Session 31

It took two days, but the Party, with Sylrieth and Qimys accompanying them, eventually made it to Wolfwater. They passed through the woods, the Dark Garden Spire standing broodingly in the distance. The town itself sat atop a mesa on the right bank of the Baintham River. A set of karst-style stairs led the group up to the top as the sun set in the west.   Once there, they met a priest named Theric standing outside the Church of Eldath trying to bring people into his flock. Meanwhile, people were out and about, drunk in the streets, small scattered groups gambling, and ladies of ill repute luring in customers with their charms. Theric told the Party not to be tempted by the debauchery and animalistic nature of the locals. True salvation, he told them, lay through piety and worship of the gods. The Party politely acknowledged and tried to get some more atmospherics about the town out of him, but the sun was setting and Theric was in a hurry to get indoors.   The Party took the hint, especially as the streets began to become eerily quiet. They made their way as quickly as they could to the an L-shaped, two-story building: The Spicy Sun Tavern. The door was locked, and they could hear the howling in the distance. The door opened and a half-orc bartender ushered them in quickly and locked the door behind them. The sounds of howling and growling could be heard drawing nearer, and bottles could be heard smashing near the tavern. The barkeep, Gormudark, explained that for the past few weeks the night life in Wolfwater has died down due to the recent deaths and the rampaging were-creatures. The inn itself was empty, save for Gormudark and his server. Typhon asked about what was going on with the town and the half-orc replied that about a month early several people began transforming into werewolves, werebears, and other were-beasts. He revealed that he believed that the wizard Mizar Stanfield was responsible for the town being cursed, since he was a bit of an odd fellow; he generally kept to himself, and Gormudark knew that Rorvan Big had visited him shortly before he left for the Giant Hills Hunters Lodge. The group thanked the barkeep for his generosity and decided to retire for the evening.   The following morning, the group set off to the local blacksmith where they met Geathag Dayfinder Valu-Niago, a tattooed goliath, in the midst of smithing a sword as part of a contract for Bellton Castle. The Party inquired about silvered weapons, but Geathag informed them that they're not cheap nor are they easy to come by. He could manufacture some, but it would take time. Sir Didymus placed an order for 20 silver-tipped arrows and then they all left to talk to Mizar Stanfield in his tower.   The tower itself stood in the forest near the cemetery, and the trees surround were an eerie white or pale green color, as if all the life had been drained from them. The structure stood before them, a 75-foot round tower carved from basalt imported from The Spine. Clearly, Mizar was a man of some means. Bloodbane pounded on the door, but the group was forced to wait for some time. A moment later, they could see parts of a ghostly hand open the door from within. There stood the elderly wizard over a table with flasks, beakers, and a small open flame. He was in the middle of brewing some kind potion. Mizar seemed to know who the group was already, and he expressed familiarity with Typhon. He told them that he and the rest of the The Grey Council had been watching him for some time. As Typhon and the others began their questioning Mizar kept wandering off, seemingly distracted by other thoughts. His ramblings and curtness was proving infuriating to the Party. Despite this, however, Mizar convinced the group that he had been working on a cure for the lycanthropy affecting the citizenry. He just needed one more ingredient: some wolfsbane, which happened to be located at Phoenix Point about 10 miles away.   Along the way, the group was ambushed by none other than Holfast Oldbuck, the halfling ranger whose party they had defeated when they met Merimas Stumbletoe. Holfast was out for revenge, and he brought four dire wolves with him. The Party was surrounded, and they were nearly overwhelmed. Merimas yelled about vengeance for his brothers, while assailing the group with arrows. The dire wolves nearly brought Vigwalin to his knees, but a quick heal restored his fighting potential. Meanwhile, Bloodbane and Sir Didymus were occupied with dire wolves and Holfast. Eventually, however, as one dire wolf and then another fell to well-placed blows, the Party overcame Holfast. His mission of vengeance was cut short. The Party recovered the wolfsbane and then began the trek back to Mizar in his tower...