Hoping to discover the reason behind the malfunction of
Skull's Crossing (and curious about the graffiti warning about someone called
Wet Papa Grazuul), the
Saviors of Sandpoint descended into the depts of the ancient structure looking for answers.
What they found deep within the dam was scrag troll named
Grazuul and his three scrag troll wives. Grazuul was the chief of the
Skulltaker trolls, and both he and his wives enjoyed a position of respect among his people. That respect was not shared by the heroes as
Kilgor immediately cleaved Wife #1 almost in half before she could even get out of the Grazuul Love Pool. Once his wives were dispatched and
Kumiko having used a Swine hex to disarm him,
Gallious drew upon his magic to keep the troll from fleeing. From there it was just a matter of time before Wet Papa Grazuul became Dead Papa Grazuul.
The heroes found an adjoining chamber that held the controls to operate the spillway for the dam. Those controls were guarded by an ancient construct shaped like a scorpion, covered with skulls. This skull ripper was very good at its job, but not good enough to stop the Saviors of Sandpoint. Once the guardian had been eliminated, the heroes discovered that the controls were functional but not operational. There seemed to be a power source missing.
Further investigation in another chamber revealed a pool with a secret tunnel in it. It was a long tunnel that the heroes troubleshot for quite some time before guessing it led to the forebay of the dam. But what was its purpose? Why was it there? Such answers may never be discovered.
Finally, the heroes found a locked double door. It had an imprint on the front - one that looked very much like the sihedron medallions worn by both Kilgor and Kumiko. Kumiko removed hers and placed it in the impression. Both she and Kilgor shared a memory that was not their own - one of a robed man with ioun stones embedded in his forehead, summoning a pit fiend and then ignoring it as it the powerful devil was beneath him. The pit fiend shouted the man's name. Kumiko, who spoke infernal, understood the name to be "Karzoug." Kilgor recognized the man as the same one in the programmed illusion beneath Thistletop.
The doors swung open and the heroes found two summoning circles. One had red ash in it, and the other held a dead pit fiend. The pit fiend wasn't dead, but it begged to be set free.
Mite kept an eye on it while the others examined the other summoning circle. After several conversations and the realization that someone would have to step in the ring to power the dam, destroying the pit fiend in the process,
Jayvielle did so without hesitation. Part of his life essence was ripped from him, and the pit fiend was turned to dust. The rumbling that surrounded them told the heroes that the gates and been lifted and the water was beginning to drain in a controlled manner down the river. Turtleback Ferry had been saved.
With a job well done, the heroes made their way topside only to discover that things were about to get worse.
Sereg, the hobgoblin leader of the ogre clans, was standing on the dam and he wasn't alone. With him stood two stone giants, about a dozen ogres, and the largest giant any of the heroes had ever seen. The creature had skin the color of pitch, with red runes adorning its body. Runes quite similar to the ones Sereg himself had on his body. But this giant was dead, an animated zombie and on closer inspection the heroes could see three sets of eyes peering out from a slit in the creature's chest.
Sereg looked supremely confident as he addressed the heroes, offering them a swift death compared to the one waiting for the people of Turtleback Ferry. They had come to destroy the dam, finish the work that the other ogres had started, and send two hundred marked souls to Lord
Mokmurian. He told the heroes they should have spent their time collecting shards rather than interfering in his business (referring to the
Sihedron shards that they had been gathering in the past) but now they would simply fall, like everyone else was going to fall.
He first sent the giant
Gargadros to smash the dam, along with anyone who tried to stop him. Gallious heard the people within the zombie carcass whisper to him in his mind, calling him the Serpent Lord and Chosen of the Whispered One. They told him that now was the time for him to use his power and join them, ally himself with those who gave him his power or they would take it away.
There was a commotion behind the line of ogres. The
Order of the Black Arrows had arrived -
Jakadros and
Kaven, joined by
Shalelu Andosana, used their bows to mow down the ogres, while
Vale and
Dilay took a more direct approach and engaged in steel-to-skin combat.
Jayvielled stepped to the center of the dam and drew a line in the dirt, daring the giant to cross. The gargantuan monstrosity hit like a cannon and began to tear up the Saviors of Sandpoint. Gallious also stepped up to the giant, only his act was in defiance to those within the zombie. The voices then spoke aloud and chanted an incantation. Suddenly a sihedron shard exploded out of Gallious' chest, almost killing him in the process. Three iron hags stepped out of the giant and caught the shard. They then turned their attention to the rest of the heroes to try and dispatch them as well.
From over the water rose a shadowy figure - the former leader of the Black Arrows, now wraith,
Lamatar Bayden. The hags told him to unleash Hell, and he did. Bayden let fly with icy arrows, but the zombie of
Jaagrath Kreeg, under Gallious' control, sacrificed himself by placing his body between the undead archer and a gravely wounded Jayvielle.
But the tides turned. Kilgor's rage carried him through, as did the precise bladework of both Mite and Jayvielle. Kumiko and Gallious helped the rally, and in the end the giant and the hags fell. Lamatar, no longer under the control of the hags, simply wandered off.
That's when the runes on Sereg's arm began to blow and he dropped a fireball on top of the Saviors of Sandpoint. Nasty business.
Wounded and nearly exhausted, Kilgor advanced on Sereg and the two stone giants. Jayvielle, bloody and burned, joined him. Battered and nearly spent, but refusing to back down, the Saviors of Sandpoint prepared to make their last stand. Kumiko offered up a prayer to anyone who would listen to help any way they could.
Someone heard her.
The snowglobe that
Kadrus Shieldwalker had given her, the one that had taken them all to a snowy Christmas dimension to save the people of Hoovale, was suddenly in her hand. Snow began to swirl and suddenly a man appeared before her. He wore red robes trimmed with white fur, and had a heavy white beard.
Saint Nicholas had arrived to lend aid to those who had helped his people. He would help them in return.
"The power of Christmas compels you!" he shouted and drove the blade of his sword into the dam. Radiant energy burst out and healed some of the heroes injuries. Sant Nicholas wished them luck and vanished.
Sereg watched Kilgor approach and smiled. "I always wanted a piece of you," he said and strode confidently toward him. He was fast, and before Kilgor could offer up a defense a necrotic aura surrounded Sereg's hand. With a single finger he touched Kilgor on the nose.
"Boop," he said with a smirk... before the magic of Gallious'
stunning barrier spell went off and blasted the monk, leaving Sereg stunned and vulnerable. With his finger on Kilgor's nose.
That was the opening the heroes needed. They poured on the damage before Sereg could do anything. The stone giants, who had coiffed potions of flying, saw the embarrassing situation their "leader" had put himself in. Rather than aid him in what was now a lost cause, they left him to his fate and departed.
Sereg, surrounded and gravely wounded, surrendered. He offered to tell the heroes everything if they spared his life. Jakardros told the heroes that they could keep the hobgoblin in one of the cells at Fort Rannick before questioning him. So they stripped down the monk, bound him like a mummy, shackled everything they could, and bean the trek back to the Fort.
They had won the battle... but the war was far from over.
