"That won't last long," he warns Veronica, drawing his bow and firing at the werewolf.
;
The werewolf continues to roll on the ground laughing. It continues to stare at you with deadly malice as it does so.
Seres fires on the werewolf but misses in his haste.
; 1=S, 2=V
Corax splutters and awakens as you pull him to the surface. "Where am I?"
Greaves and Aroden both also surface. The men cough, gasp for air and flail to keep their heads above water.
You note that you are in a large lake. Around you, through the crystal clear water, you see brightly colored fish swimming about. Water lilies float on the surface and frogs splash among reeds and brilliant dragon flies hover above the water.
You are mid way between the lake shore and a small building - both are about 50' away. The building is a single story summer house, rising above the surface of the water, in the middle of the lake. The house is apparently constructed of white stone with a curved white roof and a veranda all around it about 10 feet above the water. Below the veranda there appears to be some kind of landing stage. On the shore, you note a small jetty with a boat bobbing next to it.
Suddenly, two giant otters break the surface of the water and begin to swim towards you. The loggers begin to scream in panic.
; C
; A
; G
Larisa swims behind Corax, wrapping an arm over his shoulders as she swims for the shore, dragging him with her. "In a lake, you need to calm your men down their panic is only going to agitate the animals." She says, keeping his head above water. "Swim for the shore you two!" She shouts at the others.
Veronica quickly weaves another spell.
Then she brings her morningstar up and smashes it down on the werewolf.
Seres tries a different tack, pulling out a wand and firing a force missile at the werewolf.
Veronica is unable to pin down the squirming werewolf. Seres strikes the beast with his force bolt.
Connor, Raff and Ezekial arrive at the stable .
The otters nip at you and the loggers but make no serious attempt to attack you.
You are able to swim to shore. You note that a meadow extends several hundred feet from the lake shore to the forest. As you pull yourself from the water four centaurs approach you - a male, a female and two children. The male is armed with lance and shield. He rides cautiously around you. "We've been warned of your aggression. We will tolerate no hostility."
Corax takes a step backwards and draws his ax. The other loggers look uneasily at you.
"Attack, Moondancer!" says Veronica, but the wolf whines and turns in a circle uncertainly.
Then she lashes out with the morningstar again.
She continues the attack:
Seres continues firing his wand.
Seeing Corax go for his ax Larisa rounds on him, thrusting a finger into his chest. "Oh no you don't, we've already gotten into enough trouble because of you and I'm running quite thin on patience with you." She says, stalking up to him quite visibly angry. "Put that thing back before you hurt yourself or I swear to Erastil I will," She says almost shouting as she suddenly stops to compose herself in presence of the centaurs.
Releasing a deep breath Larisa calmly reaches out, putting her hand over Corax's. Forcibly pushing down on the weapon as she leans in. "If you want to see your family again, do as I do and keep your cool or I will leave you here for the fey to play with." She hisses into his ear.
Taking a step back from the man she turns to the centaurs and gives them a small curtsy. "Forgive my companions, the are quick to startle and this place gives them much cause for fright. I mean you no harm and wish only a moments rest to recover my breath, if I have given you alarm I apologize." She says giving them centaurs another curtsy. "As do my companions." Larisa says tensely, her voice making it clear to the men they should follow suit.
Raff dismounts his horse, busting into the barn "TIME TO CATCH ME A WOLF-MAN!"
Connor turns the corner and rides hard through the middle of the barn, bearing down on the creature as it rises bellowing a challenge as he thunders forward and past.
"For the murdered in New Hope, I bring justice!!"
A look of relief washes over Veronica as the others arrive. "You boys got here just in time!" she says.
Veronica pounds the werewolf with her morningstar as Seres repeatedly hits it with force missiles.
Ezekial nimbly dismounts from his horse and moves to a flanking position before the creature can regain its senses. With a flash, he slices deep with his silver kukri - eliciting howls of pain from the werewolf.
The beast snarls and rises to its feet , while swinging its great axe in a horizontal slice at Ezekial - the rogue easily evades the attack.
Corax begrudingly stows his axe while glaring at you. "As you command."
The centaur male nods at you. "Your apology is accepted. You may continue on into the gardens."
The centaurs turn to leave.
You note a path runs through the prairie parallel to the lake shore. It appears to merge with the forest to the north. To the south the path leads to a bridge.
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Raff winces as his allies cut deep into his query. "Careful! That thing's worth a lot'a money!" Raff drops his net, not having expected his target to be on the ground as an opener. He draws his silver falchion moving towards the beast and bringing the butt down upon the creature as hard and precisely as he could, seeming to lose himself in the concentration on the fight.
Seres eyes the newcomer warily, but makes no response as Connor and Ezekial arrive alongside him. He steps back, confident they will quickly subdue the werewolf.
