Into The Werewolf Den
Having finally secured a silvered weapon in the last session, the party was ready to challenge the leader of the werewolf pack, Kiril Stoyanovich. Their goal was to rescue a character from one of my player’s backstory, who had been captured and brought to Barovia before the adventure began. The player and their friend were both part of an isolated werewolf tribe, which was recently targeted by Kiril and his pack during one of his raids outside Barovia.
In the morning, the party discussed what their plan would be, and the werewolf player decided the most direct course of action would be challenging Kiril in a fight to the death. They instructed the party to only intervene if it were absolutely necessary; otherwise the duel could turn into a full on battle. With that conversation out of the way, the party set out to the werewolf den, which the Keepers of the Feather were able to help them locate.
Along the way to the werewolf den, the players noticed that the local wildlife was more jumpy when compared to other areas of Barovia, and much less populated. The party deduced that the local area had been over hunted, and would likely not support a decent sized werewolf pack. After hiking through the hills behind Krezk for a few hours, the party finally discovered a cave with an entrance resembling a wolf’s open mouth. Once outside the cave, the werewolf player let out an impressive howl, and within a few moments, several members of the pack exited the cave to investigate.
The party quickly recognized that these members were likely no more than guards, and demanded that the leader of the pack came out to speak to them face to face. With this demand issued, Kiril emerged from the cave, he was clad in fancy furs and armed with a silver greatsword which he displayed unsheathed on his belt. As Kiril approached, the guards bowed their heads as a sign of submission.
Leader of the Pack
My player questioned what had happened to their friend, and after pressing too hard, Kiril warned that he would not be accused of anything without defending his honor in combat. With some persuasion, Kiril recalled that he had picked up a few new pack members during his hunts outside Barovia, but many of them ended up in cages and did not survive for very long. My player tried to negotiate their friend’s release if they were still alive, at which point Kiril was through with the conversation. He put forth a challenge for a one-on-one duel, which my player had little choice but to accept.
Kiril lead the party through the werewolf den, past the dozen or so pack members who were resting in the cave. The party passed a small cavern which held a shrine to Mother Night, and several cages filled with small figures. The party only got a glimpse of the den, as they were led to a staircase through the mountain, up to the cliffside fighting ring. With members of his pack cheering him on, Kiril stepped into the ring, letting his furs land at his feet as he drew his sizeable silver greatsword. My player stepped into the ring, with some words of encouragement from the party, as they pulled their silvered dagger they had stolen from the Abbot. With a smirk from Kiril, the duel began.
The two entered a heated battle, with neither of them having much room to maneuver in the small combat ring. My player was able to act first, and their silvered dagger left wounds which seemed to burn Kiril’s skin. Kiril’s attacks were much more heavy-handed with his larger weapon, but he struggled to land any significant hits on my player. As the battle raged on, the pack members cheers turned to worried glances, and they began to reach towards their weapons. Picking up on this, the party began reaching for theirs as well.
Intervention
With Kiril bloodied and on his last leg, my player went for the killing blow with their dagger, which Kiril caught in his hand. Tossing the dagger aside, Kiril proclaimed his undying loyalty to Strahd in exchange for the power to defeat his foe. As a thick fog rolled in above the mountain, a cloaked figure with pale skin appeared at the peak, it was unmistakably Strahd. The Count raised his arm to the sky, and it suddenly became night. Through the fog, the partially filled moon began to swell into a full moon, as Strahd disappeared in a swarm of bats.
With the full moon beaming down on him, Kiril’s form began to grow more bestial, as he transformed into a werewolf twice his regular size. This roused some other pack members into a frenzy, as they took on their much smaller werewolf forms as well. Knowing this was their time to act, the party joined the fray, and the duel between Kiril and my player became a battle on the side of the mountain.
In his bestial form, Kiril barreled through members of the party, and knocked several of them prone with his sweeping claw attacks. Picking up his silvered greatsword, my werewolf player began to hack at their opponent, with even more hatred than they had before. One by one, Kiril’s werewolf allies fell under the strength of the party, but Kiril showed little signs of stopping. Kiril let out a howl that invigorated himself and his pack members, but their wounds were quickly adding up and the battle appeared like it would be over soon.
With one final attack, my werewolf player plunged the silver greatsword into Kiril, and he fell to the ground with a yelp. Standing over Kiril’s lifeless body, my player let out one final howl, signaling to the pack that the battle was over. Returning downstairs to the werewolf den, the remaining pack members appeared to be relieved that they were finally free from Kiril’s leadership, as they disapproved of his reliance on Strahd. They explained that Kiril had used similar tactics when challenging the last pack leader, Emil.
As a sign of good faith, Emil’s mate Zuleika took the party to the Shrine of Mother Night, where she had been guarding the packs prisoners for Kiril. Searching through the survivors, my werewolf player found their missing friend, and the two shared an emotional reunion. With the werewolf pack under much more sensible leadership, the party said their goodbyes and returned to Krezk to heal their wounds and rest. I hope you found this write-up interesting, if you want to read more feel free to check out my other resources for Curse of Strahd!