so… chapter 1 p8 - p23 -p40 sprint to town chased by wolves p4; the dwarf soosh them away. Roy Sunderhammer -p1 go to Langston call the cleric p27 -p19 Maybelline is the name of the deceased, funeral at The Pickled Hen -p34 intimidate the drunk -p20 but I don’t manage to p36 Tanya (Mayor Anathram) the half-orc stops it p44 - p28 funeral starts. p32 Tomlin, the fiance speaks. it looks like his nickname is The Wolf. i’m suspecting. There is something wrong about this, maybe he’s a newcomer in the village. A womaniser, perhaps? I tried to use my insight because this is not the place nor moment to investigate. p46 p29 yes I have a feeling that Tomlin is so kind of Don Juan and everyone in town knows that, or at least all women do. You look like Roy is about to talk now. p13 Roy is the druid assigned to Langston. something weird happened with his beard when he sneezed. I focused on the changes that took place. p14 - p42 if it were not impossible, I would say the druid was becoming a wolf? Might he be a werewolf or why would he change his such a strange that Tomlin’s nickname is the wolf. The Sun cleric is going to talk now. p39 her name is Solaine. she looks like she changed as well, at least in the character. She looks more confident. p43 - p45 - did she have an affair with Tomlin? Maybe that makes her stronger and more confident? -p25 Tanya is talking now she has a giant mastiff. She used to be a soldier. She is it going to talk to me now. p6. I focus on the dog. - p22 it is definitely a military dog -p30 she just hired me as an investigator . I got a room at the inn. will retire for the night. p26. long rest (roughly an hour playing, a bit less 20230930 11:39 now) I woke up refreshed I got my breakfast and headed towards the town hall. as much as I care for animals, this dog is a military dog and I recognise that a battle dog, not the kind of dog eager to be pet. I greet the mayor. p21 - she says the girl looked like she was attacked by a beast, but she was found within town, not on the outskirts or the woods. And Roi is meant to take care of keeping the woods in check (no monsters or hazards.). she is offering 320gp to take care of the threat. I don’t need the money and I’m on my way to my family, but that poor girl… it doesn’t seem natural. it is not as if she was mauled by wolves out of carelessness. something needs to be done. p45 (should be 48)- Tomlin was an herbalist, as it seemed. he lives in the western part of town. I get access to the general store now. I’m not going right now, but whenever I’m in town I can. got an advance of 20 gp. heading to Tomlin’s. p49 \page chapter 2 I see the drunk from last night, people seems embarrased. good. it doesn’t seem to be the common feeling of the town. p84 I got to Tomlin’s cottage and decided to take a look around. He might not be a suspect (not to the villagers), but there is something fishy about the guy. plus he might not be in. p77 yep, he was hooking up with a woman already. not judgement (I don’t know him), but it doesn’t match last night speech. and he is acting ashamed, so he thinks he needs to pretend and knows it looks bad. none of my business, no morals here. pi5 (he says nothing, I get in to the cottage. p69 he offers some tea, I do not drink tea, I don’t drink tea, but want to check it out. p54 Let’s use what I know about nature. p97 - I used one inspiration, butgot a 11, so no clue. p50 let’s refuse the tea, p86 he didn’t have a problem with it. p80 has he seen anything strange? p62 the wolves have been more active (or loud) in the last cpuple of months. there are also some strangers camped near Emmitt and Tilly’s farm. Roi also sleeps outside, it seems (make sense for a druid). also complains about thefts. I also ask where he was the night of the death. p101 he kind of got angry, but quickly seems ashamed and says he was with friends, at the tarvern. a bit of a crazy night. let me investigate p83 (because of the success) but, where was (maybelline? p104)) it was a full moon and she didn’t go out, she was superstitious. Tomlin was meeting a childhood friend with osme marital issues. was it just him and friends in the tavern? 