On the Trail

"On the Trail" is the second episode of the Materia D&D Crass Menagerie campaign. The adventuring party, galvanized by their travails the night before, offer their services in investigating mysterious disappearances of livestock at the local ranches. While investigating, they witness an event that changes the course of their investigation and its urgency drastically.

## Synopsis

### Recap

The adventuring party met at a Pathmaker's Rest outside Vulpine. That night they were ambushed by bandits who they managed to successfully fight off, though they lost at least one caravan member in the process. After the ambush they accompanied the Verdant Cause back to Vulpine to report on the ambush as well as seek a safer rest. With these Verdant Cause members in tow, the group was introduced to Navori, the mayor of Vulpine, and Meeker, the stand-in leader of the Verdant Cause here in Vulpine. After finally finding rest, the group learned of livestock going missing from nearby ranches and after discussing with some of the prominent ranchers in town, they were put on the case and joined the ranchers to the outskirts of town to start their investigation.

(Not announced in the recording, but all the characters hit Level 2 after the first episode)

### Part 1

#### Ranch 44

*31 Schema 268 PBT, almost dusk*

The group joins Alexandra, Archie, and Kam out to Archie's Ranch 44. Archie recounts the details of what he knows of his missing livestock, which is sparse. After further investigation of the ranch, the party determines that large creatures had to have been involved, specifically what appear to be boar-like creatures based on the scoring of nearby trees and some embedded hairs. Al leans up against a tree which leans over and reveals a disgusting "goo", which indicates some sort of decay or corruption infesting the land there. Marb proposes that some of the group stays at the ranch tonight in case someone or something comes back, and the rest of the group go back to Vulpine to look for someone that can explain this corruption.

Archie and his cart take Marb, Gustav, and Roque to this "shed" that he offers them, only for them to find out that this is basically a guest house. Meanwhile, Grant, Davis, and Al all head back into town with Alexandra and Kam and head to the Silverspur Saloon and head right to sleep. The crew out at Ranch 44 has a relatively uneventful night and they hitch a ride back into Vulpine, with Marb staying back at the shed asleep in some hay having stayed up all night on lookout.

#### Reuniting the Party in Vulpine

*32nd Schema 268 PBT, morning*

During the trip an oxpecker seems to befriend Roque. The party reconvenes at the Silverspur Saloon and decide to go discuss the strange findings out at Ranch 44 with the Weatherbys. On the way, the group decides to check out the special plainscow that is being presented as part of the festival in Vulpine. They check out some of the festivities along the way, eventually finding their way to the central tent where the plainscow calf is to be presented and they get in line to attend. After 10-15 minutes some chimes ring and people are let into the tent.

As the spectators are filing in, the group overhears some ranchers discussing how some of them had been gone for some time and worried the others. They dismissed the concerns, claiming that they were just busy and working.

### Break

#### Inside the Tent

The special plainscow calf is brought out to the spectators to much awe and cheer. The handlers are caught unaware by a robed figure entering the presentation area, when suddenly a cloud of mist erupts from within his robes eventually obscuring the large center area of the tent. In the direction of the ranchers the group overheard earlier, they hear coughing and hacking which starts to take on the sounds of pigs or swine. From within the stage area, the sounds of people panicking and then suffering are followed by the sounds of the calf doing the same. Davis runs over to the ranchers and he seems them physically transforming into pig-human hybrid creatures.

Al gives a *Bardic Inspiration* to Davis, and then casts *Faerie Fire* on the fog cloud. Gustav focuses on the fog cloud and approaches and readies an attack on anything that might emerge. Davis, seeing the creatures act aggressively against other spectators, lunges at one of the pig-human hybrids and skewers him. He retaliates, missing with one fist and connecting with another. Two Verdant Cause members who were standing post during the show head into the fog cloud. Roque casts *Bless* on Davis, Gustav, and Grant. Grant joins in the fight against the pig-men with Davis, landing a blow with his hammer on it and pleads with the group to not kill the ranchers. Al takes a shot as well, and narrowly misses but uses his *Lucky* to redirect and hit him. Bolstered by his allies, and with nothing having exited the fog cloud yet, Gustav ventures into the fog cloud blindly making his way around, asking the Verdant Cause members for help only for them to turn on him and he disengages.

Davis skewers the pig-man again but he remains standing. The Verdant Cause members pursue and attack Gustav, but can't seem to harm him through his heavy armor. Roque attempts to light up the stage using a *Fire Bolt*, to no avail while his oxpecker friend instead flies into the fog cloud. Grant is unable to connect on his next attacks. Al attempts to incapacitate the Verdant Cause guards using *Sleep,* successfully knocking one of them out. Gustav flanks the pig-man that has run up to Roque and slashes at him, hitting with a heavy blow. Davis strikes out at the pig-man he's been engaged with and the pig-man pushes through the damage and fights on. All the while, the other pig-men are slaughtering the spectators who are attempting to flee the tent during this ordeal. Roque repels a blow from a pig-man using the *Shield* spell. Gustav takes a hit from another pig-man while Davis and Al parry the attacks against them.

