Want to help? Consider becoming a Patreon.

• Aros – Lightfoot Halfling, Rogue
• Galiena Erenaeth – Half Elf, Celestial Warlock / Druid
• Baldur – Human, Pack Chain Warlock (Spear) / Paladin
  • Hellina Kaitlyn Deramu – Human NPC, Wererat

Sitting with Chief (King) Kril – the party discusses the other catoblepas that lives in the swamp. Chief Kril explains that the creature is a threat to everyone and that its very presence corrupts everything around it – which has even destroyed the patches of whistle leaf that grow throughout the swamp.

“Maybe next time listen to me,” Aros muttered under his breath, “when I say I see something.”

Kril shows the party around the “new and improved” Kobold village inside the swamp; since overthrowing the previous chief – Chief Boondah. Kril explains that when he took over, he also banned Chief Boondah’s previous cook – a vicious kobold named Chellah – who was notoriously known for her poison craft, and Kril feared she would try to poison him as the new Chief. Chief Boondah took good care of her during his time as Chief – bedding her several times, though they never bore children together.

Aros looks around and finds several vendors, who were not around before; but under Chief Kril’s new leadership – several Kobolds took up several trades and skills – and much to the surprise of Aros – their craftsmanship is amazing. Aros finds an arrow vendor and purchases one hundred arrows for one gold. (The kobold, rather excited – rubs the gold coin and shines it). Galiena approaches the vendor and asks if any of them have any potions. But none of them find them – and Chief Kril explains that because of the swamp creature, the whistle leaves normally used for healing potions have been destroyed by the presence of the Catoblepas; which confirms what Sam’s friend, Domar Runningrock had mentioned. (Mentioned in Session 23)

Galiena buys 100 bolts for one gold; and discovers the kobold also has a climber’s kit and notices that the kobold also has an hourglass on the table, and points to it to ask if she’d like that as well (and promises he did not find it on the body of a deceased adventurer in the swamp). Aros manages to barter with the kobold down from 15 gold to 2 gold for the hourglass. Aros speaks with Galiena about getting a rest – and they agree, and find Kavium and Baldur – and approach Chief Kril about taking a rest at the village – and Chief Kril mentions that they’re not as powerful as Chief Kril – and understands that they need rest – and brings them his hall where he allows them to rest there.

The party rests there – and despite some of the celebration of the kobolds, the party manages to sleep. Baldur learns that the other swamp beast rarely comes out of its cave – and is larger and more aggressive than the one they’d fought.

During breakfast, Baldur shares, “I have some good news and bad news. Good news, there’s only one more left in the swamp. And that they believe at least one of us should survive. The bad news is, it’s larger, more aggressive, and stays in its cave.”

“Does anyone have a spell that maybe we could cave it in?” Galiena asks. They think it over – and none of them have anything beneficial.

“What about something that it hates? We can put it in front of the cave, and it stays in the cave,” Aros suggests.

Baldur calls out, “Hey! Kobold! I have a question about the swamp creature.”

One of the kobolds approaches.

Baldur asks the kobold if there’s anything the creature hates – and it explains the swamp creature hates everything – and blights everything – and tries to kill everything – and tries to eat everything. Baldur then asks if the kobold has a map to this swamp creature’s cave, and the kobold responds that Chief Kril has a map – he had sent out scouting kobolds to track the beasts down.

The party approaches Chief Kril to ask for a map – and with sheer confidence about the “very detailed, many hours scouted and mapped map” – Chief Kril hands the party his precious map of where the “swamp beast” has made its lair.

Chief Kril explains he will send some of his most trusted scouts with the party – at least up to where the whistle leaf patch is (which, he points out again, has been destroyed due to the taint of the “swamp monsters”).

“Do you have anything explosive or extremely flammable?” Galiena asks.

Chief Kril thinks about it for a moment. Then smiles. “Shiv! Shiv! Go get special swamp fluid!”

“What’s special about it?” Galiena asks.

“It’s… how you human-types say? Voli-voli-voli-go boom very easy,” Chief Kril finally sputters, making a “boom” gesture with his hands.

“We could use that,” Baldur nods.

Shiv returns – walking ever so slowly – with three vials of wretched swamp water – whose odor is so strong that all of those around him begin to immediately tear up, as the churning gases swirling in the vials react to contact with everyone’s eyes, tongue, nose and even flesh. Shiv hands the three vials to Aros, “You carry. Me no want. Careful. Don’t let clank or boom. And big boom.”

