Heading to their lodgings our adventurers agreed to be up at first light so as to visit the Duchess and gain their reward and catch up with the caravan. They were very very late to bed, and forgot to make arrangments to be woken.
Slate & Tariel woke just a little late and headed to breakfast, while the others slept in. Francesco apparently had quite a few drinks befor bed and was feeliongthe worse for it. Summer refused to get up and just rolled over and said he would catch up....
Much later than planned the group arrived at the Morwen Estate gatehouse requesting admittance. After some discussion, a runner was sent to the mansion to seek advise.
The party was forces to wait, it seems no everyone get up early.
Eventually the Duchess's her private secretary arrived at the gatehouse. The group was paid as agreed and also given a small gift of the Duchess's appreciation.
In addition they were advised that given all the wolf attacks being reported that for the next week there is a bounty on wolves. Given their groups intension to leave this morning they were being given early notice and the offical proclamation would not be made until midday.
The Adventurers used their funds to equip themselves and hurried (as they were very late) to catch up with the caravan.
2 hrs of travel and finally one of the wagons was sighted. It had stayed behind at a crossroad to await them.
Another hour - eating lunch on the run they see the wagons ahead at a small village. They are under attack by wolves. Our heroes go into action.
Abe quick grabs his long bow and begins raining arrows and Slate moves forward with his short bow. With the bows, the aid of sleep spell and cunning the wolves were either killed and finally driven off as Tariel using her newly aquired ring "Ring of the Orator" she expended a charge and yelled a horrendous growl aiming to scare the wolves. This worked much better than expected, the wolves for cowered and began to run, but the sound was so loud that many of her unsuspecting comrads were deafeaned for a short time. The Vistani were scared as well and began calling for help from the new foul beast that was coming.
The wolves driven off, the group ran to see what had occured in the small village.
What they find was disturning, the Village residence are all dead mauled by the wolves. The Vistani explain that they arrived and found the bodies and were beginningto investigate when the wolves attacked them. They retreated to their wagons and were only just holding them off when the party arrived to save them.
To the sugrimn one of the Vistani women had been badly hurt, the wolves clawed her as she fought them but the "large wolf, that stood like a man' took my baby daughter"
The party convinced the Vistai that they were better equiped and would be faster to track the wolf and return the child. So the Vistani reluctantly agreed to stay, bury the dead and await their return.
Quickly Abe Stoker utiling his ranger tracking skills led them on the trail of the wolves. They noted tracks converging as more wolves joined and at lwasr two were larger and sometimes ran on two legs. After about two miles the trackes led off the road down into a gully and forest.
Abe proved an excellent tracker and did not loose their trail, the terrain became steeper and more difficult yet he knew they were on the trail.
Soon the forrest was dimmer, thicker and damper. Moss growing on may surfaces and a distant water course or falls could be heard. Thin mist was visible as they headed down into the mists in pursuit.
The Mists soon thickened and the tracks were lost, turning, all the terain obscured by mists. From all sides can be heard the snarls, growls and calls of wolves closing in. They draw their weapons stand back to back and wait. . . . . . Somewhere in the mists a baby begins to cry.
