Session 48: A New Player From An Old Enemy Report

General Summary

The guys able to get up and start the day. Both report to the village hall, and go to see Charlemagne off. Reolus speaks to the two Gnome thieves, reporting his previous encounters with the Bladed Pouch assassin. He's informed that the Ogre was a failsafe.   Fleur speaks to Grimmaz about a Wood Elf charcoal wood burner called Gunther. An old tomb has been unearthed just near their camp, and has been opened. The team travel to the charcoal burner encampment, and move to examine the tomb. Scratch marks & footprints are discovered, showing something thin had moved the old stones & rock of it. Inside is the skeletal remains of an old Celtic warrior, with a longsword, shield, and a pearl in his hand.   An inscription on the underside of the rock that covered the main part has Ogham symbols. It is roughly translated as "To the west near the coast is the dark one that takes life. There he rests with his tools of death. And to the north east lies is friends, the ones who shun life, and gave words of power over death. And to the south east lies the others, in-between life & death, and gives powerful gifts of death. In the grave of my body is the moonlight key to my dark kin's wares."   Reolus notices a disk shaped object has been ripped away from the neck region of the skeleton, the gold chain it was attached to still remaining. Claw marks are present. Father Tossil has been called by this time and Reolus asks Gunther about what he saw. Gunther explains that he was woken up early just before light, from the sounds of the tomb being opened. When he got there, he could make out a creature from behind disappearing in to the woods to the west. It was in rags with bare feet, extremely thin, almost skeletal, with no hair on it's head. He took a torch too, and couldn't make out any further details. It moved fast jumping & pushing it's way through the trees & bushes. Then went for help. Also, they had found animals savaged to death and drained of blood in the surrounding woods.   Tossil arrived, and examined the tomb saying that the tomb was indeed an old Celtic warrior and the sword & shield were slightly magical, along with the pearl which he handed off. It had a small ogham symbol on it saying Focus.   He listened to what the others said and eventually left after saying a druid or two would be out soon to bless the grave and seal it. Reolus asks about the creature that was seen, and Tossil takes a note to check what records he has handy. At this point, the two Burgeaters come out of the bushes dragging / pushing a plainly dressed man. He is interrogated by Grimmaz & Reolus. He is Claude, and sent east on behalf of the de Rais family (specifically Countess Gabrielle de Ras)looking for a girl called Cyrielle de Orleans who is suspected of being in the east of Frankia. He also saw the creature too.   Terrified, he hid and then the heroes arrived. He described the same details as the creature, and also mentioned he didn't find the girl. Also, if found to contact Gabrielle de Rais, mercenaries, and/or the de Rais allies for help to get her. Grimmaz says that no-one like that has been seen, and to go north out of Eschbach's territory. They decide to check out the west to be sure and find nothing of interest. Grimmaz also warned Claude that the de Rais family might want to stay out of Eschbach.   When this is done, he heroes decided to return to Eschbach, get fed, talk to the council and prepare to depart north themselves. There, Tossil gets them and explains that the creature fits a description of a creature from the Middle East. It is a vampiric creature, thought by a few to be a possible mutation in an Arabic book, but thought off more as a deliberate creation of a new vampiric species by the Children of the Nazarene, or at least someone high up in it.   Afterwards they warn the council to keep an eye out for any members of the de Orleans or de Rais family. The former is to be welcomed but hastily removed, and the de Rais are unwelcome.