Witch Queen of Portmuck: Shadowdark #7...'Owlbears are for life, not just for Christmas'

Emerging over the top of the crest line, and presented with the cavernous valley below, the party lands along the lower treeline, hoping to stealth their way into the cave complex.

Darkness, stink and dank foreboding greet them...the first room turns nasty as they determine that it is the abode of a large and deadly 'grey ooze'...which leaves a nasty acid burn on Dagmara's (the half orc wizard) face...ouch.

Dagmara, Karlyle, Bjorn, Lidda Puddlefoot, Bernard, Jeralt the Holy and Balin

Simultaneously, the other end of the party is attacked by giant rats, meaning that they have to split their lighting - a spell at one end, and with Jeralt the Holy holding torch for Bernard the dwarf cleric, and Bjorn the mighty.

They're just giant rats right? What could possibly go wrong? ...Bernard, defeating the last of them, finds that his damage seems heavy - is that bite infected? ...uhh he does not feel well...

Electing to proceed rather than 'medevac' the 'unhealable' Bernard via the griffin currently holding top cover, the party proceed into the darkness..hearing the sound of wierd 'crying'...I mean most people would run away...

Having realised, too late, that they have disturbed the nesting area of an owlbear and its young, chaos ensues:

Bjorn, Lidda, Jeralt and Balin the thief - all attack the owlbear, launching their 'magic dwarven shield defence' whilst the clerics - being of the holy orders...uhhh - opt to 'steal the baybays!' (yep you read that right).

The noble clerics run for the door with 'playful' owlbears

The owlbear, neatly bypassing the shield-wall, decides to go straight to protecting its kin, slapping the already wounded Bernard (who is diseased and can not be healed right now) to the floor - dead as the plot of a commercial 5e D&D product! ...the opening however is exploited by the rest of the party who ambush the beast...