Invasion
Story Two: Rescue
Storyteller Information: A local girl goes missing one night and her parents are killed after a night of murderous killings. The group tries to find her (either she has a link to them, or a relative asks them to help look for her). They follow her tracks to an old farmstead at Dodd Law, where a BSD Kinfolk and two cubs have kidnapped the girl on her way to the local caern and have taken her back to their farmstead ready to give her to the local Hive. The players find Kendra and try to rescue her, only to realise it is a trap – the cubs Rite of Passage. The players either escape with Kendra and may take her home, or they escape on their own.
The Story
After the Danish raid everyone settled
back into winter life, repairing the equipment and clothing after the
wear and tear of a hard year. Most days were spent inside as the weather
refused to abate. Around mid January Eadberht arrived at each home in
turn and called them to Aelfric’s hall. Once there he told them grave
news ‘The King, Edward has died after long sickness. Fortunately for the
country he did appoint his successor. Harald Godwinson, the brother of
our previous Earl, Tostig is now King of England.” Around the hall various
jeers and moans are audible. “Fear not though, I do not think he will
be giving Tostig back Northumbria, he likes his brother even less than
we do!” Laughing breaks out around his table. “However” he continues “our
King is dead, and while he could have given more attention to the fates
of his Northern lands, he was out Lord and as such there shall be a day
of mourning his passing. Go back to your homes now and take a days rest
from the winter work.’
The following day of mourning passes and
everyone goes back to work. Snow continues to fall each night, making
any activity outside near impossible, but wood still needs chopping and
brought in, and other essentially jobs must be done.
Day One, January 13th 1066.
A week after the news of Edward’s death,
as everyone is gathered around their hearths in the evening a unearthly
howl splits the night. A few moments later it is followed by another.
This happens again through the night and in the morning everyone is uneasy.
There is no evidence to be found of the creature, except occasional large
paws prints in the snow up and down the valley.
The following night all can hear a large
creature padding around outside their houses, and no one dares leave for
more fuel for their fire. During the night the howls come again, this
time more frequent and once there is a snarl followed by a scream. About
an hour after the scream, the howls start again, but they are further
away and more northerly towards Maelmin.
In the morning as you all gather and trade
your worries at the noise, you notice that an old couple, Aelfred and
Aelfgifu, are not among you. Fearfully remembering the scream someone
suggests going to their house Approaching the building it is possible
to see that the door is hanging and open. Edwin walks inside and a few
seconds later quickly comes back out. He doubles up over and vomits into
the snow. Standing slowly and supporting himself on the doorframe he looks
at you all, ‘They’re dead. Do not look in there. I will fetch my men and
we will sort this out. I would return to your homes while we do this.”
No doubt the players will want to see what is in the building, it isn’t pretty but here is a description for those ghoulish enough to look. “The house is small two room affair, with one room leading off from the entrance room. The first room is normal, a fire smoulders in the hearth but otherwise nothing moves. A strong smell of blood issues from the doorway into the other room. “ At this point some players may decide to leave the hut, for those that open the door, read on. “As you open the door and peer into the gloom, you retch at the smell of fresh blood. Slowly your eyes become accustomed to the pale light and you can see the horror inside. Blood is smeared across all fours walls and both the floor and roof, human entrails are hanging from the rafters and coat the floor making it slippery with gore. The simple bed is destroyed, and from the state of the corpse lying against the crushed timber, it seems it was used as a club to smash the bed. On the opposite side of the room another body lies. Neither has a head, and both appear to be missing most of their legs and arms. Stomachs have been torn out and strewn over everything, clothing and skin has been shredded and lies in tatters on the floor. It is impossible to tell who was husband and who was wife, and both appear to been chewed and had bits eaten. It is a scene of utter horror.” Any players who stayed in the room must now make a Sta check, diff. 8 and get 3 successes or more to avoid vomiting like Edwin.
Regardless of anyone looking in the building
or not, continue here. “Soon Edwin returns with his Huscarls, all are
holding sacks and grimly they enter the building.
