Roc Hunters

## Synopsis:

One of the largest bounties ever posted was circulating through the Riot Houses. 1,000 ounces of gold. That was more than a Vanguard Knight made in ten years of service. That was retirement money. Rags to riches money. Buy land and build a house money.

The city of Valica put out the bounty. Not for an outlaw or crime boss, but for a colossal monster. The fine folks of Valica said a giant bird that could blot out the sun had begun nesting in the Hollow Peaks above them. The bird had a healthy appetite too. Livestock went missing regularly, alongside travelling merchants and the wild game in the forest.

The local military attempted to best the creature, but the entire detachment never returned from the mountains. All fifty were considered slain by the creature. That was the final act that spurred the Nobility of Valica into raising one of the largest mercenary bounties in all of A'lune.

In this adventure, the mercenaries encountered and bested the roc, coming away with treasures and possibly a new pet.

## Mercenaries:

* Ro'Keer - Tabaxi Ranger
* Nwalmë Shadhavar - Shadar-kai Rogue (Sponsor: House Shadhavar)
* Xeithne Aladur - Bugbear Monk (Sponsor: House Stefarni)
* Kol Yortorin - Human Ranger (Sponsor: House Zattari)
* Roake Okoh - Aarakocra Fighter (Sponsor: House Zattari)
* Xane - Forceborn Paladin / Cleric (Sponsor: House Stars)
* Prek Gnawbone - Tortle Barbarian (Sponsor: House Shadhavar)
* Bandin Volward Deepburrow - Deep Gnome Rogue / Wizard (Sponsor: House Stars)
* Erthish Nescoria - Dragonborn Barbarian (Sponsor: House Stars)

## Adventure Summary:

### Phase One: Ambush Predator

In the city of Valica, the mercenaries gathered to assess their goals. Xane was a Forceborn paladin who was terrible with a longsword, but a good friend. He traded a former name of his to the fey so that he and his comrades could return from the Feylands.

Kol Yortorin arrived, practicing a dicey backflip archery trick. She’d been doing it off of roofs and had broken many bones in the past few months.

Xeithne Aladur had been living in luxury for some time and was far from sick of it, but she wanted to keep her skills sharp and arrived to help take down the roc.

Prek Gnawbone kept his one good eye on his team. He’d never told anyone what happened to the other eye.

Roake Okoh, the Aarakocra fighter, joined the crew eager to utilize his new arcane archer abilities.

Ro’Keer arrived on the scene having recently discovered he had a teenage child. He was focused on collecting the bounty and surviving.

Erthish Nescoria, a very tall icy-looking Dragonborn, was a barbarian who had traded 50 days for a fabulous cloak, a Magma Mantle. She looked quite fetching in it.

The first thing Nwalmë Shadhavar did after joining the crew was show off his new tattoo: a skull on his kneecap where the lower jaw was on the top of his knee and the top of the skull was on the bottom of thigh. When he ran, it looked like the skull was talking.

Sir Bandin Volward Deepburrow made sure to let everyone know of his title. He was not just a landowner, however; Bandin had crossed the Endless Divide and returned a whole different person with new abilities from the wizard town of Perlin.

After doing some research, Erthish discovered that a roc could consume upwards of 400 pounds of food per day. The party considered using this information to bait the roc, using a cow that Bandin bought and which was affectionately named Dinner.

But before their plan could come to fruition, the sky suddenly darkened. The roc flew above the city, a massive shadow covering the party as the congregated on the streets. It had a 120-foot wingspan and soared 150 feet off the ground. In one of the roc’s talons was a fluffy sheep.

Dinner bolted. Ro’Keer ran after her, wrangling her back.

Erthish wasted no time engaging the roc. She pulled out her crossbow and shot the roc, piercing its body and calling down Divine Fury upon it. She roared and got the bird’s attention.

Bandin fired from his shortbow, running towards Dinner to give Ro’Keer a hand. Nwalmë, on a roof, moved behind a chimney and hid, then tried to use a sniper arrow with Sagrid’s Gamble. Both shots missed.

The roc dove, then halted 20 feet above them, sending out a wind buffer. The gust knocked Xane, Xeithne Roake, and Nwalmë prone. The roc swiped at Nwalmë with its wing, but struck the chimney instead, a chunk of brick crushing into the feathers. Then it wheeled around and climbed to eighty feet.

Roake stood and ducked behind a wall for cover, peppering the bird with arrows from his longbow. Kol climbed on a roof and aimed with her magic bow at the roc’s rump and struck the tail. Prek eyed the roc and readied his grappling hook, prepared to snag the bird when it came within range once more.

