The Pathfinder Society’s Master of Blades, Marcos Farabellus, rarely assigns missions himself. Rarer still do those orders come directly from the Decemvirate.
“You bold few are in for a journey,” the towering wall of a man states. He rubs his beard for a few moments, as if physically searching it for the right words. “There’s a problem in Ustalav. An embarrassing one. Most of you have probably met Vonran Vilk, the old man who used to work in the library. He was the Master of Blades well before my time; the man lived more stories than you or I have even read. A few months back he returned to his homeland of Ustalav to write his memoirs for the Society. Something happened along the way. Now, a serial killer stalks Vilk’s hometown of Ardis, killing off all his old enemies. Under the full moon. I think you get the drift."
“Look. I’m not going to blow you a lot of smoke. Vilk defined what it meant to be a good man in his day. More importantly, he’s still got secrets buried up in that geriatric head of his that the Decemvirate doesn’t want spilled on the cobblestones by some superstitious Ardisian’s silver ax. Even worse, Ustalav sees the Pathfinder Society as a band of mercenaries and grave robbers. If anyone finds out that as prominent a Pathfinder as Vilk stalks their streets and murders their nobles as the man they’re calling the ‘Midnight Mauler,’ that might be enough excuse to have the entire Society expelled from Ardis’s borders without any debate."
“Our man in Ardis, Ryado Erudyta, will meet you at the docks. Remember Pathfinders, this is going to be a very delicate mission. Ideally, you are to stop the murders without killing Vilk. But if push comes to shove, access to all the history of Ustalav outweighs any one man. Stop Vilk, whatever it takes, and do not allow his involvement in the murders to be discovered. Exercise discretion and be as diplomatic as possible in your dealings with the Ardisian authorities, but act quickly before things come to a head!"
"..."
Farabellus stares at Aeleth incredulously for a long silent moment.
"Yes, um, Aeleth, we actually need you on a different mission from the rest of your group this time. Report to Venture Captain Exiel for your, um... special assignment."
"..."
"Yes..." Farabellus replies.
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"I have no problems stopping this man from committing more murders, and I can live with doing it quietly, but I am afraid I cannot condone the actions already taken. This man must face justice for his crimes, and if we cannot let the proper authorities enact it, then some other accommodations must be made. And what of the victims' families?"
"I can understand your hesitation, Stephani, but Vilk was a good man in his day. If he has indeed contracted lycantrophy then his actions are a result of his condition. He is as much a victim as as his... well.. victims..." the Venture Captain protests, albeit a little weakly. It is apparent that he has compunction of his own.
"Look, all I'm saying is that Vilk was a good man, and he's done alot of good during his time as an active agent, both for the Pathfinder Society and for others. He deserves better than this. But the Decemvirate's orders are clear: stop the so-called Midnight Mauler's actions from increasing frictions between our Society and Ustalav. How you do that... is at your discretion," he finishes with a sigh.
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Serak gives a chuckle at the mission description.
Wait, so we're going after an ex-pathfinder who may be a were-something, and you don't want any evidence left behind? Eh, good part about that is that evidence always burns...
He punctuates his statement with a small puff of flame as he snaps his fingers, and then guffaws.
Dont worry though, I'll make sure Duskie doesn't capitalize on the opportunity and find a way to see what an undead were-whatever looks like!
Farabellus sighs again, as if having to give this mission is causing him physical pain.
"Reports indicate that it the Midnight Mauler is most likely a werewolf. I don't want it to be known that the Pathfinder Society had anything to do with the killings, even if it was at the hand of a retired agent. Ideally, you are to stop the murders without killing our former Master of Blades, but if push comes to shove, access to all the history of Ustalav outweighs any one man, regrettable as that might be."
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Yndra squints as she listens to the briefing. She occasionally looks around the group, muttering angrily under her breath. "Can you believe it? They head into Beldrin's tower, famous wizard and worshipper of Nethys, and I'm left out of the assignment. Typical! So much knowledge burned to cinders, and now the stupid tide is back up again, so we can't get back in again for months! And all that because I was stuck in the vaults doing chores for the Paracountess. Mrph!"
The situation with the former Master of Blades piques her interest, and slowly her grumbling subsides. "So, if I hear you correctly, we should not identify ourselves as Pathfinders while we are in Ustalav. Suppose that we will find Master Vilk before the authorities do - or an angry mob - do we have any idea what we should do with him? Is there a way to rid him of this... condition? Of will we need to bring silver manacles - really thick ones, presumably - and smuggle him out of there in that state? Anything else you can tell us on dealing with a creature such as he's become?"
"The Pathfinder Society is still tolerated in Ustalav, so while I wouldn't yell it from the rooftops, there should be no harm in revealing to people who you are. It is Vilk's identity as the Midnight Mauler that must be kept under wraps. But if left to run amok, he is likely to be caught sooner or later, and that is why he must be stopped before his identity is uncovered. Your primary mission is to find and stop him before the Midnight Mauler's true identity is revealed, though you would also make more than a few friends in the Society if you were able to not kill him in the process..."
15+ Violence among Ardis’s peasants is nothing new—
criminals, Sczarni, and wild animals claim common folk
regularly. But this new killer, the Midnight Mauler, kills
merchants and even nobles. No one is safe.
20+ Swift, brutal attacks under the full moon?
Everyone knows the Midnight Mauler is a werewolf, and
anyone with sense has a silver knife or wolfsbane by now.
Though the city guard won’t admit it, they spend the
days before each full moon rounding up outsiders and
expelling them from the city.
"Smuggling him out will be difficult to say the least, especially whilst he is in his lycantrophe form. I have heard of a herb called 'wolfsbane' that might be capable of curing lycantrophy if applied. Our man in Ardis, Ryado Erudyta, should be able to tell you more. After all, what is merely academic here is everyday life in Ardis, now more than ever."
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Dusklord arrives late. He enters the door in a huff, and appears to have blood and viscera up to his elbows, which he is wiping off with a carnage-soaked rag.
"Could the briefing not wait until after I completed the autopsy?" he asks, peeved.
However, he looks excited upon hearing of a mission in Ustalav. "The fog-shrouded nation of countless horrors? The Whispering Tryant? Count me in! There will be much to learn here!" he exclaims, now excited.
He claps a not-nearly-clean hand on Yndra's shoulder. "Glad to see you show up for this one, dwarf! Your eccentric knowledge would have proven more useful on our last mission, however."
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Yndra grunts. "Very well, I suppose. We'd best prepare properly. I was talking with a scribe these past days when in the archives. He had just been in Ustalav, and what he said wasn't pretty. There's violence all around, from wildlife and criminals. But before the full moon it's even worse. City guard have even begun rounding up strangers before the full moon, just as a precaution..."
She stands up, and dusts off her robes. "Well, let's get cracking then, shall we? I'd suggest making sure we have the proper gear for the job, but I assume all we need will be in ample supply in Ardis..." She ticks her wishes off on her fingers. "Silver weapon, heavy manacles, wolfsbane... Anything else?"
15+ Reports of lunar transformations
and brutal maulings in Ardis point to
lycanthropy. A werewolf likely bit Vilk
on his journey to Ardis, and he now
transforms under the full moon—
typically 3 days every month.
18+ Lycanthropes of all types shun
silver, and silver weapons penetrate
their unnaturally thick hides. The
herb wolfsbane—also called aconite or
monkshood—may cure a victim but is also
poisonous and can kill a werewolf just as easily.
20+ Having been bitten, Vilk is only a
bearer of the curse of lycanthropy,
and cannot infect others. Only those
born with lycanthropy spread the
disease to their victims.
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Dusklord nods. "Complete any purchases you require. I concur with our most knowledgeable dwarf...this is a lycanthrope, with weaknesses to silver weapons, wolfsbane, etc. Having been bitten, Vilk is only a bearer of the curse of lycanthropy, and cannot infect others. Only those born with lycanthropy spread the disease to their victims."
