Episode 7

"" is the 7th episode of the Materia D&D Crass Menagerie campaign.

## Synopsis

### Recap

As the party headed southwest of Vulpine to continue their work in clearing out the structures that appeared to be corrupting the Foxwoods, they came upon a group of boars attacking the native dryads and fought them off, saving one of them (Pann). After a brief rest, they pressed onwards to their goal of continuing to dismantle what appears to be a system of wards that was negatively affecting the dryads. They have pushed past some of the remains of buildings they have set ablaze in an attempt to return to Simon's homestead to deal with the cursed gems within.

### Part 1

*33 Schema, 268 PBT, afternoon*
As the group approaches the homestead, they spot something blocking the doorway. Gustav and Marb assume tactical positions, with Marb slinking toward the house but Gustav attempts to keep watch. Roque impatiently trudges to the front door, intent on burying the cursed gems, and spies that the object in the doorway is a leather boot. Davis follows suit and sees the same boot and waves everyone over. Roque pulls the door open slightly to reveal a bloodied person, riddled with arrows. Davis calls Grant over to assist with the figure, who appears to be a dwarf that is alive but barely breathing. The group has found Dregnar Bearkin. Grant gives him a *Healing Word* to bring him back to consciousness.

Dregnar removes the arrows and meditates on his wounds to heal as he describes the attack that left him this way. He had been part of a caravan traveling on the Masonfare Byway when they were attacked from all sides by pig-men. They slaughtered all of the merchants in his caravan and captured him, but he broke free and was shot in the back as he fled. He headed toward this homestead as he saw plumes of smoke in this direction, but then he blacked out as he arrived. After hearing his tale, the party introduce themselves to him and invite him to join.

Meanwhile, Roque has been shoveling the cursed gems into the bag he brought with him. The estimated worth of the gems appears to be in excess of 10,000 gold. Dregnar now gets to see all of the scrawlings throughout the house as well. Davis urges the group that it would be prudent to proceed to the rest of the ranches in the south before it gets dark. Dregnar, unfamiliar with their plan, asks why and Davis proceeds to explain their plan as well as mentioning their dryad companions. Eager to go but concerned about the gems, Roque asks what we should do with them. Davis suggests consulting with the dryads since this is "their neighborhood", and they may not want some cursed gems buried in it. Roque approaches Gryssa and Pann with the gems and explains his visions and what he saw of Simon. Gryssa suggests hiding them here where it is already corrupted and returning to deal with them later. Roque and Davis tag-team digging a six-foot deep hole to bury them gems and then cover them up. Davis uses his now-unused spear and chain shirt as a marker for the dug-up ground, with the dryads encouraging growth to overtake it all making it seem like it's been there a while.

Gryssa asks Roque when Pebble is coming back, to which he responds "I don't know how to make Pebble come back, can you make Pebble come back?" Pann, confused that Roque was unaware of Pebble's true nature, explains that it was a magical spirit. She reaches and grabs a book off of his back and says "This will bring bird back". Gryssa offers to help bring Pebble back if Roque when there is time to do so. The group proceeds onward to hit the ranches on their map, aiming to hit them all as quickly as possible and then returning to Vulpine.

Along the way to their first destination, Marb scouts ahead and notices that there has been relatively recent foot and wagon traffic in the path leading to the area ahead. The tracks do not seem to be either human or pig, but rather something between. Marb lets the group know that there may be foes ahead. Marb and Al stealth ahead to investigate, arriving at a barn that looks similar to the previous ones. The interior is dim and dank and the walls and support structures are lined with flesh-like masses and there are figures inside harvesting it. Marb collects a sample of goo from the viscera near the exterior and then begins covering the exterior of the building in flammable liquid, while Al makes semi-panicked hand signals to the group and Marb, eventually returning to the group with Al reporting "It's alive! The house is alive!" and explaining that the interior was a mass of flesh. Davis pulls Dregnar in and tells him that if he wants to stick around he'll help take a torch to this abomination.

Al, Marb, and Roque re-approach the building to add more fuel and set the fire, with Pann choosing to join as well. They reach the building and begin applying the fuel, and as they are doing so one of the pig-men from inside emerges but is unaware of the group assaulting the house. Gryssa notices that a cart is approaching in the distance and notifies the group, before disappearing into a nearby tree. Gryssa appears next to the group near the house and informs them as well. Al seeks approval for starting the blaze, which he gets and so he immediately sets the building alight. They then disengage from the building and return to the group.

### Part 2

*33 Schema, 268 PBT, early evening*
A pig-man in the cart caravan lets out a squeal announcing their arrival to those in the barn. Roque manifests a tree stump using *Minor Illusion* for Gustav to hide behind and tucks in his shell, with the rest of the group taking cover behind whatever natural cover they can find. They see the cart approaching, drawn by one of the swollen mutant "double bear-pigs". As the pig-men from the interior come out to greet the cart, they notice the adventurers and then the building on fire. Two of the pig-men guards run back inside.

Noticing that their cover is blown, Davis launches forward and attacks one of the exterior guards. Gustav joins the fray against him as well, but it scrapes off his metal armor. Grant sees that the cart is far off but closing and joins the dogpile on the guard, but his hammer gets repelled initially but he leans in and makes a crunching blow on his shoulder, yet it fights on. Marb takes a devastating blow from a gore attack by another exterior guard, and another blow from another guard's flail. Roque untucks from his shell and casts *Bless* on Gustav, Grant, and Davis. Al, still unnoticed by the guards, gives Marb a *Healing Word* and then backs away, drawing out his hand crossbow and fires wide at one of the guards. Dregnar uses *Step of the Wind* to close the distance to one of the guards near Marb and grapples it. Marb disengages and backs away, and readies his bow.

In the distance, the cart continues to approach. The dryad sisters head in its direction, and call forth spiky growths on the ground in front of it. Davis flanks his target and slices at it, striking true. Gustav piles on and nearly brings it down, leaving it clinging to life. Grant finishes the job, crushing its skull with his war hammer, and then moves to intercept any incoming attackers. The grappled guard attempts to attack Dregnar but cannot seem to find purchase. The two guards who had gone inside come back out, fully armed and surprise Davis with two violent blows, knocking him down to one knee temporarily before his *Relentless Endurance* pushes him past it. Roque assists him with a *Healing Word,* and then assaults the guard being held by Dregnar.

## Featured Characters

### Adventuring Party

* Allegretto
* Davis Cantrell
* Dregnar Bearkin (joined)
* Grant Frostmason
* Gustav
* Marb
* Roque

### Returning

* Gryssa
* Pann

## Quotations

* **Gustav**: "All I know is, you meet a pig-man - you kill the hell out of him."
* **Dregnar**: "That, my friend, we agree on."

* **Davis**: "I don't like the numbers I'm hearing here"
* **Roque**: "I don't like that you said 30 and then rolled again" (discussing damage from two critical hits against Davis)

## References

1. ↑ See "" (part 1) at 1:15:48
2. ↑ See "" (part 2) at 35:00