Week 6: Temple Trouble

Last week, the Shipwrecked - Fenja, Menja, Chani and Saoirse - have joined a group of Amazons from Eklo on their trip home, though they dropped off their two hirelings, Glynn and Aerea, along with the cart at the temple of C'ro. The footwomen had no inclination to engage in further adventures.
Eklo bore some heavy signs of fighting from the assault of the Feather-and-Claw people some three weeks ago, and when the Shipwrecked arrived, they were quickly shown to the keep. Sìneag, the elderly village leader, was killed in the attack and her place taken by her daughter, Beathag, who had lost an eye.
Beathag enlisted the Shipwrecked's help in a counter strike against the Feather-and-Claw people. They are to be joined by a group of ten Amazons - Eklo cannot spare any more warriors than that - get into the Hungering Temple and assassinate as many of the temple's leadership as possible.
They are to set out on Monday.
 

Feb 5, Monday; Snowy rain

We set out early in the morning.
Around noon - it's hard to tell with the non-stop rain - we crossed a wide river coming down from the glaciers (#1.15) and then climbed up to a saddle with a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. Among the rocks in front of us, we finally saw the Hungering Temple.
We crossed the last miles under the cover of the night, wary of being seen by patrols and guards. Our guide lead us to a sheltered campsite near but not too near to the temple (#1.16), where we settled down for a rest with cold rations and no campfire to heat our hands. Too risky.
As we kept watches throughout the night, we saw the cultists gather for their midnight mass. Their chanting was faintly drifting to us, punctuated by thunder cracks.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP

feature found = 50 XP

Feb 6, Tuesday; Clear & windy

During breakfast, a plan was born. Nobody has any idea about how to get into the temple and to the dark priests, so Chani agreed to be our scout and have a look at the guard routes and access points. She will go alone, being the most stealthy of the whole group.
She creeps to the temple and finds a nice vantage point to track guard movements from, but today luck is not on her side. A stone crumbles under her and sends her rolling head over heels down a slope. Before she has a chance to get her bearings, a guard is upon her.

1x Feather-and-Claw cultist

She jumps to her feet and throws her knife, catching him in the throat before he gets a chance to cry for help. Still, others will likely come to investigate, and soon. She smashes the corpse's head with a rock and finds another sharp one to open the cut on his throat more wide and ragged, hopefully masking her involvement in the death. Then she scrams.
What an inauspicious start to our altogether too risky endeavour.
Back in the camp, a small swarm of stirges can be seen flitting across the mountain side. Coincidence, or are they spying for the dark priests? We are left unsure and guessing. The rest of the day is spent planning a new approach to this venture.

Feb 7, Wednesday; Snowy rain, morning star

There's little we know about the cultists, except that they attend a mass every midnight. They scale the stairs to the top of their ziggurat and then chant praises to their dark god around an altar and a sacrificial pit. This might be the only time where we can predict the whereabouts of at least some of the priests. It is also a time when they are gathered in numbers much too large for us to take head on.
Thus, we've planned a distraction.
We stay in the camp for the day and when midnight nears, we split into three groups: Fenja and Saoirse with five Amazons, Menja with five Amazons, and Chani once again alone. We circle the temple, approaching from three different sides as the cultists start to gather and ascend the ziggurat.

Fenja and her group are quickly noticed by the guards, but they have sneaked close enough to shoot. The Amazons release a volley of arrows and Fenja grabs for her javelins, but whether through eagerness or nervousness, they slip her grasp and clatter into the dark. Cursing, she instead grabs her war hammer and rushes the foes, splattering one's brain onto the ground.

5x Feather-and-Claw cultists

She contemptuously bats away their attempts at counter attacks, but one of the cultists - the shortest - slips a javelin around her shield and stabs her in the armpit even through chainmail. Fenja growls in pain and indignation, but the remaining cultists are immediately felled by Amazon arrows. Having raised a ruckus, the group lets loose a few more arrows aimed at the onlookers and starts to retreat.

From her perch near the temple, Chani sees that one of the dark priests takes a group of cultists and pursues. A moment later, two statues of black iron emerge from inside of the temple and join the hunt for the intruders. That is as good an invitation as she will get, so Chani runs towards the door, keeping to the shadows.
Right in the entrance hall, there is another cultist on watch, so she tries to tiptoe behind him and slit his throat, but he turns around and his eyes widen in fright before she stabs him in the chest and then grips his throat and gently lowers him to the ground. He makes not a sound as he dies.
"So this will not be a 'nobody knows I am here' mission after all," Chani grumbles. "Let mission 'nobody knows I am here and lives' begin."
She goes deeper into the temple halls.

