The Party having finished the battle with the scorn prepared to take the severed Scorn heads to the Bug Bear encampment. While the party takes a short rest, Ember toils away making a macramé chain of heads using rope. The Heads are loaded up for transport.
As it continues to rain, Maleth leads the party through muddy terrain. The noon day sun revels a game trail making travel safer than the path around the gorge had been. While on the trail the party discusses at length the looming danger of the griffin.
Taco says “I still want that thing on a wall.”
“Whose wall would you put it on?” asked Richard.
“Probably some inns. I mean, It’s a giant griffin.” Says Taco.
Maleth said “It’s a legendary griffin. Some things aren’t meant to be hunted. Some things hunt you. I don’t think my bow is big enough to take thing with one shot.”
“You underestimate the power of my flint lock pistol.” said Taco. Richard Replied, “I think you overestimate, the power of yourself. ”
With a twinkle in his eyes Taco then said “And then there’s also bombs.”
Maleth asked, “Do you understand how big this legendary griffin is.”
Taco smugly replied “Yes. Massive.”
Maleth quickly retorted “And it has a massive taste for elven kind. Which will make taco an integral part in hunting the griffin.”
Taco then said, “we killed Necroatha, We can do anything.”
Richard Piped in, “I hear one of you died in that battle.”
The party became somber as they remembered their fallen friend.
The temperature continues to drop as the party continues their journey to the bug bears. Frost appears on the grasses and the edges of some of the rain puddles starting to freeze. Watching their frozen breath as the party laboriously through the Whispwood forest, they approach the encampment.
Taco asked “Should we all go in this time?” Taco had never gotten to meet a bug bear and deperatly wanted to not be left out this time.
Richard said, “Brahi will need to help with the interpretation between common and bug bear. As a bard he certainly has a way with words.”
Brahi looked exhausted from all his travel.
Ember exclaimed “You’ll definitely need to talk.”
Maleth said, “We need… Inspired effort.”
Taco said, “Don’t worry. I’ve been working on this thing called coffee.”
Ember scolded taco saying, “That thing that already exists, there are coffee beans in this realm, and we have already coffee together. Okay. So you’re working on a new type of coffee that is probably more dangerous or worse or will explode when we try to drink it.”
Taco sheepishly said, “Well, no, but that’s probably going to be a side effect. Because, you know me.”
Tring to get things back on track, Richard asked “All right, so everyone’s going in?”
Taco said, Just Peter, Ember, Brahi, and I. Maleth should stand guard with Jarvis.”
Ember said, “Peter is dead.”
Maleth said, “Yeah, peter will never rise again.”
Richard, Ember, Brahi, and Taco walked from the blind to the gates of the bug bear encampment with the macramé chain of severed scorn heads. Four bug bear guards meet the party at the gates. Like before they are adorned with pieces of armor, but none of them have a full set of armor. Without attacking they surround the adventurers. What seems like a full minute later, a bug bear the party recognizes comes out. He’s missing a piece of fur across his shoulder.
Taco asked, “was he the sleeping guard from the watch tower?”
Richard whispers back, “Yes, that’s the one that gave us the information leading to the location of the missing herbalist.”
He comes out and and grows a couple times and the other four bug bear back off and give the party space. Their stance relaxes somewhat from their previous I’m about to eat your face stance.
Ember raises up the string of heads like a present. “We have brought you a gift.”
A look of surprise comes across the bug bear guard. The bug bear with the missing patch of fur reaches out to take it. It then passes the heads our to the other guards who then separate to adorn the camp with the heads placed on pikes. It then gestures for the group to into the village. It then geastues that Taco and Ember are to head in another direction.
Somewhat alarmed Richard does his best to tell the bug bear, “They are with us. They were helpful in defeating the scorn.”
Brahi tries to translate, but his skills are failing him.
Richard becoming more concerned that the bug bear are trying to split the party says, “we stay together. We stay together. All of us together.” Richard reaches out to hold hands with Taco and Ember.
The bug bear seems a little confused, but he allows the party to stay together for now.
As the party is led past the monolith, a little bit closer than the previous time they had been here a kind of calming sensation passes each over each member of the party.
From the blind, Maleth counts 19 bug bears. He thinks “Wow, that’s a lot. I Hope nothing just bad happens.”