7 p74 Solaine was also there. they were lovers before her pilgrimage. while she was away, Maybelline and him fell in love. Solaine w not so happy, but Tomlin thinks she came arouun. she would have performed the wedding. It is her or Roi Roi was also there, and he left when he started sneezing and coughing. like during the funeral… did Maybelline had enemies that he knows? p56 he says no, but… le me dig futher. let’s persuade him (this time with the d20, not the d12 as I did for the tea… :/ ). and because this is important, used inspiration, p85 not enemies, he says, but conflicts. she argued with Mayor Anathram, and Maybelline never argued that he knows. and SOlaine shut herself in the tower for a while, clearly hurt. not discussions that he knows. and he didn’t speak to her much then. ok, let’s wrap this convo. p62 - p105 (couldn’t leave directly). just before leaving he mentions some damage on the garden at night, clawed prints in the soil. I’ll check the garden. p78 let’s check the trellis of the plot p81 some plants are pretty damaged. the plot is well taken care of . well troden. I’m looking closer: p75 (used inspiration but it was not needed). to shrubs are attacking? I wasn’t expecting that. p64 there are two scraplings. humanoid like, made out of dry wook. a fight to death with one of them (Tomlin is taking care of the other). the scrapling is faster, he attacks: 12 is less than my armour class (AC). it misses me with its claws. I draw one of my shortswords and take a swing at the creature: 14, equal. manage to hit. 6+3, kill the thing. I go to p88 (but I played in my head/dice if I could kill the second, even though Tomlin is engaging with it. I “imaginarily” [more] would have drawn the second shortsword, there would have been a round of missing for both, and on the third overall round, with initiative, I would have struck it down. BUT does is imagination, let’s really go to p88.) I seath the swords and take the scrapling claw that Tomlin offers me as a souvenir. that was a plant creature, maybe Roi nows about them. Evening is approaching. I ’m leaving for the inn, but Tomlin wants me to follow him inside again. p72 I’m given a vial containing philter of remembrance (10 doses). I make my way back to the inn. p106. I get a meal, and get ready for a long rest. p93 I wake up with moonlight. it was a short reset. there is some hairy and hunched shape on a neighboring roof. it is extending an arm in my direction, waiting. I call out to the creature, might be Roi in some weird shape. p79 golden yellow glints on the eyes. “He’s mine!”" WTF? it disappears. I go out to investigate, will get my shortsword in my hand as soon as I am out. p87. Can I climb the wall? I seath my sword. I fail my rolld, p59 no way I can climb tha, go back to stay up and keep watch. p55. a short rest, at some point it starts to rain, it would erase all traces. some noise outside my door. p107 cold breakfast, empty common room, quiet streets. the wagon with flowers from the funeral is still outside. I should talk to the druid. p108 (chapter 2 was about 1 h of play) \page Chapter 3 this is a very quiet wood. beautiful and peaceful, but eeily quiet. p122 I stopped in a clearing to drink some water and now looked around (7 + 4 x 2 due to the forest being my favoured terrain,… but it should have been 7 + 4 + 2 because only the proficiency bonus was doubled. I will let it pass this time) -> p155 there is a beast there. a stirge, of course. let’s fight a bit! 1st, I quickly take my bow and attack right before it turns to see me. p144 my first arrow hits, doing 8 damage and finishing the haggard stirge while it was turning towards me. p138 I take a brief rest and the woods stay as quiet as before. nothing changed. I keep going to the druid’s. p150 I get there, to what looks like a cottage with almost no walls. just some simple furniture around. hold on, there is some kind of wolf in the grove. I bet this is the druid. I just walk into the grove. p156 the wolf gets into view, defensive, but not aggresive, I think. something red on it’s muzzle. looks like blood. I approach it peacefully. p 110 it looks confused (I think he was trying to intimidate me a bit), I just talk to it normally, IN DWARVISH because I’m pretty sure it is Roi and I’m a dwarf. p134 yes, it can understand me. but it doesn’t transform, he goes into the cabin and comes back with a wooden druid symbol. yep, this is the druid indeed. p158 “why don’t you revert back? let’s talk, Roi.” he shakes his head. motions me to follow (I can tell by the way he moves and waits). inside