Melinda’s Concentration Check: 1d20+8 = 18 (Success)

Melinda’s Attack (WL): 1d20+8 = 22 (Success)

Damage: 4d6 = 20 (Magic)

“May Auril bring winter eternal upon you and yours,” I cursed at the swordswoman. I couldn’t just rush in, like I had in past battles, but if I stepped back, that would give her an opening to go for the twins, which is the last thing we needed. So, I concentrated on minimizing the movements needed, and launched another blast, violet this time, at her chest. I’d found that it was slightly easier to minimize the movements if I didn’t try and add the extra effects to my blast. Having to also negotiate through a melee didn’t help things. I smiled grimly as the blast was right on target.

WL’s Attack 1 (Melinda): 1d20+21 = 38 (Crit Threat)

Confirm Crit: 1d20+21 = 36 (Confirmed Crit)

Damage: 2d10+16 = 27 (Slashing) (DR 5/Cold Iron)

Bonus: 1d6 = 6 (Steel)

WL’s Attack 2 (Melinda): 1d20+16 = 18 (Miss)

WL’s Attack 3 (Melinda): 1d20+11 = 26 (Hit)

Damage: 1d10+8 = 17 (DR 5/Cold Iron)

Bonus: 1d6 = 6 (Steel) (Dying, -5HP)

The woman snarled at me. “You’re going to pay for that, whelp. And then I’m going to give those pretty little elves to my wolves, see if we can’t get some nice pups out of them!” She probably said more, but I’ll admit that I was slightly more concerned with the bastard sword that cut a massive blow across my belly, threatening to disembowel me. I leaned forward, the only thing that saved me from the second blow, which passed through the space where my neck formerly was, but I couldn’t stop her third blow from slashing across my back, sending me to the ground.

Vestele’s Healing (Melinda): 4d8+7 = 27

As things began going black, I dimly heard Vestele screaming in the Abyssal tongue. “YOU FUCKING STABLE WHORE! MAY YOUR SOUL BURN IN THE FIRES OF SHENDILAVRI!” Warmth flowed through me again, and I gasped, my eyes opening. I felt more than saw Vestele kneeling beside me, her hand upon my leg.

Frostmane’s Attack (WL): 1d20+15 = 26 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 17 (Piercing)

Freezing Bite: 1d6 = 5 (Cold)

Frostmane’s STR check: 1d20+14 = 29

WL’s STR check: 1d20+4 = 11 (Prone)

Frostmane’s Attack 2 (WL): 1d20+15 = 24 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 15 (Piercing)

Freezing Bite: 1d6 = 4 (Cold)

Frostmane recognized Siora’s Haste spell for the boon it was, and turned his jaws on the swordswoman. He just barely managed to get around her shield for the first strike, but he was able to throw her to the ground, where he was able to savage her again. The white wolf snarled an insult, “I can smell the wolf on you. Not going to face me with tooth and claw, hmm? Perhaps I should claim you as my bitch, and see what kind of pups you make, hmm?”

CW’s attack (FDW1): 1d20+12 = 28 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 18 (DR 5/Magic)

CW’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 13

FDW1’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 27 (Success)

CW’s attack 2 (FDW1): 1d20+12 = 27 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 15 (DR 5/Magic)

CW’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 25

FDW1’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 19 (Prone)

The charmed dire wolf did not hesitate. Standing over the dead wolf’s corpse, it lashed out with its powerful jaws at the remaining wolf. Twice it attacked, and twice blood flew. The second time, the dire wolf fell to the ground.

CW’s AoO (FDW1): 1d20+12 = 22 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 12 (DR 5/Magic)

CW’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 26

FDW1’s STR check: 1d20+11 = 25 (Prone)

Just like its fellow, it tried to get up, only to be thrown back to the ground by Vestele’s wolf. Raggedly, it forced itself to its feet again, but this time, Frostmane did not lash out. His eyes were focused on the swordswoman, waiting.

WL’s Will Save: 1d20+6 = 20 (Success)

Siora bristled, and said, “May you experience all the nightmares of the Abyss!” The words were the final part of some spell, it seemed, but, when nothing happened, Siora grimaced. “She’s strong-willed. I doubt we’ll be able to charm or control her.”