Menja also makes use of the distraction and gets her group on the stairs and within a striking distance of the cultists gathered for the mass. Of the three priests there, one went to pursue Fenja, but that still leaves two priests and a gaggle of cultists, all distracted and unaware of the arrows aiming for their backs.

Midnight-Ascendant the High Priestess of Night

Darkness-Poignant the Priestess

18x Feather-and-Claw cultists

Menja sinks a javelin into the priestess standing by the altar and the Amazons follow her lead, peppering both priestesses with arrows. Recovering from the surprise, the cultists close ranks around the wounded priestesses and send javelins at Menja's group with frightening accuracy. Only Menja is left standing.
Gritting her teeth, she withdraws and runs, a few more javelins falling around her. About half the cultists go after her while the rest escort the bloodied priestesses to the safety of the temple.

Chani slips down an empty corridor and finds some unlocked doors, but they only lead to small, cell-like rooms where the cultists live. As she turns a fourth corner of the corridor, though, she notices that one, she has come a full circle and is approaching the entrance hall once again, and two, there are people in the hall now, chattering in a language she doesn't know.
She creeps to the door and sees that a group of cultists led by a bandaged priestess is fussing over another priestess lain on the ground. The second one seems to be heavily wounded, but still drawing ragged breaths.
Well, that's as good an opportunity as she will get. A single shot to end this and then out of the door before anyone can get to her. Chani reaches for her long bow, nocks an arrow and after taking a careful aim, shoots. But at the last second, a cultist notices her and cries in alarm, her shot going wide as she is startled. Cursing, she tries to reach for another arrow, but the conscious priestess caws out an incantation and suddenly, an invisible force lifts Chani off the ground, suspending her in mid-air.

Fenja and Saoirse with their five Amazons and Menja with no one but a story of a semi-successful ambush reconvene in the camp. Both have thankfully evaded capture by their respective pursuers, but nobody sleeps until morning, waiting for the cultists to find them. Nobody comes - not even Chani.

Feather-and-Claw cultists = 60 XP

Midnight-Ascendant the High Priestess of Night, very nearly killed = 65 XP

Feb 8, Thursday; Windy & snowy

We have to save Chani. Or at least try to. Otherwise, she will be sacrificed with the stroke of midnight. The Amazons were wary of our plan, their losses already heavy, but we managed to persuade them that even if the one priestess is dead, we can still inflict further harm upon the cult while rescuing Chani.
We went to break camp, but then our sentry gave the signal that enemies were approaching. We disappeared into the surrounding undergrowth. Soon, two crow-headed animated statues entered the camp.

2x Living Statues of Black Iron

A hushed argument later, we have decided that the risk here is too great. We retreated, leaving our tents and some supplies behind.
The plan was simple - once again, we cannot afford a head-on assault. There are few entrances into the temple and right now, their guards are doubled. So we split into two groups again, a distraction and an extraction team. We shall wait until the midnight mass, when they have to bring Chani out to the altar, and then we act.
We have even caught a few hours of sleep during the long wait, but then it was time to act. Fenja insisted on leading "her" five Amazons again, even though her arm still hurt from that cultist's javelin jab yesterday. The extraction team thus was to be Menja and Saoirse.
As midnight neared, a throng of cultists streamed out of the temple, surrounding three priestesses - we have seen the leading one yesterday, I think - and dragging a bruised Chani along.

Darkness-Poignant the Priestess

Darkness-Regnant the Priestess

Gloom-Unforeseen the Priest

4x Hungering shadows

23x Feather-and-Claw cultists

There really was no point to subtlety, they must know that we are coming. Thus we put to good use the one thing we still had even though we abandoned our camp - booze and bandages. Fenja and her Amazons charged, flaming bottles in hand. About a dozen of the cultists went to meet them, readying their javelins. The rest closed their ranks around the priests.
Fenja threw her fire bomb, splattering a few cultists and breaking their stride with a pool of flames. The Amazons followed her lead. The cultists responded with javelins. Though caught off guard by the sudden flames, there were a lot of them and some of their attacks found flesh. There was no need to press our luck further - Fenja and the remains of her group turned tails.
The other group of cultists, with the priestesses and Chani, was unfortunately not fooled by the distraction. Though Menja and Saoirse did manage to get close, they were noticed. They had one chance.
S͕I̬͒LEN̵̳͗C̤E̵̵̡, Saoirse said in a voice that was as inevitable as the turn of seasons. The priests' mouths were forcefully shut. Still, the cultists - though taken aback - have raised their javelins in the face of the charging Menja. Snarling, she cuts right through their javelins, decapitating the two cultists that are restraining Chani in a single blow. She grabs Chani and drags her away.
Her eyes widen, though, when she sees a javelin stuck through Saoirse's side. She grabs her too and tries to support the two women as they turn to escape.
"Get them, boy!" she shouts at Úlfi, her small but vicious dog, with tears barely held back. She already knows how his bravery will be rewarded. Yaping and snapping, he starts after the cultists. Some are delayed and distracted, others skewer the dog to the ground.
Ŕ̵͜U̮ͭ͒N, Saoirse says in that voice that shakes the sky. Even though that she is bleeding heavily, even though that Chani can barely stand, somehow their legs keep running and they sprint into the night.

