The Forgotten Forest
After a rest they left at night for the forest grove of Bask Briarcloak, who was said to have healed the last person--Sha'hale--addicted to Laudinsfös after running the Cavern. Zireael guided the group through the worst of the bushwacking until at dawn they heard a terrible rumbling sound and a renting of trees up ahead. Ironica scouted from a treetop and saw trees falling down. Z drew his sword and the others had no choice but to follow. At the edge of a clearing, they saw a massive "land shark" bulette creature attacking an unkempt half-orc. Both looked fairly wounded, when Slothrop sneak attacked a critical crossbow shot that ripped through the creature under it's armored neckplate severing the brainstem and out the snarling mouth. Damn.
Bask Briarcloak thanked them and told them she'd be happy to heal Dala'gse of his sfös addiction, time was she coulda done it with a spell. But her major source of power, a tree she calls "The Gate" has been corrupted lately and her connection to her god Silvanus has weakened. She was unable to perform the hibernal solstice rites at Midwinter and her power is even more sapped. Not sapped enough to stop the PCs from raiding the belly of the beast for any treasure it might have devoured, but sapped nonetheless. In fact, she hadn't seen a bulette in the forest ever, last time was in hill country where they are more apt to emerge...something weird going on. She told Zireael to find Dogsbane and Pigweed, two local plants that she could use to make a Laudinsfös inhibitor pretty easily. Z seemed to know the plants and has an idea about where to look for them (by the above ground roots of some deciduous trees for dogsbane, and in grassier clearing under low brush for pigweed).
After that was settled, Safad set off for town in a fugue state, muttering about some half-remembered dream, while Zireael and Ironica slipped off into the woods to look for the plants. Dala'gse, Nancy, and Slothrop stayed behind to watch Bask loot the Bulette's belly. She had this very cool bag that seemed bottomless, she kept stuffing strange stomach-acid-covered things into it. Gemstones, etc. She called it a bag of holding and promised Dala'gse a similar one with gorgeous embroidery if he let her hold on to the laudin for him. Nancy played The Old Home Place and Sittin' on top of the World a couple of Bask's favorite banjo tunes from her hill-country upbringing. Dala'gse agreed to Bask's terms and she took the laudin and gave it, along with the Bag of Holding, to Nancy. Bask then set off for her home to gather the supplies needed to make the inhibitor once Z and I came back with the plants.
Meanwhile, Z and Ironica noticed how nice it was to be in the peace and quiet of just the two of them slipping stealthily through the forest. They found a snake den and a bunch of corn and rat snakes in brumation. Z gave one to Ironica who kept it in her backpack. They also found the perfect sloping hillside above a clearing to find the Dogsbane and Pigweed. They also found a bleeding ranger named Fendal Bogan, who was running with a traumatized little girl. Fendal claimed he was from GPS and was on the run from his employer, Kearn'an the Bold, who had contracted him to show him the more out-of-the-way farms and communities. Z and I decided to head back to the bulette clearing.
They arrived with the wounded Ranger, and Nancy helped heal him. Bad luck that just then Kearn'an and two lackeys showed up to fight. Kearn'an got the jump and came at Zireael with multiple sword attacks. One of the lackeys, a human woman, put an arrow through Bogan's chest. Dala'gse thought about pulling a Tom Tom in the Bulette carcass, while Ironica got into sneak attack position. Slothrup did the same, Z squared up on Kearn'an, while Nancy blasted a thunderwave at the other lackey.
The tremor from the blast must have sent shockwaves through the ground, because just then, another massive Bulette shot up from under the ground, catching the blasted lackey in its maw and crunching down. Oh shit.
Kearn'an and the remaining lackey turned to flee. Ironica thought that was a cute idea, but hit him hard with her newly learned spell, a soon-to-be Ironica classic Tasha's Hideous Laughter. Kearn'an though the whole affair was suddenly dreadfully funny and dropped to snowy forest floor in a fit of laughter. He kept yelling about how this was like the time he was in competitive tickling...
