Owain holds his fellow knight for a moment longer. He was speaking oddly but most of it Owain would have dismissed as expressions of unease common to men such as they who have learned to listen to their instincts. However, his friend seemed to hint at the storm having already started and he wanted to know more.

"What storm?" Owain asks of the man.

“I don’t know,” the knight said. “But the Gold Guard makes you feel like you’re out of time, whatever it is. Stepping up security in the keep the way they are doing.”

Owain cant help but wonder if the presence of night creatures and the increased security in the keep are related. He nods thoughtfully at his comrades words and give the man a warning.

"Pass the word, a fell creature decribed as wolf-like has been spotted roaming the streets this night. It has already killed one family and is still at large. Do not engage it directly, instead send word to the temple of Reorx and keep it under observation until the priests arrive."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:31, Thu 15 Apr 2010.

The knight nodded. “As long as we don’t see the dead start to walk in their masquerade. Soth was enough of that."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:42, Thu 15 Apr 2010.

The stinging in his eyes tell Owain that sleep is long past due. He enters the keep and makes his way towards his quarters. The increase in security is on his mind but he does not go out of his way to discover what is up. If it was important enough, word would reach his ears in due time.

14 Reapember 353 AC
It was a new day and much of it past as the heroes rested from the late night adventures or conducted various activities in preparation for their trip to the Lyceum or to battle the night creature.

Owain returns to Olven's abode dressed as we was the night before. He mills about outside for a few moments taking in the scene in the full light of day before approaching the apartment door and knocking. As he waits for an answer Owain looks at the neighbor's door and wonders if any sort of cleanup took place.

As Owain took in the scene outside the tenement, Tarhall arrived and the two went inside together. Inside they saw one watchman stationed at the neighbor’s door. But to their surprise, another watchman was stationed at Olven’s door too.

Owain pauses as he enters the tenement after noticing the guard at Olven's door. He tosses a quizzical look over his shoulder at Tarhall as if to verify that it was an odd thing to discover, then approaches the man.

"Is the resident of this home currently in?" Owain asks.

Tarhall was just as surprised by the watchman as Owain.

Instead of answering their questions, the watchman asked for their papers. And as the warrior and the mage gave them to him, he looked them over before returning them.

"No," the watchman said. "He was sent to one of the hospitals in Forge Ward. The 50th is the closest. He was badly wounded."

Owain's face pales slightly at the news.  Already he fears the worst after what occured the night before. How could he assume that Olven would be safe in his own home after what had happened? Scenario after scenario play in Owain's mind as to what may have happened and what he might have done differently to prevent harm to his new companion in the few moments that he stands silently in front of the guard.

Blinking away thoughts that did no good for anyone, Owain thanks the guard and hastily makes his way to the named hospital at the forge ward.

As Owain and Tarhall was headed towards the hospital, they ran into Olven on his way back home.

Owain examines Olven to determine the visible extent of his injuries as he approaches. The knight relaxes some since Olven was capable of returning home under his own power. Either the extent of his injuries were exaggerated or the healers at the Kalaman hospitals were very good.

He greets Olven with a raised hand then stands in front of him with a questioning look, eager to hear his story after they parted ways.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:33, Mon 26 Apr 2010.

Olven Wolf is in one piece, though his clothes have been ripped.  "Sir Owain!" he calls, hurrying forward.  When he reaches the knight, Olven lowers his voice.  "The beast attacked again last night," he says quietly, waiting for the street to clear before delivering the news.  "It murdered the three men staying with me, along with two Seekers and a watchman.  I don't know how I survived it."

A shudder passes through Olven's body.  "It ripped into me," he continues quietly.  "I didn't know my body could withstand that much trauma.  I could have died in its massive jaws.  The rest of the watch rescued me, but not before the thing escaped through a window.  Fortunately, the king's influences meant that I was healed fully, but I very nearly came face to face with Death."  Stopping a moment, he mutters, "Perhaps I did."

