The Mooncurse

[LotharBR]

Some call me Lycan, others, Lycanthrope, but the most common term is Werewolf.

Me? I call myself cursed, freak, beast and so on...

My name is Logan, and for almost an year now, I've been cursed with restless nights of screams, blood lust, rage and fear. It all begun back in Umar Hills; Merella (my mentor and local ranger), my little sister Illiah and I, were in a middle of an investigation. Some of the Umar Village citizens were complaining about mysterious disappearances at night, some strange noises coming from the near woods, screams of terror and cries for help. We didn't have a clue about what was going on, but I was sure something bad was about to be uncovered.

I had a girl back then, her name was Anath, a beautiful young lass with red hair and charming blue eyes, I loved her, we were planing to get married some day, Illiah was to be the maid of honor, and Merella was to perform the ceremony were all the Umar was to be invited. Anath used to live in one of the houses in Umar, she had no one but me, and I was worried about her and all those disappearances. The investigation was going fine, it would seem that the creatures were coming from an old near by ruin, a temple of some log forgotten God of some sort. We were planing to explore the ruins, to see if we could destroy the root of this evil and save the village, or at least to discover more about it. We were about to depart and I went to Anath's house to say goodnight, but she wasn't there. The door of the house was torn apart, and everything inside was destroyed. I asked around, someone told me that a huge creature stormed from inside the house and ran into the woods, near the temple ruins, The creature was taller then a man, and looked more like a wolf then a person with huge claws and large fangs. I sent a boy for Merella, to tell her that I went after this... Werewolf, and ran to the woods as fast as I could. When I got there I saw the... thing... I was armed with a Great sword and so I attacked -"If I kill this beast, Anath will be safe, all I have to do is to find her after I take it down" with that In mind, I threw myself at the beast and, with all my strength, I stroke my first blow. It did nothing, its fur was dense, and hard as a scale armor; all I did was to make it angrier, and so, it attacked me back. Those big claws could have cut me down if I was not well trained in sword fight, as I attacked I parried, but something was strange about this beast...

In a smart move, I took advantage from one of it's missed attacks and tangled it in some bushes (a spell I learned with Merella), and, when I was about to make the final move, I spotted in its neck a pendant, a small pendant, made of silver and pearls, Anath pendant. The one I gave her when I proposed her. It was no beast, no feral predator, not even my enemy, It was my Anath. She was out of control, I lowered my sword in shock, but Anath got free from my spell and attacked me, in my shoulder. Her bite was fearsome, her fangs almost ripped out my arm and I was sure I was about to die, but Merella came and saved me. With a single shot from her bow, Merella wounded Anath so badly, that Anath ran away; I was unconscious seconds later.

When I woke up, I was in Merella's cabin, my arm, for my surprise, was fully healed, and my sister was by my side.

"LOGAN!" she said "You alright?! Merella! Logan's up!"
"What happened?! Where is Anath?! is she alright?!" I asked. When Illiah was about to say anything, Merella entered the room "She's gone, Logan, There is nothing you can do"

"N... NO! It CANT be... please Merella, help me...help me save her!"

"I will help you save you self, you fool! How do you think you arm healed so fast? it was almost ripped of! Think Logan!"

What she meant was that I was turning into one of those things, a werewolf, but I couldn't do as she said. She told me: "The only way to revert the process is to kill the "master", in your case, we have to kill Anath." I would never do such thing, I could not, I loved her, I needed her, so I fled to the temple ruins once more, but I could not find her. I stayed there for some days... alone... crying of pain and terror, and, one night... I turned... it was pure hatred, it wasn't me, it was a beast, I have no recall of that night... but I do remember what it felt like: fear, hunger, hate, hate, hate.....

I woke up in the next morning, naked, covered in blood, wild deers and wolves all around me, dead... but it was not like they could have stand a chance, they were all slaughtered, there were parts of them in the floor, the trees.... in me...

After that, I went back to Merellas cabin, but she wasn't there, so I packed up all my stuff and prepared to depart, but when I was about to go, Illiah showed up, in her face, tears and a silent cry...

"Where are you going, brother?" she asked me - "Away." I said "Away from everything, I cannot put you all in danger, I'll try to find a way to save her... I don't care about me... but she must be saved."

As I was leaving, Illiah held my arm: "Let me go with you! Please, I know some one who might be able to help us! PLEASE don't leave me...I... I have no one but you brother..."

"I will NOT take you, Illiah... Do you know what this... this THING inside me might do to you? Are you mad?!"

"But I know someone! when we were younger, a wizard came to Umar in a expedition with some friends... and I always loved magic! So I befriended him! He can Help us! I know he can! Please, let me try!"

"What is his name? Do I know him?"

"His name is Firebead Elvenhair! He lives in Candlekeep, in the Sword Coast, let me contact him, and we may depart, please Logan, listen to me!"

"I... I don't know Illiah..."

"What other options do you have brother?" -*Sigh* "Guess I have none, very well... but do me a favor first! Go to Akathla, buy me every book you find about werewolves, and bring to that cave near the ruins, I will stay there until you hear from Elvenhair, but DON'T say anything about it to Merella!"

"Ok Ok! I'm on my way!"

After that, I lived in that cave for almost 3 moths, in that time, I learned some stuff about "Licanthropy", for example, I will only turn into a werewolf in the full moon nights: that means 7 nights (every month) of chains and bars to keep me at bay. Iliiah told me that Elvenhair is willing to help us and told us to meet him in Beregost, in the Sword Coast, and so we Did.

My name is Logan, and for almost an year now, I've been cursed with restless nights of screams, blood lust, rage and fear. I've been cursed to stay jailed 7 straight nights a month, locked up in chains, in a basement in a house in Beregost, The trapdoor to the basement is made of pure reinforced steel, to protect Illiah of the monster she keeps in her "closet" to come and slay her and everything in his path. And the worst part is, we haven't hear of Elvenhair in a week, all he left was some notes about Lycans and one name: "Thalentyr" His notes says Thalentyr is a very powerful mage who knows a lot about Curses and how to lift them, perhaps he can help me. I told Illiah to seek him out, it's said he lives near Beregost, in a place called the "High Edge".

It has been 4 days now... Illiah has not returned...