everything is quite sloppy and disarrayed. he pints with his snout to some scrolls. I go throuht them and he puts his paw on one, “Doppleganger’s Curse” aka Polypiox. ah, not a werewolf then, but some disease which means he cannot control his changes. he might even get amnesia. there is a recipe for a cure (with wolfsbane, sage and hornwort). I can get the herbs from Tomlin or from around. “are you sure it is polypox?” p 113 yep, he is. let me search around. p146 looking for sage. p125 no need to the double proficiency from the terrain. p109 succeess. now for some hornwort p 120 there is a shallow pond. I search with help from Roi. p131 success! now wolfsbane. p 133 Roi helped again (and I have lived in the woods for days at a time) p154 so I collect some, carefully to avoid toxins. Roi darts to the grove. p140 I brew some tea out of the ingredients, pour it into a bowl. Roi laps his medicine. he lies down,, and I wait with him, comfortable on the ground. apparently passed via the stirge by somebody or something else. he gives me the Silverstar, a gift from Solaine’s predecessor, a cleric. Roi needs to rest, but I’ll ask a couple of questions. first the scrapling claw. p163 not the killer (I didn’t think so). but he transforms it into a +1 club for a week. “before I leave, just a quick question: when did you get sick?” p135 sniffling aoround new moon, he says, sneezing and chaging a couple of weeks later, he says. and Maybelline died on a full moon. hummm he doesn’t think he suffers amnesia. he wasn’t sneezing during the full moon, aparently. today was the first change. he laughs the hint of a suspicion off. polypox is bloodborne, he is pretty sure it was the stirge (me too, he seems sincere), not from a werewolf, but werewolves can get polypox, or just be carriers. “Well, Roi, thanks. take care”, p 124 I get back and eat, have some bad dreams about being attacked by rosebushes or running around in all fours. Also dreamt with the shape from last night. wake up startled. I don’t see anything outside the window. but… I’ll try to keep watch, forgot about that shape. p160 nothing happened, just that rest was short. sun rises and there is a knock at the door. p128 the innkeeper brought a hot breakfast. Solaine has been asking for me last night and this morning. will I visit her? she asked for me to go to the temple. she thinks she can help. oh, is this a note from the mayor? “thanks”. I eat and read. p164 there is a new lead. I’m commanded to go to the town hall. I’m not sure I like being commanded, and I’m spending too long here instead of looking into my origins while going back to the Ephenbald farm, but… ah, hell, I also wanted more experiences. p165 (1h more or less) \page Chapter 4 almost a normal day, but not really, p193 the mayor says I should go and check the strangers living outside town (I think she refers to those). they make people uncomfortable, it seems. um… p212 I think they might not be related to the murder, but might know something, and being outsiders might be more impartial. I’m not going to ask for more money. p232 bandits, she calls them now. don’t think that’s what they are either. ok, let’s check it out. back to the forest trails. p176 a normal forest this time, it seems calm and peaceful. p215 a clearing with a dryad and a robin. I heard about this creature, didn’t meet any yet. I’m not going to attack. I should sneak, that’s none of my business right now. (p168 is an errata, it should be p203). I try to go without disturbing her, stealthy. oh, I fail. (but p198 is an errata, as it is for a SUCCESSFUL roll. so… p230 it is). I step on a dry twig and then a pile of dried leaves. clearly not the day to be quiet. she reacts like about to attack,, but hesitates, a spell at the ready. ok, let’s talk. p200 she peaks broken Common. do I know Sylvan? I think I don’t. arg. p177 it would have to do. “strings grab friends” nets? lassos? I will try to help. I’m a ranger anyway, protecting nature is my thing. gives me a potion of barkskin (a toughener of sorts). it seems the camp is empty for now (the strangers/bandits are gone for a while). ask for directions. p195 she guides me, graceful and quiet, to an entrance point into another clearing. a firepit with trash from meals, charred bones and old porridge. not a lush clearing. this are hunters, or poachers. p182 no kindling around