|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ok, so FYI my Haunting of Harrowstone is still in the works, but I figured I'd start with what I have. I do appreciate questions and welcome constructive criticism. This is the exact same material I give my players after we complete a session.
Trial of the Beast: Session 1
Journey from Ravengro
The distance from Ravengro to Lepidstadt is about 100 miles. No journey in Ustalav is without risk, but the old Mountain Road is generally regarded as the best route. This road follows the southeastern foothills of the Tusk Mountains, passing through the towns of Tamrivena and Courtaud before following the Lesser Moutray River up to Lepidstadt.
The city of Lepidstadt is currently the scene of intense local excitement. The dreaded Beast of Lepidstadt—a terrifying abomination that has terrorized the people of Vieland for years—has been captured. Hundreds of people have flocked to the city hoping to catch a glimpse of the horror and watch it burn for its crimes.
The heroes decided that the best method of travelling would be by horseback. They walked a day’s travel from Ravengro to the Hamlet of Ghaervan. Ghaervan specialized in travelers and had a large stable and sold horses regularly.
Night at Ghaervan Inn
The heroes paid for their rooms and meals, and settled in for the evening to enjoy the troubadours, their drinks, and good company. Most of the heroes decided to turn in for an early evening to get an early start the next day, but Janos was hitting it off nicely with a pretty brunette stable maid. As the evening winded down, she urged him to go pay for their drinks, and gave him a key to her room in the inn, telling him she’d like to continue where they left off.
Paying for their drinks, he drunkenly stumbled up the stairs and to her room, slipped the key in, and opened the door. The room was dark, and the only light was coming from the turned down lamp on the nightstand. Janos kicked off his boots and he began to stumble over to the bed. He had just reached the edge of the bed when the hairs on the back of his neck rose up in alarm. There was movement next to the bed on the other side, and he had just stepped barefoot in something wet and warm.
Janos cautiously reached over and turned the lamp up, and was immediately startled by small black demonic looking creature sporting a black cape. It hissed angrily at him from the far side of the bed, and jumped onto the window sill, and then from there, clear up two stories to the roof of the inn. Janos running to see its path ran to the window, and then seeing he’d lost it, went to check on his date.
He ripped back the blanket covering her, and was shocked at the brutality and sheer amount of blood that splattered over him from the blanket. His date looked as if she’d been given an autopsy while still alive. Janos shocked himself into action realizing that he was the only person seen entering this room, and knew few would believe him that a small demonic creature had done this.
He rushed from the room to get help from his friend Gedron, Cleric of Pharasma across the hall. His pounding and yelling alerted the other guests, and it wasn’t long before someone called for the guards, and he sat accused of murder in the downstairs commons by the Hamlet’s constable and Deputy.
Giving Chase
The Constable interrogated Janos about his intentions, who he was, and anything that the Constable could find out about his involvement with the stable maid. Due to some quick thinking by Gedron, and to Kendra volunteering to take his place if he skipped town, the Constable agreed to set Janos free if he could bring the real killer to justice.
They began their search on the roof of the inn, and not finding anything there in the pouring rain, began to spread out from the inn and started searching the surrounding grounds for any sign of the murderer. Finally after searching through the mud, rain, and filth they found a single track. It was a cloven hoofed track, and not from any natural animal that the heroes could identify. They assumed this was their killer.
Spreading out again they managed to find tracks heading towards the Maidensnarl Forest, spread out 10 ft or more, as if someone was bounding; trading feet on each landing. Finally, the came to the forest’s edge, and the heroes balked at entering the forest at midnight, and began to debate on what they should do. Gedron then perceived that a set of bright red glowing eyes were watching them. Sergei spotted it and threw an alchemical bomb at the eyes, and then all hell broke loose. The eyes caused the fear they held to manifest to a burning panic in Gedron who dropped his mace and ran for town. Then before they could further react, the creature sent Janos and Sergei scattering as it breathed fire from the trees on them, and then disappeared into the forest night.
Regrouping
Recovering their gear, and heading back to the Ghaervan Inn, the heroes recounted their story. Sergei stated the creature was probably the illusive Spring Heeled Jack, a mythical fey creature with a penchant for brutal murder and sowing terror. The Constable obviously terrified by what he was faced against, conferred with the owner of the inn, and they together offered the heroes, and anyone willing 250gp to kill the creature or at least drive it from Ghaervan permanently.
Two travelers of skill offered to join the heroes in bringing the murderous creature to justice, Prospero the Oracle and Alatier, the Cavalier. The two new heroes had decided to leave their respective families at the inn to wait for them while they brought the Spring Heeled Jack to justice. As they were getting ready to leave, a rain drenched man burst through the door, yelling that there’d been another murder.
The man was the brother of the latest murder victim, and he heard about the latest murder and went to check on his sister to make sure she was alright when he found her dead, and chopped up. He implored the constable and the heroes to come investigate this latest murder, and avenge his late sister.
Additional Murder
The heroes trekked to the edge of the hamlet; they noted that this home was probably the closest of the cottages to the Forest. Janos, having been a detective in Caliphas set to work investigating the scene of the crime.
The first thing he noted was that the body was not butchered in the same fashion as the girl in the inn, and not with a small weapon such as the dagger he saw the creature wield. Alatier utilizing his time as a professional soldier noted that the wounds reminded him of an axe wound. Further, they noted instead of being split open like the girl in the inn, she’d only had her legs and arms removed. The last detail was there were no cloven hoof prints, but prints resembling a large 6 ft plus man whose prints headed towards the Maidensnarl. The heroes made the deduction that based on their evidence there was likely another killer.
Through the Maidensnarl
The heroes followed the new set of foot prints from the hut, and they led them to the edge of the Maidensnarl Forest as well. Janos & Prospero continued to track the murderer’s tracks deeper and deeper into the forest. After a couple hours of tracking, Janos discovered that another pair of tracks stood beside the Murderer’s tracks. These tracks were cloven hoofed, and appeared as if they were looking at the other set of tracks as well.
Another hour deeper into the forest, and the heroes stopped as they heard something running up ahead which appeared to be veering off drastically from their course. The heroes decided not to give chase, but to stick to the set of tracks they were following, assuming it may be some form of red herring. When they came up to where the sound originated, they saw more cloven hoof prints.
Still, another hour into the forest, Janos and Prospero heard the snap of twine, and the lightening fast approach of a spiked branch. Prospero’s instincts allowed him to hit the ground and avoid the trap, but Janos was not quite so quick, finding himself impaled on one of the branches, not that Prospero didn’t fix him up with a few quick prayers.
