Ava conscripted us into a werewolf hunting party. We were told to contact "Lord Protector Thoril Trannyth" for more details. Thaelin wisely observed we'd been imbibing and cast a spell upon some fountain water. We took a drink and our senses sharpened.
A knock on the door and a show of a token, and the good "Lord Protector" invited us in for a polite (albeit macabre) conversation. Tales of tragic innocents murdered in their homes. The bodies appeared torn to pieces. A survivor, a young girl, was sent off to an orphanage. A hunter was also slain, followed by a stablemistress, "Maraga Hawklight" who was found still in the jaws of the werewolf.
Blame seemed to fall on a local criminal, Eldan Serpenthelm, but after his execution, the killings continued. The humans' impatience for justice was clearly short sighted. They now seek our help in tracking down the beast or beasts. Even sent us to a local silversmith to get our weapons silvered. We were given a long list of suspects and their locations.
We met Trym along the road. She brought tales of a magical cache hidden in the hillside. Apparently guarded by one of our suspects, "Vance Moonshadow". I felt a half-orc messenger named "Alaga" would have the most useful testimony to give. I convinced the others and made for her home. She was reluctant to speak at first, but when she realized we weren't more accusers she became more hospitable and conversational. Unfortunately, she had little information other than she saw it flee.
We dropped off our weapons for silvering (with a healthy tip to help expedite the process), and then headed off to a bakery; scene of the first mauling. The scene was a bloody mess of gore and footprints. A tuft of fur by the fireplace caught my eye. The peculiar thing was the fur had fleas. Upstairs we found the living quarters. Ava thoughtfully suggested bringing some of the young girl's toys to her. We settled on a few from the bed and chest.
We collected our weapons and made for the House of the Golden Lady. The headmistress told us Jahanna still hadn't spoken a word since her parents' murders. We asked to see the child. Ava and my attempts to talk to her proved fruitless, but Trym's bag of tricks broke her sorrowful countenance. She summoned a dog to play with the child, and let her name it. A tender moment. The girl told us that shortly after she had gone to bed, she heard her father invite a man in, followed by a loud commotion downstairs. The man seemed to be known to the father. Or at least very polite. Nobly so...
It seems the noble "Milstone" needs questioning. The other crime scene was along the way - the office of Wilton Trannyth; scribe/cartographer, and cousin to the Lord Protector. Judging from a self portrait, he was an unfortunately homely looking half-elf. Another grisly murder... from the inside. Clearly the victims have been taken by surprise, as there is no apparent evidence of forced entry.
We decided to go to the inn and check on our noble... and our bard. He seemed an eager sort. Eager, mostly, to be somewhere else. Trym noticed the noble's guards had a persistent itch. Meanwhile, Ava confided our mission in our bard friend. He insisted on his innocence, and even offered to help by keeping an eye on Milstone.
We decided to split the group. Trym and I are going to see Miss Arroway, while Ava and Thaelin check in on the hunter, Illan Wyrmsbane. So Trym and I made for the Talking Troll Tavern to search for Miss Arroway. The establishment was of the less savory variety. We found Holly Arroway snickering in an alley. She was reluctant to speak, even in the face of superior judgement. It seems I need a more personable demeanor when dispensing wisdom. I hope Ava and Thaelin have better luck in their investigations.
Trym and I made for Vance Moonshadow, the next name on our suspect list. Trym had some less than honest dealings with him earlier in the day. Her keen eye spotted a safe house in the vicinity, and her roguish senses told her to investigate.
She effortlessly picked the lock and lead us into a labyrinthine warehouse. Trym decided it merited further investigation later. We made for Vance's house. It was a posh little cabin. the little halfling invited us in. A feeling... or something in the corner of my eye gave me pause. But in we went. His hospitality was almost too gracious; and his alibi weak. There was a great deal of roguish verbal fisticuffs between the two. But ultimately, he revealed very little information.
I stopped at a clothier on the way back to the inn. I thought maybe I ought to change my only robe for some new garments. I fear the smell might be putting some off.
Thaelin reported a struggle at the other scene. The other living hunter reported unusual wolf activity in the area. We intended to inquire with the bard, but neither Traavar, nor Milstone were to be found.
After some questioning of the locals, Traavar returned with tales of conspiracy surrounding Lord Milstone. He decided he'd like to travel with us a while. Thought we might be a story worth telling.
With night beginning to fall, we decided our bet lead was with Milstone, so we left a message with Lord Protector Trannyth and headed to find Milstone, only to find him coming down the street, approaching us. He recognized us all, and wished us a safe evening. We attempted to tail his guards, but Thaelin made a blunder off the curb and made a show of it. With our cover blown we left Trym to recon and the rest of us headed back to the inn to check in with Traavar. Milstone was snug in his room when Trym brought tales of a nefarious guard traveling toward the edge of town.
Thaelin insisted on conversing with the horses while we argued with another werewolf hunting hunting party. Blasted dolts can't tell an elf from a goblin. The horses saw the attack. Maraga burned the werewolf's hand with a torch while protecting her steeds before it got the better of her. That information would have been useful much sooner. But they sent us in the right direction. We caught up with Milstone's guard terrorizing a poor family on the edge of town. We attempted to burst into the room, but Ava's kick only rattled the door. We simply opened it instead. Inside, the guard had transformed into the werewolf. Seems our suspicions have been confirmed. We launched an attack on the beast and killed it before it could lay a paw on anyone. Once dead, it morphed back Milstone's guard. The husband swore to testify to what he saw. We made for the Lord Protector's tower and told him the news. Noble Milstone seemed as surprised at the culprit as anyone, and submitted himself and his men to a lycanthropy examination from the local physician. Everyone passed, though one guard seemed shaken. We decided to rest for the night.
The town seemed quite at ease the following morning. There was a buzz of relief in the air. After a free breakfast from a tavern keeper who was very grateful for our heroics the previous night, the seamster also tried to give me his wares free of charge. I insisted on paying him, but he suggested a new set of clothes for my comrades. I bade him well, and made back for the inn.
By mid-morning, I had new clothes. Ava checked in with her order and Trym joined a secret society. She brought information from her new contacts relating to the bandit attacks. Word is the raids are being perpetrated by ones calling themselves "The Cloaks of the Hidden Knoll". The curious thing is that they don't seem to be selling the magical items they've been pilfering. We decided to join up with a caravan heading south in an attempt to lure them out.
Trym insisted on visiting young Jahanna at the temple. She was over the stars to see us. Said she planned to be an adventurer like us, and begged to be our squire. But at only eight years of age, she seemed more of a hindrance. Ava had the novel idea of apprenticing her at the Order of the Gauntlet. Jahanna took to it immediately. We left her a healthy stipend of gold and encouraged her to train hard until we returned.
The clothier made good on his promise and outfitted the rest of the party in fine garments. We put word out with the local traders that we were looking to take a caravan south, and should anyone need our services, they should inquire at The Everwyvern House. I collected Traavar and returned to the inn to wait for potential employers. Trym and Ava made for the pub for an early afternoon drink.
It did not take long for our first caravaneer to find us. We struck a deal with one "Basara Steelreeper" for 600 GP in exchange for our services protecting him and his caravan of teamsters in their journey from Triboar to Waterdeep. The deal was for half now, and half when we arrive at Waterdeep. He was ready to depart without delay, and so we made out of town with haste.
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