Kingmaker: Ep. 12 – Gongaii

The company left Fort Owlbear for the forest barrow, camping in the wind-scoured grasslands along the way. In the dead of night, Ham the pig bolted at the sound of heavy, stomping feet, and two ogre‑kin blundered toward the camp. Thinking fast, Franz Braun set the dry grass alight to reveal the threat and turn it aside; the ogre‑kin fled the spreading blaze, and by morning, a sooty but unharmed Ham oinked his way back to the group.

At dusk, the party slipped through a narrow crack into the barrow’s stone heart and disturbed a storm of bats above a carpet of reeking guano. Faded mosaics of the Stone People peeked through grime, showing tribal life and a warrior brandishing a flaming blade against shadow. In the central hall, four leering stone faces exhaled purple, life‑sapping vapors; the group learned quickly to disable the carvings from range and pressed deeper.

In twin crypts lined with open stone biers, skeletal warriors rose, pounding sword on shield. The party cut them down—Yohei’s pistol thundered, Krigra and Izzy held the line, Flemish darted in with a pilfered ring and a returning harpoon, and Grungo’s crossbow sang—before pushing into a final chamber where an armored champion stepped from an opened sarcophagus. Accusing them of defilement, the warlord spoke a word—Degadi—and his broken cold‑iron blade bloomed with blue fire.

Steel alone failed against him. Franz fell, Izzy was run through and dragged back from the brink, and blows that should have cleaved bone glanced away—until silver and sanctified steel took hold. Grungo’s lone silver‑tipped bolt struck true, Krigra’s blessed blade bit, and Yohei’s silvered sickle finally carved the champion down. Blue flame screamed from his mouth and vanished through the ceiling, and the room went dark.

Amid the ashes, the party claimed a tarnished silver ring, a mithril chain hung with emerald, and the broken longsword Kell-Singer, etched with runes. Back in Labrod, Enfaun the wizard named the blade and its word of power; to mend it, the fort’s new changeling blacksmith sent them to seek her ancient mother—Grandmother—in the boggy Bottoms, and to bring her an offering worth her time. With the warlord laid to rest and a path set before them, the road now bends toward the bog and the secrets of Kell-Singer’s flame.

OUTLINE:

Night Watch, Wildfire, and the Ogre‑Kin

• Camped in tall grasslands en route to the barrow, Ham bolted as two ogre‑kin approached in the dark.
• Franz set the grass alight to reveal and divert the threat; the ogre‑kin fled the spreading fire.
• The group saved the camp and regrouped; Ham returned soot‑streaked at dawn.

Into the Barrow: Bats, Guano, and Mosaics

• Entered through a narrow crack into a bat‑filled chamber carpeted in guano.
• Uncovered mosaics of the Stone People, including a warrior wielding a flaming sword against shadow.
• Reached a central hall where leering stone faces awakened.

The Draining Faces and Twin Crypts

• Stone faces inhaled and exhaled purple tendrils that sapped strength; the party learned to disable them from range.
• Fought skeletal warriors rising from open biers in the west crypt; a second wave entered from behind.
• Cleared an identical east crypt after a tense melee; Yohei and Krigra helped finish the last of the bones.

The Warlord and Kell-Singer

• An armored champion stepped from an opened sarcophagus, called the party defilers, and spoke Degadi to ignite his broken blade in blue flame.
• Common steel failed; Franz fell and Izzy was cut down and revived by a salve.
• Magic and silver proved effective: Krigra’s blessed blade, Grungo’s silver‑tipped bolt, and Yohei’s silvered sickle turned the tide.
• Yohei delivered the killing blow; blue fire screamed from the skull and vanished through stone.

Aftermath in Labrod and a New Lead

• Looted a tarnished silver ring, a mithril chain with emerald, and the broken cold‑iron longsword Kell-Singer.
• Enfaun identified Kell-Singer’s word of power and limits; it must be mended.
• During revels, the party felled a marauding wolf.
• Fort Owlbear recruited a changeling blacksmith, who directed them to her ancient mother, Grandmother, in the boggy Bottoms, to gain what’s needed to reforge the blade.

NPCs:

• Barrow Warlord: The armored undead champion who guarded the barrow’s heart with a broken, flaming blade. He called the party defilers and boasted of old slaughters before blue fire fled his skull.
• Changeling Blacksmith: Fort Owlbear’s newly recruited smith, a striking woman split by two tones of hair and eyes. She can mend the legendary blade but sent the party to her ancient mother for what’s needed.
• Coren, Headman of Labrod: Practical ranger and headman who keeps the forest village running. He’s seen enough oddities to take the party’s tales in stride.
• Enfaun: Labrod’s half‑elf librarian‑wizard who can identify the arcane and the old. She named Kell-Singer, revealed its word of power, and hinted at the blade’s age and provenance.
• Grandmother: An ancient hag of the Bottoms, older than memory and fond of worthy bargains. Said to grant what’s needed to reforge Kell-Singer to those who bring a proper offering.
• Ham: Flemish’s saddle‑pig, loyal, food‑motivated, and surprisingly sturdy. He spooked at ogre‑kin in the night and later reappeared covered in soot but unharmed.
• Ogre‑Kin Couple: A hulking, tusked pair that blundered through the night grass toward the camp. They wanted nothing to do with a wildfire and fled into the dark.
• Priestess of Yamath: A kindly village priestess who has aided the party in past troubles. A steady spiritual presence in Labrod.

