Guillame thanks Quin for everything but quickly excuses himself and takes off into a narrow alleaway to the north. Jehanne motions the other way and leads the rest of the party from the cobbled sqaure into the narrow streets to the southwest. The street is flanked by a mix of simple cottages and two storey stone and wood buildings. Worn wooden shutters adorn small openings in the walls. Chickens scratch at the hard-packed earth, pecking for sustenance, while the distant sound of bleating sheep can be heard from the outskirts. Modest gardens feature essential herbs and some a small plot for vegetables. The air carries the earthy scents of rural life mixed with the stench of budding civilization. Townsfolk go about their business and the occasional wooden cart, laden with goods, rumbles along the uneven path.

Jehanne stops in front of a sturdy two storey home built with wattle-and-daub. The facade is in need of fresh lime and features a stout wooden door. The thatched roof show signs of age and wear.

Movement in a small window on the second floor catches your eye as a fleeting shadow passes by. The dim light reveals fragments of the interior, offering glimpses of sparse furnishings and rough-hewn beams. For a moment the narrow street is empty from townsfolk and the buzz of the town center dims and the air thickens with silence, broken only by a sudden cawing of crows.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:20, Wed 29 Nov 2023.

Quin looks for the murder as yet somewhere unseen overhead, briefly wondering what their business was that caused them to call out. Perhaps they think that we are come for war, he thinks, with a sudden sunshine grin at the image of such battles an army of three might wage as he dismounts.

He helps Jehanne down and looks to the Lord de Roquefixade for instruction, looping Etienne's reins around a shutter-hook and keeping close by his charge. The big horse shifts in mild discontent, heaving an almost human-like sigh before settling to a standstill in this place that is not a paddock or even a stall.

Guy halted his horse and sat staring at the house for a long moment before giving instructions.

"Quintillian,  I understand Jehenne's father is unwell. Take the maiden and go see him, I will be with you shortly. Cook, I want you to see the kitchen, inspect everything they have been eating. Tell me if there is anything mouldy or gone bad. Tell me if there is anything unusual or wrong.

"William, are you any good with animals? I want them all checked. Tell me if there are any wounded or injured, or have gone mad, any that are Savage. There are chickens, there are sheep, there may be dogs. Dont get bitten or scratched, whatever happens."

The knight dismounted and knocked on the door, expecting to see the Lady of the house. He gave a short bow. "Greetings, Goodwife.  I am Guy de Roquefixade.  Your house seems to have suffered some misfortune recently. May we come in?"

ooc any folklore charms or symbols hanging from or painted on the house?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:23, Thu 30 Nov 2023.

William also looks about for the crows. Though these southerners may find them as bringers bad omens, his father had once taught him that in befriending a crow or raven, they may reveal secrets to man with enough patience and a show of friendship.

"Very well," he responds to Guy, "I'll check on that flock of sheep first. Chasing chickens around isn't exactly my specialty, though." He lets out a chuckle at the thought of catching these damned birds and rides toward the flock, again eyeing the corvids for a moment.

After a quarter of an hour or so of disturbing and looking over the flock, William returns. "Totally unremarkable -- they seem to be behaving regularly to me, Lord Guy. No wounds or sign of disease, lethargy... to my eye, atleast."

12:25, Today: William FitzAlan rolled 82 using 1d100.  Perception 36.

Oof

"Does thy father's solier [Private to GM: upper floor ]give out onto a courtyard behind?" Quin asks Jehanne as they wait. He's uncomfortably aware that being here in a troop due to his honest answers to Guy's questioning may have sapped the girl's trust in him, but unsure what to do about it save to shield her from all signs of wrath.

Guy thumped on the door a bit more forcefully.

The eerie silence breaks with the ravens caw and there doesn't seem to be anything amiss with the animals. There are no suspicious foklore symbols visible.

No one answers the knock. "Non but there is a door to the back in the living room", Jehanne answers Quin. She slides past Guy and pushes the door open. "Meré is by the river at this hour. Peré?" she calls, walking ahead into the dimly lit interior. Rough-hewn beams support the structure and basic, functional furniture is arranged within. A small kitchen area is arranged along the far wall. There are stairs to the second floor off to the right and straight ahead there is a door leading into the backyard. There is also a door to the left, probably to a small chamber.

