Session 30: Saga of the Brood Orphans

General Summary

On the evening of the 39th day after Midsommar, a raiding band of the Brood, a clan of inbred beast-men that stalked the heart of the Howling Barrens, returned home. They were hungry and angry, their raid to the hills of the west unsuccessful, as they could not track down the elusive wild elves that lived there. They could only dream of the taste of sweet candy elf meat on their tongues as their empty bellies roiled.
They were led by the elder warrior Grunk, a drunken bear-pig-man with fists as hard as cold iron, and with wits about as sharp. The spiritual leader of the band was the cunning bull-man Pukkgurth the Hoary, a devoted follower of the Great and Absent Father. The rest of the lot were young warriors on their first raid, but each was dangerous despite their lack of experience. There was Gothdurd, the horseling, who could charge down a foe with thunderous hooves and sharp steel. Single Stone, the green runt with a keen wit and keener arrows. And finally the two goat-warriors Grackhack and Moolach, both deadly with steel and nimble on cloven hoof.

Not what they actually look like, but as close as AI could do

As the great dragon of the sky flew beyond the mountains of the west and the land grew dark, the band of hungry raiders saw their clan's home upon the great barrow hill in the distance. But something was wrong. It looked as if corpses littered the hill and a half dozen unattended horses milled about grazing. The band rushed to their home to discover signs of a fierce battle, horses left behind without riders, and all their clan dead! Young Broke Face, who just came of age by eating his father-brother alive, was slashed to ribbons of meat! The powerful Pale Horn riddled with arrows and strangled by something that left strange marks! And worst of all was Mother! Her limbless and pregnant body torn open, her heart taken, and a sprouting red acorn left in its place!
So full of rage there was no room for tears, Grunk smashed the acorn and immediately demanded that he was the new "Mother". Without any real opposition, Pukkgurth did the sacred ritual annointing Grunk as the new Mother. Meanwhile Single Stone tried to kill a horse for dinner but ended up only wounding one and scaring off the herd. Gothdurd, having some understanding of how horses think, spent time rounding them up, and then hobbling them. Without further ado the Brood Orphans feasted on one of the steeds, eating it alive, mourning their losses and celebrating their new leader in the only way they knew how. With bellies now full, Mother Grunk set his group upon the task of discovering what happened to their fallen family while they were away raiding.
Single Stone discovered tracks that came in from the north, did battle with their clan, and then conjugated at a point just off the hill and vanished into thin air. As if they flew away or were swallowed by a hole in the ground that no longer existed. Pukkgurth surmised that the acorn in Mother's chest came from the Blood Woods to the south of the Howling Barrens. The rest of the group discovered things which turned out to be of no significance. The sacred stone atop the hill had been moved and now a sink hole filled with loose rocks crowned the barrow. There were signs of digging about this new hole. A stone door was excavated on the side of the hill, but a solid block of new stone blocked the entrance just inside the open door. There was a nearly destroyed set of chainmail armor that didn't belong to any of the Brood, stained with some strange blood that tasted feline. And of course the six, now five, riderless horses.
Not knowing what to make of all these strange clues, Mother Grunk nonetheless decided that revenge for their slaughtered clan was in order, and with the acorn from the Blood Woods being the most tangible thing to focus his fury upon, he riled up his Brood Orphans and marched them off to war!!!
After marching southward across the Howling Barrens for most of a day, the Brood Orphans came upon the edge of the Blood Wood, along its border a road running east to west. Several of the more perceptive members noticed a small group of human riders off in the distance, stopped along the road at the edge of the woods. Two figures dismounted and went into the woods, while four remained behind with a rather large dog.
Grunk decided these humans were just as good as anything else to be the target of his revenge, so he ordered Single Stone the runt to go forward, ge their attention, and then draw them into the Barrens for an ambush. The eager to please Single Stone (who kind of had a bit of a beast-man crush on the powerful Grunk) did as he was told and snuck up on the four humans and their dog. He overheard one of them complaining about not being happy having to escort someone called Vlka on her hunts to these woods, because many suspected that she wasn't hunting at all but rather cavorting with dark spirits. Another human told the one that was complaining to shut his hole and follow the orders of the Thane's eldest daughter if he knew what was good for him.
Rather than luring the humans back into an ambush, Single Stone decided to take a shit (perhaps a gift for the humans, or perhaps he just had to go?) before sneaking back to the Brood Orphans to report. Grunk wasn't happy with Single Stone, but Pukkgurth had an idea. He summoned magic from the Great and Absent Father, disguising himself as a human farmer he had once seen upon another raid. He then moved out to the road to draw the humans' attention while the rest of the Brood Orphans tried to sneak up on them through the rough, wind-eroded terrain. Unfortunately just as the humans took note of the disguised Pukkgurth, their hound caught the scent of the approaching Brood Orphans. The hound barked and drew its masters' attention to the skulking beast men. Within moments arrows were flying, steel was drawn, and forces were rushing to meet each other in battle!
