The game begins by explaining that in the past two years, the group has split to each do their things and begin their path to adulthood, through training, school and internship:
- Astara has gone through training and pilgrimmage with the Druids of Stokedown, going to the Eldeen Reaches and traveling Sela's Path. Given the need to travel more naturally than by train or airship, she took to main roads and didn't return between year 1 and 2, and being done the primary pilgrimage, is now back in Stokedown.
- Eavan has joined the Five Demesne, an association of bardic colleges from a Dragonmarked House specialised in entertainment, hosting and the arts. This requires studies in 4 out of 5 of their location, starting with the Demesne of Motion in Wroat, Breland, to learn combat and physical arts (dancing, physical drama arts, etc.) on year one, and year two was done in Thrane for the Demesne of Shape and learned all about creations and fashion.
- Nina spent the non-summers interning and training in Argonth, a mobile fortress that patrolled the Mournland in Breland, and a wonder of military technology in this day and age. Working the gears and engine of this massive beast AND training with tactician experts on weapon and tactics mastery.
- Trajan went back to Sharn to study at Margrave in the arts of roguish artistry and espionnage, learning of many historical facts and physicalities and toolings attached to the arts, returning between year 1 and 2. During this time, his strange vision back in Sharn, seeing a strange deserted land and door of lights appear kept returning, and the pain in his lower back began to return and intensify as teenage growth fully set in.
- Twig also went to Margrave, learning of environment, philosophy and dungeoneering (ranger specialisation). This includes a deep dive into tropical settings and the likes, returning between year 1 and 2.
- Youka travelled back to their homeland of Droamm, after the mention of it during their trip to Sharn. There, they learned combat specializations and guerilla tactics, studying until the tutelage of Yuan-Ti masters.
We begin at the orphanage, with Trajan struggling due to the inability to walk as pain shoots to his lower back, at the tail point. With a yelp and scream, he falls back to the bed, with trouble moving. His friends rush to the scene to investigate. Astara and Eavan helm this, and with her druidic pilgrimage to back her, Astara is able to quickly locate the source of the issue: below some scales at the point of pain is scar tissue. At a touch, there is a hard bump below, indicating a lodged object healed over long ago. The decision is near immediate, this needs an operation. Healer's kits and alcohol are brought (because it seems Nina carries Scotch around and Eavan has wine) and Trajan is numbed, and Astara operates, removing a fragmented piece of dark glass that looks like it belonged to a circular object. The wound is cared for and Trajan only has to contend with a sore space that will quickly heal up. Eavan offers to turn the fragment into a necklace for Trajan, and it is accepted.
Maverick, hearing the commotion, comes to investigate. Teenage drama occurs between him and Astara, and Eavan tries to mediate while Nina pours additional scotch to Trajan's wounds. Maverick, Astara and Eavan have a heart to heart, including discussing Astara newfound love of the darker arts, and Maverick's romantic life. Eavan is asked to keep an eye on Astara regardless. Needing to do a simple supply run for the orphanage and to refill healer's kits, the group head to town. After a small shopping montage, centering on an uncomfortable Maverick taking advice for wooing the baker's daughter, they are informed by Damaia that Kitahn, the smith's son and Nina's friend, is in the hospital, due to him being attacked by wolves (well, turns out to be A wolf) the night prior. Nina leaves to go and see / support her friend. Astara and Twig go to the woods to collect flowers for a present (edible ones) in the woods while Eavan and Trajan continue to advise Maverick on his choices.
Nina finds an injured Kitahn about to be let out. He re-assures that he is ok, just a bad bit on the shoulder area, as he shows the bandages. He was delivering horseshoes later than usual and was ambushed by a wold, amidst the farmlands (outside the wall), something he found unusual, as this doesn't happen normally. He shares that another was injured, as he overhead nurses and doctors in the next room, talking about another attack victim from the morning. Nina suggests talking to the rest of the group about this, but Kitahn is hesitant and offers coffee instead. Nina a bit odd at the invitation, changes the topic and it goes to tinkering and smithing, and instead they spend a moment geeking by forge.
In the woods, Astara and Twig find plenty of bounty for Maverick's edible flowers. They are interrupted by the calls of help from the woodlands and find a fallen elder woman, looking to be in her 90s with a wounded shoulder, arm and legs. Most of the scratches seem like it may be from the walk or fall, looking a lot like common spine and thorn scratches. She has a few other puncture marks and what looks to be mild breaks and bruises. Twig helps her up and Astara spots a tuft of grey furr heading in the woods. She lays chase. Twig leaves the elder woman and goes after Astara. Together they track the creature and find a wolf mom in a shallow burrow, a litter of pups with her. Using a ritual / magewright cast of speak with animals, Twig discusses with her, relaying the information to Astara. The wolf just saw an easy meal in the elder woman wandering the woods alone, and needed to feed herself to sustain her hungry pups. Twig shares his rations with the wolves and she adds that she did not go further into town. She also explain that her hunger is due to the population of badgers in the area being unusually low. It is often what draws wolves here, but now, there are few. The wolf mom is also injured, and explained that she was bested by the elder woman's unexpected vigor with a walking stick. Twig and Astara leave the wolves and rejoin with the elder woman, who was walking back to town now that she had retrived her stick, but with difficulty. They bring her to the hospital, planning to head to the druids next.
In town, Nina rejoins with Trajan and Eavan in the market, and together, they head to the hospital. Kitahn having shared his bit of information, leaves them and goes back to work. On location, they go to question the second victim, able to have some privileges from Eavan's connections to the hospital during his job as a younger one. Sadly, they find that the second victim hadn't survived their wound. With good rolls, they persuade the staff to let them see the body for investigation. They find a truly mangled corpse, and assess that though the attack was clearly bestial, the prominence of deep claw wounds make it unlikely to be a typical wolf. A bear could work, but it wouldn't match Kitahn's description, who clearly stated he was attacked by a wolf, a really big one. Eavan stays to help in cleaning the scene and preparing the body for final medical procedures and burial rites. The others hear Astara and Twig arrive, checking in the elder lady under the name Solana. She bickers a bit like an old crone but is otherwise compliant. The group exchange tales and Twig rushes to Eavan to investigate. He notes that the wash basin also has grey fur in it... but also white fur, which the wolf mom and pups did not have.
Together, they make their way to confer with Shaman Gurnessa at the druid camp. They are well welcomed and the Shaman comes to discuss. She sends one of her student to investigate the wolf mom at Twig's behest, then Twig joins the next set of students investigating / doing a head count on the local badger population. The rest adds on about the attack and wounds left behind. The shaman is suspicious, and shares that she started to hear howls the night prior, coinciding with the beginning of the full moon cycle. A few successful checks leads to show the group can piece things together before the druids confirm: They are likely dealing with a werewolf. Nina worries that Kitahn could be affected and the Shaman shares there is a chance that this is the case. However, he would not fully turn until the next cycle, and if the lycanthrope that infected him is dispatched before the next cycle, it should cure him of the affliction. She also shares that silvered weapons are needed to defeat werewolves and lycanthropes in general.
The group then heads to the market and a bit of resource management ensues to equip everyone, with silver scraps extra for additional crafting as needed.
Game ends
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