The Hunt for the Tatzlwyrms
Some miles to the southwest of the pit where they had found the Thylacine, Gam'el'Gar, who by now had become an expert in the Narlmarches wild forest, found some reptilian tracks. Using his reference book for tracks, he deduced that they had been left by Tatzlwyrms. According to the little information provided in the book, the creatures were related to dragons and usually built dams in rivers, in the same way as beavers do; the book also mentioned that they were fast creatures and they could breathe a mild poison once they grabbed hold of their prey.
The group followed the tracks to the Skunk river. Several sandy islets created a ford across the rive, building a natural choke point. An obviously artificial dam formed with thick piles of rubble, branches and tree trunks blocked the southern section of the river... The skeletal remains of some poor fellow laid in a cranny between several tree trunks of the dam.
The group approached the dam stealthily, and several times they almost fell victim to some devious traps -as it turned out, built by the Tatzlwyrms- that would have injured their legs (they were small potholes covered with branches and leaves). They somehow managed to get less than 20 feet from the dam when they spotted a Tatzlwyrm on the island. The creature was lying under the sun, enjoying the beautiful spring day, completely oblivious to the characters' presence.
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| Tatzlwyrm - taken from Kingmaker Paper Minis |
The group withdrew a bit and prepared while Am (with the help of Cardot's miracles) showered the Tatzlwyrm with two well placed shots with his mighty bow. Taken by surprise, the reptile rushed towards the group but was stopped in its tracks by another volley from Am... More dangerous was a second beast that had been hiding in one of the holes of the dam and charged Kii when it detected the casting sounds of the Svirfneblin. Kii was well prepared for the attack, and this second Tatzlwyrm could not grab hold of the Magus... Between Kii and Gam'el'gar they made short notice of this other Tatzlwyrm.
As they had been able to surprise the creatures, the hunt had been easier than expected. They made camp in the area, correctly thinking that the presence of the Tatzlwyrm's lair would make it safer for the night. The skeletal remains turned out to be those of an explorer. The possessions included a map detailing the north-western border of the Narlmarches, and marked two points of interest, a Statue of Erastil just to the north of the Tatzlwyrm lair and a pond of warm waters where (according to the explorer's notes) taking a bath was a wonderful pleasure.
The Statue of Erastil
The group then moved to the north until they reached the edge of the forest. It took them some time to find the Statue marked in the explorer's map, as it was in a secluded valley. When they found it, the group saw that it was a 15-foot-tall statue of a hunter with an elk head, partially overgrown by shrubbery and small trees at the base but towering above the surrounding shrubbery. Its head was directed towards the northwest, and in the distance the group could see the glint of the sun hitting the water of the Slough Swamp.
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| Erastil - taken from Rivers Run Red |
Garuum, the Exiled Boggard
The Narlmarches spreads across the Stolen Lands and feature craggy hills, lazy streams, deep ravines, and a great variety of trees, including oak, beech, and rushleaf. The forest has a dangerous reputation, with regular sightings of trolls, kobolds and aggressive predators.
The northwestern edge of the forest is particularly isolated, and the ground just east of the Skunk River slumps away into a soggy mire. When they found a pair of ruined stone buildings jutting from the swampy ground, the group decided to be extremely cautious, specially since they had discovered the tracks of giant frogs and of a boggard, a frog-like creature.
They waited an hour watching the buildings from the distance, trying to detect any movement from within, but when no sign of activity was detected, Cardot decided to approach the buildings while the rest covered his movement with their weapons. He called out and asked whether there was anybody in the ruins. Soon, a toad the size of an adult human appeared at the door of one of the buildings while a strange looking frog-man (a boggard) emerged from the other shouting "Truce! Truce!".
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| Garuum - taken from Kingmaker Paper Minis |
The boggard introduced himself as Garuum, and through mimicry and his poor knowledge of Common, he made clear to Cardot that he was hungry and somehow this was his land. After giving him some food, Cardot skillfully introduced the rest of the group one by one so as not to scare the creature, and convinced Garuum to let them sleep in one of the ruined buildings. Although the area was very humid, by now the characters were seasoned travelers and they woke up the following day feeling well rested.
In the morning, Cardot used one of his miracles and duped Garuum into touching him. The creature was surprised to understand everything Cardot told him, and he started telling his story to Cardot.
"Garuum had been once a member of the boggard tribes found to the west of the Narlmarches in the Hooktongue Slough swamp. He wanted to become High Priest of Gogunta, and in order to prepare himself, he gathered and devoured several dozen of the tribe’s sacred blue dragonflies, hoping to gain great power and skill from the insects. Alas, while the feast bolstered his self-confidence, it did nothing for his battle skills. When he rode his giant toad into the center of his tribe to challenge the previous High Priest, the traitorous Sepoko laughed at him and had other members of the tribe capture Garuum. Then he sentenced him and his steed to death after a day of punishment.
Fortunately for Garuum, his guards got drunk and he could escape his bonds by using a rock to pulverize his left hand in order to tear it free from his manacle. He knew he could not go back to his tribe, because the High Priest would have him slain, so he went into the Narlmarches, in order to escape Sepoko's wrath. "
Garuum considers himself the ruler of this small section of the woods and told the characters that once he had scared away one troll. He graciously allowed the characters free passage in his lands, as they were now bound by friendship. Finally, he told them that if they helped him become High Priest and depose Sepoko, he would be eternally grateful, and all boggards would be their friends.
Back to the Fort
After securing Garuum's friendship (the boggard even brought the group a couple of smelly fish he had captured in the swamp), the group decided it was time to go back and check on the fort's situation, because the mercenaries should probably have arrived.
The trip back to the fort took them almost 2 days. By now, they were quite knowledgeable of the area and started knowing the best trails to move quickly or stealthily through the forest. When they arrived at the fort, they saw a big group of around 50-60 people had made camp at the foot of the hill. Approximately half of them were heavily armed and wore colorful sashes with an embroidered wolverine...
XP:
- 100 (exploring the Tatzlwyrm hex)
- 1,200 (hunting the Tatzlwyrms)
- 100 (exploring the Statue of Erastil hex)
- 100 (cleaning the Statue of Erastil)
- 100 (exploring the "Garuum's kingdom" hex)
- 1,200 (befriending Garuum and his pet Ubagub)
Total this session: 2,800XP
Total campaign: 32,375XP
Loot:
- 100 gp in assorted coins (approximately 50gp, 500sp).
- jewelry in backpack of dead explorer (a pewter drinking stein, a silver ring, a jade carving
of a nude female elf; StolenLands28).
- a masterwork cold iron sword.
- a watertight scroll tube with a map inside. The map describes the northwestern border of the Narlmarches (halves the time required to explore those hexes).
Spent:
- Gam'el'gar: 1 potion of Shield of Faith.
Time Passed:
- 5 days.
The time now is 5th Desnus (May), in the evening. The group is arriving at the former Stag Lord's fort.
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