With the prospect of meeting more of the Vollensag and whoever else lurks in the dark you decide to stay at the stairs of the moon for the night. Stam puts an alarm on the stairs to have some warning if the wolves dare to attack the tower, but nothing happens this night. At least nothing waking you from your sleep. As you pack up to leave in the morning and come past the graves you put the bodies of the dead humans/werewolves in you find one of them dug up and sloppily closed again. On inspection you find that the heart is cut out of the chest of the one buried here.
As you leave the clearing away from the stairs of the moon you are met by a small pack of the Prince’s Wolves, led by their leader, Rhakis Szadro. You wouldn't have guessed if Szadro hadn't introduced them as such. For they are appearing as nothing more than Varisian travellers, and they are careful to appear as non-threatening as possible.
After Szadro introduces himself and his pack as the Prince’s Wolves, he tells "My tribe has long opposed the Whispering Way, and I suspect that the cult is involved in the murder of Kvalca Sain, the former leader of all the werewolf tribes, and the escalating conflict between the werewolves of the Shudderwood. I wish to parley with you to share information about our common enemy."
"Greetings I am Stam Truthfinder, how long have you known about and opposed the Way?"
Spugnoir wakes up feeling rather stiff, but the rest has invigorated him and he feels he has more ideas for alchemy.
When the Prince's Wolves arrive, Spugnoir lets Stam and the more chatty types take the lead
Grergof whispers to his companionsThey bear no trace of the shadows.
Then he brightly steps forward and says:
I think we can give you some confirmation about those suspicions. Come let us sit and discuss about the Way under the light of peace.
Assuming everyone agrees once they meet Grergof explains.
We have obtained evidence that just over two weeks ago, Mathus Mordrinacht, talked with known agents of the Whispering Way, and they were over heard specifically talking about the "Stairs of the Moon" and the "Packlord's Heart." Then two weeks later, the packlord dies in very mysterious circumstances and Mathus tries to claim the lords spot...
So tell us before we discuss more, what information about the way do you have to exchange with us?
"Our request is not purely altruistic. We can smell the scent of Jezeldan werewolves all over this clearing. A group of Demon Wolves traveled east, following agents of the Whispering Way in pursuit of Sain’s heart. I believe their destination is the ghost town of Feldgrau, and I have sent some of the Prince’s Wolves after them to prevent the Jezeldans from laying their hands on the packlord’s heart."
"Since your and the Prince’s Wolves’ goals currently overlap, I suggest we reach an agreement for our both advantage. Besides wanting the defeat of the Whispering Way, I would like to see to it that the Demon Wolves do not recover Kvalca Sain’s heart. While leaving the Demon Wolves to fight the Whispering Way might seem tempting, the threat of the Jezeldans taking control of the Shudderwood overshadows any possible benefit. The Demon Wolves are just that — werewolves who worship demons — and if their leader, Adimarus Ionacu, were to become packlord, their rule would be violent and bloody, and the werewolves would wage ceaseless war against Lozeri’s innocent humans." Rhakis Szadro explains.
Well returning the heart here seems like a beneficial arrangement for everyone. Plus defeating demon worshippers is right up Varsk's alley
Darius runs his hand through his silver-gray hair.
"Who knows, but Iomedae and Sarenrae put us on this path for a reason. We have to follow this course through. But at least we have an edge now, and some idea of whats to come."
"Thinking back we must have killed the leader of the Silverhides, unless the Jezeldans just dug up a random body and ate cut the heart out of it." Stam mulls the thought over.
"So you are purposing we travel together to this ghost town and drive the way and the Jezeldan's away from there? I have a friend I need to pick up from the hunting lodge before we head that way."
"The demon wolves left before you climbed the Stairs of the Moon. It can't be them who dug him up!" Szadro reassures himself.
To Stam he replies "No, we are not coming along. But I will provide you with those tokens that mark you as allies of the Prince's Wolves'. For the most part it will save you and the members of my pack to fight each other. And before I forget, the demon wolves captured another human and took him along. Did he belong to you?" Szadro asks.
"What does he look like?" Stam asks out loud, "Full of bravado and such?"
"A guy in armor with a silver sword. Looked like a noble from his attitude." Szadro answers.
Doesn't sound familiar
Duristan. I wondered what happened to him.