Xeithne stood, shot the roc with her new shortbow, and went through a building to get to a bridge across a waterway, hoping to stay out of the roc’s direct path.

Xane cast Aid on Erthish, Roake, and Ro’Keer. Erthish yelled her thanks. Xane went into the building with Xeithne for cover as well. Ro’Keer remained by the side of Dinner, using her as partial cover, a meat shield. He shot fire arrows as the bird, ducking behind the cow with each shot.

The roc flew towards a tree and uprooted it, aiming to chuck the log into the street directly at Xane and Roake. Erthish yelled at them to run as she loaded her crossbow. But as she pulled the trigger, the string snapped.

Bandin took another shot and got a glancing blow, then hid behind a stall. Nwalmë crawled into the destroyed chimney and used a newly formed arrow slit to attack. One shot hit, and he activated his Wails from the Grave to summon spirits who harassed the bird.

At that moment, the roc nosedived and flung the tree. Roake managed to duck behind a wall just in time, but the tree crushed the house in which Xane hid and knocked the wind from him. The roc tried to rip into Xane with a talon, but he rolled away just in time. It clung to a section of the house and pecked at Roake, but missed.

Prek threw his grappling hook and got it around the talon. Erthish, a Sentinel, reacted to the roc’s aggression and punched it. The roc turned and screamed at her, attention caught.

Roake shot with his longbow and aimed for the talon still holding a sheep. The arrow glanced off, irritating the bird but not harming it. He crossed the street to Xane’s side.

Kol looked up and saw a wing right above her. She used her Horizon Walker abilities and struck it hard with an arrow.

Prek rushed up to the bird and roared with rage. His little tiny tail grew into a spiny crocodile tail. He lashed out with it, but missed.

Xeithne grabbed Xane and dragged him away from the talons, massaging a healing touch into his neck. Xane stood and used Toll the Dead, but the roc ignored his dolorous tone.

Dinner shook, terrified, but Ro’Keer kept a firm grip on her rope. He cast Hunter’s Mark on the roc and hit it with a flaming arrow.

Erthish unsheathed Gareth’s Pact, her massive greataxe. She raged and attacked recklessly, though it was only a glancing hit. She stood there defiantly, hoping to keep the roc’s attention.

Bandin peeked out from behind a corner and targeted the bird’s tail. Feathers ripped off from his arrow shot. The roc’s talons loosely gripped the sheep as if it were going to throw soon. Bandin stepped back and hid.

Seeing his opportunity, Nwalmë jumped onto the roc’s wings. He timed the jump well and rolled down the wing during a flap, landing on the neck. He took his grappling hook and whipped it around to make a harness to ride the roc, tying the rope to himself so that he would have added security.

The roc looked towards Erthish and clawed her with its talon, then grabbed her. It pecked at Prek and gashed his neck. Erthish reacted and slammed Gareth's Pact into the bird.

The bird launched the sheep, which the party named Lunch, at Roake. The sheep crashed into him, dying on impact and knocking Roake unconscious.

Kol ran to give Roake some cover. She backflipped off the roof, shot her arrow at the roc, and somersaulted to Roake’s side. The arrow was a critical strike, disappearing into the bird’s flesh. Unfortunately, Kol stumbled on the somersault, but she played it off cool.

The roc attacked Erthish with its beak and hit. Prek whacked the talon holding Erthish, but didn't do damage.

Xeithne ran to the roc and tried to jab its wing, but missed and ducked back. Xane ran over to Roake and cast Cure Wounds to bring him back into the fight.

Dinner stared at the dead Lunch and panicked. She bolted down the street. Ro’Keer was upset about losing his cover but shot with his gravity weight arrow, hitting the roc and keeping it grounded.

Erthish attacked the roc’s wing with a glancing hit, burning it with Divine Fury. Bandin shot the tail, then ran after Dinner and caught up to her. Nwalmë drew his Poison Strand whip and lashed the roc with the deadly thorns. He also summoned more spirits to assault the creature.

The roc lifted its wings and thudded as its talons sank into the ground. It crushed Erthish and pierced Prek. Erthish hissed and tried to cut into the bird, but missed. The talon slammed her into the ground once more.

Roake flew up to a slanted roof for cover and shot the roc. He cast a Grasping Shot, brambles entangling the bird’s feathers. Kol ran out of the open street and shot at the left wing, hitting.

Prek grasped at the roc’s talons with his claws and climbed up the leg while swinging a fierce tail. He whacked the bird twice. The roc beat its wings and launched Erthish at Xane. Xane cushioned Erthish’s fall, bracing well so that neither were harmed.

