"My friends, leave the meal to me! I am a middling priest at best, but a damn fine cook. You saved my life, you get my professional services free for all YOUR lives."
"I got some bread, cheese and dried meat. If you can make something of that?" Kendra offers.
"I could try to hunt some rabbits." Jominda suggests.
"Elven noodles cooked in smoked pork crackling with braised rabbit! We shall dine tonight, Blythe Spirit be with us!"
Jominda heads out to find some of those rabbits. About a quarter hour and one explosion later she is back with three bunnies. All burned and one looking like roadkill.
"Got some!" she announces and hands them over to Yilgwi.
The farmhouse consists of two rooms. One sleeping room and one for everything else. The hearth is a brick built arch over the fireplace, with a flat and smoothened surface that has a large hole in the middle to put a cauldron over. The cauldron is gone, but the hook to place it is still there. Firewood is easy to come by. A large amount of charred wood lies in front of the door. Not cut into nice pieces yet, but it is available.
Herm looks at the wand Kendra has as she identifies it's purpose. "A vile thing but could be useful in the end if needs be." Herm says as he lights a torch and wanders into the house to make sure no threats are there, once he is sure it is clear he allows the others to enter. "This building seems suitable and will offer us shelter from the elements. Now we need to track down Vrood and see if we can locate Duristan if he came this way."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After Yilgwi serves an extraordinary tasty meal, the group enjoys a calm night in a dry and warm place.
Next morning the ride goes on in direction of Feldgrau. The land you ride through is dead. Only the hardiest plants grow and even those are scarce and cripled. You arrive at dusk, just in time to see the skyline of the ruined village.
On the outskirts of the town stand the ruins of a small farmhouse and two outbuildings, their roofs long collapsed, exposing splintered frames of gray timber. Beyond, a sodden, unsown field stretches to the edge of the shattered town of Feldgrau. The barren earth is scarred with muddy trenches and covered with a perpetual wash of low, swirling fog. Dead trees, like pale and wiry skeletons, grasp at the gray skies, casting their long, ghostly shadows over the crumbling ruins.
The uninhabited farmhouse probably makes a nice place to park the horses. Though currently no one is around, the central farmhouse contains a makeshift shrine. On the crude altar lies the very bloody remains of a Whispering Way cultist recently sacrificed.
Herm enters first with sword and shield at the ready, scanning the house for anything of danger.
Herm then slowly approaches the Shrine.
"He is dead, we could get rid of the body and destroy the shrine then stay here?' Herm says to his companions
Herm recognizes the shrine as one built for Jezelda, so obviously the Demon Wolves did that. No one is here though. The place is abandoned. It's not clear if someone will come back, but for now they moved on.
"Good enough for me." Jominda tells.
"When do you want to go to the center of the village? Once it's dark?"
"Jominda can you set up a trap to the front door so we know if someone comes back? I will clear this foul shrine so we can sleep in peace." Herm says as he moves the body of the dead cultist outside and then goes about dismantling the Shrine, first he anoints it with Holy Water then he anoints it with his Large Hammer. "Iomedae allow me in your name to destroy this foul shrine and drive off the evil that surrounds it." Once complete Herm will address Jominda's question.
"Will the Werewolves have an unfair advantage at night? I know their power of sent is strong but can they see in the dark? I cannot as well as Miss Lorrimor and yourself I assume."
"I have many spells prepared that could help!"
"You're right. If we meet them in the dark they have an advantage. But it's an open field that leads to the village. And if we go by day, our presence will be known to anyone. Or do we have other ways to get there undetected by day?" Jominda explains herself.
"You are right, Yilgwi can you give us the ability to see in the dark?" Herm asks their new Dwarven ally
After some discussions and preparations all wait for the night. Then the group sneaks over to the rim of the abandoned and weathered remains of the village. The war that came through here took it's toll and of many of the buildings no more than knee high outer walls are left.
You slip into the first house that is still standing . A large open forge stands in the far corner of this building, surrounded by deep stone basins and next to a huge black anvil atop a bench. Another workbench, laid with metalworking tools, polishing stones, and dried oilcloths, partitions the forge area from the remainder of the room. Two doorways exit through the wall opposite the forge.