Though there is immediate pursuit, both of our groups manage to evade their pursuers and find each other at our hiding place in the woods.
Fenja and Menja are both lightly wounded, but from the Amazons, only one is still alive. Chani bears some nasty marks of burns and cuts - she had been tortured to reveal the location of their camp. She will need some treatment, or she might well still die to infection. Worse, all of her possessions had been taken, including her winter garb. She is shivering in the bare tunic the cultists made her wear for her short walk to the sacrificial altar.
Saoirse is injured, but stranger are her pained cramps. Something under her skin seems to be moving.

"I... have draw too deep of... my magic," she gets out, sweating yet ice-cold. "I... will be... fine!"

We are all itching to keep moving, but half the group is half-dead. We will have to rest for a while, tend to our wounds - with no fire and no tent - and hope that we will not be found. We use the few bandages and medicinal herbs we have left and go to sleep, Fenja and Aneira the last Amazon keeping watch.
Nobody finds us during the night, but nobody is truly rested in the morning.

Feather-and-Claw cultists = 40 XP

successful rescue = 100 XP

Feb 9, Friday; Wet snowfall

The weather is, frankly, a bit of an double-edged sword. It hides our tracks quite well, but it also slows us and freezes our butts off. We have all given some of our clothes to Chani, so she shouldn't be outright freezing to death. Still, we'd better find a place to warm up tonight.
We trudge through the snow from dawn to well past dusk and it's only thanks to Aneira that we find at least some shelter under a rocky outcropping and wood for the night. (#1.15) We spent the next hour trying to get a fire going, but everything was so wet we eventually had to use the last of our oil to start it. We all huddled around the fire and tried to doze off.
We were all woken up in the middle of the night by a loud screech high above. Whatever is flying up there is hidden from our sights by the snow clouds, though, and so are we from it.

Feb 10, Saturday; Cold & cloudy

When we woke up to a sky no longer spewing an endless flood of snowflakes, Aneira the Amazon guide declared that we should be able to reach Eklo by today's nightfall. Good.
We made good time, except for a short delay when we needed to scale an icy slope and Menja had to cut some steps into the ice lest we fall to our deaths. But by nightfall we were indeed in Eklo. (#1.14)
Though exhausted, we were immediately called before Beathag the village leader. We have reported the truth - one of the dark priestesses was either killed or heavily wounded, but at heavy cost in lives. The temple is well-guarded and without way more people, we cannot make a noticeable dent in their defences. Unfortunately, we may have also provoked a swift reply with our assassination attempt.
Beathag was not pleased, especially by the Amazon lives lost saving one of ours, but we have pledged our help in defence of Eklo, should the Feather-and-Claw people mount an offence. With that, we were dismissed and went to find a place to sleep. In the end, Aneira offered to host us for the night.

Feb 11, Sunday; Cold winds

Chani's wounds do not look good. She has woken up with high fever and an ugly cough, so we forced her to stay in bed. Saoirse is not injured, but she has drawn so deep of her magic that she still feels winded from any strenuous activity, so she volunteered to keep Chani company while Fenja and Menja run some errands around Eklo.
They have found a place for all of us to stay, plus bought some basic equipment for Chani, to replace what she had lost. We don't have much coin left now.
Menja also ran into Sabatha, the apothecary apprentice, and learned more about the happenings in Eklo. The last attack of the Feather-and-Claw people has led to much death and apparently, there is now talk about an exodus. Beathag is unsure that they can win, so she plans to abandon the village and move her people somewhere safe. We might well be there to see it, because right now, we are staying put. At least for a week, to give Chani some time to recuperate.

Week 5: Lost, Hungry, Killed

Jan 29, Monday; Icy & cloudy

The party split in the morning into hunters and explorers.

Cori and Brenna took the horse and donkey as mounts and headed north-west. By noon, the hills finally slope down and the pair enters a deep forest. (#4.17, #3.17) While travelling through it is faster than through the haggard hills, they also completely lose track of their direction (#4.18) and stumble upon a colossal amphibian skeleton.