Forest Cabin
The heroes following the tracks, finally broke into a forest clearing, in the center of the clearing sat a small one room cottage. They were immediately suspicious, and slowly entered the clearing. That’s when Gedron noticed on top of the cabin that same set of eyes from earlier in the night was watching them. Gedron shouted the alarm as Spring Heeled Jack breathed fire on top of the cabin, setting it ablaze, and then jumped away fleeing the scene.
From inside the cabin they heard a roar of rage, and sending the front door flying from its hinges a giant of a man burst from the cottage, his eyes bloodshot with rage, his hands holding a gigantic axe. The heroes could see his outrage, and that he was ready to spill blood. The man took one look at Prospero, and charged across the gap between them, and cleaved Prospero from shoulder to hip, the shock of it not even giving him a chance to cry out in pain.
The rest of the party, working fast, managed to bring down the enraged and crazy woodsman a moment later. As they finished, cleaning their blades, another man broke into the clearing, looking very similar to the now dead Prospero. This man was as it turned out Prospero’s brother Franco. He’d been left behind at the inn, and decided to track down and catch up to his older brother to help him.
While Franco mourned his brother’s death, Sergei began to stitch him back together, Alatier began to dig a grave, and Janos investigated the still burning hut. Inside he found it lined with the bones of dozens of bodies, and in the stew pot in the hearth, he could see human arms & legs. Nothing of value or anything of importance found, he left the hut to burn.
The Nest
The heroes then discussed what their next course of action should be. They all acknowledged that they’d brought at least one killer to justice, but they weren’t sure how he even fit into the picture. They also realized while they did stop this killer, they’d not stopped Spring Heeled Jack, and should track him down and stop him for good.
Janos decided to begin searching the lower branches of trees to see if he could pick up the trail, and through careful examination he was able to find the trail, and carefully went about tracing where Jack went. The going was slow though, and it took him 3 hours to track Jack 2-3 miles deeper into the forest.
It led them to a small waterfall, and on the edge of the brook, at the top of the waterfall, on the far side, they found a dug out 3-4 ft high mud wall. It was seemingly built halfway around a nest of sorts. It had furs of small animals, fingers, bones, and what appeared to be a mad creature’s perception of knick knacks.
The heroes figured this must be Spring Heeled Jack’s nest. They guessed that Jack was likely a nocturnal creature and if he wasn’t already nearby watching them, he was likely to return and they would lay in hiding in the nearby trees to ambush him upon his return, after hiding to the best of their ability, they waited to spring their trap.
Unfortunately, what they suspected was entirely true. Jack had been watching them pick through his nest, and listened closely as they planned to ambush him. Unfortunately for them, as he sprung his ambush, Alatier was too alert for him, and managed to dodge Jack’s dagger. Then shouting the alarm, the rest of the heroes were quick to assist. Too quick for Jack, and they had killed him moments later, having done no more damaged than a grazing slash to Alatier.
Sergei intent on dissecting Jack took slung him over his back and they all headed home, feeling mostly good about the nights work. Aside from the loss of Prospero, it was a largely a huge success. As they neared the town, the body of Jack burst into flames. Sergei tried everything he could do to stop the body from burning, but to no avail. Soon, the body was nothing more than ashes. He stoppered up a sample of the ashes, and they continued on.
The Crooked Kin
The heroes collected their payment, stayed another night since, the night before had not been all that restful, and continued on the next morning. The Journey through Tamrivena went without event, and it wasn’t until they were halfway to Courtaud that they saw anything unusual.
They came across a caravan of nine covered Varisian wagons pulled by nags that had pulled off to the side of the road. The wagons are gaudily painted and depict the show’s performers beneath the legend, “The Crooked Kin—Ustalav’s Greatest Traveling Cabinet of Curiosities!” Each wagon has a front and back door opening onto cramped living accommodations inside.
When the heroes arrived, the various members of the troupe are milling aimlessly around the stopped caravan. Two pinheaded girls are crying and distraught, which in turn is causing the Wolf Child to howl inconsolably. A bearded lady and a four armed princess are trying to comfort them while the other performers argue over the best course of action to take. A large 7 ft. tall pale blond man and paraplegic man are in favor of mounting a search party to find someone named Aleece, but a short, hunched man with a distorted appearance and the three multilimbed clowns are reluctant to venture into the nearby fens for fear that whatever happened to Aleece might happen to them.
The heroes began to discuss if they should help them, Franco was in favor of leaving the “Carnies” to whatever their fate was, and the others seemed reluctant to do something fearing some kind of trick or trap. It was Sergei who decided to bite the bullet and address the Crooked Kin, and as he did, someone with an air of authority stepped out of one of the wagons.
In the ensuing discussion he explained that one of their performers Aleece had gone to investigate a cry for help a short ways away. When she didn’t return within a few minutes, they’d all began to worry, and worry turned to a fear for the worst now that it had been several hours since then. He further explained that none of them are in any way combat ready, and that he would appreciate some assistance from well armed and skilled individuals at bringing her back. In return, he promised them a magic dagger he possessed.
The heroes headed into the fens following Aleece’s tracks for about a mile. Then, through some marshy, midge infested waters and high reeds they entered onto a small island clearing. Suspecting a trap, they immediately scanned for magic and found a minor aura, but nothing more. Then they all heard a girl’s voice call out for help, and it was assumed that it was Aleece’s voice calling for help. Though, those with the keenest ears found there was something not quite right with the voice. Janos moved into the clearing cautiously, listening for any sound of attack, and called back to the voice asking for its’ name, when behind him he heard, “Aleece!”
What the rest of the party saw was a large phase spider step out of the ethereal plane and bite Janos on the shoulder, injecting its venom deep into his bloodstream. The spider immediately retreated back to the ethereal plane to wait for its poison to take effect. Though, fortunately for Janos, Sergei kept some anti-toxin handy and with it, cured the venom from his body.
Then they waited for the spider to attack again, Prospero waited and when it appeared he color sprayed it with an advanced spell, and knocked it out, stunning it and the players finished it off.
