The Howling Call

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# Outline
Begin the adventure with the party entering one of these remote, forested villages and read aloud the following:
 
> [!read-aloud] **Read Aloud** 
> 
 >  
 > The village's buildings creak in the wind, and the near-empty streets smell of mildew with a metallic twang. The surrounding trees whisper and moan as the wind rushes through their branches. A few villagers work hurriedly, peeking over their shoulders with bloodshot eyes and squinting into the dark forest.
 
Give the party a chance to wander the street or ask a villager about the job postings, but the busy, muttering villagers pay them no mind. Player characters attempting to eavesdrop on any villagers may attempt a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation)check to overhear snippets of recent tragedies: livestock, neighbors, and relatives slain or taken “by The Howling.”
 
Then suddenly one halfling woman named Gredel scuttles up to the party, recognizing them as capable-looking adventurers, and asks, > [!read-aloud] **Read Aloud** 
 >  
 > “Hello! Have you come about the guard work?” 
 She has pale, wrinkled skin, fading blonde hair, simple brown clothes, and one silver earring. Cautious not to scare off the party, Gredel offers limited information about the job and recent events. She speaks vaguely of missing livestock before asking the party to watch her two cows, Milk and Cheese, for 5 gold per night.
 
The player characters may coax Gredel into sharing more details with a DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check. On a success she whispers that another of her cows, Cream, was taken a few nights ago by “a beast from the wood.”
 
 **If your party asks Gredel or another villager about The Howling** , they break down and plead for the adventurers to investigate the wood and kill the beasts responsible for their losses. They explain that attacks usually occur about twice per year, but the last few weeks have been a nightmare. If the party cannot stop The Howling, the terrified villagers must abandon their homes and move to the city.
 
<u>They can offer one silver dagger and one silver ingot</u> that may be used as an improvised silver club. Alternatively, the ingot can be <u>smelted into 20 pieces of ammunition or used to silver one weapon with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check with smith's tools</u>, which may be loaned by a villager.
 
 **If your party insists on protecting Gredel's two cows** , the player character with the highest passive Perception readily notices a third, empty barn stall labeled “Cream” and sets of parallel gouges, like claw marks, in the wood. 
 
Each night the party guards Milk and Cheese, they are terrorized by The Howling and unable to gain the benefits of a long rest. At the gamemaster's discretion, clarify to the group that both their characters and these sweet, innocent cows are doomed unless the party investigates the wood and finds a way to stop The Howling.
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![[plots/howling-in-the-woods/table-of-contents]]
 
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