They want to give it a wide berth at first, but then Cori notices a glint of metal under the massive rib cage. Carefully, she climbs in there and finds a ring on the finger bones of a humanoid skeleton. She takes it.

"And what if I wanted it?" Brenna asks.

"I saw it first, I braved the spooky scary skeleton and you already have a ring, so tough luck!"

"But my ring doesn't glisten!"

They keep going and when evening comes, they are in hills again. Except they have actually went in a circle and nearly returned to their starting point (#4.17), but haven't realised it yet.

ring of animal control, unidentified
new hexes traversed = 30 XP
feature found = 50 XP

Jan 30, Tuesday; Cold & clear

The two of us, Cori and Brenna, continue our explorations, but we must have gotten turned around in the hills - by late afternoon, we have found ourselves deep in the mountains (#5.17), which on one hand was quite an unwelcome surprise, but on the other allowed us to get our bearings and even see the camp of the rest of our group in a valley below.

With next to no sunlight left, we decided to camp here and return to the base camp tomorrow. Then we can plan further exploration.

new hexes traversed = 10 XP

Jan 31, Wednesday; Blizzard

What a way to wake up. When we went to sleep, the sky was blue and clear, but now it cannot even be seen over the swirling snowfall thrown around by screaming winds. Also our tent is literally buried in snow.

We have gathered no wood yesterday. The tent and our sleeping bags would be enough for one night in the mountains, we thought. Now if there is any wood to be found, it will be pretty much inaccessible. We also don't have much food left.

How wonderful. We will have to break camp and get down into the hills, somehow.

Though cold, wet, filthy and exhausted, we have managed just that over the course of the whole day. (#6.18) We have found a reasonably sheltered campsite, but still needed to drag ourselves into the woods to get enough firewood for the night. 

We ate our last rations huddled around the fire, our horse and mule shivering and munching sadly on the little feed we still have.

I'm starting to think that I hate winter.

Feb 1, Thursday; Cold & clear

We woke up chilled to the bone, but the blizzard is gone, once again replaced by clear blue sky.

We have veered off course yesterday, ending up several hours of travel away from the base camp, but with the better weather it wasn't difficult to find our tracks from several days ago and follow them back to the rest of the group. (#5.18) They were out in the forest, hunting, and returned in the evening in a rather bad mood. While they had some luck with quarry on Monday and Tuesday, the blizzard had chased all the animals into their dens. Brenna and Cori went to sleep very early, still deeply fatigued from their venture into the snowy mountains.

An hour or two into the early watch, Maera roused the rest of the party. Close to the camp, a lumbering shadow was carrying its prey - presumably to its lair, to feast in peace - but the prey was still alive and crying loudly.

"It's a person! We have to save her," Maera whispered.

"Yeah, in the maw of a monster," Nissa retorted. "We're lucky it's not us it wants to snack on."

"Whoever that is, they were here in the wilderness, so they might know more about our surroundings. There might be a village or a farm they could lead us to," Cori noted.

"And we really should just save them," Brenna said. "It hasn't even noticed us, we can kill it before-"

Several more shapes emerge from the darkness, following after the first one.

4x Owlbear

"-or not," Brenna sighed. "Let's be really quiet and pray to all gods that they don't notice us."

They didn't.

Feb 2, Friday; Cold & clear

Cori was still feeling a bit under the weather in the morning and Brenna was not much better off. Thus the exploration group was now to be Maera and Nissa, and they had a special plan - follow the tracks left by the monsters in the night and see if there is a lair and perchance even a surviving victim of the monsters inside.

The tracks led them north-west, to the hills already crossed by Cori and Brenna (#4.17), but they lost the path. They turned around in the afternoon and returned to camp. Unfortunately, the rest of the party had little luck in their hunting attempts.

"We have one day of rations left," Maera noted, softly so that the hirelings won't overhear. No need to make them question their leadership.

"We could butcher the mule," Brenna suggested.

"Don't you dare," Nissa jumped up. "And if anyone, we should eat Cori's horse. He's bigger."

"What? No! Never. I already had to surrender Baldy to the gods-forsaken foreigners and their bloody cart, no way you are eating Limpy, understood?"

"Stop arguing!" Maera said. "We have one day left, so I need ideas, not quarrels."

"We could have another go at the monster lair," Brenna said.

"And that will help us with our food situation how, exactly? That poor soul will have been devoured by now for sure."

"We could eat the monsters. They were big, there's probably plenty of meat on their bones."

"I really can't tell if you're joking, Brenna."

