Wolfs normally dont get to close to humans. But this one looks thin. It might be very hungry, therefore making it more bold.
Scaring it could work.
With Jurgen making himself big, and Araklifest shooting, the wolf wisely decides that it might be best to find food elsewere.
With the changing of the watch, Jurgen and Araklifest relay what happened to Heir and Zoma-Khat, who keep an eye out for the wolf. But it doesnt show itself again.
The following morning you are all well rested and have a warm breakfast to offset the damp and chill of the autumn forest.
The trek trough the forest continues, and you make good time following the map. Near the afternoon, the trees begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark
form lies next to the water.
Up close the body isnt looking too good. There is the distinct smell of decay wafting form it (being mostly in the water is keeping some of the smell down).
The flesh is a sickly purple.
Checking out the body is far from pleasant. Dragging it to shore its clear that its been rotting for a while. Most of the flesh below the waterline has been eaten by fish, exposing part of the skeleton.
In what is left of the torso are several holes. This man has been bitten. By something big. (Heir knows about bite wounds)
Much of the man's gear has started to rot in the water. The scabbard at the mans side is all but useless now, the leather of the handle a squishy mess. But removing the short sword reveals that the sword itself is in excelent condition.
Being in the water has softened the leather of the man's purse so much that when you lift it, the leather tears, spilling a lot of golden coins on the ground.
The coins look newly minted from the capital city of Tamran; they bear the likeness of Forest Marshal Gavirk, nominal leader of Nirmathas. (Jurgen would know this)
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Jurgen's no doctor, but he diligently examines the body for any clue who he might be.
"New coins from the capital, strange. Doesn't make a lot of sense for our villagers to have those, especially that many. And that's a pretty fine sword. Perhaps too good for a common bandit, and bandits wouldn't have coin like that. Maybe he's involved with what happened to our people at the Crypt?"
Listening to Heir;
"Bite marks? Maybe he got into a fight with those wolves from last night?"
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"Or after being chased away from a fresher meal the wolf snacked on a less threatening foe that was already dead. Tonight we should catalog the mans remains to return to his family. I doubt that anyone paid someone that much to interrupt local traditions. " he sighs. "We should also burn the body. The local scavangers already know where it is and we don't have time to make an adaquate cairn. The living need our assistance more than the dead need our condolences. "
Both Jurgen and Araklifest notice that the sword is of masterwork quality. There are a few of those weapons in Kassen, but not much. And its a lot of money to be carrying around. Especially as this place is nowhere near a merchant route.
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Araklifest looks for a backpack on the dead body; perhaps something in that pack is not damaged by the wild or the water and could shed some more light on the unknown corpse. While doing so, he splits the money between the compagnons and asks: "Someone for this masterwork shortsword? If not we'll take it and sell it in the future and split the revenue as well."
You spend about an hour gathering wood and building a pyre. There is plenty of wood to be found, but even with what is left of the body, you need a lot.
It takes a while for the fire to get hot enough to be left unattended. But after you are sure it will keep going on its own for quite some time, you can leave. This close to the shore there is no where for the fire to spread.
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"Whether untrained, unwise, or unlucky let this man serve as a reminder to the possible fate of us all in this endeavor. Think of the family he may have left behind that he will never come home to, the friends he will never drink with again, his loved one who is now alone. Though the loss is immeasurable hope he found it worth it, and realize that we must "
After a few...words... by Heir you leave the Gray Lake behind. The trees in this part of the forest are very old and quite gnarled. The weather makes the journey even more miserable, as a cold rain begins to fall halfway through this part of the forest.
But as trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood, it becomes a twisting maze of trees and confusing ravines. As it tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before it, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. Yet between the two lies a steep hill sloping down into the valley.
From your map you know that this valley (called Serpent Gorge), has the crypt at the bottom.
Problem is, getting to the bottom.
whoops its +10, mat error, still, can't miss even with my rolls...
Araklifest quickly looses his footing on the descent. He is not quick enough to catch himself and takes quite a tumble as he slides down a muddy hill and then falls down a 20-foot cliff.
Zoma-Khat doesnt fare much better, but he manages to catch himself quickly after sliding down only a little bit.
Heir and Justin make it down without slipping or sliding.
But the path is not clear, as there is still much of the valley to traverse.
This time Zoma-Khat takes care and puts down a rope.
Araklifest has fallen down so far that the others have to catch up to him.
This time there are no accidents, and the group catches up to Araklifest. Then the final descent begins.
Again Zoma-Khat isnt that lucky.
Zoma-Khat slides far down the hill. Unfortunately, he slides through a pair of thickets and lands hard on some rocks.
It took about half an hour, but you have reached the bottom of the valley.
After reaching the bottom, its only a 15 minute walk to the entrance of the crypt.
An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.
A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.
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Bruised and not a little bit embarrased about his fall, Araklifest tends to his wounds first before taking the 15 minute walk to the entrance of the crypt. He uses 2 charges of his newbought wand to patch himself up.
Healed but with a severly bruised ego he joins his compagnons in front of the entrance.
There are ragged wounds in the sides of the horses. The flies and stink indicate they have been here at least a few days.
Heir notices that there are a few bone fragments sticking out from under one of the horses.
:breathes in in in... holds breath... strength check to assis
Zoma-Khat does his best, but the horse is too heavy to lift of the bones, even with the help of Heir and Araklifest.
Moving the dead horse reveals a human skeleton. Its broken in several places and pressed into the mud from the weight. There is also a pair of saddlebags.
Checking the saddlebags, Araklifest finds 2 days’ worth of rations (slightly damp but salvagable), a pair of large, comfortable pillows, and a quiver with 10 blunt arrows.
The dampness from the mud actually saved the arrows, bending them instead of breaking them. Drying them out by a fire would probably get them in usable shape again.
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Jurgen also takes a moment to case the scene, and inspects the arrows before considering the bones.
"Well, these are just bones. They could have been dropped by a grave-robber, but it's also possible they'd been animated by a necromancer or somesuch. Anything to explain why they're outside here. Maybe inspecting the horse's injuries will tell us more?"