Though its ears remain pinned back and it snaps halfheartedly at Kane on his first few tries, the fox eventually calms enough to let the druid reset its leg. It retreats into the nearest patch of underbrush, watching you all warily while the others' injuries are tended to.
After a little over an hour, your group is feeling sufficiently recovered to press on into the afternoon light. You make a few hours' more progress before darkness falls.
Once peoples wounds have been handled Bac nods approvingly "We're lucky to have you Kane. Some of the ship's doctors from when I was still sailing were a fair bit clumsier with their hands." To Theo he adds "Good? Or would you like this old man to carry you, kehe."
As Bac Dau mentions carrying him, a thoughtful look creases the young man's face, but he swiftly shakes his head.
"No, that is fine. I think I can walk...but it is still pretty dark out. Should we wait until it gets lighter?"
Once peoples wounds have been handled Bac nods approvingly "We're lucky to have you Kane. Some of the ship's doctors from when I was still sailing were a fair bit clumsier with their hands." To Theo he adds "Good? Or would you like this old man to carry you, kehe."
Kane nods in appreciation at the compliment, "My sister taught me most of what I know. But is means much to know that her lessons were not lost on me."
You make camp on a small rise that provides at least a modicum of sightlines in the otherwise dense forest, but your sleep is disturbed twice in the night by the howling of wolves--more than you had heard before, and much closer. Those of you on watch spend your shifts tense and watchful, but dawn breaks without any of you catching so much as a glimpse of the pack.
The next day's hiking proves more grueling as the uphill slope grows more pronounced. The tree cover is less dense at least, and though your legs are feeling the strain by late afternoon you make decent time. Kane and Theo stay focused, keeping your little band moving ever further upslope and steadily northeast towards the dwarven ruins. The shadows are growing long, the sun merely minutes from slipping behind Droskar's Crag, when you crest a small wooded rise and behold the dwarven ruin. A low, squat building of weathered stone overgrown with moss and creeping vines, it's little more than a vague shape in the dying light.
If you press on you could reach it, but moving in the dark can be treacherous. On the other hand, Milon's warning about the wolves being active in this area echoes in your minds.
"Seems like a good time to call it and set up camp," Ascian says, looking from the darkening sky to her human companions. "We keep going in this light and this terrain, one of you is liable to break an ankle or something."
"Hah!" Bac looks down at his swollen ankles from a long day's hiking "Bring it on, I'll break them both! Maybe they'll stop throbbing with that." He grins. In contrast with his words he takes off his pack and begins setting up camp for the night.
Before turning in for the night, Ascian looks around for a decent sized rock. Once she finds a likely candidate, she casts light on it and hands it to the person taking first watch.
"Here you go," she says, rolling her shoulders, "should last you the night. Put a cloak over it if you need to darken it, I'm going to sleep."
The moon and stars wheel across the sky as the night passes, the chirping of insects and distant howling of wolves the only things that break the stillness. Even the howling ceases not long after midnight. As the grey light of false dawn limns the horizon Bac does a few stretches and is trying to decide whether to wake the others when he hears a low, menacing growl.
Whirling around, the older man sees a grizzled grey timber wolf stalk into the ring of light cast by Ascian's enchanted stone. It bears its teeth and snarls again, echoing snarls coming from an unseen wolf concealed in the underbrush. Before Bac can do more than shout a warning and reach for his weapons both wolves spring to the attack!
Rushing out of the foliage, one of the wolves leaps upon Ascian with its jaws only narrowly missing the tiefling's throat! The second wolf sprints in, lunging in to snaps at Bac Dao's legs and yanking them out from under him.
-ROUND ONE-
Wolf
Wolf
Bac
Kane
Ascian
Theo
Grattfaulk
"Ey what!?" Bac kicks at the wolf's head for a moment or two as he reaches over to draw the halberd he dropped. Using it as a staff, he vaults to his feet and delivers a quick side-ways slash at the green wolf.
Shoving the wolf off of her, the violently awakened Ascian staggers to her feet and draws her rapier. Rather than retreat, she stands her ground, and summons an invisible shield into place in front of her.
Watching the creatures fly out of the dark and attack his companions, Theo swiftly called to mind a spell and sends it at the wolf which attacked Ascian.
◆ Magic Missile
◆ Magic Missile
◆ Magic Missile
Damage:
The previous night:
Kane reluctantly agrees with the others, though looks around for a fairly defensible spot to make camp.
Current:
Having been woken by the sound of combat, Kane quickly gets to his feet and rushes to Ascian's side, seeing the extent of her wounds. "Sorry, brothers," he says to the wolves, "but you have grown too desperate. I have no choice." His hands extend into claws as he stands ready for combat.