The cook, Penota, shrugs but does as she is told and starts to looks through the meager pantry, puffing that her sister should really keep better order. She finds nothing wrong with the food.

The rest of the retinue waits in the street.

Quin stays by the little maiden like a shadow, quiet and watchful. The lack of siblings or neighbours around with a sick man in the house is strange, but there are no signs of a funeral, and the motion upstairs had suggested someone able to stand at least long enough to approach the window. He listens for reactions from above or outside, but the motion inside the room makes nothing certain.

[[very much failed a voluntary Perception roll with 85]]

"I find this emptiness odd" Guy said with a frown and he entered the house. "William, when you checked the stock, did you see where those crows were? Were they in trees, or feasting on something?"

"Quin, hold the stairs. We will go up together." Guy walked cautiously through all the downstairs rooms to check they were empty,including opening the door into the back yard to see what was there.

"Good day! Is there anyone here? We mean no harm" he called as he went through the rooms.

16:27, Today: Guy de Roquefixade rolled 89 using 1d100.  perception 45.

About time I rolled an abysmal notice roll to match you guys. 3/3 rolls 80+.  None of us notice the murderer with a dripping knife standing in the middle of the room, lol
This message was last edited by the player at 03:31, Sun 10 Dec 2023.

"The corbîns circle but I'm unsure where or whether they feast. I have yet to see hawks to try and rob them of their bounty. Surely though there must be the stench of death in the air to have them in such a fuss," William retorts, still mounted and keeping watch near Quin and the others.

William doesn't actually see that many ravens, just a few that flutters away over the roofs.

The door in the back opens up to a communal back yard with several small gardens. The garden just outside this door is in dire need of some weeding. The door off to one side of the living room leads to a small chamber, empty aside from a narrow bed. Penota sniffs. "Well Belissenda and Stefes children are all flewn out of the nest, apprenticed or married. Jehanne is the only one left. Though I say, they should help Belisenda more."

At first there is no reply from upstairs but the stair creak as Guy puts weight on the wooden steps and as he nears the top he can hear a soft growl from the room above.

OOC: So William, the others are actually inside so if you're still mounted I assume you are waiting/guarding outside.

"Grand corbies alight, sometimes, where they foresee death..." Quin responds to William's remark, then frowns briefly as the Lord of Roquefixade makes swiftly for the stairs, taking up the broad cutting-board from the kitchen to hold the stairs with in place of his shield left outside. He throws a look to William that acknowledges this is faintly ridiculous, but that he doesn't have time to do more than check Jehanne's whereabouts before hastening to his place by the higher noble.

This message was deleted by the player at 18:01, Mon 11 Dec 2023.

OOC: There is no door, the stairs just open up directly into the room above.

Hearing the growl, Guy wondered if the legends of loup-Garou might be true, and what manner of man or beast awaited them upstairs. He decided to return to his horse and retrieve his kite shield.

"I'm not sure what's in there, but it may come running out and try to flee. Be ready" he said to Sir Wlliam.

Returning inside, he polled his coif over his head and proceeded up the stairs staying hard to the right and holding onto the rail. If some kind of massive hound leapt at him it would likely hit the shield and bounce off down the stairs.

Quin had leant against the wall at the base of the stairs as Guy changed his mind and collected a shield, holding the passage with the chopping board and his armoured body. Guy returns to find him quietly looking upward with the air of an unhooded hawk spotting high motion overhead.

As the older knight brings his shield past him, Quin starts to move. He swaps hands with the chopping-board, as ready to use it to smash anything sliding off Guy's shield to the ground as to hold it up against scrabbling hands or lupine teeth.

"Call to thy father again," he suggests softly to Jehanne.

William braces himself just behind Quin for whatever lay atop the staircase. If it barrels down at them, he'll be able to help Quin hold it off in hopes Lord Guy can pounce from the rear.

In any case, he is currently thinking he had no idea what he was getting himself into by volunteering to accompany these men here.

Guy looked around. "No, William, I want you outside, and mounted, least it jump out the window or burst past us outside" he said softly.

"Understood, apologies."" William says with embarrassment as he slowly backs out and resumes his post.

Jehanne calls up the stair. "Pere?" There is no real answer but the growl subsides, a little. She looks worried. "What is that sound? We don't have a dog."

Guy goes up the stairs as described before, and enters the room...

