Vanity Incarnate - 12/01/2022 - A Kavel Perspective

A Goliath and Some Jackalweres Entered a Tavern

Comrade Derthaad looked up the jackalweres’ schedule for me, so I could find them and question them about their former employer’s whereabouts, Mestiphles, the lamia. This was long overdue…

Several adventures ago now, I was with a party of adventurers that had heard about a pack of jackalweres that ambushed a group of masons. The masons were on their way to see to the upkeep of a temple in the Sunset Spines, near White Dragon. It turned out a lamia had decided to settle in the temple and she had servants - jackalweres. And little did we know at the time, but jackalweres could choice to adopt a human form - say for example human masons.

We met the mason ‘survivors’ in the Red House. They said they wanted to retrieve their masonry supplies, and dead friends; so they could bury them. The ‘survivors’ insisted on accompanying us to find the jackalweres, and lead us to the lamia. Well, as we found out - these ‘survivors’ were the jackalweres and they ambushed us in the middle of the night while we were camping somewhere between Daring Heights and the Sunset Spines. The con-artists with us had allies join in on the fight, but we killed most of them. The ones we left alive for questioning are now City Watch recruits.

Why is it these vicious criminals are alive and now seemingly reformed? Perhaps I forgot to mention that the party of adventurers I was with that day included, none other than, the wizard versed in the school of ‘diplomacy’ magic, Glint. I thought we should have killed them. I suppose, to be fair, had we killed all the jackalwere, I wouldn’t now be able to question them about Mestiphles, and how to get to the temple.

After chatting to the jackalweres, I left for Fort Ettin. Woodcarving lessons would have to wait. I asked Coll if he could do what he does and put notice out to the adventuring community. I wanted a group of adventurers to help me disinfect a temple of a lamia… I wasn’t sure if there would be any reward. Coll put word out anyway.


Kavel’s Corner for Strength and Conditioning!

Yes. My corner for strength and conditioning looked much better with the improved storage unit I carved, and fence too. I had done well for a still not fully qualified woodcarver.

While I was at the Fort, where better to get some strength work done? So, at dawn, on the day Coll advertised as the departure day, I was at my corner of the training grounds, warming up with some make-shift heavy clubs I commandeered from storage. I still needed a few more lessons with Morgana before I would get to work on my own super heavy, heavy clubs.

I was a few sets in, when who would wander into my own ‘temple’ to strength and conditioning - but an unexpected visitor - Derthaad!

“Comrade Derthaad! What brings you here at dawn to Kavel’s Corner?! You’ve come to train?”

“Come on. What do you think?” my investigative, blue-skinned dragonborn friend responded, “I’m here about the lamia note of course.”

“Oh. I see,” I said, a little disappointed he wasn’t here to train, but then I thought, “... well in that case you are more than welcome to wait here with me for other adventurers to ‘sign-up’. In the meantime, come! Go pick up a club over there and do heavy club swings with me.”

“... okay. Fine.” My sorcerer/wizard friend responded with no strong objection.

This was turning out to be an interesting day already, and it was barely past dawn. I did another set of club swings. I looked back at Derthaad. I think he was taking a break between sets. He seemed to be finding it difficult to set the club down though - I think that was what it was? Before I could check in with him, another unexpected visitor to Kavel’s Corner arrived - comrade Glint!

“Comrade Glint!” I said, greeting my fire-genasi, master of diplomacy friend. “Good to see you here. I could help you with some strength exercises for a bit. But, I’m actually going to leave soon to trek to the Sunset Spines and deal with a lamia.”

“... I’m here for the lamia, Kavel. I saw your note. I’d very much like to research it.” These were the disappointing words from my academic comrade.

At that moment, with the second unexpected visitor to Kavel’s Corner also proving to be a false hope, I shrunk a couple inches of my 7’4” height.

“... well, I suppose, I could see what this is all about while we wait for a full party,” Glint said to me with words that seemed a bit slow coming out of his mouth.

Nevertheless, what positive words from comrade Glint!

“Yes! Grab a club like Derthaad is doing.” Hearing Glint’s willingness to lift a club, I thought to myself, “this is turning out to be an interesting, but also, excellent day.” I carried on with my own exercise.

