Hardcore Heroes: Episode 44

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== Synopsis ==
In the town of Bon' Theris, Malakai reunites with Van-Healsing, who shares his investigation into souls trapped by a Demonic Gorgon on the Shadow Plane. The two discuss teleportation circles and capture plans, deciding to imprison the Gorgon in an underground cell. Malakai scouts Shirebrook for a portal, finding the town in ruins but no demons or portal. He returns to Bon' Theris to plan the cell construction with dwarves. The party encounters giants at the quarry, eventually subduing them and securing materials. They return to Bon' Theris to prepare for future ventures, including addressing local threats and brewing Eridon ale.
==Recap==
===15th December, 1510===
Bon' Theris. Malakai receives his shipment of books from the group of adventurers he set out for them from the old Gryphon Tower in Talon.
Malakai and Van-Healsing go to a Tavern in Bon' Theris, "The Bog Standard", and start catching up. Van tells Malakai that he has been investigating the shadow plane, that the souls of those who died there haven't passed on, and are trapped inside a Demonic Gorgon. Van feels the greatest responsibility towards Mother Ellyse since she helped raise him. The plan is to capture the Gorgon and bring it from the Shadow Plane to the Prime Material Plane. Van met some clerics in Wikkthronrarenta who know how to do it.
Malakai updates Van on his teleporting research, including the creation of teleportation circles, which should allow travel direct travel to the Shadow Plane if a teleportation circle was put there.
The problem is where to put the Gorgon afterward. The decide on an underground prison cell for the gorgon. Malakai says that Jeeves can give Van the name of the Dwarven Construction Crew who plated his basement in silver and led.
Malakai scrys on Aldric's Tower in Shirebrook to see if the Portal is still there. He finds that Shirebrook Keep is in ruins. The rest of the town is damaged. Somehow there is no sign of fire damage despite the fires the party saw when they left Shirebrook. There are no demons in sight.
Malakai polymorphs himself into a bird and flies to the estate from the tavern. At the estate, Malakai gather supplies before teleporting to Shirebrook.
Van walks to a Dwarven Tavern in the South-West side of town, looking for a dwarf named Carl. Finds him huddled up with other dwarves in the tavern. Van plans the cell with Carl 15x15 circular column room, about a months' worth of work. There is a problem with the quarry in Krolrog Ridge abandoned since they dug too much and something attacked the workers. 10 Dwarves to do the work for a month so labor cost=4000GP.
Van walks back to the estate after Malakai has left, and goes to talk with Jeeves to figure out the financial details. They agree to give the dwarves 5000GP instead as a tip/extra good work. Van checks the treasury himself and writes a letter to Vallis, the Cleric from Wikkthronrarenta, who will help remove the souls from the Gorgon Demon.
Back in Shirebrook, Malakai finds the Storybrook Inn is semi-broken, Malakai's former house is completely destroyed. The town is overgrown and some regular animals roam the streets. There are no people anywhere. When Shirebrook was attacked by the demons there had been 70% casualties, and the survivors fled west.
Malakai goes to the keep and looks around with the gem of true-seeing, but sees nothing of interest. Malakai is unable to locate the Portal to the Shadow Plane. He then polymorphs into a spider crawls under the door of a house and goes to sleep within.
===16th December, 1510===
Malakai wakes up the next day then checks the mine and the room where the portal was, but finds nothing of interest.
Malakai goes back to Shirebrook and finds a house with a basement and takes some days to create a teleportation circle in it. 
===19th December, 1510===
Before leaving Shirebrook, Malakai sorts though the ruins of Aldric's Tower and finds some books. He then uses a magic missile to kill a turkey. Finally, Malakai teleports back to his estate and hands turkey to Jeeves to cook. Malakai and Van decide they really do need to get a qualified chef and ask Jeeves to hire one later.
Malakai tells Van about everything he saw in Shirebrook and the fact that the portal isn't there. Van tells Malakai they need to clear out the mine. The party heads off to Sheriff Molly to get details about the problem. Sheriff Molly explains that the miners in the quarry found a Stone Giant in the ground as they were digging. She tells them to go talk to the mining company to talk about a reward.
They talk to the lady in charge of the company, Anna Log. The stone mine very important as there are plans to renovate the keep and build a bridge across River Vodan, both of strategic value. The party and Anna agree the reward will be of getting free stone for the cell construction.
At the moment there are 2 giants, digging out the chamber and building massive stone chairs and tables. Making a giant home. Van wonders if they can relocate the Giants somewhere else in the Krolrog Ridge instead of fighting them.
