Session 4: A Beast Unleashed Arc 1

As Rhyia and Botas approached Gran Gram’s shop, they encountered a striking figure at the door—a dark-skinned human mercenary with defined muscles and an air of quiet menace. She introduced herself as Cats, her voice sharp and her demeanor guarded. Cats was explaining to Gran Gram that her caravan had been attacked, and the goods meant for the shop had been stolen.

During the ambush, Cats had been knocked unconscious, but her dreams had been haunted by a terrifying figure cloaked in shadows, its glowing purple eyes demanding she "let the beast out." Cats, a Blood Hunter of the Order of the Lycan, understood the weight of those words all too well. Her animalistic side was a constant battle within her—a predator barely contained. When she awoke, her hands and mouth were slick with blood, and the trees and wreckage of the caravan bore claw marks—marks larger than anything her own transformed form could create. Fearing she might have been responsible, yet also suspecting another force at play, Cats chose to remain silent about her inner turmoil.

Despite her aloof nature, Cats agreed to join the adventurers in their quest to recover Gran Gram’s stolen goods. Following a trail through the dense forest, the party discovered a bandit camp nestled at the entrance of a dark cave. They confronted the bandits, who, to their surprise, seemed more terrified than hostile. The fight ended quickly, with Rhyia extending healing magic to their defeated foes, earning their reluctant cooperation.

The bandits, trembling, confessed that the camp was a refuge from the wild beasts that had attacked them during their raid on the caravan. They recognized Cats and recoiled in fear, branding her a monster. Yet, to their knowledge, Cats wasn’t the only creature that had wreaked havoc that night. Whatever had joined the chaos was far larger and more fearsome.

Their uneasy conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a pack of deinonychus, feral reptilian creatures native to the region. These swift predators were familiar to Rhyia, who often assumed their form in battle. Working in harmony, the party dispatched the pack with relative ease, but Rhyia noticed something peculiar in their behavior. The creatures weren’t attacking out of hunger or territory—they were fleeing.

Her keen senses turned to the cavern entrance. Jagged claw marks scarred the stone walls, far larger than those made by any deinonychus. Rhyia’s realization sent a shiver down her spine: they were standing at the den of something much, much larger.

Before she could voice her warning, the ground shook with thunderous footsteps. Emerging from the shadows was a colossal carnotaurus, its eyes blazing with a baleful purple glow. The creature let out an earth-shaking roar, a beast possessed by a dark and malevolent force. The adventurers braced themselves, knowing they had stumbled into a far more dangerous conflict than they had imagined.****