The strange mist had everyone in the town on edge but no one more so than the mayor who came close to accusing the Heroes of Oakhurst of causing it. The blame soured their taste buds; either that or it was the revelry from the night before taking its due. In the harsh morning light the grounded cloud was still there and the pull to Luskan became more attractive than before but Seisha and Krill both felt an inexplicable need to stay, which only was made heavier by the soulful weeping of a simple farmer mourning the loss of his people and land. A collective decision to stay and strengthen their line with the odd newcomer was made and preparations were in order before their trek. Honu yearned for lettuce, while Seisha lightened her load with Krill by her side in the general store. The duo had a private exchange about aring (engraved with the name Karakas) and then headed over to the chapel for a quick consultation. As dusk rolled in, the adventurers headed out with Hadrioul’s sparkly white glove lighting the way, their path directly pointed to the farmer’s homestead. The team dispatched an infestation of tree blights and searched the farm, finding nothing but death and evidence of canines running amuck. With nothing left to do except honor the dead, the heroes selected the one building not torn asunder to sleep in but light the hearths of all the abodes to throw off any prying eyes. Selections were made for an overnight watch and during the Witching Hour Maulduk detected a low howling that was definitely not the wind.
Quickly jarring Seisha awake with instructions to rally the party, the berserker resumed his post in a battle ready stance. Seisha struggled to find the proper entrance into Honu’s shell and could not rouse him; the remaining comrades in arms piled out of the modest home and joined the barbarian on his vigilant scan. A silent eternity passed in the matter of seconds… and then the howls returns with reports of wolves to the north, echoed by the same report to the south. Taking advantage of their positions, arrows, bolts and magic flew, crashing into the visible beasts however as wolves fell, their attacks illuminated an entire pack swarming at polar opposites. The canis lupi showed an unexpected intelligence in their tactics, clipping party members one by one to where half the party laid vulnerable on the ground. The adventurers responded in kind – Krill unsheathed his weapon of renown lashing out while Maulduk’s rage poured out, expressing itself in cleaving steel and fury. Hadrioul’s crossbow expertise was answered with satisfying thuds of impact. Eiric struggled to get to his feet, the blood he gave far outweighed the blood he had taken; as the wolves moved in, sizzling bolts flew over their intended half-elven feast and took the life of one and drove back the other. The gasp from Seisha left no doubt to the origin of the fiery missiles as the warriors to the North ended the battle with their final blows upon the savage, furry, four-legged fiends.
Hadrioul extended a much needed healing hand to his nearly departed new friend and the party debated on next steps. They settled on a short recovery being better than none at all, as Krill pointed out wandering through the darkness of an unknown forest left much to be desired. The warlock contemplated on the meaning of it all while the rest settled into mundane tasks, the shellshock of battle slowly washing away. With morning on the rise, its light exposed the dealings of the night and underlined a lesson each had learned from the wolves – a victory was much easier achieved when the comrades in arms acted as one.
XP: 177 | Honu: 92
