SESSION 7 - THE MIDNIGHT MASSACRES

The party is summoned to attend Lemminkainen Meade, the Lord of Logash, at the Town Hall of Logash around noon. When they assemble, they see that Naissa and Emune are there, also. Lord Meade tells them that a series of murders that have occurred in the part of town referred to among the locals as the “gypsy run,” a route along Mud Alley from the docks to one of the gates leading out of town. The murders have occurred on each of the two previous nights of the full moon, and the victims have all been known or suspected affiliates of the travellers that frequent the area. The victims also appeared to have been mauled by a wild beast.

Naissa then explains that it is her belief that supernatural forces may be invlolved- the beast-like attacks, the full moon- lycanthropes! She says wolfsbane might cure the afflicted if he or she could be made to consume the plant, but that they might also perish from the poison. Because of all the rumors, she is currently sold out of wolfsbane, but tells the party where they can go outside of town to harvest it fresh. The group is then charged by Lord Meade with putting a halt to these events and bringing those responsible to justice, dead or alive!

The party first goes to Naissa’s tower, where she tells them all she knows about were-creatures, including their vulnerability to silver. She offers the group the use of several . . . ‘implements’ either made of silver or laced with silver- a slender stiletto, a pair of long needles, a leather scourge tipped with silver barbs Naissa describes as ‘exquisite,’ and several other items the party declines to use.

In order to cover more ground they split up, and the half-orcs leave for the woods to gather the plants, while the others investigate clues to the murders. They begin by seeking out Madame Eva’s caravan, which is now camped outside of town, in order to consort with the gypsy wise woman. Upon meeting with her, they closely question her and her oldest son Sandor, and are able to learn important information.

They learn that Madame Eva believes the killer to be her youngest son, Balint. Balint has gone missing, and some dark shroud has covered his aura, and no divination she has cast has helped. She fears a great, dark curse has been laid upon her son, a moon curse that has not been bestowed in generations. She believes the curse is driving him to attack the only rivals the Meszaros have in the north- the Zsoldos clan- and driving Balint to seek out his closest rival, Anatal Zsoldos, in particular. All the victims have been smuggling associates of Antal. She believes there can be no other explanation.

Balint Meszaros

Madame Eva implores the party to save her son from doom, as she in turn had saved Donaghast from the darkness. They agree to use the wolfsbane to try to cure Balint, and depart for the town guard barracks to continue their investigation. Lorde Meade told them that the basement of the barracks was serving as a makeshift morgue, as they were waiting until such time as Sister Jhessa March could be summoned to properly treat the bodies (It was not yet known that Jhessa had betrayed her family, and had perished. Dame Abbie was keeping the party under strict silence). Brother Yorick had also volunteered to say various rites over the bodies and apply the proper treatments, much to Lord Meade’s relief. Two birds with one stone!

As Donaghast, Yorick and Calgrot continued with their tasks, Moghash and Targoth trekked into the woods to locate the wolfsbane patch. As they closed in, Targoth detected the presence of deadly, carnivorous Xtabay plants. As he made his way around, he failed to notice the elder assassin vine living symbiotically with the Xtabays, and was quickly entangled. As he struggled with the vines, the Xtabays began launching spores into the air, creating a cloud of sleep poison. Although Moghash was able to finish off the creatures, he could not do so in time to save his friend. Targoth had perished!

Moghash gathers what was needed, creates a makeshift carrier for the departed ranger, and heads back to town.

The party meets back up outside the barracks near the town square, and Targoth is added to the victims in the morgue. Within minutes, the full moon appears, and a ragged, eerie howl echoes through the town.

While the adventurers discuss the situation, a crowd assembles, calling out for the captain of the guard to tell them what is going on. Yorick takes the opportunity and addresses the crowd, whipping them into a frenzy of fervor, while casting doubt on the character of his companions. As his other party members leave the scene, Yorick continues to admonish the crowd, which has now become a mob, and demands entry into the Town Hall to consult with Lord meade. After his meeting, Yorick returns to the mob and leads them off in the general direction of the Gypsy Run.

In the meantime, the party head to the residence of Antal Zsoldos, whose residence is in the artisan district. When they arrive, they come upon a grisly scene- the guards at the front doors have been slaughtered, and a female voice shrieks in fear somehwere inside the large home. They quickly charge in, and see that the woman has also been mauled to death, and Antal is surrounded by feral wolfhounds. The gypsy smuggler has been wounded several times, but is holding the canines at bay.

As they look around, the group sees a hulking half-man, half-wolf looking down at them from the grand staircase balcony! As the party engages the wolfhounds, the man-wolf retreats down a hallway, disappearing from sight. Battle ensues, and Calgrot is able to persuade one of the wolfhounds to leave off her attack using his gnomish bond with nature. The adventurers quickly dispatch the others, and continue their pursuit. In the heat of the chase, Antal slips off into the darkness and flees.

The party hurries upstairs, and they find a hidden trapdoor descending directly all the way down to the basement, and a series of smuggler’s tunnels dug under the town! They climb down, bringing Calgrot’s new canine friend along to help. 

 They continue the chase through the tunnels, and are surprised by a lurking ochre jelly and the centipede swarm that feeds off its leavings! The beast had run them into a trap!

After a tense battle, they continue along the trail, and emerge into an alleyway near the docks. Continuing to closely chase their elusive quarry across town, the adventurers navigate several obstacles- a collaapsed building, an overgrown thicket that was once a public garden, a crumbling section of the docks, and thence right smack dab into the middle Yorick’s hostile mob lingering in the middle of Mud Alley!

The mob of townsfolk panic at the sight of the were-creature, despite Yorick’s admonishments, and flee into the night without abandon, dropping torches and pitchforks where they lay. As the beast is surrounded, he snarls with hatred and tells them he will kill his lover Abbie March (!!), and then his own clan, but he will kill the adventurers first! Lycanthropic rage was consuming him, and there was no time to wait to administer the antidote!

A massive battle ensues, and the party manages to utilize Naissa’s ‘implements’ to slowly beat the werewolf down, though taking heavy damage in return. Sir Donaghast risks being torn limb from limb and engages the werewolf up close, managing to jam a sprig of wolfsbane down the creature’s throat.

Balint convulses in agony, and after several moments, reverts to human form, although it is clear that he is dying from the poison. Yorick steps in and neutralizes the poison with his divine magic, saving Balint once and for all.

Shortly after the conclusion of the mayhem, Madame Eva, Sandor and other members of the Meszaros clan emerge from the shadows to spirit Balin off to safety. As he is led off, Eva tells them he will have to leave Logash and never return, for any future investigation of the incidents using magic will detect Balint’s aura unless he is far, far away.

She tells them she are even now with their group, and suggests they communicate to Dame Abbie what has happened, and to soften the blow as best they can. With that, the Meszaros depart, and the party knows they will not visit Logash again for a very long time.