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"The Wolves," she asked. "And who are they, that you think we cannot rescue our friend from their grasp. We've faced many a group of bandits before, many even adept at their trade. Of what nature are these Wolves that we should fear them?"

"The Grey Wolves are not men, my friend, not anymore. Men possess souls and hearts. The Grey Wolves have neither. They are nothing more than a black sheet of death awaiting their calling!"

"What nonsense is this you talk, old man, speak clearly!"

"Ahhh ahhh ah. Don't lose your temper with me, girl, you'll not be clearing my head with threats. I simply wish to see to it that I am taken care of in my old age."

"All right, old man, here's another 15 silver. There, you've emptied my purse, I've no more to give you, so speak now and tell me what you know of these Grey Wolves."

"Yes, lass, I'll tell you what I know. I'd hate to see such a lucrative deal end so abruptly, so perhaps you can call it an investment on my part.

"They came from the south about two years ago, Dinganni, a score of them, traveling on foot. Their furs bore the dust of many roads and they had the smell of a hunted animal upon them. They equipped themselves at Torgak's and then without even a backward glance they entered the ruins, headed for the Smalls. No one ever questioned that they were running from something. But like all fools who enter the ruins so hastily, they were soon forgotten.

"It wasn't until three weeks later that a war party of Dinganni entered the city. They had but one purpose; they were on a Blood Hunt. They were looking for a renegade Dinganni Shaman called the Grey Wolf. They spoke with Torgak and he assured them that the only Dinganni that had been through here had entered the ruins and not come out for weeks. It was assumed that they had died somewhere within the ruins. The war party made a short venture into the ruins, but were driven back by a swarm of undead in the Smalls. Realizing the lethality of Parlainth, the war party returned to their homeland to resume their peaceful ways. The hunt had been completed to their satisfaction.

"No one gave the renegades a second thought until a year ago, when five of them emerged from the ruins and walked right into the center of Haven. They were no longer the scared and hunted men that had fled into certain death. They were the renegade Dinganni warriors that had returned puffed up with pride from having lived and survived for so long in Parlainth. They purchased many items from Torgak, furs, steel, bloodcharms, healing, and food. Then, without so much as a second thought, they returned to the ruins unmolested.

"After a few months, more Dinganni began to walk the streets of Haven. They came from both the ruins and from the southern plains. Renegades, all of them. Many of them even had brands on their arms marking them as exiles of the Dinganni nation. Soon they began causing trouble within the city. Bar fights and the like. Torgak imprisoned three of them, but that very night the jail was broken into, the men freed, and the jail torn to the ground. Torgak lost five of his men in that fight, all of them trained fighters. After that, he hasn't had much of a heart for imprisoning them. He's not concerned for his own safety, but he doesn't want innocent townspeople and guardsmen dying at the hands of these renegades.

"Ahhh, but the real story is just beginning. Three months ago, one of the Dinganni came from the ruins. He was a magnificent looking man. He stood about six foot four, and he was built like a draft horse. On his right arm, he wore three shafts of steel attached to his forearm and wrist, like some kind of weapon. Only they were real fancy. They had a glittering edge, looked like glass or crystal to me. He wore about him the pelt of a giant grey wolf, and his eyes...his eyes were different colors, one was blue like a crystal and the other one was golden. He made his way directly to Agramen's Import/Export. I don't know what went on there, but whatever it was, when he left he carried with him a big sack of coins. Then he made some more purchases from Torgak, smiling all the while, and returned to the ruins.

"So, you see, they've been sort of a fixture here for the past few years. We don't like 'em. No one does. But there's not much we can do about them either. So, we go on. You see, if they do have your friend, and my sources say that they do, you can forget about him. If you do, it will be a lot easier on him and you."

"That's it? That's all you know? Can't you tell me anything more about them -- perhaps why they came here, or what they did to become exiles?"

"Well, there is a bit more I could tell you but......say, that's a lovely ring you got on your finger there. Silver?"

"All right, all right old man, take the damn ring, but tell me what else there is to know."

"Well, then, to continue my tale. About a month ago, another Dinganni entered Haven. Walked past me on his way to Torgak's, so I took the liberty of following and listening in. This one looked different from the rest of them and he caught my interest.

"He introduced himself as Magus Ursus, a Dinganni Shaman, who sought to hunt down and kill the renegade known as the Grey Wolf. He was unlike any Dinganni I had ever seen. He was proud and strong, like they all are, but he carried himself with a air of pride and honor that even the leaders of the war party did not possess. For he was not hunting the Grey Wolves for blood or revenge. He was dealing their retribution. He requested that Torgak give him permission to kill any Grey Wolves found within the walls of Haven. When Torgak inquired as to just what their crimes among the Dinganni people were, Magus explained.

"Grey Wolf was once the Shaman of the largest of the Dinganni tribes. He held a position of honor and power among the people. He practiced both the arts of wizardry and elementalism, and was regarded as a seer. One night, for an unknown reason, he turned on the tribal chieftain and slew her in her sleep. He then stole the Talon of Kro'arn'lesh, a magnificent weapon edged with crystal and forged as a badge of rank, passed from chieftain to chieftain for generations. He then fled and in his flight killed many of what were once his people. He traveled as a hunted man from town to town and city to city, meeting with other exiled Dinganni along the way. Most were rabble unable to resist the temptation of theft, others were cold blooded murderers. All were exiles. Eventually Grey Wolf named his band after himself, and with a Dinganni war party on their heels, they fled here. The Grey Wolves have come to be called the shame of the Dinganni nation, and Magus had come to purge all Dinganni of their shame and to reclaim the Talon of Kro'arn'lesh.

