Kingmaker: Ep. 31

The Owlbear Adventurers traveled to the village of Labrod, a town with which they share a tense relationship. They went to support their lumberjack friend, Scarl, whose sister Saki had been brutally murdered, and to confront a foppish man named Grigory who had been slandering their name. The party split upon arrival; while Puck and Frank Lee investigated Saki’s cremated remains, the others cornered Grigory in the tavern. Using a Zone of Truth, Brother Kaarl forced the slanderer to publicly recount all the good deeds the adventurers had done for Labrod, humiliating him before the townsfolk.

Reunited, the group investigated the field where Saki died. They found strange gouges in the earth and a tuft of brown fur, strengthening their theory that a werewolf was responsible. They set a trap that night with Ashla as bait, but their vigil proved fruitless. Warning the town sheriff to prepare for the next full moon, they left to pursue another lead: a bounty on trolls.

Their kobold allies, led by the eccentric Chief Yik-Yak, informed them that the trolls were laired in an old dwarven fort to the south. After locating the fort, the party spotted a hunting party of two trolls and two hobgoblins. They decided to set an ambush in the woods, hoping to thin the trolls’ numbers. The ensuing battle was a brutal affair. The heroes discovered the trolls regenerated from nearly any wound, a power seemingly tied to a magical, glowing brand on their chests. Despite Puck managing to surgically remove one brand, the party was overwhelmed by the trolls’ relentless strength. In the bloody aftermath, Brother Kaarl, Yohei, and Frank Lee fled into the woods, forced to leave the fallen Ashla and Puck behind, who had been captured by the victorious trolls.

OUTLINE:

Answering the Call in LeBroad

• The party learned of several concurrent events, including a murder and a slanderer in the village of LeBroad.
• They decided to travel to LeBroad to help their lumberjack friend Scarl and confront the slanderer, Grigory.
• Upon arrival, they spoke with Sheriff Corrin, who confirmed the victim, Saki, was savaged by a suspected animal.

A Divided Investigation

• The party split up to tackle both problems at once.
• Puck and a companion went with Scarl to inspect his sister’s cremated remains, finding no obvious clues.
• Brother Carl, Ashla, and Yohei went to the tavern to find Grigory.

Tavern Confrontation

• Brother Carl cast Zone of Truth on Grigory, forcing him to list the party’s heroic deeds in front of the townsfolk.
• Grigory was humiliated and revealed to be the ex-boyfriend of the party’s ally, Eulisha.
• The party asserted their dominance and left Grigory fuming in the tavern.

The Beast of the Berry Patch

• The group investigated the field where Saki was killed, finding a tuft of brown fur.
• They set a trap overnight, with Ashla as bait, hoping to lure out a suspected werewolf, but nothing appeared.
• They warned the sheriff to prepare for the next full moon and decided to pursue the troll bounty.

Seeking Kobold Counsel

• The party visited their kobold allies, led by Chief Yik-Yak, to ask for information.
• The kobolds gave them the location of the trolls: an old dwarf fort south in the Narlwood.
• They also learned two kobolds had gone missing near Fort Owlbear, connecting to the strange tracks seen earlier.

The Disastrous Troll Ambush

• The party found the dwarf fort and ambushed a hunting party of two trolls and two hobgoblins.
• They discovered the trolls had magical regeneration powered by a glowing brand on their chests.
• Despite fighting fiercely and even removing one brand, the party was overwhelmed.
• Puck and Ashla were defeated and captured, while the surviving members fled into the forest.

