Session 7: Ivasar

“Who takes the child by the hand, takes the mother by the heart.”

After a day of investigating at the behest of the Alderman, we found several totems each outside an afflicted child’s house, and disturbingly so, a shrine in Alba’s house similar to the one we had found in the Ratling lair back in Sacena.

Deciding to spy on them as night fell, we spotted a woman hidden in a cloak, leaving the house and thanks to Viter’s stealth, it turned out to be Alba, seeking out council with Helena at the Sept. Frantic talk of blood magic and tense words exchanged about dark things from the feywild stealing the souls of the unwary.

I sensed that wolves were nearby but this shameful secrecy provoked us into action and we confronted them outside the Alderman’s house. Alba confessed and let us know that she had found the fey shrine and Celeste’s diary in their house. Swearing that she knew nothing of this, she revealed that in the diary, this Angelica had promised a cure for Kato who was likely afflicted by lycanthropy. I was about to berate Alba for allowing such a sinister presence in her own house but bells began to toll.

Wolves had overrun the town square and the screams and shouts from the villagers soon filled the air. It was soon clear that this was no ordinary wolf attack, for they were not after sheep but children. They sought to kidnap those that had been afflicted by the totems. I tried to save one, the girl Cherry, running and teleporting as fast as I could and harshly pulling her off the back of one of the wolf, but to no avail as they were complicit in their abduction. I was rewarded with a savage bite from one of the dire wolves, but my faithful companions and the villagers soon downed it and Ember finished it with a well placed burst of light. I tried to chase after Cherry, burning through my magic, but then Celeste appeared.

A tall woman with red hair, astride a savage dire wolf, promptly rebuked my efforts with a blast of eldritch energy. I tried to repay her in kind by hauling her off her mount but she was too nimble. They soon fled as they had got what they came for and spirited away their prey to the northeast.

Ember with her blood burning for vengeance pursued them to the Grand Oak, but was forced to withdraw in the face of so many wolves. At the Village the Alderman tried to explain what had happened to the crowd but all had seen the fiery Celeste with her wolves. Fortunately coolers heads seem to prevail for now and there was no talk of revenge or accusations, but tempers may fray in the coming days.

Talking with Kato’s parents for answers, the mother was beyond consolation and the father grim, but after some words they led us to his room, or rather stable. They had been estranged from each other for the last few months, no doubt as he grew wilder. Other than many wolf drawings we found a journal hidden in a false bottom of his desk, talking about his curse, but that Celeste had promised a cure from Angelica. The last entry was from three days ago, a meeting with Angelica at the Grand Oak. Examining one of the direwolves, Ember and I found that their blood was different, and had been mixed with a werewolf. I doubt this was the cure that they wanted.

Weary from the day and energies spent, we slept, and set off early the next morning. Though out of morbid curiosity I paid Lorne for a suitably mournful tune to mark the occasion. Arriving at the Grand Oak, there were many tracks but no signs of the wolves or anyone, but we found a shimmering blood red portal embedded in the tree. One after another, we entered, not knowing what lay beyond.