4.12 Flesheaters (Milestone - 5th Level)
SESSION DATE: June 14, 2024
PRESENT: Rory, Kara, Sindri, Renaldine
Deep Dive
![[Rory - 4.12 Flesheaters.wav]]
Adventure Photos
Adventure Song & Lyrics
![[Gray Trees' Reprieve.mp4]]
World Anvil Journal
sooo... i herd abowt thethe guyth cawd the fwesheetrth ow thomethin tho i wint and got wondaline and she wath wike yah il help u but were gonna need thome mowe help tho we fownd thome new peepl. they wath kawa and thindwi. kawa thaid she ith a awtifithew who can maik cool thtuff tho i showd her thteven but she dint theem vewy impwethd. she towd me she maikth poshinth and thingth that awe akshuwy utheful tho thath cool but i got a fwend naimd thteven tho thath cool to. thindwi ith thuper cool cuth he hath fier hare but it doethnt burn him and wike it gwowth wike fier to tho ith eathy to find him in the dawk. he doethnt weewy tawk much tho tho i dont no to much abowt him. i showd him the bwonthe thkull that thkweemth win u wook at it and he thaid he wath amyuthed but i dont think n e won wewwy caweth to much abowt my thingth tho i jutht put it bak in mah bag.
n e way win we git to whitethpawow thith guy cometh wunnin in cuverd in bwood and wookin pale ath a gost at the thame tiem and heth thkweemin fow hep. he thaid heth not hurt but hith thtable guy ith and he comed hewe to thee if n e body cud help. he taketh utht to hith fawm and we thee a buncha withardfoke eetin a guy and thin we fot them off. kawa and thindwi can do thome cool thtuff wike kawa can wook wike a beetht and catht thpailth and thindwi can moov awownd and tewepowt weel gud and she can awtho catht thpelth to. and wondaline showth off a new thing she wearned were she can heel peepl if thomebody hith them and she ith cwothe enuff. that hewpd me owt a wot. win were dun fitin thethe guyth we thee thome thwee cwawd mawkth on them tho we figgur ith pwobbawy fwom a cult ow thomethin. i wath abel to thee were they caim fwom tho at weatht we can fowwow a twail.
thin we thaw that a buncha peepl fowwowed uth fwom town to the fawm and they all gather awound to thee whath goin on and won guy ith gettin yeld at. hith naim ith vilek and they thaid he had to be the won hu bwot them in cuz he doeth twading with them. wondaline tawkth with the guy and she findth owt that he cud have thome gud infowmayshin to hewp uth put a end to thethe guyth agin. he menshinth the fwesheeterth tho we no wer on the wite twack.
we wet him taik uth to hith wizardfoke fwindth that he thaid he dealth with and win we git there there ith a buncha them ded buy thome tweeth. we thee that thame thimble with the thwee cwawth on thethe guyth to thath not gud. we keep goin into the viwwage and meet the weeder ewdel owaith. wondaline tellth her wat we fownd and she doethnt wook happy but who wud. she towd uth thome hithtowy but i dint pay attenshin cuz i wath jutht weddy to fite the bad guyth who did thith and git them ded tho thethe guyth can mabe wiv in peethe agin.
we hed owt to find them and i dethieded to uthe my new bwonze thkweemin thkull to thee if it wud hewp uth no if wewath bein wachd. i towd evewyone dont wook at it that way if it thtawted thkweemin thin we new we pwobabwy wathnt awone. but we dint thee n e body until we got to thith giant canyin with thom hyuge thtatchuth. thindwi thaid her hok pet thaw thome enemeeth wike wat we fot alweddy tho we no wath comin. i taik the weed and hed into the ambush but we wath weddy fow it. but duwing the fite won of the withardfoke git away fwom me and tuk down thindwi. wondaline wath abel to get him up befowe they cud thtawt takin owt her owginth and thtuff tho thath gud but thith fite feeld a wittle hawder for thome weathin but we got them down finawy. that fite tuk a wot owt of uth tho we dethided to take a wong nap but that wathnt a gwate ideea cuz in the middle of the nite we got atakd by A HYUG CWOCADIWE AND HE HIT VEWY HAWD thay had to wake me up to fite tho that dint hewp thingth but we did git him taiken down at weetht. but it wath werth it cuz it had a fwying bwoom and kawa got that she thaid she wath gonna be the whichy won haha.