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"Well, it would give us justification to keep him locked up for at least three days a month... That's a lot of valuable papers and manuscripts saved, all in all. Might almost be worth it."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Starling frowns as she hears the new mission. "I would expect the Society to take better care of its former members, especially ones as esteemed as Vilk. If the stories are true he risked his life more than once for the Society in the past. If he is really a werewolf - and I must say the evidence for this isn't very strong - the Society should try to help release him from the horrible curse of lycanthropy rather than get rid of him. If our captains are unwilling to do so, " she beings, looking at Marcos with some disdain, "it will be up to us to cure his condition ourselves. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."
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"Absolutely right, Miss Starling. I was quite impressed by Professor Dusklord's expertise on this subject, so I am sure we will come up with a way to do justice to Master Vilk's person. Anyway, purchases before we set out for Ustalav, right?" Yndra rummages around the storerooms of the Grand Lodge and manages to find most of what she needs. "This silvered hammer should do if this turns to violence. Otherwise these manacles might do the job - although I am not sure they are strong enough to hold a werewolf. We'd have to find out." stuffing the manacles in her backpack, she adds "It seems like the Society won't issue us with Wolfsbane. Something about it being poisonous, and not trusting us to handle it properly. We'd have to seek out some in Ardis, it seems..."
With Aeleth safely distracted, you make your way to the docks where a ship awaits to take you to the Ustalavian town of Ardis. The trip is thankfully uneventful, for you have no doubt there will be plenty of excitement when you arrive.
Behind a row of dull, bored, gray-clad observers on the docks of Ardis’s modest harbor, an excited young man strains for a view as your ship weighs anchor. His face beams with equal parts excitement and relief as the gangplank drops.
“Well met, my brothers and sisters,” the young man says. “Thank you for coming so quickly! I am Ryado Erudyta.”
Despite his youth, Ryado approaches with a limp in his left leg. “I have a coach waiting to take us back to the safe house. We can speak more freely away from these crowds.”
The rented cab is small but well appointed, and after a moment of securing the luggage, Erudyta continues. “By now you must have heard of the unfortunate circumstances of Master Vilk’s… condition. I ran into him by chance six weeks ago at the library of a mutual friend. I was researching the Dracora family’s lineage, but that’s neither here nor there.”
He glances out the window, peering at the long, orange shadows cast by the late afternoon sun. “To my shame, I didn’t put all the clues together until the most recent round of murders, but now I see it all… Vilk’s overland journey into Ustalav under cover of darkness, the low profile he maintains, and the identities of the seemingly random victims.”
He shakes his head, showing more years than his rosy cheeks would suggest. “I wish I could stop him myself, but fighting a werewolf would’ve been well beyond my skills even before the ghouls got to me.” He knocks gently on his left leg.
“The full moon starts tonight, along with Vilk’s next round of murders. I beg you to cure our wayward master if at all possible. You’ll find curative magics scarce in Ardis, but I believe a powerful dose of wolfsbane may reverse his condition, should he survive it. There might even be enough humanity left in his bestial soul to reason with. The guards grow wise to the beast, and the locals are on edge as well—if the guards or an angry mob beat us to Vilk, the Society’s relationship to the Midnight Mauler will be exposed. We can’t let that happen. One way or another, Vilk’s rampage must end tonight.”
“I spent six weeks trying to track him down without any luck; too many of his records were simply wiped clean after his exile. If anyone in Ardis knows Vilk well enough to predict his actions, it would be his ex-lover: a half-elf courtesan named Markov Rutowski. Despite the urban decay, Ardis’s courtesans remain well insulated, and I lack the influence to even gain an audience with him. I understand Vilk’s exile was something of a black mark on Rutowski’s own career, and it likely remains a sensitive topic. It is hoped that your group will fare better.”
“Well, Vilk was exiled from Ustalav several decades ago and I imagine that he might see those involved as his enemies, but I don’t know many of the details; most of the records have been destroyed or moved to Caliphas over the past fifty years. Rumor has it he lost four fellow adventurers looting a noble family’s tomb. The family has since relocated, or else I’d say they’re our prime target. I know nothing else about the trial or the parties involved. Not many remain in Ardis with memories that long...”
