Svetlana's eyes narrowed as she listened to the man's words. Her next move would involve a bit of acting, but not much. She was sincere when she had said to several townsfolk she sought vengeance. And now this Eric Oxcut stood in the way of that action. No more Ms. nice girl
I'm going to ask this once again, Eric, Svetlana began, drawing herself up to glare directly into the guardsman's eyes. The Savored Sting WILL have vengeance, and your words are not the full truth. Tell me EVERYTHING you know about Petra's death, I expect nothing less than full disclosure. You do NOT want to be on my bad side, yes? Now TALK! Svetlana's eyes blazed as she nearly snarled the command at the man, her fists balled up next to her.
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"Woah..hey, its not like that! Petra decided she did not want to see me anymore...she was like that. All the guys knew she was..umm..fickle! She was fun while it lasted, but then she was off with a new guy. And, no, I do not know who it was...heck the only guy she did not go out in the guard was with was Gregori, and the captain!"
He seems very forthcoming and not wanting to get on your bad side...
Svetlana's eyes still narrowed. What the guard said about Petra's...fickleness, was true. Svetlana herself had endorsed it and was frankly much the same. Eric Oxcut wouldn't be different from any other man that had been left behind by a woman. So in some respects no surprise that he was somewhat less concerned about her passing. The last sentence was interesting though. Of course she wasn't dating her own father, but the Captain? Why not the captain then, if she dated everyone in the guard? The priestess decided to go with the direct approach. And no one you knew who perhaps did not take Petra's "fickleness" as easily as you have?
Why not Randolph or the Captain then, if she dated everyone in the guard? The priestess decided to go with the direct approach. And no one you knew who perhaps did not take Petra's "fickleness" as easily as you have?
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"Most of the guys understood her...ways... The captain knew the family from before coming out here, and I have no idea what her problem with Randolph was, but she did not like him...kept saying he smelled or something... For his part, Randolph never seemed to take much interest in the girl..you would have to ask him why not."
I certainly will, Svetlana responded crisply. After securing Randolph's location, the priestess ended the conversation with the admonition to tell her immediately if any new information came to light. She then promptly headed off to find Randolph.
Svetlana was all smiles as she approached Randolph, but was sure to keep keenly aware of any deceit on the man's part. Greetings to you, Randolph, the priestess said with a curtsey. I've been checking in with a few of the guardsmen that are a cut above the rest, and of course wanted to include you. Have you heard yet about Petra? What do you suppose happened?? Is there any advise you would have for poor, defenseless women such as myself to avoid such a calamity? Svetlana hoped her act would keep the man off of her real intent in the matter. After taking in whatever answer he gave she adds, Did you know Petra well. Perhaps it is just me, but you seemed to be the one not so...involved with her.
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Randolph looks both sad and angry at your line of questioning.
"Listen, just because I may not ...you know..be interested in a girl, does not mean I cannot do my job! I know what they say in the barracks and I dont care! She was a nice lass, but I was not interested. Ok! And as for who might have done this to her...well I don't know anyone that savage here in town, but with so many people coming in and out, it is hard to keep track."
After stabling Zelter, Brigid stalks the streets of Olegstown for a short while, listening for sounds of a disturbance. Any time a dog barks, she moves in that direction, listening for more. She has the stag's helm on in the event she needs to use her bow. Not until the night fades into dawn does she finally retreat to her own cabin to get some sleep.
Svetlana kept an open, friendly demeanor despite Randolph's defensive response to her queries. Sensing he is holding something back, the priestess decides to rely on friendly persuasion to pry it out. It takes a strong man to not just do what others do. Good on you for following your own path and not chasing after Petra like everyone else! If there is anything else you might know about Petra's demise I'd really appreciate you telling me. You poor guardsmen are really overworked these days with all the newcomers, and I'd love to do my part and help with this puzzle.
Brigid hangs back and watches the conversation from a short distance, face tight. She didn't want to interrupt Svetlana's investigation, but she did want to tell her of encountering the feral wolf earlier that evening. She waits and watches.
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Randolph relaxes slightly at the more friendly approach.
"While I am very sorry and disturbed by Petra's death, she was not someone close to me. You see, I am not attracted to..umm...girls. A priestess like yourself understands what I mean...right. Please keep this to yourself. The people here are small minded, and I am afraid what the commander and the other guards might think."
He looks over your shoulder at something, then comments.
"Is that not your companion, Brigid? I think she may want you."