Melinda’s Attack (WL): 1d20+14 = 25 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8 = 3 (Magic)

Hellrime Blast: 4d6 = 10 (Cold)

WL’s Fort Save: 1d20+16 = 28 (Success)

Getting to my feet once again, I glared down at the swordswoman who had come far too close to ending my life. Without thinking, icy blue surrounded my foot as I lashed out, kicking the woman in the face. “Just fucking die, Malarite scum!”

Frostmane’s AoO (WL): 1d20+15 = 35 (Crit)

Confirm Crit: 1d20+15 = 35 (Confirmed)

Damage: 2d8+20 = 26 (Piercing)

Freezing Bite: 1d6 = 3 (Cold)

Frostmane’s STR Check: 1d20+11 = 19

WL’s STR Check: 1d20+4 = 22 (Succeed)

Melinda’s AoO (WL): 1d20+14 = 29 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8 = 7 (Bludgeoning) (Dead)

The woman growled as she tried to power to her feet, in a last-ditch effort to save her life. But Frostmane’s fangs were without mercy, carving bloody chunks from her side. Even as she managed to rise to her feet, however, my fist connected with her face, becoming the last thing she would ever see.

Frostmane’s Attack (FDW1): 1d20+15 = 31 (Hit)

Damage: 1d8+10 = 18 (Piercing)

Freezing Bite: 1d6 = 5 (Cold) (Dead)

And then it was over. Frostmane’s jaws ended the last wolf’s arguments with a squelching finality, the magical beast’s throat getting summarily ripped out by those jaws. Frostmane’s howl of triumph echoed throughout the chambers, deafeningly loud.

You have defeated:

Werewolf Lord x1

Fiendish Dire Wolf x2

Melinda gains 5100 XP.

Frostmane gains 3188 XP.

Vestele gains 3188 XP.

Siora gains 3188 XP.

You have Leveled Up!

You are now Level 8.

30207 / 36000 XP to level 9.

+1 BAB

+1 Fort, +1 Ref, +0 Will

+1 CHA

HD: 1d8 = 5

+1 Bluff, +3 Concentration, +1 Perform (Dance), +1 Tumble, +1 Use Magic Device

Unseelie Fey Abilities

Damage Reduction improves to DR 10/Cold Iron

Warlock Abilities

Entropic Warding invocation lost.

Gain Otherworldly Whispers invocation.

Gain Eldritch Chain invocation.

Least Invocation

Otherworldly Whispers (2nd) – Gain +6 bonus on Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), and Knowledge (The Planes) for 24 hours.

Lesser Invocation

Eldritch Chain (4th) – Can jump Eldritch Blast to 1 secondary target per 5 levels. Secondary targets must be within 30’ of previous target. No target can be hit more than once with the same blast. Secondary targets take 50% of the damage inflicted on primary target.

Icedawn Invoker Abilities

Igloo (Sp): At 3rd level, the Icedawn Invoker can create a large magical igloo once per day. This effect is identical to the Tiny Igloo spell, allowing up to 1 Large, 3 Medium, or 12 Small creatures to exist inside it. The caster level equals her Invocation caster level.

Battledancer Abilities

Unarmed Damage increases to 1d10.

Dance of the Floating Step (Su): A Battledancer with 11 ranks in Tumble gains the ability to dance across liquid, such as water or magma, without sinking or taking damage. If she ends her movement on liquid, she sinks and takes damage as normal. Must start her movement on solid surface.

I slumped to the ground as the notifications scrolled by. I’d grown more powerful, naturally, after tough battles like this one, but it was more than just the knowledge from a level up. I felt as though my consciousness had suddenly expanded, and little whispers echoed in my mind. When I looked at Vestele’s charmed wolf, for instance, the whispers spoke of the abyssal creatures, and the nature of the spell Vestele had used. But they were confused, talking over each other, making it hard to pick them apart.

Vestele’s Cure Serious Wounds (Melinda): 3d8+7 = 18

I was dimly aware of Vestele casting spells on me. The first, once again, was the loving warmth of her Cure spell, healing most of my wounds. The second was, of all things, a Mending spell, returning my tattered clothes to a more presentable state.

I smiled up at her, and nodded my thanks. I was about to say something more, when Siora gasped over to the side. Looking up, I could see that she was staring at the blood-hued arrays on the ground.