Quin draws in breath to reply, but then the Lord de Roquefixade leaves the eminently defensible position of the stairs and vanishes into the upper room. He raises his voice instead, hastening after: "Forgive our entry, sir! We are not robbers, and mean no harm to your daughter."

So saying, Quin makes shift to join and guard de Roquefixade's side, trusting to his armour and the girl's aunt should some fell power ranged against them take advantage of his distraction from the damsel to possess her again. The back of his neck prickles, and he crosses himself on leaving the last stair almost by instinct.

Guy ascends into a room dominated by a 7 foot tall wolf-man backed up against the far wall, growling with raised hackles like a wild animal. It is completely covered in grey fur and roughly man-shaped apart from the head that is that of a snarling wolf, baring teeth at you. Its arms ends in long, wicked-looking claws. It has no tail that you can see.

The room is a little larger than the living room below, extending out over the entrance as the second floor of these kinds of town houses tend to do. The room is sparsely furnitured but there are two windows, one facing the street and one facing the cortyard. A pile of discarded clothes lay heaped on one of the narrow beds.

OOC: Go ahead and state you actions, rolling for an appropriate skill representing what you want to do and I will roll opposing rolls if required. If you want to attack or force the wolf-man in any physical way you're at -10% since you're coming straight from the narrow stairs. Quin, standing in the stairs, will have to wait for Guy to move further into the room to do anything upstairs.

Jehanne is standing at the bottom of the stairs wringing her hands and Penota has moved to hold her shoulders in support.

The rest of the entourage is outside with the horses and William mounted and ready for anything.

Guy stared with shock at the wolf man. He wished by the Almighty that he had a drawn sword in his hand, and yet... the thing looked scared. He swallowed.

"de Serignac, there is a man wolf here" he called down in a low voice, striving to keep fear and other emotions out of it. "He doesn't seem aggressive, yet."

He  slowly and deliberately stepped into the room, and side stepped to the right, making room for Quin to come up but staying as far away from the beast as was feasible. He didn't want to spook it.

"Monsieur. Can you change? Can you talk? How did you come to be like this?" he asked in the same low calm voice.

OOC 23:29, Today: Guy de Roquefixade rolled 91 using 1d100.  Influence 40.
High is good, right? :rolleyes:

Edit: spending a fortune point to make that 19 so a success
This message was last edited by the player at 23:22, Thu 14 Dec 2023.

[[you can spend a Fortune point to make it 19, I think? Or maybe keep those for not dying...holding action until M'seur responds]]

Quin simply steps up, seemingly more perplexed than terrified by the man-beast. He stands ready for action at Guy's side, sincerely glad of their general covering of metal. "He must be in pain, to be stuck between shapes, and in desperation to have changed at all," he mentions softly to Guy, watching the creature, "-it is the dark of the moon, I saw it as I came in last night."

There seems to be little in the form of understanding in the wolf-mans grey eyes but it tilts its head a little as if trying to hear something more clearly.

OOC: Guy, Influence is used in persuading, what are you trying to make it do?

Well, I was trying to persuade it to change back, to talk.

"What if we got Jehenna up here, mayhaps it could shock him into changing back" he mused.

Quin's brows knot briefly. "If this is her father, might not what is still man in him be ashamed and made more desperate to be seen so? He is naked as Noah and halfway a beast..." he responds to the elder knight, then addresses the towering upright animal, very carefully stepping nearer the bed and the clothes: "Stefe...? Stefe, will you sit with us?"

Wary but half-sure he has the thing's attention, Quin sits and pats the bed beside him as though indulging a favoured hound or kitchen cat, the chopping board set for a moment on his lap. The unnatural length of nails become dog claws without the shortening of the fingers looms large in his awareness, but he shows up an empty armoured hand as though he might fold it on approach much as he would for a mastiff to sniff.


[[would this be some kind of nerve-keeping roll? Or help for Guy's persuasion, maybe. 'Sit, stay' might be simple enough ideas for a half-crazed loup-garou to parse, no?]]

Impressed with Quin's bravery, Guy raised his free hand high and slowly brought it down in a series of small patting motions. "Stefe, sit down, sit, down, it's all well, sit. Talk. "

Jehanne slowly creeps up the stairs and here already wide eyes become the size of saucers and she gasps loudly. The wolf-man looks her way and as soon as it sees her it looks around frantically and suddenly leaps for the front window!

