Scenario 1 : Arachnids
Quick note : you will notice a mistake, as the Schaffenfest takes place outside of Bögenhafen. I did not know that when the characters played the scenario, thus, I apologize. This scenario takes place after the adventures of Chef, but the reading order does not matter much so far. Both are included in the first scenario as an introduction to the players. Some might recognise two scenario hooks from the 4e bood "Adventures afoot the Reikland".
Maria and Selgrim are walking in the Reikwald toward the wood exploitation of Willibert Klemm. Giant spiders made their nest in the trees, and the merchant has been loosing profit since, but decided to make money out of the situation, and asked for someone to get him some of the creature's silk for him to sell.
The young woman and the dwarf met on this occasion. They quikly found out that they both wished to travel to Übersreik, and that they needed a guide and some money. Maria traveled from her village in Tabalecland in hopes of becoming a knight for the Empire's army, and believes that the now politically unstable city will offer her opportunities to get noticed as a hero. As for Selgrim, he grew up in Bögenhafen until now, and wishes to travel as well, hopeful to find something interesting in Übersreik.
As they make their way on the path, voices catch their attention.
"Are you sure that's a good collet ?"
"I don't know, I'm a blacksmith, not a hunter !"
As they come closer to the voices, they discover a ginger haired dwarf and a young man trying to prepare a hunting trap, before noticing the two curious person.
After a short conversation, it turned out that this duo, Günther and Ökri, met today as they accepted a job offer for Doctor Malthusius. The man runs the Malthusius Zoopopée but his creatures have fought and killed each other, and other problems caused him worry for his business. With the Schaffenfest starting in a few days, he needs new creatures to present the public, and thus, Günther and Ökri are now trying to hunt for monsters.
"Well, we are going to collect silk from giant spiders for a merchant. If you joign us, we can help you capture one of them, and you can help us gather the silk, perhaps we'll make more profit this way."
Everyone agrees on collaborating, and soon, they arrive in the wood explotation. The trees are covered in silver threads, and the group starts gathering the silk, trying not to break the delicate strings. Unfortunately, spiders soon begin to carwl their way.
"Giant spiders ? These are merely larger then big rats !" complains one of the dwarfs. But soon, their number is overwhelming, and the fight becomes a real struggle until Maria kills many of them in a precise blow. Suddenly, they notice a man eating Drakwald in the tree crown above them, much bigger then the small critters that they struggled with a moment ago. Very much larger.
"We have to catch that one..." mutters Günther.
They begin to plan a way to trap it, using a rope and one of them as a bait, but when they finally look back up, the monster is gone.
The drakwald spider jumps on one of them, who barely rolls away from it, before running to his newly found comrades that hurried to settle the trap.
The quartet returns to Bögenhafen, victorious. Their hunt was fruitful, and the Drakwald they captured should satisfy Dr. Malthusius. As for the silk, the quantity is consequent. However, as they arrive by the city's entrace, another problem arises : guards are there, and walking in a city with a giant man-eating insect is not acceptable. Günther walks ahead, ensuring his companion that he can distract them. The uninterrupted flow of his words as he speaks to the two men drowns them into incomprehension. Meanwhile, Maria and the two dwarfs walk behind the two men, with their illegal catch.
However, as they make their way toward Mathusius' caravan, a guard notices them. A fight in town would draw too much unwanted attention on them, but a few Silver Shilings often makes a man willing to remain silent. With their purses a bit lighter, the four adventurers arrive at the caravan, and receive their pay. They also find Herr Klemm to trade the silk for silver shilings, and all return to a tavern, planning their leave for Übersreik.
All they need is a guide, but the next day, the bad news arrive : Selgrim, who lives in Bögenhafen, has to remain for a few more days, as he has been called to joign the jury for a lawsuit.
Scenario 2 : Death to the witches !