"Well, the alternative is to eat either the mule or the horse."

"I'm in," said Cori and Nissa simultaneously.

"I hate you all," Maera grumbled.

Feb 3, Saturday; Hail

The hirelings were left in the camp and we followed yesterday's tracks once more. Pinkybone the puppy proved her worth when she picked up even the cold trail and led us confidently. The only thing to spoil this hunt was the strengthening, freezing rain.

And, of course, being suddenly surrounded by a band of stooped men covered head to toe in rags.

6x Ragwretch

But instead of raising their weapons, they addressed us in silky voices and thankfully, Maera knew enough of their dialect to speak with them.

They were on a hunt, too, and hunting the same creatures. The monsters we saw in the night are called owlbears and the tribe of these people was attacked by them, with several people dragged off to be devoured. They wanted revenge. They offered us shelter and supplies in exchange for helping them in finding and killing the owlbears. There really wasn't much to deliberate about.

By later afternoon, we have found the lair in a well-hidden cave. We were lucky that Brenna brought enough rope to safely abseil the vertical pit it had for entrance. The narrow but uncomfortably high tunnel led us through a few bends into a nest where a single owlbear was snoozing. It raised its feathered head, weary but wary, and sniffed the air, yet it seemed that we've escaped its notice.

1x Owlbear

Before it had a chance to do anything else, we have all peppered it with arrows. It died so fast it haven't even had a chance to roar.

Carefully, we approached, but the rest of the cave was empty and the monstrosity truly dead. Cori and Brenna went to help the ragwretches drag the massive corpse back to the entrance pit and lift it to the surface, but Maera and Nissa inconspicuously stayed behind to search the monster's nest for anything that might've been left behind from its many meals.

They were not disappointed. While no valuables were to be found among the piles of old bones, Maera discovered the remains of a satchel and inside - aside from long-rotted vegetables and a rusty knife - a map. Nissa happened upon something arguably even better - a short sword of silvery metal, its pommel shaped as an eagle's head.

They also found a crack in the wall leading deeper, though only if one wished to squeeze through rough stone into darkness-choked unknown.

At about that point, they've heard an ear-splitting screech coming from the cavern's entrance.

2x Owlbear

The ragwretches with Cori and Brenna have just climbed out of the pit when two other owlbears emerged from the forest. Both sides froze in surprise, then the beasts roared in bloodthirsty anger. Their weapons sheathed and standing on the edge of a fall, the group tried to scatter.

The bear-things lunged forward. One ragwretch was deeply wounded by a sharp beak, but a second wretch was instead bull-rushed into the pit, splattering his brain on the cavern floor below just in time for Maera and Nissa to emerge from the tunnel.

Two ragwretches fast enough to evade the monster's charge fought back, covering each other's back. Their axes left bloody bites in the owlbears' hides. The rest of the group had managed to get their bows ready and sent a volley into the bears' flank. It was Cori's arrow that found an eye of one beast, and through the eye its brain.

The other beast tore one ragwretch to bloody shreds and forced another one to fall prone lest his head be swiped off. But another volley of arrows later, even it was dead. Two ragwretches were killed in the skirmish, but the party avoided any harm.

Before we got the corpse of the first owlbear out of the pit, it was getting dark. We also had no way how to transport the huge corpses whole and needed to bury our two deceased not-really-friends, so we set camp right by the lair. Of course, we have seen another owlbear the night before, thus half of our group was always be on watch, weapons ready.

We gathered plenty of firewood, flayed and butchered the corpses, then put some meat to roast and other to be smoked. In the meantime, we prepared two pyres for the dead wretches.

The whole time, we felt like we're being watched from the bushes.

When the sun set and the pyres were reduced to embers, we gathered around the cooking fire and tasted the owlbear meat. It was fatty and filling and tinged with something strange. As it turned out, that something strange was magic, as these beasts were anything but natural.

As we will discover only the next morning, Maera's belly full of magical meat will lead to her growing about twelve inches taller. However, a more immediate problem was Cori, who started vomiting a black tar-like substance, and Brenna, who tried to vomit as well but instead seized up and started to choke.

At that moment, the last, lurking owlbear ambushed us and jumped at Cori. It grabbed her in a hug and with a sickening crunch, her rib cage gave in.

1x Owlbear

With a pain-filled warcry, Maera rushed the monstrosity, slamming her war-hammer into its loins. So did Nissa, cutting at the creature with her newfound silvery sword, and the ragwretches with their axes. Still, the owlbear stood tall. Contemptuously throwing Cori's crumpled body aside, it tore a ragwretch apart and wounded another.

