Salkan Soiree Ep27: Baited Hooks, Monstrous Bites

 Run Date: February 21, 2024

PCs
Mina: Lv2 Explorer
Delvinan: Lv1 Nightblade
Enddilas: Lv1 Spellsword

Hench
None

Baited Hooks, Monstrous Bites

We opened with the party reviewing new hooks and updated rumours. The object of their interest today involved a bounty hunt for whatever savage beasts were murdering people along the road south of Fayum. 50GP a head for extraordinary creatures? Sign them up.

The last time I’d run this sort of event, I was unsure how to “trigger” the encounter. It was a brigand hunt and the party just spent a week wandering up and down the road in the hopes of coming across them. Today we had the opposite happen. The very first encounter was against werewolves.

An hour or so after the party left Fayum, they spotted a pack of wolves charging toward them. Encounter distance allowed the party to fire off a volley or two from range. Most of their shots went wide, but the one that finally landed revealed the truth of their situation. This prompted a retreat and attempt to evade with Mina managing their escape. It also lead to a question on narrative: The arrow sunk in, a small splash of blood; but the wound quickly healed. One player read this as Regeneration instead of Immunity. Perhaps I should field the question to other people to see how they imagine a werewolf taking hits.

Mina rushed the party off the road and through the various farms and hamlets of the county. When they finally stopped to get their bearings, they discovered they’d looped back north and closer to Fayum. Armed with their new knowledge, the group decided to set the hunt aside until they were better equipped; but on the way back to town they discovered the werewolves had tracked their position. This new encounter was in the PCs favor, and they managed to skulk away and get back to the safety of civilization.

With their initial plan ruined, the group spent some time carousing with the locals. They learned of another party some months back that had accepted a bounty from Baron Wolfe. They’d completed the mission, but spoke of a strange cave system beneath the Wolfe Manse. Far as anyone knew, it was never explored. The group took this as a good sign and decided to head out west.

The group stayed over in Willy Bloo’s, a roadhouse situated on an old trade route and run by a retired adventurer. The place had a wooden palisade with a small contingent of mercenaries keeping watch. As the group entered, they were greeted by Willy Bloo himself. The old man happened to take a great liking to them (and their coin), and spoke freely of the old road and attempted expansion. He knew a little about the Wolf Manse and warned the group about infected boarmen that had wandered in from the twin towers.

The following morning, the group thanked old Willy and headed onward. They took his advice and avoided the path to the Twin Towers; coming across and evading a nest of carnivorous flies. They soon arrived at the Manse; a former hamlet flush with violet flowers and protected by a fortified church.

It was fairly late in the evening so the party set up a small camp in the hamlet and set out for some pre-delve scouting. Delvinan tread lightly around what was left of the Manse’s walls to see what had moved in and get a feel for the space. He discovered a rotting watchtower, an old stable, and the manse itself; with several side-buildings attached. Meanwhile, Enddilas was examining the violet flowers and discovered they were flush with rare specimen; Wolfsbane. His time was spent gauging the overall value strewn around the hamlet: ~150lbs worth could be harvested. After regrouping and making a plan, the party retired for the night.

The following morning, the group set their battle line and marched up the hill to the manse. Their goal was to weed out the initial area and gather the Wolfsbane if they were unladen when they returned. As the party turned the corner into the courtyard, however, they came face to face with a small pack of half-man-sized wolf-men. The fight began in earnest.

Enddilas stood his ground the best he could, but the pack soon began to overwhelm and surround him. Mina and Delvinan tried to clear out a path and the party withdrew. Their new battle line and quick strikes destroyed the follow-up charge from the wolfmen. The party, however, had suffered many unexpected injuries. Their delve was canceled and they returned to the hamlet to pick Wolfsbane.

The party made it back to Willy Bloo’s; where they encountered a pack of Hyenas, barbarians from a nearby tribe. The leader hit it off well with the party, especially after the elf twins purchased a round and some meat for the lot. They even got an opportunity to hire on one of the “Unblooded.” He ended up turning them down after seeing how desperate they were to throw gold at him. Perhaps they should have wrestled him down to show their dominance.

After a night of drinking, the party returned to Fayum and began thinking about how they would sell their haul.

Rewards (Totals)

175xp
50lbs Wolfsbane

Afterword

Nothing to say except I think my hooks don’t support small parties, especially low level ones. Busy at the moment so I’ll have to ramble on about other things another time.