The first to die was the hound, split in twain by Grackhack's mighty axe! The rest of the Brood charged to meet the humans, with Mother Grunk taking the lead. Single Stone lagged behind, slinging arrows at the humans. First one, then another, of the humans fell, and it looked like the Brood Orphans were about to claim an easy victory. But then two strange figures emerged from the depths of the Blood Woods to join the fray!
A man and a woman, both covered in red leaves and white branches, came to the aid of the humans against the beast men. They used the magic of their forest to summon grasping vines, small blasts of fire, and claps of mighty thunder. They ordered the last remaining human guard to go into the forest and warn their master, Lady Vlka, that danger was afoot. The man did as told, dashing off into the crimson forest. Meanwhile the magics of the forest folk had taken its toll on the Brood Orphans. Grunk was laid low by a clap of thunder, his tank of alcohol broken and spilled open as he was rolled across the open ground with the force. Next Gothdurd and Grackhack fell beneath another clap of thunder. Pukkgurth once again called upon the Great and Absent Father's power, healing Grunk and Gothdurd, bringing them back from the brink of death. At the same time a quick thinking and crafty Moolach applied what natural remedies and aid to her fellow goat-man Grackhack, sparing him from joining the great tree. The rest of the Brood Orphans were able to finally kill the two wood folk, and then chase down the last fleeing human. The man begged to be spared, and was willing to do anything, but an enraged Mother Grunk would hear none of it. The man was slain and then gnawed upon.
Tired, wounded, but knowing that revenge had still not been fully achieved, Mother Grunk led his Orphans to a hiding place on the edge of the Barrens to rest. Revenge would resume tomorrow. The night passed uneventfully, and the following day the Brood Orphans plunged back into the Blood Woods seeking revenge. A proud, but not terribly competent Grunk led the way and was soon loosing all sense of direction in the woods. Luckily Gothdurd kept her sense of direction, yelling at her "Mother" to get back on track. The loud yelling caught the attention of a stranger not far awy in the woods, who cautiously approached the Brood Orphans. This man resembled one the two figures that had disappeared into the woods yesterday, as best as the group could tell. He was a tall and hulking human warrior, with a thick war spear and an even thicker war shield. A full helm adorned with a single antler (the other broken off in some battle long ago) completely concealed his face.
The warrior introduced himself as Orym Trollbreaker, guardian of Vlka Iskarldauttir, eldest daughter of the Thane. This meant little to the Brood Orphans. Orym explained that his Lady was powerful, and then with some reluctance, told them that she wished to speak to them. The Brood Orphans asked Orym if she could help with their revenge, and he replied that they would have to speak to her to find out. The Brood Orphans agreed to peacefully speak to Vlka, with Orym giving a very credible threat to end any of them that stepped between him and Vlka. Once all understood the conditions, Vlka suddenly appeared nearby right out of thin air as she removed a ring from her finger.
Vlka asked what brought the Brood Orphans away from their territory. They explained the strange circumstances around the slaughter of their clan and that they came to these woods seeking vengeance. Vlka said she believed she knew who killed the Brood Orphan's kin, and perhaps they could help each other, as she too came to the woods seeking more information about these particular people. Vlka said she came here to consult with Granny Greenhat, who was wise and powerful. Sensing a trap but tempted by the thought of vengeance, the Brood Orphans reluctantly agreed to accompany Vlka to see Granny Greenhat. Vlka led them to a massive tree deep in the woods with four rotting corpses (three elves and one human) crucified to it. Vlka then walked widdershins around the tree eight times, each time placing a piece of silver at the base of the tree. As she placed the last piece of silver the thick network of roots moved, revealing a tunnel leading deep into the ground beneath the giant tree. Again sensing a trap but enticed by thoughts of revenge, the Brood Orphans went into the tunnel beneath the tree, with Orym and Vlka following.
The tunnel led to an underground den filled with all manner of arcane trappings and hundreds of live snakes. In the center of this den of vipers sat a woman wearing a large hat. She was covered in moss and fungus and several slithering snakes. She introduced herself as Granny Greenhat and welcomed Vlka and the Brood Orphans to her home. At this moment an unnerved Orym desperately asked Vlka to stop this madness and return to Thaneshall. The daughter of the Thane snapped at her protector, reminding him of his oath to her. Granny Greenhat then asked what brought the Brood Orphans to her. Again the slaughter at the barrow hill was explained, along with their quest for vengeance.


Granny Greenhat slit open one of the snakes that crawled upon her, spilling its entrails across the floor. She read them like another would read a book, and then said she could help the Brood Orphans find their revenge. They needed to go deep into the earth to find those who had killed their kin. She said she could guide them to this goal, but there was a price. Granny made the Brood Orphans swear that they would inhale the dying breath of all those they slayed, and then bring that breath back to Granny Greenhat. Mother Grunk and his Brood Orphans agreed...
And so it was thus that the Brood Orphans came into the service of the strange and mysterious Granny Greenhat, on a quest of vengeance against the murderers of their kin. Dark and powerful forces beyond their understanding were at work, but they cared not. They cared only to eat their way through flesh and blood to VENGEANCE!!!

Report Date

15 Jan 2024