“You got room for one more to hunt a lamia?” came a voice from my side. It was comrade Gerhard.

Gerhard was carrying notes on bits of parchment with facts about lamias. I said he was more than welcome to join, and while we waited for one more adventurer he should warm up like the others.

As I turned around to point at Derthaad and Glint, I noticed they were sharing a heavy club. Hmmm. Why was this? Should I make more of the same weight, when I get to carving my own heavy clubs? Gerhard joined them and appeared to do well for a beginner. I turned back around and carried on with my own drills.

As I came to the last club swing in my set I saw a halfling appear just below the arch of the swing. This new fellow, ‘Nimble’ wanted to help with the lamia business. He wore a lot of black and had a rapier on him. With the rapier I was a bit surprised to see a wizard’s component pouch on him, but then I remembered that comrade Celina also carried both rapier (two in her case) and a component pouch. So, pleased at what I saw, I said, “okay. Nice to meet you Nimble. I think we have a good number now,” I turned back to face my other comrades, “okay! Clubs away, we’re good to go!”

When I looked at them, I noticed both Glint and Derthaad holding the club. Sharing like that, I don’t believe they could have all gotten a good warm up in this time.


Temple Bound

I showed my comrades the map the jackalweres’ drew for me - obviously Gerhard was the most fascinated by this piece of parchment. It looked like a two day journey. We would pass the Silva’s Tree towards the Sunset Spine. We would be climbing quite high when we got to the mountain and travelling along a narrow bridge into an enclosed temple embedded in the mountain. There would be an exposed courtyard according to the jackalweres’ drawing of the temple.

Hmmm. The temple and its location sounded appealing to me. It seemed very familiar in design with the Iron Mountain and some of our civic buildings. This could be a nice rest place for adventurers. Or I suppose a temple, which is what it is. First things first though; rid temple of lamia!

As we walked, I checked we were all on the same page with how to deal with the lamia. Because comrade Glint was on the team, I told him I was okay with the usual operating procedures that fell in place when he was part of a team. This is to say, diplomacy will be the first port of call - but then comes the smashing, when our enemy isn’t interested in talks. To my delight, Glint was actually onboard with the smash plan being plan ‘a’. He said he did not have much faith in Mestiphles seeing reason, since lamia’s are known for their vanity, and mind control of others.

With Feythorn Forest on our left, we trekked towards the Sunset Spines. Daring Heights and Silva’s Tree were eventually in our rear, and we made camp in the fields. We talked a bit about whether Mestiphles had taken control of any new servants, since we killed and/or converted her previous servants. Those of us that faced the jackalweres; me, Derthaad and Glint remembered that the dead jackalweres turned into ordinary jackals when we killed them. My smarter comrades speculated that maybe Mestiphles gave them the ‘were’ curse when she subjugated them with her magic. This led to the possibility that if she did have new subjects, they too would be ‘were’ creatures.

We assigned a watch order and got some rest.


Cave Stop Off

In the morning, we packed up our gear and carried on with our journey.

As we climbed the mountain we went past some gentle trees at the base, and I enjoyed myself. Being on a mountain is like home to a goliath. I was reminded of my first adventure in Kantas, which was the reason I came here after all; climb the Mysterious Mountain and meet the strength enthusiasts such a mountain would be populated with. I climbed the mountain, but it was not a mountain - it was a giant chess piece, and there were no strength enthusiasts to be found.

Gerhard was our expedition leader, he kept us on the right path and found us a cave to camp in, one last time before getting to the temple.

We took watches, and started early. I was on first watch with new comrade Nimble. I could swear I could hear the sound of metal hitting rock. In the mountains though, noise echos, so I wasn’t sure where the noise was coming from. Nimble didn’t hear it, so I imitated the noise for him with my maul hitting the cave’s rock floor. Nimble then understood what noise I meant, but didn’t recall hearing it. Gerhard, who was at first asleep, announced from his bedroll, “I can definitely hear that noise right now.”

… I stopped making the noise.

The next morning, we packed up our gear and set off for the final leg of our journey, bound for the temple.


Staking the Temple

We were an expected ten minute walk away from rounding a corner and coming to the bridge leading to the temple.

