The Severed Hand

Round 4 Player Phase!!!!

The last elf dies with smoking eyes as the flames of Alalla's sword consume him from the inside out.

With these elves destroyed, the party settles down to have some rest. Zenithral sets wards on the stairs to alert the group in case of intruders.

The chamber with the large round table seems to have been a sort of war room at some time, but due to age or atmosphere the papers and maps about are all but mold and dust.

Zenithral's wards on the stairs give the party some measure of security and confidence... until a shadow passes by the window. The party has only a moment to grab their weapons, and then a winged, misshapen creature stumbles through the window and into the room.

Whatever the creature was before, it now looks like some sort of cross between a diseased horse, a balding bird of prey, and a squid. Several tentacles writhe from its beaked mouth, and it seems to be missing its eyes - only empty sockets glare from its hawklike face. Despite its unusual form and awkward hobbling gait, the thing moves like a predator, stalking towards the group.

Round 1 Player Phase!

The beast drags its bloated body forward on four legs that vaguely resemble a horse's. Sparse feathers slick with some kind of black tar stick out in patches from its shoulders and neck. Zenithral's arrows and Fergy's fire spell pepper the creature, and it lets out a gurgling cry of pain, but continues on to lunge at Ug.

It throws itself atop Ug, trying to bring the goliath down with its own weight, and the tentacles immediately go for his face. Slimy and slithering, the rubbery tendrils slip into whatever openings they can find: mouth, nose, ears - one even wriggling dangerously close to Ug's eyes. The tentacles wriggle in anticipation as several find purchase and begin to press deeper, and Ug feels a terrible pain in his head (Ug takes 21 psychic damage).

Despite the precarious situation, Ug's swing bears true. With a wet smack his maul collides with the monster's face, ice instantly shocking along the tentacles and freezing them brittle. With a crack Ug pulls free from the thing's grasp and unleashes pure barbarian rage on its sorry hide.

There isn't much left when he is done. Still, the goliath feels a numbness within his skull. If this creature had not been stopped, it might have cracked his head open like a melon and devoured his brain.

Looking at the window, the party wonders if this is a safe place to rest after all.

As the companions settle down once more to rest, they hear dull scraping coming from the other side of Ug's makeshift barrier. A heavy thud follows, but the table does not budge from its position against the window. A shrill cry sounds from outside the tower, and then silence.

With no further interruptions, the party is able to bind wounds and gather strength.