for tonight, it seems. something is kept outside of animals reach, hanging from a tree. but other than that is like a trashy bivouac place. I investigate thoroughly, inspired by the forest. due to the advantage, I rolled twice and got a natural crit the second roll. p207 what I see: a warrant made out to Horace and Titch of 100s of gp (information) or 1000s (capture dead or alive) for the Wolf of the Road, which has an Orcish name (pretty obvious it is Orciash). They killed a constable in Three Rivers. I take this with me. I guess the bandits/strangers are these “Horace” and “Titch” individuals. gear is tattered and in disrepair. on a second oilcloth: an agate brooch (15gp) and a flimsy jeweled dagger (5gp). p183 night is coming. days are short here, damn! I get to town with the sun set, stairs starting to shine. (a letter from/to Emmitt is mentioned, but I don’t have any and a quick search doesn’t seem to mention any either. um… my version might be OLD/WRONG… I think it refers to the warrant?). the mayor received some sealed message, she is NOT at the town hall. I get the address to her house. cool. p206 two figures (Horace and Titch, I guess) are waiting when the mayor comes. do I read some tension? they greet each other not very friendly. but go into the house together, with Horace first, and Titch last. Light illuminates the window, the door is shut. I get closer. p197 small and neglected garden, stones and timber. angrily raised voices come from inside. I keep listening. p188 they are shouting, the guard dog barks. p229 they are angry, but I cannot tell anything else. I’ll knock. p205 conversation goes silent. the mayor inquires who is there. who? me, is everything ok? further silence, the mayor opens the door. she seems courteous now. wtf? I step in. the lean bandit has a dagger at her back? oh, my. the Mayor seems to ignore all the guy. what is going on? am I a hostage? the mayor gestures me to comply. ok, but… p209 not a hosting situation, but they are menacing somehow. mayor and dog are furious but restrain themselves. hinting at… the Mayor or one of them knowing more about the killing due to a revealed secret? oh, shit. p192 so, the Mayor is the Wolf of the Road, these guys (yes, Horace and Titch) say. they have a poster linked to the warrant I have. I say what I know: no sense threatening with reinforcements or their party (there is none), no additional proof. their gambit didn’t work, the mayor is going to retaliate, I guess. I threaten them. just want them to go away and sort this out with the mayor. p199 oh, I cannot intimidate them. so p228 it is fighting time. p178 I take TItch, while the Mayor and Buttercup engage Horace. Titch tries to swing at me with a dagger. and hits, a bit more than a glance, 4 HP. I draw my shortsword and hit for 8HP, nice. this will end soon. Titch hits again, 4 HP. but now I have my two shortswords out. He dodges my first strike, but the second one hits fully, 6HP. My part is done. p184 I don’t kill Titch, the Mayor stops the fight. Horace surrenders, having thrown his knife. the Mayor has the weapon at the ready, doesn’t want more fight. It might be that she was this killer, but her ways changed. I choose to believe this. and I choose to let the bandit live, the poor bastard. p231 did the stupid Horace treathen me AFTER I let his friend live? stupid guy. they leave. p191 I give what I found to the Mayor. I would expect an explanation. she says she did not kill the constable. he was alive when she escaped with Buttercup. so, she was the leader of a band of bandits, a bandit crew. and Wolf of the Road was her name, and they operated around Three Rivers. crime after not fitting within orc nor human societies, after being a warrior. H and T broke into the home of a resistance leader, to threaten him about making life easier for the bandits, but overdid it and beat him to death. the Mayor didn’t want to feel responsible for further deaths, and left, escaped. all this by making the bandits raid an invading force, with her disappearing in the chaos. the town assumed she was a veteran and she didn’t correct them. just lied. Maybelline had found out, from H or T making noise. the Mayor thinks there was redemption or that at least she was not a murderer. that’s not what Maybelline thought. p221 that’s what they argued about, I think. and she is really sad and