It took Radulf the best part of two weeks to fully recover from the fight with the Haunt and he soon learnt that Lili had been right, the Varou had left after the death of their mystic. That crippled Varou was still out there somewhere, no doubt Radulf would meet it again.
After a few days, he was ambulatory and spent many evenings in the village's tavern getting to know the locals and they him. The mutual affection that he and Lili shared grew as well and led to many sideways glances and suppressed gigles from Sigrid.
So, four moves here
Develop Your Relationship: with Lili; 'formidable', progress now 4/10
Develop Your Relationship: with Woodwatch; 'troublesome', progress now 6/10
Take a Hiatus: Reset all tracks to maximum, reset momentum; hiatus causes
Advance a Threat: 43 - threat works subtly to advance toward its goal, mark menace, now 3
Once he was able, Radulf resumed his training with Runbjorn, concentrating upon combat. Runbjorn's tracking was already top-notch and his response to commands was excellent - if anything it was Radulf who needed to practice that. Using the correct tone was just as important as the words, according to Temple-Houndmaster Gunnvor.
Advance: spend 2xp for Companion Hound second ability Ferocious
They also began training with Lili. She had been keeping up her Duty, and she was one with her holy sword. Well, very nearly.
The winter passed. It was a harsh one. A full week of blizzards howled through at one point. But soon that was but a memory and spring was arriving. In the long dark of winter, they had not been idle though. The advice of Shashkya had been sought, and Odvir had made a better recovery than any had thought he could. He could not tell Sigrid much about the 'great evil' though.
(Apparently, Odvir had always been sweet on Sigrid, a feeling that she returned, and now she was the only person he could talk to about the terrible events that had afflicted him.)
All he could really say was that the evil was to the south-west. On the side of good news, however, was that his physical wound had healed well and Odvir had adapted well to his wooden peg-leg. First-Merchant Piritta had taken him on as a carter and his future, despite his new disability seemed assured. Warden-Captain Erik had changed too.
Descriptors for Odvir: Sympathetic, Erratic, Trustworthy
For Erik, remove Cold-hearted, Sad, replace with Compassionate, Energetic (both picked by me)
Odvir's troubles had ignited a new compassion in Erik's heart and the needs of his son during his recovery seemed to have lit a fire under Erik. His energy burned brightly for all to see - instead of the dour, cold man Erik had been, he was now a genuine pleasure to be with. Adversity, it seemed, can lead to benefits.
As yet more time has passed, I feel it is right to, again,
Advance a Threat: 58 - threat works subtly to advance toward its goal, mark menace, now 4
The first thaw of spring came earlier than expected, catching Radulf and Lili unready to leave. But they completed their preparations quickly and with Vrusk loaded with their supplies they set out the next day, after their morning prayers, heading south-west hoping to find their enemy.
Secure an Advantage: +Iron: 3 +3 vs. 5 & 4 => strong hit => +4 momentum (+2 from strong hit, +2 from Devotant asset), now +6
"It's all very well, setting out on a heroic quest like this," Lili said when they were out of earshot of the village, "But where do we actually go?"
"That is a good question," replied Radulf. "For want of anything better, I'd suggest we go to where the Varou were encamped and see if we can find anything there."
Before long they returned to the clearing where the Varou had been but there was no evidence of them now.
Gather Information: +Wits, investigating a scene +1 from Hound; 5 +2 +1 vs. 6 & 6 => strong hit & opportunity, +2 momentum, now +8
The opportunity is that there is a trail to follow that lead to the Villain's Lair
Fortunately, there was evidence of a trail that left the clearing in a south-westerly direction. Following it, they reached a dark cavern that disappeared into the dark. Backing off, they made a cold camp for the night, fearing to attract attention from the cavern.
Note: To all intents and purposes, it's still winter, so no Make Camp move for them here; this cavern is the start of a Delve
Discover a Site: The Villain's Lair, dangerous Corrupted Cavern
After a miserable night Lili led their prayers, beseeching Vanth and Charun to be with them on their holy task this day.
Secure an Advantage: +Iron: 3 +3 vs. 5 & 2 => strong hit => +4 momentum (+2 from strong hit, +2 from Devotant asset), now +10 (max)
Leaving Vrusk in a thicket, his harness removed and plenty of fodder nearby, they kindled their torches and entered the cavern, heading into its dark and foreboding depths. The torches created a pitifully small amount of light, but Iron in their Faith, they continued onward ...
Finding the lair of the Villain, counts as
Reach a Milestone: formidable vow "I will end the villain that created the Chimera", progress now 6/10
stopping here, more soon