ITEMS:

• Healing Salves: Thick, herbal pastes that pull the dying back from the brink. They kept Franz and Izzy breathing when the blue fire fell.
• Kell-Singer (Broken): A runed cold‑iron longsword of the Stone People, snapped mid‑blade. When its bearer speaks Degadi, blue fire wreathes it for a short time each day. It longs to be mended by Grandmother’s art.
• Mithril Chain with Emerald: An untarnished elven necklace from centuries past: a fine mithril chain dangling a thumb‑sized emerald. Valuable, but not magical.
• Returning Harpoon: Krigra‘s enchanted throwing spear that snaps back to the wielder’s grip after a cast. Flemish hurled it again and again at range.
• Silver Hex: Yohei’s silvered sickle, keen and enchanted, especially cruel to cursed flesh. It dealt the final blow to the barrow champion.
• Tarnished Silver Ring: A simple silver band taken from a skeleton’s finger. Worth coin more than secrets.

LOCATIONS:

• Fort Owlbear: The reclaimed stronghold in the Pohad foothills that the party calls home. Its defenses grow with each return, and it now houses a blacksmith’s forge.
• Grassland Campsite: A barren patch in a sea of wind‑tossed grass where the party faced ogre‑kin in the dark and turned them with fire.
• Labrod: A forest village of loggers, rangers, and a cautious welcome. Home to Enfaun the wizard and the priestess of Yamath.
• The Barrow: An earth‑buried stone tomb, thick with bats and guano, whose mosaics depict the Stone People and a flaming blade. Its halls held draining faces, skeletal guardians, and an ancient warlord.
• The Bottoms (Bog): A deep, treacherous bog where Grandmother dwells in an old wooden hut. The key to reforging Kell-Singer lies somewhere within.

FACTIONS:

• Cult of Tsathoggua: The shadowed faith Izzy serves, all tentacles and whispered bargains. Its blessings can turn a blade holy for a time.
• Stone People Tribes: Nomadic human clans whose ancestors raised the barrow and crafted Kell-Singer. Their art shows warriors standing against shadow with runed steel.
• Undead of the Barrow: Skeletal guardians and their warlord, sworn to keep the tomb sealed. They answered intruders with hammering shields and blue fire.
• Village of Labrod: A cautious but resilient forest community that trades in lumber, lore, and simple faith. It has become a frequent haven for the party.

QUESTS:

• Midnight Wolf Hunt: Join a village hunt to end a marauding wolf’s killings during revels.
• Probe the Forest Barrow: Enter the mound, face whatever guards it, and discover its secrets.
• Recruit a Blacksmith for Fort Owlbear: Find a permanent smith to anchor the fort’s growing needs.
• Reforge Kell-Singer: Seek Grandmother in the Bottoms with an offering worthy of her power to mend the runed blade.
• Strengthen Fort Owlbear: Continue upgrading the stronghold’s assets and defenses as the campaign hub.
• Train Ham the Saddle‑Pig: Teach Ham to carry Flemish reliably, even under stress.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Flemish Balorov: A diminutive gnome scoundrel with a gold tooth and a soft spot for grains, crabs, and his saddle‑pig Ham. Impulsive and surprisingly brave, he pilfered a ring from a skeleton, chased Ham into the night shouting about carrots, and needled the champion with a returning harpoon.
• Franz Braun: A very old human cleric and wandering minstrel who leans on a cane and hard‑won wisdom. Bold and pragmatic, he lit the prairie to outwit ogre‑kin and tried to wrest control from the dead. He fell in the boss chamber but survived thanks to comrades’ aid.
• Grungo Ka: A tengu thief with a code: he steals from those who can afford it and saves his friends when it counts. Grungo’s crossbow work is precise, and he remembered a single silver‑tipped bolt exactly when it mattered, then slapped a salve on a fallen ally under fire.
• Izzy: A stony‑skinned devotee of Tsathoggua whose faith skirts the line between blessing and curse. Izzy wades into danger with a morningstar and grim resolve, often shielding others. He was run through by the barrow champion’s flaming blade but pulled back from the brink.
• Krigra: A hobgoblin slayer who trusts his blade more than any god, though he’ll call on any power that gets the job done. Krigra is the spearpoint in a fight, taunting foes and breaking lines. He helped turn the battle when magic‑touched steel finally bit into the champion.
• Yohei: A kitsune gunslinger whose steady nerve and quick hands keep the party alive. He swaps from pistol to the silvered sickle called Silver Hex without missing a beat and delivered the killing stroke to the barrow champion as blue fire screamed away.