"I will have Theron scout the area tonight. I do not want to be tired when we encounter the wolf pack nor walk into the area when we might find a clue but it is too dark and we are too tired to find it."
"I see no problem with a fire. It might be another weapon if we are attacked."
Honorus turns to Rabanus and Arturous..."What do you say Soldaes?"
Arturous considers the suggestion for a long moment before speaking in a grave voice
"If there is a danger to be found in these woods then Hurst needs our help, now more than ever. We must press on. We can cover the short distance in a matter of minutes if we move fast. "
"I am just as worried as you are about Master Horst but we are tired from a long days walk and im not sure we will be much help in this state and in the cold dark of night.
I agree with Honorus, let us get a good nights sleep and scan the site in the morning light. We dont want to miss any vital clue to Master Horsts whereabout."
A wave of cold hits the group as the sun goes down and the protective spells flicker out. Suddenly they realise that Rabanus could have been lying to them all the time leading them God knows where...
Honorus moves in a dubious and sneaky way. Arturous' smile is more of a smirk. Hildegard that stupid, rotten brat curses and ducks away out of the wind.
It only lasts a second, till they realise that they 'll have to recast their Parmas Magicas.
The firs parts and a monster steps out of the forest - loathsome to behold. Diederik hesitates for a moment and then draws his short sword and charges the beast .Hildegard is the first to turn and frantically scramble away, across the frozen Kinzig towards the northern slopes of the forest: Fleeing, she yells: "Run! You can't fight it!"
Albirich turns a ghastly white and follows her, leaving the others behind.
Honorus looks at the monster and seems to visibly shrink. Hildegard's yell jolts him into action and he bolts down the road to the west with a yell of terror escaping his lips.
Rabanus is shocked by the appearance of the monster. He feels fear take a icy grip on his inner organs. His heart beats like a drum, his breath is reduced to a shallow gasp. Like his sodales, his first instict would be to turn and run.
But he remembers his training and stays put to take a closer look at what it is exactly that comes crashing out of the woods. Is it a magic beast? Does it look like anything Rabanus has ever heard of?
ooc: Rabanus will stay out of any fighting though and leave that to Diederich and Gunther until he finds out anything useful about the monster.
The creature is about 6 feet tall and looks like something in between an ugly man and a goat. It stinks like rotten meat and its shrieks are blood-curdlingly menacing. It rears its ugly head and turns toward Hildegard's grog.
Without losing his composure, Arturous rises to face the monster. He starts pacing slowly toward the gruesome fiend, chanting in a powerful voice.
A piercing howl fills the night's air, and a sense of terror overwhelms all who surrounds the Magus.
[size=85]OOC: Arturous casts Visions of the infernal terrors (ReMe 30). im sorry - Invisible Castle is down at this time, so you're welcome to roll the casting total for me Jean. Arturous spends two fatigue points (+10), 2 confidence points (+6), method caster (+3), penetration (+2), loud voice, exaggerated gestures (+2), for total casting total of: dice +53, for a 30 level spell. If Arturous will fail his magical addication roll (+8 vs target 15), he will continue casting the same spell at the target. if the first spell fails to affect the creature, Arturous will flee (if he is not overcome by his addiction).[/size]
Arturous concentrates on the flow of the forces, but slams into an invisible protective wall against the target. Tapping deeper into the Source of his Power, he draws in more magic, till he feels it pulsing ever louder through his veins, exhilarating pure power. he crashes the creature's defenses with his power, and staggers as the rush leaves his body making him feel a dull empty vessel. He tries to resist the craving for more, but fails. Only after two more spells does he find the strength to let go of the glow.
He doesn't see the ugly creature's eye widen with terror, nor does he hear its piercing scream of angst, but he finds it curled up in a fetal position on the forest floor, whimpering. "You think <ou can make out the words: "Please don't kill me. I'm a guardian of the forest. Nooooo......, make them go away...."
