Early morning comes and you head out to the Land farm. Justin has not gotten worse so you decide to continue to treat him.
A copse of immense magnolia trees shades a small, quiet clearing just where Alastor said it would be, approximately 10 minutes east of town. Crumbling walls and a seemingly abandoned farmhouse stand vigil atop a small bluff overlooking the clearing, the sad ruins of what must once have been Alastor's home. Six grave markers stand in the clearing, each with a different name: Anders, Bemissa, Coldaran, Gertia, Kannid, and Alastor. Open pits yawn from before all six headstones. Piles of fresh dirt and a pair of abandoned shovels suggest that the excavation took place recently, certainly within the week.
The date on Alastor's father's grave would be about a year before Alastor ran away. The dates on the rest of his family are from 19 years ago.
Alastor's mother, brother, and sister's grave marker have a four-petaled flower motif on it symbolizing a victim of a plague.
A plague called the Red Death came through this region 19 years ago matching the dates of his sister, brother and mother
You notice tracks of a wheelbarrow heading towards Diamond Lake
You find tracks of five booted humanoids who walked all around the graves. The tracks then lead up to the farmhouse on the bluff. Four prints seem to have left with the wheelbarrow and where in a hurry.
"Looks like most of them died of the Red Death,
and some grave robbers came by."
Heal:
Knowledge(history):
Perception:
Survival:
It is as I suspected, his mother, brother and sister all died to the Read Death plague that swept through her about 19 years ago. I recall that time, it was horrible all the people we could not cure and save.
But, more interesting, look at these tracks. It appears five people examined these graves and then went toward the farmhouse recently, and then four left in a hurry pushing a wheelbarrow toward Diamond Lake.
Kilthan says, "Aye. Looks like there were 5 of them, and the tracks seem to lead back to the farmhouse."
He adds with a snarl, "We should go up there and teach them a lesson. Besides, if they've defiled the graves, our little dead friend may not open the door until we fix things."
He takes his bow off his shoulder, and readies an arrow, before finding some scrub to conceal himself in. "I'll scout ahead to try to figure out what we're up against."
Kilthan and Ingrid stealth up to the farm house
The dilapidated Land Farmstead consists of a crumbled wall and a sagging, unsafe house with broken windows and roof. Thick, sludgy puddles of dried blood and identified fleshy chunks litter the wooden floor immediately inside the front door
Inside you hear some sort of large creature
"I have to agree with Kilthan"
she follows Kilthan around back
I follow behind the warriors trying to remain quiet, but within a distance to provide assistance if necessary.
Stealth: --> Move to T12
Unfortunately I step on an old plank beneath the grass which snaps with an amazingly loud crack.
You three hear a roar erupt from inside the house, it knows something is outside now. It doesn't appear to be coming out though.
Kilthan curses quietly, "Goblin piss!", and readies his axes as he approaches the door, trying to use the wall as cover so he can peek inside.
Peering in you don't anything. The sound of the beast is coming from the upper left corner of the buliding opposite from you.
I cast Message and point at Kilthan and Ingrid.
Whisper: I prefer not using spells if we do not need to. But I can make Kilthan big enough that he can probably look in the top floor if necessary.
Kilthan whispers into the spell, "I'm wondering if they've using the bodies to feed something nasty."
You are all sure whatever is in there is on the first floor
"Can I be enlarged? Maybe we bring the housed down literally."
Justin takes the point with his trident and an attack ready.
Kilthan whispers, "It's hiding in the corner where I can't see it. I can try to go around and get a look, or we can try to prod it into coming out."
There is a window in the back you could try and look through or you could try and look from this side
If something is up, and Justin knows it, he will send his dog ahead and sprint
Ingrid decides to get a peek at it using the window at O-7.
Kilthan holds up a hand to the others, Stay back before you give us all away!, and then follows behind Ingrid, keeping lookout from O10 (using the O9 window)
We could just toss in one of Dryn's favorite bombs and burn the place to the ground.
Perception
(Above Ground)
You peer in and see an amalgam of fur and feathers, this bizarre half-bear, half-owl monstrosity raises its huge, ursine claws in anger.
The owlbear attacks its prey with its deadly claws, latching onto an opponent they then bite and claw until the victim falls dead and is devoured.
