All is not well in the Gnarley Forest. A dark force has taken up residence in its northern environs close to the Free City of Dyvers.
Many are the groups who have taken an interest in dislodging this creature, whatever it is, from its current position of power for with it gone, new powers may take sway...
Indeed the Gnarley Forest is home to many different types of beings, those most suited for such living though do not have a significant presence, Lycanthropes. Walking on two as well as four legs allows these shapeshifters to exist both in the wild as well as within civilized society.
However, most of the races of the Forest take up arms against Lycanthropes when they discover them. Silver and Magic are used to rout the creatures who are divided along animalistic racial lines.
Perhaps the only Lycanthropes which thrive in the woods are the Werebears which most of the goodly races, especially the Gnomes, look upon favorably.
As a result the Lycans are forced to move as chameleons among others with no lands to call their own.
You consider your plan for the evening as you hear the flapping of bats wings.
The bat flies into your domain and lands nearby regarding you with intelligence. Its form begins to shift into that of your Uncle Tenemount. "A long time Nephew".
That is one fine looking human woman motioning you over. You are working but you could at least see what she wants right?
As you saunter over to her table she grins at you, showing you a row that is unmistakable as wolves teeth. Then in the same instant they're gone.
She pats the chair next to her, "Have a seat Raze, we need to chat".
As you consider whether to move on you spot prey, perhaps the last prey you will see with daylight still about. A schreech from overhead is all the warning you get as another bird of prey dives at you!
You spin away and allow the winds to pull you up and out over the Hills turning you see the bird guffawing.
"Should have seen your face, priceless". The whispering message floats to your ears. You recognize the voice. Sircot another of your kind. Unable to respond in your current form, and he knows it, he motions you to fly down to a few high trees to land and you presume, talk.
Suddenly from out of nowhere webbing appears and covers his mouth muffling his cries. A second web shoots out from the trees and pulls him up. Above you is a spider, a large spider that is now wrapping up the poor fool, his nose is left uncovered though he is struggling and clearly afraid.
His quivering form is left dangling from a tree. The spider assumes the form of a man, your Grandfather. "Much better I thought that snack would stay all night. I'll leave it up to you if you eat him or set him free after vanquishing the horrible creature that so imprisoned him. How do you fare Grandson?"
As night falls you begin to hear the Howls. Not the howls of your small pack but other howls, ones you are not so familiar with.
You follow the sounds easily enough and find a gathering, a gathering of wolves, werewolves. You small pack is there along with about a dozen others, many of whom you have had rivalries with in the past, sometimes bloody rivalries. Yours is the minority in the forest, most of these wolves are black-hearted souls.
You wonder what this is all about as a venerable old wolf steps onto the rock in the clearing and clears his throat for one last Howl.
** spoiler omitted **
Finally, the old wolf is satisfied and he changes form into that of a man. He scans the crowd, "A proposal has been brought to my attention. One that I find quite interesting though I am suspicious of its true intent". You recognize him, he is an old venerable wolf who tends towards neutrality and hunts alone, quite formidable Samuel Slashes.
Another wolf takes the form of an Orc and sneers at him, "Here I thought you were coming to tell us you were finally ready to die old man". Your pack leader Mytzz, growls slightly at this one. You assume he is Ezekiel Blackheart, a strong pack leader and evil to the core, a full dozen Lycan here follow his lead.
Slashes glares back at him, "You are welcome to come and take me down if you care to pup!"
Ezekiel growls at the graybeard but backs down.
Another wolf shifts, this time a female human, Amarial Brighteyes. "Speak then elder, the moon is full and our blood runs hot for the hunt". Her pack is seven strong. Like Blackheart they are no friend to man, unlike Blackheart, they do not go out of their way to kill the goodly folk of the forest, unless of course it benefits them.
Slashes replies, "The proposal is one for territory. For our packs to join with other Lycans in a federation".
Amarial and Ezekiel begin laughing. "Preposterous", he claims. "Unlikely", she exclaims.
Slashes stands firm, "I too agree that it is all of these things. Still it may be worth looking into..."
Ezekiel cocks his head, "Go ahead then old loner. Call us again with foolishness and we will send you to your retirement even sooner". He shifts to wolf form and leads his pack away howling in annoyance.
Amarial too snickers and taking wolf form leads hers pack away.
This leaves only your pack and the pack of the one known as Lockjaw behind. Lockjaw takes the shape of a half-elf, you have heard little of this one or his pack. "As I thought and as I told you would happen old one".
Mytzz takes the form of man and motions for you and the other two members of the pack all to do the same. "Who suggested this?"
Slashes replies, "Grandfather Spider".
Mytzz frowns, "I am surprised he did not try to eat you".
