Episode 41 – Smells Like Beans – Clear It!

Two hours. One battle.

The party quickly decides to ambush the cultists, and Theo is the first to charge into the fray, catching the cultists by surprise. Justice Ironbriar orders the cultists to take care of the intruders, who pile into the room and congregate by the doorway. One by one, the cultists reveal their wickedly-honed weapons and begin attacking the party. Seemingly overwhelmed by the odds, our heroes require some sort of saving grace if they hoped to exit the sawmill with their lives.

Lucky for them, Theo incapacitates most of cultists by forming a noxious, stinking cloud in the middle of the room. Almost immediately, the majority of the cultists begin vomiting and retching, unable to do much of anything else. Perturbed, Justice Ironbriar seems mostly unaffected, but the party’s vision is obscured by the cloud and can’t quite see what’s happening on the other end of the room.

As the cultists rush out of the cloud to find some relief, the party is waiting. Barnaby twirls his weapon with great finesse and expertise, while Fobias makes short work of the other cultists with his horsechopper. In the rear, Krask fires volleys of crossbow bolts and the cultists fall, one after another.

Despite Justice Ironbriar’s best efforts, including a devastating channeling of negative energy, his minions are dispatched with ease, leaving him to put the team on his own back. He is strong, but not strong enough. Eventually, the party knocks him unconscious and ties him up while they wait for the stinking cloud to dissipate and offer them the opportunity to see into the back of the room to clean up the remaining cultists.

Everything goes according to plan as the cultists do their best to charge at the group to rescue their leader. Unfortunately for them, their strength was in their numbers and they can’t do anything individually. They slip in their own vomit and collapse, leaving the room finally quiet in the midnight hour.

Towards the south, a raven caws, and Justice Ironbriar has some answering to do.

What is the purpose of the Skinsaw Cult? Is an army of crows about to descend upon the party? Why is Theo so incredibly disgusting?