“What? What is it?”

Siora looked back to me and said, with no little distaste. “I’ve found some of the missing villagers. And how these dogs have been feeding the wolves. Come look.”

Melinda’s Knowledge (Arcana) check: 1d20+13 = 22

I got to my feet, and walked over to the array, activating my ability to detect magic as I did so. Each array was the same. Glowing lines painted in what looked like blood, with seven people in the seven nodes at the edges of the array, bound and restrained against the floor, all naked. Most were missing limbs, which looked like they had been sawn off. While they were still alive.

Melinda’s Spellcraft check: 1d20+6 = 24

In the center of each array was a set of seven human hearts, set equally around the inner circle of the array, a line of power connecting each heart to a person on the other side of the array, crossing in the middle, creating a web of power. This was a ritual circle of some type, but what was it designed to do? Hmm, that was a rune used in conjuring spells, but it did not look like anything was being summoned…

No, wait, it was simpler than that. Healing spells were part of the Conjuration school, as magic was defined! With that thought, everything began slipping into place. These arrays linked the life force of their victims together, granting a regeneration effect. Nothing sinister, so far.

But that is where things went dark. First, it appeared that one of the key parts of setting up the array was to remove all seven victims’ hearts and quickly placing them in the array before the victims died to power up the array. After that point, all seven would regenerate, keeping them alive, and regrowing that lost heart.

The array healed the victims’ wounds and regrew lost limbs, while also sustaining them without the need for food or water. But they were locked in place, unable to leave. And the werewolves had been ‘harvesting’ their limbs, using them to feed the wolves. They were literally trapped in a living hell. In fact, I didn’t think it was even possible to break the circle without killing them.

Oh, and they were all awake, and screaming at us through the gags. Most were wild-eyed, no doubt driven mad by the torture they’d received. Still, one of them was looking keenly up at me. I looked down at the well-built man, perhaps in his late twenties. His arms and legs had been removed, but were slowly growing back. Reaching down, I removed the dirty rag from his mouth.

“Th-thank you, little miss. I was beginning to believe that no one would come and put that bitch down.” He took a pained breath, and said, “Name is Beltran. I am… I was a member of the Pipers, under guise as a merchant from Northport. Not that such things matter any more. Who might you be?”

I nodded to the man, going over what he said. Emeline had told me of the Pipers. They were an organization created by this powerful wizard, to be the eyes and ears and, if need be, hands out in the world, stopping ‘evil’ and threats to the world and such things. In other words, they were spies. And if a spy was telling you he was a spy, that was, well, ominous.

In a gentler tone, I said, “You must be one of the ones who ‘disappeared’ after the trouble started. I am Melinda Eriksdaughter, Twice-born servant of Auril Frostmaiden.” I looked over to the array for a moment, and then back to him. If he was a Piper, then he had to have some idea of the situation. “You want it straight, or would you like me to pretty things up?”

Beltran shook his head slowly. “The sadistic bitch made sure to let us all know when we were first locked into these patterns. Break the circle, and we die. If we are cut loose and taken from the circle, we die. If we are left here, well, that’s a fate worse than death, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but nod. “I would wish it on no one, even the enemies of the Icedawn. I see no problem in making my enemies suffer, but this? This is petty savagery for the point of proving how wicked one is. All it does is give the cultists plenty of ‘feed’ for their wolves. It is wasteful, and such waste invites disaster.”

“I take it you’re here to throw a branch in the Malarites’ wheels, then?”

I smirked. “Aye, and not just because the Temple of Selune gave us payment to get to the bottom of what was happening in the Moonwood. When the interests of the Frostmaiden and the Moonmaiden align, how could a follower of either sit back and let their enemies have their way?”

Beltran sighed. “Then, I will do what I can to aid your quest. All I ask is that, when I’ve told you what I know, you break the circle, and let us die. And then purge this place with fire, so that the devilry used here cannot be spread to others.”

I shook my head, and said, “Part of my class forbids me using flame.” I saw his face fall for a second, and continued, “but I will return to Moonwater, and seek out the Druidess and the Witch who live there, and see if there is some way for them to accomplish what you ask. Will that suffice?”

He sighed in resignation. “It will have to. Come here, and I’ll tell you what I know.”