies)
• Revenge adventure
• Save a town from being raided
• Get hired by someone secretly evil and be led into a trap
• Have a one night stand with someone you rescued (refer above to damsel/maidens)
• Stop a ritual just before it goes off
• Develop an archrival bent on my destruction

Character(s) interacted with

Tertius Greyhall, the Duke's son and heir.
Thormod Gudasson, Human Northlander hiring the party for travel protection.