Session Report 73

General Summary

The next segment of the Muskrats' journey resumed when they made their way outside of Toletum proper and headed for the cabin of Zayd, a loner who lived on the fringe of the city. At the time Cambio continued to play dead. Before they reached the cabin the Muskrats discovered that Zayd was one to set traps. They nearly triggered a trip wire that would have set off an alarm, but Shade's perceptive eyes easily spotted it and he was able to disarm the trap. Upon approaching the cabin the Muskrats peered inside to find the interior ridden with weapons and traps. A middle aged black tabaxi was carving up a deer carcass and preparing a stew. Each of the Muskrats were too hesitant to knock, but the ever brave intern Tazmeth rose to the occasion and knocked. A gruff voice called out to him and after a small exchange Zayd agreed to open the door and speak with them. There was significant racket when Zayd opened the door. He had to disable many traps and unlock nearly a dozen locks. It was apparent he was fearful of something. 
The conversation that ensued touched on many different subjects. Primarily, the Muskrats learned that Lord Hersand had turned Zayd into a boogeyman to solidify his power as Lord shortly after rising to the position. Lord Hersand had also been telling investigators that the Princes had gone in a different direction than what they had truly gone. The motivation behind his lie was unknown. Finally, Zayd told the Muskrats that he had discovered the first mass grave and he was appalled when he discovered that the faces of the dead had been removed. Zayd described that they were surgically removed and that the cuts were clean. Zayd shared that he believed that hags were sometimes known to collect the faces of humanoids but he also explained that he had only heard that in legends. When asked about what could be causing all the disappearances Zayd gave two answers: fey and the Lord of the Hunt. Zayd had been spotting more fey in the forest and mountains recently. the Lord of the Hunt was also known to appear in the area around Toletum every few hundred years. 
After speaking with Zayd, the Muskrats returned to Toletum to obtain cold weather gear and Itzal decided to hit the local library to perform some research. There he picked up a bit of information from old children's books and a hunter's guide. Hags were often known to settle in the Grantacken Range near Toletum, especially bheur hags. Hags were known to claim faces of humanoids that they killed. Additionally, the children's books touched on three fey lords specifically: The Lord of the Hunt, the Bear King, and the Snow Queen. The Snow Queen was depicted as a user of cold wrought iron, but Itzal knew that he was not known as a wielder of weapons. Notably, children were told to stay inside at night or not wander too far into the woods because the Lord of the Hunt may snatch them up. The hunter's guide explained that there bouts of unexplained disappearances around Toletum but no definitive conclusion had been made regarding the cause. 
In the morning the Muskrats departed and began a long trek into the Grantacken Range to find Crown Prince Ander and Oromon. The next two days consisted of tracking and eventually discovering a mass grave that fit the description that Zayd had provided. Through the use of Itzal's familiar the Muskrats were able to discover the last encampment of the Princes. There were well over a hundred bodies that were stacked up. The Muskrats were able to find one man still alive. He explained that the search party had become stuck in a never ending blizzard and were attacked by fey, wolves, and a hag each night who began to deplete their numbers. Eventually, the Princes left with fifty men and left another fifty healthy men with over a hundred wounded. The fifty men detachment were meant to find help but have been gone for over a week. Two nights ago rest of the encampment were wiped out and this man crawled beneath bodies and hid to survive. Before any other information could be shared the sound of charging hooves echoed through the trees and the Muskrats were face to face with Vasled Aspentail, the centaur follower of the Lord of the Hunt, who had taken Tev's ear. 
A battle promptly broke out between the two sides when Vasled blew his war horn and announced that the Wild Hunt had officially begun. Shade in his werepanther form rushed forward and unleashed the power of the Drake's Scourge and burned and cut apart a winter wolf with three quick slashes. Meanwhile, Cambio and Itzal sought to gain an advantage over Vasled and Lupo Nero with their magic. This was to an extent successful until the two broke free and charged in. Itzal was able to subdue Lupo Nero for a second time and effectively cut off much of Vasled's power. Without the aid of Lupo Nero, Vasled was overmatched. Cambio was relentless with his blasts of eldritch energy and Tazmeth rushed in with his quarterstaff to deliver a crushing blow that cracked open the skull of Vasled, killing him. Lupo Nero disappeared from the battlefield. When the Muskrats investigated Vasled's body they discovered a contract written in Sylvan on his body. It explained that should he die Lupo Nero will return to the Lord of the Hunt. The Muskrats knew that there enemy was close and that a tough battle lay ahead, but they could not help but celebrate that they had obtained revenge for Tev.

Report Date

20 Dec 2022