Xeithne stabbed at the tail, but missed. She moved away from the roc, but it tried to slash her with a talon. She jumped back and barely dodged.

Xane cast Bane on the roc, but it shook off the magic.

Dinner continued to bolt, ignoring Bandin’s pleas.

Ro’Keer shot at the bird but missed. Erthish thought the wing was the best area to attack and so attacked it recklessly, but missed.

Bandin decided he’d deal with the cow later. He pulled a diamond from his component pouch, aimed, and cast Chromatic Orb, sizzling into the tail with acid. The tail grew mottled and looked bad.

The roc ripped off the brambles from Roake’s arrow and tried to fly away, disengaging, but the Sentinel Erthish whacked the bird, keeping it grounded. Xeithne cheered, and Erthish gave a thumbs up.

### Phase Two: Desperate Advance

Realizing that it couldn’t escape, the roc started flapping hard. Roake moved back and restored himself with a Second Wind. He shot at the roc, but missed.

Kol retreated from the wings and shot once more at the left wing, doing critical damage. Nwalmë and Prek heard a few small fractures forming in the bone.

The roc then unleashed its whirlwind. The mercenaries struggled to keep their feet, and most succeeded, but Xane fell prone.

Prek continued climbing up the leg, reaching Nwalmë’s side. He continued to stab with his tail, thrashing the bird. Xeithne meanwhile stabbed with her spear and tried to punch the bird, but failed to land a blow.

Xane stood and healed himself with a use of Lay on Hands, then healed Erthish with a Healing Word.

The roc turned and swept with its wings centering over Erthish. Ro’Keer dived behind a market stall to avoid the wind. Roake got shoved back to the edge of a building and was knocked prone. Kol lost her feet and slid away.

Ro’Keer let out a called shot aiming for the eye, but missed. Erthish chugged her Potion of Flying, flew to the roc’s back, and dug her axe into it.

Bandin went behind a house, ducking out of cover to shoot with his shortbow. Nwalmë continued to lash the bird with his Poison Strand.

The roc pecked at Prek, though Prek parried the beak with his tail. Erthish reacted and smashed into the bird again, sending it to the ground. It nearly crushed Xane, but he nimbly maneuvered out of the way. Unfortunately, the roc reached its talons towards Xane and grabbed him while its wing whacked Xeithne.

Roake tried to fly away, but got slammed by the other wing. He still shot an arrow, entangling the bird once more with his Grasping Shot wrapping a leg. He used an Action Surge to dash behind a chimney for cover.

Kol ripped off a piece of cloth from her cloak, wrapped it around an arrow, and lit it on fire. She shot at the left wing, but missed.

Xane tried to rip himself out of the talon, and though the foot quivered under his strength, he barely failed to free himself. He cursed, casting a Healing Word on himself.

The roc swept up a dust cloud of debris. The cloud blinded Prek and ripped Xane's shield out of his hand, dropping it into the river.

Ro’Keer shot a silver arrow at the roc and hit it. Erthish flew to the talon holding Xane and tried to beat it into letting Xane go, but it withstood the assault. She cruised to the head and dared the bird to attack her.

Bandin popped around the corner of the house, aimed, and shot at the right eye. Unfortunately, the arrow missed. The bird unleashed a wing attack, knocking a few of the party off their feet, including Kol. Prek nearly fell off, but he clung to the body and remained on top.

Nwalmë grabbed a quiver of fire arrows off his back and tossed them at Kol. Kol gave a pained grin and a shaky thumbs up as she stood. She ran along a roof and attacked the wing, lighting one of the fire arrows, though she missed.

The roc ripped into Erthish with its beak, then tried to crush Xane, but couldn’t break through the armor. The wing crashed into Bandin. Erthish tried to strike it, but missed. The roc screeched at her, a cowing roar that she couldn’t meet.

Roake ate his Zattari Healing Berry and tried to shoot the roc, but fumbled. Prek repositioned himself on the center of the roc and smacked it with his tail. Xeithne shot the roc with her arrow, then moved to the riverbank to get closer to Xane, in case he lost consciousness and was carried down the river.

Xane unleashed radiant energy, sprouting wings. He healed himself with a Healing Word.

The roc shivered its wings, inducing a hypnotic pattern. Xeithne, Roake, Erthish, and Nwalmë were entranced, rendered incapacitated for a few seconds.

Ro’Keer pulled out a Rope of Entanglement and tried to lasso the bird’s head, but it wrenched its neck and escaped.

