It was one of those typical good news/bad news scenarios.
The good news was that the Saviors of Sandpoint had discovered three human prisoners, possibly still alive, locked away in a barn owned by some twisted (both physically and mentally) ogrekin.
The bad news was that to rescue them, they had to get past a spider the size of an elephant.
Details, details.
The heroes did what they did best - laid waste to whatever meatsack that stood in their way. With the spider dispatched,
Jayvielle and the Iroran warpriest
Alduin checked on the prisoners. They were alive, barely, but responded to some light healing. No need to patch them up to full strength without asking some questions first.
The three men -
Jakardros Sovark, Vale Temros, and
Kaven Windstrike - were all members of the
Order of the Black Arrows. Jakardros told the heroes that they had just returned to Fort Rannick after a long patrol when they discovered the fort had been taken over by ogres. They were then ambushed, and the next thing they knew they were in cages. Seven of them had been taken prisoner, and over time the ogrekin would come into the barn and take one of them away. "To the house," Jakardros said. "None ever returned. I doubt they're alive." Something in his expression told them he seemed sure of that, and no further elaboration was necessary.
It was decided that Alduin would stay with the three men to keep them safe. The rest of the party would search the farmhouse.
The farmhouse windows were boarded up, to keep intruders out or perhaps keep people inside. There were two doors - one on the porch, and one on the eastern side of the house. The Saviors of Sandpoint decided to take a two-pronged approach and split the party. Jayvielle,
Kilgor , and
Kumiko would be Team Porch and go through the front door.
Grog,
Gallious, and
Kruusk The Chopper would be Team Side Door.
Team Porch had a rough start. Kilgor banged on the door which immediately set off traps. Spikes assaulted them from above, while spinning saw blades fired up from beneath the porch. Kumiko was injured quite badly and took a moment to stay well off the porch and heal a bit while Kilgor kicked the door down. Inside was a hideous parlor, with a couch made of human and animal skin.
Meanwhile, Team Side Door had less of a violent welcome. Kruusk kicked the door down and was struck with the terrible stench of rotting meat and general filth from the kitchen. However, entering the dining room was much more brutal as they were met with giant scythes that swung down from the ceiling.
Both teams continued to advance on their own. As fate would have it, both stumbled into engagements. Team Side Door discovered what looked to be the play area, with five ogrekin enjoying a game of skull-toss. Gallious used a stinking cloud to balance the odds. Grog engaged from range, while Kruush got up close and personal. The heroes found that while they were not taking a great deal of damage, the fight was taking up resources.
Team Porch also made a discovery of their own. They opened the door on a corpulent woman lying in her bed, with dead bodies propped up against the walls surrounding her. They had found the elusive "Mammy", who appeared to be far from elusive. However, she was capable of using magic, and the dead bodies of her sons were far more than simple zombies. Kilgor managed to get the jump on them all and struck Mammy with a devastating strike from his great axe. He shrugged off her magical attacks, forcing her to use a spell of Dimension Door to flee.
The zombies, however, were more formidable than they appeared. They hit hard, hit fast, and hit often. Kumiko watched from the hallway as the undead battered Jayvielle and Kilgor. Jayvielle fell, Kilgor stood on his last legs, and the undead continued to advance as the session ended.
