“That was good nap,” Urs thought as he opened his eyes to see a very strange man staring at him. “Not so sure where I am, can’t move arms, legs, mouth.” But what happened leading up to this moment?
We last found The Wild Rovers just outside of Tyrel’s Ranch. After a lengthy discussion and a quick lesson on branding, the group decided, “Ya know, maybe he isn’t the bad guy at all.” So without much further questioning, it was decided that they would check out the watering hole that was common between all of the ranches. There must be clues there!
There were no clues there, only shallow water, bruised tailbones, and golden showers. Bratak tried to sense a wide range of outside influences, but quickly realized he could only hone in on one: Monstrosities. And incredibly enough, there was one, and it was near Beeho’s Ranch. The group decided that this was the most interesting thing going for them, and so they decided to move on from the Watering Hole and work towards Beeho’s.
Night descended quickly, and they found themselves still a couple miles away from the ranch. Camp was made, and Avery and Urs took the first watch. Avery tried to get Urs to go on a bit of Night Recon, but Urs, even as dumb as he was, knew that was unwise (Urs has a 12 WIS). But, Urs heard something, and thought (a most dangerous activity for one such as he) that this could be an opportunity to teach Avery to not go wandering around at night. Urs led Avery to the sound of metal, snorting, and thunderous stomping, and somehow Avery was oblivious to it all. It wasn’t until Urs told him to run, that he realized something was amiss.
But it was too late, and a pair of metal horns found their way inside of the frail Avery, who was thrown many feet away as a massive, metal bull stood there, snorting green smoke, and threatening those who were foolish enough to step onto its land. Urs, having just given a speech about not throwing his friends not 2 nights prior, took this as a personal affront, and decided to stand up to this titanic bovine and give Avery the chance to escape. Without much of a second thought, Avery took off, moving at a relatively incredible pace for someone of his age.
Urs raged, the adrenaline coursing through his veins giving him inhuman strength. He shifted into his bestial form, his face elongating, his teeth growing longer and sharper, his hair getting thicker. The battle had begun. Each of these beasts took turns, Urs swinging wildly with his hammer and biting at the very nose of this metal beast, and the bull switching between its horns, its hooves, and its petrifying breath. The battle was short, but it was fierce. After a mere 30 seconds, both foes had reached their end, but it was Urs who fell that day.
Laying there, bleeding out onto the ground, he had been in this spot before, and knew what awaited him.
Avery caught up with the rest of the group which had started to make their way out of the camp. He led them back to the scene of the fight, only to find Urs’ corpse, lifeless and still. The group quickly turned on Avery. Some were mad that he had led a dullard such as Urs into a dangerous situation. Others were mad that he had left his compadre to fight by himself. They needed to get help, and the closest sign of civilization was Beeho’s Ranch. They loaded Urs up in the cart and made haste. Just outside of the entry gate, Beeho stood waiting. The bull had come back to the ranch, battered and clinging to life, and Beeho knew something terrible had happened to it. He had assumed that this group of strangers, whom he had only met several days prior, had tried to sneak onto his land, and kill his protector in the middle of the night, in an attempt to carry out some pernicious deed. The group tried to reason with him, to explain how they ended up so close to his property in the middle of the night, but he would hear none of it and turned the group away, back towards town. Only when Vara threatened to report to Mrs. Beeho of her husband’s visit to Kitty Korner on her dime did Beeho provide any assistance by recommending they visit the temple for healing.
The Wild Rovers rode through the night and made it back to town around midday. Tensions were flaring between Vara and Avery. While the rest of the group was focused on finding someone to bring Urs back, the two of them decided to draw swords on each other in the middle of town. Desmond decided to stay and act as a pseudo referee and ensure no one died. The quick and nimble Avery delivered a quick strike with his dagger that caused Vara to flinch momentarily. Vara smirked and quickly delivered a Divine Smite, which dealt almost as much damage to Avery as the massive bull did. Avery refused to back down despite being clearly outmatched in single combat and attacked again, failing to strike this time. Vara quickly ended the fight with another swing of her sword, and left Avery to die in the street. When contemplating delivering finishing blows as she had done so many times before, she simply sheathed her sword and softly said, “He’s not worth it.” Desmond quickly healed Avery’s physical wounds, but the mental and emotional toll of the past 24 hours would need more time to mend.
