The Root of the Problem - Group 3 - Session 6 Finale
from the game session held on 10 May, 2023
General Summary
After rescuing Kronoo the Ogre from the hunting party of Gnolls, and being given direction to the forest dwelling of Kronoo's "aunties", the party of Dhraanggh the Half-Orc Champion, Gambit the Goblin Alchemist, and the Halflings Kleone the Druid and Tom the Bard set off. As they trudged through the woods, they realized that these "aunties" may well be the "mysterious 'they'" that were behind the well-tainting sorcerer in Karnstown. Kronoo was wearing a crudely made pendant or talisman of some sort on a leather thong around her neck - an ornament identical to one that was being worn by the sorcerer Fenric Millikarn. Still somewhat tired from their battle with the gnolls, the group decided to camp for the night away from the trail that Kronoo had indicated.
Rested in the morning, the group returned to the trail and continued. Soon, they reached a small clearing in the dense forest - a clearing marked by a number of felled trees, and a crude, wooden, yurt-like structure perhaps 30 feet in diameter. At the peak of its conical, thatched roof - about 20' up - thin wisps of smoke could be seen rising from a smokehole. Nearby, a large, even cruder lean-to could be seen, with an Ogre-sized pile of furs and tattered bedding lying beneath it.
Kleone's familiar was sent to scout the perimeter. Kleone, looking through the leshy's eyes, reported that the door to the yurt lay on the side opposite from where the party stood. There were no windows, and no occupants in sight anywhere. A discussion ensued, with the party debating just how certain they were about the intent of whomever it was occupying this hut. Gambit suggested they just set fire to the building and deal with whatever emerged from it as they escaped the flames. This suggestion seemed to be slowly gaining favor until Tom suggested an alternative that wouldn't result in such a drastic outcome if the occupants were not the party's targets. He would clamber up the thatched roof and toss a bedroll blanket over the smokehole, thus hopefully driving the occupants out without destroying the building. Dhraanggh would hoist the Halfling onto the roof, and then take up a position with the others in the trees beyond the clearing, but in sight of the door.
Unfortunately, the bard wasn't quite as stealthy as he hoped to be, and while he managed to reach the roof peak without falling off, he did alert the occupants of the building. As he placed the blanket over the smoke hole, the yurt door opened and what appeared to be an ancient-looking female human stepped out. The group waiting in the trees heard her saying "I'll see what the commotion is about, sisters" as she emerged and turned to look up onto the roof. Tom was starting to descend when he saw the old woman, who asked him what he was doing up on her roof.
A brief, and remarkably polite conversation followed. Tom explained that he was simply trying to get a view above the trees, and must have dropped his bedroll at the top of the roof. The old crone suggested he retrieve it. After asking whether Tom was alone - the Halfling said that he was - the old woman invited Tom to stay for a meal. Tom, still on the roof, offered to play a tune for the old woman on his flute, and attempted to cast a Charm spell on the crone. But his soothing tones didn't seem to affect the woman at all. He then descended the roof, returning to the ground about 15' away from the old woman. In the meantime, a second old human-looking woman emerged from the hut to "see what the fuss was all about". She, too, extended an invitation to Tom to stay for a meal after hearing that Tom claimed to be travelling alone.
The two old women seemed polite enough, but were increasingly insistent that Tom stay. Tom continued to decline until, finally, the second woman out of the hut looked at Tom with a glare in her eye. "We insist.", she said, and followed this by exhaling in an almost coughing manner toward the Halfling. As the expanding cloud of mildewy-smelling breath and dust particles engulfed Tom, he could feel his skin stiffening, almost as if patches of it were scabbing or scaling over. And as he looked at his arms, he saw that there were indeed ridges of fungal material appearaing - looking very much like the growths that could be found on ancient trees in a damp forest.
At the same time, Tom, as well as all of the rest watching from the edge of the clearing, saw the forms of the two old women shimmer slightly as they morphed into creatures of approximately the same build as the old women, but even more ancient and decrepit... and green skinned. "Hags", Kleone thought to himself immediately.
Gambit immediately leaped into action, hurling the Bottled Lightning she had already reached for at the first of the two creatures to have emerged from the hut. In her haste, though, her throw missed its mark. The bottle exploded at the feet of its target, and though a small spark could be seen leaping to the target, the bulk of the bomb's effect was wasted in a bright blue flash upon the ground. The Tree Hag spun around at this, and spying the goblin, covered the ground between them alarming fast as she violently swung a clawed hand at the alchemist. It was only Dhraanggh's quick reaction, calling upon his Champion's powers, that caused the blow to be a glancing one. But as the claw raked lightly over the goblin, she also felt the stiffening effect of some magic that she knew would hamper her movement.