Two men run back out immediately and throw up. Aelfric walks over
to the assembled people and looks around “Whatever this is, it must be
killed. If it resorts to killing an old couple in the middle of the night
it must be scared of the rest of us, and so we hunt it and kill it. Split
up into search parties and track it down. If you cannot find it before
dark, get back here in plenty of time – I do not want any of my people
out at night with this thing prowling.” With that he turns and walks into
the building to speak with Edwin. Godwine speaks out “Surely the creature
will be long gone, it has been here once and won’t come back.” At this
Aelfric turns and glares at the potter, “Get into a search party and go
and hunt it NOW! I tolerate your lax work but I will not tolerate a lack
of compassion towards the well being of my settlement!”
As Aelfric turns his back on the man, Godwine
shuffles his way towards a group going east and leaves the settlement
with them. He is silent and no one appears to be talking to him.
After they have gathered whatever weapons they require for the hunt, the group has several options;
· Search the inside of the hut for clues when Edwin has finished
· Search the rest of the village for footprints etc
· Talk to Aethelfrith and see if he can help
· Go to Maelmin and see if anything happened there
In the Hut
If they search inside the hut, they must roll stamina (diff 6 for those who haven’t been in before, diff 8 for those who have) to avoid vomiting. If they continue searching have them roll Perception + Investigation (diff 7 if they have a light, diff 9 if they don’t) each player that gets two or more successes reveals one of the following clues
· There is a broken canine tooth in part of the wrecked bed, there are teeth marks all around, the tooth looks wolfish.
· Black and grey fur is trapped in dried blood on the door frame.
· There are large wolfish pawprints in the blood on the floor,
· A roof rafter has 4 parallel claws marks in it (the rafter is six feet above the floor)
· There is a scrap of clothing on the floor that isn’t blood stained and doesn’t match the clothing of either victim.
Anyone getting four successes or more will find a small bronze brooch like that worn with a peplos that has fallen under the bed, it was commonly known that Aelfgifu did not ever wear a peplos.
In the Village
Anyone searching the rest of the village rolls perception + investigation (diff 6)
· One or two success will find that there are large wolfish pawprints that circle every house and criss cross numerously around the village. They do not go near the church and they also avoid the hall.
· Three or four success’s show that the pawprints leading away from Aelfred and Aelfgifu’s house go to only one more building and circle it only once (the building is the house of a teenage girl Kendra, and her parents Sigferth and Daryl, the players do not know them well as they only arrived in late december claiming they were driven from their remote farmstead by the winter, the girl is friendly and bright, though her parents are sullen and have been very insular since arriving). The building is empty and none of the occupants are anywhere to be seen.
· Five success’s reveals that small faint footprints leave the house and that they merge with the pawprints. Before they merge there are no pawprints and after they merge there are no footprints. Faint spots of blood surround where they merge.
· Six success’s reveal that footprints also go in a easterly direction from Godwine’s hut
Father Aethelfrith
If the players go and visit the priest Aethelfrith he will ask what they wish to know. This is basically what he thinks he knows about goings on in the area, formulate answers from these facts (he has no idea whose the scrap of cloth is). He asks that in return the players bring back to him anything they find of interest, information or otherwise.
· Werewolves are real, and some are present nearby (true)
· The werewolves are evil and are only kept from Adgefrin by him and the priest (false)
· The attack last night was by a supernatural wolf summoned by the werewolves (false)
· Humans and werewolves are entirely different (true)
· Werewolves make ‘pets’ of real wolves, giving them supernatural powers (false)
· Until they are a certain age werewolves look and act like humans (part true, they can also be wolves)
· The werewolves are based around the hillfort of Adgefrin hill (false)
· The week of a full moon is the only time the werewolves can come out (false)
· Normal animals are scared of werewolves (true)
· They are not harmed by normal weapons (part true, they regenerate the damage)
· There is an old man living in a farmstead on Dodd Law, he is a werewolf (part true, he is BSD kinfolk)
· The peplos brooch belongs to Kendra (part true, it is actually her mothers but she wears it)
· The fur and tooth (and claw if they have found it at Maelmin) can be used as a weapon against the creature they are from (part true, they can be part of a spell to drive the creature away)
· The werewolves and their ‘pet’ wolves need human flesh to live (false)
· Werewolves can take the form of a wolf (true)
Maelmin – approx. 2.5 miles north of Adgefrin
If anyone approaches Maelmin they will find both gates shut and barred. Three large armoured Huscarls are at each entrance and more walk the palisade in between gates. The players are recognised from when they fought the Danes and they are allowed into the burgh. The Huscarls look haggard and quickly shut and bar the gate once the players enter. The burgh was attacked the previous night and if the players approach from the east they will see that the gate is hurriedly patched together and is completely immobile. The Huscarls ask what the players want, and if asked about the previous night will divulge the following info in any order;
· Around midnight they heard howls and a scream from the south and barred the gates.
