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Chapter 27: Mark of the Beast



The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-three. Sunset. Wednesday, December 14th, 576 CY
Freezing cold, overcast.




Twelve days later, the heroes have narrowly survived the harrowing crossing of the pass through the dark mountains, from Banemourne to Vicar's Head. Desperately tracking the daemonic wolfpack that outpace them, they seek to rescue the child, Amity Mantle in the fleeting hope they can yet save her immortal soul.

The heroes are weary from toil and cold but their health is returned by the blessed grace of Bo and Ingrid. The horned owl had returned nightly to the grey druid to impart the grim news of the growing distance between them and their fell quarry.



Forsaking rest, the valiant heroes drove onward, to no avail. High in the mountain pass, they were caught in the teeth of winter as it descended upon them without mercy. Plagued by plunging temperatures, blinding snowfall and chilling nightmares of an abomination that dreams beneath the looming mountain spine...



...the heroes slowly trudged west beneath the great barren peaks of mystery and dread until finally they descended below the snowline north of Vicar's Head.



There, Bo's owl and Brevos' trail lead the heroes off the mountain pass onto a hidden path into the wooded mountainside toward a cave mouth where the pack and Amity had entered a day ago according to the avian. Returning to Bo nightly, the owl knows not whether they remained there. But Brevos sees no fresh tracks leading away from it.

The heroes hide in cover some hundred yards away from the cave mouth as the pale sun sets.



Tonight is the first night of the full moon. Alarmingly, Mouser, Ingrid and Urdur already grow hair on the palms of their hands! The grey druid knows the moon will not rise for several hours yet. They all know what will happen then.

The heroes spy neither movement nor light near the yawning black maw of the cave. But Brevos sees the ground here is covered in old wolfprints!


Actions?!


Map:

X marks the heroes' position, northwest of the mountain pass.





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Mouser stares at his arm as the change starts to take hold and whispers "no..not again..." he looks fearfully to the sky. "That potion you brewed - it's time for me to take it I think."

Jerome
Jerome is focused on the cave mouth. Brevos, does your owl friend know if there are other exits from this cave? I am afraid we would be at a disadvantage in the cave, but I see no good options. I am afraid we must go in and dig them out.

Urdur hands out the wolfsbane potions to any who need them. The change will be permanent if we do not cure ourselves before the moon rises. If we are bitten again, we will need to procure more wolfsbane.

Urdur drinks his potion. When the effects wear off, he readies himself to enter the cave.

Bo huddles next to the trees, blocking the bitter wind from his tired old bones. He speaks to his friend whooo has been with them through this entire chase.

"Will you circle this area from above the trees? Start your search small, and expand out if necessary. I want to know if you spot any other obvious entrances to this den of evil or any other noticeable tracks before we go inside." Does the owl have a name? (I know, I know.....don't get too attached.)

Turning back to his non animal friends, he takes one of the potions for later, in case any of them survive this dangerous task.

"I hate to say this, but I believe the idea to attack now is the best option we have. But we must discuss our tactics before we start the battle this time! We will need every advantage we can get if any of us are to survive this encounter. We have a little time to discuss things here, so lets do this as strategically as possible. Ideas?"

The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-three. After sunset. Wednesday, December 14th, 576 CY
Freezing cold, overcast.







The heroes survived the journey through the mountain pass in winter. Then on the night of the full moon, they discover the lair of the blasphemous wolfpack that bestowed upon them The Curse. Hours remain before the moon rises and they succumb to an unspeakable transformation into things feral and inhuman.

Mouser and Urdur would take precautions now. Knowing what dire events will soon transpire, the heroes move from the cave mouth, through the dark wood. Once they are far enough away, Mouser and Urdur drink of the conjurer's strange bubbling concoction, the wolfsbane elixir.

Then they scream in horror with voices not their own.




Their teeth grow in their mouths, their skin sprouts black fur, their bodies ripple, distend and convulse as they assume a new, bestial anatomy.




They howl in agony. They howl like wolves.

Suddenly, the animal-men cease their frightful becoming! They slowly resume their mortal forms and are themselves once more! They lay on the frozen ground of the forest; gulping for air, hearts pounding set to burst within their chests.

From two more of the heroes, the dread Curse of The Beast is lifted!

Nicodemus the great horned owl alights upon Long Bo's shoulder. The grey druid speaks in the language of owls and it replies, "I believe there is another way inside. I can show thee. Follow me."


Actions?!


Map:

X is the heroes' position, northwest of the mountain pass.





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Mouser embraces the cold of the ground after his transformation is reversed and he looks to the sky, "How much more are we to endure?" he thinks. His head turns and glimpses the dark of the cave, "oh, plenty more, I think..."

Once more he stands to face that what must be done...

Jerome
The Paladin, aleady shaken to his core, watches his companions shift- and shift again, his hands clenching on his holy symbol and the handle of his cudgel.

If there are two entrances, we have the choice of a pincer attack through both entrances at once- or blocking one of the holes to bottle them up. I prefer the pincer, myself.

Jerome
Very true. I'd love to be able to just collapse the whole thing on them.

Bo cringes again after seeing the change in his friends, remembering the feeling all too well himself. He feeds Nicodemus a chunk of salted meat to thank him for the vital information.

He replies to the animal before addressing the others. "Yes, friend. By all means, lead the way."

"The owl has told me there is another way inside. I recommend we have a look at that exit before we make any decisions on how to approach our imminent invasion. If we dont find any tracks in the snow there, it is possible that the pack doesn't even know of it yet."

Unless there are any strong objections, the druid follows his avian friend.

Jerome
Jerome nods to Bo. That's what The Commandant would call a "Very big IF".

Urdur nods at Bo's idea, which is a much better plan than anything he had concocted. He follows the group toward the back entrance.

The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-three. After sunset. Wednesday, December 14th, 576 CY
Freezing cold, overcast.







Far from the civilized world, the heroes move though the unknowable wilderness of the haunted wood as darkness consumes the land.

Mouser and Urdur quietly recover from their harrowing transformation into things unnatural and evil.

In time, the grey druid's owl leads them to another cave mouth into the same jagged hill; smaller than the first but just as black inside.

From some distance away, they watch with torches doused. Nothing stirs in the pitch shadows. Brevos quietly counsels that everyone should partake of the wolfsbane elixir now.


Actions?!


Map:

The white X is the heroes' position, north and west of the mountain pass.





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Mouser follows along. At the mention of tracks he notices the ones they are all making (except him with his fancy boots!). He'll try to cover their tracks as they go with some brush if any is around. He shrugs in the cold, "It may not help with our scent, but at least we're doing something..."

Jerome
Jerome takes a knee, intently watching the cave entrance. He prays silently, his hands tight on his sword hilt.

Brevos drinks the cure

Ingrid Esthof

I can cast Silence upon a stone that can be carried with you. If Invisibility is cast on those who go to capture Amity, no one will be able to see or hear them coming. By the time Amity realizes she is in the aura of the spell, it will be too late for her to call for help. The stone can be left in the tunnel to block any outside sounds from going back into the cave, but not interfere with the Exorcism. It'll be dark, so we should send volunteers with infravision, so they can at least see body heat. I would suggest they hold hands; being silent and invisible, you will have no way to tell where each other are otherwise.