OOC: This is the wolf-mans action for this round, to try and get away. You may make an opposed roll to stop it (Unarmed Combat for example a tackle or Close Combat for an outright attack), otherwise it will leap out the window.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:09, Mon 18 Dec 2023.

"Wait!" Quin cries out. As swift as speaking it, he rises - sending the chopping board clattering to the floor - and darts across the space, seeking to interpose himself between window and beast.

[[13:19, Today: Quintillian de Serignac rolled 28 using 1d100.  Wait! -either Unarmed Combat 45 or Athletics 55, normal-level success either way.

Note that Quin hasn't pulled his coif up or thought about the fact that this puts him in a prime position to get panic-chomped in the face, if not carried bodily out of the window on momentum - this is an absolutely instinctive reaction to something his instincts aren't built to calibrate for.]]

Seeing Quinton throwing himself recklessly into harms way, Guy also reacted instinctively and charged across the room, slamming into the beast with his big shield and attempting to pin it against the wall or window frame. Hopefully not Quintillian...

His other hand shot down and pulled a dagger from his belt.

12:05, Today: Guy de Roquefixade rolled 23 using 1d100.  close combat 77.

William's horse reels as he and the beast get their first glimpses of the wolfman in the window, as it struggles with his two companions. He readies himself for a chase or to dismount and dash to their aid.

The sharp claws of the wolf-man rips large tears in the wooden floor planks as it muscles tense and it lunges towards the window. It quickly tries to avoid the two men moving to block its path.

So, as I've stated in the House Rules thread we're doing combat by opposed rolls. It works like this:

Opposed skill tests:

Opposed skill tests are made by both characters who are in direct competition with each other. Both characters make the skill tests, as usual, rolling 1D100 and attempting to roll equal to or under their skill.
One character succeeds
If one character succeeds their skill test and the other fails, then the successful character has won the opposed skill test.
Both characters succeed
If both characters succeed, then whoever rolled the highest in their skill test wins the opposed test.  If one character rolls a critical, while the other rolls an ordinary success, then the character that rolled the critical, which is a higher level of success, wins.
Both characters fail
Whoever rolled the lowest in their skill test wins the opposed test. In the case of ties for both the player wins.

The wolf-man is attempting an escaping sprint.

Escaping Sprint:

The character runs out of combat range (from either close distance or ranged distance), forsaking their attack and only being able to Dodge as a defensive reaction. If running away from combat, if they successfully Dodge any incoming attack, at the end of the combat round they have disengaged from combat. Otherwise, their opponent has moved with them and has successfully held them in combat.

Defense against multiple enemies work like this.

Dodge or Parry:

You can defend as many times as you want, but you get a cumulative -20% modifier for every defence after the first.

Quin is trying to hysically block the wolf-man from leaping through the window, I think that's Unarmed Combat.

Guy is using his shield as a weapon so that's Close Combat as stated.

Using Shields to Perform an Attack:

Shields can also be used to attack, either on their own as a standard attack to do what is called a shield bash, or with a one-handed weapon to perform a multiple weapon attack (see page 73).

With loud grunts the knights manage to pin the Wolf-man to the wall. It growls at you and saliva spatters everywhere as it grows even more agitated.

Guy slams his shield hard into the furry body but it barely even notice, it just frantically tries to get loose, clawing at the walls.

Once a round it gets to make an opposed Unarmed Combat/Close Combat (if it becomes agitated enough to use it's claws on you) roll to break free.

12:20, Today: Referee, for the NPC Wolf-man, rolled 27 using 1d100.  Dodge Quin. Skill 60%. Success but lower than Quins result, sp a fail.
12:20, Today: Referee, for the NPC Wolf-man, rolled 71 using 1d100.  Dodge Guy. Skill 40%

Quin tries to get an armoured arm about the beast's neck to haul him down and give him something to occupy those jaws, but the creature is thrashing about too much to be caught.

[[14:01, Today: Quintillian de Serignac rolled 88 using 1d100.  Hold! (Unarmed 45) Nope. ]]

In the shattered, over-clear instants of potentially deadly strife, he becomes highly aware of his bare skull, the raking claws, the rising glint of metal from Guy's side. All he can think to do is to call out and keep his intentions plain, ready to try and tackle the beast should Guy's pinning hold waver. "Jehanne! Gather a blanket to cast over him ere he leaps into the street!"

