The Arrow Went Up, Not Over

The party barricaded themselves in The Salty Ostrich as night fell, then fought their way through transformed townsfolk to reach Kaelor's ransacked home and Torvald's family farm—where Torvald discovered his mother's corpse and his father missing. A lone survivor, Dyrbov Michalovich, pulled them into a barn and warned them they were running out of time.

Voices in the Dark

Kaelor revealed to the party that he had never possessed healing magic before curing Torvald of poison in the tavern—he described hearing an urge or voice compelling him to act [1]. Torvald recounted a vision from the earlier battle when he nearly died: a whisper in his mind urging him to find "her" and head south, following the light. Lucia redirected the conversation and asked about Kaelor's home and their next move. Kaelor explained his dwelling lay roughly a mile away and that he needed to retrieve supplies and better weapons than his broken club. As dusk approached, Lucia kept watch at the shattered windows while the others searched the tavern. Through the glass, she spotted a lone survivor—a young man in his mid-twenties—making his way northwest toward the pier. As he rounded a building corner, a Turned creature dropped from the rooftop, landed on him, and repeatedly slammed his head into the ground until he was dead. Lucia warned the party that the creatures were hunting from the roofs.

The Long Wait

Vaelan and Kaelor searched the tavern's storage room and discovered the marked kegs, non-perishable foodstuffs suitable for rations, and a trapdoor leading to a dusty wine cellar. Torvald investigated an upper bedroom containing a writing bureau, bed with footlocker, and bookshelf—all empty of useful gear. Kaelor proposed sheltering in the cellar until nightfall to travel under cover of darkness, but Vaelan expressed discomfort at being confined with strangers he had only just met. The party debated whether they could see in the dark; not all of them had darkvision, and Lucia cast Alarm near the bar, establishing a thirty-foot detection radius that required her to remain conscious. The party doused the fireplace to conceal their light, barricaded the doors and windows with tables and chairs, and placed a keg atop the cellar trapdoor. As they fell silent for the first time since the outbreak began, the wind howled outside, interspersed with muted screams, tearing flesh, muffled growls, scratching, and a gleeful, terrifying laugh as something ripped a head off. The sounds continued sporadically for twenty to twenty-five minutes before beginning to ease. Lucia stood first watch while Kaelor, Vaelan, and Torvald attempted to rest on the cold wooden floorboards.

Through the Treeline

After roughly an hour of rest, the party prepared to depart as night fell. Torvald spotted blood spattered across the roadway to the southwest. The party exited through a bedroom window, leaving it open in case retreat became necessary, and gathered beneath a nearby tree. Vaelan argued against splitting the party when Kaelor suggested Lucia scout ahead, noting she would have no safe way to relay information. The party agreed to move together as one unit and crossed the street into the forest to the east, heading toward Kaelor's home. As they broke into the treeline, a shrill scream echoed from the northwest—another victim claimed. The party continued through the forest at a moderate pace, staying alert and avoiding areas of heavy human population. Kaelor carried Torvald through the deep snow to help him move faster. Lucia heard a sharp snap of a twig about thirty feet away and readied her bow, but perceived nothing. A snowman, build by locals, stood in a clearing to the northeast, and an abandoned building loomed ahead. Movement near the building resolved into a small white fox that stopped within five feet of Torvald before scurrying south into the foothills.

What They Took

The party approached Kaelor's home and discovered the front door had been damaged, the lock mechanism broken from the outside. Kaelor signaled the others to approach cautiously. On a three-two-one countdown, the party entered and found the interior ransacked with no one present—Kaelor's bed was torn and bore claw marks, his belongings scattered throughout the violated space [2]. Kaelor frantically searched and discovered a hidden lockbox beneath floorboards under his bed, forcing it open to retrieve a small book, a large hefty hammer, a greatsword, a pendant he donned straight away around his neck, and a suit of chainmail bearing a blue shield crest symbol of a maul crossed with a spear, set against mountains. The weapons and armor felt heavier than their physical weight suggested, and handling them brought back memories that troubled him—he whispered an apology to someone named Elira and bowed his head. Vaelan investigated the state of the home and determined through careful examination that the break-in and destruction appeared staged: the claw marks and savagery did not quite match what he would expect, suggesting someone had searched the premises deliberately rather than attacking randomly. Lucia offered Kaelor warm clothing and attempted to calm him, but when he did not respond, she tried to restrain him by grabbing him around the waist—he pushed her away and continued searching. Lucia discovered a small handmade doll, only a few inches tall, with matted hair partially torn away, a loose eye, and a tattered dress—clearly a treasured item years old and damaged. The moment Kaelor saw it, he stopped entirely, trembling with intensity, retrieved it from Lucia with expressions of gratitude, and tucked it beneath his chainmail armor against his chest.