The remaining Verdant Cause member lands a critical blow on Gustav, bludgeoning him mercilessly. Roque, worried by what has transpired wanders into the fog despite pleas from the group to not do so. Upon doing so, his vision shifts from his own into the fog cloud. His perspective shifts down to the ground and he can see the mutilated plainscow on the ground, and then his vision returns. Roque calls out his findings to the group, then re-emerges and casts *Toll the Dead* on a nearby pig-man, shaking him heartily. Grant takes a strike at his foe and successfully knocks him out, then moves to engage another foe and casts *Healing Word* on Gustav. Al gives Davis another *Bardic Inspiration* and disengages from the nearby threat. Gustav takes another hearty swing at a pig-man and cleaves into his face, then carries that slash through to another nearby pig-man striking him down as well.

Roque's bird friend returns to him from within the fog, he calls out that the fog is safe and heads back in, casting *Light*. He spots the calf corpse on the ground. Grant strikes out against the nearby pig-man, conencting with two heavy blows. Al beseeches Roque to get out of the fog cloud and then takes a shot with his hand crossbow at a pig-man, the bolt hardly slowing him. Gustav continues his onslaught with another big hit against his foe. Davis attempts to finish off the pig-man he is facing, but he keeps holding on past death. The pig-men unleash a flurry of attacks against Davis, Grant, and Gustav.

From within the fog, Roque's oxpecker friend leaves his shoulder and flies out toward the back of the tent. Roque dashes after it. Grant smashes a pig-man in the face and he, too, fights on past the grip of death. Then he swings again, trying to push it past but fails to do so. Al fires another bolt and it lands but does minimal damage, then informs the party that the pig-men will shrug off weaker blows. Gustav cleaves down a pig-man then stalks over to his next target and strikes him down as well. Davis faces off with the last pig-man remaining, landing a slight blow. Roque continues to follow his bird through the back, shouting back to the group announcing what he is doing. Roque sees a trail of red tracked through the back exit of the tent. Grant dashes into the fog cloud as well, calling out after Roque to slow down. Al gives a *Healing Word* to Davis and then proceeds to follow Grant in the pursuit of Roque. Gustav steps up and strikes down the last pig-man, and then high-fives Davis as they wonder where the rest of the group is going. Davis then follows suit into the fog cloud, looking for his allies, instead just seeing the mutilated calf.

Al and Grant catch up to Roque with his bird back on his shoulder and he announces that he can see through his bird's eyes, and he thinks it might be a "magic bird". Grant spots the trail of blood coming from the calf, and Roque announces that the trail sort of ends a short ways from the tent. The rest of the Verdant Cause eventually come in and help everyone else, but the threats appear to have been neutralized at this point, though the damage has been done. The trail of blood and mutilated state of the calf, seems to hint that the murderer took the calf's heart with them. The group follows the blood trail to investigate, are briefly stopped by the Verdant Cause and questioned. Gustav berates them for being so late. Davis lets them know we were just bystanders when the cow was slaughtered, and they continue to detain us, saying we should go back in the tent. Davis bristles at this idea and says they were attacked by pig-men in there, which confuses and surprises the Cause member. They relent and Gustav tells them that the group is in pursuit of a lead and that they had been working with the ranchers already and with a hint of recollection they encourage them to go about their business.

At the blood trail's end, the group get frustrated and can't find much of anything and the bird seems to just flutter around the spot they're at. Al begins ritual-casting *Detect Magic*, and the bird lands on his shoulder. The group hears multiple sources of unnerving pig noises off in the distance in all directions. At the completion of Al's ritual he detects a tiny residual amount of magic at the spot: a tear that has recently closed, it would appear the cloaked figure was able to teleport via some sort of magical means at this spot.

The group returns to the proximity of the tent and run into Sam again. He mentions that he thinks the hooded female figure from two nights prior probably saved his life.

## Featured Characters

### Adventuring Party

* Allegretto
* Davis Cantrell
* Grant Frostmason
* Gustav
* Marb (partial)
* Roque

### Returning

* Archie
* Alexandra
* Kam
* Sam

### Mentioned

* The Weatherbys
* Hooded female figure from Pathmaker's Rest two nights ago

## Trivia

* This is the first episode of many in which Al is (accidentally?) referred to as "Alejandro"

## Notes

* In this episode, it is mentioned that the campaign is using the "Flanking" variant rule

Confirmed by the DM after the session:

* The pig-men in the encounter were modified wereboars
* The oxpecker that befriended Roque is a familiar, but that is not fully grasped by Roque