wishing for a resolution. she is also grateful. I ask for something to protect myself. p172 she gives me an amulet she was wearing around her neck, a lesser amulet of the beast. p222 what doesn’t burn now should really burn. p211 her secret is safe. Buttercup is licking my palm. I’ll earn this dog trust. back to the inn, I need some rest. p202 completely empty streets, a single long and low howl. already cold dinner, going to bed with a faint howl in the distance. p236 (1h30’) this will be a long rest, more on that later. (7 hours later, at 5:30 AM) but before going to bed I study the amulet and the silverbane, reflecting on both the fight from tonight and the druid sickness. I attuned. and then go to bed, having a good and relaxing night and recovering fully. breakfast is ready as well as a note of gratitude from the mayor. The funeral will be tomorrow, so I better go to the temple to inspect the body. and talk to Solaine, which is well overdue. p237 Chapter 5 the sun temple is old, a limestone building seemingly predating the town. I got in, but there is nobody around. I’ll explore. p296 from the central hall I head towards the dining hall. they might be having breakfast. p267 let’s explore the dining room further. p277 nothing. the kitchen perhaps? p280 a single setting of cutlery’s and plates. is Solaine the only one here? the kitchen is windowless, the dining room had 5 tables with 8 seats each. the stove is not used very much (rusty), but there is ash around the door. umm p244 there us some fabric or clothing charred remains. let’s see. p269 p255 these are burned holy vestments. not in good condition before burning. seams burst, one cuff has blood? droplets. it crumbles what is there in the larder? p310 forgotten food: veggies, potatoes, bread. moldy and wilted. but fresh meat, plenty of it. with… small bite marks? I “smell” werewolf. back to the front hall. p296 up north towards the library. p258 pretty large, books and scrolls on one table. nobody. religious texts and some history tomes. something about treaty common curses. also a black book with a title not in Common, bound with skin other than a leather. and a metal lock open. let’s check the book on curses. p281 “Compendium of Curses 17th Edition”, with descriptions of curses, diagrams of wards and sections with cures. what was the cleric reading about? p 288 on a page with Lwelyn’s face and lycanthropy there is a sheet with a note. elegant calligraphy but some words are crossed out and there are small marks of… tears? A letter to Tomlin, I believe. “a truly changed woman’, mentions to a darkness blooming, and it is unfinished. Leave the letter where it is. p279 what about the black book? p314 sharkskin? brimstone smell and oily touch. I don’t think I can understand this book.p249 black sun, weapons, sharp tools, study of corpses or bones. a note (“This one”) on an entry with images of animated corpses?. I go back, p296 living quarters, p245 30 room, 6 on each side + 1. only the one on the far end is closed. skylighted hall,, morning sunshine. dusty. let’s check the area (I’m investigating, of course). p240 p287 do not really see anything. I knock, p253. nothing. open and walk in. p302 not empty, sparse. check before and table. p311 neat, do not think it was used recently. there is also an envelope, opened many times already. I will check this. p242 A love letter: A Thyme for Love in the Sun, by Tomlin,, to Solaine. very bad poem. returned and look at the wardrobe. p275 religious vestments, one very repaired, very recently. some gap between it and the wall. let’s see, p299 even though I’m weak in general, it looks like I’m strong enough to push the closet aside. perhaps because of the very good rest from last night. p238 I retrieve a ribbon. p247 a lavender strip of silk. bloodstained. lavender was a favourite of Maybelline. I go back to the hall. p296 and wait for Solaine. p270 waiting is so dumb. let’s check the… golden floor mosaic. p243 there are no tiles. it looks like a single stone (or magic). there is some indentation on the central holy symbol. gnome hand size, the shape of a smaller sunburst. umm. p241 I investigate. p283 no clue. let’s press on it. p303 ups, some magic build up. I manage to dodge the light, but it feels like it could have hurt a bit. the seam disappears, it looks like something got back into place, the opening is hidden now. oh, my. let’s see the tapestries. p290 they depict the holy order raising the temple and banishing the undead. darkness and the undead devouring people, holy figures appearing, a ring formation and light striking, a ring of green plants and blue skies. with a band of black earth and floating dark red eyes. waiting. does it remind me of anything? p309 p257 this is an ancient order of sun worshippers. 