"WILLIAM! GET IN HERE!" Guy yells, pushing hard with the shield to keep the beast pinned. He reaches with his dagger behind the tail of the shield to try to hamstring the wolfman.

"Don't use your arm, for the love of Mary! Shove bedding in its face!" he exclaims to Quintillian.



23:40, Today: Guy de Roquefixade rolled 36 using 1d100.  close combat 77. to try to hamstring it.
Is there a contested roll to keep it pinned? What?

William drops from the horse with haste and barrels up the stairs, one hand on the pommel of that steel of meticulous Frankish design on his hip as he ascends.

He sees Quin trying to restrain the beast and struggling, so he joins the fray to try and pin the beast before it makes an escape.

"Quin! I've got him! Get the bedding!" he shouts in reassurance and drives his forearm into the beast's throat, reaching now halfway over Guy's shield. He applies ample pressure to the windpipe that lay between his arm and the wall.

19:13, Today: William FitzAlan rolled 30 using 1d100.  Unarmed Combat 37.

The Wolf-man is immensely strong and struggles ferociously, almost managing to break free. Only Williams swift intervention keeps it from throwing the knights to the floor. Guy slashes its hamstrings, blood spattering on the wall boards behind them. The wolf-man snarls at the pain and the wounds close before Guys eyes.

Jehanne, having heeded Quins words comes up from behind the men and throws a blanket on the wolf-monster. It lands on top of its head and shoulders. Immediately the wolf-man stops thrashing and the beast in the mens hands start to transform. There are bones cracking and re-setting, fur transforms into naked skin and its claws meld into ordinary nails. The beast howl in agony but slowly starts to shrink into a man, slowly slumping to the floor. "Papa!" Jehanne calls, pushes her way past the men and gathers the limp form of her father into her arms. She pushes the blanket down from his head to cover his torso and sobs down onto his unconcious face.

OOC: 14:11, Today: Referee, for the NPC Wolf-man, rolled 67 using 1d100 ((67)). Break free (William). Target 60%.

Guy, since you opted to slash I took that as your action instead of holding. Turned out well anyway.

Not at all sure what's happened in the past five minutes, Quin dazedly claps William on the shoulder in thanks and looks round at the bed, then at the man on the floor. A fear that was entirely absent during the confrontation and subsequent struggle ghosts through his look as he observes the slow drool of spattered blood down the wall. "My lord de Roquefixade, perhaps it is best to wipe that blade on something in this chamber," he manages, slightly hoarse, then kneels down by Jehanne.

"Does he breathe?" is his first question, the shockingly audible re-alignment of bones still fresh in his mind. "Let us put him in his bed, and a shirt on him." Quin reaches to gently set a hand on her arm but does not try to move her whilst the un-wolfed man is still, his statement more of a request than a demand.

Jehanne collects herself. "He breathes," she says and helps Quin put her father to bed. Penota, having stood at the top of the stairs in stunned silence, picks up the discarded bedclothes and dresses the man. Jehanne turns to the men. "What... what happened? I... I've noticed some changes in him but this..." she trails off and sits down at the edge of the bed. "It must be a punishment for our sins."

"Why, what terrible sins have you committed that you feel you deserve such a punishment?" Guy asks.

He sighed and shook his head, and then cleaned his blade on a rag, taking care not to touch the blood, and threw the rag into a corner. He leaned against the wall, chewing his lip.

"Donc, er... I have a number of questions, and a number of responsibilities, as do us all" he began. "How long has be been like this? How was he made, and by whom? How many others are there? Is his change related to the Moon, as the stories say, or can he control it? Is there a cure? If so, maybe it is too late for him, but can we save you, Jehanne? Or is it manageable, he is a normal man save for one day a month when he must be chained? And so... he is dangerous, but I do not want him killed out of hand."

"Yet if he became this way because of just a scratch, we cannot dare let him loose. If he but scratches any one of us, our lives could be forfeit. If he escapes and lives in the woods and raids houses at night ... we cannot let him loose into the countryside. He is strong, it took two of us to hold him, he may be crazed and savage and not know his actions. He needs to be in a stone room with a steel door for the safety of all who know him. Somehow, we need to get him to a safe place where he can be held.