His face pale, Olven continues, "We should return to the dwarf, seek his answers on how to combat the thing."  Olven looks around, and then says more softly still, "It overpowered me like I was a child.  No one is safe in the city while that thing still lives."

"You didn't get any information about the werewolf last night then," Tarhall asked.

"What do you mean, werewolf?" Olven Wolf asks.  "We were told that it was a terrible, terrible creature, and that we shouldn't go after it on account of its shredding us into little, teeny tiny bits."  He spits.  "Well, last night, the creature proved that he didn't care about that strategy."

“I asked some questions this morning,” Tarhall said. “And from what I was told the creature is a werewolf. But the price was quite expensive, so I didn’t ask that many questions, and I’m not sure how reliable the answers are. But from what I was told werewolves are vulnerable to silver and other night creatures, such as vampires.”

“And I was also told that the person in the city who knew more about them than anyone else was a dwarven cleric called Anvil Ironfist.”

[OOC: Feel free to have heard any legends you like about vampires, I'm not making the mistake I made regarding werewolves again.]

Owain listens to the news intently. His eyes open wide with disbelief as Olven describes the carnage inflicted on the guards left at his home.

"I felt the men left behind would be enough to disuade the beast from returning at the least. It concerns me that the threat of so many armed men did not discourage it."

The knight stares into the distance thoughtfully for a moment, then takes a deep breath and returns to the conversation.

"I am glad to see you alive Olven. Yes, it was my intent to gather you and return to the temple in any case to check up on Handar. My confidence in the temples ability to handle this is still weak. Not having a watch of their own on the scene of the crime does not impress me their werewolf hunting skills."

Owain nods at Tarhall. "We received some, but not nearly enough. We learned that the beast we are seeking is known as an alpha werewolf. The only other thing we learned is that silver is the key to its destruction."

The knight pats the dagger sheathed on his belt for emphasis.

"So what do we do now," Tarhall asked.

"The priest mentioned that we could be trained to hunt this creature, but that the cost was high," Olven Wolf says.  "I don't know about you two, but I don't feel right, leaving the city at the mercy of this thing."

He shrugs his shoulders.  "But we've been charged by the king to add to the city's coffers.  That's my duty, first and foremost.  The monk who was with us, Kar, said he wanted to train to hunt the wolf.  Maybe he'll be enough."

Olven crosses his arms and thinks for a moment, head down.  "As much as I'd like to track down and destroy this werewolf, I think we should go explore the Lyceum."

"Yes, Kar was his name. I am eager to get on with our mission as well, but I would like to go fully prepared and with our complete number. Let us check on the monk, then we can decide on how to proceed. Perhaps Kar can elaborate on just how high a price he paid and for what kind of revelation."

The trio went to the temple of Reorx. When Tarhall realized where they were going, a worried look crossed his face..

“Who is teaching Kar to hunt the wolf,” Tarhall asked and the worry carried to his voice.

"We did not get his name. It was a dwarven cleric." replies Owain. He pauses mid stride and attempts to read Tarhall's face, his look of concern was easily apparent.

OOC: Anvil Ironfist was the name given in the narratives, but I dont believe IC any of us were introduced.

“My source told me that Anvil Ironfirst is a dwarven cleric of Reorx,” Tarhall said. “And that no one in the city knows more about werewolves than he. I was also told that he is a vampire. If that is true and Kar is alone with him. I don’t want to imagine what has happened to him.”

[OOC: That’s how I remember it as well, but Tarhall doesn’t know that.]

Owain lifts an eyebrow curiously. "A vampire? serving in the temple of Reorx?"

The knights chin drops, deep in thought for several moments. Slowly his eyes widen as he comes to a realization about the previous night.

"Ironfist's ramblings about no turning back and paying the ultimate price was more than the mumbo-jumbo I dismissed it as, if what you say is true. It may seem that he really did mean death when he spoke of the ultimate price. The sacrifice of life in exchange for existence as one of the unliving. I fear greatly for our monk friend. I hope his faith was strong enough to keep his soul intact. Let us make haste and see what fate has befallen him."