Adventurers
- Alfredward (Dwarf 4)
- Bilbay (Thief 1) & Maurice (Knight 1)
- Dulo Chaec (Magic User 1)
- Knuckles (Thief 1)
- Mandras (Dwarf 1)
Interrogation of the capture hairy one revealed that there was an attempt to build an army in progress beneath the monastery, ready to be unleashed upon Yeoldelands in conjunction with other raids elsewhere in the realms. The adventurers also learned that the nightly trips to throw sacks into the steam vents were to feed some form of creature the hairy ones were ‘developing’ – mutated, hairless versions of their own kind.
The party decided to tackle this threat with poison. Learning from Redwood Keep’s cook of a particularly potent family of mushroom found deep in the Deadwoods, they set off on a foraging expedition. After a full day’s travel with eyes peeled, they finally came to a little clearing populated only with a colossal fallen log – there, growing along one side of the hollowed-out tree, was fungus matching the desired description.
With colleagues stationed around the edge of the clearing to watch for intruders coming in, Alfredward started picking the mushrooms. Everyone span around at the sound of the great creaking to see the log roll over towards the dwarf, who just managed to fling himself out of the way. Great spindly legs emerged from the hollow trunk and stabbed at the ground as Alf rolled away from each attack.
The party loosed their arrows and blades upon the beast, hacking at the woody armour and exposed limbs. They utilised their numbers, and the creature was unable to land a telling blow upon them. Finally Maurice made another passing charge on his steed and drove his enchanted trident through their adversary, slaying it.
Collecting enough toxic fungus to coat several carcasses, the party returned to Redwood Keep and, having paid the cook for the trouble of basting said carcasses, they returned to the monastery in the mountains. Waiting for nightfall, they slunk through a gap in the wall and lobbed most of the poisoned bait into the steam-emitting crevice and the leftovers into the building where they suspected more creatures to be locked away.
With an empty barrel also in tow, they snuck around to the burnt-out ruins of what had once been the monastery. Spying two guards sat atop the wall near the stairway down, the sneakier adventurers crept near and distracted them with a thrown bag of gold coins. Whether the hairy ones would have fallen for the ploy will never be known, for as soon as one started clambering down to investigate Dulo unleashed a slumbering enchantment which enveloped both in sleep. One broke its neck falling to the ground, and the other’s throat was cut as it snoozed.
Filling the barrel with water from the courtyard fountain – somehow untouched by the fiery destruction which had destroyed the rest of the building – the party returned to civilisation. They handed the barrel to their elven advisor contact, who in exchange revealed that it had fluctuating magical properties, likely used in an initiation ceremony to filter out the initiates that displeased the goddess Ferona. Taking a gamble, both Knuckles and Mandras took swigs of the water and found themselves blessed, feeling respectively more dexterous and stronger.