The heroes searched the clearing for Aleece, found her recently slain body, and a few other discarded items from past victims of the phase spider. The group then headed back to the Crooked Kin, to deliver the bad news. Kaleb gave the heroes the magical dagger as promised, and offered the heroes a stay in one of their spare wagons, and asked if they’d be will to travel with them to Lepidstadt. To which the heroes promptly declined and the rest of their journey to Lepidstadt was uneventful
Lepidstadt – 6 Gozran @ 3pm
Upon their arrival in Lepidstadt, the heroes find an almost carnival atmosphere in the city. The trial of the Beast of Lepidstadt has already commenced, and things don’t look good for the creature. A huge pyre in the shape of a man—Lepidstadt’s famous Punishing Man—has been erected in the main circle outside the courthouse, and locals eagerly add fuel to the effigy in preparation for the Beast’s execution.
Lepidstadt is a small city on the banks of the Lesser Moutray River, most famous for its university and the strange standing stones outside the city called the Spiral Cromlech. Recently renovated, Lepidstadt is a bustling, lively city of students and academics, with newly bricked streets, wide plazas, and grandiose structures built from imported wood and stone. Away from the university and city center, however, the narrow, winding streets of Lepidstadt show the signs of its age, with dilapidated hovels, crumbling stone walls, and cramped courtyards.
Upon their arrival, the heroes had two tasks to fulfill, deliver the books to Dr. Montagnie Crowl, and discreetly deliver another book to Judge Embreth Daramid at her residence. The heroes decided to start with Dr. Crowl.
Dr. Montagnie Crowl – 6 Gozran @ 3:30pm
Lepidstadt University is quite easy to find, and heroes when they enquired about Dr. Crowl were directed there. Further, they quickly learned that the eccentric professor is well known in town, particularly in light of the recent theft from his department that famously led to the capture of the dreaded Beast of Lepidstadt, who now sits on trial. When the heroes arrived at the university, they were greeted by the sight of several builders and craftsman working to repair the damage to the Antiquities Department caused by the Beast during the theft.
When the heroes met Dr. Montagnie Crowl they learned that he is the Professor of Antiquities at the university. An eccentric but likeable man, he is prone to waving his arms about enthusiastically. He met the heroes in the department’s combination library and workshop. The workshop was slowly being cleaned up, but it was still a mess. Dr. Crowl is saddened to learn of his old friend and colleague Lorrimor’s death and accepts the bequeathed objects with sad gratitude.
When asked about the damage to his department, Crowl relates the tale of the Beast’s break in and the curious fact that only one item was taken—a strange statuette called the Seasage Effigy. Crowl is frankly baffled by events—he admits that the statuette was very singular, but it was hardly valuable. Although the stolen statue has not been recovered, he is pleased that the Beast was caught, though he understands the poor creature cannot explain its actions and is clearly mad.
Judge Embreth Daramid – 6 Gozran @ 4pm
The heroes decided at this point to continue on and finish up their delivery job. When they asked about her they found that she lives in a fine townhouse surrounded by art in the center of Lepidstadt. They also found out that she is well respected for her even temper and fairness, and is one of the justices of Vieland and a magistrate of Lepidstadt.
Judge Daramid invites the heroes into her home when they arrive. She is in her sixties, with gray hair pulled back tightly into a bun and icy blue eyes. She is a stern, no nonsense woman who appears to be all business, but a though the heroes with keen insight found that Lorrimor’s death has affected her more than she lets show, hinting that perhaps their relationship was, at one time at least, more than professional.
She asked the heroes if they have completed the tasks in Lorrimor’s will, and graciously accepts the book left to her. The heroes questioned her about the purple book bequeathed to her; she did not reveal anything other than confirming its title. When pressed on the issue she turned stern and said in time that they may learn more of it, but they were not ready yet. She then paid each of the heroes their 100pp for completing their task.
Once the business of Professor Lorrimor’s will was concluded, Judge Daramid asked the heroes to stay for moment, adding that she was in need of some assistance, and if Petros trusted them, then she might be inclined to trust them as well.
Judge Daramid explains that she believes there is a cancer in Lepidstadt, a darkness lurking behind the shadow of a scapegoat. For many years the people of Lepidstadt have laid all their ills at the door of a creature known as the Beast of Lepidstadt—murders, thefts, and terror have all been attributed to the Beast, but Judge Daramid knows that many stories are exaggerations or simply untrue. She also knows that some people have different stories to tell about the creature—about its kindness and humanity, of how it has rescued loved ones or helped those in distress. Now that the time has arrived for such kindness to be repaid, however, no one dares to step forward and challenge the Beast’s reputation.
As a judge, she has a keen sense of justice, and she fears the Beast will not receive a fair trial. The people of Lepidstadt have blamed the Beast for too much and for too long, and they want it to pay for its crimes, whether those crimes are real or imagined. In addition, the judge has some concerns about the crime for which the Beast was finally apprehended—the break-in and theft at Lepidstadt University. She is also convinced that the Beast’s capture at the university was not all it appeared to be, for why would a creature that is intelligent knowingly enter the university, where it was certain to be trapped? However, to publicly announce her suspicions could put her at great risk, both professionally and politically. As one of the three justices presiding over the Beast’s trial, she is unable to openly intervene, other than insisting that the Beast be properly defended in court.
What Judge Daramid really needs is a group of people without local bias to uncover the real truth about the Beast and its alleged crimes. The Beast’s legally appointed advocate, a barrister named Gustav Kaple, is hopelessly over his head and needs help—ideally someone to gather evidence about the Beast’s alleged crimes and stand up in court to be questioned by the prosecution. Such speakers must have bravery in spades and silver tongues to match, to ensure that if there is more to the Beast’s story, justice will be done. If the Beast is indeed guilty, then Daramid can rest easier at night knowing that she gave it a fair trial.
Daramid bluntly offered to double the heroes bequest from Lorrimor’s will (100 platinum pieces each) if they investigate the Beast of Lepidstadt on her behalf while expressly keeping her out of the equation, as any hint of collaboration in their investigations would put her legal objectivity into question. She tells the heroes that she will deny any involvement in the matter if pressed, but that if they do get to the bottom of the matter, she will be very grateful indeed.
When the heroes accepted, Judge Daramid directed them to the Lepidstadt Courthouse instructing them to register with the court clerks as volunteer defenders for the Beast and then meet with Barrister Gustav Kaple, to offer their assistance in gathering clues to help the Beast’s defense.
Lepidstadt Courthouse – 6 Gozran @ 4:50pm
The heroes left the Daramid Residence and headed across the central plaza to the courthouse a short ways away. Designed primarily as a fortification, the Lepidstadt Courthouse is built of dark stone, with walls of reinforced masonry. The building is three stories high, with narrow, open windows only a foot wide. All exterior doors are strong wooden doors, while interior doors are good wooden doors.
