Castle Whiterock 8 November 2021: Here, kitty-kitty!

The murderhoboes

Garreth, half-orc swordsman
    Bleu, droning elf wizard
Zaber, suave and debonaire man
    Logan, wolverine
Polly, cute and deadly elf archer

Thrognar, half-orc holy warrior

Stonemaul, half-orc holy warrior
Mikal, human holy warrior

What happened

After picking up the rings, I ask what harm could come from keeping these rings. After some chatter among everyone as to what to do, Mikal says we need to drop them in a volcano. I look around and find a lava vent. Since I'm not Frodo Baggins, Bleu casts Apportation and uses it to move the rings over to the lava vent and drop them in.

The rings fall in and as they hit, there are great flashes of light and sounds like the call of a harsh shrill horn that echo before slowly fading away. We see three black spectral shapes fly from the lava, dissipating upwards.

After that, we start healing. Garreth takes one swig from the potion bottle, and pours some down Polly's throat. I also take a drink, and give Logan a swig from the wineskin as well. Thrognar divinely heals Polly, and Logan licks her face.

After about an hour, I hear the soft padding of kitty feet to the South and spring to my feet. Mikal also is on alert, and can see some inferno cats slinking stealthily towards us. "We have company, and unpleasant company at that," he says. "Arise companions. Arm yourselves." Thrognar grabs his weapon and wearily stands to fight, I roll my eyes and put on my ring, Stonemaul calls for Danethar's blessing, and Mikal grabs his mace and shield and waits for a foe to come near, ready to bash in its head.

An inferno cat comes racing forwards, spitting a white hot line of bile and fire as it tramples Polly. Mikal's shield knocks aside the molten spit, but the cat goes near Garreth and claws him, which he's able to soak. Another cat spits fire at Bleu, but her salamander amulet takes the heat for her. It claws at her, but Stonemaul parries the blows. A last one comes from the other side, and Logan grabs its foot.

Bleu casts Haste on herself. I fly warily around a bend. Stonemaul runs up to the cat Logan is grabbing and puts a katana through its head. Mikal shield bashes the cat near him, then smashes its head with his mace. Thrognar then splits open its head. I put my knife into the eye of the (last) tiger, and it falls, not a survivor.

I pull the dead inferno cat off Polly, and Mikal casts Major Healing on her. We all sit down to rest, and Logan gnaws on an inferno cat. After a few minutes, Stonemaul asks Bleu to cast Lend Energy, and, after some prodding from Garreth, she does so. After a couple of hours, we rise, and Polly skins the inferno cats at the behest of Mikal. He wants to make a fire-resistant leather armor that somehow wards your body from blows better than plate.

We look, and we see a small herd of three metal-plated cows standing around this big cave, chewing on lichen and sniffing the air. For all how they resemble simple cattle, a glance tells us their horns could rive plate armor. One, a bit bigger than the rest and far more muscled, sports two brutish heads sprouting from its barrel-like body.

Castle Whiterock 13 September 2021: Cats and not-quite-dogs

The murderhoboes

Garreth, half-orc swordsman
    Bleu, droning elf wizard
Zaber, suave and debonaire man
    Logan, wolverine
Thrognar, half-orc holy warrior

Stonemaul, half-orc holy warrior
Mikal, human holy warrior
Polly, cute and deadly elf archer

What they did

Garreth drinks something from his flask, and I make a sound like a dying giraffe. Then we hear the three destrachans honk and come at us. Thrognar takes up a spot in the foremost lines, while Mikal goes off to the side, near the ivy. I wait for one to come for me, but Logan flies forward and tries to bite a destrachan. Polly shoots one a few times and it drops. Thrognar focuses, and gets strong and fast, and Bleu casts Great Haste on Garreth.

Destrachans swell up as they breathe in. The giant stomps over shield first trying to smash Thrognar, and tries to overrun Logan as he does so, but both get out of the way. He makes it to Garreth and tries to smash him, but he parries. Once the giant stops, he swings his hammer at Bleu, but Garreth parries that, too.

Logan dashes towards a destrachan and bites it. Polly shoots three arrows at it, dropping it. Thrognar and Garreth swing a few times at the giant, taking him down and smashing in his skull. Some of the blood gets on my face. "Ewww, Garreth. You had to know I was behind him, man."

The last destrachan honks. Logan harmonizes with it, but the sonic blast hurts Polly. Stonemaul, however, steps out of the shadows and reads a Rune of Protection heal her pain. Logan bites more destrachan, while Polly peppers it with arrows, killing it.

Polly looks a bit tired and rubs her arms. Logan keeps eating, then trots back to Garreth and me with some destrachan-flesh in his mouth. Logan drops the gnawed leg of the destrachan at Garreth's feet, and nudges it with his nose, as if offering to share it with Garreth, me, or anyone else. While Garreth is loath to try some at first, but when Bleu says that fried destrachan legs are a delicacy for swamp elves, he has to try.

After looting the bags of the giant, I start tracking the big cats. After a short walk, I find them. They look like a cross between bulldogs and tigers, then leap towards us. Garreth triggers Great Haste and Stonemaul drops the backpack and gets into a good spot. The inferno cats come to Logan and me. I put my knife in the eye of one, dropping it, while Logan claws the face of the other one. It breathes acid fire at us, burning us a little, but misses me with its claws. Polly shoots it thrice, and misses it thrice.

Stonemaul moves, and Garreth moves before he chops at the inferno cat. He wounds it, then Logan and I do the same. Polly shoots it in the eyes, dropping it. I fix my armor from the acid, and Logan rips the inferno cat to shreds.