Act 2 / Episode 2 -- Hunclay’s Cave, Part 1 -- Wolves (October 5, 2014)

18 Gozran, 4711

First thing in the morning, the companions follow Devy Road north out of Belhaim, going in search of the wizard Hunclay’s secret cave. Although little traffic passes by road through Belhaim and onward to the northern reaches of the Verduran Forest, and, beyond that, to revolution-torn Galt, the stretch of road nearest the village remained clear and in good condition. A canopy of leaves arched over the road, casting it in gloom save for the occasional patch where sunlight filtered through and touched the ground.

About an hour from the village, Jiri and Shalora caught a glimpse of a body of water beyond the dense woods west of the road.. Jiri also thought he saw something dart between the trees out of sight. Mischief began to growl. Jiri took a few cautious steps to the eaves of the forest, where he spotted tracks off the side of the road -- likely several days old and probably human, shod as they were in clogs -- but also wolf tracks, some old, some fresh. An instant later, a wolf darted east across the road perhaps thirty feet north of the party. The pack began to howl and growl.

The companions fell into a defensive formation, all four standing back to back in the middle of the road, with Mischief hiding between everyone. A few moments later, four wolves lunged at the companions, one emerging from the east, and three from the west. A pair managed to flank and pull down Jiri. Akiro impaled one of the wolves nearest to Jiri with his glaive. Iacobus fended off attacks from the beast that attacked from the east, which seemed intent on making a meal of Mischief.

As Jiri tried to get back to his feet, a fifth wolf -- a monstrous grey-black beast the size of a horse, with two rows of bony dorsal spikes -- broke from cover with a roar and almost bit off the dwarf’s head, just narrowly missing its prey. The party worked effectively to fend off the wolves’ repeated assaults, and soon, three wolves lay dead. The monstrous alpha male and one of its smaller pack mates fled into the woods west of the road, both wounded. There was no doubt in the companions’ minds -- that dire wolf must have been the beast that had been preying on ol’ Prake Abrassus’s sheep, the one with the 800 gold coin bounty on its head.

Following the wolf spoor into the woods, Jiri found the remains of two human women in a small clearing near the pond. Their bones had been scattered about the clearing, most of the flesh having been devoured by wolves and scavengers. Judging from the scraps of clothes remaining... including clogs... the women likely were peasants, or servants... Linus and Saba, the two missing servants from the Hunclay estate, probably? What they were doing out here was a mystery. Had Hunclay murdered them and left them here for dead?

The companions decided that they would look for Hunclay’s cave after tracking down and destroying the wolves, as now that the beasts were wounded, this would be their best opportunity to track down and slay the predators, which they suspected might go to ground in a nearby den. For a skilled tracker like Jiri, following the wounded wolves’ spoor was not difficult... but the creatures had a great deal of fight and cunning left in them, and kept well ahead of their pursuit, winding their way over and under deadfall, up and down wooded hills and gullies, this way and that for several hours... Iacobus remarked sarcastically that he would not be surprised if they ended up going in a circle and coming back to the spot where they first encountered the wolves...

... which is exactly what happened. As the companions scanned the road and surrounding woods, the dire wolf and its wounded pack mate sprung from where they had taken cover after doubling back behind the party... but the heroes handily defeated the tired, bloodied beasts. Akiro’s glaive found its mark once again on the smaller wolf, while Iacobus sent a powerful electrical charge through his falcata that completely charred the alpha male, leaving a horrendous stench of singed wolf flesh and hair in the air.   

The heroes went back to the pond west of the road, and at its north end, followed a spring into a narrow opening that led inside the wall of a rocky, thickly forested hillside. Akiro, as always, led the way in, Iacobus casting a light spell upon the Tian warrior’s hat to dispel the gloom. Past the opening, a wide, low-ceiling and water-filled cavern widened before them…