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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SolidSnake" data-source="post: 984" data-attributes="member: 102">October 22nd, 747- “We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases.” -Sir Thomas BrowneWith their heads held high, the party walked into Vulpwood. The forest in question was barely a few miles north from Karina, but everyone still remained tense as soon they left the safety of the stone walls the city provided. Raul seemed to have a good indication of where he was going, as he guided everyone through the dense deciduous forest.  Shinlaiden remarked on the abundant wildlife, something that was nonexistent in the dark woods of Barovia. The attempt to lighten the mood was earnest, but unfortunately everyone was too deep in thought to embrace such emotion. After a good bit of walking, the forest began to thin out and eventually reveal a clearing.  Within this clearing stood a circle of wagons not unlike the one Raul used in their first encounter...although these seemed to be much more elaborate in design. Campfires gave off warmth and light within the circle...just enough to notice two figures standing infront of the wagons: the Vistani the party had encountered in Karina and an elderly woman!Before the party even closed the distance, Shinlaiden was running towards the man with a look of hatred in his eyes. Sam and Raul had only seconds to react before the great warrior attacked the Vistani with his bare hands.  Luckly, the combined effort of Sam and Raul's body weights was enough to bring the behemoth to the ground. Restraining him was a bit more difficult and consequently required the physical strength of Monsette as well as the soothing words of Vanyel. Once the anger from Shinlaiden had subsided, Raul began to apologize profusely to the old Vistani woman. During the litany Raul gave, Vanyel was picked up the names of both of the mysterious figures: Vincenzo and Madame Eva. Neither one of them seemed to be concerned with Shinlaiden's blatant act of violence; in fact, Madame Eva waved the attempt on Vincenzo's life away as she would a pesky fly.With some short introductions from the party, Madame Eva invited everyone inside the circle of wagons to the revelries contained within. Vistani danced around the fires to the sound of Raul's violin. Monsette noticed over 20 wagons (Raul's included) and 5 campfires. As the party approached the fires, the investigator began to flesh out Madame Eva's features...it was obvious from her wrinkled flesh that she was very old; however, her eyes betrayed a hunger for life that Monsette had not seen before. Not the hunger of youth, but the one of the wise man who had too much to do before his time expired. Once everyone was seated and with drink, Madame Eva whispered something to Vincenzo that not even Monsette's keen ears picked up."It is time for the Daroq," she said solemnly.A look of confusion passed over the party as they were completely unfamiliar with the customs of the Vistani. As they began to question what Madame Eva had said, another woman by the name of Marsella, supported by Vincenzo, made her way to the campfire the party was seated at. She was young and attractive woman, but her eyes seemed glazed over. It was as if she was not looking at anyone now, but some far off place that only she could see. As soon as she was seated, she began to speak in a melodious voice.  It was a story of a mother in need and a treacherous daughter…the story of Gabrielle Aderre, a Vistani woman cursed by her own evil.  After watching her mother die from a mortal wound inflicted by a werewolf, the Vistani woman wondered the Realms and finally arriving in Invidia.  Using her powers of seduction, Gabrielle was able to weaken the previous ruler, a tyrant named Barkolis, and slay him in his sleep.  As the new ruler of Invidia, Gabrielle enjoyed much power afforded by the position…power, which she exploited much as the former ruler to harm the people of Invidia.  Then, one day all of that changed when the great seductress was enchanted by a man she called the “Gentleman Caller.”  It wasn’t long before the “Gentleman Caller” disappeared, leaving Gabrielle with child.“It is this child that the Zarovan clan is concerned with,” Madame Eva interrupted.  “He is the Dukkar…a creature of evil beyond your comprehension.  You must find this creature for us…it is our responsibility to deal with it.”“What of our needs,” Monsette retorted.  “Why should we risk our lives in pursuit of this…Dukkar?”“What is you wish for Giorgio,” Madame Eva asked.“First, we want to know how to remove a curse that was placed upon us.  Second, we want to know how to cure lycanthopy.  Finally, we seek knowledge in the Occult,” Monsette recited.“This is fine,” Madame Eva said impatiently.“Could you tell us more about the creature,” Vanyel interjected.  “Can it assume different forms?  I am also curious why is it that you have selected us for this task.”“As far as we know, the Dukkar cannot change shape.  The reason you were selected was the fact that you can pass easily through Karina and the surrounding area.  The creature can sense Vistani…this makes it very difficult to find it.”“What of the Mists,” Monsette said intently.“That subject is not to be discussed,” Madame Eva hissed.“Why not,” Monsette demanded.  “It is the Mists that brought us here and they can get us home.  I want to know what is going on right now!  We were brought here and soon thereafter cursed by a ghost…I want to know how to fix these this!”Calmly allowing the angry investigator to vent, Madame Eva simply watched him from across the fire.