In the square immediately outside the courthouse stands the Punishing Man, Lepidstadt’s traditional method of executing murderers and other criminals guilty of capital crimes. The Punishing Man is a gigantic, man-shaped conglomeration of cut timber standing over 30 feet tall. Convicted criminals are placed within the figure’s hollow chest cavity and the entire structure is then set on fire in a public ceremony. Currently, eager workers pile more timber against the figure’s legs and oil its wooden limbs, while children play games at its side and throw grass, flowers, and rubbish onto it.
Barrister Gustav Kaple – 6 Gozran @ 5pm
The heroes were directed by the guards to first register with the court clerks as defenders of the beast, and then given directions to meet with the Barrister.
Barrister Gustav Kaple meets the heroes in the Defense Chamber. When wearing his huge court wig, Gustav cuts an impressive figure. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving— Gustav has had several recent failures in the justice system and seen his last six clients hanged. In truth, the down-at-the-heels barrister was chosen to represent the Beast precisely because of his inability to defend anyone and for his stutter, which manifests itself when he is stressed.
Although Gustav has no doubt that the Beast is guilty, he plans to defend the creature to the best of his ability, but he is struggling to find any kind of evidence in support of the Beast’s innocence. Gustav is happy to tell the heroes the circumstances leading to the Beast’s capture at the University (explained further on), and outline the legal process involved in the trial (Explained in detail further on). He informed the heroes that the prosecution is using three recent crimes attributed to the Beast to convict the creature of murder: the murder of 10 citizens of the village of Morast a year ago; the slaying of six children in the farming community of Hergstag 7 months ago; and the arson attack 4 months ago at the Sanctuary on Karb Isle, which resulted in the deaths of Doctor Brada and his patients and the blinding of the doctor’s assistant, Karl.
Gustav has interviewed the main witnesses from each of the three cases to be discussed at the trial and has found that their stories are very plausible. He wishes to see justice done, however, and he is certain that without evidence in its favor, the Beast will be convicted. To that end, he is willing to assist the heroes with their investigations (unless he is at court). His role in court is to present evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and clear the Beast of any wrongdoing. Because of his stutter, however, he suggests that if the heroes find any evidence that can help the Beast, it might be better for one of them to present it.
Gustav is very concerned about time. He informs the heroes that the trial has already commenced, and preliminary evidence has been presented to the three justices. The trial begins in earnest tomorrow, however, as the majority of the evidence for the three crimes will be presented over the next 3 days. The heroes must act fast if they hope to find evidence in support of the Beast’s innocence. Gustav suggests that the heroes investigate the events in Morast first, as that evidence will be presented tomorrow. They can then investigate the other two crimes over the following two nights. Finally, with no other pressing questions, he suggested that the players meet the beast for themselves.
The Beast of Lepidstadt – 6 Gozran @ 5:30pm
Gustav Kaple escorts the heroes into the courthouse’s cellar jail to meet the Beast of Lepidstadt, and got their first look at the legendary beast. The towering abomination sat in an iron chair, bound with no less than a dozen sets of manacles. Stitching holds together this grotesque patchwork of flesh and bone, beast and man, though the wires are so taut they look as though they may fly apart at any moment. Its mouth is twisted in a permanent sneer, and a shock of lank, dark hair clings to its scalp. The creature slumps in its chair, a despondent expression upon its monstrous face.
It was dirty and miserable, covered in flies, and more likely to roar at them and strain at its bonds than to speak at first. If the heroes deftly calmed the Beast down, but still found communicating with it difficult at best.
The Beast didn’t seem to fully comprehend its predicament, and struggles to understand why the humans have imprisoned and tortured it. When questioned about it’s break in at the University it seemed confused itself on why it was there, and stated that it woke up there, and became upset.
The heroes questioned it further about where it was from, who created it, and whom it’s friends were. The only usable piece of information they got out of their questioning was that the Beast had a friend named Ellsa whom died, and he tried to return to her father only to be driven away. Gustav linked this event to the crimes in Hergstag. The heroes dropped this line of questioning since the beast began to apparently laugh at the death of Ellsa, but Janos seemed unsure it was actually laughing and questioningly asked the other heroes if it was crying, but dropped the issue there to press on to the University, since when questioned about it’s other crimes the Beast would simply reply “I didn’t do it.”
The Theft at Lepidstadt University
Dr. Crowl is quite willing to allow the heroes to investigate the scene of the crime, although he warns them that a good deal of cleaning up has already taken place. The trail of the thief is easy to follow—the thief broke in through the back door, and then passed through the auditorium on his way to the workshop where the Seasage Effigy was kept. The back door to the Antiquities Department was originally locked with a superior lock, but it is clear that the door was recently damaged. The 1-inch-thick iron door is currently locked with a makeshift padlock and only crude repairs have been made.
The simple wooden door leading from the back door foyer into the auditorium has been broken off its hinges, as has the far door leading to the workshop. Paneled in oak, the auditorium contains a sunken, 5-foot-deep central area lined with books, tribal fetishes, and curiosities. A small stage and lectern stand in the center of this area, which is edged with a low oak rail, worn smooth from the touch of years of students gazing into the Master’s lecture room below.
The high–ceilinged workshop/library is lined with mostly empty shelves, and a trio of great leaded windows looks out over the university lawn. A staggering array of books, scrolls, maps, and curios, including shrunken heads, tribal masks, and bits of pottery, lie scattered all over the floor, apparently pulled from the shelves. The room is otherwise crowded with overturned tables, desks, and cabinets.
When questioned about the stolen statue, Dr. Crowl happily discussed the Seasage Effigy. He was unsure of where the statuette originally came from, but he knows it’s been part of the department’s collection for many years. Physically, the effigy is a murky green statuette depicting a grotesque creature writhing with tentacles. Dr. Crowl admits that he found the effigy fascinating, as it appeared to be an anomaly, an idol of some sort that did not seem to correlate to the worship of any known divine being. He privately suspects that the statuette depicts something only whispered of in the ancient legends of Golarion—some sort of creature from the mysterious Dark Tapestry. Regardless of such idle speculation, however, Dr. Crowl believes the Seasage Effigy’s distinct appearance will make it easy to recover, and he expects the statuette to be found soon.