The party is finally lead into queens queen’s tent. She is there. When the party enters she stands up. She towers over the party standing at least 9 ft tall. In broken common she says, “You bring heads.”
Richard says as Brahi translates, “Yes, we brought many scorn heads. It was our arrangement. We made good on our word.”
The queen sits and says, “Sleep. Here.” she geastures out toward the opening if the tent and continues, “Cold.”
Richard replies, “We have another outside your walls, He’s a friend of ours. He has a pet and he didn’t want the pet to be startled by your greatness.”
Brahi struggles to translate.
Ember says, “Dog. Cute.”
Richard says, “Out outs in the woods. Not here with Maleth. With another one of us. He waits for us to return.”
The queen asks, “You wish to leave?”
Richard replies, “We, we have other Tasks to attend to and we don’t like leaving our group for long periods. It is safer together.”
The queen replies, “Yes. Safe. Here.” She then opens up the box of The treasure, reaches in and grabs a handful of coins and just throws them at your feet. “Stay”
After some back and forth Richard leaves to get Maleth, Jarvis, the horses, and the donkey. The equestrian animals are stabled. Maleth, Richard, and Jarvis return to the queens tent.
Brahi regales the queen with the tale of the party’s mighty adventure defeating Necroffa. Ember entertains the bugbear by performing interpretive dance. to assist with telling the story. Taco assists with karaoke.
Richard enters the queens tent followed by Maleth and Jarvis. He sees that the queen looks interested in the story being told, but the other bug bear appear be bored.
The queen points to Maleth and asks, “This male friend.”
Brahi responds, “yes, that’s right. Wolf. Jarvis.”
The queen repeats, “Jarvis?”
Ember congratulates the queen for her ability to say the name.
The queen asks, “Beast, No. Jarvis, friend?”
Brahi, replies, “yes.
“I’m taco” says taco.
The queen replies, “Taco.” Pointing to to Taco. “Richard” Pointing to Richard. The queen points to Ember.
Ember says, “Ember.”
The queen repeats, “Uh, ombre.”
Ember claps and says “Yes, ma’am.”
The queen says, “You tent alone.”
The party is directed to another tent in the camp. The party sees that this tent has been left fully intact by the bug bear. Once inside the party realizes that the tent had previously been the scorn nursery. Furs line the walls and floor. There is a small area for a cooking fire. Taco asks the guard outside the tent for some food. He is led to another tent with some hanging venison. Taco brings back some of the meat. A portion of the meat is given to Jarvis and the rest is cooked using wood supplied by the bug bear.
Maleth pulls out his wine skin to take a drink and is reminded that previously in the battle with the scorn his water was evaporated.
The party, safe and warm, sleep through the night. Outside overnight the Temperature dropped. Taco, in the middle of the night being used to waking and taking third watch, peeks outside the tent and sees that the bug bear assigned to watch the party is sitting asleep.
In the morning the bug bear guard whips open the flap of the tent. It looks inside and sees that the entire party is present and that no trouble has occurred in the night.
Brahi teaches Ember the phases, “Hello”, “Friend”, and “goodbye” in
Brahi informs the bugbear guard that we have prepared to disembark. The guard tells the party that they are to see the queen first. The party is brought to the queens tent and led inside. She is not sitting the throne room, but she comes out of the back room that ember had preciously been in.
Ember curtsies and bows deeply and says in bug bear, “hello friend”. Taco bows and some of his head gear drops to the ground. He recovers the items and stands back up.
The queen seems to smile at Ember and then points and asks if Taco’s hat is armor.
Taco replies, “Not armor. Fashion. Like fancy feathers to signify importance.”
The bug bear don’t seem to have a word for fashion. She replies “Fancy armor.”
Taco tries to explain, “This is a hat.”
Richard explains, “Hats are not armor. The hat helps to keep his stupid thoughts from getting out. It doesn’t work all the time.”
The queen replies, “Strange.” “Stay, Go?”
Richard replies, “We have other duties to attend to. We must go. We may return into future the next time we’re in the area for any reason. We we are very grateful for your hospitality. We will tell people how great the bug bears are and that they should leave you alone.”
When Brahi translates that part the queen stands up quickly. “Say nothing.”
Richard replies, “We will say nothing.”
Maleth asks, “Have you seen the the great griffin in this area before? Do your people know of the great lion bird.”
The queen replies, “Yes, lion bird. Big lion bird.”
