Baux says a few words and then helps gather the remains.
“Not how I was hoping this would turn out.”
Nandipha befriends the boar, who seems happy gamboling around between of Olli and Carrots.
You move through the dungeon, finding a storage room where you save Dethor after he gets stuck to a mimic misidentified as a dwarven puzzle-box. Dethor, in turn, shivs the gargoyle who was hiding in there too!
In another room is a group of ogres — Biltri’s flaming hammer flies through the air like a meteor, smashing them to bits with barbarian efficiency. Must be why it's called that.
In the last room is a pair of harpies. They captivate everyone but Baux and Lucius with their song — Baux keeps the party alive while Lucius blasts them with electric bolts from the Devil’s Lantern.
After a long battle, the dungeon is finally clear!
❧ ❧ ❧
Outside, the orcs wait. You take them to the lumber camp, and with some convincing, you convince the foreman to hire them on as guards. What happens next is up to them, but you have helped give them a chance to find a better path, away from the corrupting force of Mwibah and his evil god.
❧ ❧ ❧
With the defeat of Mwibah, Otari is safe from a threat it didn’t even know existed.
You return the effects of Thida Aubade, Billard Truewood, and Vuzi Nerren to the temple, where the Sarenrites give them rest they deserve with full honors. They accept the sun shield with grace — a pyrrhic victory.
Blue Finley waits for you at the cabin. sniffle Did you have a good adventure? Did you use gramma’s sniffle blade to be sniffle HEROIC?
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Lucius sits down with Blue Finley and recounts the search for the cult of Lamashtu, including the illusory terrain, the puzzle door, and the various creatures beyond.
"So there we were, trying to bluff our way into the cult, and I could sense the ogre was beginning to get impatient, when from behind a screen came a third creature! A three eyed jackal, can you believe it? And he was the cult leader!
"I immediately said something witty about opposable thumbs, but it went over his head - 'cause he was on all fours! He's a jackal! Oh, this story just gets better."
Lucius gives a toothy laugh.
"Anyway, he talked so much he forgot where I was hiding, until I jumped out and said, you forgot about this cold iron, didn't you and I stabbed him in the gut. That certainly shut him up."
Lucius smiles at the memory.
"And thusly, grannie's sword helped us win the day yet again."
He gives a little bow to conclude his story.
Blue Finley looks confused. snifffle You were hiding while you snifffle talked to the cult snifffle leader? They look to Lucius's friends to help clarify the grand tale, still interested in the story.
Are snifffle gut-stabs snifffle … heroic?
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Lucius is slightly taken aback.
"Of course they're heroic. I mean, it depends on the angle, and the confidence with which you stab, of course. But believe me, if you had seen me do it, you would have thought, oh, what perfect timing. What a heroic gut-stab."
"And I didn't mean I was hiding, when I said I was, well, hiding. I was avoiding this jackal's gaze. Did I mention he had a third eye? A horrible looking thing. He could cause great harm to someone with just a look from that eye. So, I was cleverly avoiding his gaze. And waiting for the right moment, which is what intelligent heroes do. Isn't that right?"
He looks to his friends for support.
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”Now, kiddo, ” starts Dethor, ”Not all actions is wut they seem. First of all, Lucius was ‘eroic’ly bidin’ ‘is time fer th’ best opportunity t’ use dat little sticker yer grammama gave ye’. He knew der was no reason to go out and tackle th’ minions, ‘cause dat’s me job.
“Ye see, I challenged the minions of dis fiendish hackle, wot were mesmerized be ‘er evil magics. Now, Lucius here knew that no dwarf wort’ ‘is salt was gonna succumb to no mind magics, so dat is why I went out t’ kill th’ ‘orrid ogre and dat nasty ass bugbear.
“That jackal priestess, she tried t’ use her cheatin’ mind magics on me and Biltri, but seein’ the two of us ain’t got much more than rocks betwixt our ears, she ain’t never had no chance.
“Well, da b&#&#... dats a technical term in this case... she say me droppin’ her brainwashed minions, see, and then she turned on me, again. Well, I dun some stabbing’ and some bonkin’, but ol’ Lucius here saw dat she had hidden her heart and soul in her gut, so evil was she dat she couldn’t stand to leave ‘em where they belonged, so, with Devil’s Lantern guiding ‘is strike, he pierced dat misplaced and shriveled heart on the first strike, sendin’ ‘er straight t’ th’ Muther of Monsters.
