The Werewolf of Ashfires: Segment 1

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== Recap ==
=== Town of Ashfires ===
* Population: 200
* 3 days from the closest village
* Plagued, on and off, by a werewolf for the past few years
* Past year: 4 killed, 4 injured, 2 infected with lycanthropy
** 1st infected lycanthrope, Billy: killed 6, injured 2, and turned himself in
*** town built a stone dungeon to contain the infected 3 days per month
** 2nd infected lycanthrope: injured 3, but nobody revealed themselves
*** therefore anyone suspected or injured by a wolf must spend time in the dungeon
=== A sad discovery ===
Last night was the night before the full moon. Christian, a town guard, was killed. The town is passing around a collection to help his wife, Layla, bring him to his home country (1,500 of the 10,000 copper collected so far). There's a collapsed house and three people are missing. No one has seen Sparrow (woodswoman), Debby (old lady), or Brian (16yo young lad, 12 Str, 9 Con).
Carl tells Layla that he can't donate with 0 coins. Emma looks to exchange for a silver coin from the collection but sees only copper. The duo console Layla by telling her that they will contribute with their spears and Carl's dagger, also named Carl. Investigation of Christian's body reveals an unusual number of small claw/slash wounds for a werewolf mauling.
The party goes to investigate the collapsed house and finds that the door to the cellar, where the household was sleeping last night to avoid werewolf howls, is broken/shattered. One of the load-bearing pillars in the cellar near the door is snapped. Bengleck's (8 Int) further inspection reveals claw marks on the pillar and on the outside of the cellar door pieces.
Searching for more clues leads Emma to the barn across the street. An unconscious Brian lays covered in blood amidst a bloody mess. Emma alerts the party and Carl rushes to put the unconscious lad in a chokehold. Examination of Brian reveals many wolf scratches, no blood on his face, and splatterings of blood across his clothes. All Brian recalls is being grabbed in the night, hitting his head, and passing out. Bengleck recalls that werewolves often attack those they're closest to and asks Brian what kind of relationship he had with Baabaa, the beheaded sheep he was found next to. Brian reminds Bengleck that he stopped Laura and Brian, who're sweet on each other, from necking at the dance the other week. This leads Bengleck into an incomprehensible conspiratorial rant, after which Brian asks to be put in the dungeon to escape the current situation.
The party heads across town searching for more information. They see the 3 sisters of Debby "the Debster" drinking tea on their porch. The sisters haven't seen Debby since the previous night's drinking. They say Debby usually goes back home after drinking and she must have left after the others fell asleep. Emma finds torn cloth from a white dress on a nearby bush. It has no blood but it smells of gin. Bengleck is suspicious that an old woman didn't stitch her clothes on the spot with a sewing kit from her Danish butter cookie tin. He takes to investigating the sisters' house to find the intense smells of all kinds of booze and many empty bottles. Finding a bowl full of old candies satisfies Bengleck's understanding of normal old ladies, ending the investigation.
The party continues to Sparrow's house to find it locked. They hack the door off its hinges to find a tidy home with all kinds of woodworking equipment neatly put away. Speaking to a nearby farmer reveals that he often lends Sparrow his ass for work in the forest. He takes the party to her current work site.
Sparrow is found carving a log. Carl aggressively yells at her to put the weapon down as he approaches, spear in hand. In the middle of the confusing situation, Emma tells Sparrow that someone broke into her house this morning. During Sparrow's further confusion, Carl looks into Sparrow's tent to find nothing notable. Sparrow informs the party she's been at the site since the previous morning for work and to avoid the werewolf howls in town like she does every month. Sparrow fends off Bengleck's and Carl's accusations better than all of the previous accused and flips a finger at Bengleck. She packs her things and heads back to town while refusing to say anymore without a lawyer present.
recapped until 2:04:00
Category:One-Shots Arcadia Episodes