University Clues
1. The back doors was clearly forced open from the outside and further the remains of fine silver wire and a tiny bell attached to the door, which were identified as the material components of an alarm spell.
2. The smell of beeswax lingering in the air in the auditorium.
3. There are a few deep scratches on the wooden rail. Further searching found that the tiled floor of the sunken central area immediately under the scratched rail above determines that something heavy landed or fell here.
4. Despite the mess in the workshop, the heroes noticed that one area in the room appears to be untouched, in stark contrast to the damage seen elsewhere in the department. Indeed, the pedestal that once held the Seasage Effigy is crowded with small fetishes and delicate mother-of-pearl fish carvings that are undamaged.
5. The workshop’s windows have clearly not been opened for many years, as evidenced by the build-up of grime around them. However, further investigation reveals that the center window, though now shut, has no such grime.
University Deductions
When the back door was forced open, an alarm spell alerted the guards in a nearby guardroom, who arrived 6 rounds later to “overpower” the Beast. These guards, if interviewed, remember finding the Beast rampaging through the workshop, but they did not see any accomplices.
Questioning the department staff reveals that the smell in the auditorium is from the polish used by the cleaners on all the wood in the university. The scratches on the rail and impressions in the floor could easily have been made by the Beast’s iron-shod boots.
The workshop’s center window, though stiff, opens easily, but opening the other windows required someone of significant strength or multiple individuals. If questioned about the windows, the staff states that the window was shut when they arrived after the crime.
Though all of the clues found in the Antiquities Department point to the Beast of Lepidstadt as the culprit, there are still some unanswered questions. What was the Beast’s motive for stealing the Seasage Effigy? Why did it rampage through the workshop but remove the statuette with such care? And what did it do with the stolen statue before it was captured?
|
|
The Swampers of Morast
The first crime the Beast was charged with was the killing of 10 people in Morast, a small hamlet in the Dippelmere Swamp about 8 miles east of Lepidstadt. A narrow trail leads from Lepidstadt to the village. Morast is a miserable collection of 20 or so wattle-and-daub hovels built on stilts above the swamp and connected by soggy wooden boardwalks. The villagers make their livings fishing and occasionally bringing in a blood caiman (a variety of crocodilian with a red-scaled head that is native to the north) to eat or sell.
The swampers of Morast are a curious group. Local rumor claims that somewhere in their somewhat inbred ancestry, they mingled with strange swamp creatures, tainting their blood and marking them with queer countenances. No one knows how or why, but the people of Morast have legendary constitutions—sickness is rare among the swampers, and the villagers live long, healthy lives. While admired for this fact, they are also shunned for their strange appearance.
The Drowned Willow Tavern – 6 Gozran 9pm
The heroes arrived in Morast in good time despite a meandering Owlbear’s efforts to disrupt their travel. As they dismounted their horses, they heard another rider headed their way at a fast pace. The rider turned out to be the adopted daughter of Judge Embreth, Killian the Evoker whom at the request of her mother, came on her fast elven mount to their aid. After introductions and pleasantries they decided to get to the business at hand.
They decided that the edge of the town was sufficiently safe to leave their horses, and headed through the hamlet to the largest and brightest lit building, which turned out to be the local tavern named The Drowned Willow. When they entered, they were greeted by a sudden silence as everyone turned to stare at the strangers, their eyes clearly unwelcoming.
The villagers and the heroes seemed to stare each other down until Janos seemed to become bored of this activity and asked them where he could find Village Elder Lazne. The villagers looked at each other in slight confusion for a moment, and then out of the corner of the room, an older man got up from his table and announced that he was Elder Lazne. The rest of the villagers went back to their conversations and drinks, the heroes sat down at Lazne’s table.
Village Elder Lazne
Lazne was called as a star witness by the prosecution for the Beast’s trial, since he led the mob that drove the Beast away from Morast. Lazne is a grizzled, middle-aged man with dirty gray hair and skin the color of swamp mud. He chewed on a foul-smelling swamp weed and punctuated most of his sentences by spitting weed-juice onto the ground. Lazne explained that he doesn’t much like “cityfolk and furriners” (by which he means anyone not from Morast, or, to a lesser extent, from Lepidstadt) and was unfriendly man to the heroes until Gedron, decided to apply his “platinum” charm to the situation, which quickly changed Lazne’s tune to a friendlier sort.
Lazne explained his encounters and knowledge of the beast. He claims that at first the Beast only took lone villagers who were outside at night, but soon became bolder and began to attack houses. These attacks only ended when Lazne organized the villagers and set a trap for the Beast. He recalls that night well. The villagers were lying in wait for the Beast, who attacked just after nightfall. Armed with torches, the locals attacked and wounded the creature—a huge, hulking brute about 7 feet tall. The Beast took to the water, but the swampers gave chase in their boats, pursuing it to the village boneyard, where it was attacked by a blood caiman. Lazne grins as he recalls how the Beast yelled oaths and curses that even the worst whore in Lepidstadt would blush to say as the gator attacked it, and describes the deep bite wound the gator made on the Beast’s shoulder as it dragged the Beast under the water. Although the Beast’s blood tainted the villagers’ burial ground, forcing them to abandon it and build another, the swampers thought it a small price to pay for the thing’s death. Hearing that the Beast actually survived was all that Lazne needed to tell his story to the authorities, and he’s looking forward to seeing it burn.
The heroes asked about where this abandoned boneyard was, and how they could get to it. Lazne explained to them that the abandoned boneyard where the Beast was attacked can only be reached by boat. The swampers use small coracles to navigate the swamp, and they will pilot the boats for the heroes. He even offered to have his two sons, and a few of their friends take them there, on account of their generosity. Each coracle could hold a maximum of two people, including the boatman.
Abandoned Boneyard – 6 Gozran @ 10:30pm
The old village boneyard laid about a mile north of Morast on a low, wooded isle. Some 40 graves, each marked with a simple wooden fetish man, lie on the island. In one of the trees on the western side of the island had a large recently constructed nest some 20 ft. up in the air.
Shortly after arriving on the island, the heroes and their pilots came under attack by a pregnant manticore, which defended her nest site with voracity. After a series of time trying to pick her out of the darkness and trying to bring her into melee combat, Killian was able to drive her away in combination with the other heroes ranged capabilities, exposing a large weakness in the party overall. After which the heroes investigated the island to see what evidence they could find.