100s or 1000s of years ago. while the order has a presence (even one) and dedication to the light, the area is protected. do not remember more. I’ll just have to wait longer. p294 she finally returns to the temple. hem of the robe soiled black, some soil clumps falling from her slippers. I startled her.p268 she is alone here perhaps overwhelmed but acting as if it is ok. big smiles. what about the undead? p248 Tomlin? p315 is common knowledge. she doesn’t hide the story. ok, let’s check the body. p289 she says I cannot. why? p295 p254 see seems afraid. not sure what from. she says it is out of concern about the family, not fear. ok. but I can check. p293 I go alone, to the cemetery,, entering from the north. a bright day. the mausoleum is in the center of the graveyard. uh-oh, a grave with some black earth, but not dug up? undead? let’s check, do not want to risk a surprise while investigating. p264 dug from underneath. a person dead for decades. a crack in its skull and a broken piece of paving half-buried in the dark soil (the unusually dark soil). seems thrown there. check Maybelline, what a morning. p276 oh, Maybelline is reanimated. will have to fight her. p286 I’m faster, move back within the mausoleum and take my bow, readying an arrow. 9 HP. I move further to put distance between us, making her come out, I think I’m faster. it approaches and remains 5 feet away. I now do the same thing again, putting distance in between and sending an arrow her way. see is pretty weak now, it seems. comes near me, still not within reach. I drop the bow and get a sword out, ready for the next attack. but there is a burst of movement and she gets next to me, slamming me. ups, that hurt! I swing my sword, 2HP to go. take my second sword out, attack. and done. p297 for a second it looks like that last blow might not really do it, but after some last death rattle (undeath rattle?) she drops dead. again? p246 look at that. p262 I recover my bow and one arrow. the other one broke. the previous wounds seem inflicted by a wild animal. broad and deep claw marks. not very forest beast like. a rage driven attack based on the patterns and random look. I look at the bouquet of pink flowers she dropped. p307 the only flowers I see around, with a tag signed by Tomlin. daisies in the mix. p250 ah, Solaine is still there. I think she has doubts about her faith, and she is not paying attention to me. I need to interrupt her, p306 yep, I’ll tell the mayor. to me, Solaine is not a member of the order any more. or not a dedicated one. but… well, I leave. she goes back to the library. p252 I’ll go on patrol, I can take a rest before that, recovering from the fight. and ready to go. p301 no zombies or ghouls. but two body remains, torn apart it seems. same kind of wounds as Maybelline had. I come back in the wee hours, and fall asleep. no food at the door, but the mayor is having breakfast waiting for me. in the common area. p317 \page Chapter 6 I should be ready for an accusation. although I’m not entirely sure I may need more information. I think it’s Solaine but I don’t have an unequivocal proof. p334 I get to the town square and everything seems ready. a Document is being read by the mayor’s aide. Lots of common folk around, and also the main people I talked to these days. It’s a bit of a tough decision, and I hate accusing anyone without a full proof. But I think Solaine is affected by lycanthropy. and so she killed without being hundred percent conscious. Therefore j’accuse. p341 I will use the silk ribbon as proof. p355 this is a bit of a gambit/bait because Maybelline was wearing the pink ribbon, and it is a bit circumstantial (could have gotten there in a different way). Tomlin is upset and tries to attack her. he is stopped. she looks at Tomlin. I would say she is angry at the betrayal. love, I think, not a plan gone awry. I have no more proof. I rest my case. p340 two militia men approach her. she sounds