Day 2 - August 17, 789: Part 2
Current Location: 29.08

Previously on Wolves Upon The Coast:
The next room widens out farther to the west and north than any chamber the group has encountered so far. The coiled flesh surrounds a resplendent tree. Its fruit is as golden as the sun, reflecting more torchlight than touches it and sending shimmers out across the verdant leaves of the tree and the room beyond.
Thorn turns back to the group as the purple coils of flesh begin to quickly shift and slide. He gestures to the tree with his axe with a crazed look in his eyes.

“Thorn. Fruit. Mine.”
[Boast: Thorn will take fruit from the resplendent tree.]
[HD: +1, NEW HP: 6]

Thorn looks at the slowly rippling flesh before him, knowing enough now to not touch its foul slime. He looks back to the others and their meager weapons. He raises his javelin in his right hand and holds his battle-axe in his left, yelling out in a rage as he beckons the group to do their worst to the creature - hack a path through before whatever wrecked head and claws it may have finds its way to them.

He throws his javelin, hoping to - if nothing else - give himself a means of climbing over the monster without touching it. The 6 remaining rowers at his back follow, screaming out in honour of their downed and dying allies in the next room. The party hacks away at the creature, doing their best to keep their distance.

[Thorn (javelin) - Attack: Auto Hit (+12 for allies on same target, +7 for Purple Worm AC), Damage: 2]
[Party (light weapons, 6 rowers) - Attacks: Auto Hit (see above), Damage: 14]

A tremendous screech, like shifting stones from within a dusty cavern, echoes into the chamber from elsewhere within the mound. The creature knew they were here, but now it knows where they are. The flesh begins rippling past them as masonry shifts and cracks around them. The massive beast’s head is making its way to them - and fast.

Thorn pulls his second javelin from the sling over his shoulder, seeing the first - still stuck into the beast - go sliding away into the dark on the far side of the chamber as the worm slithers faster and faster both away from and towards them in this cyclical tomb. He looks at the group again and cries out,

“Again! Again! We kill or die! Kill or die!” he cries out to the group, their worry changing to rage.

[Morale Check: 10]

The group follows Thorn’s javelin in and hacks away at the roiling purple worm once again.

[Thorn (javelin) - Attack: Auto Hit (see above), Damage: 3]
[Party (light weapons, 6 rowers) - Attacks: Auto Hit (see above), Damage: 10]

Black blood flies through the air as the worm’s flesh is split and the group swings widely, keeping their distance from the creature. As they begin to catch their breath, the worm’s massive, eyeless head crashes into the chamber. Its maw widens to display thousands of barb-like teeth and darkness in between.

[Morale Check: 11]

The men and women of Thorn’s dirty band face the worm and laugh at fate’s wicked humour. They will relish this time as free beings, no matter how short it may be. They raise their weapons and strike out again as Thorn leads the charge with his battle-axe.

[Attack Before Worm: Thorn, 4 rowers, Attack After Worm: 2 rowers]
[Thorn (battle-axe) - Attack: Hit (+8 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +10 roll), Damage: 5]
[Party (light weapons, 4 rowers) - Attacks: Hit (+8 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +5-19 rolls), Damage: 5]

The worm gargles in a painful rage before striking down at the group, aiming to swallow each of its attackers whole.

[Targets decided randomly]

The worm bears down on Thorn with its first attack.

[Purple Worm - Attack: Hit (+5 for Thorn AC, +17 roll), Damage: - ]

As the monster bears down Thorn thrusts his shield out in front of him and leaps to the side. His wooden shield shatters under the weight of the massive worm. The shield is destroyed, but Thorn himself is intact. The worm lashes out again as soon as its head strikes the earth, targeting a nearby rower.

[Purple Worm - Attack: Hit (+9 for Rower AC, +18 roll), Damage: 8]

Before he can react, Holkvir Tallpine is struck by the monster’s massive head and nearly swallowed in the process. Its teeth rake against the entire side of his body and red blood sprays, mixing with the worm’s black blood among the stones. Before he can even cry out, Holkvir crumbles beneath the weight of the creature. [Holkvir - HP: 0]

The worm lashes out again, at another rower.

[Purple worm - Attack: Miss (+9 for Rower AC, +2 roll), Damage: - ]

Seeing the damage done to Holkvir, the next nearest rower dives out of the way, and the worm swings its head wide of the party.

The 2 remaining rowers, slow to react but now seeing an opening, strike out at the worm.

[Rower (2, light weapons) - Attack: Hit (+10 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +6-7 roll), Damage: 4]

Their attacks land, slashing at the worm’s tattered skin.

