Kingmaker: Ep. 19 – Gongaii

The Owlbear Adventurers weathered new demands at Fort Owlbear: loggers begged them to slay a southern mountain dragon, and Lady Kravmenko—through Captain Keston—offered gold and glory to forge an alliance with the centaurs or drive them out. Instead, the party struck northeast for the Bottoms to find the elusive Grandmother who might restore Izzy’s broken blade, Kell-Singer.

Crossing old forests into waist‑high grass, they felt the air crackle around a hundred‑foot monolith. A whisper asked for help, and an eight‑legged black spider stepped from a slit in the air. Zamas named the stone her anchor and begged aid against five drunken, four‑armed zill siphoning its power. With Zamas heckling from the spire, the party charged. Ashla and Eternal Warrior cut in among the dancers, Adder’s blasts roared, and Izzy’s blessing guided Yohei’s shots. Two zill fell; the rest spun widdershins and faded into the utter dark. Zamas returned with a footlocker from beyond: a heavy dwarvish brass‑plate tome and a wand engraved GW.

They found Grandmother in the western Bottoms: a bright little hut, a wicker man named Jack turning a roasting boar on a spit, and two mossy giant “hummocks.” The door flew open to Madame Eldreza Yaga, sharp as a thorn and unimpressed with petitions. She promised the means to fix Kell-Singer if they recovered her “children,” the swamp giants Gunbad and Snogark, from the rival witch Nagara in the eastern Bottoms. They slept in her uncanny, far‑larger‑inside home; she pegged the wand as a maker’s rod and the tome as a dwarvish spellbook, and muttered of the monolith’s fall centuries past.

A skull‑lined path led them to Nagara: a pale, ivory cobra with a woman’s face. Parley curdled fast. Brother Kaarl’s quiet prayer broke Gunbad free; Nagara shrieked and struck, dropping Yohei with a withering word and paralyzing Ashla with venom. Eternal Warrior and Adder drove her back, Izzy blinded the witch and reignited Kell-Singer’s flame, and Kaarl freed Snogark. Yohei’s final shot toppled the naga. They took a clutch of rings from severed hands and returned to Grandmother, who handed over a mason jar of silvery orichalcum. Back at Fort Owlbear, Asp Fang poured it over Kell-Singer and the blade knit whole, burning bright once more—leaving the owlbears to decide whether dragons or centaurs come next.

OUTLINE:

New Threads at Fort Owlbear

• Loggers offered 200 gold to slay a southern mountain dragon.
• Captain Keston delivered Lady Kremenko’s offer to ally with or expel the centaurs.
• Party chose to seek Grandmother in the Bottoms to repair Kelsinger.

The Anchor Stone and the Zill

• Party spotted a towering rune‑etched monolith; the air crackled with strange energy.
• Zamas, an eight‑legged void‑spider, emerged from a slit in the air seeking help.
• Five drunken, four‑armed zill chanted and siphoned the monolith’s power.
• Plan: Zamas heckled from the spire while the party charged.
• Two zill were slain; three spun away into the utter dark.
• Reward: a footlocker containing a dwarvish brass‑plate tome and a wand engraved GW.

Grandmother’s Hut and the Bargain

• Found a bright hut on a dry patch, a wicker man named Jack turning a boar, and two moss‑giants.
• Met Madame Eldreza Yaga (Grandmother), who demanded the return of her “children,” Gunbad and Snogark, from Nagara.
• Slept inside her uncanny, larger‑within home; she identified the wand as a fabricator and the tome as a dwarvish spellbook.
• Grandmother hinted the monolith once linked realms centuries ago.

Parley and Battle in the Eastern Bottoms

• A skull‑spiked path led to Nagara, an ivory cobra with a woman’s face.
• The code phrase Jack’s turning the spit drew out the giants but they refused to leave.
• Brother Carl’s discreet ward broke Gunbad’s charm; Nagara attacked in fury.
• Nagara dropped Yohei with a hateful word and paralyzed Ashla with venom.
• Eternal Warrior and Adder pressed the attack; Izzy blinded the witch and reignited Kelsinger.
• Carl freed Snogark; Yohei’s shot killed Nagara; the party looted rings from severed hands and took a fang.

Repairs, Rewards, and What’s Next

• Grandmother gifted a mason jar of silvery orichalcum to mend Kelsinger.
• Asp Fang poured it over the blade; Kelsinger reknit and its flame returned.
• The wand was stored; rings sold for coin; celebratory rat races with Grandmother ended in a win.
• Open threads remain: slay the dragon or broker peace with the centaurs.

NPCs:

• Asp Fang: Fort Owlbear’s blacksmith who claimed Grandmother as kin. Poured a jar of silvery orichalcum over Kelsinger and restored it to a gleaming, fire‑kissed blade.
• Captain Keston: The trading post’s hard‑riding captain who carries Lady Kremenko’s offers and warnings across the wilds.
• Gunbad: One of Grandmother’s swamp‑giant “children.” Freed from Nagara’s sway by Brother Carl’s ward and sent home.
• Jack: A wicker‑and‑twine servitor with a squash for a head who tirelessly turns the spits. His name is the key phrase that calls Grandmother’s giants home: Jack’s turning the spit.
• Lady Kremenko: The distant patron whose coffers and politics shape the Stolen Lands. She seeks either peace or dominance over the centaurs—whichever the Owlbears can secure.
• Madame Eldreza Yaga (Grandmother): A fearsome, sharp‑eyed swamp matron whose hut wanders and whose hospitality cuts both ways. She sets hard bargains, serves bitter tea, and remembers when the world was different.
• Nagara: An ivory naga—cobra‑bodied with a human woman’s face—who charmed Grandmother’s giants to her side. Honeyed words hid a venomous temper and a killing curse.
• Otto: A trader at the post who relays messages and keeps his ear to the ground when coin and trouble start moving.
• Snogark: Grandmother’s other swamp‑giant “child.” Initially fought under Nagara’s influence before being released and sent home.
• The Zill: Towering, red, four‑armed reptilian outsiders who danced widdershins to drain the monolith’s power. Drunk, dangerous, and not from this world.
• Zamas: An eight‑legged, void‑skittering spider who slips between worlds and anchors to a towering monolith. Pragmatic and oddly courteous, Zamas bartered aid for aid and paid in treasures from beyond.