Morast Clues
1. They first identified six graves in the boneyard that appeared to have been tampered with, sagging into the ground as though they had collapsed from below, and leaving wide depressions in the muddy earth. These six graves are empty, but the other graves are undisturbed.
2. Their second discovery happened while searching the southern end of the boneyard. They came upon the remains of an old camp. Around a small fire pit was a waterskin (still half full of wine), the aged remnants of some trail rations, and a curious glass vial.
3. The bottom of the vial contained the dried remains of a green substance that smells vaguely of carrots. Killian was able to identify the substance not as a potion, but as an alchemist’s darkvision extract.
4. Their third big discovery was finding a coracle hidden in the trees and brush along the southwest shore of the island. Dried blood could be noticed in the bottom of the boat. The coracle contained an oar, a moldy leather travel bag with a damp artisan’s outfit (a shirt, breeches, shoes, and a cloth apron) inside, and a vile object—what appears to be a detached human face.
5. In addition, a length of rope stretched from the boat into the waters below. The rope is attached to a heavy sack, which required some heavy lifting to haul up. The sack was very large (big enough to hold a man in fact) and had dried blood soaked into its fabric. The sack held some rope, a gag, a rusted lantern, a trio of heavy knives, and a rusted shovel.
6. Their last big discovery was finding a leather-bound case filled with fine tools, made of silver with amethyst handles, lost in the undergrowth nearby. Killian appraised the set was worth at least 300gp based on the materials and craftsman ship. Though no one could make out what the tools were exactly made to do. Janos was able to pick out a small symbol on the handle depicting a raven.
Morast Deductions
1. First, someone stole six bodies from the boneyard
2. Sergei realized in his expert opinion that the blood caiman attack should have left scars, but the Beast has none.
3. Sergei also realized that as a flesh golem, the Beast has darkvision, so it would not need an extract of darkvision.
4. The face in the coracle, little more than a ragged mask, was tricky to identify, but Franco asked their boatmen from Morast, and they identified it as the face of Nan Klebem, a poacher who used to visit Morast about once a month, but who has not been seen in the village for about a year, since the time of the Beast’s attacks in fact.
The Chirurgeon Tool Set - 7 Gozran @ 7am
The surgeon’s tools provided no evidence of the Beast’s innocence, but they did point to the real culprit. The tools are somewhat unusual, but not uncommon in Lepidstadt. The heroes decided to follow up on this lead, so they returned to Lepidstadt. Tracking down the owner of the tools required each of the heroes different skill sets to find their origin, and each of the other clues they led them to. In addition, these clues relied on working businesses, which are only open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day in Lepidstadt.
Killian was first able to identify that the raven symbol on the tools as the maker’s mark used by Zbraslav Hora and Sons, who have a workshop on the tiny Anatomists’ Alley. The heroes headed to question him next.
Zbraslav Hora was a bookish, taciturn man who wore thick spectacles. He frequently dealt with various tinkers and itinerant peddlers who sell his wares, and kept a ledger of all of his sales. Zbraslav noted down the purchaser as Vladka Kostel, a red-haired Varisian woman who wears a green silk scarf depicting a swan. Zbraslav knows she works for an auction house, but he couldn’t remember which one. Despite his faulty memory, Killian’s already knew of Vladka and her employer, Ledov’s Chirurgery Merchants. The heroes were off again.
Vladka Kostel remembered the buyer of the tools as wearing an unusual high hat and green-tinted reading glasses, but no more, she referred them to her boss, the Auction Master. The Auction Master, Ollo Klud, was a stuffy, pretentious man with a bald head and tufts of hair above his ears. He was not about to release information on his clients to just anyone who came in off the streets. With some quick thinking Franco assumed the role of a Auction House inspector, and convinced him that this was a pressing official matter. To which Ollo quick acquiesced to the demands for information and told them it was a man named Radniche, and where his shop was.
Radniche’s cramped shop is piled with skeletons, pickled things in jars, and alchemical components. He prided himself on keeping his customers’ identities confidential and volunteered no information on who bought the tools. Despite Alatier’s silver tongue, and Gedron’s “Platinum” charm Radniche “didn’t” tell them of a striking fellow, very dapper in black from head to toe, who said he owned a chymic works somewhere nearby.
Janos, tiring of the search decided to get a bit gruff with Radniche, and finally he told him it was a Master Vorkstag, of Vorkstag and Grine’s Chymic Works.
The heroes rushed to investigate the Chymic works, but finding the place locked up tighter than an Ustalavian aristocrat’s daughter, they decided due to timing to head to the first day of the trial.
The Trial of the Beast
The trial proceeds as follows. The first day concerns the killing of the villagers of Morast. The second day presents evidence for the deaths of the children of Hergstag. On the night of the second day, a mob of townsfolk decides to take justice into its own hands and assaults the courthouse, attempting to get to the Beast and lynch it. The third and final day of the trial involves the burning down of Sanctuary and the deaths of the doctor and his patients within, followed by the final verdict.
Presenting Evidence
When the heroes have evidence to present, they may do so, likely after consultation with Gustav Kaple so they can agree on what questions he will ask based on their evidence. The trial process is steeped in the history and traditions of Ustalav, however, and any new evidence must be submitted to the Clerk of the Court before 10 a.m. of the day it is to be brought before the court. Once evidence has been submitted, the heroes are kept in the Defense Chamber until called to the stand, where they are questioned and subsequently dismissed.
Gustav Kaple cautioned the heroes about any attempts to deceive the court through the use of subterfuge or spells, which are forbidden in the courtroom. Kaple will never knowingly take part in any such deception, and he will refuse to cooperate if he becomes aware of such trickery.
Members of the Court
1. The Three Justices: The Justices are three judges who preside over the trial and decide the verdict. The decision need not be unanimous—a majority verdict is acceptable. They make imposing figures, dressed in voluminous black robes with starched ruffs, and wearing enormous powdered wigs that tower over their heads. The Justices for this trial are Chief Justice Khard, Justice Aldaar, and Justice Daramid.
2. Chief Justice Ambrose Khard: A dour man in his eighties, Chief Justice Khard speaks with a deep, commanding voice and suffers no nonsense in his court. The Chief Justice carries the court gavel—a mallet of black ebony the Justice uses to keep order—and wears a huge cartwheel ruff to make him look even more imposing. He has the power to have people removed from court, discount evidence, and issue punishments (up to hanging) for lying to the court. Any levity in the court is punished by a fine (up to 1,000 gp) or overnight imprisonment for those who take his court too lightly.
