Session 74 - Schlong the Giant Worm. Tick.
30th June 2023
In-game timeline: Start of session: 1490DR Ches 14. End of session: 1490DR Ches 15
Our "Heroes" loot anything they can see. Jaxii gets a mangy looking leather belt and a string of dried mushrooms. Derrick gets a heavy flail weapon and a silver/platinum ring (which he immediately puts on his finger, despite everyone else telling him not to). Karoshi gets a gold nugget that the gnoll boss was using as a tooth.
And thus began the first of many discussions about whether to rest. And if to rest, then where to rest. This repeated discussion became the theme of the evening. Swiftly followed by recriminations about the decision made.
Instead of immediately resting, our "Heroes" first take a quick look around the main cavern to check if there are any more creatures in sight. They see none and so decide to climb onto a platform to get a better view, and then take a short rest.
During the rest Iwee thinks she sees some movement at the far edge of the cavern, but isn't certain. At the end of their rest the group go to investigate and find the body of the Gnoll boss has been removed.
A slightly more in-depth search of the cavern follows and they find a smelly area of tunnels where they think the hyenas may have been kept, a moveable bridge across a chasm, a small cave that looks to be a bedroom of sorts, where they find some growing mushrooms (Derrick picks a handful and puts them in his pouch), and a narrow tunnel that they think leads outside. They also find a cave that contains a hole in the ground, surrounded by bones, and with a ledge above that seems to contain some moving bundles of… something.
Suspicious of the hole, Karoshi and Derrick throw a dead gnoll near to the edge. A very short time later a very large, gaping mouth rises up from the hole and chomps down on the dead gnoll, quickly dragging it back down into the hole. Jaxii is very excited that she has finally encountered a Giant Worm and immediately names it Schlong. Having ticked the "Meet a giant worm" item from her bucket list, Jaxii encourages the others to move on - "Let's leave him about his business." A phrase rarely uttered by the barbarian.
And we come to the second long discussion about whether, and where, to rest. Eventually they decide not to, but to press on a little longer.
They cross the chasm using the bridge, leaving it in place behind them, and head into tunnels which after a while become obvious mining tunnels, though ones that have not been used for mining traffic for some age. They travel for about an hour before reaching a large cave-in blocking the mining track. They passed a more natural tunnel twenty or so yards back and so return to that junction to press on, continuing to head downwards. It soon becomes obvious that this tunnel seems to have been carved from the earth in many places with sharp claws.
They head onwards for 20 minutes or so, then come upon a wider area that seems to contain a cold, and very rough, camp. It is not populated, but seems to have been used quite recently. Beyond the camp the tunnels progress onwards and downwards.
A third discussion about resting takes place, and in the end they do decide to invoke a Tiny Hut for protection, placing it in the exit of the camp so that nothing can pass it, and settle down for a long rest.
After an hour, Derrick is awoken by Pacino's calling, and Karoshi spots a hook creature rushing towards their hut. They awake the others, and our "Heroes" watch as the creature, seemingly very scared, tries to claw its way into the hut, unsuccessfully.
As it continues to frantically claw, two gnolls riding giant, armoured hyenas, appear behind the creature and are surprised to see a tent blocking the path. One of the gnolls blasts on a horn, whilst the other fires an arrow at the tent - it hits the tent and falls to the ground.
At this point, the hook creature gives up trying to escape through the tent and turns, petrified, towards the two gnolls and rushes them. It doesn't stand a chance - it is peppered by arrows from the riding gnolls, and torn apart by the giant hyenas. The hook creature does put up a good fight, and the hyenas take a beating, but the hook horror falls, dead, as Karoshi looks on and describes the scene (Iwee has her hands over her eyes and ears so she cannot see the slaughter, and Derrick and Jaxii cannot see in the darkness outside the tent).
After trying once more to pierce the tent with arrows, the gnolls turn and move back down the tunnel, seemingly quite reluctantly and nervously.
A short while later a larger hook creature arrives and gently and somewhat ceremoniously and sadly raises the corpse of the smaller creature in its arms, before turning and heading back slowly, carrying the body in its arms.
Our "Heroes" are nervous. It prompts a fourth discussion about how to get their rest. This area seems dangerous. In the end they decide to dismiss the Hut and move back to the rockfall and re-create the Hut there - hoping that they will not be seen by anything that may emerge from this tunnel.
They do get their rest, though they are disturbed by the two giant hyenas and their riding gnolls as they emerge from the tunnel from the camp. They do seem to spot the hut, but continue riding on, in a bit of a hurry, and quickly head on towards the gnoll cavern, soon going out of sight.
The party is rested, though some are affected by the sights they have seen. The excitement and grandeur of spotting a giant worm has been forgotten, and replaced by the sight and description of a hook horror being slaughtered, and the sadness of the adult horror collecting the dead juvenile. Our "Heroes" have feelings after all…