Veronica bashes once more with her glimmering morningstar as the werewolf tries to stand up.
Ezekial knocks the beast to its knees with a second slice from his Kukri. Connor then drives his lance through the its back and slams the creature to the ground.
The werewolf begins to slowly revert to its human form within a widening pool of its own blood. You see that that the man is a large, tattooed kellid man. The great axe in his hand glows slightly.
Veronica says breathlessly, "Quickly! Do we try to save him?"
Sighing in releif as the Centaurs leave, Larisa unlings her pack and goes to withdraw some food only to find it all soaking wet. With a grumble she unpacks a wet handfull of nuts and eats them as she takes off her cloak, putting it on the ground to dry before she begins to take off her pants and shirt, wringing the water out of them. "First things first we're going to head over the bridge," Larisa says pointing at the path going south as she puts her clothes out to dry. "Hopefully it'll lead back where we came so you three can go back home."
Veronica says breathlessly, "Quickly! Do we try to save him?"
"He is cursed, a murderer and likely a man-eater. I see no reason to help him. Let Pharasma find him a deserving place in the afterworld."
Raff roars in victory as the werewolf reverts to his true form. Immediately calming down and answering Veronica quickly. "I'd appreciate the help, I got business with this one." Raff kneels down to the mans face trying to feel a pulse on his neck, before quickly trying to patch him up.
Veronica kneels and with a simple touch delivers a stabilize spell.
"He... may be infected. He may not know what he's done, or have been enthralled by the curse of lycanthropy. And if there's a bounty on his head, it should be fulfilled - if just to guarantee that his victims' friends and family can see that it's over." She stands and picks up the morningstar and loops it back on to her belt.
Turning to her associates, she says, "Knowing what you do about me... you understand that I feel like we need to know the circumstances of this lycanthrope."
Raff is presently surprised by Veronica's curative touch, he stands and turns to Veronica with a wily grin on his face. "Thanks for the help there, all of yea, you're definitely getting a share of the spoils." His grin hardens a bit as he realizes that his work is still not over as he hears Veronica's question. "This man is the son of a kellish chieftain, he contracted lycanthropy a while back and went on the run. I've been chasing him for a while now, his old man promised me a nice reward if I could catch and cure him"
Raff takes off his pack and digs around inside of it, seeming to find what he was looking for, a dry, stringy looking plant. "This could probably help, from what I've heard wolves bane CAN cure lycanthropy. If, that is, the patient survives the poison. I'll give him small doses while I research a better cure." His last word's are punctuated by him reaching back into the bag, retrieving a case that jangles as he moves it. "Got a place for me to set up shop?"
"It's ultimately not up to me," says Veronica with a nod of her head to Connor. "But I'm sure some arrangement can be made. I'm not sure how efficacious wolfsbane will be; it is poisonous. But I hope it works. Otherwise I don't know how to break this, ah, curse."
Connor watches the exchange quietly before responding, "Raff, I care not for your bounty. I care only that the people of this land are safe. You may keep him alive and take him, but should he escape and wreak havoc on our people again, you will be held equally accountable for any harm."
Connor cleans the end of his lance before rewarding Cinder and stowing the weapon.
"New Hope is a home for all, you are more than welcome to stay here and find a way to earn your keep. You certainly earned your place this evening by placing your trust in us."
"Let's secure his arms first. That thing looks like it could be deadly in the wrong hands."
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Intrigued Ezekial listens to both Veronica and the newcomer learning a little more about werewolves. He nods at Connor's wisdom about Raff being equally responsible if the were were to be spared on his request and then later gets away. Finally he looks at the axe. That's a nice axe. I wonder if it could possibly be the source of the lycanthropy. He says this last word as if trying out out for the first time. Or do you know how he might have gotten such a curse Raff?
Veronica kicks the greataxe aside, then as an afterthought she weaves a short enchantment to determine whether it is magical. "It certainly was no joke while it was used against me," she adds. "Seres, thank you for your timely spell - you likely saved my life."
"It could be cursed," she says to Connor, "but I thought werewolves were changed by being bitten by a werewolf? I'm actually... not terribly familiar with all of the mythology."
Raff chuckles in response to Conner addressing his request. "Well, the ever present threat of a rope around my neck will definitely motivate me to find a cure soon." Raff looks around a bit, seeming too go a little red in the face. "I knew I was forgetting something! Going after a mark without any blasted rope! Five years of training and two on the job, still making rookie mistakes like that." Looking to the others he grins sheepishly and asks. "Eh, got any rope?"
Veronica is able to stabilize the lycanthrope just before he expires. You know that he is very close to death.
At that moment Jax arrives with several guards bearing torches and heavy weapons. He nods at the slain werewolf. "Well done, my lords. I knew you would take care of business. Shall I take him to our newly constructed jail? We have a sturdy cell that should contain him."
