The Warrior That Killed The Golden Wolves

Summary

In times past, in a land far away there was a great warrior who fought many battles. Clan by Clan he conquered not for any great empire or dominion but for his own glory and name. For each conquest he made offerings to the god of war and each battle was grander than the last. So great was his legend than none would meet him on the field of battle instead sending only a single champion forth, a sacrifice to his legend. 
Yet the Warrior grew hungry for blood. It was not enough to slay one foe he instead demanded that he challenge two. Then Three. Soon he would not ask for a challenge but enter a town and slaughter any who he saw demanding they draw arms against him. His sacrifice was great and so the God of War did nothing to stop him. Yet Marvos is not alone in the great beyond. 
As he descended upon another village he found a small shrine had been erected. Not to him but to a pack of Golden Fleeced Wolves in the woods whom the village had been gifted by the Green Father himself. The village fought back as they could yet his intention was clear and soon the foul warrior departed into the woodlands for surely the gifts of the gods would possess a worthy challenge before him.
To a warrior of such grandeur a mere pack of wolves was worth no challenge yet the wrath of a god was quite different. As the last wolf dropped dead before the warrior a cry echoed through the woods, a cry with the rage of a thousand setting suns and the fury of a thousand roaring moons. The green grass tore itself up and the bark peeled from trees. The branches cackled and groaned and then there was silence. 
Yet the silence of man is not the same of gods. The Warrior stood for no more than a second before his muscles bit and tore. His skin tearing itself aside and his teeth forcing themselves beyond. So became the very first Lycanthrope. So alone and confused was he that he bit the flesh of his first pursuers. SO more were bit and so forth. So the disease has spread. A curse of the Green Father. A Curse that served to remind; That of the gods is not for mere mer to destroy.

Spread

The Warrior That Killed The Golden Wolves is a common Falaran folk tale spread largely within communities of Teremia and Viala before moving beyond by their merchants. Many woodland communities shared the story as a warning to children who grew too hungry for hunting or bloodshed. Others amended the ending to act as a deterent for childrne to enter the woodlands alone.
It the Colonial Age it was put to print in Master Osmiths Tales of the Land  becoming a sensation across the Empire.

In Art

Depictions of the moment the barbarian was transformed or first discovers the wolves are common choices for illustration by artists. Many texts on lycanthropy also choose to use portrayals of the tale among their imagery to illustrate the creatures and their mannerisms.

Date of Setting

Mythic Age