The same sound last night could be heard more loudly. It was clearer too. Twelve times metal hit rock and then paused for a bit before restarting.

Nimble and Gerhard volunteered to scout ahead and see if they could bring back any intelligence for us. Gerhard turned himself invisible - this was new, and also very comparable to my other stealthy, ranger comrade.

The scout team reported back that the metal sound was clearly coming from the temple’s courtyard. They could see three goliaths, a half-orc and a human there. At the risk of being seen, Gerhard and Nimble crawled along the bridge, which was in full view from the courtyard, and peered over the stone rail to get a closer look. The metal noise turned out to be kettlebells dropping on the courtyard’s stone floor. The goliaths were doing sets of twelve reps of kettlebell snatches!

“Well it looks like a temple to the body, from what I saw,” comrade Gerhard reported back alongside comrade Nimble - still invisible mind you. I could hear Gerhard’s voice, but not see him.

“They look pretty strong given the size of those kettlebells. If these are the lamia’s new protection, I think we should try and cross the bridge stealthily” Nimble sagely suggested.

“Kettlebells!” I was delighted. “They sound like pretty cool people to me.”

Glint offered support to this idea, “they could be hunting the lamia too, I suppose.”

“They could be controlled by the lamia,” comrade Derthaad offered scepticism.

Derthaad’s scepticism swayed the team to want to proceed forward stealthily. I offered a compromise, “why don’t you all cross the bridge without being seen, and I’ll walk along it openly, which would draw the exercisers attention just to me, and then I’ll greet them?”

The plan was accepted.


Welcome to the Temple for Strength and Conditioning!

The others successfully crossed the bridge without being seen. I think the exercisers were preoccupied with their sets - as they should be. When practising strength, you give your full concentration.

From the otherside of the bridge I could see Glint ritualistically casting the Detect Magic spell. Derthaad seemed to be spraying himself with a perfume from a magical looking bottle. We had been camping for two days now, but I did not think he smelt badly. I didn’t understand why he felt the need to spritz himself.

I bagan walking along the bridge, and as I got to the middle, I had a really good view into the courtyard. The goliaths were a bit clearer now, and I could see someone spotting someone else on a bench press. The bench-presser was finishing his set. Good form. Good work.

“Good form! Good work!” I shouted from my elevated position on the bridge.

The courtyard exercisers all looked up at me, and a realisation dawned on me, when I heard the eldest looking goliath, Sampson smiled up at me and yelled back:

“Comrade Kavel! Boys, look who it is!”

In unison, Tim and Kruger responded, “It’s comrade Kavel!”

“Comrades! Sampson! Tim! Kruger! How good is this?! More Iron Strong in Kantas!” I was overjoyed to see my goliath comrades. From the courtyard, they pointed at me and cheered my name. I pointed back, clapped my hands and strolled back and forth along the bridge with my own arms outstretched high, fists clenched, pumping the sky.

Tim dismissed Shaun, the handsome-looking half-orc and Derek, the gruff, tough-looking human. Their workout was done for the day.

I walked past my adventuring comrades, who were hidden from view of the courtyard by the Temple’s entrance and walked along the courtyard balcony to the set of stairs that led down to the courtyard. Down the stairs I walked and I joined my brothers in their pretty cool mountain strength gym.

It was handshakes and hugs all round. And by handshakes, these were real handshakes - firm grips that indicated good posture and strength. You don’t come across these handshakes in Kantas often enough, even amongst adventurers.

It turned out, like me, the boys had heard of Kantas’ Mysterious Mountain. In my haste to travel to Kantas, I forgot to send a message to the Iron Strong Company headquarters on Iron Mountain, informing them of my plans to establish an Iron Strong Company in Kantas. So the boys had no idea I was here before them. Sampson is the eldest here, and one of the founders of the ISC. He brought with him Tim and Kruger, who are contemporaries of mine who trained under Sampson at the same time. Unfortunately, I had to tell them that the Mysterious Mountain was not as promising as it sounded. But what I found here was great - if you can’t establish an Iron Strong Company in Kantas, just bring the Iron Strong to Kantas!


Iron Strong Squat!

