Two of the wolves look really bad and won't last much longer. But suddenly on this overcast day, the clouds thicken above the tower and thunder growls inside. Out of that, lightning strikes at Jominda.
Herm slashes twice at the most injured wolf if possible. Herm mutters a quick prayer to Iomedae healing his wounds a bit.
"Why do you attack us?" Herm shouts
HP 52/66
Paladin Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +9)
At will—detect evil
Paladin (Divine Defender) Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +6)
2nd—litany of righteousness UC (DC 14)
1st—bless, knight's calling APG (DC 13)
Inheritors Gauntlet (1/1)
Lay on Hands (3d6 2/5)
Channel Positive Energy (4d6 2/2-2 LOH uses DC 15)
Shared Defense (2 rounds, 10 ft., +1 AC, stabilize) (Su) Lay on hands use: Aura provides AC and other bonuses to allies.
Smite Evil (3/day) (Su) +2 to hit, +7 to damage, +2 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Potion of Bull’s Strength 2/2
Potion of Cure light wounds 5/5
Potion of Cure Mod Wounds
Potion of Heroism
Wand of Cure light wounds 35/50
Holy Water 4/4
Arrows 20/20
Sun rod 5/5
"For trespassing!" one of the werewolves replies.
Herm kills the most wounded wolf, but the next one manages to dodge his sword. Despite it being a one-sided fight, if judged by the numbers, it doesn't look too good for the wolves. They swing their swords and bite with their sharp teeth, but nothing is enough to get through the paladin's armor.
As the werewolf reverts to human form the burn and the gashes of the sword becomes much more obvious. And with the fur missing you notice that they wear only little clothes besides the armor.
Jominda is shocked by the sudden change in weather and the lightning hitting her. "Hey!" she protests. But as there is no one to see who could have caused that, and Herm is still faced by three wolves she decides to throw another bomb at the enemies she can see.
The wolves have a hard time dodging the blast of Jominda's bombs. The wolf who is hit directly, catches fire and drops to the stone floor. The one Herm wounded with his sword already also can't take the fire that engulfs all. As they revert their form, they add to the number of dead humans lying oround.
Jominda wonders why Kendra doesn't show up for support. As it looks from here, the wolves in the woods are more dangerous than those 'small' ones. And facing with Harrold another one of the big ones would be a bad fate for Kendra.
"We will not relent you attacked us first!" Herm says swinging again at the most wounded looking man.
Herm kill the last wolf which also transforms into a human. This time a woman. Each of them has a chainmail, a longsword, a light crossbow and a dozen silver bolts.
"Iomedae we did as we must, once we have cleared this place I will burn the bodies so as to not attract scavengers." Herm kneels down closing the eyes of the dead. "We should take these bolts."
Herm doesn't know about the lightning strike yet
Another wolf looks out between the battlements of the tower. Only a silouhette, before the clouded sky. Next moment lightning sttrikes again, brigthening everything for a short moment, revelaing that the slender wolf has the same color of fur than the dead ones had.
This time Herm has to suffer from the sudden 'bad weather'.
"Inside!" Herm shouts as he ushers everyone into where the weather should not be able to attack them.
Inside is easier said than done. The tower's inside is high up after climbing some narrow, worn out stairs around the tower. There might be an inside below the place Herm is standing on, but that would have to be on the other side of the stairs where Herm climbed this place. And none of the two options are fast and easily reached from there.
Herm retreats down to the group
Luckily for Herm he is out of sight as soon as he decends the stairs. Jominda is not that lucky and gets another jolt before she decends below the platform level on the side opposite to the stairs.
Kendra and Harrold also managed to pass the clearing to the Stairs of the Moon unnoticed and all together enter the lower part of the structure. Behind th archways, it opens into a cavernous, pillar-lined amphitheater of crumbling stone with high ceilings and a rough dirt floor strewn with bones. The skeletons of deer and other larger game animals hang from several of the columns, all of which are painted with crude symbols and marred with scratch marks. The southern portion of the room contains an elevated dais, connected to the earthen floor of the amphitheater by short stairs on either side. To the rear of the dais, an open archway leads deeper into the ruins.
At one of those pillars slumps the body of a dwarf. As you put some light to the scene, you see that the dwarf is shackled to the pillar with an iron chain.
"Gah!" Jominda screams as she is hit again.
Jominda's hair stands off in all directions and she smells singed as she follows Herm inside.
"Search his body to see if there is anything we can use to stop this. maybe he has information on him." Herm Directs Jominda while keeping ready for an attack down here.
The dwarf straightens a bit as the others enter. "By Thisamet's Special Seasonings! Thank the Lord you've come. This is all rather embarrassing!"
"I assumed you were killed." Herm says stopping and looking the dwarf over.