defiant. All kindness gone. she sounds aggressive, like going mad p320 yep, she just transformed into a werewolf. well, she is a werewolf and transformed into the beasty version. she takes down there to militia men that were flanking her, and charges towards Tomlin. p329 people stampedes. because of people fleeing, I cannot jump into action, she takes Tomlin through the crowd with one long claw, climbs the wall of a building, howls, and runs towards the temple. Roy thinks it’s a curse that can be cured. Probably who is the medallion, the silverstar. I run to the temple. p360 I unseath and run as fast as I can. a scream. Tomlin is in a pool of blood. I got too late. Solaine definitely left a trail, going into the temple. not panicking (and thinking she cannot leave without me knowing), I examine the murder scene. (p322 is an errata… let me see… p342). I check for clues about the threat she poses. I’m inspired by the last days of getting to know the town and this people. p347 these were angry blows, and precise with the intent to kill. But see maybe remorseful. I go in, both swords at the ready. p324 when I get in, everything seems darker, more menacing. there is a spiral staircase in the main hall. darkness instead of the sunburst mosaic. but the same kind of orbs for light as above. it looks like part of the original design. I advance carefully through the corridors. p363 Solaine is in werewolf form in the middle of a large chamber. whining. I think she regrets her action. (she stares at the blood on her claws) or perhaps being cursed, or failing the order vows. she sees me, doesn’t move. “you shouldn’t be here”, she says. I think we can talk. better curing a curse than fighting. It is worth trying. I sheath one sword and keep the other one low. p328 at least I’ll buy some time, or solve some unanswered questions. why did she kill Tomlin? (play the guilt card). p 352 she felt used and betrayed. quite logic. I don’t think it is wort asking about Maybelline. but, what about the curse? p346 she was attacked by a wolf during her pilgrimage, more or less as I imagined. nobody thought about a curse, she just appeared ill, with a fever. woke up covered in blood after a full moon night, got scared and fled. she feels really powerful now. and the sacred power is… gone? she clearly thinks so. she is going pretty angry now. ah, damn it, one more question about Maybelline, just to confirm the story I assumed most probable. p339 Solaine says Maybelline was lying about herself, that she was very cruel. that she mocked her for her faith. could Maybelline be in kahoots with a demon? or related to this darkness below Langston? anyway, I need to end this and go back to my trip home. let’s try to end this peacefully by removing the curse. p343 I offer the possibility of a surrender. she laughs and says she expects nothing from the town other than be hanged. just a predator now. my sword is ready. p350 werewolves are immune to ordinary weapons, I heard. um… I’ll try to stun her with the potion and then use the silverstar. p353 I didn’t use any dose, so it should be easy to impact, also due to werewolves relying a lot on smell. 13 (second DC throw +1, and the lowest of the two) < 18. p325 she should be stunned 2 rounds, apparently lost in memories of Tomlin, both happy and sad. now I’m in a good place for a fight. p350 time to try the silverstar. p364 there is no fight yet (which is what I feared). I don’t need to jump through a wall of fangs and claws, but I leap forward anyway, making contact between Solaine and the Silverstar. magic comes out into her form. we are lock in place, and a bunch of people pours into the chamber: Mayor Anatharm, Roi and armed townspeople. I press harder, praying it works, Solaine still stunned. p358 Solaine jerks and howls. lighs sparkle. no longer stunned, she transforms into human, and the howl into a scream. she feels robbed, and collapses sobbing. the militia carries her off. p338 her eyes dart to mine with fire, and a sudden smile. I feel a chilling sensation. the Mayor, Roi and I leave to the surface, everybody grateful. p332 everybody is eager to get back to normality, washing the blood, sharing the news, talking brightly on a clear day (once again). they might not think too much about the undead. will they resurrect imediately? soon? in a few weeks? I accused Solaine, I