finawy we finish are nap and keep goin. we fownd the wite pwathe evinchuwy. we no ith the wite one cuz ith a giant thkull with bwood watrfawth comin owt of ith eyeth. we cwoth the bwije and thee a buncha ded wizardfoke and thome in caijeth and thome gween potth and thome thombie wookin withardfoke and a guy who wookth wike heth doin a wichual. he thaid he wud devowr uth and hith god ith hungwy or thomethin. wite in the midel of the fite i bwakd owt and dont wemembew a wot but thindwi towd me i atakd him and i wath wike IM THO THOWWY I DINT MEEN TO I DONT NO WUT HAPPIND and he wath wike that guy towd u to do it and u wookd wike he wath contwowing u and i wath wike whoa i dont wike that. we git him taiken owt tho and now ith all gud. kawa got the kiwwing bwow on him maikin him shater into wike eweventy hundwed peetheth cuz she fwoze him to deth. that wath tho cool haha git it cuz ith ithe and ith cool. i dint meen to tel a joke.
windaline fweed the withardfoke in the pwithonth ath we therch for utheful thtuff. we fownd thome gud thtuff wike a thtaff and thome kinda thing that wondaline put in her eer and she thaid she cud here peepl tawkin.
it theemth thewe may be mowe to thith thtowy than we no abowt.
Private Notes
- We make our way to Whitesparrow where we've heard tale of something called Flesheaters terrorizing the area.
- During our travels, Rory introduces himself to Kara and Sindri. Kara is a lithe person who says she is an artificer. Rory has met an artificer before in Wesson Smith, but forgets about it and says he's not sure what artificers do. She says she makes things. Rory shows her Thteven, proud of the thing he made, but she doesn't seem all that impressed. She makes things like potions, so actually useful items, unlike what Rory made.
- Rory then introduces himself to Sindri, who seems quite secretive as they don't wish to disclose what they do. But hey, they have awesome glowing fire hair, so that's cool! Rory shows off the bronze dwarven skull he just acquired. The moment they look at it, it begins screaming away. It's the good old Wilhelm Scream just played on repeat until they look away. Nobody seems to care, so he just puts it away as well. Maybe someone will care someday.
- Gambus Longfellow runs into town as fast as can be, pale as a ghost and covered in blood. He's screaming for help. Renaldine asks if he's injured. He isn't, but he believes his stablehand has been killed. A crowd gathers around us looking concerned. He asks for our assistance before leading us to his farm's stables a short way from the villange.
- We find typical stables with horses and feed. There are signs of struggle. We hear the sounds of footsteps and what can only be described as flesh being ripped.
- The sounds are coming from the nearest building across the stream.
- Renaldine says she doesn't sense any undead, but she does notice some reptilian humanoids that looks distracted by what they're doing. She sees a few of them.
- Renaldine slowly moves up and Rory follows. Renaldine quietly tells Rory to charge ahead and she'll cover me. Rory charges, seeing the four creatures Renaldine saw. INITIATIVE!!!
- Kara uses her Shift ability to shift into a bestial form. Awesome! She then hits one with a Ray of Sickness for some good damage.
- Rory takes some damage, but Renaldine steps in and gives him some quick healing. Nice!
- Sindri comes in teleporting next to Rory in the middle of battle, setting nearby foes on fire as they do so. Some cool stuff these new acquaintances can do! And then they attack with some kind of fire blade that makes its fire jump to another nearby enemy. Wow!
- Kara is also able to heal. What can't she do?
- Sindri casts Color Spray. These two are proving to be quite useful in battle!
- Renaldine gets the final killing blow on the last lizardfolk enemy. Combat over.
- We search the bodies to see what we can see. Each body bears a three clawed mark on them. One of them has a totem mark as well. None of us recognize the marks though. Rory recognizes their approach to the stables, however. They traveled from a swamp located deep in the forest, and we can follow their trail.
- Many people who followed us from Whitesparrow are now coming up behind us, including Sheriff Ruth Willowmane. One of the townsfolk are being berated for some reason. Perhaps we'll check into that soon.