“The Mists brought you here…for what purpose I do not know.  The curse is your fault.  You wished to save Raul against his wife…noble, but foolish.  I have a proposition: find the Dukkar and you will be rewarded.  If you don’t like what I offer that is your own problem,” Madame Eva intoned calmly.“I am through with your riddles and your games,” Monsette screamed.  “Find this thing yourself for all I care!”Bolting up, Monsette began to stomp away from the camp.  Vanyel and the others were soon upon him inquiring what had just happened.  Both Shinlaiden and Sam did not have a good grasp on the language yet, so the events had to be explained to them…the facts did not please Sam.“You did WHAT?!” Sam was enraged beyond the belief.  “That was the only chance we had to get home and you THREW IT AWAY!  You FOOL!  I can’t believe that they put you anywhere near the concept of responsibility back in Nymbardax.”“Be careful Sam, I am still your commanding officer out here,” Monsette warned.“Oh yes sir, how could I forget?  May I polish your boots sir?  I am at your command.  Can I fetch your pipe?”  Sam’s voice dripped of sarcasm.Both men then stalked off in opposite directions…Vanyel went after Monsette and Shinlaiden went after Sam.“Hold on Monsette,” Vanyel called.Stopping a few paces away, Monsette began to fervently stuff tobacco in his pipe.“That IMBECILE,” Monsette yelled.“He is just high-strung…you have to apologize to him to fix things.”“I will do NO SUCH THING!”“Come…let’s talk about it back at the Inn,” Vanyel spoke softly.The two walked back towards the town, discussing how to reign their subordinates under control.  Monsette still wanted Sam back but only if he knew his place.  Vanyel attempted to explain that the environment was eating away at everyone…himself included.  Monsette still wasn’t convinced, but he listened nonetheless.  Back at the Inn both men engaged in a long debate on authority and the rights it had.  Monsette believed his power was absolute when men were entrusted to his command.  Vanyel, on the other hand, tended to think of Shinlaiden as man like any other…but he still agreed that it was better to keep the strong warrior under control…he had seen what the man was capable of in a fight.Monsette was just about finished relaying the finer points of etiquette to Vanyel when his discussion was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.  Looking up, he saw the bloodied body of Sam lying near the window.  Screaming erupted from all corners of the common room as people dashed out the door.  Monsette followed suit to intercept whatever had done this to Sam when he noticed a man out of the corner of his eye.  It is him…Gunter Edel!  Not now!  Monsette cursed as he saw his target being carried off by the crowd.  Not stopping to indicate his plans to Vanyel, Monsette rushed after him.  Forcing his way through the throng of people, Monsette followed Gunter Edel into an alley next to the Inn.  Rounding the corner, Monsette came upon his worst fear: Gunter Edel was face to face with the monster that had thrown Sam through the window.  The creature was over seven feet tall with jet-black fur.  It was cross between a man and a panther; it’s eyes glowed a malevolent green.  Rushing up to the monster and throwing Gunter aside, Monsette slashed into it with his sword.  The were-panther brought its forearm up to block the attack…the sword bit through bone and sinew, stopping halfway through the appendage.  The monster merely roared with stronger ferocity.  Backing away in fear, Monsette watched as the creature slowly approached him with a look of hatred in its eyes.  Fumbling with divine power, the priest of Viminau attempted to freeze the creature in place with enchantments…it did not work.  Monsette was saved by the sounds of the local Guard and the sight of many lit torches.  The creature, sensing danger, ripped the sword from its arm and leaped to the roof of the nearest building.  As the guards poured into the alley, Monsette began to give them instructions on how to defeat the creature while simultaneously retrieving the unconscious form of Gunter Edel.  Dashing back into the Inn, Monsette lay Gunter Edel next to the bloodied form of Sam.  With little to no success in rejuvenating Sam (courtesy of the curse cast by Leyla), Monsette asked the guards to fetch for a local healer.  While the local herbalist was retrieved, Monsette and Vanyel worked to rekindle Gunter Edel’s dying flame.  Apparently the shock had been too much for his frail heart to handle.  The old man had stopped breathing and only through the combined divine efforts of Vanyel and Monsette did he begin to breathe again.  The healer did come in time to patch up Sam’s mutilated body.  With a few words to the guards, Vanyel and Monsette called that a night…well they went to their rooms armed to the teeth anyway. __________October 23, 747 Shinlaiden awoke with a start.  He didn’t remember what happened…one minute he was talking to Sam and the next minute he was here.  Where am I?  Looking around, the great warrior found himself near stream in a heavily wooded area.  This still must be Vulpwood.  Searching the area thoroughly, Shinlaiden found no trace of Sam anywhere.  His clothes were shredded, his sword belt torn, and his boots were in pieces.  Not understanding what had happened, Shinlaiden set out for Karina.  It was a long walk without footwear, but eventually he managed to haul himself back to the Inn.  The guards gave him reproachful glances, but this was a festival after all!Upon arrival Monsette began the questioning with Vanyel’s help.  