◆ Stand
◆ Stride
◆ Wild Morph (claws)
◆ Stand
◆ Draw
◆ Stride (toward a wolf)
Bac's counterstrike drawls a pained yelp from the first wolf that shifts back into a snarl as it leaps onto the older man, bearing him to the ground as its jaws clamp onto his arm . Jumping off his chest before Bac can hit it again, the wolf comes to the aid of its partner, teeth sinking into Grattfaulk's as a hundred and fifty pounds of timber wolf knocks his feet out from under him .
The second wolf has a much more difficult time, it's slavering jaws snapping inches from Ascian's face but stymied by her magical barrier.
-ROUND ONE-
Wolf Green (-8hp)
Wolf Blue (-13hp)
Bac (-7hp, prone)
Kane
Ascian (-14hp)
Theo
Grattfaulk (-7hp, prone)
Grunting Grattfaulk regains his feet to attack.
◆ Stand
◆◆ Power Attack
Darting around the wolf, Ascian infuses her rapier with a dark nimbus of negative energy before thrusting the blade forward.
Kane slashes at the wolf with his now clawed hands.
◆
◆
◆
Bac scowls at the wolf "What are ya, teething!?" and delivers a retaliatory pair of slashes with his halberd.
Exasperated half by his injuries and half by his lack of control with the weapon, he thumps the butt of the halberd into the ground and leans against it as the rest of the group sweeps up the wolves.
Theodorus again sends 3 magical darts at the wolf attacking Ascian
◆ Magic Missile
◆ Magic Missile
◆ Magic Missile
Damage:
Bac lashes out with the halberd, but the wolf proves a quick learner and hops back out of reach. Kane delivers a flurry of raking cuts to his opponent with his new claws, send the wolf reeling in pain until a thrust of Ascian's rapier ends its misery.
Theo conjures up a barrage of darts that spiral through the air before slamming into the wolf, who lets out a pained whuf of air a split-second before Grattfaulk's maul catches in the ribs. The mighty upward swing sends the wolf's broken body sailing through the air to land ten feet away.
The clearing grows still and quiet again, save for the panting of the rudely-awoken party.
Ascian promptly falls to the ground, hand clutched to the bleeding wound on her shoulder. "Zombie rats, hobgoblin bandits, now man-eating wolves..." she mutters through clenched teeth.
"Seems strange to me that they would attack a group this large, with a watch, and a fire going" Grattfaulk was no expert on animal behavior but while serving as a mercenary even in smaller groups he never been attacked by wild beasts.
"They wouldn't," Kane responds, his hands returning to normal once more. "Not unless they were either provoked or driven to it through sheer hunger."
Examining the wolves' remains, Kane notes that they show no signs of starvation or even malnutrition--other than the injuries sustained in combat these wolves appeared to be perfectly healthy specimens. If anything, they're slightly larger than average.
As you ponder the strange attack, Ascian and Theo both notice a shape in the woods slinking away--a third wolf, huge and black moving with a menacing grace through the undergrowth. Easily half again larger than the two that attacked you, it only glaces back your way once, tongue lolling out in what you would swear was a grin before it vanishes into the green.
There exist a breed of cruel and intelligent wolves, called wargs. Larger and stronger than their animal kin, these lupine creatures are often malevolent and are frequently associated with goblinoid tribes, ruling over packs of weaker worgs and their animalistic cousins--or both. Wolf packs led by wargs tend to be far more aggressive and dangerous than wolves left to their own devices.
Nature:
Looking up from the dead wolf, Theo notices motion in the undergrowth. He looks over to Ascian and points.
"Did...did you see THAT! I think it was a Warg! It must have commanded those other wolves to attack us."
While speaking he moves in closer to Ascian..whether to protect her or seeking her protection you cannot tell.
Kane moves around the group, applying dressing to their wounds. "I don't know much about these Wargs, but if they are intelligent enough to lead an attack, then we should be wary."
Kane starts making his way out of camp, "I'll return shortly. I need to gather more supplies for later."
Ascian sighs in relief as Kane's folk healing takes the edge off the injury. "Don't go too far," she calls after him as he heads off. "There's a warg about, after all."
Until he comes back, she stands watch, weapon at the ready.
Not immediately noticing the larger wolf, Bac only spots its rear haunches and tail before it disappears "Didn't seem all that big to me. A coward in any case. Sent its little ones to attack us and now it doesn't want a piece of this." He heaves himself upright from where he was leaning on his staff. "Just for your safety Theo, maybe we move further away before heading back to sleep."
He eyes the woods around with a sudden suspicion "Before the next wild monstrosity comes hunting us."
"A warg, you say? That would make sense having ran into hobgoblins already and the proximity to the Goblinblood War. And while I wouldn't call them brave it was probably just testing our defenses with these two, also explains why two seemingly well fed wolves would attack us."
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Bac suddenly notices that his halberd was actually a large tree branch all along! That explains why it didn't seem very effective.