"No, no, not dead. Just captured. I was out here looking for a particular breed of mushroom that really brings an earthy -- er, pardon. Not the point. So these lycos found me, bushwacked me. Been making me cook for them ...and, let me tell you, their palettes are shit!"
"So you were in the woods and found by the Werewolves? He doesn't detect as Evil. I am Herm Dunlaven, Paladin of Iomadae, who may you be?" Herm says putting his sword away
"Searching his body is called off then, yes?" Jominda inquires.
She takes a closer look at the chains and especially the lock.
Two seconds later it is open.
[b]"Yes it is."{/b] Herm replies, helping the man off the ground once Jominda has freed him
"I could use some healing though. You got some left?" she asks Herm.
Herm produces the wand.
"Yilgwi Hearthfire, at your service. Cleric of the Blythe Spirit Thisamet, world-traveler, gourmand, and, of course, chef. Thank you ever so much for freeing me! I am indebted to you, and thus pledge to be your personal chef, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and priest to heal whatever ails you." The dwarf bows deeply when freed from the chains and realizes he's in his skivvies. "Ah! The wolfmans confiscated all my equipment, unfortunately."
Jominda takes her mace from her belt. "You can have that, until we get your stuff back. Can't have you run around naked here." She hands the dwarf the weapon.
"But let me introduce myself as my loyal knight didn't." She straightens up, her nose slightly in the air, clears her throat and announces: "I'm Your Grace, Duchess Jominda of Canterwall."
"But as we're not very formal while out here you can call me Jominda for the time being."
"Sorry yes, this is Harrold and this is Kendra. We are here because we are chasing some Werewolves who attacked a lodge we were staying at" Herm says sizing up the dwarf.
"If you're here a while you know who is here? How many werewolves do they have here?" Jominda inquires.
"Nine total. Four ginger wolfmans led by a female wolfman named Cabrina, and 3 silver wolfmans led by Martus. Hard to distinguish as wolves but their normal forms made it easier."
"I guess that it are now four less." Jominda states. "Are any of those wolves down here?"
After Yilgwi declines Jominda suggests to move on.
The only way to progress is into the dark corridor. The corridor ends after a short way, with a door to the right and a passage to the left. The small iron portcullis that once blocked the entrance to this room has been bent to the side, allowing access to what lies beyond. The chamber might once have been some sort of private quarters, though no furnishings remain. Dirt and dust across lie tracked across the floor, and the pungent stench of rot ebbs from the room.
The smell of rot comes from a human corpse lying in a crumpled heap in the corner. A search of the corpse reveals a plain iron ring etched with strange symbols still wrapped around her pallid finger.
"An interesting map, anyone know the surrounding area well?" Herm says looking the room over.
Jominda takes a look at the map. "I can't make heads or tails of it. Kendra, can you read this map?"
Kendra takes a look at the map. Turning it over again and again to compare the coordinates with the actual map she finally concludes "It looks like the mission map of the Whispering Way. The points include our hometown Ravengro, Lepidstadt, something close to Ascanor Lodge - probably here - and the ghost town of Feldgrau."
"Looks like we got our next destination carved out for us already." Kendra explains.
"Glorious! Let us find my accoutrements, slay the wolfmans, feast, and go there!"
Herm nods at the Dwarves assessment, "First your accoutrements, what is it we are looking for exactly?" Herm asks
"At least some pants." Jominda jokes.
"Bahaha! Yes, indeed, pants would be nice. Also my armor, tools, and weapons. Oh, wait till you see Hackbeil!"
As the dead Whispering Way Cultist's clothes don't offer themself for reuse in this state - and they are not dwarf sized anyway - the search has to start without pants. Yilgwi knows that his stuff is not down here, but somewhere up in the tower. Best case - worst case, the stuff is sold to a passing merchant.
"I guess just stay behind me for now, I could offer you my shield if you wished to have it." Herm says to the Dwarf.
"Where shall we go now? Check, what else is on this floor?" Jominda asks. "There is at least one more room over there."
Herm Nods to Jominda, "Indeed, stay behind me, keep an eye out for whoever was throwing that lightning from the top of the tower." Herm instructs as he moves to the door.
"Without my Cornucopia I am more limited, but Thisamet blesses me with other spells. And a canny palette!"
Herm leads the way and opens the door. This room may once have served as some sort of private quarters. Only a few pieces of rusted metal furniture remain, the rest having long rotted away. The dirt has been swept clear from most of the floor, exposing the flagstones beneath.
But no one has time to take that view in as stepping under the arch of the door triggers a trap. A magical symbol glows shortly inducing a wrecking pain into all who can't resist it.
Herm Grimaces in pain as the evil symbol goes off hitting them all.