Shinlaiden tried to answer the questions as best he could, but he simply didn’t remember anything.  He did remember going after Sam and talking with him.  While they talked, he remembered feeling rather hot…odd since it was late fall.  His memories ended there.  Taking the warrior upstairs, Vanyel began to berate him in the presence of the unconscious Sam and Gunter.“You will never go off without my permission again,” Vanyel ordered.  “You are under my command, do you understand?!”Shinlaiden nodded sheepishly.  With his head bowed, Monsette noticed something that he hadn’t noticed before…it seemed as though there was a needle prick at the base of his neck.  It was too centered to be haphazard.  Even the best shot in the world wouldn’t be able to land it in that spot.“I would say that you were the were-creature that attacked us last night Shinlaiden if it weren’t for the fact that yesterday say a new moon, not a full moon,” Monsette remarked.“His illness might not be normal lycanthropy…his might be a different infection,” Vanyel observed.The two went on about any strange occurrences they had noticed with respect to Shinlaiden for some time, completely oblivious of the man’s presence.  After some time, the two decided to wake up Gunter Edel for some questioning.  The answers they received were troubling at best.  It seemed that the old man neither remembered where he was or his name.  When asked, he even managed to get the year wrong.  Vanyel was convinced that he was lying and was about to use more extreme methods of magical interrogation had not Monsette stepped in with a more gentle hand.  Monsette was not being charitable in any way; he was simply convinced that Gunter was the shapeshifting creature that had nearly killed them back in Valetta!  It took some more questioning before both men came to the conclusion that Gunter’s memory had been erased somehow…but most likely it was the doing of the evil force working against them or what Monsette classified as “the Bad Guys.”  Just to make sure, the men waited for Gunter’s traveling companion Carl to see if he could corroborate Gunter’s facts.  The men waited all day, but Carl never came back to check up on his friend… __________October 24, 747 Monsette spent the day accomplishing many errands while Vanyel and Shinlaiden waited back in the Inn.  His first order of duty was to hire a local blacksmith to make huge chains and a lock to secure Shinlaiden should the desire to become a beast overtake him in the future.  His next stop was in the city prison to talk with the Lieutenant of the city guards.  He explained about the “hit-list” his party had found and left his contact information with the man should anything come up as it pertained to the investigation he was conducting.  Finally, using a messenger service, Monsette drafted a long letter to Gunter’s daughter explaining exactly what had happened.  The rest of the day was spent feeding Sam through the corner of his mouth. __________October 25, 747 Monsette jolted awake with the sound he had so desperately been waiting to hear:“Ow,” Sam whispered.Everyone was awake in seconds, mostly through the efforts Monsette made in kicking everyone as hard as he could.“I really am sorry,” Shinlaiden murmured.“It’s not your fault.  I tried to warn you about the monster, but you feinted before I could speak out.”“So you definitely saw both Shinlaiden and the were-creature at the same time,” Monsette asked pensively.“Yes…I am sure of it,” Sam replied in a hoarse whisper.Leaving Sam in locked room, Monsette and Vanyel went to investigate the area Shinlaiden claimed to have passed out in while talking to Sam.  It did take a while, but eventually their efforts were rewarded.  The patch of land was much as to be expected: the floor of a forest, littered with dead leaves.  However, a few hours of inspection revealed a small pile of blackened herbs.  Vanyel suggested that the herbs were used to cast a spell, but that theory was quickly discarded within minutes of examination.  Placing a small sample into a pouch, Monsette headed for the Vistani camp to set up a meeting.  Marsella and Vincenzo greeted him even before he reached the edge of the circle of wagons.  It was decided that within one hour the meeting would take place on neutral ground, so that no one would gain an advantage.  Monsette was elected to do the bargaining even with his tarnished record with the Vistani.The meeting did proceed as planned.  Madame Eva, Marsella, and Vincenzo met Monsette, Vanyel, and Shinlaiden at the edge of Vulpwood.  There it was agreed that both sides gained with the following arrangements:For the Giorgio: 1) information on were-creatures (enough to cure the infected Shinlaiden), 2) removal of the curse, and 3) a way home (at this point Monsette didn’t care about knowledge on the Mists themselves).For the Vistani: the party would determine the location of the Dukkar and immobilize it with a special item the Vistani would create for the party.  The party’s task was to find the Dukkar and throw the object at it…their contract ended there.While they deciphered the location of the Dukkar, the Vistani would begin the creation of the object in question with the help of Raul.“Where do we start to look,” Monsette asked.“Look for a man called Scar in the Maze of Karina…or if you prefer, go to the “Dog Fights” your friend Captain Timothy generously invited you to,” the last words were uttered with a knowing smile by Madame Eva.Monsette only had time to stand dumbfounded as the Vistani melted back into the forest…</blockquote>

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