Harrowing the Hook, Part 2 (Thursday-Monday, Kuthona (XII) 19th-23rd, 4707 AR)

The great rains turned to driving snow as winter came with a fury upon the Hook. Autumn was a forgotten dream as cutting wind lanced through wool and leather, and treacherous ice crawled along the mountainside. Life was cruel and short on the Hook, more than ever as winter sank her teeth into its crags. And near the twisted peak of the notorious mountain, the Kreeg ogres had lost Fort Rannick, but their anger lived on!

Reaching the base of Hook Mountain was no huge problem, but the last few miles included several frightening climbs. The heroes followed hunting trails and made the climb to the hold in 3 hours. Their journey was livened up by an encounter with 3 annis hags, who the heroes defeated. Snow fell for the duration of their trip, and the temperatures were cold.

Hook Mountain Clanhold

As the heroes finally crested the last craggy outcrop about a half-mile from Hook Mountain's 10,000-foot-high peak, they found a gaping cave belching forth foul black smoke. The cave entrance looked out over a wide ledge of windswept stone, while the chambers within were prowled by ogres aplenty, clutching their rusty hooks and constantly looking out for anyone foolish enough to encroach upon their den.

The clanhold itself was a large cave. The walls and ceilings were thick with the soot of their fires. The caves were roomy, even for ogres. Passageways averaged 25 feet high, while the caverns themselves tended to have vaulted domelike ceilings up to 50 feet tall.

The heroes did not balk at bringing along help - Shalelu and Jakardros, the only surviving Black Arrow, came along to aid in this final assault on the ogres of Hook Mountain.

Entrance. Constant flurries of windborne snow and frost lashed at a gaping hole in the side of Hook Mountain. Smoke poured forth form the cave entrance, only to be instantly dispersed by the wind.

Two Kreeg fighters stood guard at the mouth of the clanhold, swathed in furs and leathers. These ogres kept a sharp lookout. These two ogres didn't think to raise an alarm until one was dead. The heroes killed him, but not before the ogres killed Kibb, Jakardro's firepelt cougar.

Bones of the Behemoth. At the mouth of darkness, jagged spurs of bone protruded from the stone on either side of the cave entrance, each towering twenty feet in height - apparently the ribs of some monstrous behemoth.

The bones of a blue dragon (identifiable by the heroes) adorned the clanhold's entryway. The bones were decorated with crude scrimshaw carvings, incorporating the seven-pointed Sihedron Rune into the markings in many locations.

The Rune-Bound King. An enormous statue stood here in frozen vigil - a forty-foot-tall giant with black skin covered by fissures and cracks, like the bed of a dried river. He wore majestic armor, gilded and encrusted with gems. and gripped a towering glaive in his armored fists. The giant's face was hidden by a ferocious full helm forged into the sneering grimace of a fanged devil. Around the giant's neck hung a medallion - a seven-pointed star.

The Burning Pit. A deep pit hewn from hard stone descended into soot and darkness. The stale reek of decay wafted up form the depths below.

Chokepoint. A pair of Kreeg ogres and a hill giant guarded the entryway, and they raised an alarm when they detected the heroes. They did their best to hold off the heroes.