- As for loot, we find:
- 11g 34s
- Morningstar x4
- Spiked shield x4
- Scale mail x4
- Amongst the riff raff, the sheriff walks up and deduces what has happened. They found out that Vilek, the guy who has been getting yelled at, has been coming into town every couple weeks. He is known to deal with Lizardfolk and presumes he has something to do with this. She doesn't have time to deal with this, so she sends us to find out where they're coming from and put a stop to the threat. Doing so would yield 400g for each of us. We're all in.
- Renaldine heads over to Vilek to interrogate him. He says the lizardfolk typically keep to themselves, but sometimes will assault the odd salesman. He says a tribe other than the one he usually deals with really is who is causing the trouble. Sindri feels like the fact there's a new sign that has suddenly popped up and that nobody here is familiar with it is likely connected. She thinks there's a long-dormant deity or clan called the Flesheaters who may be stirring, but she waits to tell us this information until the riff raff has died down. The guy doesn't recognize the totem iconology. He's a bit scared thinking about it.
- Renaldine says she isn't accusing him of being involved directly with them, but she says his contact with them provides valuable insight that may help us. She asks for any additional information he may have. He says he has none, but what he can do is make an introduction. He says he has worked with the leader of the Gray Trees, who are one of the larger clans, certainly the most civilized, who may have more information for us. Renaldine takes him up on his offer. He looks at the sheriff and demands that his name be cleared of any wrongdoings in this matter. We bid each other farewell before taking a short rest to tend to our wounds.
- We head out toward the swamp following Vilek. We come to a pair of giant trees with gnarled branches. Four lizardfolk corpses lie nearby, with vines growing around them. Vilek looks absolutely ghostly pale at the sight. He says these were his friends who he was taking us to see. Not good. The bodies look to be about four days gone, with their organs harvest neatly and intently. We also find the same three-clawed insignia. Looks like we've found the right place, or are at least on the right track.
- We stumble upon a small waterlogged satchel deep in the swamp with a Potion of Healing and a Scroll of Entangle.
- Vilek continues to lead us. We eventually come up to the home of the Gray Trees, the Village of the Swallows. A town filled with round mud huts rising from the swamp, trees surround the area. A large mud building sits at the center of the village. As we enter, roughly 50 lizardfolk are scattered around the village. Vilek asks that we stay put just outside the town gates as he approaches and asks if we may enter. Some lizardfolk come out to greet us, including the druidish leader named Elder Oraithe. Renaldine bows to him, saying she bears bad news about the death of a few of their citizens. He thanks us for finding them as they had been missing for a bit. She shows them the symbols we found on their bodies, and explains how we believe the other tribe is a threat to not only other lizard communities, but our own. He says it's time that he shares info that has been passed down from Elder to Elder. Many years ago, they defeated the Flesheaters, all of those in their alliance were able to wipe them out. Yet, the location of their temple, though kept hidden, has been passed down to us. It is forbidden for them to travel to certain areas in the swamp, and this is but one reason. He says it seems their recent troubles with the Swimming Snakes have proven worse than they thought, as it tells of the Hungerer, or the Lord of A Hundred Mouths. He says if we can destroy any iconography of their religion, including altars and even the temple if we're able, but at a minimum to destroy members of their clan, we'll have their thanks. He opens a box near him and shows that we'd have a reward waiting. Renaldine says we'll do it under the condition that they add to that the peaceful coexistence between them and the rest of the clans in the area. They agree. A contract is drafted, and each of the Elders present sign it. Renaldine hands it to Vilek and tasks him with taking it back to Whitesparrow and act as the liaison between the clans. The tribe also gives Vilek some things to take with him.
- We head out to cleanse the area of what we can find of the Flesheaters.
- Eventually we come to a stone passage in the swamp.
- As we're walking, Rory holds up the bronze skull on a stick and instructs the group not to look at it. He's hoping to use it as a warning beacon such that while we're walking, if anyone nearby were to look in its direction, it would begin screaming, alerting us that we're (probably) not alone. We'll see if this works!
- The stone passage has ancient paintings of the lizardfolk, and two towering lizardfolk statues guard the passage, each holding a giant glaive in its hands.
- As we get closer to the statues, Renaldine warns us of an incoming ambush thanks to her incredibly perceptiveness. We ready ourselves so as not to be surprised.
