Shadows in the Harbor Session 44
General Summary
What are You Here For?
The following morning while the party was still largely asleep and the sun rose in the distant east, a loud knock suddenly came at the monastery gate. Suddenly roused from his sleep, Keck fumbled his way down to the gate and slowly opened it while wiping the sleep away from his eyes. Before him stood two people: a human male with a rugged frame and an elf woman with long dark hair tied back in a bun. The human stepped forward and introduced himself as Thrain Blackwood and his friend, Eira Starweaver. Thrain cautiously inquired if this was the monastery with the adventurer known as Fel'Shu. Keck confirmed it and sleepily led the two to the meditating monk. The two would-be acolytes introduced themselves to Fel'Shu and the rest of the party. Thrain professed that he was a former soldier seeking purpose, while Eira told them that she had escaped persecution and was seeking ancient knowledge. This was enough for Fel'Shu. He welcomed the two into the monastery and they immediately got to work cleaning. Fel'Shu confessed to the party this would be his last adventure for a while with the group. The struggles as of late had convinced him that he needed to rebuild his order, and that he would start as soon as they returned from dealing with the Cult of Baal.The Windless Cliffs
The party gathered their supplies, ate a meal, and headed north to Slate. Baba Yaga had told them that they'd find the cult leader there. Even by horse, the journey would take several hours. Once again, they headed down the path to the nearby ford where they crossed over to the north road. The journey itself was largely uneventful, with little aside from the oceans of grain stretching out to the horizon. The party soon found themselves entering the region known as the Windless Cliffs, a reddish-brown scar across the land separating the Slate Forest from the rest of the volcanic plateau that made up most of the county. The road, at this point, was barely more than a glorified goat trail covered in dust and sporadic shrubs. Nevertheless, the party continued. They soon encountered an overturned wagon, a giant rock lodged right in the middle of it. Wheels, articles of clothing, and various supplies were strewn about with reckless abandon. The party cautiously approached it and Damakos noticed scratch marks on the underside of the wagon. Fel'Shu carefully approached and noticed a small face looking up at him from underneath the wagon. It quickly scurried away and hid. Fel'Shu recognized this skiddish creature as a human child. He approached and tried to gain her trust, but nothing. He pulled out one of his trademark apples, sat down near the wagon, took a bite out of it and set it down. He waited patiently for the child to reach out to take it, and she did. He got up, said some encouraging words, took a step back, and set down another apple. A few minutes later the child, a young girl looking hungry and filthy, carefully crawled out and snatched up the apple. It took some more convincing, but she eventually came out. Tim the Not-so-Tiny and Keck, meanwhile, looked around the area to try to discern what happened here. They found multiple sets of footprints, but couldn't figure out what made them. Damakos examined them carefully, and to him they looked like human feet, but were too large to be human. The girl, who identified herself as Willow, told Fel'Shu that they were attacked about two days ago. She was asleep when it happened and it had happend all so quickly. When she woke up, the cart was upside down and she could see her parents and baby brother being taken into the darkness by something large. She stayed hidden and quiet throughout the whole ordeal, even later when the wolves came. Big ones. She asked - begged, even - for the party's help in rescuing her family. Keck didn't hesitate. Despite being a rogue, he had a heart of gold and would easily help a child in need. They began following the tracks eastward. They were spaced widely apart and, as they continued to follow for miles, Damakos soon realized that they were giant tracks. The other set were dire wolf tracks, and there were multiple sets of both. The party would have their work cut out of them. The tracks all led to a cave up ahead. The party knew they couldn't fight giants and dire wolves in a cave and survive to tell the tale. They veered off and found a rocky outcropping and began to formulate a battle plan. They hoisted a log in the air and hoped to be able to pick them off one at a time. Damakos used his shoes to hide in the tree where they would lie in wait. They wouldn't wait long. A dire wolf soon came out and began sniffing around. He was soon followed by a mass of hulking flesh, wreaking of sweat, blood, and covered in bits of horse meat. The giant called out to the dire wolf, but the wolf was onto something... something sweet smelling. As the wolf began to return to its master, the party took a shot. They may not get another chance at this and this was as good as any. The wolf and the giant now both charged. The giant called out in its brutish language and the earth beneath their feet began rumbling. The giant threw trash piles and rocks at the party, each one missing harmlessly. Fel'Shu attacked wildly, dealing severe damage to the monstrous creature. But the giant fought back fiercely and knocked the monk out cold. Keck finished off the wolf without a problem. The two of them and Tim the Not-so-Tiny focused their efforts on the giant who soon fell under the onslaught of the party. The ground continued to shake until at last another giant and another dire wolf arrived on the scene. Now the party, down a monk, but fight not just to rescue Willow's family, but to survive...Rewards Granted
- 500xp for advancing the plot
- 150xp to Fel'Shu for great interaction with Willow
- 150xp to Keck for excellent roleplaying and solid strategizing
- 100xp to Damakos for setting dem traps!
- 75xp to Tim-the-not-so-Tiny for bringing the pain!
Report Date
21 Mar 2025
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