The battle was over. Or was it?
The Saviors of Sandpoint had just defeated several ogres who were using the barracks of Fort Rannkick as their personal playpen. But after a quick headcount, they realized two were missing. They quickly surmised that the ogres (who had been on fire at the time) had pushed the front doors open and fled into the courtyard. With the winter rains continuing to fall, the heroes couldn't tell where they had gone from there.
Time to brace for impact. The Saviors patched themselves up and used illusory magic to mask the open front doors leading into the courtyard.
Kaven, the Black Arrow who had been guiding the party through the fort, examined the ogres and recognized one of them as belonging to the
Kreeg clan, specifically the
Jaagrath Kreeg clan. Jaagrath’s family were savages, ruled by a brutal monster. Jaagrath kept his clan in line through fear and intimidation, and his approach had been very effective. Kaven mentioned that the fort's former leader,
Commander Lamatar, kept journals of the clans (as well as other nuggets of information) in his bedroom upstairs.
Kruusk The Chopper and Kaven remained at the front door while the others swept the unexplored rooms on the main floor. Once the main floor was secured, the heroes went upstairs.
Mite stayed behind with Kaven to set a lethal sword trap at the front door.
Kumiko stayed with them to keep an eye on Kaven, who to her still seemed like a potential flight risk despite carrying Lucrecia (Dilay) on his back.
On the second floor
Jayvielle,
Kilgor,
Gallious, and Kruusk entered what had once been the fort’s chapel of Erastil. Effigies to Lamashtu now defaced the walls, and several human sacrifices decorated the altar.
Jaagrath Kreeg was engaging in some casual taxidermy with human skin when the party interrupted him. The ogre was massive, by far the largest the heroes had ever encountered. His power and rage were immediately apparent when he struck Kruusk with a combination of devastating blows, carving through his full plate armor and killing the half-orc where he stood.
The bloody battle continued and the heroes were able to finally strike down the ogre, nearly severing his head in the process. Gallious used the scroll of Raise Dead that
Alduin had given him, and brought Kruusk back to life. More spells and wandwork were needed, and Gallious set to work. Once everyone had been healed to a satisfactory level, the party continued their investigation.
While the first-floor team continued to assemble their lethal trap, the second-floor crew continued their investigation. They swept a few rooms before finding the personal quarters to Commander Lamatar. Unfortunately, it had been already been discovered by two ogres and
Dorella Kreeg, the wife/daughter of Jaagrath Kreeg. The unfortunate revelations continued when it quickly became apparent that Dorella possessed magical powers, sending magic missiles slamming into the normally elusive Jayvielle.
The heroes tried to draw the ogres out of the room and into the hallway. During the standoff, Gallious returned to the chapel and animated the corpse of Jaagrath. The undead ogre rose and adjusted his head. Gallious commanded him to enter the hallway and stand where he knew Dorella could see him. Dorella's eyes widened when she saw her undead husband/father, and panic quickly overtook her. She tried to run, to escape, allowing the heroes to cut her down during her reckless egress. Ironically it was Zombie Jaagrath who struck the fatal blow to his daughter/wife.
After clearing the second floor, Jayvielle heard a voice whisper in his mind. It was
Kadrus Shieldwalker, using a scrying spell to see if the party was alright. Alduin had told him of their plan to retake the fort. As soon as he was able to study the scrying spell, Kadrus used it to check in on them. He told Jayvielle that had to use multiple castings. He tried to scry on Kumiko but the spell failed, as it did with Kilgor. Kadrus told Jayvielle it was almost as if something was blocking the spell. Even as he scried on Jayvielle, he could not see Kilgor who was standing beside him. Using the message spell, Kadrus asked if the party needed anything. He had one teleportation scroll left and could use it if they needed him to. Jayvielle asked for
Truett. Kadrus said he would go to Savior’s Manor and retrieve the cleric but it would take some time.
With the interior of Fort Rannick secured, the heroes used Jaagrath to clear the courtyard. He lumbered out amongst his children, and when the ogres saw that Jaagrath was not only dead but undead, they fled. Dozens of ogres ran out of the fort and into the forest. The heroes closed the gates behind them, and, at least for the moment, Fort Rannick had been retaken by the Saviors of Sandpoint.