Kleone stepped out from behind a tree and hruled a small burst of fire at the second Tree Hag, but this missed its mark completely. Dhraanggh circled around behind the Hag that had been Gambit's target and, calling upon his gods, swung his greatsword in a mighty arc at the unsuspecting foe. While the blow did not finish the hag, all could see that she was greviously wounded by the mighty swing. She staggered - just enough to avoide a second blow landing from the Champion's sword.
Tom, feeling the clumsiness effect from the Hag's foul breath, took advantage of the erupting chaos to dart past the two hags and take up a protective position next to the half-orc champion. He then sang a quick song of reassurance, meant to magically protect himself and his companions from further attacks by the hag.
The first hag to emerge from the hut - a creature that didn't look quite as "green" as her sister, closed on Kleone and swiped out with a clawed hand, but the Halfling avoided the blow. Gambit hurled a second Bottled Lightning, missing her mark yet again. This was followed by a hastily produced bomb of Alchemist's Fire directed at the third Hag that was just emerging from the hut in response to all the commotion going on outside. This one struck its target, setting the hag's clothing to smoldlering, but also splashing onto the pile of firewood near the door as well as the lower bits of thatch on the roof. The hag responded by exhaling toward the goblin, who felt a second wave of stiffness overcome her.
A second tongue of flame tossed by Kleone again missed its mark; but a sword blow by Dhraanggh struck home. This was apparently all one of the Hags could take; she stepped back, and as she exclaimed, "You haven't seen the last of me!", she simply vanished. Tom, in the meantime, sang a song of bravery in battle, urging all to fight with more determination.
The combat went on a few more seconds, with the party managing to rain down enough blows upon the two remaining hags to finish them off. Dhraanggh's sword dispatched one; the second was felled by an Acid Flask hurled by Gambit. During the combat, the "vanished" one reappeared once, having circled behind Gambit for a missed attack before disappearing once more - this time for good.
As the combat ended, Tom quickly realized that the quickly spreading fire on the roof of the hut would soon bring down the structure. Not wanting to lose any evidence as to the guilt and intentions of the hags (and perhaps not wanting to miss out on any loot), he rushed into the burning building, tossing anything that might be of value or import outside to the others. There wasn't much to search, so the Halfling emerged before the building's roof collapsed in a shower of sparks. Tom managed to recover a Tome that appeared to contain a number of magical rituals, though he could not discern their purpose. Two more talisman pendants like the ones worn by Fenric and Kronoo were also recovered, as was a pouch containing a few coins... and a few sparkling gemstones.
Believing they had finally completed their mission for the Karn, the party set out to return to Karnstown by way of Stannilode. Kleone explained what she knew about hags and their covens along the way. While they did leave one hag alive out there, without her "sisters", she was much less of a threat - and it was likely to be a long, long time before she would find others of her kind to form a new coven to seek revenge.
Upon finally arriving at Karnstown, the group returned to the Inn they frequented in their past visits, fairly sure the Karn would hear of their return and send for them. Indeed, that evening, they were summoned yet again to the restaurant in northwest Karnstown. They found the Karn enjoying yet another fine meal, and were invited to stay and partake as well. This time, the white, starchy strings of goodness were smothered in a sauce that appeared to be a combination of shredded cheese and egg yolks. Small bits of meat were liberally laced throughout the concoction as well.
The Karn delightedly explained that their "Dough Strings alla Carbonara", was made with Dwarven Bacon and cockatrice egg yolks, and was the best creation his chef had come up with yet featuring the Chittiki starch product. He also added, "Yeah, cockatrice eggs... we get 'em from a Leprechaun who raises the creatures... in the forest east of here. Can't beat 'em for flavor!".
When the party finished their meals, the Karn dismissed them, saying, "Tomorrow, you move out of that inn and into Fenric's house. It's yours now. And stick around... I've got another important job for you in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the city. As the party collected their weapons, they were also each handed a pouch that contained a sizable number of coins. When they returned to the inn, they discovered that each had been paid 250 gold coins for their service. They celebrated until the wee hours of the morning before settling in for their last night at the inn.
The party recovered a book containing coven rituals. While of no use to any of them, a "researcher/collector" in Karnstown paid them 50gp for it. The pouch they recovered from the hut contained 12gp, 8sp, and 12cp, but it also contained several gemstones that brought a total of 60gp when sold in Karnstown.
Their formal reward from the Karn consisted of a gold payment of 250gp each. They also received title to the large home previously occupied by Fenric Morrikarn. The city guard and other "important people" in the city were apparently made aware of the group's status as Karn insiders, based on the deferential treatment they were suddenly receiving anywhere they went in the city.
