Prologue
Storm Cormmanth hummed a soft tune as he skinned the rabbit he had caught earlier in the day. Elder Storm Cormmanth, who was only in his mid thirties, was one of the councilmen in the small town of Jalanthar. He was a tall slender gentleman with dark brown curly hair and tanned skin. Like most of the rangers, trappers, and hunters who lived in Jalanthar, Storn wore tan leather breeches, a light green cotton shirt, and brown leather boots.
After skinning the rabbit, Elder Storn cleaned the knife and placed it inside his boot. He brushed the warm sweat from his brow and looked up into the clear blue sky. Autumn was about to begin in Fauern, as the leaves were starting to turn red.
Storn Cormmanth directed his eyes to the dirt road in front of his house. A little man in red robes ran into the street and screamed," The Wolves are coming! The Wolves are coming!"
The elder watched as the man in red quickly silenced himself and then ran towards the temple of Mielikki. His eyes caught the site of the townspeople walking to the spot where the man in red had just decreed that the Wolves would be returning to Jalanthar.
He could see the worried looks on the faces of the mothers who now held their children close to their bosom. The mothers who had heard the stories about the Wolves and the mothers who remembered the last time the Wolves came to Jalanthar.
One of the townspeople, a man about the same age as Storn, looked at the elder and asked," What do we do sir?"
"We will hold a town meeting," Storn answered, looking down the road. He noticed a large white banner tied to a tree that carried a message.
It read: The Wolves are coming in 7 days
The message was written in blood.
The twelve members of Jalanthar's counsel met in the old school building near the edge of town. Elder Storn Cormmanth stood in front of the rest of the council, looking into the eyes of the other members. Many of them had lost their children to the Wolves when they last came.
"As most of you had seen earlier today, the Wolves have declared that they are returning to our beloved town," Storn stated in his deep voice. "The last time the Wolves came was twenty years ago. For all of you who remember, they came in like a raging storm and took many of our children away from us. I believe that they have returned to take the children once again. We can not let this happen."
"What are we going to do?" asked a mother of two young children.
"Surely we can't just let them take our kids," shouted a father of an infant boy.
Storn Cormmanth kept silent for a moment, then continued," From what our scouts told us last time, is that the Wolves take our children into the Nether Mountains. However, our scouts couldn't track the Wolves past the entrance into the mountain."
"I saw we fight!" yelled a grizzled voice from the back of the room.
Storn Cormmanth looked towards the back, spotting Badel, leader of the Arident Legion in Jalanthar. In his early fifties, Badel was a tall man with light grey hair and broad shoulders. He was wearing the same leathers that Storn was wearing and carried a long sword at his side. "We have to protect the children."
We tried to stand up and fight last time," said a mother of twins," and they still took the children.
"How can we be sure that they will be coming?" asked one man who was skeptical about the return of the Wolves," Maybe it's some prank."
Just as the man finished his sentence, the druidess Ophila slowly walked inside the room unnoticed. She was a beautiful elven woman with olive skin and light brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. She wore brown leathers and held a large maul that bore the image of an oaf leaf in the middle of the handle. "The Wolves will be coming," she announced in a soft angelic voice, which no one seemed to hear.
The members of the council began to murmur and mumble amongst themselves-that is-until Ophila made a coughing noise that made everyone cease their discussions and focus their attention on her. "As I was saying, the Wolves are coming in seven days. Last night Silvanus came to me as I lay in deep reverie. He told me that they will be coming but that their numbers will not be as great as last time. The god of nature also told me that the are not alone in our fight."
The council sat back in their chairs, each of their faces decorated with confusion and worry. Ophila continued," He told me that in three days, four heroes will enter our town. Their leader will have silver hair. He said that they will come and aid us in our fight against the Wolves. Maybe even discovering who sends these monsters upon our town."
The mother of the twins looked up at Ophila. "How do we be sure that these people will help us protect our babies? How can we trust them?"
Ophila nodded. "I understand your questions Lady Breanna, but I will tell you that when Silvanus showed me these four, I recognized the man with silver hair. His father came here twenty years ago and fought against the Wolves. Now it looks like that his son has come to help save the town against the Wolves."
Storn looked at Ophila. He could see the sadness that was starting to fill her eyes.
He then took a deep breath and turned to the rest of the council. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm up for fighting the Wolves, whether or not these heroes will come and aid us or not. I will not stand back while they snatch the children away from their parents."
Badel gave a cheer, declaring that he and his men would be participating in the battle.
Once again, Storn looked at the rest of the council. After a moment of awkward silence, the other members of the council agreed to join in the fight.