· A few hours later the howls came closer to the burgh and a watch was mounted on each entrance.
· The east gate was attacked by something; it was twice as tall as a man and nearly tore the gate from its hinges.
· Arrows and slingshot had no effect other than to annoy the creature
· It got part way through the gate and killed four men before the Huscarls beat it off and it fled.
The Huscarls have nothing else to tell and will allow the players to wander around until they are ready to leave. If they ask to see the bodies they are told they are already buried. Footprints circle the palisade and lead off east from the eastern gate. Blood is sprayed all over the gate and surrounding palisade, broken arrows litter the ground. Close inspection of the gate shows many claw marks and a successful perception roll shows a broken claw embedded in the wood. It is blood stained and about three inches long. The footprints lead off east and are accompanied by splashes of drying blood. They can be trailed easily for about a mile and then become more difficult to follow as the amount of blood lessens (the wounds were healing). A perception + investigation roll (diff 6, 3 success’s needed) allows the trail to be followed to within a hundred yards of the western edge of the hillfort at Roughting Linn. The pawprints then end in a scuffle, and there are patches of fur and blood. This is where Edgar and Kendra fought as he kidnapped her. A single set of footprints then leads south east towards Dodd Law. It is also beginning to get dark, and they have at least a three mile walk home.
The other search parties return
As the players are telling Aelfric what they have found, the other parties return and the following information is passed on;
· One group has scoured the base of Adgefrin Hill and found nothing. They haven’t gone near the ancient fort as they have found no evidence that required it.
· The group looking south have found no tracks or any trace of the beast.
· The group who went east have nothing to report except that as soon as possible Godwine left them and went up the Dodd Law, but returned a few hours later and said he found nothing.
During that night more howls are heard to the north, and east, but none that are close. Generally it is an uneasy night for everyone.
Day Two, January 14th, 1066.
At first light Aelfric and his Huscarls are out getting ready to go and search for Kendra again. The other search parties from the previous day form up again and go in their separate directions.
Godwine
It is possible that the players will be suspicious of Godwine and may wish to question him. They can find him easily enough; he is currently at home poking with his pots and trying to avoid being tagged onto another search party. For full background on him and what he is doing see the Appendix.
Any questions about Dodd Law or why he goes east will be met with comments ‘there are good clays up there that I need’, ‘I know the area so I though I would be best to search that area’ or something similar. If the characters persist in annoying him he will ask them to leave, if they do not he will grow anger and threaten them with ‘forces they cannot comprehend’, if they still refuse to leave he will go outside and join the same search party as he did the previous day.
Adgefrin Hillfort – approx 0.5 miles SE
of Adgefrin
The players may decide to investigate Adgefrin hillfort, however the bad snow means that they physically cannot much further than about halfway up. If they search the ground around the base of the hill they will find exactly the same as the group the previous day did – nothing.
Roughting Linn – approx 2.5 miles NE of
Maelmin
As the tracks the previous day lead towards
Roughting Linn, the players may go and have a look. This can be either
a good idea or a bad idea depending on how they handle it as the area
surrounding the waterfall is the caern of the local Sept. One of the players
in unknowing Kinfolk, but even so the rest of the players may push their
luck too far. If the players do approach the caern they are stopped about
half a mile away by a pair of men that have wandered down from the ridge.