Few things throw Svetlana off her social game, but this was one of those times. She stared at the man with her mouth slightly open for a brief moment, before collecting herself with a low chuckle. I must admit, I had not considered that possibility. A smile again lit her face. Your secret is safe with me, Randolph. But the Savored Sting would never counsel bottling up one's passions. Even with risk, one must pick their spots and live true to themselves. Something to consider, yes? Svetlana glanced over Randolph's shoulder towards a group of guards in the near distance. Some cute ones there if I may say so myself! With a wink, Svetlana said farewell and sauntered back over to Brigid. I think I can safely say that man had no grudge against Petra. After hearing out anything else the archer would add, she said So, where to now?
Brigid remains stoic and doesn't react to the guard's revelation. When Svetlana turns to her, she walks with her back to the center of town. While they walk, Brigid stays alert, pausing in her speech every so often to listen at the sounds of the night.
I have confirmed that it is indeed a volf, one that is very large and fast, but is alone. It came at me vhen I vas riding back from the outskirts. Zelter reared and threw me, and it came at me. It ran avay vhen I stood up. I lost it in the darkness.
Brigid glowers, clearly upset that she had not been able to kill the wolf this night and end the threat. Vhere to? I do not know. Ve vere not able to follow its tracks tonight, but perhaps ve may have some luck tomorrow.
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"Well met my friends. It was a sad business with the young girl yesterday. I brought these two men who can tell you about a menace that has been slowly moving northward. Karl..Mikal, tell them what you told me."
The larger of the two, Mikal, shuffles his feet and stares down at the ground, ill at ease.
"Well now, me and Karl here...well we was hunting in the Kamelands to the south when we came upon what we thought was a pack of wolves, excepting these wolves was huge...and their leader was a monster of a beast. They had some poor fellow trapped up against a big rock see...and that is when we heard the big one speak! It called itself Howl-of-the-North-Wind, and it said all this land was its packs! Then they savaged the poor man! Well me and Karl here could do nothing about it..there being 4 o' them big wolves and all. So we waited until they had left and high-tailed it right back here...only no one believes us..."
Brigid listens quietly, only arching an eyebrow when Mikal says the wolf spoke. When he finishes, she purses her lips in thought. Vhen did this occur? How many days ago?
The incident mentioned brought to us by the two hunters sounds most troubling. I think we may find stronger leads is we go investigate this section of the Kamelands, the huntsmen described to us, ourselves.
Brigid looks at Rangnar and tilts her head slightly. The volf is here. I have seen it -- vas even attacked by it. She pauses in thought. Though this one never spoke, and did not have a pack vith it. This may be different.
She nods to the dwarf. I agree that ve should find this 'Howl of the North Vind,' but ve should not leave the town before ve deal vith the volf here.
Kent is still at the Inn trying to find a lead.
Kent goes out the find the werewolfs.
With little delay, Brigid takes anyone interested out to the spot where she encountered the wolf. She searches for tracks, this time using the light of day and the landmarks she set last night.
I'll examine where Brigid was attacked. Cast detect magic.
As Brigid and Kent head out, Svetlana politely declines the opportunity to join them. Perhaps my skills are best utilized here.
Turning to the Mikal and Karl, she begins querying them on what they saw. You must excuse my ignorance, but where are the Kamelands? You mention to the south, but how far? Is that a usual area you go hunting? We may investigate that area in the future, so please do share any details of the lands there!
While Zasha sat watching silently, Damen scratched his chin as he listened to the story the hunters told. Talking wolves... could werewolves talk? The idea seemed somehow familiar, something he'd read or heard of before, though he couldn't immediately place it. He'd have to think it over.
But that much didn't really matter, he realized: if there was a pack of large wolves in the area, it called for investigation. That was true even if they weren't the ones who killed Petra.
Keen brown eyes flicked between Rangnar and Brigid, and Damen nodded. "I agree that we need to worry about matters closer to home first. I'm not, ah, particularly comfortable having wolves bold enough to attack someone so close to a town." He looked down at his wolf companion, who returned the gaze. "Zasha wasn't happy about trying to track last night. Whatever we're dealing with, I doubt it's anything... ordinary."
He ruffled Zasha's fur affectionately and rose to his feet, brushing off his hands. He turned to the priest of Erastil. "Brother Jhod, if you see Akiros would you, ah, please tell him I'd like to speak with him? We need to decide how to keep his guardsmen safe while they keep everyone else safe."
He leaned in toward Svetlana, offering a quiet "Good luck with these two," then a handshake to the hunters, before leaving with Brigid and the others.
Brigid continues to study the tracks left by the wolf last night.
