Session 22 – There and Back Again

Written by KoshcheiBessmertnyi

General Summary

Enkidu, with Miletus’ help, carry the weary Goltur into the cave, while Glitterstem searches for tracks outside to determine who or what may frequent it, and Theobald surveys the area to make sure no one is approaching, while he lights a torch. The inside of the cave is dry, and something crunches loudly underfoot. Enkidu and Miletus set the boar down, and turn to observe the cave mouth. On a ledge above the entryway, a huge, hulking figure maneuvers a large bolder. Outside, Glitterstem clearly makes out a huge, clawed, humanoid footprint, as the half-orc and the elf rouse Goltur. Glitterstem summons forth an illusory goblin, and sends him into the cave. The new visitor is greeted by having the bolder dropped on top of him, shortly followed by its thrower – a nine foot tall, hulking, apelike being with a third eye in the middle of its forehead. Using the bolder as cover, the three invaders charge out of the cave, but its denizen follows them out, and is able to run down the hapless Glitterstem, whose short legs make it difficult to scramble over the rough cavern floor. Two quick claw swipes, and the gnome lies sprawling on the ground, while the humanoid chases the rest of the party. Theobald and Miletus respond with a volley of magical energy and a well-placed arrow, while Enkidu orders the just-awakened boar to attend to their fallen comrade, and then turns to face the monster with his stone axe. The monster swipes at the ranger with his deadly claws, and bites him, sending the half-orc reeling. Yet he keeps his feet, and counterattacks, scoring a solid hit against the giant. Meanwhile, the companions realize that the monster’s wounds appear to be closing fast, and healing, and that it can only be hurt with fire. Miletus flings a flask of oil at the creature, and magically maneuvers Theobald’s torch to set him aflame, while the sorcerer, after one unsuccessful attempt, manages to generate magical fire to blast it, and set it burning brightly. Howling with pain now, the creature retreats – just in time, as it was about to tear into Enkidu – back to its cave. It receives a parting shot from Theobald, and then appears to thrash inside its home. The party takes the opportunity to quickly retreat, having given Glitterstem first aid, and rousing him. Though lucky to get away with his head, he now has a huge gash across the back of his scalp reaching his left cheek. His leather jerkin is also torn asunder. A quick decision is made to return to the tower to regroup. The monster apparently does not follow.
As the group approaches the tower, the adventurers look closely at the observation deck. It appears that a beacon of some sort has been lit, which, to their mind, seems to be a violation of the agreement made with Gierek about not notifying his masters in the city about them. Theobald turns Miletus invisible, and the elf tries to climb the sheer surface of the tower to inspect the light source more closely, but with little success – he falls, and bruises his knee. Meanwhile, the rest of the group proceeds inside the tower the normal way. Gierek appears engaged in everyday activities, and participates in conversation with the trio about the monster (he has heard rumors of his presence on the right-hand-side of the lake), and his own food supply. Apparently, he gets irregular shipments of maize (which surprises Enkidu) and fungus from the city, and engineers traps to catch Underdark denizens (like large spiders, one of which he is currently baking in the oven) without leaving the confines of the tower. Theobald and Enkidu enquire about the system of requesting deliveries of food, and Gierek avers that he lights a beacon in the window when the bugbears require anything. But he currently has a mushroom supply, a party from the workshop above recently passed by, making the Guardians aware of his needs, and he has not, he claims, lit any beacons since the party left. Meanwhile, Miletus has entered the tower invisibly, and proceeds upstairs to investigate the beacon. He finds a simple system, consisting of a large votive candle in front of a bent sheet of copperish metal (similar to the bugbear’s ingot). There are apparently no other implements for a more complex signaling system. Meanwhile, downstairs, Enkidu acts as translator in a conversation about the mongrel folk and their waste removal functions. Apparently, when appropriately attired in all black clothes, they have special access to inner circles of the city, where they collect waste without directly interacting with the denizens of those circles, and then cart it out of the city for disposal near their own dugout abodes.
When Miletus returns from above, Theobald quietly removes the invisibility spell from him, and he appears to walk in through the front entry. The party confronts Gierek about the signaling system, and he admits to having lit the beacon, out of duty and obedience to his masters. Enkidu then bids him to prepare for death, and, after assurance that he will be allowed to die as a warrior, Gierek is dispatched, club in hand, by the half-orc (but with aid from Miletus and Theobald). When he has been slain, Enkidu engages in some gruesome experiments with the bugbear’s tattoo, concluding ultimately that the tissue surrounding the eye is still bound to the tower, though the rest of the bugbear’s body can now be moved out. Theobald packs up the facial tissue, and takes it along. Enkidu scatters body parts about in a way reminiscent of the way the Brotherhood of Baghtru treated their goblin captives. Having insufficient muscle power to raise the elevator, and fearing the imminent arrival of a search party from the city, the group inspects the left-hand side of the lake, and, seeing no obvious pursuers, quickly leaves.

Report Date

22 Jan 2016