The men are two of the guardian Ahrouns (any two) and are armed accordingly
(sword, helmet, spear and shield). They warn the players that they are
encroaching of the land of Thegn Wiglaf and that they should leave now.
Any enquiries about Kendra will be met with ‘she isn’t here, no one has
passed this way recently’. They will scoff at any stories of wolves and
the like saying that they haven’t heard anything over the last few nights.
If the players persist in trying to reach the hillfort they will be told
very sternly to leave and a group of around twenty armed men will come
down the hill to join the two Ahrouns. Whatever happens the players cannot
get any closer than about half a mile away from the hillfort. Full information
on the caern and the Sept is in the Appendix.
Dodd Law – approx. 4 miles S of Roughting
Linn
This is where the players should end up. It is possible to circle the guardians of the Caern (see above) and pick up the trail of footprints leading towards the hill. They are easy to follow and lead straight up and around onto the SW edge of the hill. As the players climb up to the top the hillfort is visible to their left, and below it on the slope is a large wood covered ravine. Ahead of them is the ring of an old settlement, in the centre the top of a building is visible, the tracks lead towards this area. Just beyond the buildings can be seen the ancient stone circle. Rock outcrops covered in strange circular markings are everywhere. Once at the top of the hill, the tracks lead in a straight line to the Farmstead.
The Farmstead
The farmstead is a small collection of near collapsing buildings within a ring ditch on the top of Dodd Law. There is a long hall like building (main house), two smaller buildings around it (sheds) and just visible through the trees to the south of the main building is a large but derelict hall (barn). The tracks lead into the barn
Both the out buildings are empty except for rotting woodpiles and tools. They are both in a very bad way and could easily fall down.
The main building is missing a lot of its thatched roof and various beams are showing. It is about 20 feet wide by about 50 feet long. There is a single door in the western end. Inside the building it is gloomy, damp and quite rank. A wall with a centre doorway halfway down separates the hall into two rooms. The first is a living area and has a rickety table and chairs. A central firepit is surrounded by rusting iron cooking utensils. The fire is cold and seems not to have been made in a long time. Everything is covered in dust and cobwebs. The second room has three beds in it, all rotten and mouldy.
The barn has a dirt floor that is covered in straw. The tracks become a mess in the centre of the floor and the straw is scuffled as if there has been a brawl. Splashes of dried blood stain the floor and the pile of blankets. Anyone searching the blankets will find the peplos brooch that matches the one found in Aelfred and Aelfgifu’s house. The straw is old, but not yet mouldy. In one corner there is a pile of blankets (moving the blankets will reveal a small tunnel leading north). There are piles of bones in various states e.g fresh, smelly, broken etc, a successful Perception + Medicine roll shows there to be human bones mixed with those of deer, cow etc. The tunnel leads north and runs for about 50 feet before surfacing out the enclosed farmstead. Obvious tracks lead in the direction of the wooded valley. There is one set of footprints and two sets of pawprints. The prints lead into the tree cover of the ravine.
The Wooded Ravine
This is were Edgar has set the trap for the players and he hopes to put both the BSD cubs through their Rite of Passage – trap and kill the humans.
The path is twisty and winds through the undergrowth and is only wide enough for single file (ensure the players have a clear marching order). After about 100 feet, the trees thin out to make a long clearing about 50 feet long by 30 feet wide. The ground now slopes steeply away and behind the trees on the right hand side of the clearing is a near vertical rock face about 50 feet high. To the left, through the thinning trees you can hear and see quite a deep stream that runs down the hill to join with the main river in the basin. At the far end is a slumped naked body (it is the unconscious Kendra). In the trees behind her is Edgar, Hallvar and Ingild are each hidden in the trees to either side of the clearing, both are in lupus form. A successful Perception + Alertness roll (diff 7 normal, diff 5 if the player said they were watching out) with 3 success’s allows the players to spot them, 5 success’s will reveal Edgar at the end of the clearing. If the players enter the clearing, the two cubs will wait until the group is together and near Kendra before attacking. Both cubs are homid, they have been instructed that during their Rite of Passage they must discover their ‘wolf’ side and so they will fight in either Lupus or Hispo.