Now that I was with my old comrades in the courtyard, I could see they had turned what once looked like a temple to the sun, into a glorious strength gym. There was a decent squat rack, bench; both carved out of stone, and a deadlift area where they had put some straw mats so as not to ruin the stone floor. They had some decent kettlebells too. They must have brought them from Iron Mountain. I’m jealous, Kavel’s Corner could do with them.

Near the edge of the mountain was a statue of, what looked like, Shaun posing bare chest, muscles on full display. Handsome stone statue for a handsome half-orc. But, there wasn’t a statue for the boys or Derek. Maybe those were yet to be made, and everyone who trains here regularly gets a statue?

Sampson asked what brought me to the temple. I told him I was hunting a lamia. He was familiar with the lamia, he said, “Mestiphles! Yes, Kavel she’s made us even stronger. We’ve all got new PBs!” (Personal Bests (in this case one rep max lifts))

I stopped to look at their bare chests and noticed they did look bigger and more ripped than when I last saw them.

“No lie bros? She really made you stronger?”, I asked.

“Kavel, our one rep max on the bench, squat and deadlift have gone up!” Tim replied with a proud smile.

“Well you know, I’m not going to lie, me too I’ve gotten stronger. Boys, I can lift close to 2,000lbs! No lie.”

The boys all had surprised and proud smiles on their faces. I imagined they would want to see this, so with a big grin on my face, I took off my vest and breastplate, and said, “boys. Let's set up the squat rack. COME ON!”

There was cheering - the boys removed an adamantine bar from the squat rack. They indicated that the stone rack they carved wouldn’t hold the heaviest weights they had carved from stone. Tim and Kruger loaded what they estimated were 500lb stone weights and 250lb weights on both sides of the bar. The adamntine bar itself weighed around 50lbs. In total, there was approximately 1,550lbs of weight. Thankfully we were all goliaths, otherwise Tim and Kruger would not have been able to stand either side of me and act as my squat rack. Sampson stood behind me, hands on my traps and then he gave them a few slaps and slapped my back too. Ha! This was wonderful! Just like old times back on Iron Mountain where Sampson helped raise and train me in the way of the Iron Strong.

A fire, as if floating through the air, appeared on the second floor walkway that circled the courtyard. It caught everyone’s attention.

“Oh that’s comrade Glint!” I said, as I began to take the weight of the bar, “bros, I’m here with Glint and some other adventurers. In fact, Glint! Get the others and come watch me squat this immense weight!”

My adventuring comrades appeared one by one on the second floor walkway that overlooked the courtyard, as I walked the weight forward and away from my supporting goliaths.

I took the strain. Back straight, I squatted my hips below knee level and raised 1,550lbs back up to where I started, legs locked out. “YES!” The cheering began!

I finished a set of five reps, and then let Tim and Kruger set the bar back down.

Sampson gave me a big bear hug like he always used to whenever I did a big lift. We chest bumped too. It brought back memories when I was a young goliath and had to jump to reach Coach Sampson’s chest with my own. It was a wonderful and emotional time, here at the temple gym.

Strangely, Sampson’s chest, which was always solid, felt tougher than I remembered - also strangely it seemed way more hairier than it ever used to. Although, ever since I acquired my new bear-like strength, I too suddenly became hairier than the average goliath. Must be because of bear testosterone coursing through my muscles. Must be true for Sampson too. Right?

“Mestiphles has given us a gift, Kavel. Even you with your big 1,550lb squat could be stronger with her gift,” Sampson said whilst slapping my chest.

I tilted my head from side to side. I was unsure about this so-called ‘gift’. Though clearly Mestiphles is not so bad if she values strength like I’m getting the impression she does. I was feeling conflicted now. Do I kill her? If I do, do I miss out on this gift?

Comrade Derthaad was in the courtyard now, he handed me my breastplate. I put it back on. As I was putting my vest back on, my eyes were glancing at Sampson’s chest, as it began to enlarge and very rapidly grew hair - no - fur! In fact, now I looked properly, his legs began to look more canine-like, and his head definitely looked very wolf-like, with a snout and sharp teeth. Sampson was now a cross between a goliath and a wolf!

“Come Kavel! Mestiphles gift, I can give to you!” Sampson said, “Bro! Join your Iron Strong comrades!”

