A howl in the night wakes Xavi from his restless slumber. He doesn’t have time to don his breastplate, but lifts the warhammer he carries and dons his shield, Sehanine’s symbol shimmering under Catha’s bright moonlight. A wolf is advancing on the party’s camp, at least two more create a perimeter. Scarlette’s growly voice does nothing to scare them off. On alert now, Xavi stands, and sees Lindy loose an arrow towards the closest wolf. The giant white alpha is undeterred as it streaks towards them.
Hell breaks loose. Chadrae releases three streaks of fire towards the approaching wolf, and Scarlette begins to show a side to her the others haven’t seen before. Her face elongates, and her pointed teeth grow into larger fangs. Knife-like claws extend from Scarlette’s hands, as she aims to kill.
With one of the wolves downed, the other two scatter, their tails between their legs. The troupe catches their breath and ensures everyone’s wounds are tended to.
Inspecting the carcass, Xavi is intrigued by the puncture in the wolf’s ear. “It’s almost as if it’s been marked by an owner, like cattle.” Larkin remarks. She uses the dagger Xavi took off of Tulgi, to cleanly slice the marked ear off the beast. On auto-pilot, they all take stock in their surroundings, reset the watch, and sleeplessly rest another few hours until morning breaks.
The party sets out early, continuing their trek towards Croaker Cave. Xavi tells his new companions about his conversation with Sehanine, his deity the Moon Weaver. How she flooded his mind with images from the Age of Arcanum, grand magic, and flying cities. What was the link between a long-dead magocracy and an icy, incurable illness?
As they approach a rocky basalt outcrop, Gill points out the cave entrance. No one is standing guard, but he warns there may be bat-eating frogs nearby. The group formulates a plan. Half of them will do the talking, while the other half will remain hidden in case the talking doesn’t go well.
But plans are meant to be broken. When it’s clear there is no immediate threat to entering the cave, Scarlette and Lindy begin to try and cross the semi-frozen pond and advance into the cavern. This startles the giant frogs underneath the ice. Two giant frogs leap to the offensive and attack!