#dr bosant schmidt

[kalh-plays-dnd]

Notes: Session #4

Summary: The party is attacked by a diseased deer and arrive in Waldstad.

The party travels with Adrian Tanzer, a half-elf in his late twenties, for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. The road is distinctly narrower than the main road from Nordhafen to Gre'gel, and continues to slope faintly up towards a wooded horizon. Fields of wheat and grass grow on either side, untouched by sea or salty air.

While they walk, Adrian and Fred chat, and Fred recommends Adrian try "the old man's tea", implying it's "the good stuff".

When they set up camp for the night, Adrian dons studded leather armour and equips himself with weapons (short bow and two short swords), and takes a swig of some kind of flask. He warns the party not to wander off. He's to keep watch all night, and they're welcome to keep watch with him should they wish to.

Fred takes first watch, alongside Adrian. This night, he's keenly aware of the sound of crickets, of the smell of grass and cooling soil, and of how far away from Nordhafen he is.

During the second watch, Zia hears something moving in the field beyond their camp. She alerts Adrian, and they go to the edge of the firelight when a hoarse, bone-chilling scream cuts through the air. Adrian shoots towards the sound. Out of the field and the darkness barrels what must once have been a deer: bloated, with predator-like teeth and lips that curl into a snarl, a second head growing from its neck, with visible wounds where the skin and fur has split to permit it. It lashes out, teeth narrowly missing Adrian and Zia.

The rest of the party wakes up—Fred and Viliam move to help Adrian and Zia, while Niko, Aurora, and Aaria keep back. Fred deals a significant amount of damage, but it's ultimately Viliam's spear that brings the creature down.

Adrian checks that no one has been injured, then goes to retrieve an oil cloth to wrap the carcass and bring it back to Waldstad, for Dr Schmidt to examine. While he does so, Aurora and Viliam examine it for themselves: Aurora carefully performs a partial autopsy, finding the joint in the neck where the second head seems to have sprouted from, and identifying the second one as only a week old, while the rest of the deer is a couple of years old. Using magic, Viliam detects an infection in the deer's blood and saliva. He warns everyone to clean up properly after handling the deer, and Aaria assists with prestidigitation.

Aurora and Viliam take samples of the blood, which Aurora keep. Adrian wrap the deer and bind it tightly, and hoist it onto the cart.

Meanwhile, Niko asks Aaria how she was able to terrify the creature during the fight. They discuss the different ways in which they cast spells, and Aaria offers to show Niko how she casts spells, to see if it's something he can learn.

After the encounter, Fred and Aurora have each their cup of Viliam's tea:

Fred dreams that he's in Nordhafen, in the temple of the Voice of Fundat, kneeling in front of a shrine with his mother. He's a decade younger, and his mother is lighting a candle for his father who recently died of illness and old age. Fred is perturbed, as he left both his parents alive and healthy in Nordhafen only a week ago. He hugs his mother and the dream shifts: he's drifting in mist, directionless. Walking forward, he finds a ledge of sparkling rock, and when he tosses himself over the edge, he flies. He rises up above the mist, to the palace on the mountain top, and sees the sunrise glitter in the stonework. He lands on the nearest landing platform. A door at the end opens and a guard welcomes him back, saying that breakfast is ready. When Fred walks through the door, he wakes up.

Aurora dreams that she's in the Rose Garden: a beautiful, lush garden of roses and pink quartz statues. She's standing on a round platform, together with an elf with curly red-golden hair and glittering jewellery. The elf shows her how to manipulate fire by creating a trickling waterfall of it, from the top of his palm, to his fingertips, then trickling down and fizzling out. He tells her that it's important to be able to control it. When she tries, she partially recreates it, which seems to please the elf.

Viliam and Adrian talk. Adrian explains that Waldstad has been aware of this creature for a few days, and that it has stalked the outskirts at night. He himself is a part-time monster hunter, which is why he's ferrying the party from the main road up to Waldstad, instead of the usual coachman. When he's not monster hunting, he works at the stables.

They don't know much about what has caused the deer to become like this, only that it spreads through bites. They've been lucky that no humanoid has been caught yet, but they've lost some livestock that they've had to put down. Dr Schmidt is currently researching the disease to try to find some antidote.

Viliam then asks if Adrian has seen a white-skinned red-haired tiefling come through Waldstad in the last week. Adrian hasn't noticed a tiefling, though there was a wealthy young woman who dropped her horse off at the stables just over a week ago, who talked about travelling with some companions. She said they were staying at the Perlen Tavern.

In the morning, Adrian stows his armour and weapons, and prepares Klara the horse. Fred tells Viliam he doesn't want any more of the tea that's been making him dream, and warns Viliam to be careful with it, as not everyone might be able to handle it.

An hour or so before noon, they arrive in Waldstad. Adrian points out the Perlen Tavern. Aurora takes note of Mugs'n'Bugs, one of the stores at the square, and sees a display of jars and medicinal herbs through the window.

The party goes directly to the Garrison, where Adrian and Fred unload the carcass and the crates Fred is delivering. Dr Schmidt, a scrawny elf with glasses and bony fingers, comes out to briefly inspect the carcass and sign Fred's papers. When Fred asks whether anyone would be able to approve leave time, Dr Schmidt suggests Fred talk to Sir Corrint, the mayor.

Meanwhile, Zia, Aaria, and Niko head off to the Perlen Tavern to ask about Wish, the tiefling. Viliam instructs his bearded dragon, Alvin, to follow the crates and find out what's inside them. Viliam then helps carry the carcass upstairs, to Dr Schmidt's research area. Various chemical tests are undergoing in different parts of the room. A separate table has been prepared, with oil cloth around it to avoid contaminating the floor. Dr Schmidt directs them to place the carcass there.

Viliam asks Dr Schmidt about the disease, but Dr Schmidt doesn't seem to know much more than Adrian has already shared. All other instances have been burned to avoid a further spread.

Aurora and Fred go to the Mayor's Cottage, a five-minute walk from the Garrison. They argue the whole way—about Fred using nicknames for everyone ("old man" for Viliam, "doctor lady" for Aurora, etc.), and about their dreams. They're so caught up in the argument that, when they reach the gate to the Mayor's Cottage, they don't notice the Sir Corrint there until, during a lull in the argument, he asks if he can help them. He approves Fred's leave, and tells Aurora they know Dr Myrk stayed at the Perlen Tavern for a night, then headed north through the Walden, but beyond that he seems to have vanished. If Waldstad can be of any further assistance to her, he places himself at her disposal.