Thorn looks at his bare arm and his fallen men. Never has he had a chance for greatness such as this. Only a day ago, he had resigned himself to the life of a slave - a life worse than death. In his head, he hears the voice of his father, “Kill or die, my son. Kill or die, and let it be done.”

[Attack before Worm: Thorn, 5 rowers]
[Thorn (battle-axe) - Attack: Hit (+10 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +5 roll), Damage: 4]
[Party (light weapons, 5 rowers) - Attacks: 4 Hits, 1 Miss (+10 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +1-14 rolls), Damage: 6]

The group slashes away with a bestial fury of their own, slicing the purple flesh to ribbons. Black blood pools at their feet, mixing with and diluting the once-dangerous slime. The worm is dying. That much is clear, but where weaker foes would back away, flee, and attempt to lick their wounds, the worm hungers beyond any sense of self.

It cries out and thrashes in Thorn’s direction, but he easily sidesteps the blow.

[Purple worm - Attack: Miss (+5 for Thorn AC, +5 roll), Damage: - ]

Sensing the worm’s growing weakness, the rowers close in for the kill, but its monstrous rage remains and it lashes out again at nearby rowers. One jumps back, just in time.

[Purple worm - Attack: Miss (+9 for Thorn AC, +8 roll), Damage: - ]

But the other, Hjáalpreck Pykecastle, isn’t able to see the strike coming among the crowd and is smashed against the nearby stone wall and sliced with the worm’s teeth as he falls, nearly dead in an instant.

[Purple worm - Attack: Hit (+9 for Thorn AC, +12 roll), Damage: 7]

Thorn sees the creature’s sporadic writhing, its haggard movements. The purple worm is nearly on its last breath, and none of the rowers yet have gone to meet their ancestors. He hears his father again say “kill or die” and, under his breath, Thorn answers, “Kill.” He pulls back his battle-axe, now caked in black wormblood, and jumps forward for one more strike! The rowers still standing follow suit.

[Attack before Worm: Thorn, 4 rowers]
[Thorn (battle-axe) - Attack: Hit (+8 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +5 roll), Damage: 1]
[Party (light weapons, 5 rowers) - Attacks: 3 Hits, 1 Miss (+8 for allies, +7 for Worm AC, +3-20 rolls), Damage: 7]

With a whimper and a slump, the purple worm wriggles and falls, bleeding out the last of its black blood across the now-quiet tomb. Thorn hacks away at the monster’s thick trunk, splitting it in twain after a minute of angry slashing. Inside, the worm is hollow. Teeth, dust, slime, and blood. Nothing more.

“We cut through. To fruit. Be safe.” Thorn gestures to the thin pools of slime among the mass of blood at their feet. “Its spit - its sweat - remains.”

Three of the rowers tend to their fallen, tearing bandages from their tunics and pant legs to hold off what bleeding they can. They have little else between them. Crude bandages and speed alone will decide these men’s fate.

[Agility Test to stabilize Holkvir Tallpine - 3d6 (Challenging): Failure - 15]
[Agility Test to stabilize Hjáalpreck Pykecastle - 3d6 (Challenging): Success - 11]

Hjáalpreck’s breathing is shallow, but the bleeding is stopped. Still, cramps and paralysis from the saliva wracks his body.

A rowers corpse, laid out with his weapon, at the bifurcated base of the dead worm

Holkvir, the first to fall to the worm in the fight, is too far gone. The rowers try but cannot keep his broken body alive. He leaves to meet his ancestors. They will leave his body here, near the corpse of the worm, so those who come after will know the mighty deed he took part in.

Thorn and the others eventually make it through the other half of the worm’s corpse and into the center of the chamber, torches in hand. The verdant tree sits like a piece of paradise sat amidst hell. The golden pears hang heavy across its branches. Thorn reaches up, plucks one, and takes a hearty bite. A light washes over his body, his mind, his soul, and he is well.

He gestures to the other rowers who jump forward, pluck their own fruits, and eat - standing in awe beneath the emerald leaves in the flickering torchlight. Thorn grabs an armful of golden fruits and walks back through the severed worm and out to the other side. He bends down over Hjáalpreck and then Alsvinn and Braggard, squeezing the fruit in his fist and letting the juice dribble down into their paralyzed mouths. Within seconds, they are healed. They stand and shake out their limbs, grinning ear to ear. They look at Thorn as if he is a holy saviour.

From this day forth, he is Thorn the Wormslayer.

[Boast Complete: Thorn will take fruit from the resplendent tree.]

Next Time on Wolves Upon the Coast: What else lies within the Mound of the Worm? What spoils, or other horrors, await the Free Thirteen Twelve?