“So, ye’ see, ‘e ‘ad no choice in th’ matter. He dun the heroic deed and kilt th’ evil b%+&# afore she could break ol’ Biltri’s mind!”
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Nandipha nods. "Mwibah be one scary jackal. It be a tough fight but a fair one." She does not otherwise comment on Dethor's embellishments here. "We brought back the remains from some murdered sarenrites, who had done no wrong to no one, and took them home to their temple, where they could be cherished and put to rest. If that not be heroic, I know not what is."
Than Nandipha's eyes light up. "And we rescued a boar, too!"
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The heart was hidden there? In the gut! Wow… and you made a friend!
They shiver. Scary evil gods, and good people who died being put to rest, where they belong… Realization begins to dawn on them.
Finley tries to pet the boar, but their hand goes through. This time, though, they don’t cry. They smile! I don’t think I belong here anymore, either.
They begin to fade away. Gramma, I’m finally coming home… and I have amazing stories for you!
With a final "thank-you" that can barely be heard, they vanish.
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The house is quiet with Finley at rest. But not TOO quiet… there's Olli, Carrots, and the Boar (yet to be named) playing in the yard and knocking things over in the kitchen. They seem to be battling a spider infestation that's growing in the forest. Perhaps all those insects need another talking-to from your resident druid…
❧ ❧ ❧
After a few days a messenger comes running up to your door; the same kid as before. Though you're local celebrities, he pretends not to know who you are. He's too cool for that. Vandy said to give the dwarves and scary elf this. I guess that's you, right? He gives you the Sun Wheel. Said she was done studyin' this hunk of junk, an' you earned it. Or something. He shrugs sticks his hand out for a tip.
❧ ❧ ❧
Several days after that, you're at Tamily Tanderveil's fishery enjoying the day's catch. There is an unfamiliar, well-dressed half-elf woman sitting in the corner. She keeps glancing at you. Tamily comes over with flagons of ale, and nods towards the woman. She whispers: That's Raunee Frozmin! The famous bard! She's known across the whole continent! Will she read a poem for us, you think? I want to ask her for an autograph… but I'm so nervous! Ahhhh! She blushes and dashes back behind the bar, where she busies herself dusting off the shelves.
Raunee approaches your table after you finish your meal. May I sit? She pulls up a chair.
I'm Raunee, a poet of some little fame. The exploits of a group of four dwarves and a hellish elf have filtered up to the big city, and I'd like to hear the tale myself. If you're amenable, I'd like every detail of your adventures — as long as it takes. Drinks on me! She gets out a notebook and jots down notes and scraps of verse.
You drink long into the night, regaling Raunee with your adventures. You begin with the cleaning out of an old fish shed…
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Before:
The kid stubbornly stares right back. Dethor notices he's part dwarf. That must explain it.
Baux sees what is going on, goes over and gives the kid a silver.
“Thanks fer bein’ willing’ ta run the messages out here. Take care!”
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"Held the door against the raging troll. Fists like thunder struck the door," Biltri says, frowning grimly but with light in his eye and ale in his cup. "Once the devil dog was down, let in the troll. Channeled dragon fire down the chain and broke her jaw with a mighty strike..."
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Tamily keeps the bar open for as long as you need. You talk of more than devil worshipers and cultists — there are castles and druids' sheds that need cleaning, wayward orcs who only seek acceptance, and kobolds who deserve a second chance.
You stumble out, blinking in the dawn light. Carrots greets Nandipha with a SNIRP! (Raunee is astounded by the dromaeosaur's eyesight.) Baux sees ships in the harbor, reminding him of his sailing days; perhaps he will travel again. Dethor realizes he forgot to tell Raunee about the fearsome Darklands Skunk; he shrugs and looks for a mark. Ollie flits through the air, pestering the scary elf for a snack. Forge-fire sputters out of Biltri's nostrils when he snorts at the display. Bomela's boar snuffles through a neglected flower bed, among the angel's trumpets.