I made the point to Sampson that we Iron Strong earn our gains. He did not disagree, he mentioned that Mestiphles gave them tests before she could decide they deserved the strength she gave them by making them werewolves. It didn’t sound so bad, now that Sampson mentioned there were tests, which meant that the gift was earnt. Right?

I was about to ask some more questions, when I could hear Glint whisper directly into my head - not for the first time, “hold on Kavel. Don’t agree to anything just yet. I’m detecting illusion magic, which lamias are very proficient in. I think Mestiphles is close by.”

I was beginning to feel like I was back at Breaker’s Point, pretending I was joining the Breakers. Why must rejoining my old comrades feel like espionage?!

I asked them, “how much stronger are you now?”

Kruger obliged. He set up the squat rack with a squatting weight I’d seen him do before. So, I couldn’t see where he was going with this. Then, when he got into squatting position, he dropped into a pistol squat and lifted the weight on one leg only, smiling a big toothy smile at me with each repetition, altering which leg took the weight.

Coach Sampson held my right forearm in his clawed hands and brought it up to his wolf mouth and sharp teeth. His tail was wagging to the left. Happy eyes were looking at my face, eagerly awaiting my approval to go ahead.

Glint had walked his way along the second floor balcony, past the central stairs and arrived near the far left hand door. He was waving a hand around as he moved, just like he did back in Daring Heights in the empty home - I could tell he had the Detect Magic spell going.

“Sorry, gentlemen,” began Glint as he approached the door, and looked over the balcony, down at us, “Mr Sampson, you all received tests to determine whether you were worthy of the lycanthropy ‘gift’, but you are offering it to Kavel for free?”

“Yes. That’s right,” Sampson confirmed, lowering the arm of mine he held, and looking up at Glint, “look at my bro! Kavel is a top specimen. I just know he would pass the tests. No problem.”

At that moment, Shaun the handsome half-orc appeared from the doorway Glint was near.

Shaun made eye contact with Glint, quite intensely it seemed. He asked, “you are looking for Mestiphles. Why? You will only tell the truth.”

Shaun’s question sounded more like a command to me. Perhaps also to Derthaad, he was pointing his arm at Glint, seemingly doing something magical.

Glint shook his head, as if shaking off a dizzy spell.

Shaun gripped Glint by the arm. Glint looked at the hand holding his arm, as if he was studying it for a second, then he looked up at Shaun’s face. “Mestiphles I presume…”


Shaun is Not Shaun!

“Yes,” responded Shaun, or Mestiphles I suppose. “I had assumed you had come to kill me.”

“No. Came to study,” responded Glint, arm still gripped by Mestiphles.

I presumed I would have to undo that grip Shaun had on Glint’s arm with my hands. I presumed I would need to undo whatever grip Shaun had on my old comrades with my pole-axe. Seeing Glint shake off a spell convinced me that although my comrades would be pleased with their magical strength gains; gifts from a lamia come with the price enslavement, like it did for the jackalweres we reformed.

“I am not here to be studied, I am here to be worshipped! You, fire-genasi. You are not strong like my goliaths,” Shaun said, and let go of his grip on Glint and pointed down at me in the courtyard, “or indeed my new goliath. But you are beautiful. I would like you to join our pack.”

Glint was measured in his response, “I am honoured. But, I have commitments elsewhere. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me why you are here?”

Shaun was not enchanted by Glint’s diplomatic manner of speaking. It was immediately clear that this was not the response Shaun finds acceptable.

“No! No other commitments. Only Mestiphles!” And with that, Shaun was no longer Shaun. He was Mestiphles, and she, with her huge lion’s body and human torso where a lion’s neck was, stood in front of Glint at a height taller than even me.

Tim and Kruger transformed into their hybrid wolf forms. This was not good. I thought at that moment, “my old comrades are about to fight my new comrades.”

I could still feel Glint’s Message spell connecting us. Through the spell, I whispered up towards Glint, “diplomacy is done, yes?”

“I don’t like religious types that control their flock through magic,” came his whispered response into my mind.

I turned to my old comrades. All of them a few inches taller in their hybrid goliath-werewolf form. “Bros, hold on a second, please. I must talk with your boss.”