"Our lady's manor?" he looks at Quin. "The unfinished castle?"
"A church vault? But I would not like to deliver him into the hands of the Church."
"Back to Roquefixade? It is a possibility, but it is a long journey and I would require an armoured carriage."
"Does this place have a stone cellar?" he looked to Jehanne.

Jehanne shakes her head. "I know nothing of this, monseigneur. Made? I don't know." She sighs. "One can not live a life free from sin. I ate meat the other day. I was so hungry, you see, and one of the men offered. Was it that?"

She continues. "No, no cellar. But you can't put him in a cellar, please! He's sick, he'll die!" Her father breathes steadily enough but his eyes move rapidly behind closed eyes and he sweats profusely.

OOC: Quin would know that the monastery will have cells and there's also a town gaol, small but built from stone.

Quin had been standing quietly near the bed, watching their sudden prisoner and looking at the mark on him to compare with Jehanne's. "The monastery has cells and cellars, but I do not think this man is mad...what the other end of the moon might bring I know not, and one night in a cell might be worth the experiment, but all he did here was to fail to become a wolf and run away from men he thought threatening. The danger of being bitten or scratched we brought on ourselves."

Jehanne gets a soft smile. "The Lord bade us to eat as we need to. Such sins as make men become wolves and force them to dwell in the forest are  far worse than that - killing a member of one's family, for instance, or moving a field marker. Has a Perfect seen him?" Quin holds up a hand to forestall any ire of William's on being gentle with a self-confessed heretic, passing over a look that says such sin surely lies somewhere below that of influence to murder and turning men into wolves.

"If eating meat were such a sin as to cause something like this, why most of the world would be such creatures" Guy said to Jehenne.

He sighed at Quintillian "I agree that the man has done no wrong, that we know of, though the misfortunes of the new castle have yet to be accounted for. But if he put him in a strong place and he changes and becomes uncontrollable then we can lock the door and wait until the moon changes again, but if that happens here then we have to kill him. We don't have a choice. Is there a town lock up for drunks and the like? That might be best."

Quin nods to the query, but nonetheless adds: "He needs prayed for more than drunkards need to test his teeth." He pauses, loath to speak against the lord's plan but clearly troubled more than he can bear by the implications.

"Surely...it is in my mind that you would warn his keeper, and a jailer...talk around secular tables would lead to panic, given the strange irritability in town of late, and a lynching or baiting for sport of a man we have seen demonstrate no will to murder. In a worst case, our story is disbelieved and drunkards are bitten in their imprisoned taunting of the sick man laid amongst them, or infected through sharing what blanket he has left, and drink again, and become wolves, and attack their families."

Gently, with more guessing than knowledge about the reasoning of the heretics, Quin addresses Jehanne: "The whole flesh thou wert offered...was it from the body of one...that looked as we do now?"

Jehanne scoffs indignantly. "You have been nothing but kind to me monseigneur so I shall pretend I did not hear tha..." she starts but is interrupted by a moan from her father. The man opens his eyes. "Wa... water, sil vou plais," he asks feebly. Penota scurrys down and fetches a goblet of water. When he's drunk his fill he finally looks around and notices the gathered men. His eyes open wide and he tries to sit up but the women keep him down in his blankets. He looks better by the minute.

The certain and somewhat haughty response pulls a scarce-suppressed laugh from Quin: relief that the heretics' broad definition of sin still distinguished neighbours' flesh from beasts, but also amusement at being treated like an older brother. He seems set to give some duly repentant response when the sick man's stirring moves him to step back and watchfully ward the window from any new attempt to exit.

"Peace, sir," he urges, but leaves it to the Lord Roquefixade to state their duty. The nearby stain on the wall is not fully out of his thoughts.

[private to GM: Does his mark look like Jehanne's? I think that specified looking before Stefe was under blankets got lost.]

"Regardless of whatever is decided, if I may recommend binding him with iron fetters lest he... transform again. Perhaps the woman too, should she protest the former suggestion and become violent," William says, eyes still wide at the former wolfman before them, now a seemingly feeble old man.

