XDMC #4 : Create an Urban Menace

For four months, the town has been plagued with a serial killer. The attacks occurred on Friday nights. The victim disappeared leaving only pools of blood. A bloodless week gave hope to the townsfolk until two blood trails were found in a church on Sunday. Duskar, a traveller who arrived shortly before the murders started, was arrested. The bloody locket of a missing girl found in his possession proved his guilt to nearly everyone. No one went missing while he was incarcerated. His execution was swift and a sense of relief fell over the town. The peace lasted only two weeks. After the murderer start anew, the party returns from an adventure or first arrives in town to the scene below.

A mob of people are collected in the town square surrounding several town watch members. The insignia on the shirt of a watchman identifies him as a captain.

"What are you going to do?" yelled a large women. "How many more must die?" yelled another from the crowd.

"Stay calm," requested the captain. "We have increased patrol. The murderer will be flushed out soon."

"Like the last killer, you found?" questioned a young man. "I doubt Duskar's family will find any solace in your promise."

"What happened with Duskar was unfortunate. Standing hear and arguing helps no one. If you wish to help the watchmen could use more able men. Otherwise you are best to go about your business. Try to stay with others and lock your doors." At this the captain stepped forward.

The forceful response of the captain seems to have quelled the unrest. Slowly the townsfolk move away.

Oliassy a little girl in town has nursed a kittyrar back to health. A kittyrar is a large six-legged cat that can transform into a kitten. The kitten form retains the six-legs but can tuck them up so that most people don't notice. Oliassy named her new pet Yeowwy. The pampering was much easier than living in the forest and all the attention lavished on her pleased Yeowwy.

Only the food proved unsatisfactory. The small morsels given to the kitten was certainly not enough to satiate the beast's hunger. Yeowwy hunted small rodents and pets initially. A vagrant quenched her hunger for a couple days. Eventually she graduates to removing individuals who tease or displease Oliassy. She makes sure not to kill some who have no contact with the girl or wait a while after a conflict so that Oliassy doesn't become a suspect.

She usually attacks Friday nights but then started changing it just to make the townsfolk scared that the attack could come at any time. She is overconfident and likes to see the fear on her victim's face before killing them. She leaves nothing for investigators to find except blood stains. When the watch started investigating Duskar, she placed the locket in his room. She avoided killing anyone while he was imprisoned so that everyone thought Duskar was the murderer. Yeowwy enjoys toying with the townsfolk.

Yeowwy looks like a brown mackerel tabby in both kitten and normal forms. No one knows of her true nature. She has considered telling Oliassy that she can speak but doesn't think she could keep it secret. She cares for the little girl and will allow no one to hurt her. She will leave if the Oliassy learns to fear her. She could also be convinced to not eat town folk if she could keep her comfortable lifestyle.

A party member takes Oliassy's seat in the tavern. She always sits there on Friday night. She throws a fit if the character doesn't give up the seat. Even if they do, she expects an apology. Yeowwy decides to remove the rude individual.

One victim, possibly a friend of the party, managed to alert others before Yeowwy could finish him. After learning of the six-legged large cat, they ask a sage about the creature. Learning of the creature's polymorph ability, they get a description from the victim so they can find the matching kitten.

Instead of the above opening scene the party could have arrived in town just before Yeowwy starts killing. The characters become prime suspects instead of Duskar.

DC 15: Kittyrars are ferocious six-legged giant cats that can transform into kittens.

Credit
The kittyrar comes from the Kid's Colouring Book O Critters. It was created by Jonathan & Tessa Marie Tweet.

Optional Elements
6. The menace is a solo creature.
7. The PCs can discover -- and use to their advantage -- that the menace has an affection for a single harmless creature or person.

Yeowwy, the Kittyrar

A month ago Yeowwy attacked a group of travellers near the forest. She intended to grab the man on watch by surprise and drag him off before the others knew what was happening. The elf proved too alert. Avoiding the teeth and claws, the elf yelled to his companions for help. Yeowwy had never encountered a challenge before. Heavily injured she ran away.

A young girl Oliassy was playing outside her village when Yeowwy spotted her. Needing a place to rest, she shifted into her kitten form. Stumbling out of her hiding spot she gave a weak meow to attract the girl's attention. Oliassy ran over to the injured kitten. Concerned about the kitten's wounds she didn't notice the two extra legs carefully tucked under the kitten.

Knowing that an close examination would reveal her addition set of limbs, Yeowwy hissed at Oliassy's mother when she came close. The mother let the young girl clean and bind the kitten's injuries since the kitten seemed to trust Oliassy. Oliassy named her new pet Yeowwy. The pampering was much easier than living in the forest. All the attention lavished on her pleased Yeowwy.

Yeowwy kills in the night usually. She never lets anyone see her transform from her kitten form. She is still overconfident and likes to see the fear on her victim's face before killing them. She leaves nothing for investigators to find except blood stains.

Possible Confrontations

The party could have arrived in town just before Yeowwy starts killing. The characters become prime suspects leading them to investigate the situation to clear their name.

Oliassy is attacked outside the town. Yeowwy makes short work of the monsters but the party sees the whole thing. Oliassy is thrilled with her magical kitten. No one else observes the encounter. Yeowwy tells Oliassy that they will have to leave if anyone finds out about the kittyrar.

For Stats and Credit see above

Optional Elements
2. Several or all of the pets in the community are more than they appear.
6. The menace is a solo creature.
7. The PCs can discover -- and use to their advantage -- that the menace has an affection for a single harmless creature or person.