Lockjaw turns to Mytzz, "I have already sent my daughter to corral a wayward member of my pack to be recruited for this "experiment". Will you send one of yours along as well".
Mytzz turns to the pack, "Any volunteers?"
A federation of Lycans. Between many of our kind siding with the dark forces of so called "elemental evil" and the efforts of the goodly races to eliminate our kind, except for the treacherous werebears, the numbers of our kind have dwindled since my own hatching. As we see from humans there is strength in numbers, there is also strength in innovation. Humans are various and so are their disciplines. From the mundane to the magical they utilize their diversity to dominate the lands of the Flanaess.
We Lycans are much more diverse and so much more powerful but petty. We hold small territories and exclude all others. This is the old way and it does not work. I am old though, so very old. I would need a strong thorax and steady legs to see this through, can you be that for me?"
He turns to Slashes. "Where should I go?"
Slashes turns to Mytzz, "I will keep you informed I swear it". He then turns to you, "Take the shape of a wolf again young pup. Head due south and west to a human city called Narwell. When you arrive seek out a tavern called the Swan Dive. There you will be found by Lockjaw's daughter".
He turns to his packmates. "I'll be careful, don't worry. You be careful, too, okay?"
He hesitates just a moment, then shifts to wolf form and leaves, as instructed. As he travels he mulls over the events. Grandfather Spider encouraging cooperation? Perhaps he sees the opportunity to expand his hunting territory with the expansion of Lycanthrope territory in the woods? He trusts the situation little... but staying out of it would mean having no opportunity to change the course of events.
He can only hope that the other Lycans will not be of the black-hearted monstrous bent, like Ezekiel.
Tobar thinks for a long moment. "I'd never even considered it, but it makes sense. Humans can be petty for other reasons as well, but not like us, I think. The best defense is someone between me and the knife. A legion so numerous that they cannot stab us all. But how to get others to help? To join?"
Only recently there has been a shift in the politics and geography of the Forest not far from the Free City of Dyvers. A being I believe a malevolent Fey has taken up residence there. For the past few weeks it has disrupted travel to and from the Free City.
I propose that a group represented by members of the various interested factions accompany an important caravan through the forest to Dyvers as guardians. Upon arrival in that section of the forest, the group will eliminate the threat and propose to defend the area as a "group of adventurers" securing a writ from Narwell and Dyvers to do so.
This way even if other factions of the forest attack us,we will have aid from these powerful human cities in defending ourselves.
Once that has been accomplished, the true powers behind each faction can move into the area and settle in the territory claiming it for all Lycan kind or at least those who risked themselves for this opportunity. Of course we must maintain the ruse for some time until we grow powerful enough to ward off attacks should the true identity of those who now rule that area be revealed. This also means being on our best behavior and not raiding, a challenge we will have to meet when, and if, the initial prong of my plan meets with success.
Does this plot interest you Grandson?
Vaki grins as his uncle blurs into his humanoid form. "Hiya Unc, yea, its been about eight months. When we robbed that nobleman after Richfest."
As soon as they land, Igdus dimly glows for a moment before disappearing and reappearing behind Sircot. A single talon like finger touching him.
"Would you like to show me your face?"
He gives nothing away as he lets the threat hang. Until he cracks at his expression, laughing.
"Forgot about that did you. Anyways don't sneak up on me when I'm flying. It doesn't look right to the grounders, they'll get suspicious. Now is their a reason you robbed me of a meal?"
It was hard to sneak up on him. That was true for all their kind but even by their standards he had good senses without being an elder or warrior. Was he getting sloppy, was Sircot that good, or was it all just luck. None of it sat well with him, he would have to work on it.
He turns to regard the human still struggling in the web muffling incoherently in sheer terror.
"I'll leave this tasty morsel for you to treat as you see fit..." He transforms back into a Giant Spider and disappears into the trees from whence he came...
Trust me, this will be one lost meal you will never forget.
My father has told me of a rumor that other Lycans are going to try and form a federation of our kind. He asked me to head to the human city of Narwell to step into a meeting tonight and see what it was all about. Truth be told, I think you would be better suited to be successful. I mean with your magic, you have an edge I just would never have. Interested pal?"
Your time with the Scarlet Brotherhood bore much fruit. Where once you were a Lycan now you are something more or perhaps less? Only the eye of the beholder can be the judge of that and through your eyes you are something better, tempered by the challenges of the fanatics of the Brotherhood ad stronger for it.
Why come back home then? Perhaps one last chance to visit with relatives, the pack, before you go off on your own again to find your destiny. Or maybe you were just homesick.
Regardless you are here and you are pretty sure that your cousin Raze will be here somewhere too, bouncing as a tough at a bar. The other black wolf of the pack.
Raze harrumphs and sits down. Great, its gonna be one of those days. he thinks.