Dothistroma the Tree Hag (slain in combat)
Fusaria the Green Hag (wounded, but escaped)
The Karn (aftermath)
Rested in the morning, the group returned to the trail and continued. Soon, they reached a small clearing in the dense forest - a clearing marked by a number of felled trees, and a crude, wooden, yurt-like structure perhaps 30 feet in diameter. At the peak of its conical, thatched roof - about 20' up - thin wisps of smoke could be seen rising from a smokehole. Nearby, a large, even cruder lean-to could be seen, with an Ogre-sized pile of furs and tattered bedding lying beneath it.
Kleone's familiar was sent to scout the perimeter. Kleone, looking through the leshy's eyes, reported that the door to the yurt lay on the side opposite from where the party stood. There were no windows, and no occupants in sight anywhere. A discussion ensued, with the party debating just how certain they were about the intent of whomever it was occupying this hut. Gambit suggested they just set fire to the building and deal with whatever emerged from it as they escaped the flames. This suggestion seemed to be slowly gaining favor until Tom suggested an alternative that wouldn't result in such a drastic outcome if the occupants were not the party's targets. He would clamber up the thatched roof and toss a bedroll blanket over the smokehole, thus hopefully driving the occupants out without destroying the building. Dhraanggh would hoist the Halfling onto the roof, and then take up a position with the others in the trees beyond the clearing, but in sight of the door.
Unfortunately, the bard wasn't quite as stealthy as he hoped to be, and while he managed to reach the roof peak without falling off, he did alert the occupants of the building. As he placed the blanket over the smoke hole, the yurt door opened and what appeared to be an ancient-looking female human stepped out. The group waiting in the trees heard her saying "I'll see what the commotion is about, sisters" as she emerged and turned to look up onto the roof. Tom was starting to descend when he saw the old woman, who asked him what he was doing up on her roof.
A brief, and remarkably polite conversation followed. Tom explained that he was simply trying to get a view above the trees, and must have dropped his bedroll at the top of the roof. The old crone suggested he retrieve it. After asking whether Tom was alone - the Halfling said that he was - the old woman invited Tom to stay for a meal. Tom, still on the roof, offered to play a tune for the old woman on his flute, and attempted to cast a Charm spell on the crone. But his soothing tones didn't seem to affect the woman at all. He then descended the roof, returning to the ground about 15' away from the old woman. In the meantime, a second old human-looking woman emerged from the hut to "see what the fuss was all about". She, too, extended an invitation to Tom to stay for a meal after hearing that Tom claimed to be travelling alone.
The two old women seemed polite enough, but were increasingly insistent that Tom stay. Tom continued to decline until, finally, the second woman out of the hut looked at Tom with a glare in her eye. "We insist.", she said, and followed this by exhaling in an almost coughing manner toward the Halfling. As the expanding cloud of mildewy-smelling breath and dust particles engulfed Tom, he could feel his skin stiffening, almost as if patches of it were scabbing or scaling over. And as he looked at his arms, he saw that there were indeed ridges of fungal material appearaing - looking very much like the growths that could be found on ancient trees in a damp forest.
At the same time, Tom, as well as all of the rest watching from the edge of the clearing, saw the forms of the two old women shimmer slightly as they morphed into creatures of approximately the same build as the old women, but even more ancient and decrepit... and green skinned. "Hags", Kleone thought to himself immediately.
Gambit immediately leaped into action, hurling the Bottled Lightning she had already reached for at the first of the two creatures to have emerged from the hut. In her haste, though, her throw missed its mark. The bottle exploded at the feet of its target, and though a small spark could be seen leaping to the target, the bulk of the bomb's effect was wasted in a bright blue flash upon the ground. The Tree Hag spun around at this, and spying the goblin, covered the ground between them alarming fast as she violently swung a clawed hand at the alchemist. It was only Dhraanggh's quick reaction, calling upon his Champion's powers, that caused the blow to be a glancing one. But as the claw raked lightly over the goblin, she also felt the stiffening effect of some magic that she knew would hamper her movement.
Kleone stepped out from behind a tree and hruled a small burst of fire at the second Tree Hag, but this missed its mark completely. Dhraanggh circled around behind the Hag that had been Gambit's target and, calling upon his gods, swung his greatsword in a mighty arc at the unsuspecting foe. While the blow did not finish the hag, all could see that she was greviously wounded by the mighty swing. She staggered - just enough to avoide a second blow landing from the Champion's sword.
Tom, feeling the clumsiness effect from the Hag's foul breath, took advantage of the erupting chaos to dart past the two hags and take up a protective position next to the half-orc champion. He then sang a quick song of reassurance, meant to magically protect himself and his companions from further attacks by the hag.
