The Bat Cave, a Ruined Temple and Bees!

“I’m hungry. Give me treats. Oh and there are cavemen up ahead.” – Fang II

His visit with the Ungols had left him with a mighty headache. Ugh would occasionally have flashbacks and lose track of time, perhaps a side effect of the sacred smoking ceremony that had sent him on his spirit quest? On the bright side he now possessed the ability to speak fluent canine.

Ugh had sent word to Milgos to meet him at a crossroad on the plains and together they would venture into West Wood. Ugh waited the better part of a day before he saw a scrawny messenger, little more than a boy, approach. Before the messenger had had the chance to unroll his scroll Ugh knew the news was bad. Milgos was again predisposed, it seemed this time he was enchanting his wand. Ugh tore the missive from the messengers hand and ripped it to shreds. ‘Once again you toy with Ugh!’ the half orc bellowed to the non-present Milgos. ‘May the Devil Bees of Hades take you!’ He then gestured to his companion Jana and his loyal hyena Fang. ‘Come. We go to the forest. Enough time has been wasted.’ As he left he made sure to callously knock the messenger to the ground.

Devil Bees!

Once again Ugh commandeered the fisherman’s boat to cross the roaring river and enter the forest. The fisherman rowed in sullen silence knowing better than to risk conversation with the surly half orc. Once on the opposite bank Ugh began exploring the overgrown paths till he encountered a vast glade from which he could hear a loud droning. Fearing Devil Bees Ugh retreated and set up camp. During a tasty meal of goat jerky Ugh again heard the sound of bees approaching. He leapt to his feet and headed for cover. Unfortunately the bees were swift and caught his group. These Devil Bees were the size of small dogs and menaced the band with dangerous stingers. Sadly they were no match for our warriors, who slew them with efficiency. The night passed with little in the way of interruption beyond scavengers attracted to the bee corpses.

Ugh struck camp at the break of dawn. He headed to the ominous clearing that was no doubt full of bees. His suspicions were confirmed as a swarm moved to intercept him as he crossed the glade. A score of Devil Bees assailed the party. Ugh was unlucky enough to receive several savage stings. Ugh set about the bee cull with determination pausing only to contemptuously remove still twitching stingers form his flesh. The bees were methodically put down and then their hive discovered beneath a rotten log. The queen bee emerged to challenge the group. It postured aggressively. Ugh stepped up and smashed it’s ugly bee face. He then cracked open the hive and looted the honey, which was delicious and healed his wounds.

Continuing on the trail the group discovered a cave system full of bats and not much else. The giant bats within the cave proved a threat but where soon shown the error of tangling with a seasoned warrior. Later in the day Ugh found a squat and ugly idol that once had gems for eyes. The gems had been looted long ago. Ugh spent some time poking, pushing and prodding the statue before giving up in exasperation. His meanderings also located a cliff top vantage point from which he could survey the immediate forest surroundings. From his perch he spied a building all but concealed by the forest further west. With a destination in mind Ugh set forth.

The path was long and winding and on the way he encountered a pair of Neanderthals. “I’m hungry. Oh and there are cavemen up ahead.” Fang II had warned him prior to the throwbacks appearance. With Fang by his side and his incredible ‘no surprises’ helmet nothing fazed the warrior. The Neanderthals warned Ugh not to continue down the path. They communicated this with simple grunts and elaborate sign language. Ugh however was adamant that he reach his destination. With gestures that indicated it was ‘Ugh’s funeral’ the cave men allowed the band to pass.

Overgrown temple

Finally Ugh reached a great and desolate clearing from which he could make out the structure he sought and further away an overgrown series of graves. The half orc ignored the graves as they held little promise of treasure. An initial scouting of the ruined structure revealed the location to be a long abandoned and expansive temple. Many of its buildings had collapsed into rot and ruin. While exploring the grounds, specifically an outside bathhouse, he disturbed a nest of giant centipedes. The battle was chaotic and Ugh was unfortunate to be stung and poisoned. He collapsed to his knees and began projectile vomiting. Concerned, Jana took time out from smashing centipedes to neutralize the poison in Ugh’s system. The warrior rapidly felt better and harnessed his pent up frustrations by crushing the overgrown bugs into a thin paste. As the hour had grown late the party decided to set-up camp in the ruins. The temple proper would keep till tomorrow.