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Yndra follows the others off the boat, not in the best of moods. "Well, isn't this a dreary lot, here..."
She listens to Ryado's story while in the cab, keeping one eye on him while the others roves around, creating the impression that she's on the look-out for danger.
"Your words paint a worrying and disturbing picture? of Master Vilk. Do you mean to say that he came here with the express purpose of dealing with his past? He already had this plan, even before the onset of his unfortunate condition? And what is this about him being a tomb robber? He's known in the Society as a decent man - more than that, I'd say - so this comes as quite a shock."
She whips her braid around when she realizes she has another question, annoyed at having forgotten about it earlier. "You mentioned wolfsbane. We were unable to purchase any in Absalom, but I'd venture to guess that it will be in ample supply here? The Ustalavians must have reason enough to grow and import it in reasonable quantities, don't they?"
With that out of the way, Yndra comes to immediate concerns. "It seems like this half-elf Rutowski is our best lead, but you mentioned that influence is needed to speak to him. Do we have any of that, or should we seek other methods to have some time with him, and ask him what we need to know?"
"Not at all, Miss Marthaun. Master Vilk returned with purely honourable intentions. He wanted to spend his twilight years penning his memoirs in the town he grew up in, and there was nothing to suggest that he had revenge on his mind. As for the rumour, well, it is a rumour after all, or it might have been a mistake of his youth. None of that changes the fact that he served with honour and distinction during his time with the Pathfinder Society."
"As for the wolfsbane, alas wolfsbane has become difficult to come by. The locals know lycanthrope attacks when they see them, and the local shops sell out as soon as it arrives. You may have better luck tracking it than I, though. I know a shop that was selling them for no less than 800gp. However, you may find some naturally growing plants in
the overgrown forests just outside the city’s walls if you know how to recognise them. Just be careful of the deadly, man-eating plants inhabiting the same woods..." he adds without a hint of humour.
"As for Mr Rutowski, I can supply you with his address, but the real difficulty is in getting his manservant to allow you an audience. Did Master Farabellus mention that this mission called for diplomacy?"
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"I thought maybe we should start with Mr Rutowski. There's little use in having wolfsbane if we don't even have a clue on where to find him. Maybe he has some idea where to find him, but there might be a time-critical element." She shakes her braid over the other shoulder. "Of course if the group decides otherwise, I will gladly follow suit without arguing, of course." Her look makes it clear that that might prove doubtful.
-Posted with Wayfinder
As there are still a few hours before midnight, the group decides to look for the wolfsbane first, making use of the last of the day's sunlight to aid your search. However, as you venture beyond the city walls, you are quickly reminded that this is Ustalav, not Absalom. A thin mist is already gathering and nothing to point the untrained eye to where the herb might be found.
It is now about 7pm in the evening. Please describe your search pattern/method.
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Dusklord, having read much about Ustalav, knows precisely where to go, away from much human interaction.
"Vermithrax, assist me in my search for this herb," he tells his familiar. "Spread out every fifteen feet and walk parallel to each other," he instructs his companions. "The flower is deep blue or even purple."
Tangled masses of roots and undergrowth hamper movement in this wood, and straining branches overhead blot out nearly all natural light. Less than a hundred feet into the overgrown forest, all signs of the nearby city vanish, leaving nothing but shockingly untamed wilderness.
Following Dusklord's instructions, you spread out and begin your search.
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"Really?" Yndra scoffs. "An anti-social plant? Well, this is going to be a fun trip (!)" The dwarven woman falls into the search pattern, as decided by Dusklord. "So, what do you all guess? Where the plants infected by the lovely attitude of the people here, or just the other way around...?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
After searching for about half an hour, Dusklord spots the small blue flowers hanging from the tall stalks poking above the undergrowth. As he approaches, however, he also notices that there is a rather... familiar... vine coiled near the base of the plant. His extensive reading allows him to identify it as a carnivorous plant called an assassin vine.