Chop Suey (Date: 1/2/27)

It was decided. In three day's time the party would embark on a weeklong expedition to find and investigate the ancient, abandoned fort in the forest. All that remained was to gather supplies, check in with friends and family and say farewells. When Marty told Lumi the news, the young blacksmith expressed her sorrow that he would be going so soon and that he would even be gone for his birthday. This changed everything! The expedition was put on hold and in its stead, the group decided to investigate the haunted theater. It was still haunted and also the sight of gang fights during the day. Roman was spotted, but ran off before he could be apprehended.

Once the ruffians were dealt with, Euwyn claimed the theater as his own, placed guards at the entrances and hired a cleanup crew. The group labored through the day until sunset when the ghost manifested and her fear aura cleared the room. Lex, Marty and Hedge snuck back in to find the ghost weeping in the dressing room, but upon approaching her, she turned vicious and attacked. The trio fled again, and it was agreed that the place be boarded up again until a lasting answer could be discovered. Lex did a little research, and a dream reminded him that the same family likely owned the Busby Theater and the Busby Mine; a family of gnomes who left the area over 30 years ago as the economy began to fail.

Justice went to check in with his old gang, but discovered they were ditching him to hang at Junkers. By reports, they now felt he was too important to care about them anymore.

Finally the band decided to investigate the hills on the far side of the lake, but found little of interest other than some squat fishing huts and the three-river junction. While camping the final night, the party was distracted by wolf calls. Giada said not to worry, but Lex detected an odd accompaniment. There was the hauntingly familiar sound of a bizarre woodwind instrument matching the wail of the canines. As he leapt to his feet to investigate, Lex spied a large wolf bounding over the nearby hills on course for the camp. As it came, its body swelled and distended until it had grown to immense proportions, nearly eight feet at the shoulder! Blood burning in its eyes, it charged!