We had it surrounded, yet it played with us like a cat with mice. Two more ragwretches were dismembered in quick succession. We have wounded it, but it fought with a wrath born of grieving. So did we. Its beak left a deep cut on Maera's side, but that also meant it left itself open to a counter strike. She shattered its skull and fell to her knees, panting and bleeding.

Meanwhile, with trembling fingers, Brenna fumbled through her pockets until she found the single bezoariac we have purchased back in Odawara. She swallowed it and though she still felt like puking her guts out, the crippling pain in her innards ceased nearly immediately.

There was nothing left to do for the rest of the night but grieve, for sleep would not come.

owlbears = 700 XP

feature found = 50 XP

new dungeon visited = 20 XP

3 owlbear hides

83 rations of owlbear meat

treasure map

WE WILL SEE, unidentified. An iridescent mithril shortsword with an eagle head pommel. Allows the bearer to "throw" their gaze directly upwards, looking straight down. Safely up to 100 ft, any higher causes nausea and dizziness. Can light up as a torch. There's a rumour it was once an object of faith for a beautiful religion.

Feb 4, Sunday; Clear & windy

There's only four of us left - Brenna, Nissa, Maera and the last ragwretch named Yt. We spent the morning gathering firewood and preparing a final goodbye for our dead. We lit the pyres and Yt started to sing. His voice is so beautiful. We cried.

We buried the ashes along with some parting gifts - a silver hand mirror and a circle of silver coins to ward off the evil spirits. After much deliberation, Brenna took the shiny ring that Cori found inside of a gigantic skeleton. "Something to remember you by," she whispered.

Yt was offered the chainmail and longbow that Cori will never use again and gladly he accepted. He also filled his pack with owlbear meat, something none of the rogues wanted to ever touch again.

Then it was time to leave.

In the afternoon, we have returned to our base camp. (#5.18) Our hirelings have confronted us immediately - yesterday, they went through all the supplies in the cart and discovered that there is basically no food left. The hunts are not going well, so they either want a plan to fix this, or to return back home. It took us a while, but we persuaded them to give us one last chance. Yt will bring us to their village and there we can resupply and rest for a few days.

We prepared the cart and set off.

Several hours later, we were found by a ragwretch patrol and lead to the village. (#5.19)

new hexes traversed = 10 XP
feature found = 50 XP

Week 4: Traitors and Butt-Lickers

Jan 22, Monday; Icy & cloudy

The snowfall has finally eased off, but as we broke camp in the morning, we discovered a slight problem - chasing after the riders yesterday has led us into a sea of identical snowy hills and our tracks were already covered with fresh snow. In short, we were lost.

Grumbling and griping, we picked a direction towards the tallest hill nearby, but our troubles didn't last long. From the hill, the road from Odawara to the temple of C'ro could be seen and we were back at it before noon. (#2.10, #2.9) While a bit of time has been lost with this detour, the rest of our journey was quick with the improved weather and we arrived at the temple in mid-afternoon. (#3.10, #2.11, #3.12)

We resupplied with rations to start our venture into proper wilderness fully stocked and attended the mass at dusk. Some of the priests even recognised us by name already, which I guess is only fair given our frequent visits.

Jan 23, Tuesday; Sleet

We set of towards the southern edge of the mountains, intending to circumvent them and get to the dark temple of Shadow-that-Hungers from a more favourable terrain.

As we were driving over the plains to the foothills (#3.13), we noticed a strange pseudo-tower rising from the ground, worked on by a swarm of way too large insects. Four of the creatures went to take a look at us, so we kept our distance and left.

4x Ant, Giant

Unfortunately, the journey to circumvent the mountains turned out to be longer than expected. We eventually climbed some hills overlooking a seaside swamp (#4.13), but we will have to see tomorrow if there is a path between the mountains and the swamp. At least we managed to forage some apples still on the trees since autumn, so the rations are not so dry today.

new hexes traversed = 20 xp

Jan 24, Wednesday; Light drizzle

We continued to push around the southern tip of the mountains through the forested foothills (#5.13), until the forest parted around an enormous, sleeping squamous body.

Dragon of Logrus

We backed away, very slowly and very quietly.

We kept driving deep into the night to get as many miles between us and the creature as possible (#6.14), but had to stop when Saoirse slipped on the wet snow and slid into a forest pond. We set up camp, but the snow and sleet-damped forest wood was a not great for kindling a campfire. We had to use some of our torches and oil to ignite it and let Saoirse to dry off.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP

Jan 25, Thursday; Cold rain

The weather is getting worse. And to think we were dismayed by the endless snowfall - now we have snow and rain mixing into a freezing slop. Getting through the underbrush-choked hills with two carts was a similarly pleasant experience. (#6.15)

By late afternoon, we found a strange clearing, or rather a large crater cut into the hill. In the middle of the ash and cinder filled hollow, an artifact looking like a mirror made of crystal and petrified wood stood. While most of us were wary, Saoirse insisted on inspecting it closer. She persuaded Fenja and Menja to accompany her into the crater. There, she started tapping and prodding the mirror with her staff.

