The Search for the Circle of Vehlarr: Part Five

Have you ever wondered what makes a werewolf tick? What forces are at work that would make a human ally with such a creature? Designer Steve Miller takes you on a journey of discovery as he leads you ever deeper in the Circle of Vehlarr.

By K. Steven Miller

"Arahnar," I said, trying to get her attention. She’d barely finished undressing before she began transforming to her full wolf aspect, a sleek black-furred creature almost as large as a bear. "Be careful or that wound on your arm—well, your leg—will open up again. Calm down. Wait until I’ve—"

She was beyond listening to reason. She sniffed the ground, then the air, and charged off into the darkness with a howl. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Arahnar as angry as she was that night, before or since.

I grabbed my battle-axe and started after her. As I emerged from the stand of trees, a grazing area opened before me. Beneath the light of the waning moon was a most amazing sight. The wizard whom Arahnar had wanted to disembowel was not only still alive, but she crouched before him, licking his hand. As I watched, she reverted to her human form while the wizard gently said, "Yes, my darling. I knew you’d no longer have the heart to be angry with me. All is forgiven, yes?"

"Of course," she replied, kissing his fingers as fur bristled and faded, giving way to bare skin.

I felt angered and repulsed. She was clearly under the influence of yet another spell, this one intended to paralyze her fighting spirit rather than her body. This wizard was twice the monster Arahnar would ever be. Swinging my axe over my head, I charged at them with a battle cry.

The wizard shot a glance at me and barked a command in a foreign tongue. Suddenly, I found myself charging at his two brutish companions; the unnatural sight of Arahnar kneeling before that Thayan creature had blinded me to the real dangers on the field.

I swung my axe at the lead brute, intending to end the blow he was trying to deliver by severing his arm. To my surprise, my strike didn’t even penetrate his pallid skin.

"What are they doing?" I heard Arahnar say.

"Killing him," the wizard replied. "He will only impede the growth of our love."

"But—but—"

"You don’t need him anymore."

I swung my axe at the brutes, knocking them back with the impact and scrambling to my feet. The brutes continued to advance. Several swings of my axe confirmed that it was impossible for me to harm them; all I could do was keep them off-balance and continue to retreat away from them. Meanwhile, Arahnar knelt naked in the moonlight, looking from the wizard to me, growing increasingly distraught.

"Make them stop! We’re looking for my pack! He’s helped me! He’s my friend!"

"Don’t worry, dear," the wizard said, gently patting her on the head. "We—"

"Make them stop!" She leaped at him, suddenly filled with fury. Fur started sprouting on her skin as she locked her hands on his shoulders and kicked him in the stomach. Her weight sent him crashing onto his back. She slammed her hands against his chest and then brought them up over her head with a sweeping motion and a spray of blood. Now, that was the Arahnar I’d come to know! Somehow, she’d broken the spell! "Make them stop!"

The wizard shrieked in pain, then shrieked another foreign word. The brutes froze like statues. Arahnar threw me a blazing glance. I signaled that I was fine.

"They’re stopped," the wizard yelled. "Please, darling—"

"That’s the last obscenity that will cross your lips," She raised a hand to bring it down to deliver the final blow.

"I can help you! I can show you how to cast a spell that will help you find your pack!" the wizard screamed. Arahnar froze with her talons a hair’s width from his throat. "Really?"

"I have a ring that will allow it. Back in Scornubel. It’s yours if you spare me!"

"If you can teleport us straight there, she’ll spare you," I said. I wasn’t about to travel through that cesspool again.

Arahnar drew a deep breath and got slowly to her feet. She kept a talon close to the wizard’s throat while gesturing for him to follow. "Cast your spell," she then snarled.

He started chanting. Moments later, we were in a spacious room, presumably somewhere in Scornubel. The wizard’s knees buckled and I caught him before he hit the floor.

"Weakling," Arahnar sneered as she glanced around the room, surveying the workbenches loaded with books, bottles, stills, and bizarre devices that I didn’t recognize. She eventually headed toward a doorway that led to another room where I could see a bed. "Bind his wounds while I find something to wear."

I helped the dazed wizard into a chair. As I treated his wounds, I asked, "Were you the one who almost killed Arahnar shortly before she lost track of pack?"

"Someone almost killed her?"

I related the tale of how Arahnar and I came to be traveling together.

He shook his head. "How could someone treat such a beautiful creature in such a brutal fashion?"

I snorted. "That’s why you’re after her? Because of her beauty?"

"Yes. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever met, in all three of her shapes." His gaze shifted to over my shoulder. I turned my head to see Arahnar return from the other room. She was wearing a pair of baggy tights and was buttoning a white shirt. A red wizard’s robe was slung over her shoulder along with a weapons-belt.

"I’m taking this stuff," she said matter-of-factly, putting on the robe. The bottom of the garment pooled on the floor around her feet as she fastened the belt; a sheathed dagger hung from it, some sort of arcane symbol.

"Wait a minute," I said, as it became clear to me that it wasn’t just a red robe… it was the red robe, the kind worn only by the Red Wizards of Thay. "You can’t wear that!"

"I like the color," she replied with a shrug." And since my beloved Vatsisen here is going to give me that ability to cast spells, I might as well dress the part, yes?"

