The evening at the ruined village passes uneventfully for the trio.
In the morning, they gather with their follower, Tolu the Hunter, to discuss how to deal with the beast.
“I figured you’d just hit it a bunch,” Kristov says to Jabari.
Faus suggests causing a cave-in to trap the creature inside its cave. However, the adventurers determine that there was no way to know if the cavern didn’t have more openings without searching the area.
Surprisingly, the wolfkin is adamant that the group needs to plan before rushing into a fight this time.
“I don’t mind getting down and dirty, but if we could just trap it, that would make my job easier,” Jabari says.
“Let’s scout the area to see if there are any other exits first,” Kristov affirms.
Faus also suggests using the undead he can control in the attack. Kristov, not wanting to run afoul of the villagers, urges the sorcerer to do his dark work quietly and away from the three refugees they found.
When asked about the monster’s lair, the villagers explain that they avoid the area for years because of the beast. With tears in their eyes, the men explain that after the fight, they only found body parts in most cases, so they dug a mass grave outside of town.
With a nod, Kristov tells the survivors to wait one day for their return. If the party doesn’t make it back, the refugees are welcome to travel south to rejoin their families at the stronghold.
Meanwhile, Faus was hard at work casting his dark magic. The dead he raises are misshapen and look dreadful but still function. The arcane spell goes wrong at the end and causes him to become parched and dreadfully thirsty. He is forced to drink his entire supply of water.
While waiting for Faus to finish his work, Kristov and Jabari spent their morning training. The old peddler ruminated on his many adventures and practices telling stories of his deeds, sure that tales would better allow him to manipulate his marks. The wolfkin slashes about with his sword in growing competency.
Gathering the undead and Tolu, the party ventured forth to the windy hills outside the village. It doesn’t take long for them to find the cave entrance. The adventurers see the beast’s marks all about the opening and smell its rotting breath emanating from deeper inside.
The sorcerer suggests sending his undead in to fight the beast while sealing it up inside. Kristov laughs and says, “That seems 100 percent likely to fail.”
Opting for a more traditional strategy, the group sends one restless dead inside while arranging bear traps at the cave entrance.
Once in position, Faus sends the zombie in, saying, “Hey stubby, get in there and poke whatever it is and get it to chase you out here.”
Based on the terrible gnashing sounds they hear a few minutes later, it’s clear the monster ate the zombie. However, it’s enough to lure it out. Once the massive maw beast comes into view, Tolu and Jabari let loose a flurry of arrows and drive it into the bear traps.
With arrows continuing to fly, Faus sends the rest of his undead straight at the monster. He throws a rock for good measure, too.
Meanwhile, Kristov pulls a heavy crossbow out of his magic sack and starts to load a bolt. Sensing an opportunity, Jabari drops his longbow and charges at the beast with his sword and shield.
Roaring in pain at the barrage of attacks, the maw monster spits acid in a wide arc. The deadly spray douses the wolfkin, grievously wounding him. Seeing his master in danger, Tolu brings the beast down with a steely shot from his bow. Unfortunately, the strain causes him to tear some of his muscles.
Once the battle was over and the remaining undead was put to rest, Kristov gave Tolu much praise and awarded him the heavy crossbow.
After mucking through the rancid lair of the monster, the group was able to find: a foul-smelling knapsack, a copper mug, 13 copper coins, a toy silver mask, a silver goblet, and a heavy gold statue. Faus determines the figure is a relief dedicated to the dwarven god Huge.
Not trusting Tolu, despite his heroism, Jabari keeps the statue for himself and gives the hunter a scimitar instead. The group decides to head home and make sure the remaining refugees can rejoin their families.
After traveling a couple days south, the party is astounded to find their keep under siege from a giant gray bear. The wise woman they left in charge cries out from one of the towers, calling on her lords to kill the creature that has her people trapped.
Kristov charges into the stronghold and smashes the bear with his hammer while Faus expertly throws a rock. Tolu fires a crack shot from his new crossbow and draws much blood from the beast.
After Jabari swings his sword at it, the creature grabs him and crushes him in a bear hug. They both snap at each other with their jaws.
Kristov runs up and hits the prone bear with his mighty hammer. The bear continues to try to crush Jabari, but his armor continues to hold out. Tolu drops his crossbow and runs forward with his dagger to stab the bear.
Finally, Jabari breaks free with a mighty roar and picks up his longsword. The gray bear rises suddenly on its hind legs, towering above the adventurers. Its claws sweep in a wide arc, hitting everything in their path.
Faus tries to kill it with a final rock throw, but the pebble bounces off its hide. Kristov swings forth with his hammer and crushes the gray bears’ skull, ending the threat…
JesseFolk.com 