A flood of tiny, rainbow-coloured insects poured from the crystal.

3x Insect Swarm

Fenja, Menja and Saoirse quickly backed away and thankfully, the insects looked uninterested in pursuit. They gathered around the mirror in a squirming, oddly beautiful cloud.

Soon, we had to set up camp and once again, we spend an overly long time gathering enough wood to dry ourselves at least a bit. This weather is pretty bad for foraging, too. We are burning through our rations and might need to spend some time hunting if we cannot resupply somewhere.

new hexes traversed = 10 XP
feature found = 50 XP

Jan 26, Friday; Cold winds, shooting star

Today's travel went well until just after midday, when we drove our carts into a valley that turned out to be a dead end (#7.16) - the slopes so steep we could've hardly climbed out, let alone get the carts up there. And as things go, everything only went downhill when we turned around and found out that a trio of nightmarish creatures has settled down on our path.

3x Nightmare Spawn

They have already noted our presence by the time we managed to stop the carts and we needed to get through them anyway. Grim, we prepared for a fight that might well be our last. There are more of us than last week, but we only fought and fell one of these things and barely avoided death. How many of us will be done for by this nightfall, should we even win this fight?

But then Cori told us to wait and hold back. She wanted to talk to them first.

We were all rather taken aback, but before some sense could've been talked into her, she called out to them in a soul-chilling language I've never heard before and do not wish to hear again. But the horrors responded in the same tongue and engaged in a lively chat with Cori, to our bewildered fascination.

Reaction: Bored. Wants to chat.

 

"They will let us though," Cori said, smiling slightly.

Nissa, Brenna and Maera started talking one over another:

"How did you-"

"What was that?!"

"They could've killed you!"

But all fell silent when Saoirse spat on the ground and then said something in broken Tradertalk, eyeing Cori with open disgust.

"What in the fourteen hells is her problem?" Maera challenged, but already Saoirse's three companions were questioning her.

"She says that the language you used, Cori, was Logro," Brenna translated, hesitant. She was the only one of the Rogues who spoke Tradertalk.

Chani turned to cast a dark look at Cori.

"Yes," she said, her Amazon heavily accented, "the speech of Chaos-monsters and their butt-lickers."

"Shut your fucking mouth, foreigner!" Brenna hissed.

Fenja and Menja stepped forward, hands on the hilts of their weapons. The tone was obvious even if they didn't understand the words.

"Yes, it was," Cori said, voice small.

"Cori!"

"But I am no cultist. I-"

Saoirse said something and the shipwrecked four chuckled, while Brenna's face turned flushed and angry. She started to say something back, but Maera grabbed her shoulder and stepped between the two groups.

"Have you all forgotten that we are standing some fifty paces away from three creatures that could crush us like overripe cantaloupes if they so wished? Cori says they will let us through, so let's not give them a reason to change their minds. Get the carts moving, now!"

After that heart-wrenching brush with sudden death, we drove further until several hours after sundown, when we all finally agreed that the gigantic horrors are unlikely to follow us. (#6.17) We set camp and started a fire, mood tense and dark. We sat around the fire and Cori talked about her family, who indeed were worshippers of Chaos. But then conflicts with other cultists escalated until her whole family was murdered and Cori - still a small girl back then - escaped both the murderers and the cult only because everyone thought she was among the dead when they set fire to their house. She fled to Odawara and left her past behind, hopefully never to be troubled by it again.

A fight nearly broke out when we tried to comfort her and the shipwrecked four kept throwing accusations in their funny foreign accents, but Maera negotiated a truce.

Nobody slept well.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP

Jan 27, Saturday; Icy & cloudy

Our foraging attempts are going poorly, so our stockpile of rations is taking a severe beating. After yesterday's exhausting events, we've decided to stay put for a day and hunt. It will also do us some good to split the party for a bit.

From our retainers, only Gwen and Bronwyn deigned to join us on the hunt, but that still meant ten people out in the forest, so we formed three hunting parties: Maera, Nissa and Gwen; Cori, Brenna and Bronwyn; and lastly the shipwrecked girls. The latter four have resisted any mention of being split, with Saoirse casting dark glances at Cori.

