With the contract signed between Xulox and house Cannith, all that was left was finding a way to get the party back together; a daunting task that ultimately proved easier than expected.
Cronos, while still angry at Melody's recent transgressions, chose to forgive and move on, rather than continue their feud. His actions made it much easier to bring along Crudak, and the party was reformed. Before they could head out in search of Boril's corpse, however, Melody wanted to further investigate the accusations against Bren ir'Gadden.
The party carefully planned their trip into the Cogs. None wanted a further encounter with Daask, especially without Boril and Falkruun in tow. The plan with Growmsh was simple, though; do a quick interrogation and find out if Grimgore acted alone or with Brellish orders.
Before they could enter Growmsh's trading post, a black-clad figure emerged and made a quick exit down an alleyway. The building exploded in arcane fury immediately afterward. Cronos leapt into action, chasing down the figure, only to witness it teleport away before he could strike. The others made a mad dash to save the orc proprietor, suffering some minor burns and one badly damaged leg in the process.
Despite their best efforts, Growmsh succumbed to his wounds shortly after being rescued from the fire. He was only alive long enough to give one cryptic explanation of the orders, "...ordered to kill...." and "...Marks..." It was clear to Meloday, and all involved, that Growmsh was under the belief that Grimgore was under orders, and that Marks likely meant either dragonmarks or aberrant marks. Melody had also confirmed the explosion was caused by explosive runes, though none had any idea who the arsonist was. The answers would have to wait, however, as the airship was ready for departure.
A few days later, the heroes were resting above the bog where Boril's body would be found. Due to an incoming storm and limited solid ground in the bog, the party was dropped a few miles from the location of the corpse. The ship would scout about while avoiding the storm and the four would hike through the bog to recover Boril.
Cronos used his mastery over storm to ensure the inclemate weather was mostly ignored and the party was off. After an hour or two of backtracking, they come across a bridge, showing signs of civilization in the area. As they began to cross, Crudak spotted two humanoids heading toward them, apparently attempting to escape a group of Stirge harrying them. Cronos, however, saw it differently. The rot grubs falling from the faces of the creatures, along with the bloated, putrid look of the stirge confirmed his fears.
The zombies, for lack of a better word, attack relentlessly, while the deathhusk stirge spewed a rotten blood all over the party. What appeared to be a quick skirmish quickly took a turn for the deadly when Cronos destroyed one of the zombies, only to find the body was animated purely by the rot grubs inside, who were now trying to infest him!
After a prolonged struggle, the heroes were able to survive and finish off the creatures. They were significantly humbled, though. Cronos and Melody were realizing that their rash actions with Boril's body lead to the deaths of innocent villagers. If they were going to succeed, they'd have to be more cautious next time...
Cronos, while still angry at Melody's recent transgressions, chose to forgive and move on, rather than continue their feud. His actions made it much easier to bring along Crudak, and the party was reformed. Before they could head out in search of Boril's corpse, however, Melody wanted to further investigate the accusations against Bren ir'Gadden.
The party carefully planned their trip into the Cogs. None wanted a further encounter with Daask, especially without Boril and Falkruun in tow. The plan with Growmsh was simple, though; do a quick interrogation and find out if Grimgore acted alone or with Brellish orders.
Before they could enter Growmsh's trading post, a black-clad figure emerged and made a quick exit down an alleyway. The building exploded in arcane fury immediately afterward. Cronos leapt into action, chasing down the figure, only to witness it teleport away before he could strike. The others made a mad dash to save the orc proprietor, suffering some minor burns and one badly damaged leg in the process.
Despite their best efforts, Growmsh succumbed to his wounds shortly after being rescued from the fire. He was only alive long enough to give one cryptic explanation of the orders, "...ordered to kill...." and "...Marks..." It was clear to Meloday, and all involved, that Growmsh was under the belief that Grimgore was under orders, and that Marks likely meant either dragonmarks or aberrant marks. Melody had also confirmed the explosion was caused by explosive runes, though none had any idea who the arsonist was. The answers would have to wait, however, as the airship was ready for departure.
A few days later, the heroes were resting above the bog where Boril's body would be found. Due to an incoming storm and limited solid ground in the bog, the party was dropped a few miles from the location of the corpse. The ship would scout about while avoiding the storm and the four would hike through the bog to recover Boril.
Cronos used his mastery over storm to ensure the inclemate weather was mostly ignored and the party was off. After an hour or two of backtracking, they come across a bridge, showing signs of civilization in the area. As they began to cross, Crudak spotted two humanoids heading toward them, apparently attempting to escape a group of Stirge harrying them. Cronos, however, saw it differently. The rot grubs falling from the faces of the creatures, along with the bloated, putrid look of the stirge confirmed his fears.
The zombies, for lack of a better word, attack relentlessly, while the deathhusk stirge spewed a rotten blood all over the party. What appeared to be a quick skirmish quickly took a turn for the deadly when Cronos destroyed one of the zombies, only to find the body was animated purely by the rot grubs inside, who were now trying to infest him!
After a prolonged struggle, the heroes were able to survive and finish off the creatures. They were significantly humbled, though. Cronos and Melody were realizing that their rash actions with Boril's body lead to the deaths of innocent villagers. If they were going to succeed, they'd have to be more cautious next time...
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Posted on October 18, 2011 06:47
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