Real World Info
This session was played on December 12, 2009, featuring Cervelle d'Asperge, Daereth and Pog.
Summary
With the majority of the Company of Crossed Swords en route to Mienville, Pog finds himself at loose ends. Vaguely recalling some party chatter about a wizard in the Caves of Chaos being willing to pay for a captured minotaur or hawk-bear, he joins forces with the elf Cervelle d'Asperge and the human fighter Daereth. The three hire a fighter, Webberan of the Great North, and a magic-user, Trebbelos the Boy Magician, and set off for the Caves.
While circling a grove that, according to the party map, contains the hawk-bear's lair, the party is attacked by the hungry beast! Cervelle's sleep spell fails utterly, and Trebbelos' light spell fails to strike the beast's eyes. Blades work better, however; the party takes down the hawk-bear in short order, suffering a few wounds in the process but losing no members to its claws and beak.
The party then sets off to have a little chat with the wizard of the Caves, Sebastien Quincarnon, to see if they can get some reward for the beast's corpse. Forced to speak to the wizard's lackey, the cranky seer Jean-Paul, they learn that the wizard explicitly needed the hawk-bear alive. They make their excuses and leave, not wanting to be around when the wizard learns they've killed the monster he so prized.
Before heading home, the party decides to search the hawk-bear's cave. Searching the place, they find a scroll of protection from undead in the beast's nest. This does them no good against the corrosive ooze that attacks them during their search! It devours both the cowardly Webberan and the brave Cervelle d'Asperge, and almost consumes Pog as well. The survivors flee, stopping outside only to allow Daereth to cut a few trophies from the hawk-bear's corpse.
Back at Eastkeep, Daereth accepts a suggestion by a guard officer to give the hawk-bear's head to the tower's Castellan as a gift. The party is rewarded with a feast thrown in their honor and an offer of aid in further ventures into the cave — an offer that Pog almost ruins with his characteristic dwarven nitpicking.
Losses & Loot
The party killed a hawk-bear and a gray ooze. No monetary treasure of note was acquired.
For creatures defeated acquired over the course of the session, the party members each received 75xp.