- Within the stone passage are some small inward coves inside which Renaldine believes the ambush to be. Renaldine looks for traps as we slowly move forward. Sindri summons her familiar to fly up ahead and look for trouble. Sindri then warns us that she sees at least four of the same type of lizard, one in each of the alcoves. Rory puts away the skull and takes the lead, readying his weapon for the attack as he moves ahead with Renaldine close behind. INITIATIVE!!!
- On them were the following:
- 40g
- Morningstar x4
- Spiked Shield x4
- Scale Mail x4
- Potion of Fire Breath
- Scroll of Grease
- We decide to take a long rest in one of the alcoves. However, in the middle of the night, we are met with some resistance by way of a giant crocodile. Rory and Sindri are snoozing well while Kara and Renaldine are awake. They wake us to warn us of the impending danger. INITIATIVE!!!
- From it, we receive:
- Broom of Flying
- We are able to get the effects of a long rest as the rest of the night goes by uneventfully.
- We finally make our way out of the stone canyon and past the giant statues.
- We come upon a large swampy area in a grove of trees. Twin waterfalls of blood flow down a large ziggurat in the middle of the swamp, shaped like a ginormous skull with its mouth wide open. A wooded bridge or pier leads to the opening in the mouth. Renaldine takes the lead.
- Renaldine sees an area that the giant crocodile we just fought may have climbed out of, and warns us that there may be more.
- Inside, a horrifying totem of corpses rests in the center of the room. Two cauldrons of green flame reside on either side of the chamber. Tons of dissected corpses adorn the entire room. At the back of the room are three figures. All of them appear to be lizardfolk, one of which is pompously dressed with a knife in its hand doing some kind of ritualistic stuff. One of the two other lizardfolk no longer appears to be living, yet still standing. Renaldine detects the presence of undead nearby, which she warns us all about. She says they're ghouls with paralysis effects.
- Tarkanon, the better dressed figure, sees us enter and says "We will devour you and everyone else. Our god hungers still!" INITIATIVE!!!
- Rory rushes in, raging, hoping to interrupt the main guy's ritual casting or whatever, but because he doesn't feel like a great weapon fighter thanks to all the misses, he just adds to the many misses of the past day or two. Figures.
- After Rory's whiff, he immediately gets dominated by the main guy. Also figures. The first command he is given is to kill Sindri. Now you watch, THIS will be when Rory starts making contact! But let's hope not.
- Renaldine is able to turn the two undead lizardfolk and warns us not to touch them if they're running away.
- On Rory's very next turn, he waltzes right on up to Sindri, activates his tattoo, goes Reckless, uses his Great Weapon Fighter feat, all while raging, AND THAT'S WHEN THE DICE DECIDE TO GIVE HIM A CRIT. Luckily, Sindri is smart and uses Silvery Barbs on the attack, causing Rory to whiff once more with a Nat 1! I've never been so relieved to whiff so badly.
- Renaldine is able to dispel the charm magic from Rory, allowing Rory to act on his own accord, at least for now.
- We're slowly but surely whittling his health down as he burns through Shield spells.
- During a couple turns, the cult fanatic uses Inflict Wounds on Rory, dealing 33 damage on a single attack. OUCH! And he takes all of it as it's necrotic damage. He does it again later and does another 17 necrotic damage. Yeowch.
- With some precision, and luck, Kara gets the killing blow on our fanatic friend, shattering him due to the critical cold damage she inflicts. Nice! Combat over.
- Renaldine immediately begins releasing the lizardfolk captives and rummages through the place, and we raze it to the ground as much as possible. There is a chest that we loot.
- As for loot, we find:
- 250g
- Potion of Clairvoyance
- Staff of Withering
- Spies' Murmur
- Renaldine places the Spies' Murmur over her ear and senses something. That something has to be within one mile of us.
- Renaldine asks the freed lizardfolk about the proper burial practices for their people. They say they leave them to the swamp. We do so, and take a short rest before heading back to the Village of the Swallows and Whitesparrow to tell all what happened, and collect our payments. The elder gives Renaldine a Javelin of Lightning, and each of us 400g as promised.
- With this adventure, we unlock a new place, called Ziggurats of the Doom Priests. Sounds interesting!
That's it for this session!