Kingmaker: Ep. 38

The Owlbear Adventurers set their sights on a lucrative bounty: to hunt a red dragon in the Povari Foothills and bring its heart to their patron, Lady Kravmenko. Their first stop was the nearby town of LeBroad to gather intelligence. The journey through the muggy, rain-soaked Narlwood was interrupted by cries for help. Rounding a bend, they discovered two trolls accosting a familiar LeBroad woodcutter.

A chaotic battle erupted. Bob’s clever taunt drew the trolls’ attention, but the creatures’ ferocity was overwhelming. One troll landed a devastating blow, felling Bob in a single strike. As the party scrambled, Brother Carl invoked the power of Ord to bring the ranger back from the brink. Recalling advice from their centaur allies, they realized acid and fire were not enough; the trolls had to be dismembered. Through a combination of cunning tactics and brutal force, they hacked the monsters to pieces, permanently ending their regenerative threat.

Arriving in LeBroad with troll heads in tow, they were greeted not with suspicion, but as heroes, thanks to the rescued woodcutter’s loud praise. After a night’s rest, during which Brother Carl gleaned a few details about the dragon’s size and location, the party headed south into the Povari Foothills. There, they discovered not their draconic quarry, but signs of giants. Bob’s scouting revealed a camp occupied by two ettins and a formidable, black-skinned rune giant—an adversary Izzy recognized from a dark past when they were sold into slavery.

The dragon hunt was immediately postponed. The party formulated a plan of attack, with Yohei skillfully using fox calls to lure one of the ettins deep into the woods. With the odds evened, they launched a surprise assault. Bob opened the fight with a spectacular shot that struck the rune giant square in the head. The adventurers swarmed their foe, and in a flurry of steel and magic, they brought down the giantess and her remaining ettin bodyguard, avenging a past wrong and unknowingly killing the wife of the powerful giant lord, Vizel Tezak. Looting the camp, they found a small fortune and a sentient, fastidiously clean magical ring named Hod before returning to town, victorious but now entangled in a giant’s blood feud.

OUTLINE:

A Trollish Detour

The party decided to hunt the red dragon in the Povari Foothills.
While traveling to LeBroad, they encountered two trolls attacking a woodcutter.
They engaged the trolls in combat; Bob was critically injured and knocked unconscious.
Brother Carl revived Bob with healing magic.
The party defeated the trolls by dismembering their bodies to stop their regeneration.

Heroes of LeBroad

The party arrived in LeBroad with the troll heads and were praised as heroes by the rescued woodcutter.
They rested for the night at the local inn.
Brother Carl sought information on the dragon from Mayor Corin and the priestess of Yamath.
The party purchased Troll Bile Tinctures before departing.

Tracking Giants in the Foothills

The party traveled south into the Povari Foothills.
They discovered a ruined dwarven tomb but decided to continue their search for the dragon.
Bob found giant-sized boot prints and scouted ahead.
He located a giant camp with two ettins and a female rune giant.

Ambush for an Old Enemy

Izzy recognized the rune giant as a slaver from their past, and the party prioritized vengeance over the dragon hunt.
Yohei used fox calls to successfully lure one of the ettins away from the camp.
The party prepared to launch a surprise attack on the remaining two giants.
Bob initiated the ambush with a powerful critical hit on the rune giantess.

Vengeance and Spoils

The party swarmed the rune giant and the ettin, quickly overpowering and killing them.
The slain giantess was revealed to be the wife of the giant lord, Vizel Tezak.
They looted the camp, finding a chest with 1400 silver pieces, 6 citrines, and a sentient platinum healing ring named Hod.
The party returned to LeBroad, collected a bounty for the giant heads, and identified the magical ring.