I walked up the courtyard stairs, turned left and walked along the semi circular balcony towards Glint and Mestiphles, on the left side of the courtyard. When I reached the spot behind Glint, I reached over his shoulder and with my hand on his chest, I urged him to switch places with me. He did not offer any resistance.

“You are ready to join your goliath, ‘bros’?” Mestiphles asked me.

“No. I want my Iron Strong Comrades to re-join me!” Is how I replied.

The vain expression on Mestiphles face changed in an instance to one of scorn. She glanced at my old comrades in their hybrid wolf form, and pointed to Derthaad alone in the centre of the courtyard with my bros, and then to Gerhard and Nimble on the opposite side of the balcony to me, Glint and Mestiphles herself. And finally, she pointed at me, and Glint, whilst she drew the dagger out of its sheath on her belt and held it threateningly towards me.


Courtyard Clash

I did not envy Derthaad, all alone with not just three goliaths who I know are very strong, but three werewolf goliaths. Fortunately for him, Tim and Sampson dashed past him and up the stairs. Tim facing Glint behind me and Sampson facing Nimble, near the middle right of the balcony.

I still didn’t envy Derthaad all alone with Kruger in melee range. But he had a new spell up his sleeve. As a thunderous force hit Kruger in the chest, Derthaad instantaneously teleported to the right hand side of the balcony, right near where the bridge turned into the balcony walkway. Smart! Derthaad was now out of harm's way from the hybrid wolves. Well, at least the goliath ones. It was bad luck, but Derek, the human who finished his workout earlier, was back and must have been waiting near the bridge to stop anyone from leaving. He was now in hybrid wolf form, too. Derek tried to bite Derthaad, but Derthaad moved his body out of the way, which helped him avoid the bite, but left him off balance for Derek’s claws, which looked like they slashed Derthaad’s shoulder, and drew blood.

Kruger, now without a blue-skinned dragonborn to fight, ran for the stairs to gain access to an opponent.

Sampson engaged with Nimble, and like Derek tried to bite Nimble, but Nimble was too fast to be bitten, but also too fast to be slashed by Sampson’s follow-up claws. Maybe since Nimble is such a small target, it helps? I wondered if he would take offence to that observation?

Bite and then if unsuccessful, claw - was the pattern of attack for the werewolves, which Tim replicated himself against Glint, who threw his arms up in front of himself and casted a magical barrier between him and Tim, blocking all of Tim’s attacks. Using one hand to maintain the magical shield, Glint reached for a pouch on his belt, undid the buckle, and scooped out a handful of ball-bearings, and scattered them between Tim and Sampson’s nearby feet. I hoped at that moment that Glint had a way to escape his current melee predicament. His diplomatic manner hides a, shall we say, ‘melee-averse’ attitude. Right now, he faced Tim, who was blocking access to the stairs. Only I stood between Mestiphles and Glint. So, only by jumping off the balcony could Glint save himself from engagement, and Tim could just walk down the stairs to the courtyard to meet him!. But maybe Tim wouldn’t bother, Kruger was at the bottom of the stairs anyway. Glint was currently trapped.

I was darting glances behind me to Glint and in front of me at Mestiphles. I was dangerously not focussing 100% on my main threat, Mestiphles. Mercifully for me though, Mestiphles did not realise she actually wasn’t focused on her main threat - not me at melee range. Gerhard on the other side of the balcony to us had an unchallenged position from where he could lose arrows. With Derthaad freshly teleported to his left engaging Derek, Nimble was at his right hand side engaging Sampson - Gerhard was unimpeded by any werewolves. Gerhard loosed an arrow straight into Mestiphles hitting her deep into he right hand side - her human side. The stone balcony’s wall prevented Gerhard from aiming just behind the right front leg of the lion’s body. If he had, I wondered if he would have hit the heart and killed Mestiphles in one shot… assuming that’s where a lamia’s heart is? Mestiphles screamed in agony as the arrow embedded itself between her lower right ribs. The expression on her face contorted in pain. And now. Now she wasn’t focusing on her main threat, which at this precise point was me. With my pole-axe in hand, I swung it round my left shoulder at Mestiphles’ head. I ended up hitting her in her right shoulder. There was no room to swing the chakan-poleaxe around my own right side, the walkway was too narrow, so my second attack came from the same angle as the first. Mestiphles, grimacing in pain managed to flinch backwards as my poleaxe landed less impactfully a second time round on her upper right hand ribs.