Be careful of that one, he is full of hate against all werewolves for some reason.
"Do we have a deal?" Szadro asks?
"Sounds like it."
"Then take the tokens and wear them." Szadro tells and holds out four tokens. They are pieces of leather with a paw symbol scratched upon them, with a leather string to wear as a necklace. Szadro takes his token out from under his shirt to show he is wearing one too. He wishes you best of luck and leaves. All turn around and turn into wolves, running and disappearing into the woods.
But soon you hear the howling of the large wolves again and hurry to get away and to the lodge. At the lodge the nice and tidy facade has toppled over. With the recent deaths, and Estovion missing it is like a mutiny. The guests demanding this and that and not feeling save anymore and Belik being far from being able to compensate for that. There are meetings here and there with the guests discussing what's best to do, or to leave. And the staff also is talking about what the future might bring and if it is still safe at the lodge.
Stam takes the token, putting it over his head letting it hang out in the open. As the wolves shape shift and leave and the other howling starts Stam hurries back to the lodge with the others.
Once as the lodge Stam goes to check on Ned to make sure that he is still safe, once done Stam heads inside to gather whatever they left in the room.
Spugnoir wears the token and heads back with the others. Varsk, Darius, maybe you can smooth things over here and say the werewolf problem is at least not as great now.
Grergof checks to make sure everyone including the servants and vendors are not hurt then he tries to gather the staff and tells them:
We have gotten rid of the source of both the Ghost and the person responsible for the spider attack. We also have taken steps to settle the civil war the wolves are having. The last is not done, but we are looking into it.
So as far as we can tell the lodge will remain a safe place for you to remain. For those of you who wish to leave, I’m not quite sure how safe the paths will be for the next few days.as the remnants of the wolf factions may take a bit to settle. So if you leave travel in strength to the edges of the forest.
Also, we have sad news to share with you all: Estovion Is dead. From what we can tell his past caught up to him and he was killed in the holy site of one of the werewolf factions. We burried his body there. I pray that his soul finds it’s just rewards in the afterlife.
He pauses for a moment of silence then continues:
In addition one of the wolf factions seem to have taken Sir Duristan. Why they took him, I will not venture a guess. We go now to see what can be done for him. Hopefully he can be returned safe, but in the shifting pack struggle one can never tell.
The speech of Grergof gives closure to some about Estovion's fate, but all in all doesn't help much to calm the emotions. Summed up they are prisoners of the lodge for some time and what became of Duristan is also not clear.
There is one who is especially unhappy and that is Belik of Courtrand.
"No need to panic, there is strength in numbers. Everyone stick together and leave maybe on the morrow morning and head straight for the closest town."
Grergof whispers to the others:
Should we accompany them out or set off after Sir Duristan?
Accompanying them may take a day if the go the wrong direction.
Darius takes the token and puts it on his neck, same as the others and heads off to the lodge. Listening to Stam and Grergof he's quiet. Mostly tired and sore from the days events. Reflecting on his younger days when this type of adventure would not make his bones ache as much.
Darius looks at Belik, noticing something is up with his reaction to the news.
Darius leans over and says to Grergof, Stam and Spugnoir.
"We should get some rest. I have exhausted all of the powers I receive from Iomedae. Perhaps we set out again in the morn. It was a trying day. And surely the people will feel safer this night with us here."
As you pack up to leave in the morning...
"I agree that it will take a bit longer and can we afford that, there are enough of them they should be safe." Stam says flatly
As you pack up to leave in the morning...
"This is all a mess. If Estovion is dead and he was involved in the doings here then I will take over the Lodge. There are investigations to be done and the Council has to be informed that a new Lodge Warden has to be appointed." Cilas Grayden tells and starts to draft guests into his staff. Appointing tasks like inventoring, damage report, rationing of food with lunch plan for the next weeks. Belik shortly protests but after given the choice to help out in the stables instead he defers to Graydon.
With that taken care of you prepare your journey to Feldgrau and leave. The trip takes several days and leads through the thick of the Shudderwood. You hear a howling of wolves here and there, but once you're past the Stairs of the Moon you leave the howls and the wolves behind you. On the second day you On the evening of the second day of the travel the woods become lighter. Finally you stand at the Vhatsuntide River, the border to Ardeal, watching over lush plains spotted with small farms.
