Episode 8

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## Plot Summary

The party rests at Orethil’s cabin.  When they awaken, Orethil and all his belongings are missing.  Bubo is also missing.  Gaff Hill has a wooden wheelchair and is going to make his way home to his father in Raufel with the cart and copper piping.  Tenoch grabs the sunburned man, Danny, and takes him with them to Copperforge (he needs to bring a harvester back to his farm).  There are no further attacks from the orcs.  The wreckage from the caravan is also missing.  As they look back, the cabin is gone.  The road is oddly empty.

The party approaches the Thornbrush Forest.  As they approach a form in the road, they encounter a figure in the shape of a dog who hails them.  It is a Canikin with blonde fur named Doro Tott.  He offers them food and takes them to his hovel.  His pregnant wife Leda is there.  He lets the party know that his children (Norrel and Drawn) are missing in the forest and wants the party to find them.

They enter the forest.  It’s colder, darker, and more stagnant then it appeared from the outside.  The leaves of the trees are slimy and they hear the sounds of animals in the forest.  The party quickens its pace.  The sound comes from a pack of boars who wander aimlessly in a circle.  There is a bow, arrow, and bundle of sticks on the ground.  The boars do not react to their presence.  The air thickens when they leave the road.  Nitsuj uses his Orithel fire to clear the air and the boars wake up.  They flee to the road.

There is no sign of the canikin pups, but Tenoch spots some mushrooms.  Ora spots some tracks that head east and they follow them, leaving Danny alone with the horses.  Along the way they see more dropped items such as a pack, animal carcasses, and arrows.  In the torchlight, they find an orc lieutenant from the clan of Kurluk (monster drop). Battle ensues and Tenoch is able to gore the orc to death.  They continue following the tracks.  Nitsuj begins to fall under the sway of the forest, falling into a stupor.  Tenoch waves a torch in his face and he comes too.

Deep in the forest, they find a cave from whence the fog emanates and to whence all the tracks lead.  They enter slowly.  Nitsuj turns invisible and nibbles on a mushroom.  Tenoch sees a silver thing and mistakenly touches it.  A giant spider drags him underground. Ora tries to light the traps on fire, but inadvertently lights the entire cave on fire, drawing out two more spiders.  Someone deep inside the cave shouts at them about hurting his pets.  Nitsuj clears the fog and several trapped animals flee.  The hooded figure at the end of the cave is silhouetted by an even large figure.

The large animal appears to be a former Quai heartbeast: half boar, half spider.  It advances toward the party.  Tenoch, Flibbit, and Ora battle the spiders while Nitsuj tries to free the children who are caught in a web.  Tenoch is charmed by the cloaked figure and heads toward the back of the cave.  Halestorm is able to free one of the pups, Norrel.  A bone naga (monster drop) rises from the bottom of the cave to attack the party. Doro Tott arrives to help the party (Underdog character drop) after his wife gave birth to three pups.  An uncorrupted giant giant spider (Black Widow character drop) also appears to retake her lair.  A jacked gnome hunter (Captain America character drop) breaks out of one of the webs and joins the fray with his shield.  The cloaked figure summons a show demon (monster drop).  A raccoon with two crossbows also shows up (Rocket Racoon drop).  An armored sky bison flies in to help the party (Appa character drop).  A high monk of Sahlen in an orange robe and cape appears (Doctor Strange Character drop).  A human with twin lightning guns (Starlord character drop) runs in, pursued by a helmed horror (monster drop).

The sky bison and the bone naga begin fighting.  The monk and the cloaked figure begin a caster battle.  Ora goes down from attacks.  Halestome frees the other pup and projects them both.  Freeing himself from the stupor, Teonch gores the spider/boar.  Doro, the gnome hunter, and the racoon attack the cloaked figure.  The blackwidow attacks the spider/boar.  The human and the helmed horror battle.  The monk fully heals all of the party.   The shadow demon attacks Doro.  Nitsuj tries to flee.  Tenoch gores the helmed horror before finishing off Venomtusk (the spider/boar).  Ora doesn’t know what to do because she wants to flee.  Doro is able to finish off the cloaked figure and runs toward his children.  A purple orc walks up and says there will be balance (Thanos character drop).  The black widow attacks the orc with webbing.  The human finishes off the helmed horror.  Tenoch grabs the three canikin and runs out of the cave.  Ora attacks the orc.  The gnome hunter destroys the shadow demon.  The racoon finishes off the bone naga.  Doro and the gnome hunter finish off the purple orc.

The black widow spider returns to her lair.  The monk casts an arcane gate and all the friendly characters leave.  Danny comes in after everyone has left.  Doro gives the party a scroll of flying, shoes of spiderclimb, and gold that he found in the cave. He then takes his two pups and heads home.  The mist has cleared from the forest.  The party continues on the road through the forest toward Copperforge.

## Fun Moments

Danny uses gummies to keep track of positions and initiative, but keep eating them and forgetting whose turn it is.

All hell breaks loose when Underdog, Appa, and most of the Avengers get dropped within about ten minutes.

The sky bison that is dropped is canonically Appa from Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Justin makes a dumb joke that causes Danny to knock over his initiative tracker in the middle of a 16 creature battle.