After much discussion the party decided to go with Loru and Garfin to investigate their family’s killer. Garin picked up some supplies while the party discussed how to get Rakham’s stolen pack back. Garfin promised he would help retrieve the pack if Rakham helped them. With that the party left the Helping Hand and followed Garfin through the streets of Tordan heading west. Passing the market the streets became less and less inhabited until they reached the river. At the river Garfin turned right and followed a small path. Along the way they noticed something large in the water coming towards them. The group carefully moved away from the water and continued along the path. After of few hours of travel along the river’s bank and through uninhabited ruins that nature had reclaimed many years ago the river widened into a lake with an island in it. On the island the ruins of a small keep were clearly visible. Kosef lead the party along the lake shore to get a better vantage point of the island. There he noticed a small creature, a halfling hidden in the foliage. After several tense moments and many threats the group decided that the halfling was probably harmless and was also interested in the island, saying something unnatural was there.
After observing the Island for some time several unnatural creatures could be seen wondering around the islands southern shore and in and out of the keep’s ruined courtyard. They appeared humanoid but disfigured and deformed. The group decided to approach the island from the backside of the keep where they would have cover from the islands inhabitants. Garfin produced a bottle of magical liquid which each of the group drank from and grew small gills on the sides of their neck. The group carefully swam under the surface of the lake to the island and moved around to the back of the keep before surfacing.
Once there Adda climbed to the top of the wall. When she reached the top of the keep’s wall she could see human in the middle of the open courtyard below. His clothes were in tatter as he stared straight ahead. Crouched on the edge of the wall to stay out of view Adda moved to the right and climbed to the top of the tower and over the battlement, onto the roof.
The rest of the party followed Adda up the wall and were able to secure a rope. As everyone clambered to the top of the wall they could see several of the same creatures visible from the lake shore in the courtyard below.
Now on the tower roof Adda started to lower herself into the towers topmost chamber through the trapdoor in the towers roof. As she did she noticed a demonic looking creature on the ceiling of the chamber. It was the size of a large dog and shaped like a huge fly with a large pointed proboscis. It turned towards her with domed eyes. She quickly pulled herself back up onto the roof and a terrible buzzing sound erupted from the tower. The creature rose out of the trap door and attacked. The sound of the creature was so terrible that Talia collapsed in a heap on the top of the wall. Murf managed catch her before she fell off the wall. Adda drew her great ax and attacked the monstrosity striking it with a mighty blow but it stabbed her with its proboscis and a black spiderweb like pattern immediately surrounded the wound.
Loru and Garfin, recognizing the man in the courtyard below recklessly repelled down to the ground on the rope they had used to climb up. Rakham and Kosef followed. As they did the malformed creatures rushed to attack. One of the creatures belched forth a swarm of sickening insect like creatures but Loru and Kosef managed to fight on. Murf managed to awaken Talia and they stayed on top of the wall assisting Adda before climbing down the rope to aid the rest of the group. As the two disgusting creatures were cut down another three rushed in from the front of the keep, one of them a massive human like creature, as wide as it was tall, its body covered in fat and discolored skin which looked almost rotten. During the battle Loru was knocked unconscious when the largest creature picked him up and threw him into Kosef. Kosef was also grabbed, lifted off his feet and effortlessly thrown into Murf. As the battle started to turn against the monsters the human whom Loru recognized as Garuuk began to twitch and his body seemed to be growing from the inside. His appearance seemed to change to match more of the creatures he fraught with. He rushed into battle attacking Garfin, Talia and Rakham.
Finally the creatures were defeated and Adda managed to finish off the flying creatures and two others which crawled out of the tower. They looked like a larval stage of the same creature. Garfin fed Loru a potion and he regained consciousness. He rushed to where Garuuk had fallen, still breathing. His eyes stared into the sky, as he muttered, his face twisted and tormented. Finally he eyes met Loru’s with some recognition. “Kill me” he muttered and his eyes went distant again. Then Garuuk’s body shuttered and lurched as talons grew from his fingers and ridges along his shoulders and he took one final grasp at Loru before Loru ended his life. As he did a shadowy form appeared to leave Garuuk’s body. it seemed to hover for just a second above him in the form of a shapely womans and then it was gone.