Report: Wolves on the Mesa
General Summary
I learned from an eccentrically dressed man at the bounty board that there were wolves threatening the safety of the goatherds on the mesa outside of Gravesend. While the moral and spiritual well-being of Gravesend is my primary concern, true worship cannot happen if the faithful flock fear for their lives or livelihood. It seemed like no time at all until we had our party: Mister Stiks (An overly friendly man of dubious skill), Mister Patrick Smith (the aforementioned eccentrically dressed man- quite powerful in the Arcane), and of course myself and Aunt Robin. After services on the Sabbath we struck out for the Mesa, taking several hours to arrive there on foot.
The camp was quite sparse, with several tents, and a single longhouse. Stiks had trouble finding the longhouse, and first inspected the barn and its occupants (which he called “fluffynutters”... I would have called them goats). The rest of us entered the longhouse, where we found the Whitmores, who had sent word to Gravesend for help. Alas, for we were too long in responding to their request: A poorly prepared posse had already gone, and failed, but they came back with important information: These wolves spoke and breathed fire.
Demons. Surely these wolves represented infernal power made manifest, making our mission all the more critical to the safety of Gravesend, and our world as a whole. Despite the waning hour, we struck out from the camp, and Aunt Robin quickly found a game trail in the woods where the wolves were reported to make their home. Venturing into the darkening woods, we were set upon by an injured owl bear. Despite its previous injury the fight was difficult, and Aunt Robin’s rekindled hive proved an excellent distraction, allowing us to eventually vanquishe this beast, while demonic howls filled the woods around us. We prepared for our next foe, and not a moment too soon, for they leapt upon Mister Stiks with a savagery he was not expecting. He tried climbing a tree, tried to fend them off with his eponymous sticks… to no avail, as he fell bleeding and unconscious beneath the fury of their attacks.
Calling upon Celestine, I used what magic was given to me to heal him, and rising from his wounds he fought on, and again, we were victorious. As the largest of the shaggy beasts fell it spoke in our tongue: “Tell mother and father I am sorry.” After his last command, the smaller animals fled, and despite our best efforts, they were too fast. Knowing that not all can see as I can by the light of Celestine, we quit the dark woods and found an even smaller camp, where the goatherds welcomed us, and we cooked a pleasant meal of beaver stew, which Aunt Robin’s bear trap had caught. We made plans to follow the blood trail the next day, and eliminate what we believed to be demons.
Aunt Robin’s woodland skill proved particularly useful as we made our way to their lair. In order to scout the situation Mr Smith used his arcane powers to turn himself invisible, and tumbled off in the direction of the cave. I also unleashed my familiar Gloria, who, as a bat, would be quite at home in the cave. Inside there were several more wolves, and two particularly large ones argued about whether to stay and defend their pack, or attack the humans. This made my path even more clear: These creatures must be destroyed. Aunt Robin set a trap at the mouth of the cave, and Patrick used his guile to flush out a single wolf, who I surprised by unleashing a hail of devastating magic, just as she was caught in the trap.
Their fury at our surprise attack was immense, and while my will to fight on was strong, twin attacks of fire and lightning hurled me backwards, as I fell into unconsciousness. I awoke in a stupor, but those brief moments of dream brought a calm and clarity that could only have come from Celestine, or an archangel of mercy. Sometimes it is important to open yourself up to mercy, even when the enemy seems hell-bent on destroying you. We briefly parlayed with the wolves and learned that instead of demons, it appears that they were in fact enchanted creatures, given the power of speech long ago by a man they called “The man in the Tower.” These poor beasts had been driven from their land by an entity known as “The Black Fox.” While I have no illusions of friendship, we did make common cause with one of them to return to their original lands, and together destroy this “Black Fox”, who I believe to be a demon.
Penned by Jene Dark
Adventuring Party: Patrick Smith, Jene Dark, Robin Foster, Stiks
Date: 03AUG21
Report Date
03 Aug 2021
Primary Location
Related Characters
Comments