05.15.21
"I Wonder What Owl Bear Nipples Taste Like"
May 15th, 2021
When we last joined our adventurers, they had returned home to their manor after a successful day of secret meetings, shopping, and apple brand induced merriment. The party awakens before the orc tribe, going about their morning activities.
Dripp, informed of his unfinished business with Halia, heads out early to meet with Halia regarding the secret note given to him. Dripp heads straight to Halia's house where the cat inside immediately starts freaking out. Turning around, Dripp heads instead towards the Miner's guild. Only a few steps in, the door busts open.
"You leave my pussy alone." Halia shouts as she burst out of the back of the Miner's Guild. She leaps into the air, and jump kicks Dripp hard in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Realizing who she just attacked, Halia explains that she must discuss important busniess with him. Halia invites him into her back room and offers him a pint of ale. She explains, that she is a member of the Zhentarim also known as the Black Network. She explains their ethic, and that they value roothless efficency, mercenary work, and a validity to all methods, even those that aren't ethical. She offers Dripp membership in exchange for information regularly about his party and their work. Dripp accepts and is given a symbol identifying his membership. He's given the title of "Fang" and told to keep information about the Zhentarim close to his chest.
Dripp returns to his party mates at the manor house where they plan for the day's activities.
Keras advocates that the party head to Thundertree, which would require Billie to request a guide from the manor's orc tribe. Billie checks in with Diedrich, who shares that the education of the young orcs continues at speed, with the tribe learning common at increasing paces. Diedrich explains that provisions are holding and improvements on the property are continuing at pace. Billie explains that the party needs guides to the lost village of Thundertree. Diedrich calls Victor and Richtor, two orcs in full scout garb.
Victor and Richtor are introduced. Victor is in simple scout clothes. Richtor on the other hand is in full camoflage, with his face completely obscured. Apparently his face has not been seen in years, and he talks very little and shares almost no details about himself. Diedrich explains that the scouts are only guides and cartographers, they will not be joining the party in a fight.
Billie asks about the prospects of encountering an owl bear. Diedrich gets very worked up and explains that they are dangerous, but should they kill it, it will be a feast but he is mostly concerned about the party's safety... except for Dripp who has been disrespectful of the orcs.
Before the party gets into an argument over Dripp's rudeness. Keras advoactes they get going to Thundertree. Victor and Richtor grab their bags and the party heads out.
Sticking away from the roads, lead by their orc guides, the party circles around Phandalin and heads north, avoiding the woods and the high road. At the end of day one, the party makes camp in an open valley area. The wolves are keeping guard. The party is still paranoid about the chances of encountering an owl bear. Lillian unwilling to leave things to chance, casts Locate Animal looking for the owl bear. She is unable to locate one within 5 miles. Thinking on this, she realizes that her spell might not work on owl bears as they aren't natural in origin. With nothing to assuage their fears, the party beds down for the night.
The night goes without incident. The party awakes to find Snuffy curled up with Dripp, but the other two still at their posts. Victor and Richtor are already awake and ready to continue leading the party. The party tears down camp and heads out for another night. In broken common Victor smiles and says "We making to be going to the place now."
Several miles into thir journey, Victor and Richtor, hearing something in the distance, head out to scout in opposite directions. The wolves likewise wander off. The party continues forward. In the distance they hear a rustling in the grass around them.
From the grass emerges strange flying insect monsters. Keras and Billie recognise them. Keras knows they are Stirges, the blood sucking monsters that look like a cross between a bat and a mosquito.
The first of eight stirges attack Demna penetrating her scaled hide and latching on. Billie, with hatred in his heart lashes out turning one into mist with a wild strike with his quarterstaff. With a second attack he smashes another one. "Die you blood sucking bastards!" he shouts.
Another stirge attempts to latch on to Lillian but it fails to get around her leather armor. Lillian kills one, and misses another. Casting Guiding Bolt, Keras vaporizes another stirge like a tiny blood firework. Demna also takes the momentary distraction to chomp down on the stirge that attacked her. "Tastes like blood sausage!" she says grunching down on its small body.
Two of the three remaining stirges zip towards Dripp and Keras. Dripp deftly kills the one attacking him, severing its wings with his blades. Keras is less successful, but does manage to scare off the blood sucker before it could do damage to him. Dripp takes that opportunity to also kill that bug too.
The party converges around the last remaining stirge, with Billie delivering the final blow. With combat over, Demna recovers some strength chomping on her bag of pig nipples. The wolves and orc guides join to them shortly after. The party makes it another 15 miles. With the sun setting, the party sees Thundertree in the distance.
The party makes camp for the night with the intention of exploring the lost city in the early morning. The party sleeps soundly without an event. In the morning, again, Scruffy has again curled up with Dripp. He seems to have found his person. The party tears down the campsite and prepares to enter the ruins of Thundertree. The orc scouts, horses, and wolves stay just outside town waiting for the party's safe return.
"Danger! Plant monsters and zombies! Turn back now!"
The adventurers enter the ruins of Thundertree. Some houses are intact, and some aren't. A sign greets the adventurers that says "Danger! Plant monsters and zombies! Turn back now!" Lillian knows the village to be dangerous and mostly uninhabited, except for a druid named Reidoth, who keeps an eye on the village and likely wrote the sign.
As the party walks in, they spot a plant monster, which Lillian quickly dispatches with a thrown Produce Flame spell. Sending the plant quickly into a pile of ash. The party continues methodically along investigating each buulding.
Entering the first building triggers an ambush by seven vicous looking twig blights which attacks Lillian. She screams out and Keras runs in to help. Keras lashes out with a Shatter spell, knocking down walls and killing three of them almost instantly. Demna also lashes out with a Shocking Grasp, killing another of the twig blights.
Lillian does not like suprises, and strikes out at the twig blights with Scorching Ray, killing all but one and further collapsing the walls. Dripp manages to kill the last one with a powerful strike of his sword Talon, chocking it straight in half.
The party searches the area and the three abandonned houses in the area. Locating a chest full of coins recovering 700CP 160SP 90GP. The party moves on to the next building with a sign outside with a carved image of a horse and a flagon of ale on the front. Keras takes the lead entering the likely former tavern building, finding four ash zombies slowly going to their feet.
Demna lashes out at two of the ash zombies, splashing them in acid from her Chromatic Orb spell. One of the zombies tries to return her attack, swinging his club at her, but Demna manages to avoid it. Lillian enters the fray summoning her wildfire elemental inside the house, blasting all four ash zombies with a wave of fire.
One zombie falls as if killed, but quickly rises again. All of the zombies release clouds of ash, with Keras being strongly affected by the ash, blinding him.
Keras enters a coughing fit, almost sumersaulting in the process. This conveignantly manages to let Keras avoid a thrown summoned fire from Lillian, freeing himself of the ash, and knocking the zombie closest to him. Landing on his feet, Keras lands what should be a killing blow with his mace on the zombie, but it continues moving.
Dripp fires his bow into the swarm of ash zombies, successfully killing one. Encouraged by his success, Billie rushes in with his quarterstaff lsnding two solid blows against two zombies. Knocking ones jaw off, and seperating another's head, ending its unlife.
Seeing her opportinity, Demna uses Shocking Grasp on the zombie in front of her, it collapses to the ground, but immediately rises again. Demna enters a near rage, casting a Chromatic Orb at the again risen zombie, ending its unlife.
With one ash zombie remaining, Lillian casts Ice Knife freezing the zombie solid. The fire elemental nearby manages to flash reheat the zombie shattering it, ending combat.
The party enters the back room of the former tavern for a short rest to address their wounds and prepare for future battle.