The hunting didn't go well. Of the three groups, the shipwrecked four have returned the latest, having come across some outriders from Eklo.

4x Amazon, 4x Lizard
Reaction: Offers a challenge of drinking skills.

Fenja and Menja were talked into drinking with the Amazons and while they kept the pace for a while, they were woefully outmatched by the Amazons' leader. At least they didn't embarrass themselves, unlike one of the Amazons who passed out and threw up.

They have also decided to take advantage of the Amazons' presence and invited them into the camp. When we all returned with our meagre quarry - just several rabbits - Chani has presented their new plan to the gathered group - take Cori as a prisoner and return with her to the temple of C'ro, where it can be determined whether she collaborated with the forces of Chaos and what her punishment shall be. The Amazons, while technically bandits in the eyes of Odawaran authorities, were still followers of Law and thus an added muscle on the Shipwrecked side.

The Rogues have rallied in defence of Cori and some terse words were exchanged. In the end, after a lot of shouting and a lot of arguing, the party was split completely and permanently.

The Shipwrecked took one cart and went along with the Amazons back westwards, while the Rogues took the second cart and stubbornly vowed to push further east. Glynn and Aerea the heavy footwomen have decided to join the Shipwrecked, but mostly to get back to civilisation. This camping in the cold and meeting dragons and Chaos-spawn is not for them after all. Deryn the cart driver along with Gwen and Bronwyn have, however, decided to stick with the Rogues, Gwen even staunchly arguing in Cori's favour - as she said, Cori did save all of their lives.

We kept a single camp, but both sides put multiple people on guard duty. Nissa even tried to sleep in her armour.

Jan 28, Sunday; Icy & cloudy, meteor shower

We continued east to get some miles between us and the traitorous foreigners. By later afternoon, we've finally found a pass through the mountains, turning north. (#6.18, #5.18)

We set camp in a clearing surrounded by windfallen trees, offering us a bounty of firewood. Unfortunately, sitting by the evening fire, we were also dining on some of our last rations and rather dour for this predicament.

Tomorrow, our footwomen along with Maera and Nissa will go on another hunt to procure some food, while Cori and Brenna will take the mounts to explore ahead and see if there is any place where we could resupply properly.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP
feature found = 50 XP

The Hungering Temple

A squat adobe pyramid worn by the passing years, with a six floor dungeon beneath it. The lowest level holds a sacred pool within which a deity's servant dwells. The temple is inhabited by the Feather-and-Claw people and dedicated to the Shadow-that-Hungers.

Shadow-that-Hungers, an avian deity of Night

Its priests are known for their mastery over darkness. To devoted disciples, it offers eternal life of a sort. Regular human sacrifices infuse a person with preternatural vigour, which lets one persist far beyond their years.

Leadership:

1. Midnight-Ascendant (HD 5), the high priestess of the temple
2. Darkness-Regnant (HD 4)
3. Darkness-Malignant (HD 3)
4. Darkness-Poignant (HD 3)
5. Gloom-Unforeseen (HD 2)
6. Penumbra (HD 2)

Ceremonies:

• Once per day at midnight, a mass accompanied by chanting, celebrating the night.
• Special mass during eclipses, attended by priests only, when special sacrifices are offered.

Treasure:

• 30 000 silver in religious iconography and paraphernalia
• 3 000 silver in coins
• Hoard of the Many-Winged Herald, gathered in its sacred pool.

Notes & Connections:

• At war with Eklo, the bandit village.
• Cultists speak Ziz, while priests have a 2:6 chance of speaking Tradertalk.

 

Stolen from here.

 

d4	Common Encounters	#App
1-2	Feather-and-Claw cultists	d20
3	Hungering shadows	d8
4	Carcass crawler	d2

d6	Uncommon Encounters	#App
1-3	Priest (see Leadership) & Feather-and-Claw cultists	1 & d8
4-5	Black iron statue	d2
6	The Many-Winged Herald	unique

The Many-Winged Herald, servant of the Shadow-that-Hungers
"All shall be night!"
HD 6, Atk: beak 2d12 or breath, Def: leather, MV crow, ML +2, XP 725

• Worshipped: Immensely proud, will always listen to flattery. Can speak Ziz.
• Attack pattern: Always attacks first with its breath weapon, then either breathes again or makes melee attacks (equal chance of either).
• Breath weapon: Ravenous raven-like shadows, 80' long line, up to three times per day. All caught inside lose 2 levels, save for half.
• Undead immunities
• Rejuvenation: Discorporates into black feathers and starved ravens if killed. Comes back on the next sundown. Can only be permanently killed in sunlight.