Having taken stock of the alchemist Durzuh's plentiful supplies, the party girded themselves for battle. Flasks of various alchemical substances were spread amongst the party, and casks of acid were carried up to the murder holes above the entry door. Battle plans were formulated, critiqued, and reformed. Then there was nothing to do but wait. The hours passed slowly, especially given the low ceilings. Triben and West tried to spend as much time in the roof turret as possible, while Gronk and Oleg whiled away the time indoors. As night fell, all eyes strained outward into the quiet night, watching for the orcs to begin the night's march.
The night's quiet was suddenly shattered by a horrific noise. Gronk screamed as if every bone in his body were snapped at once. Oleg, just next to him on the tower's top floor, could only watch as Gronk's form torqued and writhed, shrinking into itself. A rat the size of a small dog tore its way out of Gronk's clothing even as Triben and West rushed down the stairs. The rat immediately started snapping at Oleg, who backed away, fending it off with his axe. Triben took a couple of potshots at the rat, and West conjured a great ape, which immediately grabbed the rat and started wrestling with it.
Triben and West were hesitant to shoot into the melee, but Oleg waded back in, striking at the rat with the flat of his axe in an attempt to knock it out. The rat, meanwhile, was brandishing its teeth at the summoned ape. Although it managed to hold the ape at bay for a short while, it was simply too small to hold its own. Before West could pull the ape off, it had torn the rat nearly in two. Before their eyes, the dead form slowly shifted back to that of Gronk, confirming Triben and West's worst fears.
The oncoming orcs left no time for mourning. The remaining party members quickly revamped their battle plan, as Gronk had played a pivotal role in the defense of the tower. Once the raiders had gotten within a mile of the town, West turned into an eagle and flew out to shadow them in. As they got closer, however, it became obvious that their goal was not the tower itself. Though they passed within a quarter-mile of the redoubt, the raiders bypassed it without incident. Confused yet relieved, the party set watches and rested for the night.
In the morning, West attempted to cure Triben of potential disease -- he had been bitten by Gronk the prior evening. West's spell did not take, however. West flew ahead of the party to Irongate, seeking a cure. Triben and Oleg spent half the day gathering all the valuables the could find and carefully packing them in saddlebags. Triben also wove a spell over Gronk's body to keep in preserved. Though there were a few traveling hours left, Triben and Oleg did not want to risk being caught out near the tower when night fell, so they hunkered down, planning on leaving the next morning. Oleg was slightly leery of Triben, but as he showed no symptoms, Oleg gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Once West arrived at Irongate, he rushed to a cleric of Pelor, who assured him that Triben was in no danger. The priest also informed him that a sprig of belladona taken shortly after a bite was known to help stave off lycanthopy, though it was mildly poisonous in its own right. West then went to warn the city guard of the incoming raiders, then retired for the evening.
The next morning, Triben and Oleg left Durzuh's tower. They traveled carefully, knowing that a strong hostile force lay between them and Irongate. West purchased some belladona ("just in case"), then flew back towards the Oleg and Triben, intending to meet them partway. The group successfully linked back up, and West was able to assuage them that Gronk's bite was not contagious. The remainder of the day's journey was uneventful, but on West's watch that night, his owl came flying back, flapping mildly. West spoke with the beast, only to hear it screech out of breath that the raiders were coming! The party quickly packed up their camp and rushed over the side of the hill, just getting out of the way of a mad rush. The orcs numbers had been severly depleted, and they were apparently breaking from battle. The party stayed concealed, giving the raiders time to clear the area. They then relocated their camp and warily resumed their rest.
The second day's journey was uneventful, except for the surprising warmth and unsurprising precipitation. The third day's travel, likewise uneventful, brought them to the city gate as night began to fall. There was a short line of potential entrants, with a large group just clearing the checkpoint. Just as the guards were finished with them, monsters appeared from nowhere. A crocodile and two wolverines appeared, with charred black skin and wisps of red fumes rising from glowing amber eyes. They immediately tore into the nearest targets, wreaking immediate chaos.
The party immediately leapt to the aid of the guard, helping them to quickly dispatch the foul beasts. They noticed, however, that the guard was surprisingly competent -- not what one normally encountered at the gate of a city. Even as they finished dispatching the summoned monsters, Oleg noticed one of the people waiting to be allowed in merging with the group who had just been vetted. As Oleg watched, the man shifted shape to melt into the crowd, who had pushed and jostled their way into the city proper. Oleg yelled "Shapeshifter! There!" and rushed after him. Triben and West also rushed in, following Oleg's pointed arm. Oleg loosed a tanglefoot bag, but it missed. This did indicate to Triben and West who they should address, though, and they successfully stopped the dwarf, who surrendered instantly.
The guard quickly caught up with the party and the dwarf. They subdued and arrested them all, and brought them in for a long interrogation. The party all spoke the truth, and the guard did not hold them, but did tell them the man they had apprehended was definitely not a shapeshifter. Oleg stood by his word that a shapeshifter was now loose in the city. With Luna high in the sky, the party left the guardhouse.