Onyx swings low with his club, hoping to start a game of rat polo.

Attack: 14 Damage: 8

Onyx successfully hits the rat, which tumbles end over end towards the giant dark wold some 60 feet away.  The wolf seems to smile and saunters over to the dead rodent and sniffs it.  It looks back at you all and seems to laugh.  It seems to rise off its 4 legs onto 2 legs it turns and disappears into the mist.

Combat is over!

Talion watches the wolf warily, ready to attack, but is relieved when it disappears into the mst.

He examines the rats, half-expecting them to be illusory. Shoving a body cautiously from a distance, he grunts when he realizes they are solid, then moves forward to examine whatever it was that they were eating when they arrived.

Investigation: 8

Extra roll for investigation, for help from Erven: 17

"Did you guys just see a large wolf, stand on its back legs and laugh?  Those rats appeared real, or were they?"  He looks down at his thigh and grimaces.  "They sure felt real.  Hurts."  He walks over to the corpse that was being eaten by the "rats" and bends down, searching the body, joining Talion and his mage hand.  

Talion nods and laughs grimly as they continue to investigate, "Aye. Wasn't sure they were real myself. But they bleed....and they're still here" he says, poking at one with the dagger.

"The big dog, though...the wolf?" he looks back up the path where it disappeared. "That was a sight! Do they normally do that? I wouldn't fancy trying to get past it, if it didn't want me to."

He considers the times he's has to deal with animal guardians in the past, "Best to leave it alone. Find another path if necessary. I'm glad it's gone."

Bertolt sighs as he puts his lute back over his shoulder. With the now over he moves towards the body to examine it for anything that might give them more of an idea of who the person was.

Investigation: 12

Onyx plants his hunk of wood on the ground and uses it as a makeshift leaning post, watching the others mill about the scene.

"Well, I'd agree that black wolves that walk and laugh like men are generally not a good thing."

Talion glances at Onyx, pausing his investigation briefly, "So you've seen this sort of thing before?" he asks, a spectral hand he was controlling floating immobile over the corpse. He continues to stare at Onyx for a moment, unsure how to react, but then he laughs, "That was a joke. Ha!"

He smiles and looks around the forest, absent-mindedly twisting the ring on his finger. "I ... I don't miss the city, but I do miss knowing what's normal! In the city...you get a feel for the rhythms, you know what's going to happen, almost before it happens. Out here..." he waves his arms to encompass the path and the mist, "...out here it's unpredicatable. Part of me loves that...and part of me hates it. And at the moment...the hate is winning!"

Sho Zuan frowns as he agrees with Onyx, that the mysterious wolf disappeared in the nightly mist was a much more ominous sight than the rats and the body they were devouring upon. The wolf was much more intelligent than average beasts - if it was a beast at all.

The reality is wrapped in mist of underlying visions, and it is starting to get difficult to differentiate real from illusionary. "No," He stares calmly as his compatriots search through the corpse, before he turns to Talion, "I'd hardly call it normal anywhere, city or not. The unknown is dangerous. This path is the only one not covered by mist - almost like it is trying to lead us on. But we don't have much other choice in that matter."

Talion grunts, "'Where the unknown meets that known ... that's called opportunity', as a friend once told me. I'd just like a little more 'known' and a lot less 'unknown' right about now!"

"And yes, I fear that whatever controls the mist knows where it wants us, for better or ill. But..." he glances down at the bodies, "...the more we learn before we reach our destination, the better."

Erven looks up from examining the body, “Known, unknown.... all I know right now is that I want to find whoever is doing this to us and bash their head in.  But... gauging by the size of that wolf and what we are seeing.. I fear that I am no match for them.”  He turns to the others, stands for a minute and says “That’s why we have to work together.  All of us.  Any of us going it alone are going to wind up like this poor bastard here.”  He nudges the body with his foot.  He curls up the whip and tests it, getting a better feel for it.  “No matter what comes.”

Talion nods enthusiastically, "Agreed!"

Searching the body, you find 13 gp in a small pouch, and a dagger.  The body seems to have been dead for a long time but you're not sure.  The clothes are nice and clearly well-made and also has a nicely made cloak.  This wasn't a warrior by any means but the boots and cloak have seen travel.  You notice a small pouch on the hip of the body and opening it, you find some ink and a quill, along with some paper.  One paper has some writing on it, you read it (below).  You're uncertain what this means or who these people are.

As you rise from the body, you notice the mist has become much closer to you and almost looks like it's reaching out to touch you.  You all sense aggression and hostility in the mist, it is certainly not feeling fluffy or cozy.  You get a chill sense of dread as the clouds move closer to you.   Let me know if you want to go in or explore the mist.  

If you don't move you will be engulfed by the mist very soon.  So stay or keep going?

Bertolt takes the dagger and places it on his belt, seeming to be a bit more grounded with a weapon on his person once more. "I must apologize for taking from your body whomever you may be but this will do more for me then it will for you." He then steps away from the body and holds out the letter for the rest of the party to read.

"If we are all in agreement that it would be best to stay together then let us go. I am not fond of finding out just what the mist would do if we linger...."

Talion reads the note aloud to his companions, carefully and slowly, then looks at the other items he found more closely. "There's some coin, and another dagger" he says. "Anyone want a dagger? Or...things for writing?" He tries to stuff the coin pouch into the (larger?) pouch and attach it to his belt. If anyone expresses a desire for any of the items, he hands them over.

As the mist closes in again, he shudders and starts moving down the track, making sure that Erven is not too spooked by the mist, ready to guide him if necessary.

"Time to keep moving!"

Like lambs to the slaughter. He glances at his companions -- and Erven in particular -- before speaking again. "We could go into the mist...roped together...it may not be worse than where we are being led."

Erven says “ I’m fine now, but I prefer to not go into the mist. Let’s go forward away from it.  I am curious about this note, do you know who this could be?  I’ve never heard that name before.”

Onyx offers a weak smile to Talion.  His nerves had not fully recovered.  He glances warily towards the mists.

"Whatever brought us here and stripped our arms isn't likely to be dissuaded by a step into the fog.  But perhaps a friend is offering some small solace ahead."

Sho Zuan reads the note on the traveler in silence, the ink on the yellowing aged paper already vaguely faded and the note frail from the dampness of the surrounding mists, "Madame Durst..." he reads softly. Turning his head to look into the distance, the path which the traveler did not have a chance to finish. "I'd assume that is the destination where the path leads to."

Erven keeps walking forward, leading out of the mist hopefully, that seems to be the consensus of the group.  He readies the whip just in case.  “I say let’s pay Madame Durst a visit.”

Talion nods and follows along behind the others, a slight frown on his face as he considers the note, "I think it depends on which was he was going...we'll either find his home, or Madame Durst. It is a pity that the note did not include his name."

(( Was there perhaps an envelope or address on the outside of the note? ))