3. Judge Kasp Aldaar: Judge Aldaar is a figure of terror for criminals on trial. He is a hard-liner in the extreme, and his merciless justice is feared throughout Ustalav. A former military general, Aldaar is infamous for his impalement of four score deserters under his command who f led a battle.
4. Judge Embreth Daramid: Judge Daramid is a magistrate of Lepidstadt and the secret financier for the Beast’s defense.
5. The Holy Sister of Justice: This gray-robed priestess is present to ensure that no magic is used at the trial unless requested or approved by the justices. Unless otherwise instructed, the Holy Sister watches for unauthorized spellcasting and constantly scans the room with detect magic, recasting the spell as necessary. The Holy Sister also has comprehend languages and zone of truth spells prepared should the court require them.
6. The Herald of the Court: Clad in black half-plate armor with a full-face visor, the Herald keeps his identity secret. The Herald calls out official announcements with the striking of a great gong, calls witnesses, and keeps order in the court. He also acts as the justices’ protector, and has a ceremonial masterwork greatsword at hand at all times.
7. The Clerks: Five elderly, pale, and bookish clerks with ink-stained fingers legally accept and record new evidence for the trial, document the proceedings, and ensure procedure is followed to the letter. They tend to speak in legal jargon, which in essence means that whenever they say anything, they use 10 times as many words as necessary.
8. The Prosecution: The appointed prosecutor for the Palatinate of Vieland is Otto Heiger. Although well educated and intelligent, Otto is not immune to the bigotry of Lepidstadt and believes the Beast is guilty. Together with his trio of legal advisers, he aims to see the Beast burn, and fights tooth and nail to prove his case.
9. The Defense: Barrister Gustav Kaple has been appointed as the Beast’s defender. Gustav believes the Beast is guilty as well, but he feels honor-bound to give the creature the fairest trial possible. Unfortunately, when standing in front of the full courtroom, Gustav’s nervous stutter makes his speeches almost unintelligible.
10. The Accused: The Beast of Lepidstadt stands on trial for three specific crimes against the people of Vieland, but it is common knowledge that these offenses are just representative of the many crimes attributed to the Beast over the past 20 years.
11. In addition to the notables listed above, members of the public are permitted to watch the proceedings. The public gallery overlooking the courtroom is packed with spectators during every day of the trial. Made up of locals of various backgrounds and skills, the crowd wants to see the Beast burn for its “crimes,” and bays for the Beast’s blood, cheering and clapping at everything that affirms the Beast’s guilt, and jeering and booing any evidence that alleges its innocence. Three nervous courthouse guards are posted in the courtroom to keep the crowd in order and ensure the Beast does not escape.
Day One: Morast
A significant crowd gathers around the Punishing Man at dawn, and a carnival atmosphere engulfs the courthouse. The clerks arrive early to prepare the courtroom and chambers. Other members of the court arrive as the time approaches 10:00 a.m. The three justices arrive in black coaches with several guards in attendance.
10:00 a.m.: The Trial of the Beast begins. A trio of guards leads the Beast into the court and shackles it to the large iron chair in the center of the courtroom to the jeers of the crowd.
10:10 a.m.: Opening of the Trial. Chief Justice Ambrose Khard commences proceedings by laying out the rules of the court in a lengthy speech, interspersed with gong strikes by the Herald. Khard concludes his speech by announcing that the good people of Lepidstadt have suffered many acts of terror and barbarity at the hands of the Beast of Lepidstadt for many years, and that while the
Beast is doubtless responsible for numerous murders, the prosecution will focus on three recent cases to prove the Beast’s guilt during this trial.
10:30 a.m.: Opening Statements. Prosecutor Otto Heiger outlines his case. He alleges that the Beast is responsible for the murder of 10 people in the village of Morast a year ago, in addition to two other horrendous crimes that will be described as the trial continues. Barrister Gustav Kaple then makes his case for the Beast’s innocence, a halfhearted attempt full of stutters and awkward pauses, all the while being jeered and booed by the baying mob in the gallery.
11:00 a.m.: Witnesses for the Prosecution. Otto first brings three locals from Morast, two young women and a man, to the stand. The trio describes events as they saw them happen—that over a series of nights, the Beast came to the village and took people away; that a trap was finally laid for the Beast; that the Beast was driven into the swamp, and, they assumed, killed. Otto then calls the village elder, Lazne, who led the mob that drove the Beast off. He confirms the events related by the other three villagers.
12:30 p.m.: Witnesses for the Defense. Gustav calls the heroes to present any evidence they found in Morast. Alatier presented the evidence for the defense…
• Six of the graves in Morast’s boneyard have been robbed. This caused the justices to wonder what motive the beast would have to commit such a crime.
• The Beast can see in the dark, so it does not require an extract of darkvision. This also didn’t make sense to the justice’s. Throwing further doubt into the events at Morast.
• Although the Beast was clearly seen to be bitten by a blood caiman, it has no scars from such an attack. This was probably the most moving piece for the defense, since it was the most obvious piece of evidence, and directly contradicted what the prosecution’s witnesses said.
• Displaying the removed face of the poacher Nan Klebem didn’t seem to carry any relevancy to the justices.
3:30 p.m.: Court Recess. Chief Justice Khard brings the first day of the trial to a conclusion. As the Beast is led away, emphasize the baying crowd, who bring their hatred to bear on anyone defending the Beast. At present, such abuse is merely vocal. Gustav Kaple recommends to the heroes that they continue their investigation in Hergstag from here.
Hergstag Witnesses
The heroes decided that instead of following up on the lead at the Chymic works, that it would be more prudent to investigate Hergstag to make sure they were ready for tomorrow’s trial, so they started with the only remaining witnesses from Hergstag that still lived in the nearby vicinity.
The witnesses were three sisters named Garrow, Starle, and Flicht who now own a small windmill on the outskirts of Lepidstadt and are witnesses for the prosecution. All in their late forties, the three lived their entire lives in Hergstag. Each remembered the deaths. The village’s children vanished one by one, only to return as ghosts. Then one day the culprit was found—the Beast of Lepidstadt. It boldly walked into the village with one of the dead children, a girl named Ellsa. The witnesses all recalled seeing the Beast laughing as it carried the child’s broken body. As soon as the locals saw the Beast, they set upon it with pitchforks, but try as they might they couldn’t catch it, and the Beast escaped into the swamp. The poor innocents it killed continued to haunt the village, and before long became too much for the locals, who soon abandoned the cursed village.