The party arrives at the quarry and scout out the terrain. Malakai casts Tongues and talks to the female giant. She tells them that before they can move they need to "uncover the rest of their clan", but does not give a specific number. Malakai makes a charisma check and rolls a nat 3. The giant carefully holds Malakai as Van casts Rapport that allows him to talk in mental images with the giant. He makes a Wis and Cha check passes Wis fails Cha and the giant is not convinced, but Van gets a mental image of the giants thinking about reclaiming the territory as their own and viewing humans as a lesser species and another hostile(ish) thoughts.
Van says casts Mental Domination. The female giant charges the male and the male pins her and shouts at her. Malakai during his turn casts "monster summoning level 3" gets 3 Ghouls. One giant escapes and they kill the mentally dominated one. They follow the trail to the Krolrog Peak and see it climbing the mountain. The giant camouflages against the mountain and the party goes to sleep in the forest.
===20th December, 1510===
First thing in the day, Malakai casts "Sending" and sends a mental message to Darf asking if he wants to come and live with him and gets a reply that Joris has taken over Copperhill and that Darf is the new Sheriff.
Malakai flies to the mountain and finds a tunnel that he thinks was dug by the giant, he goes back to Van turns into a Pegasus and brings him to the top.
They go into the tunnel and after about 15–20 feet they find a solid stone wall in the tunnel.
Van goes to cast Stone Shape and feels a vibration, he tells Malakai to back out and they retreat.
They go back in and Van does cast "Stone Shape" and the stone starts to turn to mud/liquid stone and the party backs out again. The Giant is casting a counter "Stone Shape". Malakai moves Van away to a different part of the mountain. Malakai then casts two fireballs into the tunnel.
The party head back to their camp and Van casts nap on Malakai. During the rest, 3 goblins ambush Van he tells them with a "Dictate" spell to surrender and leave. All the goblins obey.
Malakai wakes up goes and casts fireball and cloudkill into the Giant's Tunnel.
They go back to Bon' Theris and collect giant parts from the quarry and report in with Anna Log.
At the estate, Jeeves has hired a Halfling cook named Rosie. Rosie has a little brother who is a brewer and a third cousin who used to live in Eridon but now lives in a nearby village. Malakai makes plans to brew Erdion ale.
The party discusses how to get to Outlast and Malakai tells Van about his underwater-elf adventure and how he lost his magic staff.
===1510-12-20 to 1511-01-09===
Malakai learns to make 3 types of potions, "Gascious Form", "Reduction" and "Water Breathing". Malakai then makes 3 scrolls of protection from petrification. Van puts some fire-traps in the treasury attuned to the party and Jeeves.
After the underground Gorgon prison is completed, Van talks to Carl the dwarf. The Dwarves are impressed by Van's knowledge of Stonemasonry. Van then talks with Carl about hiring guards for the mansion and Carl says he has a cousin from Tharnham who runs a mercenary company and sends him a letter.
===10th January, 1511===
The party teleports to Copperhill, to the attic of the inn. They head downstairs and see Sheriff Darf telling tall tales of his heroism to the others in the tavern.
Darf talks with the party after the story. Copperhill doesn't have a Demon problem but they have a Kobold Problem. It seems that Mama Beatrix succeeded in taking over the entire Thistle Forest and Metallic Hills.
Darf then talks about the local situation. Stromheim the old Eridonian Capital is mostly abandoned and that there was plague and famine and immigration. The remaining people of Stromheim and the Queen are changed, people. Copperhill is now independent and has walls being built around it. Count Vicious of Fortune has raised banners and conquered Meadstead. 
The party goes to talk with Joris at his old hut. Joris's wife is now gone. Joris is moderately worried about Count Vicious marching south on Copperhill. During the battle between Vicious and Meadstead, Joris scryed and saw the Meadstead army inexplicably flee at the start of combat unprovoked. Van suspects a version of a fear spell.
Joris also talks about the Demons at Heatstroke. All the Demons have corrugated at Heatstroke, but they are now blocking scrying. Van talks about how the Shadow Plane Heatstroke had a portal, and there could be a portal in Heatstroke. Van wonders why Count Vicious is marking West against Meadstead of dealing with the Demons. Joris suspects Darf stole something from the Count since he gave Joris an invisibility potion.
The party says their farewells and head over Darf's house. Darf admits he made a deal with some Wererats to sneak them into Fortune, while he got dirt on his opponent in becoming the Sheriff. The wererats were after a power of exceptional value from a basement. A week after the theft, Vicious marched on Meadstead.
Van asks if it was the wererat that infected Little Timmy in Ratsberg, but Darf says it wasn't that one.
The party stays the night at Darf's house.
===11th January, 1511===
The party teleport back to Bon' Theris safely. 
==Experience==
No Experience Given
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes