Jaru listens with interest. "Then we may need to intercede once more in case our new friend is somehow redirected to darker purposes.
Your rest and the acquisition of new equipment takes the night and into the next day but Justice Daramid provides you with riding horses and tells you the journey is 3 days by horse and 4-5 by foot.
You ride for Schloss Caromarc, camping the first night without incident but in riding out the next morning you come across a grizzly scene about 2 hours after dawn.
There are the corpses of what could be as many as twenty men in a clearing just off the edge of the road. It is hard to tell the exact number because the men have been hewn apart, but the wounds are strange... as if seared shut even as the weapon or weapons that did the deed cut these men asunder.
The night before they leave for Schloss Caromarc...
The night is fresh and laden with humidity as Emmett sits on the portal to light up a pipe and look at the stars. But through the smoke, he notices an altogether different constellation, rising in the dark alley to his left. A pair of bright points staring directly at him.
Strangely, confidence rises through him, and Emmett grunts while resuming his study of the night sky.
Slowly, the two points approach, hesitantly, and a big, feral-looking, mangy dog makes his way to the porch, his black and mustard pelt rising in apprehension.
Emmett takes a slab of dried meat from his coat pocket and offers it to the dog, who slowly approaches, smells the hand and the food, then chooses to lap the hand before taking the meat.
A warm smile shines through the old watchman's beard and he says: "You are Sterne. No doubt about it."
The next day, when Emmett rides out, Stern is there, and rides alongside his nervous horse.
Your rest and the acquisition of new equipment takes the night and into the next day but Justice Daramid provides you with riding horses and tells you the journey is 3 days by horse and 4-5 by foot.
You ride for Schloss Caromarc, camping the first night without incident but in riding out the next morning you come across a grizzly scene about 2 hours after dawn.
There are the corpses of what could be as many as twenty men in a clearing just off the edge of the road. It is hard to tell the exact number because the men have been hewn apart, but the wounds are strange... as if seared shut even as the weapon or weapons that did the deed cut these men asunder.
"Keep your eyes open. Either the ones who did this are still around, or these corpses are not so dead after all..." Emmett says as he dismounts and frees his bow, preparing an arrow.
Elidal is sure she's seen this before though nearly not on as horrific a scale.
Oh it seems so long ago, but it was only about two months earlier... on the outskirts of a small town where your caravan stopped on the way to Ravengro and the group, new to each other, got into a bar room brawl. One of the chief antagonists wandered out after dark and was found decapitated by a weapon that if not the same weapon, is its close brother.
The weapon that inflicted the brutal severing strikes was razor sharp - sharper even, and the wounds are not seared shut as much as... well, one might ask... can cold 'burn'?
There are hoof prints all around the site but the hoof prints vanish 100 feet beyond the carnage.
Emmett does not have Elides background but he too sees much to dismay and confuse him. What ever did this? It was definitely not natural but fortunately seems gone now.
What is curious is that even flies and bugs that could be expected to be gathered around the fresh corpses are not in evidence - it is as if nature herself was avoiding the spot.
Jaru is jarred by the memory of the beheading. "Yes, we've seen this before. The mysterious beheading horseman!"
If Jaru was going to bet on the butcher responsible for these mens deaths? A Dullahan would fit the mould.
One thing becomes clear, there are a lot of pitchforks and torches as well as bottles of alcohol, some broken, some not that were carried by the men, as well as some supplies.
It would seem this is a mob of people from Lepidstadt who have come down the road on the way to Schloss Caromarc.
But for the one thing clear, there is another thing that is unclear - Why were they heading as a mob to the residence of the last ruler of Lepidstadt? What did they know?
Nalun frowns he has no answers for the party.
"You've met a beheading horseman before? And live to tell the tale!? I'm impressed... Now, why were these men on the road? Seems like they were hunting Vengeance... It also seems like they knew where to find it. Perhaps... Perhaps that alchemist's enemies survived Vengeance and have figured who sent it after them?" muses Emmett, partly to himself.
"Not actually met the dark spirit, but found its bloody work." Jaru traces the spiral over the scene of carnage. "I did have some discussions with Father Grimburrow before we left Ravengro and learned of some local threats. A dullahan is an undead abomination that rises from a particularly cruel military officer of some type. They return from Hell to reap more souls."
Simeon stoops to examine the remains on the ground , poking at some parts with his staff, "Facinating....burned...here and here...but no charring as one would expect....cold fire...hmmm."