think I did very well in my investigation. p369 I get a decent reward (350gp) and feel I learnt quite a lot (600xp). I put the money on my backpack. and I get ready to talk to the Mayor. to me, there is some unfinished business and I would love to get it sorted out before going back to the inn for a rest and departing. I might even reflect on what I learnt, before going to bed. ah, there is no mention to the advance I was given, so I’m keeping those 20gp as well. (that was a 1AM to 2AM last journey before some quick reading and sleeping for tomorrow IRL) \page Epilogue I decided to stay at least 2 more days, to reflect on what happened and trace a plan forward. the town hall is paying for a couple more days if I go on patrol, as I explained to the Mayor what transpired from the conversation with Solaine and information at the temple. I feel more knowledgeable and sturdy. (I level up) I can recover better. practiced my archery to depend less on swords or closer fighting. I got quite good a tracking, and I try to pull focus on a given creature for tracking while on patrol. is this magic? did I gain some affinity with magic, and is that the way it works? I go on patrol and eat. I talked to the druid about this, is that how it was for him? I heard of rangers with some magical or uncanny skills, but always assumed people meant just very good at tracking, or interacting with animals, things like that. he explained how to find magic in nature, and how to try and weave it, or modify the tapestry of it a bit to bend things in your favour. also, he taught me how to create Goodberries. not as difficult as I thought, somewhat tasty. still strange how they appear in your hand. to the epilogue! p370 I’ve been on patrol several nights, looking for undead and facing them while The Radiant Order is reached. is tiring but this is good and worried people. all pull together to help the town while a new cleric comes. I should go and check for healing potions at Tomlin’s Cottage. p380 it is urgent, Roi cannot heal anymore for today and it is needed, there is an injured militia member on a tavern table. the cottage is locked and I need to break in somehow. breaking a window should be simple.. p377 clink: very precise, I managed to break it without cutting with the shards. p386 very gloomy and getting musty. I use inspiration from worrying about the townsfolk, and… p396 everything was so well labelled and ordered. I find some potions and a vial of antitoxin. there is also a magic garland with what look like fresh flowers (although they shouldn’t be). it shimmers. I take it as well. I’ll go back to The Pickled Hen. p391 Solaine’s interrogation is not shedding new information. the potion does the trick and the woman becomes stable. I show the garland and the general agreement is that it was for the wedding, and that there is some magic. we are going to present it to Maybelline’s parents. p376 there is something weird going on with the parents. And it looks like there were 2 garlands. p374 Roi and I take a look around the kitchen, nothing out of the ordinary except for a bunch of plants and herbs. they were in a hidden parcel behind the pantry. strange colours, and odd proportions. p393 these herbs are used in rituals to contact lower planes. I want to check the garden. p392 it is pretty neglected. No sign of the flowers from the garland. but I found a patch of dark soil, and buried there a parchment in Abyssal. i cannot read that. p385 there is also a lock of hair. we would need to question Solaine about both findings. they are within her expertise. we go back to check Maybelline’s room. p381 there is another garland there. they seem to attract each other, as if there were some sort of enchantment. We are running an experiment. p378 an ancient love spell. if the garlands touch the spell breaks, ironic, or just twisted. p372 I’m riding a pony! well, the shapeshifted druid, back to town. back to the jailhouse. I have some questions for Solaine. p375 - the garlands. p382 - the hair. Tomlin’s hair. all points to an enchantment to either conquer him or break Solaine’s heart. p399 p389 second night of patrol p400 a mistery unsolved: a female figure in the dark, with simple clothes, might be the person that freed Solaine. somehow linked to a crescent moon and cold and ice. but a new cleric is now in town and I can follow my path.