You find a ford to cross the rives and walk through vast grasslands with herds of sheep, goats or cattle here and there. You pass fields of wheat, flax, and beans, orchards of pears and quince and fields of hemp and berries. The land is poor and quite some of the people have turned to banditry for a living. But the people are poor not stupid and so you pass through that part of Ardeal without incidents.
On the sixth day the Furrows come into sight. What was once the lush Ardealian farmland known as the Furcina Plain now lies dead and barren, its residents slain, its farms scorched and salted, and its land scored by the trenches of warmongers compelled by greed and pride.
Just before that dead land you notice the silhouette of a lone farmhouse that stands against the stark gray sky. The house leans uneasily, its weathered planks straining to keep the fragile shell of peeling paint and cracked shingles upright. The bodies of four wolf-like humanoids hang from a large tree in the farm's yard.
Well it looks like there is something there that candle handle four werewolves.
"Yes so we must be careful, maybe members of the way?" Stam coats himself in magical armor.
"Careful. They could still be here."
Darius scans the horizon and farmhouse for any movement as he pulls out the light crossbow and loads it.
Do we approach openly? If we hail the house, they might let us approach, but it will destroy any chance we have of surprise or finding out if this is way.
Spugnoir loads his crossbow and drinks his mutagen.
Hailing the house does nothing. From outside it looks abandoned and if someone is hiding inside then the hiding is working.
"I think we go up, we need to know more about who killed the werewolves." Stam lights the top of his staff before heading up.
At least examine the werewolves so we can see if they are from one of the tribes. Spugnoir move sup with Stam.
Darius has his crossbow at the ready but goes and examines the werewolves. Checking for what wounds they have and what might have caused them.
Stam and Spugnoir notice nothing special as they approach the house. Darius and Grergof though find the tree to be a very strange kind.
Hallucinatory Spores: Once per day as a standard action, a hangman tree can release a cloud of spores in a 50-foot-radius spread. Creatures in the area must make a DC 20 Will save or believe the hangman tree to be a perfectly ordinary tree—or at worst, a treant or some other friendly tree-like creature.
An affected creature becomes passive for 2d6 minutes and refuses to attack the hangman tree during this time. An affected creature can attempt a new Will save each round that the tree attacks an ally—if a hallucinating creature is attacked by the tree, it gains a +4 bonus on its Will save to see through the hallucination. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.
That tree just moved! Killer shrubbery!
Hallucinatory Spores: Once per day as a standard action, a hangman tree can release a cloud of spores in a 50-foot-radius spread. Creatures in the area must make a DC 20 Will save or believe the hangman tree to be a perfectly ordinary tree—or at worst, a treant or some other friendly tree-like creature.
An affected creature becomes passive for 2d6 minutes and refuses to attack the hangman tree during this time. An affected creature can attempt a new Will save each round that the tree attacks an ally—if a hallucinating creature is attacked by the tree, it gains a +4 bonus on its Will save to see through the hallucination. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.
"Spugs you're see...what! You're not joking. It's moving towards us. What the??"
Darius levels his crossbow at it and takes a shot to see what effect it'll have.
Darius shoots a bolt, but but it has no effect at all. The bolt just falls to the ground as it hits the hard bark.
"That is a pretty nice looking tree, might be a good place to take a nap" Stam says in a slow sounding voice.
Whooa, I made a mistake, that is a perfectly good tree. A larch..the larch..
What the... oh,OH!
Grergof looks at his companions then over at Darius:
Well, I’m guessing we know what killed the wolves. Lets get Mr. Stam and Mr. Spugnoir in the cart. That thing must have some sort of illusion that makes it seem welcoming. I hope it is slow and Ned can pull he cart away from here faster then it can go.
As he tries to load his companions in the cart Grergof glances back over his shoulder and tries to see if the tree is evil.
Pretty tree. I want a sample.
As the tree notices, that you're not falling for its tricks it leaps at you, reaches out with its vines and grabs Spugnoir and Stam. Darius escapes the attempt.
The tree is indeed evil. It is also huge measuring 15 feet in height and has a tremendous reach with it's vines.
AC 16/12/14 (20/14/16 with mutagen)
Saves F8/R8/W4(6 fear) (+6 vs. Poison)
Weapon in hand:Mace+1
Special effects: Mutagen
Bombs:13/13
Weeeee