At the local temple, Aengus was greeted by a boisterous preacher who spoke vehemently of resurrection, and the healing powers that flowed through him, granted by the Almighty. In more private and hushed tones, the exact nature of what Aengus was asking for was discussed, gold was exchanged, and it came to be known that this holy man was not capable of doing what was needed. Aengus was directed to Boot Hill, a common term for a graveyard in the Old West, but a term that did not appear on the local map. Aengus went outside and was met by Vara, who wanted very explicit directions. And as such, she stormed into the church and put the fear of her God into the preacher. He gave directions to the Undertaker, who practiced various forms of necromancy.
The group quickly made their way to the Undertaker, and they could not have been prepared for what they met. White, blind eyes greeted the gang, but the eyes quickly shifted back to a focused pair that darted around the group. This man, if he was in fact a man, moved with the grace of 3 children sitting on each other’s shoulders wearing a trench coat and fake moustache trying to get a beer at a bar. The awkward swaying made the group of adventurers think he was going to fall over at any minute. But he was willing to do what he could to help, for a hefty pile of coin of course. He shakily shambled towards the cart holding Urs, dove head first into it, and came back a bit miffed. “There is no one dead in this cart.” Avery came over, felt for a pulse, and declared Urs was definitely dead. The rest of the group came over, and looked and saw Urs’ eyes open. He was alive, although not really capable of doing much. The Undertaker sauntered back to his home, and said that the group owed him money for wasting his time.
The group needed to find somewhere to rest and get back up to full strength. Desmond suggested Kitty Korner because it was the only place he knew of that had beds. Aengus recommended somewhere slightly nicer, and the group made their way to the fancy hotel, Chez Voisin. There, the familiar faced Chaz greeted them and inquired into their needs. Avery made it seem like the group was either (a) having an orgy, (b) performing some sort of occult ritual, or (c) hiding from the law, by asking for the most secret room that could fit all of them and where they would not be disturbed. For the kingly price of 100 gp, Chaz was happy to oblige.
The Wild Rovers were greeted by a surprisingly opulent room in the basement, complete with servants and a single, massive bed, capable of holding all of them and perhaps even some company. Urs had regained some control and grunted for alcohol, something he had just tried for the first time last year when he joined with Vara and Aengus. He had grown fond of it. Desmond and Vara decided to seek company in different lodgings, and made their way to Kitty Korner. Desmond met up with the parrot/genasi employee with whom he had really forged a connection through their shared history. Vara on the other hand was there for a very specific need, and was not disappointed, even after a brief rebuking from Kitty herself for Vara’s initial tone.
Once Vara had finished, she went back to Chez and fell asleep with the rest of her group. They were awoken by a familiar sound. Metal clanking, voices raised, a large gathering of humanoids was nearby, and approaching quickly. Everyone quickly prepared, and Urs was propped up against a wall with his axes in his now working arms, ready for what was coming. Barnabas, Beeho, and a mob of farmhands burst through the door, demanding answers for The Wild Rovers recent activities. Aengus and Avery tried to explain, but the circular logic being used (The laws regarding property rights in this world are still a bit unclear, but a general Stand Your Ground rule seems to be the current law of the land) did nothing but to further put off the mob. Barnabas offered an ultimatum: figure out what was going on with the cattle in 2 days, or leave town and never come back. After the mob stormed off, the group was left a bit stunned. Most of the work they had done in the past was straightforward, and this seemed to be anything but clear. Who could they trust? How could they get information? They were strangers in a strange land, one that seemed to be growing increasingly hostile.
Aengus decided to try one more place, the local jail, to see if there was any form of law in this town. Snoozing at his desk, the Gnomish Sheriff, Curly Bill Brocius, was found and quickly startled awake. After some quick assumptions about The Wild Rovers being up to no good, Urs used a lesson he learned a few months back and quickly paid off the “Smallest Human”. Curly Bill took no offense whatsoever to the payment of 60 GP and quickly told the group everything he knew about the 3 ranches and their owners. From this, a new player came into the light, a man by the name of Rico who rarely was seen in or around town, and who had the ear of Barnabas.
The last 48 hours were complete chaos. Urs died, Avery was cut down by Vara, hundreds of gold were spent acquiring lodging and information, and the group had 36 hours left to solve the cattle mystery or leave town. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially exhausted, time was running low.