Where wolves? (The Polgrom)

The balding man with white bridles of hair under his chin leans a bit further up in his chair. He might be in his late 40s or early 50's. He looks right at home in this Galdurian tavern, but his story is not that of the common farmer.

"Remember it like it was just this past Oath day I do! The Cleansing of Wolf Ear! I was there! I saw the fires of the man-furs and the walking pyres! Round-headed farmers thought the best way ta deal with them were-wolves was fire. Some of us knew better and used some recast silvers, while others knocked bits of silvers into branches to make mighty maces that would kill a wolf-man outright.

The year was 4682. I know it was cause that was the year the bitch in Korvosa", the man takes a good long pause to spit and unhealthy wad of something onto the floor, " took in those hellknights. Nasty year it was. At least we used it ta clean up our lands and didn't take in more filth like she did eh?"

He waits a few seconds to make sure you agree.

"Fifthly beasts they were. Took ta sleeping with their sisters and breeding their people in all sorts of manners not fit for man nor dog. Beasts best left out in the wilderness, far from home or flock, or better yet killed before they git too close."

The man takes a long sloppy draw from the mug in in hand. Some of the ale clings to his whiskers.

"Look. We killed them all. The priests gat us all together, after the slaying of the Hardley kids. You hear about that right? The kids that we found with their guts all ripped apart and spread across the floor of the Hardley farm. That was it, we knew at that moment that we had gone taa far. We let those beasts live with us when no one else would give them peace. We took them in and gave them a place when no one else would and they repaid us in blood and misery.

Bloody creatures. Not just werewolves, mind ye! We had all sorts of creatures! Man-rats, tigers that would turn into lovely ladies, boars that were men, bears with human hands and even a few bat folk that lived under the town! We were a nightmare and we didn't even know it! A town of monsters protected by some gullible farmers! Us!

We taught them... hic! Yeah, that's right! We weren't going to hide them anymore. After the Hardley incident we took up our axes, bows and what silver we could and we set on every beast-man we could! We had the priests of the hunter behind us, protecting us and showing us who was one of them and who was not. We cleaned up the town good!"

The man grows silent, his face changing from elation to sorrow.

"We killed them all. One was a young man no older than I was at the time. He had a wife and family, all like him. Beasts. We strung them up in silver chains that had been brought back to town by hero-folk and watched them hang and shake. Some we drove silver nails through while others we just beat to death. A few they boys thought they were getting creative and did really wicked things."

He stops to swallow and wipe his eyes free of something.

"Sick bastards we were, but no worse than they. They had it coming! They were evil. All of them. Living amongst us, evil hiding among the clean. Sick... sick.. sick..."

His voice trails off and he finishes his mug in a few swift gulps.

"That's why a lot of us moved away. The deeds done were so horrible that many of us moved south to near Galduria and some north near those odd people up in Ravenmoor.

Yeah, them folk in Ravenmoor ain't right. Buy me another mug of ale and let me tell you about them..."