Episode 21B: The rest of the story

This is the other half of the story from Episode 21A, the split that went and escorted the non combatant were-wolves to the former Bandit Caves for safety. Now, I've not participate in either of their sessions as Meghan was not part of it, so the story is told to me second-hand by the players involved. The cast of this tale is:

Fizzledorp, the Gnome Paladin of Apsu desperately trying to keep us on the straight and narrow

Lutor, the Asterion Cleric, boldly making friends wherever we go via food and booze

Thonk, the Orc Barbarian who believes he's a Mage, is not so bright, but oh so much fun to interact with

After ditching the other half of the party at the encampment, this group went to the tree line to pick up the non combatant were-wolves. Their task is to take the non combatant were-wolves to the bandit caves we had cleared out early on in this adventure.

The group got to the treelike to pick up their charges, they organized themselves with Fizzledorp on his reindeer in the middle, Lutor leading the way, and Thonk following up keeping a watchful eye on things. A few straggler were-wolves peel off of the pack to stalk along side the pack, and Thonk goes to investigate but decides to leave them be and return to the main pack.

Traveling goes on uneventfully for awhile, then the straggler were-wolves start howling further away from the main party. The group decides it sounds like an accomplishment howl and doesn't investigate. They do decide to take a break a couple of hours in and that's when the stalkers return to the pack bloody after a kill. Also the were-wolf children are starting to get restless as their parents had been telling them that this is a game.

Resuming their travels from the rest break things go uneventfully for some time, but then Thonk started getting fatigued. Fizzledorp used his lay on hands to cure Thonk's fatigue.

By this point they were getting near the bandit caves, and Thonk hears something that makes the group pause and approach cautiously. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, Thonk and FIzzledorp setalth to the cave entrance while Lutor guarded the pack of were-wolves. They hear rustling inside the cave and do see light, so they attempt to signal to Lutor that there are bad guys inside.

Lutor then turns to the wolf pack, gives them a blessing, and stealths in to the cave successfully. Fizzledorp and Thonk do too, but Fizzledorp is unsuccessful in his stealth. So while the other two try to withdraw, Fizzledorp just waltzes right in and tries to calm the cave occupants down. He was briefly successful, but ... well, Thonk happened.

Inside the cave there's a spell caster of some variety, a half-orc, and a single guy in the corner with his hands behind his back. The caster casts a spell (Mage Armor) and Thonk, figuring that is an act of aggression, "casts" mage hand. Which of course he says out loud as a mechanical grappling hand/hook flies from his wrist. The guy in the corner disappears as the half-orc rushes Lutor and fails miserably. The mage then decides to cast Obscuring Mist.

Lutor, being the friendly sort, tries to calm the situation down and uses Calm Emotions. Thanks to that and Fizzledorp's diplomacy, the two groups start talking rather than fighting.

Then Lutor hears some shuffling outside and goes to investigate and check on the pack of were wolves, and gets totally surprised by a Rogue. This rogue, however, blew his advantage and critically fails his attack, hitting himself. Lutor, being the friendly sort, reaches down to heal and calm the Rogue. Thonk casts "mage hand" again and uses it to help the Rogue up.

As the Obscuring Mist fades away, the were-wolves that were stragglers before sneak attack the now calm party that we're interacting with. They manage to attack and kill the wizard and damage the Barbarian. Thonk launches himself to tackle and grapple one of the were-wolves, but it slips through his arms. Fizzledorp tries to non-lethally hit another but misses. Lutor tries to pull the were-wolf away but is unsuccessful.

The were-wolf takes down the Barbarian, and the fight continues. Fizzledorp and Thonk both hit the second were-wolf as it comes in to attack the Rogue, and Fizzledorp attempts to diplomatically end things, after all these are the were-wolves this group was escorting. The were-wolf hears and growls out "You don't understand!" Lutor heals the Rogue, but the were-wolves still finish him off.

For a moment, it appears that the were-wolves do not want to stop attacking, but then they howl and seem to calm down and don't attack their escorts. Thonk does grapple one but it does not fight back.

Then the were-wolves take Fizzledorp and Thonk to see something they found. It turns out the were-wolves had found the caravan from the party, and dthat they were bandits and thieves with loot. They had furs from the sacred wolves. Fizzledorp heals the one he attacked and after a bit of back and forth discussion, the were-wolves state they take care of their own.

So the party gets the were-wolf pack situated in the cave with the food from the caravan, leave the furs with them for Shinara and her group to collect. And after a rest in the caves, the party starts returns to the Mayor's Mansion in Warwick.