Session 2 - Tracking the Killers

General Summary

After the tragic events at the estate, Ruslan sent two retainers to apprehend Zayats, who attempted to flee, but, being outnumbered, quickly surrendered, and was placed in a pit. He also dispatched a rider to retrieve Rurik, who quickly returned with several retainers, while the rest of his host stayed in the field. Furious that his wife, Anastasiya, and their child had been attacked, Rurik resolved to find whoever was responsible. He was upset to learn that Taras had sought to pawn off his duty of guarding his family onto someone else, but the warrior had bravely dispatched the giant wasp and the bear His trust in shapeshifters had reached an all-time low after Mikhailo's betrayal, but all three of them kissed the cross, and swore before Father Georgii that they had no inkling about Mikhailo's murderous nature, and that they did all they could to fend him off. Taras and Hrefna then succeeded in convincing him to let them find the parties responsible, so Rurik sent them away on the mission to identify the culprit behind the attack. He also sent Polkan - a dog-headed warrior that had entered his service sometime back, to accompany them.
They departed to the east, which was the direction that the giant wasp, as well as Mikhailo and Zayats had come from. A partially bound Zayats led the party to a secret location hidden deep in the forest, covered in briars. It was here, he said, that he had encountered Mikhailo. There, they discovered a makeshift temple, which indicated that Rurik was still secretly worshiping an ancient Rover god associated with horses. The party never learned the deity’s identity, but Hrefna, poking around near the structure, discovered buried deer and boar bones, and a small silver hammer pendant.
After he had brought them to the shrine, they removed Zayats' bonds in response to his relentless begging. But during the night, taking advantage of Vladimir's laxness, Zayats bolted. The cat tried to rouse his companions, but the hare was too speedy, and the party couldn’t keep up with him. The next morning, when following his tracks, they found that he had been ambushed and torn apart by wolves.
Continuing their investigation, the party proceeded to Zaozerye, where Mikhailo indicated he had grown up. After asking around, they located a small hermitage, and spoke to Sergii - its hegumen. Sergii indicated that he had indeed raised Mikhailo, and sent him away when he learned about his shapechanging powers. He had never seen Mikhailo engage in violent acts, but suspected that he was prey for the Devil. He also told them that there had been attacks on livestock and a child in the village, and recommended they speak to a woman named Artemisa - an experienced trapper, about the wolves' whereabouts. This lead presented a faint hope of uncovering the truth behind the recent animal attacks.

Report Date

04 Aug 2024