Firework

Torvald revealed he had family in Snowglen and expressed urgency to check on them. The party learned that Torvald's home lay in the farmlands near Engelhardt Farm, on the opposite end of town. Kaelor declined to share details about his possessions or background, citing more pressing matters. Kaelor handed his flail to Torvald for use. The party chose to travel through the treeline rather than along the streets, moving north toward the forest and the Vissarion Mill. As they made their way around the buildings and reached the logging grounds where trees had been cleared, Kaelor spotted movement in the streets toward the mill and in other areas of town. The party chose to sneak through the logging grounds rather than move openly. While moving through the terrain, Vaelan stepped into a hidden hollow created by tree roots beneath fresh snow, falling about two feet and creating a loud crack of wood—the disturbance caused snow to fly up and attracted the attention of creatures approximately thirty to forty feet away, whose approach could be heard as a low growl followed by heavy, rhythmic footfalls. Torvald devised a plan to distract the approaching creatures by having Lucia fire an arrow with a Light spell cast upon it in the opposite direction as a decoy. Lucia attempted to fire the glowing arrow toward Kaelor's house to serve as a distraction. Lucia's shot went awry—she tumbled backward and fired the arrow straight up into the air instead of toward the intended target [3]. The arrow arced approximately one hundred twenty to two hundred feet into the air like a firework before descending and landing near the party. Combat began.

Blood in the Snow

Kaelor hurled a javelin at one of the Turned, striking it critically and reducing its speed. Lucia engaged another Turned in close combat after it charged toward her and fell prone in the snow, firing her shortbow at point-blank range. She attempted to disengage and move toward a fence line, provoking an attack of opportunity that missed. Torvald moved to flank the prone Turned and struck it with his newly acquired flail, crushing the creature's head as it lay on the ground—the Turned dissolved into green sludge. Torvald was exposed to poison as the creature dissolved into green muck, contracting the poison condition for one hour with reduced damage. Vaelan activated Innate Sorcery and cast Fire Bolt against the first Turned, dealing a glancing blow as the creature attempted to charge the party. Multiple additional Turned creatures charged forward from the darkness. One of them charged directly at Lucia, slashing across her stomach with its claws and dealing a severe wound. Kaelor attempted to strike at one of the Turned with his maul but missed. Lucia used her bonus action to mark one of the Turned with Hunter's Mark, sensing its nature as pure killing instinct built from primal savagery—she learned the creature was immune to poison. She struck the marked Turned with her dagger, and the creature's flesh bubbled and degraded into green viscera as it dissolved into a pile. Torvald attempted to swing at one of the Turned with disadvantage due to being poisoned and missed. A Turned creature struck Kaelor, but his chainmail protected him—however, Torvald, arriving with his flail in a wide swing, accidentally struck Kaelor in the chest with his own weapon, dealing severe bludgeoning damage. A fourth Turned creature emerged from the treeline. The Turned attacking Kaelor, sensing his blood, pressed its assault and pierced through his chainmail with its claws, dealing a grave wound through his chest. Kaelor fell unconscious. As he lost consciousness, he heard a voice calling to him from beyond—a small, scared figure asking for "Papa?" in the void [4]. Kaelor desperately fighting the urge to answer the call from the girl, instead turned away, regaining consciousness against the cold snow. He stood despite his critical wounds, inspired by the vision, and swung his maul at the Turned that nearly killed him, landing a decisive blow that crushed the creature and caused it to dissolve into gore and bone fragments.