Owlbears attack any prey on sight, and consider anything larger than a mouse prey.
Owlbears are said to be the result of a mad wizards attempts to crossbreed a giant owl with a bear, they are deadly hunters and their young are increadably valuable. When captured they are often trained as wandering guards by the wealthy.
The creature erupts in anger
Rohara, Dryn'taka, Justin
- Kilthan, Monster, Ingrid, Aarakess
AC 15 Touch 10 Flat-Footed 14
Kilthan is up then the creature
Everyone down by the graves is at Delay mode until given reason, aka shouting to come up or whatever.
"What's an owlbear doing here?"
"Even if it's not it's fault, we can't allow an enraged beast to rampage."
Kilthan draws his axes and shouts at the beast, "Over here, beak-bear!", readying himself to strike as it approaches him.
Kilthan Taunt
Owlbear
The owlbear charges the side of the house and knocks the wall down, the house groaning.
Rohara, Dryn'taka, Justin
- Kilthan, Monster, Ingrid, Aarakess
AC 15 Touch 10 Flat-Footed 14
Ingrid does a 5-foot step away from the creature
and cast's lullaby (Will, DC:13) on the owlbear.
"Aarakess, let's put the owlbear to bed."
Kilthan (per readied action) takes a 5' step and slashes the beast with his waraxe.
Yes, sorry. You can hear it from below and can begin the two round journey to the house if you wish.
Dryn'taka starts heading up the hill.
Round 1
I know I am after the owlbear, but just posting.
On it Ingrid.
Knowledge(arcane):
Move Action: Move to Q11.
Standard Action: Slumber Hex - DC15 Will or asleep for 2 rounds.
Will vs lullaby
Will vs hex
The beast succumbs to the sleep hex, falling down
"Let's try to bind it."
Rohara rushes forward to the others at a sprint and once she arrives to see that the creature is sleeping soundly on the ground surrounded by her companions. "I am not sure just binding this beastie is the best option. Are these things not dangerous to all who encounter them? It does not seem like a natural animal that is for sure."
Remember it is asleep for 2 rounds only, not really enough time to bind properly.
Combat is not over
- Kilthan, Monster, Ingrid, Aarakess, Rohara, Dryn'taka, Justin
AC 15 Touch 10 Flat-Footed 14
Kilthan is up
I hate harming life, but this is not a natural creature. We should put it down so that it is not a threat to the town. If it wakes up, it will just attack us again and possibly harm one of us. Kilthan, I think this is a job for you and your axe.
"I agree that it isn't safe for something like this to be so close to town. I hate to do it, but it's necessary."
After the stroke, Kilthan looks at the others, "Now I want to do the same thing to those that put it here and enraged it in the first place."
Fort Save
Kilthan puts the beast down with his axe. You search inside and back by the stairs is the owlbear's nest. In the nest is a baby owlbear.
Baby owlbears can fetch up to 3,000 gp from collectors who train them to become guardian beasts. Owlbears are impossible to domesticate however and do not make good pets.
For anyone making that Nature roll or whom is told by someone that does make it:
A human trapper named Fester Trollump hunts creatures out of Diamond Point. He occasionally has trapped a griffon or manticore and takes them to Magnimar to sell.
The house is in bad shape, the upstairs collapsed. For anyone doing a search of the place:
A human arm with a unique tattoo is found.
For those that pass the perception check above or is shown what is found can make a Knowledge (Local) check about it:
The tattoo is a symbol of Garavin Vesst, a greedy mine manager who branded his employees with it as a badge of status.
Vesst went bankrupt and was bought out by Balabar Smenk and then died over a year ago. The remaining group of these branded employees are seen around town, usually drinking at the Feral Dog.
Justin is very agitated upon seeing the dead adult and the baby it was defending. "We are keeping the baby." Justin seems to be determined on this point.
Perception
After searching with the others... "Most... interesting. This man is from those who worked for a miner, Garavin Vesst. He branded those in his employee. But that mine was bought out by Balabar Smenk who is deceased. The rest of those are about town, normally hanging around the Feral Dog" She lets the others know what she recalls of the local scene.
Looking to Justin, "Okay, but who will care for the little guy while we are off exploring and such?"
Justin replies, "Alustran, of course. He can do us a little favor back."