NPCs:

• Chonk the Mule: The party’s loyal pack mule.
• Corrin: The alderman and sheriff of LeBroad. He is the town’s leader and maintains a cautious but cooperative relationship with the party.
• Eulisha: A half-orc bard and friend of the party who hangs out at Fort Owlbear. She is Grigory’s ex-girlfriend.
• Golden-haired Gnome: A mysterious gnome with eyes of liquid gold who appeared in Puck’s locked room before vanishing.
• Grigory: A foppish, well-dressed human who slandered the adventurers in LeBroad. He is the ex-boyfriend of the bard Eulisha and proved to be a coward when confronted.
• Saki: Scarl’s sister who was murdered while picking moonberries outside LeBroad. Her death is the mystery that brought the party to the village.
• Scarl: A lumberjack from Fort Owlbear whose sister, Saki, was murdered. He is grim and sought the party’s help.
• Yik-Yak: The green-scaled chief of the party’s allied kobold tribe. He is eccentric and wields a deer-skull staff, providing the party with crucial intelligence about the trolls’ lair.

ITEMS:

• Brown Fur: A small tuft of long brown animal fur found on a thorn bush at the murder scene, kept by Puck as a clue.
• Drow Razor: Puck’s signature weapon. A wickedly sharp blade used to expertly excise the magical brand from a troll’s chest.
• Holdout Pistol: A firearm used by Yohei. It’s a close-range weapon that packs a punch.
• Moonberries: Magical berries that glow faintly in the moonlight. Harvested by Ashla during the failed stakeout.
• Saki’s Ashes: The cremated remains of the murder victim, held in a ceremonial clay urn.

LOCATIONS:

• Fort Owlbear: The party’s home base and stronghold.
• Kobold Warren: A series of caves in the hills that is home to the party’s kobold allies.
• LeBroad: A forest village northwest of Fort Owlbear. It has a thriving market, a tavern, and a tense relationship with the adventurers.
• Moonberry Field: A glade outside LeBroad filled with bushes whose berries glow under the moonlight. It was the site of Saki’s murder.
• Old Dwarf Fort: A weathered stone fortress built into a hillside in the southern Narlwood, currently serving as a troll lair.

FACTIONS:

• LeBroad Villagers: The common folk of LeBroad. Their opinion of the party is easily swayed by rumors but also by public displays of power and truth.
• Narlwood Kobold Tribe: A tribe of kobolds led by Chief Yik-Yak, allied with the adventurers. They provide useful information but are generally cowardly and dim-witted.

QUESTS:

• The Missing Kobolds: Investigate the strange, lizard-like footprints around Fort Owlbear, which are connected to two missing members of the allied kobold tribe.
• The Murder in LeBroad: Investigate the mysterious and brutal murder of Saki, a lumberjack’s sister, outside the village of LeBroad.
• The Slanderer of LeBroad: Confront and silence Grigory, a man spreading malicious rumors about the party in LeBroad.
• Troll Bounty: Hunt down and eliminate the trolls that have taken up residence in an old dwarven fort in the Narlwood.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Ashla: A courageous and stalwart warrior who fights on the front lines with a sword. He is brave enough to offer himself as bait for a monster and stands his ground against overwhelming odds. His resilience was tested to its limit against two regenerating trolls, leading to his capture.
• Brother Carl: The party’s cleric of Ord, serving as their spiritual and healing backbone. He wields holy magic to smite foes and deliver crucial, party-saving heals with his Mass Cure spell. He is unafraid to confront those who wrong his friends, but his faith is audibly shaken when his prayers go unanswered in their most desperate hour.
• Garnet: An adventurer who accompanied Puck during the investigation in LeBroad. As a former field medic and guard, he attempts to use his skills to analyze crime scenes, though the week-old trail in the muddy field offered few clues. He is blind, relying on his other senses and his companions.
• Puck: A deep-dwelling Minvari, an underground being akin to a cross between a dwarf and an elf. He has white hair and stark white, pupil-less eyes, giving him a striking and somewhat unnerving appearance. He worships the chaotic god Baksura and wields a drow razor with deadly precision, which he proved capable of using for impromptu surgery in the heat of battle. He was captured by trolls.
• Yohei: A formidable martial artist, often called Karate Man, who fights with his fists and channels his chi. He has a trick up his sleeve in the form of a holdout pistol and the ability to shapeshift into a fox. He is quick to defend the party’s honor, especially when it concerns his friends.