Summary
Events
The odds are 25:1 for today’s B-tier fight
We also get 500G per person for winning
We all bet
We will be fighting an “Ice Giant”
We recognize it as some strange Stone Giant covered in magical ice
Every time we damage it (other than with fireball), each attack spawns 1d4 minions
At low (half?) health, it breaks into two large (previously huge) copies of itself
When they die, they explode in a 30foot radius on their next turn
It does something crazy like 18d6 damage per half
We defeat the Stone Giant but at the end, Roz dies from an explosion
He is carried out on a stretcher
We follow
Roz ’s perspective from the dead
He is standing in a beautiful, infinite temple with tendrils of magic floating everywhere
He feels peaceful; as thought he can rest and breath
Selûne appears next to him
“Yes, I know. I want to go back, too. I want a second chance. But Roz , you’ve had one. Do you truly want to suffer more pain? Do you truly want to see the hurt Theratina will bring to you?”
He wants to stay here in heaven
In front of him, a Genasi (Water) nearby backhands him across the face. “Yeah right! That’s not who I decided to align with. You’re not going to give up!”
It is Jimmothy in the form he used to take when he lived
Back in the world
We all encourage Roz to accept the Resurrection
On the final attempt, he leaves it up to a d100 roll
He wakes up
We go accept our winnings: 277,000G (before Ferrar ’s cut)
We find Ferrar and give him his 10%
He suggests we hunt the The Dark Beasts
“Last I hear, they were somewhere out by Greythorne in The Twin Veins ”
He mentions they are forcibly turning people into lycanthropes
Theodore asks if we were to hunt them if he would join
He scoffs; he is more of a manager than a battlefield specialist
The head of the dark beasts is Thompson : the brother of Ferrar
If we kill Thompson , the people he infected will become cured
Raelor asks for advice on getting to Thompson
“Close to his den, he likes to have outposts. If you burn those, he gets all riled up and send out some of his wolves. If he thinks there’s a threat, he will then isolate himself”
Bruce gives Cal a set of keys
They are the keys to his home, patrolled by his men every night
We can safely stay there
We return to The Iron Wake Mug
Raelor’s conversation with Diana
A conversation with Thompson
Roz gives a toast, thanking us for encouraging him to returnThe tavern door opens and a gentleman enters
He takes a seat at an empty table
He orders a large pint of ale from Diana
Roz and Yharov can tell this man is a lycanthrope
His scent is very strong, implying he is maybe a strong lycanthrope?
He digs his nails into the table, looking at and smirking at Theratina
Raelor talks to him
He is coming from “a nice farm town in The Twin Veins ”
“I’m planning on visiting family”
He is almost certainly Thompson
He mentions Theratina by name
He also pulls out the knife we are seeking
“I will give you this if you help me get into Glasscat Grove ”
He wants to “free” them and help them “fight back”
“If I bite someone Ferrar has bitten, they’ll switch; he will no longer be their alpha”
“I will become the alpha of Glasscat Grove ”
Raelor asks what “truth” he saw
“I saw this monster we locked away be treid to free on multiple occassions”
“The truth is: nobody deserves free will”
He tells Theratina : “If you truly want to find out what you are, meet me north of Vel Rau’dan . You’ll find me.”
She seems curious after this last comment
Raelor borrows Theratina ’s Hat of Disguise , takes her form, and follows him
After going a considerable distance, he finally gets Thompson ’s attention
He immediately recognizes Raelor ’s smell (“like manure”)
We all deafen (on Discord) as Thompson explains what Theratina is
Raelor returns and says it was “uneventful”, but “has a lead”We chat about who we may want to align with
Yharov looks to see if Thompson left the coin
Theratina took it before anyone sawWe suspect this and convince her to put it back on the table
On one half, it says in words “Call to me”
On the other half, it has a shadow with eyes
The coin is dark black and red
It looks identical to the coin we found on Anthony
We decide to go to Bruce ’s manor
Raelor is staying behind as Diana ’s “personal bodyguard” for the night (wink)
At Bruce ’s manor
We go to bed, each in our own bedroom
Theratina goes to Cal ’s room and has her read The Human King of the Elves Cal makes a wisdom save
The world around changes as she finds herself in a snowstorm
Her mentor is there, standing as if the storm isn’t there
“Cal!… Cal!… Leave Vel Rau’dan ! Cal !…”
Horrifying images appear in front of Cal with people being frozen solid
Theratina , far beyond, is huddled and rocking back and forth asking for helpAs Theratina looks up, it is not her. A demonic face appears in her place
“Cal , don’t leave. Stay in Vel Rau’dan for me and I will show you every possible memory.”
Cal wakes up in Theratina ’s room