When the first spell hits home, Hildegard and Albirich feel the fear leave them. With sheepish looks on their faces, they come back to the group.
ooc: thanks for the maths. Arturous loses 2 fatigue levels.
Arturous grimaces once he regains control over himself. Panting hard, he takes a short moment to catch his breath while looking around and studying his surroundings. The exhausted magus then makes his way to the beast, leaning on his staff.
"Speak!!" he command him in a hollow voice, towering over the creature
"What happened to the elder man who entered the forest a few days past? Speak or your torment shall be eternal!"
Honorus' screams fade in the distance as he runs all the way back to Alpirsbach. 
j/k
Honorus recovers from his fright and realizes he is cold. He quickly casts the ward against Cold on himself and renews his Parma. Then he heads back to the group looking a bit sheepish.
"If i am not mistaken, this is a bockman, a creature of the fay wich belongs to the Unseelie court.
It serves well as an example for the danger of traveling in the wilderness of this forest, but i donĀ“t think it is to be held responsible for Master Horsts vanishing. From what i know, bockmen live in solitude and i can neither imagine this being the first bockman Master Horst has ever encountered nor it being able to overwhelm the three of them."
Hildegard also does her parma ritual and signifies her grog not to attack the wretched creature - yet.
The goatman is writhing on the forest floor, imploring Arturous to stop the nightmares (in an old fashioned southern German accent). "I'm a fairie....ooooh....uuuuh...nooooo....please release me. Remember the old....aaaaaaaah...pacts between Magi and fairies.... make it go away and uuuuuh....I will...I will tell you about....the man...." The thing gurgles and blurbles and then vomits out the words: "I promise" before sofly wailing to itself and gently rocking to and fro.
Hildegard, shivering with the cold, casts a light onto herself. The monster is even uglier seen in the bright light of day. She looks at Arturous wondering if he is willing and able to end the spell.
ooc: In non-tactical sunrise/set situations, I'll tacitly assume the Parma is up unless you state it is not. Hildegard's spell is CrIg10 Lamp without flame, spont., fatiguing. Arturous spell was sun duration!
"I will hold you to your promise. Do not resistā¦"
Arturous softly speaks a few magical words, and touches the creature. The faerie falls into a deep slumber.
"I am weary myself, let's set up camp"
[size=85]ooc: base is 4, and casting total for Arturous is 20. Divided by 5 (non fatiguing spontaneous spell) should be enough. If there is a need to penetrate Arturous can use the creature's hair as arcane connection.[/size]
ooc: spell works
Honorus will cast Ward against cold on everyone who wants it. ( ooc:going to have to master is this spell).
The night is filled with wolves howls and particularly dark, since new moon was only two nights before. But it passes uneventfully.
As soon as the sun rises, the bockman awakens. Seeing that Diederich is keeping watch, he approaches the forest edge before telling the grog: "Three men came to the forest. Two men fed the wolves. There is no man for you to find where you are going, but skin of men and beasts. I return to my mother nature. Her will is done. Beware - do not anger Her!" Free of his promise, he fades away into the forest.
ooc: Even if other characters are awake, I'll do my best to let him slip away. He has revealed all I wanted you to know.
Honorus stirs at the fire with a stick as Diederich reports the words of the bockman. "It sounds like Horst is not in the woods any longer. We can go and check out the campsite and collect the wand. I assume that we do not have a arcane connection to Horst. Perhaps we will find something at the site."
ooc: I assume Theron saw nothing last night when he scouted the area.
"His words sound mysterious. I do not understand what mother natures will should have to do with this. Although this might just be his understanding of most things. Still his revealings donĀ“t come too surprising to us. We already saw at Durenmar that Master Horst is not carrying the stick himself. Let us eat a bit, for our bodies need strength for what might lie ahead of us. And then let us climb up that hill and see what we can find."
"Yes, we still must go there", Hildegard says. "As a Member of House Mercere, it is my duty to recover those documents. I suggest we are using the usual spells again - she gives Honorus a respectful nod - but is there anything else that we can do to improve our chances?"