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Damen you have no trouble finding the tracks once Brigid shows you where she was attacked. These huge tracks, in your opinion, could very well be warg prints, but upon reflection you think that they are slightly different than the tracks found at the murder scene.
@Svetlana: Rolling hills of brown and yellow grass sprawl across the eastern Stolen Lands, the patchy, sand-colored waves and dusky tarns broken by countless rocky mounds called kames. With grasses ranging in height from mere inches to lashing blades over 4 feet tall, and uneven rises rife with hidden rocks, the hill country poses a daunting barrier to travel and settlement, accounting for much of the region’s continued wildness. Amid the hills and grass loom the mysterious kames. While most of these mounds of ancient stone and debris stand quiet and purposeless, in many corners of the region they display strange patterns, with mounds suggestive of waymarkers, ancient barrows, or even long-crumbled walls or foundations. Aside from a few small herds of wild horses and goats, few large animals inhabit the Kamelands, with wolves, foxes, hares, and multitudes of rodents and snakes being the primary occupants. Frequently, wyverns from the western tors wing over the region, seeking easy prey from above, while bears, boars, owlbears, and other savage creatures from the eastern forests regularly range into the hills. While the horses of the region are reputed for their vigor and surefootedness, those from the southern River Kingdoms who attempt to capture such mounts often run afoul of the trolls of the southern Narlmarches, making such attempts too dangerous to regularly risk.
Damen knelt by the prints, still fresh from the previous day's attack. They told a story of their own: horse's prints, the marks of a woman's feet, and the padded marks of the attacker. He recognized Brigid's stance in her footprints, her weight shifting as she readied her bow. Would he have seen them as hers if he hadn't already known? He shook his head to return to the present and looked up at his companions.
"Whatever made these was, ah, certainly large. They look like wolf's prints..." his voice trailed off and he touched one mark gingerly with a finger.
"But see here, the little channel cut by a trailing claw on the back of the paw. That's not quite a wolf's print. It could be a warg, certainly."
He rubbed his chin and went hmm, eyes roaming over the prints. The ranger's shoulders hunched. He shifted his stance a little as his legs twinged.
Suddenly his voice grew excited. "Ah, but look! The, the toes on at least one paw splay. Maybe an old injury or something, ah, something like that. The tracks around Petra's body didn't have that."
Damen straightened up, studying Brigid intensely. Then, glancing back at the tracks, "I doubt it's a coincidence, you getting attacked so soon after the girl. But I don't think your attacker and hers were the same animal, either. Maybe the same kind. Just... not the same one."
Svetlana thanks the hunters for their information, then asks them to inform Jhod if they think of anything else to be passed along to the group. After that, she clarified just how far away the Kamelands are and joins the rest of the group.
The hunters were most helpful in describing the Kamelands, but had no specific clues regarding our next steps. I fear we have little to go on. While I would prefer to stay here and deal with the problem in our midst, with no leads we may not be much help. Perhaps we should travel to Kamelands, and see if the problem then comes to us, yes?
One, two, or more. It makes no matter. Ve must not leave the town vhile it has become their hunting ground. The frustration was plain on her face.
Unless you think ve should treat vith the speaking volf. She does not say this with any humor.
"Let's try and follow them and see if they turn human again."
Brigid looks at the wizard with confusion in her eyes. Vhat do you mean? Are you suggesting these volves can take the shapes of men?
"Werewolf are humans that are suffering from a cure caused Lycanthrope. It is passed on by one biting someone. If that is the case then is wolf is someone who does not know what is going on, but we have to stop it before we have an epidemic"
Svetlana nods sympathetically at Brigid. I of course defer to the majority, but unless Damen here feels we can follow these tracks then I am left concerned we have no leads here. It may very well be that the Kamelands are these creatures' true home. Merely by arriving there we may provoke an encounter that ends the threat to Olegstown.
I agree with Svetlana, her logic makes sense. Let us depart at once.
Rangnar will gesture toward our lodgings that we may get our traveling gear together.
Hold a moment, Brigid calls out to Rangnar. I vould hear more from Kent first. Is there any vay to tell if someone is cursed? I take it they turn at night?
"Yes on the full moon. I don't don't know how to identify them."
Kent follows Rangnar.
Brigid searches her memory.
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@Brigid: No it was not. A knowledge-nature roll might shake your memory about stories you have heard about these creatures.
While the tracks are old (almost 8 hours) you are able to follow them for quite a way. The gait of this creature is amazing, rivaling that of a horse in full gallop. The head off south, towards the Kamelands.
when is the next full moon?