One of the zombies disappears in a blaze of light, the other sees its leg disintegrated but remains standing.
A different blaze of light fills the barn.
When it passes, only the parboiled ogrekin matron remains.
Isme flies into the barn, staying her tongue because Spectrum had a better view of the inside so he'd know if he'd hit any rangers that might still be alive.
Inside, she glares at the ogrekin matron and utters another ear-paining cry, the talon with the ring on it pointed at the matron. A black ray of foul energy shoots out.
Dashing forward, Reynard raises a hand in the direction of the ogre-woman and launches a wave of fire.
A swift arrow-shot from Shalelu finishes off the crisped witch, and the barn falls silent. Withe effort, you can hear a pained cough from the far side.
Mounting up on Fearghus, Wyam was about to charge headlong into the witch. But he notes Shelalu's motions for him to stop and he pulls up short.
"That's it then? We stopped them all?"
"Appears so. I heard something over there."
Spectrum cautiously moved toward the sound, giving a wide berth in case it was more danger.
Array swooped in through the front door and back up into the rafters, scanning the room for anything interesting.
Reynard picks up the quarterstaff. "Mighty fine stick, this is. For a stick. Some of these wands ought to come in pretty handy, though." Setting it down, he looks around carefully before following Spectrum.
Dismounting from FearGhus, Wyam ruffles his companion's mane. "I suppose you weren't needed this time. I know you get restless sometimes, there'll be plenty of fighting in the future."
He hurried after the others. "If there's anyone still alive I'll heal them if I can."
"Over here." Spectrum said, gesturing to where he heard the noise a moment ago.
He let the Paladin approach first.
Isme flies over to Spectrum but lets Wyam go ahead first. "I do hope you know what you were doing with that fireball when we had potential people nearby to save," she whispers.
"A calculated risk. Being spherical, the burst did not effect the corners of the barn. Those were the areas I could not see."
"Seems as though it paid off to me." Wyam said moving up front.
" We're here to help, respond if you can." he called out.
Shalelu approaches, bow holstered. "...damn, you guys have gotten a lot stronger since the Swallowtail Festival- remind me never to owe you money for very long."[/b]
The majority of this large, stuffy chamber is covered in filthy webs forming a funnel that dips down into the ground. A catwalk runs around the rim of the room near the ceiling, twenty feet above the ground. In northeast and southeast corners, the catwalk expands into a ten-foot-square platform that's fenced in by wooden beams, forming cages. The walls within each cage are hung with iron manacles. Most of the manacles-while bloody- are empty, but three in the southeast corner imprison emaciated men.
Everyone is easily able to hear loud crunching sounds from the bottom of the pit- Isme spots an enormous spider the size of an elephant busy grinding up the bones of a somewhat-recently eaten pig.
The emaciated men in the southeast corner appear unconscious.
Isme nods at Spectrum's reply but still thinks it was foolhardy.
In the next room, Isme looks at the giant spider with disdain, ready to assault its feeble mind should it notice them.
Wyam glanced at the unconscious figures in the cages and drew his sword staring at the giant spider.
"Spectrum, would you do the honors?"
Spectrum tossed a volatile explosive at the spider.
With a quick bomb and a few shots from Shalelu, you are able to easily dispatch the giant spider.
Advancing cautiously along the upper level, you prove able to approach the cage. Three emaciated men are imprisoned within the shackles, all bloodied and unconscious, dressed in simple rough underclothes.
Sprinting forward after you, the fireplet scratches at the cage.
"Gods, they've been starved!" Wyam cursed aloud. He moves forward and proceeds to cut his way through the cages.
Coming to the man the firepelt worried about Wyam healed the man.
Isme comments to Spectrum as he looses another bomb. "I'm convinced you've become inordinately fond of explosions. First the fireballs, and then the explosive alchemy."
She then moves in to work on the men's manacles, staying below and out of the way while Wyam took care of immediate triage.
"Perhaps he is, but when they're that useful it's hard to complain." Reynard says to the bird, with a smile in Spectrum's direction. Turning back to the haggard men, the tiefling fetches some rations and water for them from his pack for the men when they awaken.
With her deft beak, Isme swiftly unchains all three men, Wyam and Reynard catching them to help ease them to the ground.