NPCs:

Brent the Woodcutter: An old, grizzled woodcutter from LeBroad who the party rescued from two trolls. He is extremely grateful, hailing the party as heroes and later becoming a friendly contact.
Corin: The half-elf mayor of LeBroad. He has a complicated ‘frenemy’ relationship with the party, needing their help but often frustrated by the chaos that follows them.
Ettins: Two-headed giants who served as bodyguards for Vizel Tezak’s wife. One was lured away and fled, the other was killed in the party’s ambush.
Hod: A sentient platinum ring found in the giants’ loot. It can heal its wearer once per day but is fastidiously clean and dislikes being dirtied, especially by blood.
Lady Kravmenko: The party’s patron in the city of Tarka. She tasked them with retrieving a dragon’s heart for her.
Priestess of Yamath: The local priestess and herbalist of LeBroad. She is friendly towards the party and a source for healing tinctures.
Vizel Tezak: A powerful giant lord and the husband of the rune giant the party killed. He is now an unseen but looming threat.
Vizel Tezak’s Wife: A powerful black-skinned rune giant with red hair and golden runes covering her body. She was a slaver who had a past conflict with the party and was the wife of the giant lord Vizel Tezak. She was ambushed and killed by the adventurers.

ITEMS:

Chest of Treasure: A chest found in the giants’ camp containing 1400 silver pieces and six citrine gems.
Giant Greatsword: A massive, six-foot-long black sword wielded by the rune giant. It is too large and heavy for a normal-sized person to use without great difficulty.
Healing Tincture: A standard potion that restores hit points when consumed.
Hod (Healing Ring): A sentient platinum bangle (ring-sized for a giant) that can heal its wearer for 1d8 HP once per day. It has a fastidious personality and hates getting dirty.
Lead-lined Box: A magical container provided by Lady Kravmenko to preserve the dragon’s heart once they acquire it.
Troll Bile Tincture: A potion made from troll bile that grants 1d4 HP of regeneration on the turn after it’s consumed, unless the user takes fire or acid damage.

LOCATIONS:

Fort Albert: A fortified location mentioned as a landmark, located to the southeast of the Narlwood.
Giant Campsite: A temporary camp set up by a stream and a small waterfall in the Povari Foothills, where the party ambushed the three giants.
LeBroad: A village of a few hundred people located in the Narlwood. The party has a complicated ‘frenemy’ relationship with its townsfolk and leaders.
Narlwood: A lush, dense, and often rainy forest that contains the town of LeBroad and the party’s home base of Fort Owlbear.
Povari Foothills: A windswept, hilly region to the south where the red dragon is rumored to lair. It is also territory for giants.

FACTIONS:

Giants of the Povari Foothills: A group of giants led by the powerful lord Vizel Tezak. The party has a history of conflict with them, which has now escalated significantly after they killed Vizel Tezak’s wife.

QUESTS:

A Heart for a Patron: A personal quest from the party’s patron, Lady Kravmenko, to acquire a dragon’s heart, which she has provided a magical box to preserve.
Giant Problems: An impromptu quest for vengeance against the rune giant who had previously enslaved members of the party. With her death, this has likely escalated into a larger conflict with her husband, Vizel Tezak.
Hunt the Red Dragon: A bounty posted by the people of LeBroad to kill a red dragon that has taken up residence in the nearby Povari Foothills.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Bob: A Tengu ranger and the party’s scout. He is highly skilled with a bow, capable of landing devastating shots from a distance. He often takes the lead in tracking and reconnaissance.
Brother Carl: A cleric of Ord who serves as the party’s healer. He wields a warhammer and is capable of bringing his allies back from the brink of death, though he seems to have a contentious relationship with the god he worships.
Izzy: A formidable warrior who appears to be the party’s tank. Izzy wields a sword named Kelsinger and harbors a deep-seated grudge against the giant slaver, Vizel Tezak, seeking vengeance for past wrongs.
Klyctic: A summoner, likened to a Pokemon trainer, who calls upon a powerful eidolon to fight alongside him. His eidolon, affectionately called Fluffy, appears as a rainbow-hued dire wolf and is a key combatant for the group.
Yohei: A cunning kitsune who wields a gun and possesses the Master of Disguise feat. He keeps his true nature hidden from most, using his skills in mimicry and deception to aid the party. He is currently saving up for a musket.