The Keys of Telku / The Final Key pt. 4 / Kith the 11th through the 12th, 3593 CE / 1-16-22

It is the morning of the Adventurer's expedition to Pandona, in order to reach Veluna's Overlord Kitaya and warn him before Tarrus the One-Eyed requisitions a team of the Overlord's Amita K'un ninjas to retrieve the last Key of Telku from beneath the Temple of Baal in Baali. They disguise themselves, with varying degrees of success, as members of House Argaine's guard, and the caravan sets out under the command of Lord Rickard's top soldier, Sir Derban. The first day of the journey is uneventful, as the Adventurer's chat pleasantly among themselves or get to know their fellow guard. They must prepare for a 16 day journey overland to Veluna, and accordingly, Rados practices hunting, using his magic to creative, if somewhat disturbing, effect to kill a flock of birds. On the second day, the party is alerted to rain on the horizon. As the storm sweeps over them, Sir Derban brings the caravan to a halt and takes his own guards to investigate a bend in the road which he warns could be a possible ambush point. As the party waits with the wagon for the guards to return, they grow suspicious of sounds they hear coming from up ahead. First Rados, and then Marrow and Koragar go to investigate, discovering a truly bizarre sight. Sir Derban and his men kneel in the muddy road, smearing themselves with mud until they are covered under a thick, grey layer. Suddenly the begin transforming, bristly hair and tusks growing, becoming were-boars! Spouting curses in the name of Anubhak, the were-boards attack, but they have underestimated the strength of the Adventurers, and full one by one to the party's devastating attacks. As Sir Derban is felled by Rados, he topples into the mud of road and is quickly grabbed by groping vines and swallowed by the earth without a trace. As the head of another wereboar topples into the dirt, it begins to spout the words of Anubhak until it melts away to nothing. Finally only 2 guards remain living. They are quickly bound, and one is revived. It is Eric, Sir Derban's second in command, and initially Rados's attempts to gain knowledge through torturing the guard are ineffective. But ultimately Eric does reveal he believes Lord Rickard Argaine to be dead and Castle Argaine in the hands of his fellow cult members. A debate ensues whether to return to Castle Argaine for the sake of Shadolok and Sultar, who the party left behind there, as well as any servants not in on the plot, or to push on to Pandona as quickly as possible to complete their quest.