Golden light washing over him, the one-eyed prisoner is the first to rouse, shifting and uttering a hoarse sigh of relief as his aches are soothed. Suddenly his hand leaps forward, grabbing Wyam's shoulder, pulling him close as his eye opens, staring harshly into him. "R-r-r-rescue, or more torture?" he spits, staring daggers at the paladin.
After being talked down, he waves off the rations and water. "Them... give'em to them, first. My men need them more." He points to the dark-skinned prisoner. "Vale." Then to the other, thin and red-haired with a handsome face. "Kaven." After they're woken, he turns, coughing dryly before accepting some water. "Name's... Jakardos."
"Last... of the Black Arrows."
His firepelt licks eagerly at the man's hand as if it were a mere puppy, Jakardos gently scratching behind the beast's ears.
Behind, Shalelu stands at the barn's threshold, watching the woods.
Wyam's expression turned dour. If only we'd been faster...
"Jakardos, I'm Wyam. We'd heard of the troubles plaguing Hook Mountain some time ago and we'd been tasked to come potentially lend a hand. I assume those were the infamous Kreeg Ogre family holding you captive. Seems the day we spent in Turtleback Ferry was wasted and we barely made it here in time. My companions here are Spectrum, Isme, Reynard, and Shelalu." he said gesturing to each in turn.
"What happened to you Black Arrows? By all accounts you have been guarding this area against them for decades. Was it some kind of overwhelming sorcery?"
Isme comments to Spectrum as he looses another bomb. "I'm convinced you've become inordinately fond of explosions. First the fireballs, and then the explosive alchemy."
Spectrum considered Isme's words as he watched Wyam tend to the surviving Black Arrows. He nodded slowly.
"I think you are correct. I began my journey as a mage trying to explore the merits of all branches of magic. Over time I have focused more and more into a very specific realm of evocation. It was never my intent to become a war wizard, yet here I am."
"Your observation troubles me more than you realize. I should consider my options more carefully rather than relying on the solution which seems easiest."
Glimmer landed on Wyam's shoulder.
Hi, I'm Glimmer! You all look like you really want to get out of this place.
Array flew outside and perched on the roof to keep watch with Shalelu.
Circling slowly down from her perch overhead, Gwenhyfar lands near Array. Didn't see any others, boss. Looks like you got them all. she says to Reynard, 'loud' enough for the rest of the party to 'overhear'.
Jakardros groans, rubbing his wrists. "We were on patrol; we returned to find it under Kreeg control. We tried to retake it, but... we were repulsed, and forced to flee."
"If only we had returned from patrol sooner... perhaps we could have joined in, held the fought. I don't know how it happened."
Shalelu scratches Array's neck.
With some effort, the other two men are awakened. Vale expresses thunderous disappointment there are no Kreegs left here to deal with himself. Kaven asks about his clothes, and wryly professes exactly how much of the world he would sacrifice for a wineskin right now.
Soon enough, all three are back on their feet. Jakardros surveys you. "Sirs, the Black Arrows, such as remain, are indebted to you. But, I've got to ask, what are your intentions henceforth? And have you recovered our gear?"
"We did." Spectrum said. "It is safely packed on Wyam's horse. Come."
Spectrum led the Black Arrows outside and began returning their gear to them. "I believe Shalelu has the electrically enchanted bow."
"As for our intentions now, there are a few loose threads yet to be followed. First, if there are more Kreeg about, we should finish what we started here. Second, Turtleback Ferry seems deeply involved in a mystery we have been tracking down for some time. Once all pressing matters are resolved, we should return there."
Wyam nodded with Spectrum's synopsis. "As you know the area and your enemy best, we'd very much like to have you with us. I can't imagine you would mind seeking justice for your comrades." he paused.
"Although with your ordeal you've just survived, I can also imagine you would not be opposed to taking a day or two to recuperate properly."
"Shalelu..." Jakardros goes a little white at the name, and seeing her. She turns and walks around the far side of the barn out of sight, and Jakardros follows.
When they return, Shalelu's eyes are a little red, and Jakardros needs a deep breath to regain his focus. His comrades look on curiously.
