The Wonderful Wolf
October 18th, 2011
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Grave Plots, where we bring you new plot hooks and adventure ideas each and every week. As promised, this week will once again be devoted to one of your favorite animals: the wolf. For many of us, the wolf immediately calls up powerful images: a group of shadowy four-legged shapes stalking silently through the moonlit forest, the lone snarling figure approaching with calculated malice, the iconic silhouette against the full moon as that unmistakably haunting howl echoes like a clarion through a clear night. The wolf is one of the world’s deadliest and most successful predators, the stuff of legends and nightmares walking our world.
Wolves, or more specifically gray wolves, for those of you unfamiliar with the beast in question, are large four-legged canines known for their elusiveness, natural cunning, and endurance, and are particularly famous as great pack hunters. They are the largest wild member of the Canidae family, the largest member being the dog, which is itself a domesticated form of the gray wolf. The wolf, as we commonly refer to it, consists of every known sub-species of Canis Lupus except for the domesticated dog and the dingo. Wolves typically live and hunt in packs, usually a group of 5-12 consisting of a mated pair and their offspring. Occasionally wolves will adopt other wolves into their pack, typically the pups of another pack in the wake of a violent territorial dispute; while such groups are rare, in areas where food is particularly abundant packs have been known to reach numbers as high as 40. Wolf packs often chase their prey for miles, either wearing the victim out from the run or driving it into an ambush where the rest of the pack can easily make the kill. By acting as a team, wolves can often take down much larger and more dangerous animals, such as bears or cougars.
Wolves inhabit much of the world, including North America, Europe, North Africa, and Asia, and have inspired a diverse folklore. Famous examples include the Fenriswolf, who was the child of Loki and would ultimately claim Odin's life at Ragnarok and the kind she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus prior to their founding of Rome, while the peoples of Turkey and Mongolia hold a folk belief that they themselves are descendants of wolves. In Greece and Rome, wolves were often associated with Apollo the sun god, while in Norse mythology the wolf Skoll chases the setting sun in the hopes of devouring it. In the Bible, wolves are often depicted as symbols of greed and wickedness, while some Native American beliefs relate wolves to witchcraft in one fashion or another. But enough about wolves; let’s get to the plot, shall we?
The Beast of Ballagardi Pass
Hevic Norwaldi is not well liked; he's short, bald, and mean. He's also the only merchant greedy enough to try to take his wagon through Ballagardi Pass since the arrival of the beast earlier in the winter. It had already been a rough winter for the people of Ballagardi: food had been scarce this year and higher taxes meant the people had serious trouble making ends meet. Then, to cap matters off, trade from the mining villages on the other side of the pass had begun to slow. It didn't take the people of Ballagardi long to figure out why: something terrible had been attacking the caravans. At first the people thought it might have been bandits or maybe a few rabid wolves, but no evidence of either was found – just dead bodies in varying degrees of decay. Disturbingly, each victim had has his heart and other organs torn violently from his chest as though by massive and powerful jaws.
Soon the legend of the beast was born. Though none had ever seen the creature and lived to tell of it, evidence of its handy work littered the whole 10 miles of the pass, and it wasn’t too long before wild imaginations began describing a nightmarish beast which feasted on the innards of man. As the stories circulated, the image of the unseen beast became more and more well-refined, until the entire town had become sure of the details. Tales around the common room tables had initially been meet by skepticism by the merchants and traders who pass through Ballagardi, but when none returned and the scouting parties began to spot the twisted and broken corpses, it soon became clear to the merchants and traders just how real the beast of Ballagardi Pass was.
While most of the other, sane, merchants were looking for greener pastures elsewhere, Hevic Norwaldi was thinking only of all the wealth that must be left in those towns which could no longer trade with Ballagardi because of the beast. He resolved to assemble the largest caravan he could, staff it with as many mercenaries as he could find, and even hire some adventurers to help protect him. He rounded up all the wagons he could; even though he could only find enough trade goods to fill half of them, he hoped to salvage whatever he could from the expeditions prior to him. Having offered the PCs a share of the incredible profit he hopes to make in the mining towns should they safely cross the pass, they've agreed to meet him in Ballagardi and to guard his caravan.
The PCs arrive in Ballagardi in the midst of a dreadful snowstorm – the weather is freezing and the town inviting. Hevic himself greets the PCs at the town gates and explains that they might as well bed down for a day or two here in town, for as long as the storm persists the caravan cannot leave. You should use this opportunity to introduce the PCs to the story of the Beast of Ballagardi pass. Play up the fearsomeness of the beast, hand out a dreadful description, emphasize that he devours the innards of his victims. The tales from the people of Ballagardi, who are naturally superstitious, might seem unbelievable to the PCs, but the testimonials of seasoned merchants might put them on alert for some truly nightmarish foe.
When the storm breaks, the PCs, along with about 10 other mercenaries, set forth into the snow-logged pass. Hevic's nine massive wagons slow the progress somewhat, but as the day carries on the PCs encounter only minimal resistance and manage to recover considerable salvage from the fallen caravans. As night falls, the beast is nowhere to be seen and the caravan has made it nearly half of the way across the pass. Just as spirits are getting high among the caravan, they attack, nearly silent until it’s too late. The air is filled suddenly with sharp growls as the wolves emerge from the darkness undetected (unless the PCs took effective measures against a surprise attack). They attack viciously, charging from one target to another, hamstringing their foes and then moving on. The rapid way in which the pack of 17 moves makes it appear as though the caravan is badly out-numbered. Unless the PCs and their allies (who are caught almost completely off-guard) kill at least five wolves, they attack mercilessly until the PCs and their allies are all dead. The moment the PCs slay five wolves, the rest break off and regroup, though they attack each night until they are all dead or the PCs are safely through the pass.
Well that’s it for this week’s Grave Plots. Thanks for joining me; I hope to see you all next week for more plot ideas and adventure hooks.