The town of Linz sits astride the Danube, between two hills. To the north, larger hills extend into the horizon, but the river creates a flat place where trade flourishes.
Atop the western hill is a fortified church, but the eastern hill is unadorned with the works of man. It is rumored that below this hill are tunnels, carved by the great river over the ages. They say that these tunnels, and in fact the entire hill and all of the forests growing atop it, are haunted. The people who live there are thought to be furtive and deceitful, and are usually given a wide berth by folk of good character.
Among the rats, this is called simply The Forest.
"Hah. I don't think you could hide any worse, shooting fire from your eyes. And the 20' tall might explain your loud heavy footsteps. I thought there was a pack of Fenrir walking down our path, instead of a single rat. You must have spent too much time with Gnawers in Vienna."Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff wrote:Rite of the Bolthole
Destination: Linz, my home colony. Check in, mission I was sent there for accomplished, doing work for the three Mothers, on mission now.
Inquire as to where is Scourge of the West.
Find them, "Greetings Scourge of the West. I hope life has fared well this past month, it has been interesting for me. I seek information. Which of the local nobles if any have unseemly amounts of silver. Weapons, armor, goblets, as long as it's silver and pure enough to Wound."
Grinning "I am going to teach a cur a lesson that will be firmly etched on their mind for the rest of their life."
"He and his former pack greatly wronged one that Grandmother smiled upon. I believe the wronged one's mother, a Galliard of the same tribe, is composing verse as a lesson about it."
"When I return, I'll share the true story before it ends up with me being 20 feet tall, teeth like damascus steel, and eyes shooting fire and silver."
"But, as for silver... there's a Leech Lord by the docks who's been buying up silver these past few days. I'd thought it would end up in the hands of wolf hunters, so I left it alone. But even your hands would be acceptible, if there's a pelt in the story."
Scourge of the West describes a storehouse in the docks area, near the water, but with stronger walls than most of the buildings down there. "There's a miasma of pain around the place. Even the rats won't go there. The regular rats, that is."