The Land: Consisting of a patchwork of woods, marsh, and meadow, Verbrek is a wild, uncivilized land between Invidia, Richemulot, and Mordent. The forests are mostly deciduous, including oak, quaking aspen, and flowering dogwood. The clearings are dotted with thorny shrubs and carpeted with deep, emerald grasses. In autumn, as the leaves drop, the shrubbery bark turns to deep crimson, and the grass turns to gold. A ground fog settles in the hollows at night. Wild game is abundant, especially wolves and weasels, which are prized for their rich pelts.
In a clearing near the southern borders of the domain stands a circle of roughly hewn stones, each twice the height of a man. Natives call it simply the Circle. The packs of lycanthropes that inhabit the domain do not typically interact with each other, except on the full moon following each solstice and equinox. On those nights, the packs meet at the Circle. At this time, they celebrate the hunt, settle legal issues, perform marriages, and trade with each other.
Cultural Level: Medieval.
The Folk: The majority of the inhabitants in this domain are true lycanthropes - people who are born with lycanthropy rather than infected by it. What human population exists here lives in the villages along the Musarde in an uneasy state of co-existence with the lycanthropes. They live in small, sturdy wooden houses with thatched roofs. The area around each village has been cleared for farming. Most of the humans are peasants or artisans, who survive by selling their goods to either Nathan Timothy (a riverboat capiain who is strangely tolerated by the lycanthropes) or the werewolves of the domain.
The lycanthropes of Verbrek are organized in packs and have a culture that exists separately from that of the humans. They have their own religion, which is led by the domain's lord Alfred Timothy (son of the aforementioned Nathan); traditions, including rites of passages for the young; and laws.
Native Player Characters: There are no native player characters from Verbrek.
Encounters: Most of the encounters in Verbrek involve werewolves, though a few undead creatures also inhabit the domain.
Alfred Timothy
6th-Level Werewolf Priest,
Lawful Evil
| Armor Class | 10 (5) | Str | 10 (16) | ||||
| Movement | 12 | Dex | 12 (15) | ||||
| Level/Hit Dice | 6 | Con | 14 (18) | ||||
| Hit Points | 35 | Int | 12 | ||||
| THAC0 | 18 (15) | Wis | 18 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 | Cha | 14 | ||||
| Damage/Attack | 2d4 | ||||||
| Special Attacks | Surprise, spells (5/5/3) | ||||||
| Special Defences | Need silver or +1 or better magical weapon to hit | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | 25% | ||||||
In human form, Alfred looks like a frail young man. This appearance is deceiving, for as a werewolf, he is anything but weak. Strangely enough, Alfred Timothy casts no shadow.
Background: Alfred is the son of Nathan Timothy, the former darklord of Arkandale. Nathan paid little attention to his son, so Alfred left Arkandale while still a young man and wandered the Demiplane for a while.
Much later, after a night of slaughtering sheep, Alfred was captured by some townspeople who were going to burn him alive. He was rescued by a band of Vistani. The leader agreed to set Alfred free if he would promise to grant safe passage to all Vistani he might encounter in his lifetime. Though Alfred agreed, as soon as he was set free, he attempted to kill her. Drawn by his treachery, the dark powers granted him the domain of Verbrek.
Current Sketch: Alfred Timothy hates all other forms of lycanthropes and humans. However, he is wise enough to not actively agitate against the surrounding human population, or those of great mystical powers. As such, the werewolves of Verbrek tolerate the Vistani and anyone in their charge. Any traveler who enters uninvited, or without a Vistani escort, becomes "game" - meaning both "prey" and "entertainment". Those caught by the werewolves are stripped of all possessions and informed that they have half an hour to run. When the time expires, the werewolves begin the hunt. If the "game" can make it to the border before the creatures catch up, he lives. In the interest of sport, the creatures may grant extra time to a victim whose ability to flee is obviously poor. Then again, they may not.
Closing the Borders: Alfred Timothy cannot seal his domain completely. To prevent escape, he summons a large group of wolves and werewolves to patrol the borders.
Combat: Alfred conforms to all the normal werewolf abilities with the following exceptions: He is 25% resistant to all magic and is a 6th-level priest of the wolf god. His spheres are all, animal, charm, divination, plant, and summoning. Also, when the moon has risen, Alfred can use any dark shadow as a dimension door to any other moonshadow within the domain.
