A Mystery in Norbury

## Intro

* Everyone from the original party (Elizana, Grog, Ivan, Sarovar, Soleste, and Yazmin) meet at a pub in a little town called Norbury in the Outerlands. Eli came to interview Soleste and Ivan about their experiences during and after the Orc War. Yazmin (alias Melissa Kestler) set up the interview based on information from her patron. Grog was traveling with Soleste at the time, so he tagged along. Sarovar claimed that he just happened to be in the area, but he was actually following Eli on orders from Tarrin.

* The human mayor David tells the party that Kippir, the local blacksmith, is missing. He liked to go on walks in the forest, and one day never came back. According to Meena, Kipir's wife, prior to his disappearance Kipir had been working on a sword for Manius, a resident who had moved to Norbury relatively recently. The party goes into the forest to investigate; they find black, viscous blood, and are attacked by a two-headed wolf. The party defeats the wolf, and decide to come back tomorrow to collect the body.

## Investigation

* The next day, Norbury wakes to discover that the bank's safe has been torn open and all the silver has been stolen. The bank's bars are bent and there's a corpse on the ground with its throat torn open.
	+ Eli, Yazmin, Grog, and Sarovar go to find the town sheriff. They break into the sheriff's house and see that it's covered in newspaper clippings and notes, most of which is about a company called Versatile Vials and about Manius Stoove, an alchemist at the company. There are sketches and floor plans of a big manor at the edge of town where Manius presumably lives. Another section of the wall is filled with articles about police corruption. The party members learn that the Norbury sheriff is a woman named Eldon Lafalas who used to be a Sirex detective of the organized crime unit.
	+ Soleste and Ivan and Norbury residents David and Stan go to the forest to retrieve the two-headed wolf. The second head is gone, making it seem like the party was attacked by an ordinary wolf. There is flattened grass, making it look like someone dragged the head away. They follow the flattened grass but don't find anything.
* Norbury holds a town hall later in the day regarding the bank break-in. Kipir's son Seebo describes seeing a humanoid growing into something stronger with massive muscles and going into the bank. A dwarf pipes up, saying that she's part of the Archivist Knights, an organization dedicated to collecting stories and tattooing it on themselves, and that what Seebo described is a werewolf. The only way to slay a werewolf is with a silver sword.
* Eldon shows up at the town hall and has Meena confirm that Kippir was making a silver sword for Manius. She also comments that someone broke into her house, and the party confesses that they were the intruders. Eldon tells them that in Sirex she was part of a task force investigating corrupt companies, including the company Manius was a part of. When her partner died, Eldon retired to Norbury, hoping to put it all behind her. Learning that Manius was also living in Norbury re-sparked her obsession with Versatile Vials.

## Manius's Mansion

* The party goes to Manius's mansion and he invites them in and offers them drugged food and drink.
	+ Manius, Ivan, and Sarovar go upstairs. Eli starts investigating the downstairs area and discovers Kippir's dead body.
	+ Grog, Soleste, and Yazmin are affected by the drugs. Yazmin becomes catatonic and starts conversing with her patron. Soleste hallucinates a dead soldier begging for aid while Grog hallucinates his abusive father Frog. Eli uses the flare that Eldon gave them to call for backup. Upstairs, Manius turns into a werewolf. Sarovar is affected by the drugs and hides under the table, frozen in fear and unable to navigate back downstairs. Ivan is not affected and flees back downstairs, Manius the werewolf hot in pursuit.
	+ Eli manages to wake up Yazmin. The two of them jump out the window and Yazmin turns them invisible. Ivan and Eldon attempt to fight the werewolf but realize that their weapons are ineffective. They head to the cemetery where Manius hid the silver sword. Manius the Werewolf chases Soleste (who is still hallucinating the dying soldier) through the woods and eventually into town. Eli and Yazmin go back to the mansion and gather some potions: a love potion, a fear potion, 2 potions of healing, a potion of greater healing, a potion of fire breath, a potion of heroism, a potion of gaseous form, and a potion of diminution.
* The party reunites in town to fight the werewolf and ultimately defeat it with fire and the silver sword. Unfortunately, the battle destroyed many town buildings and a few townspeople lost their lives. Norbury has a funeral for all of the fallen.
* The next morning, everyone goes back to the mansion the next morning to more carefully investigate Manius's belongings. They find a bag of holding, a deck of illusions, and a snake staff. Eldon leaves Norbury, and the party decides to head back to Sirex.