Werewolves of the Arkwood

We played session 17 this past weekend. As usual, I was planning all week and then wrote the adventure and created the maps the day before we played. This time the players did not rip through the adventure in one session. In fact, I think it might take them at least 2 more sessions to complete it. It was a wilderness adventure and I wonder if that might be the key to stretching out online play with this group. They go through 20 room dungeons in a single session.

This week we played through an adventure I cobbled together using parts of two Creations Edge mini-adventures, Rangers of Arkwood, and The Bandit's Bounty. I also added in Waypoints 0: The Village of Cowfold and the plot took pieces from The Veiled Society. During this session, they were mainly playing Rangers of Arkwood. I changed the map completely. I did not like the stone enclave mapped out in the adventure for the rangers. So I created a wood steading. This changed most of the rooms around. It also made it much harder to approach the rangers unseen.

Session 17: Werewolves of the Arkwood

Players: Lakima (Magic-user), Eathwund (Fighter), Daen (Dwarf Fighter NPC), Carric (Elf Thief NPC).

A few weeks have passed since the Order of the Black Dragon smashed the Veiled Society. During the downtime, Lakima spends a lot of his share of the gold on magic. The mage Malyn recharged the Wand of Magic Missiles and sold Lakima a Lightning Bolt scroll. Lakima studied the scroll and managed to copy it into his spellbook. The surcoats Lakima commissioned at the tailor were also delivered.

Finally, the monotony is broken with a message from Sergeant Frans of the Watch. They head over and meet with Sergeant Frans at the Sword & Shield Inn. Frans talks to the heroes about a Veiled Society Stronghold in the King’s Wood. Brother Randel has been studying the papers the adventurers removed from the Veiled Society Stronghold and he has come to the conclusion that the remaining members are probably hiding in a stronghold said to be in the King's Wood. The exact location is not clear, but Frans suggests that they speak with some elusive Rangers who patrol the northern end of the King’s Wood in an area known as Arkwood. If the Veiled Society is in the area the rangers will know about it. The player's purchase supplies and they head by Alayna’s Alchemy shop and clear out her supply of Potions of Healing. Because Daen and Lakima are a little short of gold - Eathwund purchases the potions.

The next day they set out on horseback (and a pony for Daen) heading south on the Duke’s Road. They enjoy a pleasant Autumn ride on the well-maintained road. On the way, they do stop and help out a charcoaler whose cart has lost a wheel. Lakima casts Strength on Daen, and the dwarf lifts the cart so they can put the wheel back on. The merchant thanks them and tells them where the road to the hamlet of Cowfold can be found.

They find the less-traveled path to Cowfold and arrive before nightfall. They spend the evening at McGillman’s Inn and encounter a potential guide. Carric is an elf working off his bar bill by mopping the floor and cleaning dishes. Lakima pays Carric’s bill once he learns that the Elf is reputed to be a good scout of the local woods. Some of the locals tell them that the rangers are late in picking up their supplies this month. The locals have also seen dangerous creatures in the woods. Creatures that the rangers usually protect the locals from.

Cowfold

The horses are left at the Inn in Cowfold and the hunting party heads into the woods following Carric’s lead. Carric first brings them to a spot where a local spotted strange tracks. Carric manages to find the tracks and notes that they are a few days old. He tells them they are owlbear tracks. They head deeper into the forest. Carric does not know the location of the rangers' enclave but he tells them they should be able to find signs of the rangers in the woods. They spend the entire day searching. They do not find a sign of the rangers but they do encounter and have to kill a monstrous rat that attacks them. Carric notes that creatures like the monstrous rat are not normally found this far from the dark heart of the King’s Wood. Since they are too far from Cowfold they make camp in the forest. The night passes without incident.

The next day they have a little more success. Carric finds some snares near an animal trail. They follow the trail and find more evidence of the rangers including a torn piece of fabric that has the ranger's crest on it. Following the trail, they hear crashing in the woods but when they investigate they do not find anything. The trail eventually leads to a large clearing. In the clearing, they see a large steading made of wood. Carric cautions that they should watch from a distance. The steading almost looks deserted and they also note a lack of woodsmoke. They do notice movement in a tower at the corner of the steading.

The Rangers Steading

They decide to advance openly down the path leading to the entrance to the steading. Being careful not to show any weapons. Carric comments that he does not like the look of this. As they approach the closed gate, a growling voice calls out a challenge from the tower. Looking up they see a wolfman looking down at them. The werewolf questions if they have come to join the pack. Lakima calls back that they are hunting outlaws. He asks the werewolf if he knows where the Veiled Society Stronghold might reside and whether they can speak with the rangers. A second werewolf appears in the tower. The wolves invite them in, they say to meet the rangers.