"Yes," the wizard said, swallowing hard. "You look absolutely stunning, my dear."

"Stow it," Arahnar said coldly. "Just get the ring."

The wizard hurried to one of the benches. Seconds later, he produced a golden ring set with two tiny green gems and three tiny blue gems. He gave it to Arahnar, saying, "All you have to do is put on the ring and concentrate of the spell you want to cast while touching the appropriate gem. The green stones contain detect lycanthropes, a spell I created that lets me track those of your kind, Arahnar such as you. The blue stones are teleport without error spells… they will take you to any place you have been or are able to visualize clearly in your mind." Looking at me, he said, "All you have to do is place a hand on her shoulder, and you’ll go with her."

Arahnar’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she slipped the ring on her finger. "We can go anywhere?"

"As long as you can visualize it," the wizard said. "But you can only cast each spell as many times as there are gems of the appropriate color in the ring." He hesitated, fixing his eyes on Arahnar. "But, I’ll be happy to recharge the ring for you any time you return to Scornubel."

"I guess that’s reason enough to keep you alive," Arahnar said with a smile. She got on the tip of her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. The stupid wizard looked as though someone had just given him the sun and the moon. "Thanks, Vatsisen"

"Let’s get going," I said. Arahnar nodded and stepped back to stand next to me. I placed a hand on her shoulder as the wizard had suggested. He watched us, still with that dopey, happy look on his face. I guess he really was in love with her, no matter how twisted that notion seemed to me. That’s the only explanation I could see for him being such an idiot about her.

Then, without warning, Arahnar activated the ring and we left him behind.

To Be Continued….

AD&D Game Information

Spells Created by Avan Vatsisen

As of this writing, these spells exist only in Avan Vatsisen’s spellbooks and research notes. However, it is possible that he will share some of them with members of the Silver Stake (described in Part Three) or PCs who are willing to trade some of their unique or very rare spells for them.

Charm Lycanthrope
(Enchantment/Charm)
Level: 2
Range: 120 yards
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 2
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: 1 natural lycanthrope in a 20-ft radius, plus 1 additional for every 3 caster levels.
Saving Throw: Neg.

This is a spell of limited application, created exclusively to charm natural lycanthropes. The spell is otherwise identical to charm person, with the exception that it is not broken when a creature changes appearance. The spell is equally effective regardless of the current aspect of the werebeast, human, beast-man, or full beast.

Charm lycanthrope affects any natural, but not infected, lycanthropes. It affects one lycanthrope, plus one additional lycanthrope for every three levels achieved by the caster. (A fourth level caster could attempt to charm two werewolves within the area for effect, for example.)

All possible subjects receive saving throws vs. spells, adjusted for Wisdom. Additional modifications are provided by the nature of the material component used in casting the spell. The material component for this spell is always the blood of a natural lycanthrope. If the blood was drawn from a target of the spell, that lycanthrope receives an additional -4 penalty to the saving throw. If the blood was drawn from a lycanthrope of the same type as a werebeast being affected by the spell, the creature suffers a –2 penalty to the spell. If the blood was drawn from a different kind of werebeast, the creature receives a +2 bonus to its saving throw.

The charm effect can be broken by the standard means described under the wizard spell charm person. In addition, for lycanthropes such as werewolves, weretigers, and werebears, all of which have strong bonds either with their pack or young, receive a saving throw if the caster threatens or harms those with whom they share a bond.

The duration of the spell is determined by the target's Intelligence score, as per the charm person spell.

Detect Lycanthrope
(Divination)
Level: 2
Range: 0
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 2
Duration: 1 turn/caster level
Area of Effect: 1-mile radius per caster level.
Saving Throw: Special

This spell allows the caster to sense the location of all lycanthropes within range of the spell with pinpoint accuracy, regardless of the aspect they are currently in. The spell does not reveal what kind of lycanthropes the caster is sensing, only that they are out there.

Natural lycanthropes cannot escape detection by this spell, unless they are aided by magical devices and spells that protect them from scrying and divination magic. If a natural lycanthrope within the area of effect makes a successful saving throw vs. spell, he or she is suddenly possessed with an eerie feeling of being watched. Infected lycanthropes also roll a saving throw vs. spell when within range of detect lycanthrope. If the saving throw is successful, they avoid detection entirely.

Protection from Lycanthropy
(Abjuration)
Level: 3
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Duration: 1 hour per casting level
Area of Effect: 1 person.
Saving Throw: None

This spell gives the target additional resistance to being infected by lycanthropy, as well as giving characters who are already effected a chance to resist the change when in circumstances that would trigger it. This spell has no effect on natural lycanthropes.

Upon being injured by a lycanthrope, the victim should check for infection as normal. If the roll indicates the character has contracted lycanthropy, this spell grants the victim an additional chance to fight it off, represented by a saving throw vs. poison. If the material component for the spell was the blood of the type of lycanthrope that attacked the character, the save is rolled with a +2 bonus. If the blood used was from the very same lycanthrope that attacked the character, the saving throw is rolled with a +4 bonus. If the saving throw is successful, the character does not contract lycanthropy.

If cast on a character who has been infected by lycanthropy, the spell grants the character a saving throw vs. poison to resist the transformation. If the saving throw is failed, the character transforms as normal.