Dark Was the Night

General Summary

I want what I'm due! What you promised! I'm more than happy to collect the blood you owe myself!
— Scourge to the Caravan Scouts

The game opened with all of the players sleeping and Erik on watch. With only a day from reaching the caravan everyone was sleeping deeply and preparing to return home. During their sleep each of them were plagued by savage nightmares that caused them to see each other as enemies. Beorna and Aelfric saw their many dead frostmerite soldiers rising as undead slaves. Riken dreamed he his body was being taken by Klamp again and lashed out at his vision which turned out to be his sister. Cord (Logan wasn't there but the nightmare was ready if you'd made it) followed the sound of a strange creaking into to the woods to see it being a rope where a very dead Caellana was hung and the bounty hunter Killian waiting for her. Erik was attacked by Ragmen, servants of Scourge, who were controlling these dreams. Scourge's voice piped through them and told Erik his deepest fear was right here, his companions losing control and becoming the enemy. Erik managed to shake everyone from their nightmare before they killed each other but the voice of Scourge threatened that this was just the beginning. That this was some punishment for breaking the deal and stealing what he was owed. They traced the magic controlling the Ragmen to somewhere in the caravan itself and thus decided to race back home as quickly as possible. There, under the cover of a looming storm, they found the caravan in chaos. Settlers attacking settlers, mobs gathering, a few wagons burning. The same nightmares that gripped the heroes had taken hold here as well. They circle the camp looking for more Ragmen that might be in control and in doing so find that Rias Timblewick and is Gnomes have rejoined the caravan (per the previous session). But, they too are equally effected by the nightmares. They also spot the fae wagons and decide to try and speak with them if possible. Sage and Coriander are in the grip of the fear magic and attack the heroes believing them to be some kind of Fae hunters who took their sister Juniper. Riken makes awful, awful sneak rolls this entire time and makes the situation all the worse. Erik finds Juniper hiding under one of the wagons while the others are fighting. Juniper explains that the gnomes returned and they had large barrels of beer they gifted to the caravan to celebrate reaching the final destination. But, the beer seemed to have a strange effect. First, it put everyone to sleep shortly after drinking. Then, the Ragmen and Scourge appeared and were able to puppeteer their dreams into nightmares. The barrels then began emitting strange green smoke which seemed to be what was keeping everyone asleep and vulnerable to the dream manipulation. Aelfric and Beorna recognized the green fumes as a much more potent version of the ones used all the way back in Peregrine Point where their journey really began. Once the Sisters are broken of their nightmares the heroes quickly begin their plan. The sisters are to go and try to seal the barrels on the far northern edge of camp while the others try to seek out Scourge. Beorna knows that every minute that ticks by more and more settlers are falling upon each other savagely. She cuts off the others by using her magic to shout across the entire camp telling Scourge that they're here and if he wants the Moondalls he can come and get them himself. They all begin to feel vibrations beneath their very feet and watch as ever single member of the caravan ceases their madness and join as a single frenzied mob closing in on their position. The heroes decide to run into the tall grass outside the camp and draw attention away from the work Sage and Coriander are attempting. In the tall grass they ambush two Ragman and the mobs they're controlling. Though it was a rather bitter struggle they managed to defeat the scarecrows and not kill a single member of the mob. Using the skulls of the Ragmen they're then able to locate Scourge who's lurking in the center of the camp near the largest collection of toxic barrels. Through their greenish haze Scourge emerges and tells the heroes that if they give him the Moondalls and Klamp(which surprises the party) then he'll free the caravan. The heroes decide this has to end now and they make a final stand. Scourge brings forward several Ragmen as well as Berenger and Rehele both under his control as well. During the battle Beorna quickly finds a way to get Berenger back on her side with the last of her manacite knowing he would prove to be the toughest obstacle between them and Scourge. Aelfric does his best to occupy the Ragmen and Rehele while Erik and Beorna attempt to deal with Scourge himself. Both Riken and Mckenna are quickly beaten down by their hunter who spends much of his time torturing and battering their unconscious bodies. Berenger tries to intervene and for his trouble he becomes the victim of Scourge's Phantasmal Killer spell, quickly finding himself on death's door along with the two Moondalls. The heroes know the fight cannot go on forever as each second that passes their minds are further assaulted by insidious whispers and glimpses of heart-pounding horror. Erik and Beorna stand their ground, hammering into Scourge over and over while taking vicious hook wounds in return but finally they're able land devastating blows that cripple the scarecrow's body. Scourge uses his shadow step (misty step) to break from combat and attempt to flee. Both Erik and Beorna can't land a blow to finish him in that moment but they see his normally confident grin shift to one of fear. Fear for his own survival. Beorna stays behind to save the Moondalls and Berenger from succumbing to the mind-rending fear magic that's about to claim their lives. Erik charges forward and leaps into the air just as Scourge exits his shadow portal about 30 feet away and brings down his mace to finish the construct off once and for all. His wood frame splinters and greenish flames consume everything except his mask and his hook chains. Both of which Erik gives to the Moondalls. With the darkest night of their lives behind them the caravan heroes settle in to help build New Sanctuary and take the first steps on the long road of whatever journey comes next.