Session 4 - In King SNOOK's Castle

General Summary

The team members have swapped bodies with each other. Zephyr with Calliope, Isaac with Tari, Grom with Quadra (and vice versa).
They get attacked by an army of bugbears, and get taken as hostages by their commander; a red hobgoblin named KOR.
The team is then led, in chains, to King SNOOK's castle. The bugbears hum an ancient giant war tune.
SNOOK's castle resides on a small island surreounded by swamp. The only way of entering is via a drawbridge.
On entrance the team members notice a large statue of a knight which has its original head cut off and replaced by a crude replica of an ogre's head. The ogre is missing its left eye.
The team is then greeted by King SNOOK: an 8 meter tall ogre, whose left eye seems to be emit a magical blue glow. The eye seem to be protruding from its head, glowing blue veins surrounding the area. King SNOOK is seated on a chair created by his goblin minions.
Zephyr (in Calliope's form) engages King SNOOK in a conversation, and then lies about coming alone to the castle (does not mention Grom). The magic eye glows brighter.
SNOOK then threatens Zephyr (in Calliope's form), which causes Calliope (in Zephyr's form) to emit a magical glow and break her chains in anger. She's taken down by the goblin guards.
The team is taken to the prison chambers in the castle's basement. They fall asleep.
In the next day they notice that the witch's spell effect has faded and they have returned to their original bodies. They are taken out of the prison chambre and led to the castle's main court. There they're surprised to see the puppies, Quadra, and GROM, chained and guarded by goblin guards.
After a brief questioning, SNOOK shoots Grom point blank in the face, killing him on the spot.
Zephyr reads some of the encrypted witch's journal, and realizes that it contains documentation of the witch's research to achieve eternal life. A witch's power and lifespan is directly tied to their chosen familiar. So the old witch has decided to get the ultimate familier: Another witch. Sacrificing her own for that purpose.
Zephyr convinces KOR (the hobgoblin that serves as King SNOOK's right hand man) to assist a planned uprising.
Tari converses with SNOOK. Scolds him for his unkingly behavior, and gets back her Tiara (which has been taken by SNOOK earlier). She discovers that SNOOK once served as a gladiator/prisoner for the entertainment of the castle's previous residents. He used to eat some of his opponents alive. One day he had eaten the head of an opponent who wore a magical crown. The crown affected SNOOK and given him great abilities. Tari tries to convince SNOOK to free the hostages. He agrees on one condition: That the Team kills the goddess.
The team members (having their equipment returned) head back to the area of the swamp where The Goddess resides.
They take two boats to the center of the swamp and show The Goddess the Old Witch's journal, thus exposing the tale behind her origin.
The Goddess then comes to the understanding that she's the source of the curse responsible for draining the life of this area of the swamp all along.
She reaches with her gnarly hand into her chest cavity and pulls out her still beating heart. She divides its pieces between the team memebers, and with the last words 'Make her pay', she perishes.
The team members gain ability bonus from consuming the witch/Goddess's heart.
With The Goddess gone, the team members notice immediate shrinkage of the cursed swamp, and the life force which has begun to return to this corner of the forest.
The team gains the loyalty of the Hyena People, who have served as The Goddess's believers.
The team continue to the Old Witch's hut, which has sprung legs and begun to head towards a high cliff.
The Old Witch fights the team members using several projections of herself. Calliope manages to figure out which witch (XD) is the original one.

Report Date

29 Dec 2023