The two werewolves come down from the tower and howl bringing a pack of wolves out of another building. They open the door to the compound and wave the heroes in. Lakima and Eathwund tell everyone to slowly start backing away. But wolves come out of the compound and surround them cutting off their path. The werewolves continue to wait in the compound and wave to the heroes to join them. Lakima tells everyone to move back up the path to the forest. As they attempt to retreat the wolves attack. As the first wolf bites Eathwund, Lakima casts Lightning Bolt. A bolt of lightning appears and cracks across the compound killing several wolves and burning both werewolves. The werewolves roar in anger and charge toward the heroes. The wolves also renew their attacks. Several more wolves are killed but the werewolves prove very hardy, absorbing several blows, and one bites Lakima. Eathwund stabs and kills one werewolf and Daen kills the other. Once the werewolves fall, the last wolf runs away. The heroes retreat quickly into the woods Carric leading the way.

Lakima casts Lightning Bolt

Eventually, Carric calls a halt and they stop to confer on what to do next. Lakima asks Carric if there is a wise woman somewhere in the woods who can check his wound. He is concerned he might have contracted lycanthropy. Carric tells them that the dryad Acaisha used to live in this area. Her tree was not far from here as he remembers it. He expresses concern for the two humans over meeting a dryad but and their insistence he consults his ever-present journal and then leads them to a large oak tree near a stream and a pond. He looks over the oak tree and says he thinks the dryad is still here.

Carric tells Eathwund and Daen to hide nearby and he and Lakima approach the tree. Carric calls out to the tree and suddenly the dryad is standing beside them. She appears to be an unnaturally beautiful elven woman. Carric speaks to her briefly but the dryad seems most interested in speaking with Lakima. Acaisha tells them that the rangers have fallen under the curse of lycanthropy. Even more dangerously it was caused by a creature known as a pack leader who controls the werewolves and keeps them in their wolfman form. In this form, they are controlled by bloodlust and cannot be reasoned with. Acaisha asks them to free the rangers from the curse. She tells them how many rangers should be in the steading and tells them to try and kill the pack leader first. If he falls the other werewolves might gain some semblance of control.

The dryad allows the heroes to camp in her forest grove for the evening. Carric nervously accepts and warns the heroes of the dangers, especially for humans from dryads. The next day they talk about how they can attack an entire steading full of werewolves. Lakima suggests a plan to draw out some of the werewolves. Reasoning that the werewolves will need to continuously resupply fresh meat he says they should ambush the werewolves in the woods where they can pick off smaller groups. Carric is nervous but agrees to find some deer. Lakima gives the elf a Potion of Animal Control. Meanwhile, Daen sets up iron spikes in the ground on an animal trail. The tips of the spikes are smeared with wolfsbane. Eathwund and Lakima build a lean-to nearby behind which they can hide.

An hour later, Carric returns with four deer that are following him like pets. He gets the deer to stand in a clearing near the trail. Everyone sets up behind the hiding place they created in the woods. They spend the entire afternoon waiting but are not rewarded. Just as the sun starts to set the deer start shifting about nervously. Carric hisses that he hears something coming down the path. A short time later, four werewolves in wolfman form crash through the forest down the path. Seeing the deer, the werewolves howl and run forward eagerly. The lead werewolf leaps over the trap but the next two werewolves step directly in the trap. The werewolves howl in pain and roll about in the grass. The other two werewolves turn to attack. Lakima casts Lightning bolt striking three of the werewolves. The werewolves stagger forward howling at the heroes. One of the werewolves succumbs to fear caused by the wolfsbane and turns and runs away into the forest. Carric and Daen fire missiles from behind cover in the trees (Daen with his crossbow, Carric using a short bow). Lakima uses his Wand of Magic Missiles. Eathwund moves forward and meets the charge of the werewolves head-on. The combined barrage of missiles and Eathwunds work with the sword dispatch the three werewolves.

As they stand in the clearing after the battle they examine the corpses. Two of the bodies revert back into men, presumably former rangers, but one turns into a wolf. Darkness has now fallen and Carric suggests they move away from the area and make camp. Lakima argues for returning to the Dryads’ grove. Carric is not happy with the suggestion but agrees. On the way to the grove, Carric hears something large crashing down the animal track they are on. He warns the group and everyone ducks off the path into cover. A short time later an enormous Owlbear stomps down the path. It stops on the path near where they are hiding and looks about. Everyone keeps perfectly quiet. After a few moments, the owlbear moves on. Once it is a short distance away, Carric gets to his feet and quietly tells them to move. They rush through the forest toward the dryad’s grove. Lakima tells the party he has an idea of how to use the Owlbear to get more of the werewolves. Carric responds that he would like to hear it first. They set up camp in the dryad’s grove for the evening.