He looks up owlishly when then talk turns to the subject of dullahan, "Indeed, a most miserable creature. But why here? Is is just a coincidence that our paths cross once more"
Jaru considers. "Father Grimburrow claimed that it sought souls that were destined for Hell. Based on our experience however, the thing seems to bear a grudge against drunk peasants that cross us. Fate willing, he will take Gibbs next."
Emmett looks at Jaru, a little shyly, and said: "What should we do with the bodies?"
Jaru can say the rights and if you all work together you can get the remains buried though it will take some time. Burning is also a possibility though good burnable wood will also take time to harvest and then set up.
Father Toth can say the rites. I guess we gotta bury them Emmett. Nalun says, but then he realizes no one has a shovel.
Jaru sighs. "The bodies must be treated properly. I don't think burial is an option without a shovel though. We can lay them out and cover them with rocks to try and keep the carrion feeders away for now."
I was afraid he would say that...
"Very well then... I'll gather stones, while some of you can start laying out the dead and sending them off to Her Boneyard."
The work is demanding and long but you complete the burial cairn. It has taken you the bulk of the day. You travel onwards, resting again the next night and pushing on the next day. In the afternoon you are before Schloss Caromarc.
Impressive...and ominous. Nalun says, a shiver running down his spine.
Jaru follows with an eye to the sky. "At least we may get a roof over our head though it does not look like much of a roof," he says shaking his head.
Simeon gazes up at the Schloss, his eyes lingering on the older building, then travelling up , up to linger on the towering lightning conductor.
"How quaint." he observse drily, then eying the darkening sky, "And how typical. If it isn't a headless reaper of souls, it's the blasted weather that follows."
Pulling his cloak up over his head, he follows Elidal to the gatehouse.
A two-story stone gatehouse leads into the castle, topped with a crenellated tower at each corner. The main gate is closed. The strong wooden gate is bound with iron and barred from within.
At your shouts, for the moment, yield nothing.
Elidal can hear some shuffling and a wierd grunt from within the structure. Something is moving around.
Upon Elidal's report, Jaru just looks annoyed. "More snuffling gates," he mutters. "OPEN UP! WE have news for the Count!"
A large and exceedingly ugly creature hefts itself up to the crellelations and levels a VERY large crossbow at Jaru before pulling the trigger.
for
Jaru gasps. "What-?" He quickly calls upon his god for healing and dashes for cover.
At a further glance, the creature is hideous - its skin is a sickly, greenish hue and its eyes are pools of inky blackness. Its face is long and angular, with a solid, pointy chin and a crooked, hawkish nose, and its hair looks more like a mat of forest weeds and rests tangled and greasy on its heavy brow. There is an air of unsettled violence about it—its hands end in razor-sharp claws and its body seems taut and agile despite its size.
It laughs cruelly as it starts winding back on its oversized crossbow.
There is no cover where you are at... leaving you to come up with your own options.
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Simeon's face pinches up as the figure rises up and shoots Jaru, "It's a damned Troll. We'll have to burn the damn thing!"
He reaches for a flask on his belt, but then thinks of a different strategy.
He crouches a little, covering his face with his hand, fingers quivering while uttering a few incantations, then suddenly his hand fly apart and
shows the fearsome visage he's adopted, "Boo!" he says at the Troll.
+ special...
The Troll roars in its defiance.
Caught with our pants down! Out in the open. thinks Emmett, and he urges his companions: "Don't waste your breath, we're in a losing position. Let's move out of here and rethink our approach!"
He'll leave last if the others follow his advice. Otherwise, he'll draw his bow and move to a firing position.
Nalun gestures at the Troll before moving away from it!
The troll seems completely unphased by Naluns spell.
"Yes!" Simeon exclaims, "A sound strategy!"
He scurries back with the others.
You move out of the line of sight of the coach house, the troll taking another potshot (but missing).
"Now what? Do counts usually use trolls to welcome guests at their gate? Seems to me there is something fishy going on here. I just don't like it."
Whatever it is...we should be well prepared before facing that Troll again.
Cats Grace from Wand on Jaru and himself (3 mins)
Heroism on Elidal AND Emmett (Scrolls) 30 mins
Jaru frowns touching the still tender wound left by the giant bolt. "I thought trolls lurked under bridges, at least according to the stories of your land."
He looks to Emmett. "How will we pass?"