Chapter 3: The Beast of Barren Hill
The party emerges, unscathed, from the Sanctum of the Insatiable Savant fresh on the heels of a new adventure. Aparrently, Ebermund's companions Byron and Sharlayne have been whisked away to the lair of the Beast of Barren Hill, if the Savant's claims are to be believed.
Of course, the party is now well familiar with the tales of the Beast of Barren Hill, for they have spread far and wide. Stories of its attacks on men, women, and children can be heard around firesides for miles around.
Villagers rush in from their tasks at night and armed guards watch over livestock. The Beast has shown no fear of fire or blade and has an uncanny ability to avoid traps.
The party has managed to piece together the Beast’s appearance from reports, but even that is fragmented. What is clear is that it is at least as large as a man and covered in black fur, with huge teeth and claws. Those who have seen the aftermath of its attacks first hand claim there were not enough pieces left to identify the bodies.
As to its lair...Barren Hill has long been considered cursed. Many villagers claim that the goblins that recently inhabited the caves beneath Barren Hill awakened something terrible.
Whatever the case, there are no traces of the goblins either. Perhaps the Beast ate them too.
Tracking the Beast is near impossible because it inexplicably leaves no tracks after its attacks. But everyone in the area knows where the Barren Hill caves are, so it is a simple matter of taking the one-hour hike from the road to the Hill.
True to form, Barren Hill is truly barren. It is covered with dried-out stumps of trees that have been viciously hacked down, probably by the goblins. At the bottom of the rocky hill is a maw-like entrance that spirals down into darkness. The wind blows a forlorn wail all around you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:36, Sun 02 Apr 2017.