The group was then split between trying to beat up on Kearn'an or face off against the bulette. Precious moments were wasted on indecision, before everyone came to their senses and realized this crazy land shark was indeed the bigger threat. Nancy cast Shatter on it, Dala'gse got pissed and raged into a two handed war-hammer attack, punctuating his hit with a sudden lightening bolt out of nowhere...tf did that come from? Z shot it with his longbow. Slothrup lasso'd Kearn'an.
The bulette got annoyed at the arrow and pounced thirty feet in the air to land smack dab on top of Zireael, bludgeoning him even as he tried to roll away, and savagely slashing him up with his hard plated scales. Z went out.
When he woke up from Nancy's healing, everyone was screaming at him to run: the beast had been lured to pounce on the still laughing Kearn'an, splattering him into the ground like nothing; and was now off chasing an illusion of a halfling Ironica was sending further into the forest. Someone had remembered that "A bulette loves halfling meat the most, and it is never happier than when chasing plump halflings across an open field." The group decided this foe was beyond any of them...
Off they went, sprinting towards where Bask had set off, but the bulette turned once the illusion faded and caught up to them soon. It attempted to pounce on Dala'gse but missed and burrowed underground for a devastating tremor attack. While it was down, Ironica and Slothrup went up in the trees while Zireael had decided enough was enough, and coated his longsword with carrion crawler mucus. Dala'gse decided to chase it down its burrow, being all pissed off like he was.
The thing emerged under Zireael, who managed to feel the ground under his feet vibrate and pounce out of the way. Ironica and Slothrup rained crossbow bolts down on it from the trees while Z closed in and pierced its armor with his sword. The thing went rigid; paralyzed from the poison! Dala'gse had its exposed underbelly all to himself in the dark of the tunnel...where he went to work with his warhammer. Nancy sent a final thunderwave blast at it and as everyone piled on with attacks, then paralyzed creature expired.
Jesum freaking crow.
Dala'gse dug his way out through the stomach, claiming gemstones along the way which everyone then split up. They also found a strange pearl emanating power, and looted Kearn'an for his fancy winterlands boots. Everyone is bloodied and exhausted.
They also found some interesting notes and contracts on Kearn'an and Fendal's bodies.
Bask Briarcloak thanked them and told them she'd be happy to heal Dala'gse of his sfös addiction, time was she coulda done it with a spell. But her major source of power, a tree she calls "The Gate" has been corrupted lately and her connection to her god Silvanus has weakened. She was unable to perform the hibernal solstice rites at Midwinter and her power is even more sapped. Not sapped enough to stop the PCs from raiding the belly of the beast for any treasure it might have devoured, but sapped nonetheless. In fact, she hadn't seen a bulette in the forest ever, last time was in hill country where they are more apt to emerge...something weird going on. She told Zireael to find Dogsbane and Pigweed, two local plants that she could use to make a Laudinsfös inhibitor pretty easily. Z seemed to know the plants and has an idea about where to look for them (by the above ground roots of some deciduous trees for dogsbane, and in grassier clearing under low brush for pigweed).
After that was settled, Safad set off for town in a fugue state, muttering about some half-remembered dream, while Zireael and Ironica slipped off into the woods to look for the plants. Dala'gse, Nancy, and Slothrop stayed behind to watch Bask loot the Bulette's belly. She had this very cool bag that seemed bottomless, she kept stuffing strange stomach-acid-covered things into it. Gemstones, etc. She called it a bag of holding and promised Dala'gse a similar one with gorgeous embroidery if he let her hold on to the laudin for him. Nancy played The Old Home Place and Sittin' on top of the World a couple of Bask's favorite banjo tunes from her hill-country upbringing. Dala'gse agreed to Bask's terms and she took the laudin and gave it, along with the Bag of Holding, to Nancy. Bask then set off for her home to gather the supplies needed to make the inhibitor once Z and I came back with the plants.