The first hag to emerge from the hut - a creature that didn't look quite as "green" as her sister, closed on Kleone and swiped out with a clawed hand, but the Halfling avoided the blow. Gambit hurled a second Bottled Lightning, missing her mark yet again. This was followed by a hastily produced bomb of Alchemist's Fire directed at the third Hag that was just emerging from the hut in response to all the commotion going on outside. This one struck its target, setting the hag's clothing to smoldlering, but also splashing onto the pile of firewood near the door as well as the lower bits of thatch on the roof. The hag responded by exhaling toward the goblin, who felt a second wave of stiffness overcome her.
A second tongue of flame tossed by Kleone again missed its mark; but a sword blow by Dhraanggh struck home. This was apparently all one of the Hags could take; she stepped back, and as she exclaimed, "You haven't seen the last of me!", she simply vanished. Tom, in the meantime, sang a song of bravery in battle, urging all to fight with more determination.
The combat went on a few more seconds, with the party managing to rain down enough blows upon the two remaining hags to finish them off. Dhraanggh's sword dispatched one; the second was felled by an Acid Flask hurled by Gambit. During the combat, the "vanished" one reappeared once, having circled behind Gambit for a missed attack before disappearing once more - this time for good.
As the combat ended, Tom quickly realized that the quickly spreading fire on the roof of the hut would soon bring down the structure. Not wanting to lose any evidence as to the guilt and intentions of the hags (and perhaps not wanting to miss out on any loot), he rushed into the burning building, tossing anything that might be of value or import outside to the others. There wasn't much to search, so the Halfling emerged before the building's roof collapsed in a shower of sparks. Tom managed to recover a Tome that appeared to contain a number of magical rituals, though he could not discern their purpose. Two more talisman pendants like the ones worn by Fenric and Kronoo were also recovered, as was a pouch containing a few coins... and a few sparkling gemstones.
Believing they had finally completed their mission for the Karn, the party set out to return to Karnstown by way of Stannilode. Kleone explained what she knew about hags and their covens along the way. While they did leave one hag alive out there, without her "sisters", she was much less of a threat - and it was likely to be a long, long time before she would find others of her kind to form a new coven to seek revenge.
Upon finally arriving at Karnstown, the group returned to the Inn they frequented in their past visits, fairly sure the Karn would hear of their return and send for them. Indeed, that evening, they were summoned yet again to the restaurant in northwest Karnstown. They found the Karn enjoying yet another fine meal, and were invited to stay and partake as well. This time, the white, starchy strings of goodness were smothered in a sauce that appeared to be a combination of shredded cheese and egg yolks. Small bits of meat were liberally laced throughout the concoction as well.
The Karn delightedly explained that their "Dough Strings alla Carbonara", was made with Dwarven Bacon and cockatrice egg yolks, and was the best creation his chef had come up with yet featuring the Chittiki starch product. He also added, "Yeah, cockatrice eggs... we get 'em from a Leprechaun who raises the creatures... in the forest east of here. Can't beat 'em for flavor!".
When the party finished their meals, the Karn dismissed them, saying, "Tomorrow, you move out of that inn and into Fenric's house. It's yours now. And stick around... I've got another important job for you in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the city. As the party collected their weapons, they were also each handed a pouch that contained a sizable number of coins. When they returned to the inn, they discovered that each had been paid 250 gold coins for their service. They celebrated until the wee hours of the morning before settling in for their last night at the inn.
The session ended here.
Missions/Quests Completed
The party discovered the remote cabin home of the three hags that were behind the well-tainting incidents in Karnstown, and perhaps various other troubles that the city - and the nearby mining outpost of Stannilode - have been encountering. The party slew two of the three hags that made up the coven, thus breaking their power circle (at least for now).Rewards Granted
The party members all achieved Level 5.The party recovered a book containing coven rituals. While of no use to any of them, a "researcher/collector" in Karnstown paid them 50gp for it. The pouch they recovered from the hut contained 12gp, 8sp, and 12cp, but it also contained several gemstones that brought a total of 60gp when sold in Karnstown.
Their formal reward from the Karn consisted of a gold payment of 250gp each. They also received title to the large home previously occupied by Fenric Morrikarn. The city guard and other "important people" in the city were apparently made aware of the group's status as Karn insiders, based on the deferential treatment they were suddenly receiving anywhere they went in the city.
Characters Interacted With
Diplodia the Tree Hag (slain in combat)Dothistroma the Tree Hag (slain in combat)
Fusaria the Green Hag (wounded, but escaped)
The Karn (aftermath)
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