Erthish stared at the feathers and didn’t move. Bandin went around another house to get a different vantage and shot at the tail, but missed.

The roc took flight, though it got ripped by the grasping arrow. In the air, it did a barrel roll, attempting to dislodge Prek and Nwalmë. Prek was fine, but Nwalmë slipped off. Prek grabbed him just in time, holding him by the collar and keeping him from falling off. Xane grew sick from the roll and vomited.

Roake shot at the roc, but critically missed. Instead, he hit Nwalmë just as the Shadar-kai regained his senses. Roake shouted an apology, but Nwalmë waved him off.

The roc appeared ready to throw Xane at Erthish and Ro’Keer. Xeithne shook off the hypnotism and waded into the river, making a lasso with a silk rope. She grabbed the floating Erthish and tugged her out of the roc’s path, then apologized that she couldn’t do anything for Ro’Keer.

Prek pulled on his grappling hook which was attached to the talon holding Xane, helping to loosen it. It was just enough: Xane broke out of the talon and flew up onto the roc, casting another Healing Word.

Roc thrust its massive wings and tried to hit Xane, but missed. Prek got rolled from one side of the roc to the other.

Ro’Keer shot with a silver arrow and did critical damage. Erthish flew closer to the roc and pulled out her Starium Seraph, a statuette of an angel holding a ruby heart. She struck it with her pickaxe, then dropped it. The statue grew eight feet tall and crashed to the ground, suffusing the air with healing energy.

Bandin moved out of an alleyway and shot at the roc’s tail. A tuft of the tail fell out, destroying the aerodynamic properties of the tail. Nwalmë felt the ride suddenly get very jerky. He whipped at the roc and hit.

The roc flew to Erthish and went for a talon attack, but missed. It continued on its trek, the brambles ripping its legs. Another talon and beak to Erthish hit her. It grabbed her with its talons and threw her at Kol. Neither were hurt, but both were startled.

Roake flew down to Ro’Keer and grabbed a silver arrow from Ro’Keer’s quiver, getting assent as he did. He shot, scoring a hit on the creature. Kol moved closer to the bird and also got a hit.

Prek attacked with his tail and struck twice. The creature’s spine creaked.

Xeithne ran to Roake and healed him. Xane cast Path of the Grave so that the next attack on the roc would be twice as effective.

The roc flew over the street, centering itself above Xeithne. The wind knocked Bandin prone.

Ro’Keer tied one end of the Rope of Entanglement to a silver arrow, shot the arrow at the roc, and tried to entangle it with the rope. He hit, though the rope failed to entangle it.

Erthish flew up on top of a wing and attacked recklessly, slashing into the creature’s body. Bandin stood and moved to get a better view, then shot at the left wing. The arrow passed through feathers.

The roc landed in front of Xeithne, then grabbed Ro’Keer with a crushing talon. It tried to peck Roake and whack Erthish with a wing, but missed. Roake grabbed the rope and commanded it to entangle, but the roc shook free.

Kol aimed for the left wing but missed. Prek jabbed and jabbed again, piercing the roc twice. Erthish’s statue healed most of the party.

Xeithne freaked out and cursed at the roc in front of her. She stabbed at its neck and plunged into an artery. The bird went limp, dead.

Prek immediately started eating the roc’s carcass, including its heart.

## Outcome:

Kol was excited to take feathers and an entire slab of wing meat, which was ironic because Kol was a vegetarian.

In celebration, Erthish flew for as long as possible, enjoying the feeling of flight.

Bandin cast Detect Magic and determined that the feathers and talons were magical for alchemical purposes. The group harvested 100 feathers and 2 talons.

Kol, Erthish, and Prek scouted the mountain while the roc was being harvested. They came across the roc’s nest at the top and found a very large egg. Prek licked his lips, his fangs extending as his eyes glazed over.

Erthish said the egg would be very valuable. Prek gave in, fangs receding. The three were strong and carried the egg down to a wagon and carted it into town. Prek wanted to sell it to House Shadhavar and Xeithne suggested the Foultrappers, but in the end the group decided to keep it for the Riot House to raise.

Xeithne was offered one of the talons since she got the killing blow on the roc. She was honored, but shoved the talon into Erthish’s hands. “Girl, you are incredible,” she said. Erthish gladly accepted the gift. The other talon was given to Kol, whose Horizon Walker abilities proved invaluable in the combat.

## Adventure Rewards:

* 111 gp and 3 sp per mercenary.
* 11 feathers per mercenary (with one left over).
* 1 talon to Erthish, 1 talon to Kol.