Research Report No. 4: Recommendations for Combating Mountain Gorm

Starting from Bruck, nestled in the heart of Isdraia and defying the current of the Elendar, a council of several dozen scholars works tirelessly to gather and document both historical knowledge and contemporary events. Thanks to generous patronage of the mayor, ample resources are available, allowing for an unprecedented scale of archiving. Thus emerges the greatest and most comprehensive repository of knowledge in all of Isdraia. From this endeavor arises an institution that shall henceforth be known as The Omniscient Archive.

It has been a few dozen darkenings since an agitated resident of Bruck knocked on the doors of the Omniscient Archive. The resident was a Skuhuk and was trying very hard to articulate an urgent matter. When the Omniscient Archive finally identified him as an established merchant, he was allowed to give a detailed account. He claimed to have encountered a Mountain Gorm on his last journey and had narrowly escaped it. He wished to urge the Omniscient Archive and the esteemed mayor to devote greater attention to developing defensive measures against Gorms and communicating them to the population. The Omniscient Archive will now address this request with the utmost care.

The Omniscient Archive possesses a vast collection of writings documenting encounters with and knowledge about Gorms. The Omniscient Archive uses this compiled information to advance practical research and develop new insights specifically for defensive strategies. Fundamentally, Gorms are gigantic, humanoid creatures. Their paws are so large that they can easily uproot trees and hurl boulders. They are therefore considered extremely deadly. Legends claim that Gorms can, under certain circumstances, be tamed and used as weapons. Equally, this rumor might simply serve to instill fear in a potential adversary. According to the records of the Omniscient Archive, there are two types of Gorms: Mountain Gorms and Pit Gorms. The latter are sighted less frequently and are, unfortunately, the less dangerous variety. When enraged, Mountain Gorms can wipe out entire villages. Yet even encounters with them are very rare overall, though a certain number of unreported cases is likely. In fact, surviving an encounter with a Mountain Gorm is even less likely than encountering one in the first place. If someone has fallen victim to a Mountain Gorm, it adorns itself with the corpse and carries it around like an amulet. Some even claim that the Mountain Gorm grows a little bit with every exertion of power. The extraordinary danger posed by Mountain Gorms leaves one impressed, yet perhaps also skeptical, about the merchant’s chances of survival. Since encounters with Mountain Gorms are so rarely survived, the Omniscient Archive has no records of suitable defense tactics—until now. For the mayor takes the welfare of his people extremely seriously and has decided to commission the Omniscient Archive with a research mission.

Under the supervision of the Field Reports and Documentation Department for the Duskfringe Division, a mission was undertaken toward Splinter Ridge. It was there that the merchant’s most recent encounter with a Mountain Gorm took place. Experienced archivists, the physician from the Omniscient Archive, a dozen guards, and a dozen prisoners—mostly criminals from the underground—set out on the arduous journey. The test subjects had been selected by lottery, so that justice might be administered by chance. This was an idea of the esteemed mayor. To avoid skewing the results, the test subjects had not been told what the mission’s objective was. They could not have known that they were being thrown to the Mountain Gorm in its cave as prey. They were housed in a makeshift camp nearby, yet far enough away to avoid arousing suspicion. One by one, accompanied by archivists and their guards, they were sent off under a pretext. They waited one to three darkings before continuing the experiment with the next test subjects. This was to ensure that the Gorm had a sufficient appetite to simulate a realistic encounter. Most were told they had to locate a piece of luggage that the merchant had lost in the cave. The first test subject was a pickpocket, and they sent him off alone and unarmed. His screams could be heard after only a short time. It took a little longer with the second test subject. She was a goblin who had been distributing illegal substances to children in the lower town. She was given a spear to take into the cave. Apparently, after completing his task, the Gorm used it as a toothpick. The third test subject had been given a sword and a shield. He was a human in debt, and he at least managed to make it a good two feet out of the cave during an escape attempt. But the Gorm’s claws and wrath were too great, and his hunger too strong. The fourth test subject was an experienced warrior from Morgathal who had attracted attention in Bruck for his rowdy behavior in various taverns. He was given full armor, a shield, and a sword, as well as a dagger. He survived surprisingly long, facing the danger without attempting to flee. But he, too, failed. Finally, the archivists in charge changed their strategy and sent out four groups, each with two prisoners. The first group remained unarmed. The second group was armed and had been instructed not to return empty-handed, but failed due to a lack of fighting spirit. The third group was given full armor, various weapons, a grappling hook, and even a torch—the archivists had by then begun to worry that the previous failure was due to the lighting conditions in the cave and not entirely to the Gorm’s brutality. They died. And so it fell to the last pair to triumph. They were two Fenn; one a child murderer, the other had been declared suitable for the cliffs for mocking the mayor. Given the largely desperate situation, they were given a different mission: Enter the cave, find the merchant’s backpack, and make your escape—but your survival is the top priority.

And so one of them returned, not only alive, but also completely unharmed. The Omniscient Archive has him report:

“This other fellow and I discussed how we were going to do it on the way up to the cave. He told me he was terribly afraid and all that pathetic stuff—too bad my ears had to hear it. I told him I’d save him. Haha. So we climbed up there. He was whining long before we even got inside. It was a piece of cake. The Gorm was asleep; you could even hear him snoring—so basically the perfect conditions! Then that freak of nature stepped on a loose pebble, slipped, and slammed into the ground with a thud. You could surely hear that from outside, too! Gorm was awake then. Pretty much immediately, he roared, even before he’d opened his eyes. The cave stank right away. Bad breath. Huge teeth, pretty yellow. Ha. Haha. The other one, of course, screamed. Just stood there, frozen with fear. He looked like we were walking on the Thorn. That was my chance. The Gorm stood up, laboriously but powerfully. And I, I just shoved the other fellow forward with a strong push. Then I ran back, out of the cave. I turned around again and looked back. The Gorm grabbed him and ripped his head off. It crushed the head with its teeth as if it were a tiny berry. That made quite a mess. And then it took the body and sucked it dry like an open bottle of penja liquor. Hard to describe. Bestial. It got too much for me, so I decided to get out of there right away. I heard another crack. And now I’m here.”

The Omniscient Archive presents its conclusion. Only one of the tested conditions ensured survival and is therefore clearly recommended for the people of Bruck. The mayor and the Omniscient Archive recommend:

1. Unnecessary travel from Bruck should be avoided to reduce the risk of encountering a Gorm.
2. Unavoidable travel from Bruck should always be undertaken in the company of others. Depending on financial resources, it is possible to hire a guard from the Omniscient Archive.
3. If an encounter with a Gorm does occur, one should flee immediately, and the other travelers or the guard should serve as a living shield against attacks.

According to the mayor, this foolproof plan is mainly thanks to the Skuhuk merchant who publicly denounced the injustice a few darkings ago. Eleven prisoners from Bruck also sacrificed their lives in the investigation of suitable survival and defense tactics against Gorms. The mayor is pleased and offers his heartfelt thanks: “It’s a shame; I would have liked to shake their hands right now.” Through his courage, the surviving prisoner contributed significantly to the town’s advancement of knowledge. Because of his great service to Bruck, the mayor has decided to pardon the survivor and set him free.