Returning to the docks with their trophy in tow, the party eagerly waits for the approval of the citizens of Turtleback Ferry. Slowly, the people venture out of their homes to see the spoils of the hunt. Most of them are in awe, dumbstruck and clueless on how to react; a lot of them doubted that the legend of Pinkeye was even based in reality. The old ferryman, however, reiterates that this is not a hoax – Pinkeye truly is dead!
In celebration, the town quickly begins preparing for a feast. Cook fires are started, tables are rolled in, and everyone congratulates the party on a job well done. Barnaby wastes no time in retelling the tale, emphasizes his invaluable role in slaying the mythical beast. While Fobias filets the meaty white flesh from Pinkeye’s gigantic corpse, he also guts the insides and finds a collection of detritus that would make a grown man cry. Besides an abundance of coins, gems, and Paradise-branded poker chips, there are also many clues that point to Pinkeye’s potential involvement with the Paradise’s destruction: charred timbers, magical gambler’s materials, and a skeleton with a Sihedron tattoo on its ankle.
During the feast, Fobias cautiously opens up to the rest of the party about his involvement with Gary. His ‘adoption’ happened at a young age, and Gary put the boy to work in the forest setting traps, hunting, and performing chores. The experiences was relatively miserable, as Gary was a bit of a drunk and wasn’t an acceptable guardian from the standpoint of providing a hospitable childhood. Once he realized that Gary wasn’t getting any better (and once his knowledge of survival was sufficient), Fobias stole a canoe and paddled far away from the man who he never knew as ‘father’. As much as he owed the man for the knowledge he gained about the forest, Fobias had put the past behind him in hopes of leaving that chapter of his life closed forever.
After a bit of deliberation on where they should head next – Skull’s Crossing or up to Fort Rannick, the party decides to visit the Fort first since it’s on the way to the source of the Skull River. They cross the footbridge a few miles outside of the Fort. Off in the distance they hear the sound of a cat wailing and decide to investigate.
Slightly off the path, a firepelt mountain lion is caught in an iron bear trap. Its pained yelps reverberate off the trees until it catches sight of the party approaching. It freezes. Fobias and Krask exercise their affinity for wildlife and succeed in calming down the animal. Krask slips his nimble fingers into the mechanism and opens the jaws, freeing the firepelt who leaps out with a happy flourish.
Meanwhile, barking dogs can be heard approaching from the distance, accompanied by an off-key singing voice shouting out a song about squeezing a cat so much that it dies. The party hides behind the trees, preparing to ambush the creature. Five snarling dogs crash through the underbrush, followed by a hideously deformed ogrekin with an oversized hand. Seeing the cat out of its trap, the ogrekin bellows and attacks.
Theo saves the day with his battlefield control, hitting the entire group with a stinking cloud. Even though it fails to incapacitate all of them, the cloud prevents additional actions from a couple of the dogs. Seizing the opportunity, Theo overlaps the cloud with a tangled web of spider silk, which traps a few more dogs. Barnaby is the only one who takes a direct hit from the ogrekin’s longspear, as the sickened dogs are quickly taken care of.
Seeing his hunting party demolished, the ogrekin attempts to escape, shouting something about ‘Mammy’, but his Achilles tendon is slashed before he can escape and he tumbles to the ground in a broken heap.
Who is Mammy? What awaits the party at Fort Rannick? Does Barnaby even need these other adventurers to help him save Golarion?