"Well, he can't stay here, it is not secure. Very well, the town gaol may not be the best place, if he becomes a public spectacle. That could end badly. Which leaves the abbey or the Mansion. The Abbey may well be the best place, but we will take him to the Mansion first: we need to report to our Lady anyway, and it may be that she would prefer to have close control over such a creature, or indeed, she may prefer it to be as far away as possible" Guy declared.

"It appears our friend is waking up.  Let's see what he has to say."

"Bonjour Goodman. I am Guy du Roquefixade.  This is Sir Quintillion de Serignac,  and this is Sir William FitzAlan. We are here on behalf of Lady de Trencavel. We want to know what has been going on. You have been suffering fron an affliction. How are you feeling now?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Mon 08 Jan.

Stefe coughs and wipes his mouth. "Bon... bonjour" he squints out the window to confirm if it's indeed jour or some other time of day. He looks up at the lord by his bedside. "I don't understand monseigneur, on behalf of the lady? I've been ill for a time, what's the ladys interest in thi," he interrupts himself. "Is it about the field marker that was moved? It wasn't me, I swear! It's that damned baron voleur from Beaucaire! He keeps sending his serviteurs to harrass us and steal our sheep."

[Private to Quintillian de Serignac: It's similar. A lot longer and wider across his chest but the edges of the scar looks about the same.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:58, Tue 09 Jan.

"Are they killing your dogs?" Quin asks into the quiet of such a momentous answer, so strange in context. His voice stays soft though that 'thinking' frown is fixed on his face.

Stefes head snaps up at Quin. "Yes, how did you know? And not just killing, either, they rip them apart!" He exclaims, clearly emotional about this.

Guy had been about to sat something, but Quintillian seemed to be on to something, so he let the conversation flow.

"Did these problems with Baron Voleur's people start after you became ill? " Guy asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:44, Wed 10 Jan.

"...de Beaucarire has a werewolf among his men," Quin states, an almost-answer to both. "It may be he is also a sorcerer, and has sold his soul to the Enemy, or else harbours such creatures in hopes to gain in this world more than his due. Do you recall seeing us outside from the window here, when we first arrived?" he asks Stefe, as though the question were a weighty one.

Stefe answers Guys question. "No, it started a few years ago. The farmers from southwest suffered some kind of draught. It was odd because we didn't notice anything here. Anyway, they started to break fresh ground and bring their sheep and cattle closer and closer to us. When we objected they sent armed men, there was nothing we could do. We spoke with the baron but there was nothing he could do either. Or would." Quintillian remember that there was talk of this among the men-at-arms when he first arrived in Saint Volusien, something about a dispute concerning unclaimed lands or lands without clear ownership.

When Quin speaks Stefe jerks upright. "A what!?" he exclaims and bolts upright in bed, women or no, the blanket falls off his chest clearly displaying a long and wide scar, recently healed. His narrow cheeks and thin moustache quiver. "Sorcerer? Could the monseigneurs please explain to me what is happening? And why is Jehanne here? She should be up at the castle, the seneshal will have her hide." His bald head turns to look at the cook from Roquefixade. "And Penota? Are you here to visit Docelina? She should be by the river."

Quintillian holds up a hand in the householder's direction, bidding him wait and quiet awhile. "The window," he repeats, not loud but serious. "Do you remember seeing us before we were in this room?"

[[didn't we get a shirt on him? The bit of the scratch that goes onto his arm might be visible if the sleeve fell back. edit: aesthetics]]
This message was last edited by the player at 13:38, Wed 10 Jan.

"No, I've been bedridden," he tells Quin.

OOC: Maybe you did, I may have forgotten. Let's say the blanket falls down and the nightshirt has a large neckband through which you see the scar.
This message was last updated by the GM at 14:19, Wed 10 Jan.

Quin nods thanks for the information, though briefly addresses Guy: "...if someone had a form of influence over wolves, and...in this present case, was warned by something pretending to be a crow, it might account for what we have seen. Perhaps even for the others with missing memory, if it was a wolf part of the mind that was seized, now at the dark of the moon when they cannot easily change shape. It would be a far more subtle way to harass our lady than to leave her people torn apart by teeth in the way the dogs have been, despite training and iron collars that defeat real wolves."

