Highsun
The Blackwall Keep, Northern Edge of the Stump Bog
Clearing, cool and breezy
The lair of the Lizardfolk of the Twisted Branch Tribe proved to be no match for the Heroic band from the Three Hills Adventuring Company. Jasper would be proud. With determination, skill, and just plain ‘guts’ Kamist led the Company deep within the twisted mangaroo lair. Here the Heroes defeated more than a 100 Lizardfolk warriors, hurlers, and workers. In the midst of the chaos one of the fallen lizardfolk burst open to reveal a swarm of the wiggling and spawning worms…these worms appeared to harbor undead traits but after careful analysis of the horrific events revealed that what Egwain was able to Turn was actually undead flesh the worms were feeding on. Alone and aside form the undead flesh the worms seemed unaffected by the Turning powers of Egwaine.
In the midst of battle, the Heroes were approached by the Twisted Branch Shaman named Hishak who negotiated a deal in which he would help the Heroes defeat the brutish King named Shukar and his Champion Kushak. Wisely, Kamist agreed to the Shaman’s terms. In a bold move at the crucial point in the conflict, Hishak brought the Heroes before the Lizardfolk King and with a few choice draconic sentences, betrayed his own King in a gamble to seize control of the tribe with the help of the Heroes; causing many of Shukar’s warriors to withdrew form the battle.
In the end, the Heroes defeated Shukar and his forces. Hishak honored the bargain and returned the two remaining captives to the Heroes. Thankfully, Allustan’s colleague Marzena had yet to be eaten, but apparently two other Blackwall Keep soldiers had been fed to a large Black Dragon who Hishak identified as the Great Father. Hishak then led the Heroes to the Dragon’s lair. Here the Heroes found 8 servant kobolds who, having witnessed the battle from secret observation spots, had fled in fear immediately upon seeing the heavily armed Heroes.
Hidden amongst the Lizardfolk eggs was a large Black Dragon egg. Apparently the term for Father and Mother was the same in the Lizardfolk draconic dialect, because as the Hereos soon found out, the Dragon had left behind one of “Her” black dragon eggs hidden within the Lizardfolk egg chamber. Without instructions and upon his own initiative, Tyree approached the Large Black egg and smashed it open. To the surprise of Heroes and Lizardfolk alike the egg was filled with thousands of writhing and squirming green worms. Tyree shrieked in horror as the worms engulfed him. Fortunate for him, he closed his mouth before he was infested with the vile wiggling creatures.
The Heroes, save for Storn, worked feverishly alongside Lizardfolk to save the remaining eggs, but alas, many were breached by the green squirmers and immediately transformed into
hideous abominations. Egwaine managed to destroy more than a few of them by Turning the abominations indicating their undead nature. Of interest, was that the worms themselves seemed unaffected by her Turning powers suggesting them not to be undead like their hosts. In any event, the Heroes along with the Lizardfolk managed to save most of the eggs, but at least 50 or more of the newly created abominations escaped into the thick of the mangaroo branches and then off into the Stump Bog. Oh no…that might be bad.After agreeing to negotiate a new treaty on behalf of the Twisted Branch, the Heroes departed and returned to the Blackwall Keep. Awaiting their arrival was Merris Sandovar and three of his Rangers. He greeted the Heroes with a grim expression and handed the Heroes a note from Allustan.
Brave Kamist and Heroes of the Three Hills Adventuring Company,
It is with a heavy heart that I pray to Mystra that Merris finds you alive and well. Unfortunately, I am unable to be at his side with reinforcements form Diamond Lake…It seems upon my arrival back in Diamond Lake that our worst fears have come true. These worm infested horrors have appeared in the midst of our humble home. As you may have mentioned to me before something was amiss at the Temple of Ilmatar and apparently Jeirus was harboring a creature for his own studies. The massacre that ensued would have surely engulfed the entire town if not for the efforts of myself, Valkus Dun, and the soldiers of the Garrison. Though the threat is not yet over, we have contained the threat to the basement of the temple and are working with Hamenezzer to finish off the last of the worm infested Zombies. Fast they are; deadly fast.
To the plight of the Blackwall Keep…If you are reading this, you have been successful in breaking the siege. Return to me at once, for I have need of your assistance yet again and want to share with you what I have discovered of these worm infested creatures. I have instructed Merris to reinforce Blackwall Keep and to send a pair of riders ahead to Waterdeep for additional reinforcements. Please escort Marzena back to Diamond Lake and see me as soon as you arrive. I fear a cataclysmic set of events have been set into motion that require our immediate attention; events that may have been set into motion by forces more powerful than mere mortal men.
Allustan
Based on the information that slipped from Bron and Sev (the two Rangers), Kamist questioned Corporal Green who came clean and advised that almost two years ago in late 1369 DR, the Keep Mage named Vlokar (2nd Magist Yuri Vlokar, a Damaran Human) ventured deep into the Stump Bog to negotiate directly with the Twisted Branch Lizardfolk. Vlokar believed he could resolve conflicts with the Lizardfolk through negotiations. Corporal Green advised that at the time he was just a new recruit but recalled that Vlokar returned very sick and eventually, slowly over time, transformed into a ravenous creature. The soldiers of the Keep, locked him in a storage room in the basement, but the commander choose not to report the incident and instead hoped that Vlokar might get well or die of starvation and chose to ignore the problem.
Corporal Green went on and explained that he had nearly forgotten about old crazy Vlokar in the midst of battle but apparently when the Lizardfolk attacked they must have broke into the lower levels of the Keep and managed to free Vlokar. While the Heroes were away on their rescue mission, Vlokar managed to break into the ground level and kill two of the Keep soldiers. Worse yet, while the Keep soldiers regrouped to counter attack, Vlokar retreated along with the freshly killed bodies back into the lower levels of the Keep.
Corproal Green implores the Heroes to go down there and destroy Vlokar once and for all and to finally put him to proper rest.Just Great.
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