Session 1: A Surprise Along The Road, Hunted by Nightreavers

It was several years into King Belgarion's already catastrophic reign, a little trod road southeast of Sevgorod. A small group of wanderers made their way along it. They were Rolandus (Kyle), Tonibore (Jason) and Zenscha (Iain) traveling with their “trusted” and dour donkey Gordon and small wagon cart in tow.  

As the last light of the day fades over the horizon, your journey leads you away from Vladikar's Folly and onto a narrow, muddy path weaving through the outskirts of Duvik. There is a dingy sign on a post that points down the path. You know yourselves to be some 3 or 4 days walk to Krezko, a small and not very well-known village in the outskirts of the outskirts.   The season of fall is in full swing, with the trees shedding their vibrant leaves in a final, fiery display of oranges, reds, and golds. The landscape around you is set in these rich hues, along with the colors of mud, bark, and pine needles, painting a picture of a world preparing for the inevitable embrace of winter. A cold wind snakes through the trees, sending shivers down your spine, and the leaves rustling in a haunting melody.   As you trudge along, the first delicate flakes of snow begin to fall. They land softly on the ground, on the branches of trees, and in your hair. The mist that rises with the snow creates a dense, gray veil, shrouding the landscape in uncertainty. This mist seems to thicken with each step you take, enveloping the path and the surrounding forest in an otherworldly ambiance.   As the road narrows further, it becomes barely wide enough for a cart, its edges blurred by the encroaching wilderness. The muddy ground beneath your feet is slightly slippery and treacherous, but not so much so that the cart and donkey have difficulty making their way.

  As night approached and the weather worsened, a family of travelers emerged from the mist: Evelia Sarnovik, a woman in her forties with streaks of silver in her long dark hair, and her three children— Danyar Saronovik (16), Lirina (11), and Varke Jr. (8). They struggle to pull their heavily laden cart by hand, their exhaustion visible in every movement. Evelia, a handsome if now bedraggled woman in her 40s, explains that they are small-time wine merchants from Sevgorod, now fleeing after a nighttime attack. Her husband, Varke, was dragged off by what she believes was a wild animal, leaving them vulnerable in the wilderness. Perhaps futilily, she maintains hope for his survival.   Evelia explained that they are small-time merchants, with a specialty wine stand in Sevgorod. They offered the group a cask of their best ice wine from the Midlands, should they offer help. Her voice is steady, but fear lingers just beneath the surface as she speaks of the creature's speed and ferocity.   After a brief conversation, Tonibore convinced the family to stay by the fire the party builds. The group arms Danyar with a knife, entrusting him to protect his mother and siblings as they venture out to investigate the scene of the attack.   When they reached the ruined camp, it’s immediately clear that something unnatural occurred. The tents had been shredded, the horse lying dead—its belly burst open from within. With his experience in hunting Aberrations, Tonibore recognized the signs of parasitic gestation, an occurrence often tied to creatures far more dangerous than any common beast. His sharp eyes spot deep puncture wounds near the horse’s abdomen, indicating that something fed from within and then tore its way out. He began to maintain suspicions about what it was that had done this.   Blood trails led into the underbrush, suggesting that Varke was indeed dragged from the camp, but the tracks vanish before he can follow.   Zenscha found broken twigs and other signs a bit further, but also lost the trail.   At that point, they heard screams in the wind, and rushed back towards the family. There they found the cart nearly upended, and the children and mother alive but very frightened.   Danyar, knife in hand, shakily recounts how a black, swift figure had darted from the trees, knocking him to the ground and nearly upending the cart. The creature seemed to vanish into the forest almost as quickly as it had appeared, but Tonibore suspects it’s circling back toward something—likely a nest. Despite Evelia’s growing fear and reluctance to be left alone, the group convinces her and the children to stay by the fire once more. Rolandus, with a firm but reassuring tone, entrusts Danyar to remain vigilant, positioning him as the protector of his family. The boy nods, trying to mask his fear with a show of bravery.   The three of them set off again to the camp and following the tracks beyond. With three eyes on the task, they were able to track their way down into a small valley (a dip between two adjacent hillsides). There they found similar tracks that crossed over the trail they were following.   They determined that the trail leading away from the valley was fresher, and so they chose to follow it instead.   They were headed up the incline of a hill when suddenly, from the trees above, a black shape leapt upon Rolandus. His armor managed to keep the blow from puncturing his heart, but its incredibly sharp and swift slashing arms nevertheless managed to score a wicked hit.   And so they finally got a good look at what they were tracking: an insect-like creature that is commonly called a Nightreaver (Details in Beastiary). Reaching about 4’ long, somewhat like an all-black praying mantis covered in a hard, spiked shell, and possessing incredible speed and predatory instincts.   The fight was swift and savage. With the battle adrenaline fading, Rolandus was discovered he was nearly eviscerated by the thing, only saved by his reflexive sword-fighting abilities. His wounds would subsequently take weeks to heal.   Despite his wounds his instincts kicked in and he wounded it quite severely in return, and Zenscha, rarely one to get into the midst of a fight if she can help it, nevertheless stepped forward and put it out of its misery with a dagger thrust to the eye.   Now with ample opportunity to investigate the creature, Tonibore recalled more of what he had heard of Nightreavers, a feared but relatively rare creature that seem to occasionally pop up in sort of short-term infestations.   He recalled one piece of lore about their life cycle, that when larvae have had their fill of meat and go into a chrysalis state, the young adults who burst forth typically fight and cannibalize one another until there is only one left -- ostensibly the strongest of the brood. This may be so, but it also keeps their population to more manageable levels than would otherwise be the case.   Ending the session, Zenscha and he were able to ascertain some of the uses of its body, including the possibility of treating the exoskeleton so that its forelimbs can be fashioned into swords or daggers by a talented smith:  

• Snuff: An adult can be processed to be able to produce snuff to provide a Celerity 1 for a scene. Essentially the glands that produce the stimulant that allows them to move in a blur of speed can be dried and powderized.
• Eyes: turned into a broth that conveys night-vision for a day.
• Their arms can also be treated so as to be subsequently fashioned into wicked daggers or swords, with Armor Piercing rating of 1 if crafted properly. The treating process is touchy (requires a minimum of 3 successes), but once it has set it is as hard as steel. It can more easily be stowed for later use (basic Crafts check, no penalty).

  Rolandus was severely wounded from the fight (1 dot of health left), but stabilized with Zenscha’s medical prowess. It’ll be a tough complication, especially if they remain in the middle of the woods...   The looked up to the canopy of trees overhead for more predators, but only heard the sound of the trees creaking in the wind. (Or so they hoped). The party now faced a choice: press onward toward Krezko with the possibility of future ambush, or hunt the hunters...