Aros cautiously takes the vials – uncertain that he’s the one that should be carrying this – but he’s reminded by Kavium that he has the quickest and most stable hands.

“Can maybe we each carry one?” Aros offers.

Baldur, Kavium and Galiena all pretend not to hear Aros’ question – as he sighs.

As the party trudges through the swamp, “There’s a plan,” Aros mentions, cursing the deep mud, “where – if this thing is in the cave – we use a lure, outside – to try and bring it out – and then we have people on top of the cave, drop down with a net and spears and try to kill it quickly.”

As they make their way through the swamp – the encounter several giant frogs – which they are surprised by (quite literally) – since they hadn’t seen much in the way of wildlife in the swamp – but it could be that the death of at least one of the Catoblepas was enough to lure wildlife back into the swamps. Whatever the case, the frogs are quickly dispatched, with only some minor injuries (and Aros almost being swallowed whole). During the fight, Aros had managed to prevent the highly volatile flasks from clanking into one another.

“We should drag this frog meat as bait for the swamp beast,” Kavium points out.

“We should put these flasks inside the dead toad’s,” Aros adds.

Kavium and Baldur struggle to pull the frog – each grabbing a leg, not realizing that the mud from the swamp builds up between the legs.

The party reaches the dead patch of whistling leaf, and recognizes it from Lady Falsour had asked them to fetch some (back in Session 5) to create healing potions, which is when the party had met the Kobolds (and learned of a Black Dragon named Coal within the swamp, somewhere – or near the swamp, in Session 6). Chief Kril’s scouts stop at the patch and explain this is as far as they go – and wished the party luck for the rest of the journey.

Eventually the party reaches the mouth of the cave and can immediately smell the presence of the beast down in the cave.

The party organizes the giant dead frog at the mouth of the cave – and Aros puts the vials inside the frog; and then the party positions themselves above the cave – struggling to climb the remains of the giant’s skull that mark the entrance to the swamp beast’s cave entrance.

The catoblepas emerges from the cave – and begins devouring the frog – however, its stench – overpowers Galiena and Baldur.

The catoblepas’ keen smell knows that the party is above the cave – Baldur tries to pull on the rope to trigger the explosion – but he’s too weak – Galiena tries to use Guidance – but still he’s not able to pull the rope. The hunger takes over – and chomps down on the corpse of the giant frog – and triggers the explosion – taking massive damage. A battle begins – and once again, it’s not long before the catoblepas’ tail manages to reach up and strike Kavium in the chest – robbing him of his air and stunning him. The tail then strikes Aros, and also deals massive damage to the rogue! Baldur tries to leap down from the cave on top of the catoblepas – but slips in the mud. When Kavium tries to also leap down, he slips on the top of the cave – and face plants into the mud below. While things seem to be going very poorly for the party – they’re eventually turn the tide of battle around, and severely wounded – pull off a victory – this one, ending exactly as the previous one had – with Galiena focusing Witch Bolt on the beast.

They investigate the catoblepas’ lair – as they descend into the cave, Kavium slips in the mud and slides the rest of the way down – and discover it’s a nest. There are several eggs, which the party destroys – but also, the nest is made up of corpses, as well as weapons and coin.

• Aros finds: +1 Morning Star
• Baldur finds: +1 Long Bow
• Galiena finds: +2 Short Sword
• Kavium finds: + 2 Great Axe

The party gathers the coin and jewels totaling a value: 18,800 gold.

The party splits it four ways – giving each of them: 4,700 gold.

Severely beaten, the party makes their way back to the kobold village – where they me share the news with Chief Kril. Galiena goes back to the Whistle Leaf patch – and focuses all of her energy casting Plant Growth – and forces new Whistle Leaf stems to grow. Sam is also good enough to travel, and the party – along with Sam and Domar make their way back to Green Haven, where they explain they’ve entered a deal with the Kobolds – the Kobolds, once the Whistle Leaf finishes regrowing (thanks to Galiena) – will fetch the Whistle Leaf and meet at the edge of the swamp to give it to the people of Green Haven, in exchange for some apples and other trade goods. The people of Green Haven seem hesitant, but with Sam and Domar’s vouching of the kobold’s good faith and action – the people of Green Haven enter the agreement.

TO BE CONTINUED!