While not lying, the three witnesses were giving a condensed version of events, and several of the heroes picked up on the fact they were omitting something. Alatier convinced them to reveal that of the six children who died, one—a girl named Karin—died in her own bed 2 days after the Beast was driven from Hergstag. Her father heard her screaming but by the time he reached her she was dead, without a mark on her and with no signs of entry. The three villagers gave directions to the house in Hergstag where Karin died.
Hergstag
Now abandoned and overgrown, the village of Hergstag lies some 10 miles northwest of Lepidstadt. The farmland has fallen to ruin, and now even the well-trodden pathways around the area difficult to follow. The crops have gone to seed and high corn grows everywhere, affecting visibility and providing concealment. The village’s farmhouses have all been abandoned, and while some furniture such as tables and washboards remain, the homes have been given over to termites and cockroaches. In the northern portion of the village, the land turns to deep bog. The paths here are even harder to follow.
The heroes, within a few hundred feet of entering Hergstag immediately ran into a Bear Trap, catching Sergei’s leg, fortunately Franco, popped the spring and freed him, and Gedron patched him back up. They continued to follow their way through the high corn until they heard Allen, he was asking them to play, and even played at being stuck. When they wouldn’t take his bait, he decided to play tag with them, draining health from anyone he “Tagged”. The players freed him of his fate, and in doing so discovered that each of the children were the spawns of some master wraith.
They continued on to the church where they encountered Rachel, who they quickly dispatched as well. Inside the church they recovered the holy water left behind, and then moved on to Karin’s home, and encountered another bear trap, this time catching Killian’s leg. When they arrived at Karin’s home, they found the door barred. Sergei proceeded to rip the door open, only to find Karin on the other side of it waiting for him, they freed her of her servitude shortly after that.
I'm sorry...but why are you copy/pasting TotB content mostly word for word?
|
|
I'm sorry...but why are you copy/pasting TotB content mostly word for word?
It's the same recap that I post to my players after each session, and while some areas do take some reworked sections of the book, and/or a copy/paste. It is what happened, and my players reference the document when they go through their deduction process.
I challenge you with this. Why would I completely rewrite something that was genius to begin with, and it gives a factual account of something my players would know? I personally do not feel my word smithing abilities are greater than the writers.
Further, what is a better way to deliver my recaps if you feel this would be insufficient for my players?
I'm sorry...but why are you copy/pasting TotB content mostly word for word?
It's the same recap that I post to my players after each session, and while some areas do take some reworked sections of the book, and/or a copy/paste. It is what happened, and my players reference the document when they go through their deduction process.
I challenge you with this. Why would I completely rewrite something that was genius to begin with, and it gives a factual account of something my players would know? I personally do not feel my word smithing abilities are greater than the writers.
Further, what is a better way to deliver my recaps if you feel this would be insufficient for my players?
Was just curious...now i know...fair enought.
I have my players write their own Journal, let the players do the work...However I would be intrested to know more about your DM experiance while running with it. A lot of the other campain logs gave me some very usefull hints and ideas.
|
|
*Peers around to see if any of his players are looking*
Whispers, "Alright, I guess I could do that."
I guess I'll start a couple sessions ago.
One of my players had been gushing about the fact that Spring Heeled Jack was on the front of the players guide. Then, I was flipping through the bestiary section in plain sight (He wasn't intentionally "cheating") and he saw that there was a stat block on the same page as another picture of SHJ. He gushed more about how cool that was and he wished he could have the chance to meet one, face off, or somehow have it worked into the adventure. So, before our first session for Carrion Crown, I had decided to find a way to work SHJ into the campaign.
He actually got worked into my campaign on the fly, which is a style of GMing I'm not comfortable doing. I tend to like to think and contemplate how I am going to do things long in advance of what happens. I had not expected them to rush through the last 2 ghosts in the speed that they did, so they managed to finish up HoH and any Ravengro wrapup with 2 hours left in our session. So, determined to not just send everyone home and say I wasn't ready for them, I decided to wing it. It didn't turn out so bad *Thanks Desna for that luck*
I knew that one of my players was playing a lecher of sorts, so it wasn't hard to lead him into the start of it all, and he saw it coming a mile away too, but he suspected a soul sucking succubus, not the honest barmaid wanting a nightly romp. Which made me smile with glee at his inability to correctly guess where trouble was coming from.
I continued to make stuff up until they returned to the inn, since at the end of that session was when they headed back. So I had time to plan some.
The barbarian I threw against them, I wanted him to be a bit creepy and made him a cannibal that was coincidentally having issues finding travelers lately which led him to attacking the hamlet the same night SHJ attacked. I designed him to be tough, but not impossible. I really didn't expect him to one shot the oracle on his first combat, first round of combat. I felt kinda bad, but it sent my players into a panic. To use a WoW term, they burned their cooldowns.
Now, I set the DC to track SHJ insanely high comparitively, it would have taken the ranger 5 rolls and he'd have to roll an 18+ each time to make it. He rolled 3 20's, 19, and an 18. Lucky Dog!!! So, once again I was forced to think on the fly. It actually didn't turn out too bad, though I was having difficulty describing what was in my mind effectively.
Overall, I'm happy with how my SPJ scenario turned out. It was designed to please one player and introduce the new characters to each other who were coincidentally headed to Lepidstadt as well.
|
|
Next I'll go over how TotB proper went.
When my players came across the Crooked Kin. They stopped and discussed what they should do. None of them really wanted to stop in the middle of no where in Ustalav, one of them wanted nothing to do with the "obviously god forsaken" carnies, and two of them didn't care enough to bother with them...being neutral and all. It finally fell to one of my goodie goodies to motivate the party into action. After that, it went per normal.
The one that really threw me was the CG bard, I would of figured with his CG alignment he'd be the first to jump at it, and later I asked him about it. His character, while good holds to the superstitions and fears that all Ustalavians typically hold. Which IMO will lead to some interesting plot points.
At the end, they felt they'd move faster on their own than by sticking with them, and felt they'd hinder rather than help. So, they did not travel with the kin. Which wasn't what I expected, but didn't feel the need to point out, they're just as slow with the cart they were already dragging.
Ta..sounds fun.
How did Hergstag go. Thats next on my playlist...
..the Crooked Kin....
Have a look at my campain log...same problem. I solved it by making Alice on of the drivers..so the Kin was one short and the PC's had to travel with them. And finally came around using the Kin as a resource...