After skinning and cooking the sabretooth tigers, the party continued northwards towards the Argos Plateau. The weather was cold and the path was clear, but soon they came upon a wounded Thuel hunter (Ulnuk) fleeing a pack of dire wolves. Using smarts and tactics, the Brotherhood soon dispatched all seven wolves, with a small assist from Ulnuk and his hunting partner Gotha (as well as her faithful companion Greybeak ). The hunters expressed their gratitude by inviting the Brotherhood to their camp.

Once there, the party was greeted by Malgur, chieftain of the Thunder Folk. Impressed by their prowess and grateful for their assistance, he allowed Burzu (a wise old hillwoman) to treat the party’s wounds. She gave succor to Cleansing Waters and informed Shiv Drinkstep that his curse could be lifted with the right healing ingredients (fire beetle acid sacs), but refused to treat Greer the Betrayer in any way, saying his curse was not of the earth, and cannot be healed by the earth.

That night, the Brotherhood was invited to a feast (though Shiv Drinkstep had to sit far from the fire), where meat and drink (fermented horse milk) were passed around freely. Sooney-Crow of No Family sang the songs of their adventures - and the old songs of the horsefolk - which delighted all, but especially Malgur, who invited her back to his tent for more…cultural appreciation.

The party set out at first light to retrieve the necessary ingredients to lift Shiv’s curse. Ulnuk was still too wounded to join them, but Gotha and Greybeak guided them into the hills west of camp. That night, they were disturbed by strange rumblings beneath the earth, but nothing came of it. The next morning, it was a short hike to a likely fire beetle infestation.

Indeed, once there, Gotha pointed out telltale mounds of earth that indicated fire beetle burrows, but while approaching, she disturbed the silence and three angry beetles burst from the ground, spitting acid and attacking the party. Greer the Betrayer shone, while Sooney-Crow of No Family took much damage, as did Shiv Drinkstep who managed to slay the final creature with The Blade of Graxus while on death’s door. Sadly, Greybeak was caught by an acid blast and fell to the earth in a smoking ruin of feathers.

The party had just managed to lash the necessary remains to their horses when two more angry beetles emerged from beneath the ground. Rather than press their luck, they spurred their horses to a gallop and fled…

RIP Greybeak

Burzu says she can lift Skarrow's curse with the right ingredients

Sooney-Crow of No Family and Malgur sittin' in a tree…

After last night’s session, you will all be levelling up to level 6. Please check the rulebook for what that means. Everyone will get a new unique feature. These can be found in both the main rulebook and the Companion. You can also invent your own if you let me know what you want!