Meanwhile, Z and Ironica noticed how nice it was to be in the peace and quiet of just the two of them slipping stealthily through the forest. They found a snake den and a bunch of corn and rat snakes in brumation. Z gave one to Ironica who kept it in her backpack. They also found the perfect sloping hillside above a clearing to find the Dogsbane and Pigweed. They also found a bleeding ranger named Fendal Bogan, who was running with a traumatized little girl. Fendal claimed he was from GPS and was on the run from his employer, Kearn'an the Bold, who had contracted him to show him the more out-of-the-way farms and communities. Z and I decided to head back to the bulette clearing.
They arrived with the wounded Ranger, and Nancy helped heal him. Bad luck that just then Kearn'an and two lackeys showed up to fight. Kearn'an got the jump and came at Zireael with multiple sword attacks. One of the lackeys, a human woman, put an arrow through Bogan's chest. Dala'gse thought about pulling a Tom Tom in the Bulette carcass, while Ironica got into sneak attack position. Slothrup did the same, Z squared up on Kearn'an, while Nancy blasted a thunderwave at the other lackey.
The tremor from the blast must have sent shockwaves through the ground, because just then, another massive Bulette shot up from under the ground, catching the blasted lackey in its maw and crunching down. Oh shit.
Kearn'an and the remaining lackey turned to flee. Ironica thought that was a cute idea, but hit him hard with her newly learned spell, a soon-to-be Ironica classic Tasha's Hideous Laughter. Kearn'an though the whole affair was suddenly dreadfully funny and dropped to snowy forest floor in a fit of laughter. He kept yelling about how this was like the time he was in competitive tickling...
The group was then split between trying to beat up on Kearn'an or face off against the bulette. Precious moments were wasted on indecision, before everyone came to their senses and realized this crazy land shark was indeed the bigger threat. Nancy cast Shatter on it, Dala'gse got pissed and raged into a two handed war-hammer attack, punctuating his hit with a sudden lightening bolt out of nowhere...tf did that come from? Z shot it with his longbow. Slothrup lasso'd Kearn'an.
The bulette got annoyed at the arrow and pounced thirty feet in the air to land smack dab on top of Zireael, bludgeoning him even as he tried to roll away, and savagely slashing him up with his hard plated scales. Z went out.
When he woke up from Nancy's healing, everyone was screaming at him to run: the beast had been lured to pounce on the still laughing Kearn'an, splattering him into the ground like nothing; and was now off chasing an illusion of a halfling Ironica was sending further into the forest. Someone had remembered that "A bulette loves halfling meat the most, and it is never happier than when chasing plump halflings across an open field." The group decided this foe was beyond any of them...
Off they went, sprinting towards where Bask had set off, but the bulette turned once the illusion faded and caught up to them soon. It attempted to pounce on Dala'gse but missed and burrowed underground for a devastating tremor attack. While it was down, Ironica and Slothrup went up in the trees while Zireael had decided enough was enough, and coated his longsword with carrion crawler mucus. Dala'gse decided to chase it down its burrow, being all pissed off like he was.
The thing emerged under Zireael, who managed to feel the ground under his feet vibrate and pounce out of the way. Ironica and Slothrup rained crossbow bolts down on it from the trees while Z closed in and pierced its armor with his sword. The thing went rigid; paralyzed from the poison! Dala'gse had its exposed underbelly all to himself in the dark of the tunnel...where he went to work with his warhammer. Nancy sent a final thunderwave blast at it and as everyone piled on with attacks, then paralyzed creature expired.
Jesum freaking crow.
Dala'gse dug his way out through the stomach, claiming gemstones along the way which everyone then split up. They also found a strange pearl emanating power, and looted Kearn'an for his fancy winterlands boots. Everyone is bloodied and exhausted.
They also found some interesting notes and contracts on Kearn'an and Fendal's bodies.
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