I could see a green flame emanate from Nimble’s rapier from across the balcony hitting Sampson and then leaping out at Tim. Tim looked a little singed, but Sampson took more damage from the flame and also the point of Nimble’s rapier to his lower right side.

It was pretty cool what comrade Nimble had done. But I shouldn’t have been paying attention to him right that instance. As I turned to reface Mestiphles, maybe I was overconfident from the look of cowardice the vain creature revealed after the attacks Gerhard and I landed, but I must have let my guard down… or so it seemed? Mestiphles eyes seemed to glimmer. I don’t know how I missed that before. Those eyes also seemed - charming. Yes. Charming was the right word. I didn’t want to swing my poleaxe at her anymore. We had a sort of visual agreement that if she stepped away, I wouldn’t swing at her. So she did step away, and I was okay with that. In fact, I was also feeling like my mind was coming round to the idea of joining her pack. Four goliath-wolf bros would be awesome! Right?

Now that coach Mestiphles was going to head back into the temple, I decided to see how my comrade-wolf pack were getting on with the nonsense my newer comrades had started.

“Oh Derthaad!” I thought to myself. Why have you cast some horrible spikey growth spell all over the stairs?! Tim, Sampson and even Kruger at the bottom of the stairs are going to have to spend the next hour using tweezers to get plant spikes out of their fur. Not cool bro.

Ah, yes. At this point, Derek had the common sense to reason with Derthaad, as he was nearby and gift Derthaad with some calming lycanthropy. Derek had managed to bite into Derthaad’s unprotected, scaly arm as he cast that spike growth spell. The wolf form didn’t seem to be instantaneous. Or maybe Derthaad failed the test?

“Sampson! No!” I yelled at my old strength coach. But, I was too late. He slipped on Glint’s careless ball-bearing spillage, and to boot he fell over into Derthaad’s spikey growth zone. It looked painful. No sooner did Sampson hit the uneven ground covered in thorny vines, Tim followed him. This was looking very embarrassing.

Kruger proceeded with a little more caution. He managed to save himself from slipping on the ball-bearings that reached him at the bottom of the stairs, but he still was pierced by the spiky vines that manifested where he was.

“Kruger! Where are you going?!” I yelled down to Kruger, as he switched directions and seemed to duck into a side door somewhere below me.

At this point, I didn’t know whether to chase comrade Kruger for a response, or deal with the tiff between my new and old comrades. I turned back around to ask boss Mestiphles what she wanted. Mestiphles seemed to be finding it hard to back up and out through the door in her lamia form, as opposed to her handsome Shaun form. The boss was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. But she was too large for that door. Me and the boys would have to make some adjustments to the temple’s stone doors later. Good thing we were all masons by trade.

“Kavel! Snap out of it!” I heard from next to Gerhard on the other side of the circular balcony. It was comrade Glint. Did he cast something on me? I felt some previous magic that I was unaware of until then disappeared, as if dispelled. I looked over at him, he was glaring at me, but I shifted focus from him, as at that moment, Gerhard was holding his halo knife that we both received at Fort Ettin a while ago. He disappeared and reappeared at the centre of the courtyard. Because Mestiphles had backed up a little into the door with her hind legs, Gerhard lost a good angle on her. Now on the courtyard, despite having to aim upwards, he had regained a good view of her, and he loosed an arrow at her upper chest. The arrow went into Mestiphles’ neck, slightly reduced in penetration by the silver chain she wore, which partially blocked the arrows' direct penetration. A glass vial hanging from the chain with a red liquid base fell to the ground.

Boss… No wait a minute! I meant Mestiphles! The evil creature had two arrows poking out of her now. She had a reprieve from my poleaxe while she must have had me under her spell. Now it was time to make up for lossed smashing.

Mestiphles had just realised she really wasn’t through that door enough. With the balcony edge at my back, I had more space to swing the chakan-poleaxe. Two big swings both crashed into Mestiphles chest. I could hear ribs crack. She screamed and coughed up blood. I held my poleaxe at my side by my left hip, perpendicular to me and Mestiphles’ shoulders, and horizontal to the balcony’s floor. I thrust the poleaxe’s top spike deep into Mestiphles’ abdominal region. Her head hung freely on her neck, as she died at the end of my polearm.

