Session 1: A Curious Rug Report

General Summary

What had started as a simple job for the local hunters guild had spun quite thoroughly out of control. This mismatched cadre of adventurers found themselves hustling thru the streets of Wolfsfelden in the dead of night, Ulric, the brawling beastkin holding a large rolled up rug on his shoulder. Katarina the dancing swashbuckler gliding ahead to check each street intersection for guards or others out at this hour. Behind her, Darius, a slim figure in a dark hood clutching an obscure holy symbol would be looking this way and that as they moved. If anyone looked closely enough they would notice a boot sticking out of the rug and maybe some blood. Pozake, an armored champion followed close to Ulric ready to help with the load if necessary. Bringing up the rear was the half elf alchemist, Adelaide, cleaning up any evidence of their passing by pouring some strange alkaline chemical mixture on any bloody tracks left in their wake. With her a short figure of a goblin would sniff at each dousing and turn up his nose looking to Adelaide as if to ask a question, to whish she would shush him before he could start, "Not now Clonk."  

Katarina pushed the door of the Wolfsden open with a sigh of relief, the local tavern was as also a defacto guild house for the hunters, they would be safe for now and at this hour no one should be there but Werner the tavern keep along with his wife and daughter. The bald barkeep with broad shoulders and a gruff look would eye the door as they poured in with the "rug". A strange man was seated at the bar in the otherwise empty tavern, Werner would clear his throat, "Ah, this lads looking for you, redecorating?" Ulric would grunt, "Something like that" flopping the rug unceremoniously on a table he would roll out his shoulder, "Bottle of Whiskey, lugging it about makes me thirsty." Pozake would heft the rug and start heading upstairs to a room, while Katarina would eye the stranger. A tall man with dark hair and weathered and travelled look about him. "Ah excellent!" his thick Ruthenian accent quite prevalent, "Our mutual friend Thorsten said we may have common cause in some quarry." Ulric would grunt as he uncorked the bottle offer and poured a quick shot for himself, "And what's that?" The stranger would smile, "A vampire." The whole group would turn eyeing the man somewhat suspiciously as they had just narrowly escaped from a vampire. "Woman by the name of Visela." A few shared glances as the name was mentioned. Clonk would teeter over and begin to inspect the wide variety of trinkets and ornaments dangling from the strange man. Sticking fingers would snatch something with barely the man noticing. As Pozake moved upstairs with the rug, Katarina and Adelaide would follow as the others spoke to the stranger. "The names Drogomir" he would offer extending his hand. Ulric would give a nod ensuring his hands full with bottle and glasses and would head upstairs. At the top of the stairs an excited Clonk would show the new shiny to Adelaid and Katarina quite proud of himself, "Strange Trinket!" Adelaide would frown, "Clonk go give that back, you cant steal things!" Clonk would shake his little goblin head, "No no, clonk FOUND it, not steal" his eyes clearly not meeting Adelaides. Katarina would smirk, "Clonk go give it back." The dejected goblins ears would slump as he trudged back down the stairs, offering the token to Drogomir. The man would smirk, "Oh I was wondering where this went." Clonk would nod sullenly, "Clonk find, giving back." Drogomir would smile now, "Well thank you, but you know, I have several such wards, you go ahead and keep that one." The goblins eyes lit up as he scampered back up stairs. Darius would nod to the new man, "Drogomir is it? Come on upstairs, you might be interested in this." As the rest would file in upstairs.  

In the bedroom of the inn and tavern, the rug would be rolled out on a bed and the bloody but breathing body of a finely dressed noble lay, it was the Duke Elector of Wolfsfelden, they were certainly in deep now. "We should just kill him," Ulric would say flatly as he put the bottle and glasses down. The Champion would frown, "We should turn him over to an Imperial Legate." Ulric would scoff, "You almost killed him in that fight, just finish the job." Pozake shaking his head, "That was a fight, this is murder." Drogomir would look over the body then glance between a few of his new friends, "This man has contracted Lycanthropy...as do I believe a few of you have as well." Look from Katarina to Darius. Having fought werewolves several times in the last few nights they sighed not terribly surprised. "Wolfsbane can reverse it, I can also try some obscure rituals but they would be a longshot," Drogomir would offer. Adelaide would look up from her note book, "That formula is very complex, we will need to find it already distilled or someone who can." Ulric would nod, "Back to killing this bastard, he turned every criminal into a zombie, to create an undead army to terrify his nobles into backing some rebellion of his, he deserves to die." Pozake would shake his head and begin to leave the room. Darius would stop him, "We need to sort it." Ulric would sigh, "Fine a trial, but try him by the rightful heir of Wolfsfelden, lets take him to my village and let him stand trial there." Ulric was a representative of an ancient blood line, long since resigned to living in the wilds and living off the land of Wolfsfelden, but now, was poised to retake the throne. Pozake would nod, "Alright I am fine with that. We will look for Wolfsbane in the morning then get a wagon to take this rug to the country."  

Morning came, they found that all the Wolfsbane had been bought up in town recently, a curious thing to say the least. Thorsten gave them where more could be harvested. The group set out to leave the city, hiding the Duke once more within a rug. Avoiding too many questions at the gate, they arrived in the Hamlet of Holzweil. Her it was decided that if he survived the Wolfsbane treatment they would try him then. The next morning they sought out to the hills to harvest the Wolfsbane warned of a hill giant that was in the are. As they made their way up the small hill, shouts would ring out over head as javelins began to rain down. Ogres and Kobolds lined the ridgeline hurling spears and alchemical fire bombs. Darius would hold aloft his holy symbol of Drustanus covering the ridge in magical darkness. As the others rushed forward the Ogres and Koblds stumbled from the darkness. As our heroes neared the ogres began to pick up the Koblds, who protested greatly and hurl them at the advancing attackers. Posakes shield deflected a screaming Kobold, tho which Drogomir promptly smashed its head in with his hammer. Katarina spun forwards her movements like a dance she would sweep up a kobold in her movement and twirl them about, putting him between Ulric and her rapier, which deftly slid into its confused throat. Ulric would howl in rage as he shifted into his hybrid beastkin form, leaping upon an Ogre his Jaws sank into the creature then locking him into a headlock. Pozake pressed forward his sword slashing open the restrained Ogre as it fell limp in Ulrics grip. Adelaide shouting as she was smoldering from one of the Kobold bombs would hurl her own firebomb in return, a kobold bursting into flames before she would drop and roll herself out. The battle handled easily enough, Drogomir would patch a few wounds as they heard a husky yet feminine voice from higher up, "Hoomans kill my pets, Make me Angry!"