Chapter 2: The Trek to Myrefall

End of Combat!Kethra's blade finds its mark with deadly precision, burying itself deep in the chest of the remaining wolfman. The creature staggers, dark blood pooling in the snow, before collapsing with a final, rattling breath.

The battlefield falls silent except for the party's labored breathing and the soft whisper of falling snow. Around them, the carnage tells the story of their hard-fought victory: wolf corpses scattered across the bloodstained ground, and the two wolfmen finally still.

As the adrenaline fades, the party becomes acutely aware of their wounds and exhaustion. They stand battered but triumphant, having faced their first real test in the northern wilderness and emerged victorious.

A small nearby wagon appears to be loaded with stolen goods.

Kethra
The smooth, dark stone is cold in Kethra's hands, its surface marked with angular runes. Her training in the arcane arts serves her well as she traces the activation sequence with practiced precision, perhaps from time helping out in the Ormskirk longhouse. The runes begin to glow faintly at first and then more brightly, forming intricate patterns across the stone's surface.

Nelie and Leta
Nelie approaches the fallen wolf-creatures with cautious steps, her halfling stature allowing her to examine them closely. What she finds disturbs her more than simple wolves would have. These beings are clearly humanoid in build, standing nearly six feet tall, with elongated limbs that end in clawed hands capable of wielding weapons. Their faces blend wolf-like snouts with the bone structure of intelligent beings, and their eyes are positioned more forward-facing like predators that hunt with strategy rather than instinct.

You reach into the pouches across the chests or the wolf-men, finding nothing of real import. The most remarkable find lies beside the larger creature -- a sword clearly not of their craftsmanship. The blade bears elegant scrollwork that spirals down its length like frost patterns, with a crossguard shaped like crescent moons and a grip wrapped in midnight-blue leather. Most remarkably, the entire weapon emanates a soft, silvery radiance like moonlight through winter clouds, casting dim light in a fifteen-foot radius even now.

Johann
Johan moves to examine the overturned wagon with a practiced eye, quickly realizing this wasn't a victim of the attack but rather a tool the wolf-creatures had been using to collect their spoils. The wagon bed is filled with sorted items clearly looted from various buildings throughout the village: silver candlesticks, bundled furs, preserved foods, and other valuables that would be useful to raiders.

Despite the creatures' thorough work, Johan's wilderness experience allows him to spot items they overlooked or discarded as less valuable. Among the debris scattered around the wagon, he finds a mostly intact healer's kit, some preserved rations that will last about two weeks, and winter clothing that appears to be in good condition.

With the immediate supplies secured, Johan turns his attention to the fallen wolves from their earlier encounter. These natural wolves, unlike the strange wolf-men his companions are examining, will provide valuable pelts for the harsh winter ahead. He begins the careful process of skinning them, his skilled hands working methodically while keeping one ear open for his companions' discoveries.

Kish

While Johan focuses on the wagon's contents and the fallen wolves, Kish approaches from a different angle, his keen eyes studying the wagon's construction and the area around it. He notices deep gouges in the wagon's wooden sides where claws have scraped against the wood, and the way the harness traces have been cut rather than unbuckled suggests the creatures freed the draft animals in haste.

Kish circles the wagon, reading the story told by the churned earth and scattered debris. The tracks around the wagon tell of organized activity rather than frenzied looting, with clear patterns showing the creatures worked methodically through the village.

Nelie and Leta

Despite Nelie's best efforts to recall specific details about these wolf-men, the knowledge eludes her grasp like morning mist. She remembers only fragments of old tales told around winter fires - stories of creatures that walked between wolf and man. The details blur together like half-remembered dreams, leaving her with nothing more than the unsettling certainty that these beings are not natural and that their presence here bodes ill for Myrefall and the surrounding villages.