Chronicles of 'Team B' - Chapter 48 - The Portable Feast

General Summary

The following morning, the Serpent Slayers decide to simply let the survivors of the previous night's massacre go - the fight transpired as a result of a misunderstanding, and if more people in the area think that the violence is caused by Kochmak predations, the better. The day's travel, led by Zorina, proceeds uneventfully, but a chill descends in the evening, and the practitioners of magic in the party know that the days of warm-weather magic are now gone for the next half year. 
The following day turns out to be very eventful. In the morning, the travelers encounter another group of nearly a dozen riders, who introduce themselves as servitors of a local boyar named Yuriev. They have heard vague rumors of the attack on the waystation in the south, and the "reprisal" that took place a day later. They also relate tales of a large group of volkdlaks in the area. Merius in particular fills in some details about the group's travel to Galinda, though he initially tries to omit details. The riders seem willing to engage in anti-Kochmak conversation, but they would like to accompany the Slayers toward the border nevertheless, as they don't entirely trust them. To ease their concerns, or, perhaps, for other reasons, Malina conjures some bland food for the midday meal. Merius wants to do her one better, and spreads out the magic tablecloth they are bringing as a gift for the Galind Grand Prince. The tablecloth is covered with fine and exotic food and drink. The servitors are rightly impressed, though they begin to wonder who exactly their traveling companions are.
In a short while, the gathering attracts a half-dozen or so traveling tinkers, who beg to be allowed to partake of the feast. Several of the tinkers express a desire to join the Serpent Slayers for their journey in exchange for being treated the victuals created by the tablecloth on a regular basis. Lokan oversees the selection process as he tries to determine which of the tinkers is the most crafty. One of their number, an oldster named Leontii, is definitely too slow, but he offers to assiduously pray for the party, and ingratiates himself with the travelers so well that Lokan offers to take him and one of the younger tinkers. The rest of his companions are uncertain as to why they need to pick up more companions, but the decision is made. Some of Yuriev's people accompany the rest of the tinkers to Luzhinks (they don't seem to trust them, either), but Leontii, young Vyacheslav, and the rest of the riders stay with the party. Malina, unhappy about all the attention, withdraws to cast her bones. When she returns, she informs the party that the omens for their arrival in Galinda are not good, and may involve the gallows. 
After sunset, howling is heard in the distance. As it gets closer, several of the horses bolt. Two are ridden by Yuriev's men, who are carried along as they try to get their mounts under control. Merius' horse also flees. He himself has no weapons and tries to hide behind the trees, but eventually, he picks up the bow dropped by one of Yuriev's men, and joins the assault along with the party's other archers. The volkodlaks are upon them. Eight huge gray wolves emerge from behind the trees, though the late hour makes them hard to see. Their leader, a huge white wolf, attracts most of the attention from the shooters. Agapia chastises the white wolf, but gets covered by frost breathed out of its mouth for her trouble. Concentrated attention from the archers finally subdues the white wolf, though he rises again in human form, bellowing that he and his pack have an appointment to keep with Grey Wolf. The wolves circle around the party: one gets close to mauling Leontii, another savages Arsenii Trofimovich, nearly killing him, and tearing a chunk out of the princeling's abdomen. But the vigorous defense, followed up with another one of Malina's conjured wall of fire gets the human white wolf to call a retreat of the survivors.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Defeat of volkodlak pack led by a white shapechanger

Report Date

12 Mar 2021