Act 2 Final
Having survived the creatures coming out of the sink hole, and having the tunnel collapse before they could follow after the few survivors; the Irish Knights continue on their path back toward Donegal.
Ragnall’s pace slows the whole of the group. But the afternoon flies by without more teleporting enemies, sink holes, or dire wolves rushing from the trees. But they still feel as if they are observed. Unfortunately, they can’t differentiate between paranoia and actual scrying at this point.
In Sight of Donegal
The wall of the city is a mere hour away (again at Ragnall’s pace, meaning the city is very close), and the party is moving among the out-laying farmsteads and small hamlets that exist within the shadow of the walls.
But, between them and the walls one of the farmsteads is marred with a tower of black smoke. The fire has long died away before their arrival but the coals are still breaking down the final bits of the structures.
Without exchanging words, the trio alter their course to head toward the column of smoke. One more aside won’t add too much time, and they are within sight of the walls.
Wreckage
Despite the amount of time it must have taken to burn down, and the fact that it is within sight of the walls, the trio are the only ones on the scene. Words are exchanged about the lack of investigation from the city.
The farm house has collapsed into the root cellar, creating an eight-foot deep pit of burning coals and intense heat. At least for one half of it, the house was once a long sprawling ranch, additions added to the home over decades making it wider and wider. Half of the width of the house is fallen into the largest sink hole the party has yet investigated.
So, to clarify, the right wing of the house is fallen into a hole the size of an Olympic swimming pool, while the center and rear part of the house is fallen into a burning coal pit. Both the pit and the yard have burned bodies within. Those in the yard have various scraps of armor and weapons clearly showing that they were fighting. The churned earth and blood-soaked mud also confirm that story. The corpses within the pit, however, are of various sizes and shapes; meaning that an entire family of men, women, and children have been butchered here.
Slow Rage:
David crouches down among the strewn body parts and makes a few discoveries. He is a somewhat skilled tracker, and the signs in the mud tell a confusing tale. He points at some of the remains, “Some of these are lurks, not human or elf. This is strange… there are lurk prints, booted prints, and even dire wolves. Looks like the wolves might have come in later and merely removed… food… to the woods. But right here,” David shifts his body over to a pile of bodies that are torn into so many fragments that even with being burned they would have been hard pressed to put them back together.
“Here… we have two sets of booted prints, but the boots break apart, and the feet become larger… monstrous. They then start attacking everyone, lurks and other humans, alike.” David picks up a boot sole and then flicks it away.
Ragnall is hobbling among all of the remain, a slow simmering rage burning under the surface. Despite his gruffness and ill-humor all the time, he really does care when young people are savaged. The death of an entire family has put him in a mood to lash out, but he has no targets.
Strange Message in the Tracks:
David: “There is more… a set of small prints, child size, but in heavy boots with cleats, come in and attack the fighters. I have a blood trail heading toward the trees. This is a complete mess.”
Ash: “So, let me get this straight: sinkhole opens and part of the house collapses, humans fight the lurks that come up out of the tunnels. Two of the humans turn into monsters that kill friend and foe alike. Halfway thru that part, children or dwarves in spiked boots run in and stab the wounded and chase someone off into the trees. Later dire wolves scavenge the dead for food. Is that our theory?”
David: “Well it is a mess and it’s mostly guess work.”
Ash: “Leaves a lot of questions. Like who stayed to burn the bodies and where do your monstrous prints disappear to?”
David: “The ground here is wet from all the blood, making the tracks easy to read. Go a few yards in any direction and the ground firms up.” He shrugs. “We have a blood trail into the woods if we want to try and find more. Or…. Does Aysle have werewolves?”
Ash: “Werewolves?”
Scholarly moment:
David launches into a rambling story about various movie werewolf stories from earth, from Talbot to the Howling franchise. Ash seems impressed with the depth of David’s knowledge.
Ragnall, disgusted to still be standing around burning bodies and not punishing the creature’s responsible, gets the trio back on track. He is a scholar well versed in the strange creatures and legends within the realm of Aysle. He talks about the power of the Warp Spasm and warriors who take on bestial features during the height of combat. He also talks of the Berserkers that supposedly work for Ulthorion who drink potions and fight without armor. And then finally there are the Sidhe, the fey creatures who can transform into various animals at will. But they are normally regular animals and not dire wolves or monstrous hybrids.
Ragnall: And now that I have educated you, maybe we can move on to doing something!”
Blood Trail:
They follow the blood trail into the forest and discover several human bodies, unburned and partially eaten by dire wolves. They also find one of the wolves, torn apart and gutted on the side of a trail deeper into the woods.
David: “We should bury these bodies, or at least bring them—”
Ragnall: SHUSH!
After a few moments of silence, Ragnall continues, “I heard swearing… over that way.”
They move further down the trail and within a few seconds they can all hear several high-pitched voices arguing and swearing every third word. The three voices suddenly go quiet.
Ash: “Hello?” Everything goes quiet, no birds or insects.
Three small shapes erupt out of the undergrowth. Twisted, muscular creatures, in bright red caps and clutching bloodstained cleavers. They throw themselves into the Knights.
Redcaps!
Murderous fae who delight in delivering and taking violence. Ash reacts instantly and gives them what they want. He steps into the redcap coming for him and instantly kills the creature instantly.
David tries to match his companion and strikes his attacker with his dull machete. The blunt blade leaves a welt across the redcap’s face. The miniature murder machine just smiles.
Ragnall steps up behind David, unconsciously using the larger man as a partial human shield, he then blesses the party’s strength of arms. Ash moves to intercept the redcap that was heading for Ash and kills that one in a single stroke as well.
David, in his shame strikes with his machete again, this time drawing blood on his opponent. The redcap wipes blood from its face and licks its fingers clean before it strikes back at David. Instead of chopping with the cleaver the small creature climbs up David’s torso and tries to lock his sword arm behind his back. David yelps as his arm is forced back by strength greater than his own.
Ash shakes his head as he steps in and decapitates the redcap.
Scholar Ragnall:
Confronted with creatures that actually swear more than himself, Ragnall waxes scholarly over the corpses. Explaining the redcaps needs for blood and violence to foster their resistance. He also speaks of the Fae not normally being able to traipse about in the world without coming through fae-gates or through summoning. Their presence makes him worried.
He talks about their penchant for dipping their hats in blood, to dye them, and that while their weapons are rusted with blood the steel is still sharp and unbreakable. David thinks about taking the cleavers from the dead Fae. But they are tiny in his huge hands.
The sound of horses and raised voices in the distance announces that finally someone has come from Donegal castle to look into the atrocity.
Ash uses the rope-gate that they took from the attacking raiders and the group teleports 50 meters back toward the house and meets the warriors from the castle. The reason for the delay in investigators is revealed. The warriors count Argo amongst them. The dandy elven mage is dressed in his best finery, but also sports a lavish rapier at his side and an engraved, gold inlaid breastplate.
Argo is pleased to see his sub-ordinates. He can’t wait to here the details of their mission to London-derry, but for right now he is more interested in finding out what happened at the farmstead.
END of ACT 2