But there is a surprise.
Duristan dwells in this building.
"Oh, hello! You made it to Feldgrau too! Wonderful - that makes things soo much easier!"
"You look neither like a farmer nor a daughter."
"And I'm neither. I'm Duristan Silvio Ariesir - renowned werewolf hunter! Sorry I didn't notice you immidiately... are you a new friend of those daring adventurers?"
"I am! My name is Yilgwi Hearthfire and they rescued me from a situation quite embarrassing! Now I serve as their personal chef!"
"Adventuring with style - I'm impressed!"
"Duristan you're alive? What did the Werewolves do to you?" Herm approaches then stops.
"Why will all of us being here make things easier?" Herm asks
"My party was ambushed in the wood, and I suffered some serious injuries. I fled into the woods for shelter, but my scar-ward saved me from the horrible curse of lycanthropy. When I recovered, I set off in pursuit of the Demon Wolves, following them to Feldgrau."
"I have hired a small group of mercenaries who are waiting for me in another building in the center of town. Want to join? The more the better, when we face the wolves again." Duristan tells.
Someone is telling bold tales here.
"I'm glad you're alive! We for sure thought you'd be dead after we found the site where you were attacked."
"Where did you find a group of mercenaries out here?" Herm asks looking the man over.
"Sounds right to me! Wow!"
[dice=Sense motive]1d20+8
"Well, I guess I got lucky. They just came along on a path, cursing about a job that didn't pay well. It was easy to make them an offer they couldn't resist." Duristan replies.
"OK we will follow you in bit I am waiting for Miss Kendra to finish her preparations and then we will come into town to meet you." Herm says hoping Duristan will leave.
"You don't know where, and you have to be careful with all the cultists here. I'll wait, til you're finished." Duristan tells.
Not having anything to prepare Kendra looks at Herm quizzically.
"What's going on here?" Jominda asks.
Duristan's skin starts to move, grow hairs everywhere and his form is distorted. He turns into the hybrid form of a werewolf. A black one.
Herm steps in front of the group, Mithril Blade in hand quicker than the eye can see. 'You made a bargain for you life. Surrender now and I will grant you mercy." Herm says
"Haha, I'm superior! I surrender to no one!"
Herm takes the first blow at the bottom of his breastplate, before being able to deflect the other two. Herm grunts and returns some blows in kind.
"We did not come here to kill you Duristan, who do you server?' Herm demands of the man.
"But we're not opposed to kill him, are we?" Jominda asks.
Not waiting for an answer she starts throwing alchemical explosives.
"That's a big disappointment!" Kendra states as Duristan turns on the group.
Herm doesn't beat the well made armor Duristan is wearing. But against Jominda's bombs the armor is useless.
Yilgwi hangs on to his axe, but barely. "Sheisse!"
Kendra steps back and leaves the fight to the others, as they seem to have that under control.
Duristan is irritated by the small one flailing around with an axe, but keeps with Herm for the fighting.
Yilgwi does a little better this time.
"You had your chance" Herm tells Duristan as he scans the man for Evil.
Yorikata ponders what lies before them and decides, that Herm is doing fine. Her chemical ingredients are not endless, and the strong men will have that covered. But just in case Duristan decides to flee she readies herself.
Meanwhile Duristan keeps burning from the last bomb.
Kendra tries to make use of her crossbow.
Herm starts fighting seriously and wounds the werewolf badly. Yilgwi is little more than an irritation. And Kendra almost shoots Herm. Her martial skill is seriously lacking.
Being close to death, Duristan considers fleeing. But he is aware of the hopeless situation and throws himself into another attack. When he goes down he wants at least make it painful for those doing it.
Herm with his excellent knowledge and his keen eye concludes, that 'tis but a scratch'.
Herm is able to deflect the blows off his shield, then returning blows of his own.
"You can still surrender and allow us to return you to Lepidstadt for your crimes." Herm says
"Never!" Duristan shouts back. "I'll bite your legs off!"