Here the players have a few options;
1. Try and escape with their lives
2. Try an escape with their lives and Kendra (to carry Kendra requires Str 3+)
3. Fight the cubs off.
If they try and escape they may attempt to;
1. Run Away – Unlikely, but possible, however one or both of the cubs will give chase depending on how many players run. Roll Stamina + Athletics (diff 7 for the player, diff 5 for the cubs) the first to reach 10 success’s wins. If the player succeeds, he outruns the wolf, if the cub succeeds he catches the player and gets a free strike before going into normal melee. If a player is carrying Kendra the diff becomes 8 and they require 12 successes.
2. Jump into the stream – This will work, as the cubs will not jump into the water after them. The current will carry them down the hill and into the river at the bottom. Anyone doing this must soak 3 normal damage from being bashed around etc. Any player carrying Kendra must soak 5 damage as they try and protect her unconscious body on the way down.
3. Climb the rock face – This requires a successful Strength + Athletics roll (diff 6, diff 8 if carrying Kendra). To carry Kendra up the rock face requires Str 4+. The cubs cannot follow but will run around the edge of the ravine and reach the top about 10 minutes later. This should give the players a good head start at escaping and the wolves will not follow.
The players may also try and fight the cubs. This combat follows the normal rules. If either cub is reduced to mauled, both will back off and watch the players warily until their wounds heal when they will give chase again. If either cub is killed, the other will run off and Edgar will shout before shooting at the group with a longbow. After a few seconds the second cub will run back out and madly attack the group while in a Frenzy (ignore wound penalties). If the players kill the cub and go to look for Edgar, he is not there and there are no obvious tracks. If one or both cubs are killed or run away the players may safely pick up Kendra (requiring Str 3+) and carry her down the hill and back to Adgefrin (very slowly). As Hallvar and Ingild are both Homid, remember that if either is killed they will turn back to human form as they die. The bodies are both of young lads about 16 years old and are totally naked.
Once the players have some time alone with Kendra they may try and revive her, (Intelligence + Medicine, diff 7 needing 3 success’s). If she awakens she will weakly thank the players and ask them to take her home. She then falls unconscious again.
Returning
As the players approach the hall they can see that the other search parties have returned and Aelfric is walking around unhappily. If the players have also returned empty handed he will shake his head sadly and say that she must have been taken by wolves or raiders and is gone.
If the players have got Kendra with them Aelfric is very happy and tells them to bring her into his hall. He then summons Aethelfrith and the priest sets about checking her and healing her many cuts and bruises. The players are led out of the room by Aelfric and heartily congratulated. They are asked if they found any trace of her parents and he looks troubled when they say no. He then asks how they found her. If they keep to a ‘realistic’ story e.g. she was kidnapped by an old man and we rescued her, he will thank them again and tell them there will be a feast in their honour to celebrate their success. If they tell him the truth e.g. evidence of unusual wolf attacks, they fought wolves that become human when killed etc, he frowns and tells them to talk with Aethelfrith once he is finished as there may be more to this than there seems.
After about an hour Aethelfrith leaves the room with a troubled look on his face. Kendra has been roused and in her semi conscious state has been muttering and mumbling about the ‘man-wolves’ and how she ‘must get home with the wolves’. He will ask the players about what they have seen and if this makes any sense to them. Any information they can give him will be gratefully received and he says that if they don’t mind he will ask Aelfric’s permission to have them run a few scouting errands for him to confirm some ideas and information, in return he will teach them any useful that he can.
Aelfric will give his permission for the players to aid Aethelfrith and will then tell everyone to return home until the feast that night. At the feast the feast the players have place of honour next to Aelfric and his Huscarls and each are presented with gifts of silver (brooches, rings, torcs etc)
Ending
That is the end of the story! Award additional xp as follows
+3 for escaping with Kendra,
+1 for escaping the wolves,
+1 if they give Aethelfrith any information and then agree to help him.