The Age of Worms/ The Demonscar Legacy pt. 4 / Bora the 18th, 3593 CE / 2-4-24

Not By Choice awakes in the town of Irongorge, preparing for their expedition into the jungle in search of the missing paladin of Jeda, Alek Tercival. They approach the docks of the Red River, colored by the runoff from Irongorge's mines, where they meet their guide, Rovu, the younger nephew of the Maavu Arlintal. Rovu has grown up in the region and has secured a boat to take the party upriver. After several hours of rowing, they reach the first landmark from the map they discovered on the back of the spellweaver tablet: the Headless Demon, The Headless Demon is a large stone idol depicting some sort of demonic entity with a doglike visage and multiple arms. It has gained its name from the fact that long ago the stone head toppled from the top of the statue to rest at its base. The ancient and decrepit idol is now covered in moss and vines. It stands at the mouth of a trail leading deeper into the jungle, and as the party disembarks and prepares to make their way overland, they are ambushed by a squad of gnolls who have been lying in wait. Rovu knows that two rival gnoll tribes make their home in these jungles, the Monkeypaw Tribe and the Dogface Tribe, the latter of whom worship the Headless Demon as a holy relic. Rovu suspects these are probably Monkey Paw gnolls laying in wait for their enemies, but regardless, the party finds themselves now the victims of the gnoll hunting party's aggression as arrows rain down upon them.