The young knight looks to Stefe, hesitating over whether there might be a good way to put this, but gives the un-wolfed man the explanation he is owed: "You were seen when we were outside, rising, I think, but when we called out and came up to you, you tried to turn into a wolf and leap out of the window. You succeeded in neither, clearly, but it took three knights to stop you. It is your blood on the wall there, and it is your daughter that gave you a blanket, whereupon you fainted and woke as you are. Your sister-in-law put a shirt on you." He nods at Penota, giving the crazy tale some time to sink in, or the others some time to find smoother words for the uncanny thing that had happened in their midst.

"What is the last thing you remember?" he asks at length.

The man scoffs and splutters at first but falls silent after a moment. "I... it would explain some of the dreams I've had. The last thing I remember is I was sweating so bad, it was so hot I took off my nightshirt and threw my blankets on the floor. I was dreaming, I think..." he trails off in to stunned silence.

"Tell us about the dreams," Quin suggests, flicking a brief glance to Jehanne to see how she's taking this.

Heh. I ask to pick up the pace, and then there is a massive flurry of conversation between midnight and lunchtime when I'm at bed or at work. I'm not complaining, but, oh the irony! Great questions and insight, Quintillian.

So, Guy very much wants to hear Stef's answer to this. Afterwards, he would ask follow up questions:

"Fascinating. And how often do you have these dreams? Are they always the same, or different?"

"Tell us about these gaps in your memory. How often are they? How long do they last? Do you lose whole days at a time, are you normal for a month and then miss a week, or is it just spotty everywhere?"

Or, if the conversation proceeds differently depending on his answers, keep going Quin! I'm enthralled.

"It's as I've told you, I've been ill and bedridden for a couple of weeks. My dreams... they're, I don't know, they're mostly loose images, running in a dark forest and the like," he says. "I've been in and out of it, I don't think I've had any memory gaps?"

"I've had dreams like that too," Jehanne sqeaks from behind the men.

"I am not convinced that this Baron Voleur de Beaucarire has a werewolf or a sorceror in his men, and even if he does, I do not know whether this creature is aiding him or controlling him. It could be there is no such creature, and this is simply a neighbouring lord seeking to take advantage of Our Lord de Trencavel's absence. Be that as it may, this warrants further investigation, and I assure you, we will look into this. We cannot be seen to be weak" he said, glancing at Quintillian.

"As for you two... Stefe, when we encountered you, you were in a fearsome shape, upright, covered in fur, with wolf's head and long arms with vicious talons. You were no wolf nor man, but something more terrible than either. I cut you" He gestured at the blood on the wall "on the leg, and you healed instantly. I think, according to my understanding of legend, you should not have been able to change at all save at the full moon, and not into something like this. Perhaps you have been lying to me and you are a monster of great power. Perhaps you speak the truth, and have been newly afflicted with this, and you cannot control yourself. Either way, I cannot let you to run free unchecked."

"Stefe, when you changed back, you were fully naked. We clothed you and put you into bed. But when we did so, we noticed a recent scar across your chest. Your daughter has a similar scar on her neck. It is possible that the same creature that gave you such a wound also did it to her; it is also possible that you yourself did this to her, unknowing of your actions. I suggest that your dreams of running in the forest are no dreams, but memories of what you do when you have changed. And so, if you can do this to your own daughter, then all the villagers here are in danger from you."

"I want to escort the both of you to the monastery, I want you kept in a secure room with stone walls, I want you treated well and observed. But I will say this, I do not think you are evil. If you can be cured, or if you can learn to control yourself and have knowledge of what you are doing and have restraint when in other forms, then we will speak again. And further, I will give instruction to the monks that you are to be treated well, and talked to pleasantly, and given normal duties and given what freedom can be given, because while I know nothing of wolf monsters, I know this: that if a dog is starved and beaten and locked up then it becomes savage. It is my belief that if we are to overcome this affliction and save your souls then your humanity must be nurtured, strengthed, cultivated."

"William, Quintillian, we have work to do.  We need to find this man's family and members of the household, we need to check the workers, the murder suspect, the people with memory loss. All these people need to be searched for similar scars, anyone with a scar needs to go to the monastery. We need to know how prevalent this werewolf plague is.
We need to check the contaminated water and grain. What is the source of this? We need to follow that back.
We need to investigate Baron Voleur and the history of the shifting markers and the missing sheep and also find if he has a sorceror or powerful wolf man. If we do all this, then we may have a clearer picture of what is going on."

"But first we need to report to Lady Emma."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:32, Fri 12 Jan.