Retreat to the Trees

The Turned creature pursuing the party dissolved into green goo after taking sustained damage. Lucia moved to position herself and applied Hunter's Mark to another Turned approaching across the snow. The second Turned charged but was damaged and partially melted by Lucia's arrows and Vaelan's Fire Bolt, yet remained standing. Torvald was severely wounded by the second Turned, which clawed him and drove a hand through his chest before throwing him aside. Lucia, seeing Torvald fall, killed the second Turned with a dagger strike to the throat, twisting the blade as she withdrew it and watching the creature collapse into goo. A third Turned fled into a nearby building, where the party could see candlelight and violent movement through the windows as it thrashed deeper into the structure. Vaelan stabilized the unconscious Torvald using a medicine check, preventing further death saves but leaving him unconscious and in need of healing. Kaelor, recognizing the danger of remaining in place, picked up Torvald and ordered the party to retreat toward the treeline and forest edge for cover. Lucia cast Goodberry and fed one of the berries to the unconscious Torvald to revive him. The party began retreating toward the forest edge as the Turned continued moving violently through the building interior. While being revived, Torvald heard a voice from the void—the same entity that had granted him power—which told him his family was now "with" the voice and suggested he seek knowledge in the south, though it acknowledged there was still more for him to learn in the village [5]. Torvald regained consciousness with 1 hit point and asked Kaelor to put him down so he could walk.

Engelhardt Farm

The party gathered themselves and began moving away from the site of destruction, making their way back toward the treeline and Snowglen proper. As they withdrew, they heard distant sounds of chaos—timbers crashing, a shriek, and a wail—suggesting another victim had been taken, then silence. Torvald expressed that he needed to reach the farm to confirm what the voice had told him about his family, driven by a need for closure and the fear of abandoning them. Vaelan took point as the most able-bodied party member, conjuring flame in his hand for warmth and readiness. The party moved cautiously through the treeline toward Engelhardt Farm and Torvald's home, with Lucia providing rear overwatch. As they moved between buildings near Snowglen, Torvald spotted a small figure moving through a house window and recognized it as Visaria, a child he had helped that morning when she was ill with a fever. Visaria emerged from a doorway, moving erratically toward the street—she had transformed, her eyes a strange red color, her hands bearing claws extended three to four inches, her teeth become fangs, and her skin pulled tight against her face. Inside the open doorway of Visaria's house, the party saw Visaria's mother with her throat ripped out. Torvald whispered Visaria's name in shock and expressed remorse as he watched her shuffle southward toward the mill and the Salty Ostrich. Kaelor suggested they scout a nearby building for shelter, but hesitated when he realized it was Torvald's own home. Torvald explained that the same voice that had spoken to him in near-death had told him his family had joined with the voice, but he felt compelled to see the truth with his own eyes. Kaelor argued they needed to find shelter immediately or they would all perish in the cold and weather. Torvald mentioned there were barns across the way that could provide some comfort. Vaelan noted that one of the barn doors was ajar and moving gently in the wind. Torvald attempted to move stealthily toward a window of his house to look inside but failed the stealth check, stumbling and slamming loudly against the side of the building—he heard no movement from within in response. Despite Kaelor's attempt to stop him, Torvald ran to his home and thrust open the door with abandon, crossing the threshold to find his family.

What the Voice Promised

Torvald ventured into his family home and discovered his mother slumped against a cupboard in the dining room, mortally wounded with severe abdominal trauma and a look of confusion frozen on her face [6]. A marked keg and his father's tankard sat on the table nearby, along with a green bubbling puddle. Kaelor followed Torvald into the home and witnessed the scene; Vaelan and Lucia entered behind them. Torvald realized his father was not present in the house, adding to his distress. Kaelor attempted to break Torvald from shock, urging the party to prioritize survival and regrouping over immediate mourning, noting he too had lost people. Torvald cut a lock of his mother's red hair, wrapped it, and placed it in his coat as a memento, speaking a farewell in Dwarfish. Vaelan reported spotting a barn across the farmyard that appeared open and empty. Torvald made his way upstairs to his parents' bedroom and located a set of armor plating that his father kept, also gathering basic food supplies that remained uncontaminated. The party exited the home, and Torvald paused at the doorway to look back at his mother's body one final time before departing. As the party moved toward the barn, Vaelan spotted candlelight flickering violently inside and a figure moving within. A figure emerged from the barn with hands raised, warning the party to get out of the way and telling them "they're coming" and will return. Kaelor and Torvald recognized the figure as Dyrbov Michalovich, a gentleman they knew but had not spoken with much, whom they regarded as somewhat of a bookworm. Dyrbov ushered the party into the barn and secured the doors by pulling a massive beam across, with Kaelor assisting. The barn contained hay bales, candles for light, and food supplies. Dyrbov expressed shock and disbelief at encountering survivors who were not dead or turned. Torvald darkly noted to Dyrbov that they were "not yet" turned, and Dyrbov warned that they were close to that fate.