"You're looking cute."he says loudly enough that his boss knows he's 'taking a break'. "What's up?" he says quietly, learning close and 'appearing to be flirting.
Regarding the human, he waits until the old man is gone and covers himself in some spare webbing. Pulling his own dagger free, he cuts the man loose of the webbing with much difficulty.
"Let's get the hell out of here, we don't have time to waste. I'm running to Narwell. You can run ahead, I can't let this silk go to waste." Tobar says to the man, cutting the silk that once cocooned the man free from its mooring with a frantic energy. Once the silk is free, he will ball it up and run away towards the town to help sell the ruse. Whether the man stays with him or flees his own way, Tobar doesn't care; he just doesn't want to kill a customer.
He thinks for a moment.
"I don't know, your the sneak. My magic is more direct and a tip off when I use it. Even if it's only a moment, that makes me a easy target. Without anyone around it's dangerous for me at such close range. Anyways I don't trust the others, they give most of us a bad name unless we go out of our way to get in good with the humans."
He shrugs at the whole thing.
"I guess I'll go if you do. See if this whole idea has a chance."
His people were reasonable, they simply did not baby anyone their own included. Most did not take kindly to that, they did not care. That was nature and life, denying it only ever bred weakness and trouble.
Crap. You did not recognize her as its been a few years but that scent you would recognize anywhere, this is Lockjaw's daughter. Lockjaw is, or was, your pack leader till you forswore the life of the forest a few years ago to make an easier time of it in the cities of man.
He chooses to remain behind with you and waits for you to gather the oh so valuable silk of your descendant.
After a 30 minute wagon ride you enter the Free City of Narwell. The guards let you both enter with ease despite the fact that night has fallen as you are both well known as traders in town. Kestus turns to you, "Care to come to my home to have a drink and collect that reward? I seem pretty collected but I could use a drink after that!"
It takes a few hours and night has fallen when you both arrive at the forest which borders the Free City. Your friend turns to you, "Do we risk a flight in and transform in an alley or land in the forest and simply walk in?"
You put all ill thoughts out of your head even though you do hear howls in the distance similar to those you heard at the moot.
Whether by luck or skill you encounter no threats in the forest as you arrive in the dark of night at the edges of the Free City. Yous see a wagon heading into a gate. The wagon is briefly stopped by guards. It would appear that the entire city is walled off and you will either need to sneak in or confront the guards at the gate. Luckily, you have a change of clothes for just such an occasion, you just need to take the form of a man to utilize these things...
** spoiler omitted **
While he's playing at coy, he's also confident that he can make it out 'on top' if it turns to a scrap.
"We should walk from the forest. They may not have good night vision but they could have some sort of magic to let them know if our kind sneak in. If nothing else we don't know what else stalks the place, catching a pair of birds for a meal. We wouldn't want to be forced to object in that case. But I can take a look ahead none the less."
He points high into the sky and his eyes dimly glow. A magical sensor makes his view shift as if he was above at the spot he pointed to. He looks down seeing the area ahead for any danger. If their is none he signals for Sircot to lead the way.
"Well Uncle, it would depend. What exactly ya lookin to steal?" The young man starts to gather his weapons, just in case.
Shaking his head, Valaronex drops his gaze back down to the city itself. Trying to recall just where his cousin might be. He might not entirely be sure why he had returned... but Raze was always a good place to start. Might even help him find out why he had returned at all...
I do though, have a plan. There are several of our cousins both close and distant traveling here tonight. We have to meet to discuss important matters, you got a back room here at the Dive. Go to your bosses and tell them you need it for the night for a party. Then meet me back in there".
As you begin the descent with Sircot you see a wagon roll in through the front gates on the north side of town. There are three entrances, north, south and east. The west has a set of stairs that leads to the top of the wall on the outside but that area is heavily guarded.
Sircot transforms into a human once more. He begins walking towards the city, "So what's our story, just wanderers looking for lodging for the night?"
Yowwww!
Some imbecile driving a wagon and two horses nearly hits you. Too damn bust talking to his passenger to pay attention to what is in front of him.
"Actually, this place looks good, why not have a drink here? I was planning on trying this place out anyway..."
Vaki laughs as well "That sounds utterly fascinating. How do we go bout pullin it off?" He's fully packed and ready to take off as soon as his Uncle is ready.
"That should work. But I would say travelers, city folk think wanderers are trouble."
Raze growls at her before standing. "Fine." he says.
He moves behind the bar and snags up the key to the party room. "Gonna need the big table." He says, waggling his eyebrows. "What? Nobody's booked it and I'll clean up."
He doesn't wait for a real response, walking by and scooping up the woman and tossing her over his shoulder. "C'mon then." he says loudly. "Let's see how good time time you mentioned is."