Maleth asks, “have your people encountered it before?”
The queen says, “Lion bird. Has taken bugbear. Size of fire bird.”
The party now alarmed at this news discusses this new information. The griffin is big enough to take a full size bug bear.
Maleth asks, “Fire bird? Phoenix. or dragon?”
Richard asks, “Fire bird? Scales or feathers?”
The queen thinks and replies, “Uh, Like, Lizard.”
Richard, speeking to his party, ” I think that’s a dragon. She’s referring that’s worse. So it’s a griffin the size of a dragon.”
Richard turns back to the queen and asks, “Is there also a fire bird?”
The queen replies, “Not here. Fire bird far south.”
Ember tells the queen, “Firebird, we are happy to know your word for it.”
She she growls in a unique way and makes a hand motion.
Ember tries and fails to repeat the bug bear word for firebird.
The queen patiently repeats the word again.
Ember repeats the word again, this time saying it correctly.
The queen grabs the treasure chest. Pull it open and just scoop up a big paw full of the coins. She tosses the coins on the floor. She then closes the chest and puts it back down. “Good smooth head killers.”
She points at the pile of Coins.
The party gathers up about 200g worth of various coin denominations and small
The queen stands and says, “Go forth and kill more smooth heads.” One of the bug bear guard opens up the flap of the tent.
Maleth asks where the party can get water.
The queen tells the party that water can be found to the north at a small creek.
The party gathers the horses and donkey and leaves the camp. Traveling north they come to the creek with clean water. The water is cold. It seems to be about 20 degrees outside.
The party travels back toward north gate for a full day of travel. Travel is slow due the cold but without incident.
The party travels in the cold weather until they reach outside the Whispwood forest, three or four miles from Northgate. At the end of the day when it’s time to make camp for the night. Maleth tells the tale of how Jarvis saved Maleth in the battle against Necrotha. “The story of how Jarvis saved Maleth’s life twice in one day. Well. There we were. Fighting the evil necrotha. Whenever he cast his great powerful area of this effect spells. Jarvis pulled me away from danger. He did so twice. Doth saving my life. He then he felt that killing blown to Necrotha as well.”
Richard asked, “I heard that Necrotha could fly. How how could your wolf reach Necrotha?”
Maleth continued, “Why simple he could fly. He had consumed flying potions. So, we were engaged in combat and in flight. It was the great battle. Peter sacrificed himself so that we might live. Like some sort of religious icon. We erected statue of peter.”
The party was all regaled by the retelling of this tale.
The party settles down and using it’s normal watch order in pairs, Ember and Richard on first watch, Maleth and Jarvis on second watch, and Taco and Brahi on third watch.
During second watch Maleth and Jarvis notice a sound in the distance. Maleth wakes Ember and then the rest of the party.
Ember calls out to the noise in the distance in bug bear, “Hello friend”
The noise starts to come closer. Maleth mounts a horse ready to flee. Jarvis readies to free the other horses. The rest of the party readies for attack. An owlbear runs in and hits Ember and then Peter. Ember uses her readied action to stab the owlbear. Taco uses his readied action to hit the owlbear. Peter then uses his readied action to deal a final killing blow to the owlbear.
Seeing that the danger is now past. The party takes a short rest and then goes back to sleep. Maleth and Jarvis finish their watch. Taco takes his watch with Brahi. Morning breaks and the party eats of the freshly killed owlbear. They then finishes their journey to Northgate.
Once in Northgate Maleth takes the magical jeweled color to be identified by a local jeweler. The jeweler is unable to provide a specific identification of the collar’s power, but provides some insight.
The party begins a long rest taking two days.
During the long rest the party meets with Lord Aldred in the inn Elfhelm. They tell of how they tracked the missing herbalist. That the body of the herbalist was recovered and put to rest. The signet ring was returned. The party tells of the scorn tribe that the party killed and of the owlbear. Aldred sends a small party with a cart to retrieve the corpse of the owlbear. As further details of the scorn battle are explained it is reveled that two party members had been hurt by the scorn werewolf. The injured party members was sent to the temple of Argona with Richard were they were cured of any disease that they may have contracted. Aldred paid the party 250g for competing the quest to find the missing herbalist.
Richard acquires the silvered heavy hammer that he had ordered previously.
Maleth acquires a silvered longsword.