Players and Characters
Jack- Elf Ancients Paladin Strethwood Tryder
Sam- Human Wizard Avira
Emily- Satyr Eloquence Bard Foxy Shazam Superstar
Kevin- Firbolg Circle of the Moon Druid Varis Sparkfall
Summary
The party has come down from the mountains and Varis leads them to the town of Evarth, because he knows there is a druid's grove nearby. But when they arrive, the town is in chaos. There's a burial detail in the graveyard, corral fences are missing, some buildings have ben damaged and a little bit of smoke drifts from the edge of the groves. Strethwood immediately begins helping the townspeople repair a home and Varis goes to the druid's grove. The grove's ward are active, Varis can enter, but a non-druid would become lost in the woods. The sacrificial pool and altar at the center of the grove and the druid's hut are undamaged, the fire was confined to a few trees on the edge of the woods. Varis returns to town and they learn a frost giant attacked the town, stampeded their livestock away, smashed some buildings, and killed their druid when he tried to defend the town. The giant herded their livestock into the hills to the south, but recent snowstorms have covered the tracks. The party talks to the townfolk and they learn that there is a forest south of town that the druids have been warning people away from for years. Also, there's an old, abandoned dwarven mine. But the best clue is a wise woman who lives in the hills who can sometimes help people. But sometimes people going to her for help have disappeared, but that could be just from the dangers of the hills. There's an orc village a ways to the east for example.
The party decides to leave in the morning and travel to the old woman's hut. They find her feeding chickens in front of her hut, she also has a pig and cow in a small corral. While the rest of the party begins to talk to her, Strethwood uses Divine Sense and realizes she is evil, and there is an invisible evil being BEHIND them. He begins to slowly draw his sword, but he is noticed. The old woman shapeshifts up into a centaur-like monster, with the upper body of a woman but the body of a lion, a lamia. She attacks Foxy and claws her with its forelegs. Varis casts Call Lightning and strikes the monster. The invisible creature behind them is another lamia, it hits Strethwood with Enemies Abound and he attacks Avira from behind, but she cures him with Dispel Magic. Foxy hurls spells at the first lamia and it casts Mirror Image to give Foxy three more targets. Foxy drives it away with a Fear spell and as it runs, Avira traps it with a Wall of Fire. Varis and Strethwood fight the other and Varis hits it with a Blight spell and Strethwood hits it hard (natural 20!) with his flaming sword and they drop it. The first lamia bursts out of the Wall of Fire and Avira slays it with a Fireball.
After healing the party, they search the house and find some skeletons, including that of an old woman, the lamia must have eaten her and preyed on her visitors. Varis uses Detect Magic and finds a statuette of a bronze griffon. They decide to make camp here.
Part Two
NPC- Elf Ancients Paladin Strethwood Tryder
Sam- Human Wizard Avira
Emily- Satyr Eloquence Bard Foxy Shazam Superstar
Kevin- Firbolg Circle of the Moon Druid Varis Sparkfall
Evan- Human Circle of the Moon Druid Chatterfang
Katya- Dragonblood Human Sorcerer Druka
Nick- Human Mercy Monk Lo Pan
Druka, Chatterfang, and Lo Pan catch up with the party at the wise woman's hut. With reinforcements, they decide to tackle the abandoned dwarven town. The approach the town through occasional snow showers and see the town is run down; the walls are starting to crumble and the wooden gates have fallen. They spot a group of crows eating something and go to investigate. The crows are eating some kind of carrion in front of a house and as the adventurers approach, three trolls come out and attack. The party responds with fire magic, and lots of it. Druka runs up and lets fly with Aganazar's Scorcher, Varis does a Create Bonfire under one, then rolls a Flaming Sphere into it. Lo Pan climbs up the side of the house behind the trolls. One troll charges and Druka and savages her with three attacks, another climbs the house to face Lo Pan and the last attacks Avira. Avira responds with another Aganazar's Scorcher. Chatterfang hits trolls with Moonbeam. Druka drops a Fireball behind two, but gets ripped up again. Foxy casts Fear and drives away two of the trolls. The trolls run away, then circle back around. Strethwood shoots one with a couple of Smite boosted arrows and Avira piles on with Firebolts. It charges the paladin and he finishes it with his Flame Tongue sword. Lo Pan grapples his troll and throws it from the roof into a bonfire. They finishe the last troll and make sure they burn them. Varis goes to search the trolls' lair and they find a potion, a scroll tube with five spells and a pouch of coins and gems. lo Pan climbs the town's watch tower and spots smoke from a big bonfire in the distance. Varis uses Speak with Animals and questions the crows and gets a few clues about the giant. The party camps for the night and heads off the fire in the morning, which is only a few hours away.
In the morning, they find a small box canyon with a mountain stream and a lake. The opening is closed by a crude wall of fallen trees and a gate made of logs lashed together. Nearby is a huge lean to of fallen trees and animal hides, big enough for the giant. There is an old bonfire big enough to roast a cow. There are lots of tracks, but no sign of the giant, the missing cows are in the crude corral. Foxy slips down and puts a Glyph of Warding on the gate to catch the giant when he returns, Lo Pan hides in the herd of cows and Druka uses her Cloak of Invisibility while the rest of the party hides in the woods. While they are debating what to do when the giant returns, the lean to's flap opens and out comes the giant! Taken by surprise, the party goes to frontal assault. Druka throws a Wall of Fire across the giant and the lean to, Foxy uses her harp to cast Slow on the giant. Varis and Chatterfang summon fire elementals who pile on the giant and trap it in the Wall of Fire. Avira shoots Magic Missile and Lo Pan and Strethwood shoot arrows. But then a female giant emerges from the shelter! The giants battle the elementals while the party continues pounding them with spells and arrows and the giants fall from the combined wounds. The party recovers the livestock and heads back to town.
Silly Quotes and Smart Remarks
Sam is looking at wizard spells
Sam "Prismatic Spray?"
Jim "It's the Rainbow of Death"
Discussing which clue location to go to first, second, etc, and how long each leg will take
Emily "It's like Google Maps, when you add a destination and try to decide which way to go"
Kevin "I don't want to go to the <dwarven> mine"
Jim "Afraid of balrogs?"
They arrive at the wise woman's hut, she has a small corral with a cow, a pig, and chickens
Kevin "I was expecting Baba Yaga's hut"
Jack "It's the Farmyard of the Damned"
Sam <looking at the animals> "These are the people who didn't return"
Summing up part one for the players who weren't there, the party is camped by the old wise woman's hut
Kevin "Wise-ish. Not wise enough not to be eaten"
Discussing what frost giants are immune to
Nick "Nothing's immune to punch"
Discussing what Chatterfang's Conjure Animals could summon
Jim "Four Foxes, two dogs, one bear"
Evan "Two French hens"
Emily "Can he summon a partridge in a pear tree?"
Jim "And he can talk to the tree with Speak with Plants"
Lo Pan keeps moving out of the herd of cows to snipe the giants, then dashing back to hide
Evan "The Bovine Brawler"