ITEMS:

• A Dozen Assorted Rings: Gold, silver, and pale‑metal bands—some gem‑set—taken from a grim cache of severed hands in Nagara’s lair.
• Dwarvish Brass‑Plate Tome: A heavy, ornate spellbook of etched brass leaves, written in dwarvish cuneiform and illustrated with precise hand‑mudras.
• Jar of Orichalcum: A mason jar of quicksilver‑bright alchemical medium that knits what is broken as if time itself were unwound.
• Kelsinger: Once a shattered heirloom, now a newly restored longsword whose flame kindles at its wielder’s word. Its edge is keen and its fire bright.
• Passphrase: Jack’s turning the spit: The homely words that tell Grandmother’s giants it is safe to come home for supper.
• Wand of Fabrication (GW): A brass‑tipped maker’s rod engraved with the initials GW, suited to shaping and crafting for those who know its art.

LOCATIONS:

• Fort Owlbear: The party’s hard‑won stronghold and staging ground on the edge of the wilds. Rumors, rewards, and repairs all pass through its gates.
• Grandmother’s Hut: A bright yellow‑and‑red hut that is far larger inside than out, always stocked with tea, riddles, and unseen doors.
• The Anchor Stone (Monolith): A hundred‑foot, rune‑etched spire that hums with otherworldly charge and once bridged worlds. Its bare, blasted circle still remembers power.
• The Bottoms, East: A fetid sump marked by skull‑spiked paths and the lair of the ivory naga, Nagara.
• The Bottoms, West: A bog‑maze of stagnant water, mangroves, and hidden islets where Grandmother’s walking hut tends to roost.
• The Trading Post: Waystation of wagons, news, and Lady Kremenko’s reach. Captain Keston musters here.
• The Utter Dark (Beyond): A shadow‑realm where Zamas prowls and lost things drift until they are found again—or not at all.

FACTIONS:

• Keston’s Garrison: The trading post’s hard‑bitten guards who carry messages, keep order, and count the cost of every skirmish.
• Lady Kremenko’s Charter: Frontier authority extending titles, bounties, and edicts to those bold enough to tame the wilds.
• The Centaur Clans: Proud horse‑kin patrolling the open ranges, wary of settlers but not immune to a fair treaty—or a feud.
• The Loggers’ Fellowship: Rough‑handed woodsmen whose livelihoods bend beneath a dragon’s shadow and who will pay to be rid of it.
• The Zill Hive: Otherworldly marauders who siphon power in circling rites and vanish between breaths when pressed.

QUESTS:

• Find Grandmother and Mend Kelsinger: Track the wandering hut in the West Bottoms and secure the means to restore Izzy’s broken blade.
• Forge an Alliance with the Centaurs (or Drive Them Out): At Lady Kremenko’s behest, secure peace and partnership with the centaur clans—or remove them by force.
• Reclaim the Anchor Stone for Zamas: Drive off the zill draining the monolith so Zamas can anchor safely again. Payment promised from beyond.
• Rescue Gunbad and Snogark from Nagara: Unwitch Grandmother’s ‘children’ from the ivory naga’s sway and bring them home.
• Slay the Southern Mountain Dragon: A band of loggers offered a bounty to end the dragon’s threat to their camps and trade.
• Trace ‘GW’ and Translate the Brass Tome: Identify the maker’s wand and brass‑plate grimoire, and discover whether their original owner still walks the world.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Adder: A shafti elementalist who channels raw force into devastating blasts. His power comes at a cost, and he rides the edge between mastery and backlash with stubborn resolve. Adder is practical, a little sardonic, and relentless when allies need firepower.
• Ashla: An aasimar fighter and former guard who stands firm against bullies and tyrants. Up close and unflinching, Ashla’s blade work anchors the line, even when venom and pain threaten to fell her. Duty and grit guide her choices.
• Brother Carl: A human priest of Ord whose quiet faith hits like a hammer at the right moment. Fluent in lost tongues and quick with protective rites, Carl breaks enchantments, steadies the wounded, and isn’t shy about wading into the fray with a stern word and a sure hand.
• Eternal Warrior (EW): A seasoned fighter who once was human and now bears the mien of a survivor sharpened by strange change. Bold on the front line, he dives headlong into danger to draw fire and carve a path for his companions. He favors decisive strikes and refuses to leave allies behind when battles turn grim.
• Izzy: An oread priest walking a road of redemption. Izzy’s steady prayers turn the tide—blinding foes, bolstering allies—and he carries the reforged Kelsinger, a blade that answers to his voice. Calm under pressure, he marries faith with flint‑hard resolve.
• Yohei: A kitsune gunslinger with a silvered tongue and a pistol that speaks last. Quick to parley but quicker to draw when lines are crossed, Yohei threads charm and audacity, even when a witch’s word knocks him flat. He lands the shot that matters.