Expecting trouble to come after the group, Bac listens for any sounds of other wolves approaching, then beckons the rest of the team over once people are healed. "If you'd like to move our camp, I will stay watch for a little longer." He puts a hand up his sleeve and withdraws a particularly spiky looking flintlock pistol. "Ah! That's where I put it. That's the problem with old age - sometimes the locations of things just escape you."
As the party's wounds are tending to the sun breaks over the mountains and the forest grows steadily brighter. By the time Kane has finished applying bandages and poultices the dwarven ruin can be seen clearly.
Bac rubs at his eyes, clearly still tired. "Well, there's dawn. I suppose as one of my old captains used to say, 'If the gulls are squawking, the times a wasting'." He takes out a machete that you swear he didn't have before.
"Let's get to that monastery and find our ingredients."
You pick your way carefully down hill towards the dwarven ruin, seeing it grow closer and larger over the next two hours. With a bit of time to examine it in full daylight, it looks like a mess. One corner and a bit of wall are collapsed entirely, and the gates are nowhere to be seen. The only signs of life are a half-dozen or so razorcrows roosting atop the crumbling stone walls, cawing indignantly a few times when the spot you.
You reach the base of the hill and approach warily, remembering the worg from earlier that morning. Kneeling down, Ascian and Bac spot signs of four-pawed prints coming and going. Curiously there are also faded signs of small claw-prints as well. Theo quickly determines that the clawed feet are those of kobolds, while Grattfaulk is able to determine that as many has half a dozen kobolds--and an equal number of wolves--have passed through here in the past several days.
Kane for his part eyes the crows and decides they're not sapient or disguised creatures, just ordinary ornery razorcrows.
After striking camp and gnawing on chunk of trail ration Grattfaulk is ready to go. "Well let's be off and burn as little daylight as possible."
"Kobolds, wolves, and razorcrows, oh my," Ascian says, eyeing the ruin. "Keep your weapons ready and your wits sharp, I doubt we'll find a warm welcome inside." She draws her rapier and takes up a position on one side of the gate, sticking to cover.
"The full platter, eh Ascian?" Bac nods, rubbing at his beard. "They can't all be working together, can they? Oh dear. Is this one of those conspiracies? Unlikely foes united for some nefarious-" He cuts off, watching the razorcrows with an eyebrow raised.
He follows after Ascian, also sticking to cover, but listening for any sounds coming from inside.
Theo keeps close to the others while trying to look in all directions at once.
"Let's get in and out as quickly as possible. It would seem that this might be the lair of the Warg, and other nasty beasties!"
Nodding to the crows, as if paying a small tribute of respect for allowing them to pass, he adds to the conversation. "I don't think the crows work with or for anyone. They do their own thing. Can't speak for anything else in here, though." He brandishes a spear in one hand, keeping his eyes open for surprises.
The party creeps up to the gates, shattered stone and twisted rebar leaving ground in the doorway difficult to traverse The watchtower, separated from the main structure after the gates' and eastern walls' collapse, is eerily silent--the razorcrows appear to avoid it entirely.
At first glance the courtyard appears empty--but Ascian and Bac spot another pair of wolves lurking just inside the doorways to the north and west. They bare their fangs and snarl a warning as they step into the light, and the larger shape of the warg can only barely be seen in the shadows inside the western doorway.
"Why have you come here, softskin intruders?" the warg growls, eyes dimly reflecting the sunlight as it stares hatefully at you. "This is not your place, and you are not welcome here. Go, before I tear out your throats, and hope the urge to hunt you does not take me."
"We're here for some mushrooms," Ascian replies through the broken gate. "If you let us collect what we came for, we'll be out of your fur in no time."
We can be patient, they've got to come to us if they want to party.
Bac leans against the wall, peering around the corner to see if he can get a better look at the warg. "Exactly, ironbloom mushrooms. I'm sure you wouldn't mind if we take some? This softskin'd like to keep his throat how it is, but we're not going to leave until we get those mushrooms."
Kane steps forward to get a better view of this warg. "They speak truth, brother," he adds to the conversation. "Allow us to collect the mushrooms we seek, and we won't bother you any further."
Theodorus seems to be furiously writing things down on his wax tablet.
"An actual warg...and they DO speak! How amazing!"
He keeps his distance but tries to get a better view of the talking wolf.
Grattfaulk patiently waits the warg's decision.
"I am not your brother, elf," the warg hisses, the last word twisting in its mouth like a curse. It eyes your group warily, seeming cognizant that its pack is outnumbered by yours. "And I am not such a fool as to believe that you would march all this way for such a paltry prize. Why do care so much for these mushrooms?"
"We're looking to turn them into a cure for those suffering from the Blackscour. A plague that has been spreading all too quickly." Bac stops, suddenly considering an odd thought "Any of your kin suffering from it? A terrible wheezing illness. If so, we'd be willing to share what cure our friend manages to make, if you let us take the mushrooms."