The then looks at the decapitated body lying in the shadows of the stable. "Ah, what a shame. This would be our recently arrived traveling merchant. I believe his name was Norben. I guess he picked the wrong time to check on his horse."
The southern path curves around the southern edge of the lake to a bridge that crosses over a river that feeds the lake. After several hundred feet you come to a cross roads. The north path leads to an area enclosed by a thick, 10' high thorn hedge. The south path descends down into a wooded ravine. The western path leads to a cliff with a large wooden door inset within it.
Corax looks around and grumbles to the loggers. "We need to be looking for fey treasure. There's got to be gold hidden around here somewhere. Maybe in that lake house?"
You note that the loggers still reek horribly of skunk musk.
Larisa cradles her face as she listens to what Corax says. "Yes because fey are known for their robust system of commerce." She snarks. "It's like you're trying to be the most obtuse, rude and oblivious man I've ever meet. Did you forget what happened just now?" She says, pointing at the ankh nestled between her breasts. "We've been warned by the green man, an ancient and powerful being who is master of this realm. And now you want to go hunting for gold, what happens if the centaurs come back and try to stop you? You going to kill them?"
Grasping at air Larisa releases a cry of frustration, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm trying to help you here, what is so important to you that you're willing to go chasing sunbeams on a daft idea like fairy gold?"
Sighing she points at the other two men. "And can you two at least try and wash that stink off, you reek worse than a dirty troll."
Seres frowns at Norben, "Its a shame we weren't able to save the poor man. I sent up a signal but the response was delayed. Veronica, Moondancer and I did what we could." He ponders a moment, then looks around the area. "Did our late merchant leave any goods behind? It would be another shame to let them fall into the wrong hands."
Jax smiles at Seres and draws his broad sword. "He was an Issian weapons merchant. He sold us arms for my deputies and our new jail guards - quality steel. I imagine that we should notify Brevoy of his fate."
He returns his attention to the Kellid man. "What are your intentions for the werewolf?"
Corax sneers at Larisa, "How am I going to feed my family if I can't sell coachwood? Fey gold will do just fine. And besides, they owe it to us. That water pixie isn't the only fey that's been harassing good human colonist in the Narlmarches. It's time you pick which side you're on. The Green Man won't care as long as we don't kill 'em. These fey ain't your friend!"
You sense he is being completely honest with you.
"Turn him over to this bounty hunter. Rather not try and jail a supernatural creature, and our system of laws is probably to immature to handle the complexities of whether he is innocent or guilty of actions while under the curse. The bounty gives us an easy out, yet one that still metes justice. "
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"This has never been about trying to make friends with fey," Larisa replies, locking eyes with Corax with a stern expression on her face. "My only concern is doing right by the people I meet, be they human or otherwise. It might seem unlikely to you but I don't consider the fey my friends, they're mercurial and fickle, only a fool blindly trusts them without expecting mischief. But in same vein only a fool disrespects a people older than the land we call home. You want me to pick a side? How about you open your eyes and see it's not so clear cut, for every evil fey there's a good one."
Larisa turns away from the men, waving arm around her. "Look around at where we are. This is a place of tranquility for those willing to embrace the harmony of nature, it's not kind but it's not evil. If the Green Man or the fey wished you dead then you would be dead a hundred times over. Every time you have acted aggressively you have been rebuffed but you have not been harmed, warned but not attacked."
Making her point Larisa turns to look back at the men. "I won't pretend to know the challenges you face providing for a family, but if you'll let us we can help. We have work for you if you want it in New Hope, it's not as well paying as coachwood or fey gold but it's plentiful, steady and consistent work."
Raff looks a little uneasy when Conner brings up justice. "Well, you see. It's his dad that want's him back, don't know how harsh the man'll be on 'em." Hefting his case in his hand he cracks half a smile. "I don't think the process of curing him will be pleasant though. Maybe that'll do."
"If he's recently infected, he may be under the sway of the curse, anyway. Curing him would cure the curse. Small consolation to the families of his victims, but at least it would stop the tide of violence," says Veronica.
Connor stares coldly at Raff. "Three people in this city were murdered. I suggest you come up with some sort of equitable solution and fast. That man's life is forfeit if I see him walking free ever again. "
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"I'm not one for man-made laws and such institutions, but justice is natural. I think the lives of the murdered and the well-being of their families weighs more importantly than this man's bounty," Seres adds, nodding to the newcomer.
"I gave Raff my word, Seres. I will not renege on I now, regardless of how he may have obfuscated the details of his employer. Zeke's idea of negotiating an alliance or at least establishing a foothold depending on this Kellid's influence is a sound one. Raff, where is this father located at?"
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