He nods firmly. "Right... right." His expression clears, his brow furrows. "Justice. Justice is needed... as well as for the safety of the people of Turtleback Ferry. Ogres still hold Fort Rannick- and that cannot be countenanced."
"If your desire for justice is truly great enough to risk it... it would be our honor to join you in re-taking the fort."
Vale nods eagerly. "Too right." After some scratching on a piece of paper, he returns with a map of the fort.
Kaven gulps, but nods. "Right... justice, safety...."
Isme observes the interaction between Shalelu and Jakardos with curiosity.
She takes a look at the map when it arrives and mentions, giving Kaven some breathing room, "We're not going to retake the fort immediately. We'll need time to plan, and besides, you all look like you need some rest from the ordeal you've just been through."
Not quite able to resist the desire to drop some eaves, Gwen circles a couple of times, just happening to drift near the far side of the barn.
Overhearing a heated conversation, Gwen hears enough to believe that the two knew each other previously, that a woman named Seanthia was involved, and Shalelu has differences with him not yet resolved.
From his perch on the roof, Array eyed the heated discussion, but would be hard pressed to care less about what was being said. He stretched out lengthwise down the peak, hung his limbs and wings on either side and enjoyed the afternoon sun.
"Yes... that is what we intend to do." Wyam said, cautiously looking between Jakardos and Shelalu.
"We can start moving to make camp some ways away from here whenever your ready."
Gwen relays the gist to Reynard telepathically, but he just shakes his head a little. Leave it. Not our business, little one. To the others, he says "So, what do we do about this...place? Leave it to rot, or perhaps burn it to the ground, so that no other ogres can reoccupy it? I know our local wizard does have a certain fondness for fire."
"Let's not encourage any pyromaniac tendencies," Isme says dryly. "We haven't explored it fully so there might be more inside we can use."
The three men prove vehemently in favor of taking axes and hammers to it... though concede that this may not be the best time.
Spectrum looked around. "As much as this place deserves to be razed, fire may spread here. We can decide it's fate once we have fully explored the premise."
Bedroom
This room is filled with large, filthy beds. Human
skulls with antlers fixed to them are mounted on
the bedposts and headboards. Against the west
wall sits a large cedar chest.
TREASURE: The sack of coins contains a mix of 121 cp,
no sp, and 23 gp, along with 17 mostly skeletal severed
fingers-trophies from the hand chopper trap collected
and stored here by the ogres.
SKIN-SHUCKING ROOM
This dark, recessed corner of the basement smells of rot and old blood. Piles of gore-spattered skin lie heaped on the floor. A horrid rubbery face robbed
of its supporting skull and muscle rests on top, its
toothless mouth agape and empty eyes revealing
only the layer of tan flayed skin resting beneath.
Wyam looked around in the room with utter revulsion.
"This reminds me of the Skinsaw Men Cult. But I guess more so with Aldern. If that's everything, Spectrum, we should burn this place. I don't believe it would ever rival the evil that became of Foxglove Manor, but places like this left alone tend to attract other dark things."
Wyam spoke to Jakardos.
"When we make camp later, we ought to go over the details of what happened when your first attempt to retake your Fort failed and what our plans going in ought to be."
Isme catches the trap in the bedroom and, with her information, have it disabled safely.
After the exploration, she flaps off to where the body of the ogrekin matron fell, saying she just needs to take care of business.
Stepping into the skin shucking room wafter Wyman, Reynard immediately staggers back out, barely holding his last meal in. At Wyam's suggestion, he nods vigorously. "Burn it. Burn it all."
Isme returns and allows the others to do as they will.
"Agreed. This place is foul." Spectrum said. "I do not want to burn down the surrounding trees though. Give me some time."
He cast a spell creating a rolling sphere of acid and used it to clear a substantial path around the buildings of vegetation and anything else that might catch fire. Then he went to work.
He took a look at the buildings, walked around them, marking a few points with chalk and pouring oil down the support beams at each corner.
Then he went inside. He was back in a few minutes running a cord. He repeated the process with the other building. When his preparations were complete, he lit the cords with a Tindertwig and watched as the fuse lines burned inside.
There was no explosion or spectacle, but in short order the buildings were burning nicely.