Werewolves (and ghosts, and werewolf ghosts) of Ashwood


Lost Omens Campaign Setting General Discussion


Short version: where can I find more information about Loper the werewolf ghost, and how do werewolf ghosts WORK exactly?

Long version: My players are doing Rise of the Runelords and are traveling to Turtleback Ferry by mount. Pendaka is on the way according to the regional map in the map folio and my players are a few experience shy of where I want them to be. Looking up info about the adjacent Ashwood I find it to be haunted by werewolves, ghosts and a werewolf-ghost named Loper (apparently first mentioned by JJ here).
My idea is that Lucrcia has charmed or otherwise taken control of the alpha of the largest werewolf pack in the Ashwood, causing major problems for the little hamlet (and eventually for Turtleback Ferry but this is a VERY recent development and the pack hasn't moved that far yet). Loper, being a sort of guardian of all the Ashwood werewolves, takes offense, and is driven berserk (somehow). The players will encounter and (hopefully) defeat him, and in a series of encounters he will try to steer them towards the pack's den so they can kill the alpha and free the pack, thereby saving the town.
To facilitate this I need more information on Loper, if any exists, and I need to know how the ghost and werewolf templates interact, specifically as regards the DR since its not keyed as Ex nor Su.


Well, there are so called Vilkacis, which are basically werewolf-ghosts.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/vilkacis


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Thats actually perfect. I know exactly how to use it, too.

The hamlet of Pendaka has come under siege by werewolves, and has only survived this long thanks to the skill and tactics of of its most recent visitor; Shalelu.

Shalelu had stopped in the little town on her way to Fort Rannick, traveling there for her own reasons and unaware of the recent troubles. Originally she had stopped the ensure that nothing was amiss in the town, but found the hamlet under siege by a pack of werewolves, led by a particularly vicious ettin werewolf named Nesh and Shen. Nesh/Shen came to power after brutally killing at eating the old alpha and brutalizing the rest of the pack until they were cowed. Immediately after assuming control they had the pack start making midnight raids on Pendaka, hoping to capture, infect and dominate the village's entire population in order to build a werewolf army and sweep south into more heavily populated lands.

Of course the idiotic Nesh/Shen couldn't think of this on their own. They are yet another pawn of Lucrecia, who discovered the brutish abomination shortly after the ogres razed Fort Rannick. Inspired by his terrible form, the lamia decided that an army of werewolves would make an excellent addition to Karzoug's forces. It was she who sent the monster to dominate the werewolf pack and told him to have his minions capture villagers alive whenever he could so as to swell the pack's ranks.

Several townsfolk have already been taken, though since her arrival Shalelu has been able to protect those who remain and killed several werewolves. The siege has been stymied, but Nesh/Sheg is furious at the elf's interference. On the next full moon, just a few days after the PCs' arrival, he intends to lead a final assault on the town, overwhelming its defenses, capturing any able-bodied adults and slaughtering the rest to feed his growing pack.

Nesh/Shen is supported by the pack's witch, Sihana, who had long pushed for the pack to expand. She spends all of her time with the behemoth, fawning over their strength and ferocity. Nesh/Shen thinks she adores them, but the truth of the matter is that Sihana has longed to be a sort of power behind the throne, but Loper was too clever and too proud to be controlled. Lucrecia knows of the witch's scheming, but is content to let her think she is in control so long as their goals are similar.

The werewolves are not the only threat to Pendaka, however. In death, the former alpha's rage and bloodlust fueled his transformation into a vicious and dangerous undead known as a vilkacis. The specter has yet to appear in the village, its self, but it is only a matter of time it makes its presence known.

With the exception of Nesh/Shen, the werewolves of the Ashwood are of human stock and natural descent. The Ashwood is a tangled mass of mostly ash trees, hence the name, though elms are common and a few mighty oaks exist as well, and the area beneath the canopy is choked with underbrush, with the exception of a few well-traveled game trails. Besides the werewolves, deer and other game are common and make up the primary source of food for the former. The werewolves are know to tolerate hunters who leave some form of tribute, usually in the form of a freshly killed (or preferably live) prey animal under an oak tree. Though with Nesh/Shen's arrival, no hunter has entered the forest; even Shalelu has not dared enter the pack's territory alone.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Lost Omens Campaign Setting / General Discussion / Werewolves (and ghosts, and werewolf ghosts) of Ashwood All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion