On the Chopping Block, Part 1
We have reached our breaking point. Our beloved forest is being corrupted and destroyed while we are starving and beaten in our own homes, all in the name of progress and industry. Our attempts to stop Greenwood have been thwarted and we need someone who can help us make them go away forever, before it is too late.
- Elara Stark
Recap
Merrick and Fang respond to a call to cut down a greedy corporation called Greenwood that is deforesting a region and keeping an entire town hostage as cheap labor. After failing to negotiate his way through the town’s gates, he manages to get the drop on a sentry and steal his badge before patrolling town on his own.
After intimidating a small child into revealing where Elara Stark is located, the one who wrote the letter, he connects with her at her home and they decide to meet at a secret hideaway in about four hours. He uses that time to head to the local tavern, where a group of these corporate-hired militia have taken run of the place, forcing the bartender to give out drinks for free and doing whatever they want. Merrick waltzes in, Fang in tow, and decides it’s time to send a message. It’s a rough go of it and Fang goes down once, but between Merrick and Fang they successfully take out 6 of these off-duty guards. Merrick gets to release his inner rage in a very raw and real way. Once the guards are slain, he tosses 2gp to the bartender for a drink and has Fang drag the bodies out to the street for good measure. Fang then flies high in the air intimidatingly while roaring repeatedly to really set the ambiance.
Merrick spends a little while sneaking around the town and hearing the rumors grow and activity increase as guards and villagers alike are whispering wild ideas about what might be going on and the guards are trying to keep control over this strange occurrence. He takes advantage of the chaos and finds the rich part of town where a new mansion, barracks, and warehouse for weapons seems to be located. He sets fire to the warehouse before sneaking off and making his way back to the hideout.
There, he meets the small rebel group of Elara, Talia, and Jarek. They give him a better understanding of the full situation, this company came in doing legitimate business but eventually took control and cut the village off from the main city. They haven’t been able to get word out here and this interplanar call for help was their last chance. Their awe of Merrick only grows as they realize what all he’s accomplished - not only in brute strength but to inspire an uprising. They decide to gift him with the Amulet of Attia, which effectively allows Merrick to Bear Totem rage once per day while attuned (an in-quest item only).
Elara, Talia, and Jarek head off to get supplies and coordinate with Old Man Torik, who has been caching weapons and tools, and a woman named Nina, who seems to be a local healer of sorts, or at least an herbalist or alchemist. Merrick heads to release the Bartender who they’ve learned is being interrogated for more information on this mysterious destroyer of worlds and dragon that suddenly appeared in his tavern. At the jail, Merrick sneaks in through a window and traps four guards in with himself, Fang, and the bartender and proceeds to rip them all new ones. Despite struggling to main control over his rage and missing more than he’d like, he comes out victorious.
Then, he goes to release all the villagers falsely imprisoned in the other cells. He gives a rousing speech which is a hard sell as none of them seem confident in their abilities to fight back at first. But eventually, he convinces them that if they work together, they’ll be able to take the town back over and end this. They collect the weapons dropped by the guards and all make a rush outside, where they find yet six more guards patrolling and wrangling more villages. In a valiant show of bravery, intimidation, and inspiration, the guards are convinced that fleeing is the best option, and the villagers decide it’s time to take their town back and help sow the seeds of chaos to drive away the guards.
He goes back to meet the rebels at the hideout and finds Jarek and Old Man Torik returning with more weapons caches. He instructs Jarek to help the villagers set up a homebase at the tavern while Torik and he go over inventory. There is a splay of magical and mundane weapons, which Merrick helps assign to the various rebels. Then Merrick and Torik get into a deep conversation about Merrick’s past… which is extremely sad. This inspires Torik to gift him a momento of his that reminds him that even in total darkness, it is possible to find one’s way through. This is the Dagger of Blindsight, which Merrick accepts and also attunes to with the amulet.
Now… it’s time to make Greenwood pay.