I didn’t care that she had lost the ability to respond, but I shouted at her, “how dare you take over the minds of my beautiful brothers?!!” I thrust up further into her abominable region and upwards, and with my goliath might I freed her carcass from the door. Controlling her huge body on the end of the polearm, I swung her over the balcony. She landed sprawled out on the courtyard, dead.


Real Strong Men Say Sorry

The werewolves let out an orchestra of howls.

They slumped to their knees, as they released pain and anger out into the sky.

I ran to Tim, who was nearest to me on the balcony - and almost slipped on Glint’s ball-bearings. Glint was looking elsewhere but at me. To be fair, he's a top comrade. If not for him, I would have remained mind-controlled like my bros.

Tim, Sampson and Derek all shrunk to their humanoid forms. To be fair, Tim and Sampson did not shrink much when reverting to their normal goliath selfs. Derek shrunk quite a bit, reverting to his human self. But he then got up, looked at Derthaad, who he bit, and ran down the bridge and away from the temple. I’m not sure why he ran now that he was no longer mind-controlled. Was he ashamed at biting comrade Derthaad? My dragonborn friend and I exchanged looks. Neither of us knew what to do. We let Derek run off. I had Tim and Sampson to worry about, and Kruger. But, Kruger appeared to have vanished midway through the fight.

We gathered down in the courtyard around Mestiphles’ carcass. Coach Sampson and Tim did me proud apologising to my adventuring comrades. They said that although they are very strong, they were befuddled by Mestiphles' lamia magic. They said they were very sorry for causing any harm to us whilst under Mestiphle’s control. They were good bros. It shows great strength to apologise when you know you’ve done wrong. Sometimes, strength of character is as cool as strength of big biceps.

“So, you are no longer werewolves?” Glint Asked.

“No. We still are,” responded Sampson.

After some questions, it turned out the boys had been here for a couple of months, and in that time they felt they got over the uncontrollable stages of being a werewolf. So I eagerly asked my adventuring comrades:

“Can Tim and Sampson come back to Fort Ettin with us?”

Glint and Derthaad were fine with the idea. I thought I was going to have to listen to ‘reason’ about how they would be too dangerous in a populated area - but there were no objections!

The boys were super happy to come join me in Fort Ettin and help me with Kavel’s Corner for Strength and Conditioning! We decided to bring all the gym gear back to the Fort. A temple gym in a mountain was really cool, but it had to belong to someone else and should go back to the owners.

My academic comrades suggested the temple might be for Mili or someone. The temple did in fact need renovating, so maybe me and the boys will come back some time to actually finish the work that needed doing. Although, we would need new supplies. The boys felt very guilty about attacking my adventuring comrades, so they gave us the masonry supplies they brought for Mestiphles, when they were under her control. We sold the supplies for 150gp. Sampson also gave Gerhard and Nimble a couple of potions he had, since he didn’t need them. One of them was a potion of Hill Giant Strength. You don’t need that if you are a goliath, or a werewolf, or maybe better yet a goliath-werewolf. The offer was still on the table for me, but I said I would think about it.

Glint examined the silver chain and glass vial round Mestiphles neck. He identified it as a magical aid that would do well for Derthaad rather than himself. I don’t know why.


Kantas Iron Strong Company Gets Stronger - and Furrier!

Glint was a bit sad that he wouldn’t be able to spend much time here studying the lamia, so because he was such a good comrade by releasing me from Mestiphles charm spell, I offered to carry the lamia carcass all the way back to Daring Academy for him. The boys helped. I could shift the weight, but it was a two day journey without a lamia carcass - now it was a three day journey.

We were sad to be leaving Kruger, but we couldn’t find him in the temple, and Derek, well, where were we to look? I hope they don’t get up to any trouble.

We dropped off the lamia carcass in good time. Surprisingly there was very little deterioration of the body. Maybe that was because of the winter air?

When we got back to Fort Ettin, the boys were very happy to see Kavel’s Corner, and I was very pleased to see them here.