The chronicle record
Session recap
The dragon was dead, and Fort Trevalay had been taken.
Back in the caverns, some refugees had left to seek another home.
While the others prepared to move to the fort, the party spent several days checking conditions and helping with the departure. The Chernasardo ranger leader asked them to investigate reports from Hollow Hills. After resting, Wren tracked the departed refugees, supported by Finnetharyn Fimbleshanks’s song. Three days along the unhidden trail, they found deer bones marked by something that had grown inside the animal. Gundugar Herdtender identified the parasite as a wolf in sheep’s clothing: it consumes and controls its host, then implants eggs in others. With time pressing, they continued to the old camp, where they found at least a dozen refugees and other survivors. Wren heard a familiar bird call and found her brother Arden watching from a tree. He had followed the refugees after finding them hunting and fishing noisily, stolen some of their food, and kept watch. Arden had eaten their deer jerky; Gundugar found no apparent eggs in it and judged him probably uninfected. Arden said refugees were vomiting and their leader often clutched his stomach. The party knew surgery to remove eggs was dangerous; Bruneg and Vendel Coldblade recalled that gloss leaf could kill the parasite while leaving its human host painfully ill. They set out to find it.
Distant music brought them to a clearing where four dwarves feasted with a dancing woman. Wren recognized her as a Maenad, a fey whose dance could captivate or hinder onlookers. She confused Finn, hindered several party members, and drew others toward her while the dwarves threw food and then attacked. The party fought back; Arsène killed the burning Maenad with a cold-iron strike. The dwarves began vomiting, then apologized. They said they were miners from Radya's Hollow, west in Hollow Hills, fleeing hobgoblins and a few enormous minotaurs. They had seen no dragon, knew nothing of an onyx tower, and said attackers had gone unnoticed despite their town’s hilltop view. One dwarf offered the party a chance to find family treasure buried near Radya's Hollow and asked them to check on his brother Balvan. The dwarves agreed to go first to the caverns, then onward to Fort Trevalay, where their mining skills could help repair it. Beside a shallow stream, the party found gloss leaf in a quiet area marked by claw scratches high on trees. Wren identified likely dire-bear territory and spotted an enormous female bear with salmon. She chose not to disturb it, but it noticed them and advanced. Finn’s song confused it long enough for the party to escape; Arden later said it had three cubs.
On the way back, Bruneg spotted smoke. The party found a disorganized camp of at least three dozen deserter hobgoblins, including the alchemist who had previously escaped them. They overheard plans to seize slaves and retake the fort. In a brief, violent fight, the party killed nearly forty enemies in about twelve seconds, including the alchemist. They recovered bombs, oil, ranger ponchos, and a formula book; Wren and Arsène took ponchos.
At the refugee camp, the leader denied being ill, but Bruneg saw moving bumps beneath his skin. Wren found other refugees similarly infested. Gundugar prepared the gloss-leaf infusion, and Vendel swore it would not make them explode. The leader accepted it, and the party persuaded everyone to drink. They stayed to care for them: the visible worms stopped moving within hours, and after a couple of days the refugees began expelling them, though the treatment made them sicker. Arden agreed to watch over the refugees while Wren was away, in exchange for a crossbow from Long Shadow. Wren said the party had been asked to conduct reconnaissance beyond the forest; Arden intends to keep hobgoblins from returning to the area. The party remains responsible for the recovering refugees.
Threads to Watch
- The situation in Hollow Hills remains unknown.
- The onyx tower remains unexplained.
- Balvan’s fate remains unknown.
Notable quotes
“I'm no longer confused. Screw you, bitch.” — Finnetharyn Fimbleshanks
“I won't. Maybe some dragons, but no dire bears.” — Wren