Loose Threads: Bugbears with Grinning Skull Insignia, Ashen Hawk's Corrupted Arm
Participants: The Ashen Hawk, Bethany Claire, Cornix the Beaker, Hecret, Zinlynndise Imare, Ruun
Location(s): Unekawa's Reach, Roanokae Camp, Unexplored Continent
Short summary:
In short, the party went to Unekawa's Reach and found some Bugbears wearing a grinning skull insignias. We negotiated our way in but fought some Bugbears controlling Undead. Further in we found a purple void worm manipulating the nexus in the ritual chamber. We killed the worm and Ashen Hawk absorbed the power of the nexus into his arm. The Unknown threat around Roanokae is gone! We are freeeee!
Full report: Hawk
The Ashen Hawk reporting in to follow up on the Two Sides of the Same Coin mission report.
After the mission in which I unlocked the power of soulforging, I wanted to return to Unekawa's Reach to put an end to the trouble we started. With a crack team of alchemists and warrior-casters behind me, we traveled to Unekawa's Reach while discussing tactics and intelligence on the foe we sought to defeat: Merry the Immortal.
We were surprised, then, to see the Republic of Jagriarius at Unekawa's Reach. Six Goblins accosted us, but Ruun thankfully speaks Goblin and was able to avoid a fight. We met with the captain, and Cornix the Beaker noted that these Goblinoids bore an insignia of a grinning skull. It seems they were scavenging or excavating from the ruins. With many rifles pointed at us, we managed to negotiate entry into the temple from the southern entrance.
I was able to recall our position in this place relative to where my previous party had entered on the western side. Our approach was easy-going until we ran into some bugbear scientists. They seemed to be controlling two Zombie hordes with some device. Additionally, a swarm of skulls appeared and screamed a confusion-inducing wail. The worst of the fight was that we were hitting each other. Eventually we defeated the Zombies and Skulls thanks to Cornix and Ruun's anti-Undead alchemy and a hefty hit from Hecret. By then, the scientists had escaped, and we spent time patching our wounds instead of chasing.
From this point I knew the path to the ritual chamber, so we followed it. One of the once derelict rooms was converted into some sort of surgical experimentation chamber where the Bugbears were experimenting on Undead. We took some unusual silver cubes from this chamber since we couldn't identify their purpose, other than Hecret reading an aura of Enchantment magic. There was a tube of light coming from a western chamber going deeper into the temple- we weren't sure if it had some more nefarious purpose than simply lighting the depths, but I smashed it anyway.
I took us to the ritual chamber viewing room to scout out what happened to the place where we fought Merry. She was gone, but in her place was a gargantuan Purple Void Worm in a circle of ritualistically drawn blood. It chatted with a Bugbear scientist, whom was being escorted by an ice Golem from before, and the scientist ran off. The worm creature was extracting Undead from the soul nexus I had encountered previously. But the nexus had grown considerably since then, expanding and breaking reality. The creature had to be stopped.
After much intense deliberation, Beth, Cornix, and I managed to convince the others that we should fight the void worm while still relatively full on resources. We spent about 30 seconds pre-buffing before charging into the room. Beth landed an early decisive critical hit, and that dictated the flow of battle as we quickly, and somewhat easily, dispatched the worm. But, with what little health it had left, it cast a spell that sacrificed its own life force to destabilize the nexus.
With magic, bombs, and various pieces of corpse, we tried to stabilize the portal. But it was a losing battle from the start, and nothing was working. I put my own arm with my essence form soulforger armor into the portal, and with great effort, I was able to siphon the energy of the nexus into myself. But the temple collapsed around us as I did so - everyone recalled except Lynn, whom flew to safety. She collected me from the ruins and we recalled away from the ruins of Unekawa's Reach, the sandstone hand now a corrupted sculpture of obsidian.
I still bear the curse of this magical nexus in my arm. But the Undead threat from Unekawa's Reach is, for now, gone.