Expedition 21: The Cubs Unbroken

### Summary

We venture into the Felwood to hunt direwolves, and meet four Sparksouled on the way home.

### Detailed Writeup

The four of us departed to the Fellwood, a nearby location we had passed up exploring for weeks on end. Our goal was to return with as many wolf heads as possible. We approached the pass between the Inkwell and the Shriekcliffs, it had largely been blocked off with boulders to inhibit movement between, but we clambered over without much issue.

On our way, we saw several extraordinarily large, but otherwise seemingly mundane creatures, including giant mice, songbirds. We tracked large paw prints in, and followed the prints and the smell of scat to a large double burrow of two 5 foot wide tunnels. A direwolf den.

Tolyr sent Annie in ahead to scout, down the left path was a round sleeping burrow, she headed 30 feet down the right path, and narrowly avoided getting gnawed at by a mother direwolf, with several cubs huddled behind her. Annie flew back and we discussed what to do. Brightstaff advocated for entering the den and exterminating the litter, which Tolyr strongly objected to, as he tried to work out with Jamie if bringing the cubs back and training them would be at all feasible, to Brightsaff’s exasperation.

As we argued louder than would be advisable in a dangerous wood, Nexrin looked around at the tracks below us, and noted that there did not seem to be any new tracks leaving the area, he looked up, and saw 9 Direwolves hanging from the high branches from the trees above us. We backed away a short distance, very confused by this behavior, and we tried communicating in multiple ways, after I postulated they could be shapeshifters or magically sapient creatures of some sort, since they had not attacked us after we noticed them. After failed attempts, Jamie stepped forwards towards him trying to be nonthreatening, and they suddenly leaped down at us as we had separated, making ourselves vulnerable.

Tolyr quickly shoot a fireball, severely injuring many, as they leap down at Jamie initially, they turn their attention to the mage, and all 9 teleport next to Brightstaff and Tolyr. and began to wail down on them. In his new armor Tolyr was able to withstand most of the blows, but Brightstaff was less fortunate.

After we had felled 6 dire wolves, the remaining three vanished from sight. We stayed tense, ready for them to ambush us again, but they were nowhere in sight, and we spotted no reappearing pawprints as we searched the area.

After the fight, Jamie spent an hour removing the heads and skinning the wolves with his sword, though only one hide managed to be removed intact. Meanwhile I cast detect magic, and detected a transmutive aura flowing through the air like a river, and several conjurational effects beneath us, which we determined to be the teleporting dire wolves that had returned to their den.

We continued to debate (well, argue) about whether to go in and attack the den, or whether to leave the pups and come back after we knew if there was hope in training them. Brightstaff bitterly resented this ‘shortsighted’ point of view, and argued that any deaths they may cause in the future would be our fault. Still, as two party members were unwilling to attack pups, and Brightstaff was heavily injured, it was decided we would head back with the 6 heads we had found. I offered to heal some of Brightstaff’s wounds, but he refused.

As we returned, we heard an odd cackling in the distance, worried about what might be coming, Tolyr cast Invisibility on himself and Jamie, and we all hid. Running past us chasing some giant animals and cackling were 3 figures with long ears and greenish skin, they were seven feet tall, and carried long hooked blades. (Likely tribal githyanki)

We continued on as they passed us by. Near the exit from the Fellwood we came across a temple designed similarly to the temple on Dyr-rock but twice as large. As we approached the front door, we noticed it seemed to be detached from its hinges, but had been propped up or barricaded in some way.

Tolyr began casting comprehend languages, while Brightstaff looked through the cracks in the door with his glowing staff, and noted someone had been maintaining and boarding up parts of the temple. We began to hear the quiet shuffling of movement from inside, and Jamie suggested we knock. Brightstaff knocked loudly on the door with his staff. Tolyr suggests they try and send Annie ahead, but Brightstaff pulls the door away, and 4 crossbow bolts shoot at him. 4 figures in heavy plated armor are across the large temple a hundred feet away, reloading crossbows. “Finally, something to kill” Brightstaff exclaims, to the frustration of the rest of the party. He dodges as best he can, but as 4 more crossbow bolts are released at him, he falls to the ground in the doorway.

Tolyr heals Brightstaff from afar, trying to talk him down from attacking. He then creates minor images of Torr’s star and Heironia’s Swan in the doorway, hoping to identify themselves as friendly (these are immediately shot at with readied actions). They reply in a raspy metallic voice in an unknown language “Leave, heronites, you are not welcome here”. Nexrin heals Brightstaff some more with healing spirit. Brightstaff tosses his shirt into the doorway, attracting more fire.

Combat pauses as they stay out of sight, Tolyr tries to communicate with symbols, but their meaning is unclear, and they ask us to speak. Everyone tries their languages, and it’s found that Brightstaff’s Giant is the only language shared. The rest of the party begs him to be polite.

They ask why we are here, and Brightstaff says we were curious about the cultural significance of the ruin. “There is naught here but rot, leave” they reply. Brightstaff offers that they could come back to Port Vrall, but they reply “We have no intention to go back to the land of the breaking from which you hail”. Brightstaff introduces the party sarcastically, the lead creature identifies themself as “Gatherer”, they ask us to return the door. “We are from the high rocks that sit beneath Mountain. We are the last \****UNBROKEN\**** of the land of the East. The remaining servants of the Emperor”. After brightstaff inaccurately relays several questions, Gatherer invites him to enter with his hands up and weapon put down.

The beds here are 12 feet long, Gatherer stands, covered in metal armor, two metal spikes for limbs. Brightstaff rolls a 0 charisma check, and immediately says they look like the Warforged that we had exploded underwater. “You killed Scorch?” It asks, we quickly clarify that we had repaired it (which Brightstaff didn’t know) and relay the fact it is staying with us voluntarily, but we can bring him back. Gatherer laughs, says “Now that can’t be true” And they all attack, Brightstaff quickly falls unconscious as two bolts fire at him.

Jamie, still invisible, rushes in to retrieve brightstaff. Tolyr casts healing word again, desperately hoping to keep Brightstaff from dying if more bolts hit him, and hoping he has learned not to attack (he hasn’t). Brightstaff wakes with a bolt in his chest and charges at Gatherer, dislocating his head. Jamie rushes forward and grabs Brightstaff with his action surge, and Brightstaff grabs Gatherer and drags him back, using them as a human shield. Gatherer electrocutes Brightstaff, knocking him unconscious a third time.

Nexrin casts fog cloud to obscure their escape, and the constructs should “Take him (Brightstaff) and go” in their original language. The party escapes, closing the door and creating an illusory one for good measure, and runs off a distance. They realize they had left Brightstaff’s staff behind, and after debating leaving it behind, Tolyr casts invisibility on Nexrin, and he snatches his staff up and they limp back to town.

Brightstaff expresses his frustration at their pitiful reward from a stressful mission, but begrudgingly thanks the party for rescuing him.