Kingmaker: Ep. 4 – Gongaii

The company regrouped at Otto’s trade post as autumn winds swept the Swordlands. Rumors swirled of settlers flooding south under Lady Kremenko, of hobgoblins to the east and giants to the west, and of the Stag Lord’s bandits bleeding the frontier. Into this bustle came Jod, a weary priest of Yamath the Far Walker, haunted by visions of an overgrown shrine in the Gnarlwood and a monstrous bear that barred the way. He begged the party’s aid and promised the shrine’s blessings if they helped him reclaim it.

The road west was long and restless. Jod woke nightly, shaking, describing a foul bear that spoke in a tongue he could not understand. Nearing the vision’s heart, the party came upon a silent bog and a terrible sign: a unicorn, butchered and hornless, its pristine body left to rot untouched by beasts or flies. Strange violet puffball mushrooms dotted a verdant patch nearby, and a pair of delicate bare footprints stood pressed into the mud beneath an oak before vanishing. Curiosity nearly cost Jod his life when he sampled a mushroom and collapsed frothing, but the party dragged him back from the brink.

The shrine lay carved into a cliff face, like the visage of an old man, with stairs rising above a green, stagnant pool. When Yamath’s name left someone’s lips, the guardian thundered from the cave: a towering bear wreathed in vines and roots, buzzing like a hive. It tore Jod down and raked Ashla to the ground before the group rallied. Izzy’s alien benediction withered it, Tacho’s firebomb set it ablaze, Berk’s arrows harried it from the steps, and Ashla’s mace cracked something vital. The burning brute toppled and withered into the body of a very old druid wearing robes like Jod’s, a peaceful look upon his dead face.

As the thing died, the pool cleared, wildflowers burst across the glade, and birdsong returned. Water from the pool restored Ashla, and Jod vowed to remain and restore Yamath’s shrine. He blessed holy water for the party and bade them send pilgrims and any worthy acolytes his way. South at Lapbrod, the innkeeper told a grim tale: the Stag Lord’s men quarreled with the ferryman, who was drowned and now haunts the ford as a revenant. He will not let the ferry be rebuilt until the Stag Lord’s corpse is cast into the river. The village priestess Latricia confirmed the curse and traded healing salves for word of the shrine, and the mayor Tanner offered future alliance—and even a council seat—if the Stag Lord is brought down. With the shrine cleansed and new leads in hand, the company retired to plan whether to hunt tatzlwyrms for fangberries or begin setting the Stag Lord’s doom in motion.

OUTLINE:

Autumn at Otto’s and Rumors on the Wind

• Settlers flowed south under Lady Kremenko, founding new sites, including Fort Draven to the southeast.
• Rumors spread of hobgoblins pushing from the east and giants stirring in the west.
• Keston held Otto’s with a handful of men while the Stag Lord’s bandits plagued the region.
• A bounty remained on Tartuscio, a gnome wizard who fled into the Swordlands after a failed assassination.

Jod’s Plea and the Road to the Gnarlwood

• Jod, a priest of Yamath, begged help to reclaim a lost shrine guarded by a monstrous bear.
• He promised the shrine’s blessings if the party aided him.
• On the trail, Jod woke nightly from the same vision of a foul-smelling, speaking bear.

Unicorn at the Bog and the Fatal Mushrooms

• The party found a silent bog with a slain unicorn missing its horn, shunned by scavengers.
• Violet puffball mushrooms grew in a verdant patch; beneath an oak, two small bare footprints appeared without a trail.
• Jod sampled a mushroom, collapsed frothing, and was saved by the party before pressing on.

The Shrine of Yamath and the Battle with the Root-Bear

• They reached a cliff-carved shrine with stone stairs, an algae-choked pool, and a cave mouth.
• At Yamath’s name, a vine-choked bear charged, buzzing like a hive, felling Jod and mauling Ashla.
• Izzy’s uncanny touch withered the beast, Tacho’s fire set it ablaze, Burke harried it with arrows, and Ashla crushed it with her mace.
• As it died, the bear transformed into an ancient druid. The pool cleared, wildflowers bloomed, and the glade revived.
• Jod vowed to restore the shrine, blessed holy water, and invited pilgrims and acolytes.

Lapbrod’s Curse and Offers of Alliance

• In Lapbrod, the innkeeper and Latricia told how the Stag Lord’s men caused the ferryman’s death.
• The ferryman now haunts the ford as a revenant, blocking any rebuild until the Stag Lord’s corpse is thrown into the river.
• Latricia traded healing tinctures for news and asked for fangberries, warning of a tatzlwyrm infestation.
• Mayor Tanner promised future trade and even a council seat if the Stag Lord is brought down and the ford restored.

NPCs:

• Abel: Innkeeper of Abel’s Inn in Lapbrod. He poured drinks and told the story of the ford’s doom at the Stag Lord’s hands.
• Ferryman Revenant: Once Lapbrod’s ferryman, now a sodden revenant who rises from the river to wreck any attempt to rebuild the ferry until the Stag Lord’s body is cast into the current.
• Jod: A priest of Yamath the Far Walker, gaunt and driven by visions of a lost shrine and a monstrous guardian. He now tends the reclaimed temple and offers aid to travelers who find him there.
• Keston: A brooding relation of Lady Kremenko, sent to hold Otto’s with a small band after a family scandal. Dutiful if reluctant to risk his men without purpose.
• Lady Kremenko: An ambitious noble fueling settlement in the Swordlands through grants of land and supplies. Her projects bring both prosperity and conflict to the frontier.
• Latricia: Lapbrod’s priestess of Yamath, practical and kind. She confirmed the ferryman’s curse and traded healing tinctures for word of the restored shrine.
• Otto: Keeper of the trade post on the northern Swordlands routes, lifeline for settlers and adventurers alike. He seeks trophies like a tatzlwyrm head to mark the post’s growing fame.
• Stag Lord: The bandit lord who bleeds the frontier and whose men sparked the death of Lapbrod’s ferryman. His fate is now bound to the river’s curse.
• Tanner: Mayor of Lapbrod, a leather-clad woodsman with a shrewd eye for alliances. He offered trade, honors, and even a council seat if the Stag Lord falls.
• Tartuscio: A gnome wizard who attempted to assassinate Lady Kremenko and fled into the Swordlands. A bounty waits for the one who brings him in.

ITEMS:

• Alchemist’s Fire: A volatile glass flask that ignites on impact. Tacho’s throw turned the root-bear into a pyre.
• Healing Tinctures: Latricia’s salves knitted flesh and steadied breath, traded in gratitude for the shrine’s restoration.
• Holy Water Flasks: Jod consecrated several flasks at the shrine, a bright answer to what lurks in shadowed places. Latricia later received them for village use.
• Lost Unicorn Horn: The absent prize torn from a slain unicorn, coveted by mages and malefactors for potent rites.
• Magic Staff of Jod: A simple traveler’s staff borne by the Far Walker’s priest, more symbol than weapon on the road he walks.
• Purple Puffball Mushrooms: Violet, spore-filled puffballs in a lush patch near the unicorn’s corpse. Beautiful and deadly to the unwary.

LOCATIONS:

• Fort Draven: An old eastern fort occupied by Lord Draven under Lady Kremenko’s push, anchoring her spread into the Swordlands.
• Gnarlwood: The deep, old-growth forest west of Otto’s, home to hidden shrines, tatzlwyrms, and stranger things. The Far Walker’s steps still echo beneath its boughs.
• Lapbrod: A sizable woodland village with palisade, mill, inn, and brew hall. Its lifeline ferry is cursed by a revenant who demands the Stag Lord’s end.
• Otto’s Trade Post: A palisaded frontier hub where settlers, guards, and wanderers trade rumor and supply. Its perimeter bulges with new outbuildings as the Swordlands open.
• River Ford at Lapbrod: The broken crossing where the ferryman died. Any attempt to rebuild draws the revenant up from the depths.
• Tarka: The northern city sending settlers and supplies south under noble charters. Its politics reach long into the wilds.
• Temple of Yamath: A cliff-carved visage of an old man above a cave and pool, once blighted by a root-wreathed bear. Now cleansed, it blooms with wildflowers and clear waters.
• The Bog Clearing: A stagnant pond where a pristine unicorn lay slain and dehorned, flanked by violet puffball mushrooms and impossible bare footprints.

FACTIONS:

• Centaur Clans: Proud riders of the southern plains who keep their distance from two-legged folk, watching the frontier with wary eyes.
• Clergy of Yamath: Wanderers and waykeepers who tend crossroads, ferries, and the rare shrines of the Far Walker.
• Cult of Sathagawa: Whispers from the deep places and those who heed them. Their benedictions are not gentle.
• Giants of the Western Mountains: Ancient threats said to be stirring in the high crags, their shadows long across the frontier.
• Hobgoblin Warbands: Disciplined raiders rumored to gather in the east, testing the Swordlands’ edges.
• Lady Kremenko’s Settlers: Waves of homesteaders, craftsmen, and guards pressing into the Swordlands under noble charter. Opportunity and friction ride with them.
• Stag Lord’s Bandits: The shadow over the midlands, cutthroats and raiders who tax the wilds by arrow and fear.

QUESTS:

• Break the Ford’s Curse: Lay the Stag Lord low and cast his body into the river so the ferryman’s revenant will finally rest and Lapbrod can rebuild the ferry.
• Find Tartuscio the Gnome: Track down the gnome wizard who fled into the Swordlands after a failed assassination attempt on Lady Kremenko.
• Hunt Tatzlwyrms and Gather Fangberries: Secure fangberries from a nearby patch infested with tatzlwyrms so Latricia can brew more healing tinctures. Otto will pay well for a tatzlwyrm head.
• Reclaim the Temple of Yamath: Escort Jod to the lost shrine in the Gnarlwood, confront its guardian, and restore the place to the Far Walker.
• Undermine the Stag Lord’s Bandits: Scout or recruit among unaffiliated bandits, gather allies like Keston, and prepare the assault that will end the Stag Lord’s reign.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Ashla: An Aasimar fighter and ex-guard who chose honor over orders, turning her back on a cruel command. She fights with mace and shield, a steadfast bulwark whose resolve hardens when innocents are threatened.
• Berk: A frail, age-ambiguous bard whose charisma lies in the strange magnetism of his survival. Berk can turn any surface into rhythm, and his presence threads humor through tense moments. Despite his fragility, he keeps a keen eye for omens and opportunity.
• Izzy: An oread of living stone who presents as a cleric of a deep and tentacled mystery. He cannot mend with gentleness, but his alien benedictions can unmake what should not be, and he offers grim mercy when needed.
• Tacho: A human fighter and former poacher, Tacho knows the scent of game and the language of tracks. His past skated the margins of the law, but the Swordlands and Otto’s charter offer him a chance to turn those skills toward something larger.