"Torgak, wishing to see Haven free of the Wolves, granted Magus free right to hunt the Grey Wolves within the very walls of Haven. A few days later, a battle broke out near a candle maker's in the New City. Magus and five Dinganni warriors fought a fearsome battle in the city streets, and in the end The Grey Wolves numbered five less and Magus was severely wounded. He left the city, fearing a repercussive strike against him while he was wounded. He hasn't been seen since, but he'll be back. Witnesses to the battle said that he's more than simply a man, that he's a plague called down on all renegade Dinganni to purify the nation. It's even reported that, while they were fighting, his face changed and turned into a visage of death as he cut their throats and dealt them their retribution.

"So, you see, if even an avenger of death cannot take on five of the Grey Wolves, how do you and your rag-tag bunch ever plan on freeing your friend from them? That is, assuming that your friend is even still alive."

"Thank you, old man," she said. "I hope your new found wealth serves you well. And don't fret, for we shall return, and with our friend intact as well. For if one man can survive a fight with five of these outlaws, my band will fare just fine. It will just take a little planning, that's all."

With that, the girl stood, and, looking down at the old beggar, she took her leave.

The beggar stood and straightened out his long frame. "By the Passions, I'm getting tired of the poor old man bit, " he swore to himself. "But, I got a full purse and a nice little silver ring to show for it." Ah well, he thought to himself as he wiped the makeup from his face and turned into the alley, I guess it's off to the Troll to get a bit of ale and some good roast mutt ... What?...Ugh!

Slowly, the rogue's body slumped to the ground, as three gleaming silver and crystal blades covered with blood withdrew from his shattered sternum. A moment later, a figure peered out from the mouth of the alley, his one golden eye twinkling in the moonlight.

"Yes, little girl, come looking for your friend. We'll be waiting." He smirked. "After all, you're the one we wanted in the first place."

The Grey Wolves have been designed as a game master's aid for adventures set within Parlainth and Haven. The Grey Wolves are a well organized band of renegade Dinganni, numbering nearly thirty. All have broken laws which the Dinganni nation consider sacred (for more information on the Dinganni people, see Denizens of Earthdawn Vol. 1). As a result of their crimes, they have been exiled from the Dinganni people. Over time they collected in small groups, a few here and there. It was not until Grey Wolf found these small bands that they began to join together and form a people of their own.

All members of the Grey Wolves are loyal to Grey Wolf and would gladly lay down their lives for him. The Grey Wolves have abandoned all Dinganni codes and laws and no longer consider themselves a part of the Dinganni people.

They have established a base of operations in Parlainth. They get much of what they need to survive by ambushing well equipped adventuring parties and groups of adventurers returning from the ruins with treasure in hand. What they cannot find or steal, they will buy from Torgak, who will grudgingly sell to them since they are glad to pay his prices and since he really doesn't want any more trouble then necessary within his city. Torgak also does not act against the attacks made on adventurers exiting and entering the ruins, because as far as he's concerned they should be able to take care of themselves.

The Grey Wolves make their homes in the ruins of the Smalls. (If you have the Parlainth - The Forgotten City boxed set, Vardeghul's Trove of Lore contains a map of the Smalls that indicates the area in which the Grey Wolves may be found, or you may place them yourself.) They have cleared out enough of the area to make them feel safe, and to give them a buffer against the rest of the city. The Grey Wolves have also studied many of the traps common to the Smalls and have criss-crossed most of the entrances to their domain with traps of many different varieties, all lethal. They are fierce fighters and have trained their skills so that they can fight very effectively in small skirmish settings.
 

The Grey Wolves

Grey Wolf -- 5th Circle Wizard

Reasons for Treachery
It is not known why Grey Wolf broke the Dinganni laws and became what he did, but these are a number of possible reasons.

• He was casting raw magic and a horror infested his mind and corrupted him. He has since beaten the horror back, but now he cannot return to his people because they will not believe that he was not in control of himself.
• He never beat the horror and is still possessed.
• He went mad.
• He decided that the Dinganni Nation was weak and decided to create his own nation and needed the Talon of Kro'arn'lesh as a symbol. With it he has been gathering people to his way of thought and building up power and when he is ready he plans to take over the Dinganni tribal lands.

Grey Wolves Options

• The game master may find these to be a little boring or under powered for their game. You are encouraged to make some of the common warriors adepts. The most common disciplines would be Beastmasters, Warriors, and Elementalists. They would not commonly be over the 2nd circle though a few may be 3rd.
• It is possible that the Grey Wolves have developed a group pattern and some of the adept Grey Wolves and Grey Wolf himself have woven to it and enhanced some of their abilities.
• If the game master wishes Grey Wolf may have made a pact with a Gharmek (Parlainth -- The Forgotten City). He will supply the Gharmek with victims and in turn the Gharmek will offer protection for the Grey Wolves. If you decide to use this option become familiar with the Gharmek's strength's and weaknesses before players encounter it. The Grey Wolves keep this pact a closely guarded secret so that people will not anticipate meeting a horror when they go after the Wolves.
• When Grey Wolf visited Agramen they made a deal. Grey Wolf would search the ruins for Agramen and turn over and Theran artifacts. It has been learned that they Grey Wolves are in possession of an important Throalic artifact and the party had been hired to recover it before it is turned over to Theran hands.
• The Grey Wolves have been performing a service for Agramen. He kidnaps someone close to the party (or politically important) for a variety of possible reasons (They know something about an important Theran artifact, they have learned of Agramen's treachery, he wants to use the person as a bargaining ship, etc....) Agramen transported the victim to the Grey Wolves (by way of the eastern catacombs, in a hay cart going into the ruins, over the wall at night) and they have been holding the victim captive awaiting Agramen's orders. The party must free the victim before it is too late. Grey Wolf has been using his Shield Candles to prevent magical detection of the victim.
• The Grey Wolves are forming their own Nation (see Reasons for Treachery)