The Granite Keep

[etherial]

From the Court-mandated parole log of Gronk Longtusk:

15 Riag
August Rey has received a charter from the Throalic government to explore the Granite Keep, a pre-Scourge outpost they are thinking of garrisoning to help protect the expanding Throalic frontier. The Keep was overwhelmed during the last days before the closing and they have no idea what shape it's in - or what's happened to the bodies of the fallen. They've hired us to explore the ruin, examine it for martial suitability, and clear out any dangers. He's put together a posse of toughs and I'm gonna help guide them to their destination and keep them from biting off more than they can chew.

17 Riag
For two days, I have led the party Southwest. I can't shake the feeling that someone else is out here. Others have reported hearing voices across the open plains at night, but we haven't found anything. We'll be proceeding more carefully tomorrow. We don't know who else is out here, and we know that not everyone will make for pleasant company.

18 Riag
As we started to set up camp, I heard the voices again and was able to follow them to a wooded thicket where a group of Humans were setting up a camp of their own. They bore the same sigil of Raggok as the Bog Gob cultists we'd encountered near Borgan's Rest, several days to the East and several weeks in the past.

I reported back to my compatriates. They wanted to immediately ambush and kill the cultists, but I persuaded them that perhaps some could be spared and arrested. I don't like the idea of killing any Namegiver who hasn't tried to kill me or mine, and I was able to persuade them. This did not mean that we were not expecting combat - I snuck ahead and managed to get on the far side of them so that we could get them from both sides.

We approached and Ceadda made some seriously terrible smalltalk. It was painful to hear and painful to watch. It was like he had no idea how to talk to people and -- even worse -- no idea how to accuse someone of being a Cultist of Raggok. I managed to resist the urge shoot someone as they slowly pulled him in with offers to sit by their campfire and join their company, sure that any minute they would try to ensorcell him, when the unexpected happened. Their apparent leader, a fellow by the Name of Myren, pulled Ceadda in close and asked for a rescue. Enraged, they slit his throat and combat began in earnest.

Outnumbered though we were, we had them outclassed and though they threw packets of paralytic poison at my allies, we were undeterred and able to slay the remaining cultists, comfortable with them having met the quite low bar of "trying to murder us". We brought Myren back and questioned him about the group. Apparently one of the nearby Kaers had fallen completely to Raggok's sway and were even now recruiting new membership on the surface. They sent roving patrols across the countryside to take others back to their lair, dead or alive. Myren grew up in the Kaer but was no devotee, and we had finally provided him the means to escape. The cultists had recently repaired and occupied a pre-Scourge fortification that we had to neutralize - The Granite Keep.

19 Riag
We don the robes of the slain cultists in an attempt to get in through the front door of the Granite Keep. August was disguised as a Human, riding one of the pack horses that we had captured. Ibontu and Shadow Stalker lay on a litter that we dragged, playing the role of captured Namegivers that we were bringing back for forced conversion.

We had been warned that sentries would be up and that undead eagles patroled the skies, but we did not realize quite how adept the eagles would be at spotting us. Whatever flaw existed in our disguise, they saw through it and divebombed us. It took some time for us to get the hang of fighting them, as I was the only Ranged attacker we had, but I was able to wing two of them and the rest of the party took out the rest. The battle was not without cost, however. Shadow Stalker fell and could not be roused. I applied my Last Chance Salve to him, which did bring him back, but by then we could see a party sallying forth from the Keep, and we were in no shape to fight.

we fled, and they followed, and we could only hope that our potions could heal us enough to be able to give us the edge we needed to survive. I managed to hide myself in the shrubbery as they passed, allowing me to again harry from behind as they engaged the fighters. Ceadda struck their leader with a mighty blow, but they were undeterred, and two broke off to fight me. Now able to bring his full Cavalryman Talents to bear, August charged one of them but missed, joining me as the two Warriors took on the leader and one grunt.

Visions flashed through my eyes of Warriors who could not be brought back because I spent our only Last Chance Salve on the cat, but the decision did not need to be questioned - August with the cat was an effective combatant. August without the cat was surely dead. Things were pretty dicey at one point, and one grunt even attempted a hostage negotiation, but we got the drop on him and managed to rescue our comrade. Exhausted, but having defeated their strongest fighters, we trudged back to the Keep to try and bluff them out.

August nearly blew the whole thing by getting too insistent with his demands. They called his bluff and he wasn't willing to negotiate or back down, but I took over the shouting and gave them two hours to clear out. They cleared out.

26 Riag
We've cleared the keep of the fallen, their pyres burning high and late and stinking into the night. No Raggok patrols returned - warned off no doubt by our cleanup attempts. The fort is suitable for occupation now, so we return to Throal. Someone's gonna have to find this Kaer and knock some sense into these hoomons.


Other PCs:
August Rey, male Dwarf Cavalryman
Ceadda, male Human Warrior
Ibontu, Obsidiman Warrior

NPCs:
Myren, the reluctant Cultist