Session Report 22

General Summary

Danger, desperation, and death. 
The Muskrats were on the run following a battle with the bearfolk. Having suffered significant injuries, the Muskrats were in search of a safe place to rest as they licked their wounds. In their desperation, the Muskrats found a small cabin in the woods with a small, frail, old man sitting in a rocking chair with blood stained clothes caked to his body. After much contemplation, the party approached, unsure if this seemingly harmless old man was even still alive. To the party's surprise, he was still breathing and introduced as Pol. 
Pol had just fended off a bearfolk attack on his cabin, where a wounded bearfolk came stumbling across. Pol's trusty pitchfork served him well and he was able to fend off the bearfolk intruder. Pol has lived on the edge of human and bearfolk territory for his entire life. Having learned the ways of the bearfolk, he has always taken caution to protect himself. One of these safety measures is spreading the urine of the bearfolk. This acts to mark the territory of bearfolk and their keen sense warns them that one of their brethren has already claimed the land as their own. Much to the surprise of the party, especially that of the resident paladin, Marv, the party learned that the strongest of the bearfolk are given the privilege of having giant bees as steeds. 
Pol offered his cabin and the surround land as a safe location to camp, so the party could avoid the danger posed by the bearfolk. The real danger, however, lay within the camp. As the party slept, Pol transformed. His small frame enlarging with rippling muscles, black hair sprouting across his body, a long snout protruding from his face, and the fangs of a wolf bulging from his gums. A werewolf had appeared. Looming over the sleeping Marv, Pol began his onslaught. His sharp claws and fangs bounced harmlessly off the armored exterior of Marv. As the party began to rise they found themselves surrounded as dire wolves under the command of Pol began to attack. 
Without a moment of hesitation, Marv and Itzal quickly eliminated the danger posed by Pol. Pol could do nothing but tremble in fear at the sight of Marv. As the rest of the party fought off the dire wolves, the sound of war horns echoed across the woods. The bearfolk were coming. The Muskrats, unable to escape, once again desperate, and without a plan, found themselves surrounded again. 
The waves of bearfolk began to descend upon the Muskrats and the small cabin. Every opportunity of escape was caught off as soon as it appeared and that was when tragedy was set in motion. Rapidly, the Muskrats began to fall. Kelgac, Shade, and Marv found themselves beaten unconscious and dragged away to the horrors of a bearfolk encampment. Sam Urai and Itzal fled, favoring self preservation above the lives of their comrades. Amidst a storm, these two found shelter in a nearby cave. Their friends would not have that same comfort. 
Hours later, Kelgac and Shade would wake in a bearfolk camp. As they began to get their bearings, they noticed a familiar figure stretched across a table. It was their friend Marv. The sight was not that of their cheerful friend. Instead, it was horrifying. Much like that of a crab or lobster, the bearfolk had cracked open Marv's armor and began to pick away at the flesh. In the midst of their dinner, the bearfolk were interrupted due to high winds and a tornado. Kelgac and Shade promptly orchestrated their escape and hid within a small hidden space created by Kelgac. Emerging from their sanctum after the storm, their friend Marv was nowhere to be seen and the bearfolk camp was utterly destroyed. Rising from the ground, they found Daimler, the man they had set out to find in the first place. With his help, Kelgac and Shade headed in the direction of their comrades, while Daimler returned to the Mages' Guild in Kannaksen to share the results of his research in the region. 
Upon being reunited, the news of Marv's death was shared between the party members. The Muskrats having become well acquainted with the death of close friends spent little time mourning and instead continued on their journey to the Altar of the Faceless One for another showdown with the Dollmaker and his warforged creation, War Rior. The days after Marv's death was filled with travel and nimble evasion of the bearfolk. 
Towards the end of one of these days of travel, the Muskrats met a red tiefling by the name of Kilakas Zypher, a runaway slave from Barenstadt. Kilakas, originally from Wulkan, found himself in Barenstadt after being sold into slavery by his brother. His brother, a high ranking member of the Bronzedawn, tricked Kilakas into traveling to Barenstadt to be sold into slavery. Having escaped from Barenstadt, Kilakas has vowed to kill his brother and get revenge. Seeking help to complete his goal, Kilakas agrees to become a guide for the Muskrats in Brondheim in exchange for help in killing his brother.

Report Date

11 Aug 2021