Kudyast

When The Savior brought lycanthropes to Weretopia, the werewolves showed more interest in the wilds than forming a civilization. Most of them left Free Tooth and became wildlings. During the Shifter Separation, the last of the werewolves abandoned civilized areas and travelled east. In areas around the Murk, they joined up with the areas werewolf packs.

Kudyast was founded by a dozen or so werewolf packs. Their first government was a tribal council led by their most martial member. The tribes, or what they called wolf packs, formed mutual defense treaties against outsiders. Most of the time they never committed themselves to these treaties and would more often than not watch a competitor be beaten by an invading army. Only when an invader decided to claim the territory would the wolf packs unite. Normally, they prefer to stake out territory and then vie with other packs over the best hunting grounds. For a little over a hundred years, the primitive instincts of these creatures dominated their affairs.

In 1796 a legendary wolf called the Alpha Male rose up among the packs. His battle prowess became renown. He led an expedition across the upper reaches of Murk. This area, fed by the glaciers of the Elephant Backbone is prone to freezing in particularly cold years.

The Year 1796, later to be called the Year of Thyrms Cough, was a bitterly cold year. During the early months, fifty miles of the upper Murk became frozen. Alpha Male and several hundred werewolves happened to be in the area pursuing a herd of more than 2,000 dire elks. They followed the fleeing herd across the frozen river and into rolling hills. Ten miles into this land they came upon villages of halflings. The snow-covered hills with plumes of chimney smoke rising from their crests excited the werewolves. Tired of pursuing the fast-moving elks, the werewolves clamoured for easier prey. Alpha Male tried to calm their vicious and predatory drive, even killing several werewolves that argued with him. A particularly powerful werewolf-barbarian called Torbish decided that the old ways of living like animals had ended. The Kudyast must return to the old ways of preying on both bipedal creatures and beasts. In secret, he organized thirty other malcontents and decided to murder Alpha Male. They attacked him in force, overwhelming his guards and driving him to the ground, where Torbish came up and ripped Alpha Male's neck open. Torbish also had his pet snake, Sickle Tongue, bite the fallen wolf. Now Alpha Male, having a degree of intelligence greater than any other legendary wolf, pronounced a curse on Torbish. The curse was intended to strip Torbish of his lycanthropy and make him a normal wolf. Unfortunately, Alpha Male was weakened from loss of blood and his curse was worded improperly. The effect of the curse caused Torbish to become an abomination of his former self, enlarged, grotesque, and possessing a large snake sprouting from his back. This snake was none other than Sickle Tongue. The two had become joined from the curse and possessed the nasty temper of the snake, and the evil cunning of the werewolf. Alpha Male died shortly after, his face nearly white from either loss of blood or the sight of Torbish.

Alpha Male, an ancient creature, once worshipped like a god by the werewolves was the first to perish on this day hereafter known among the Kudyast as the Black Day. Torbish quickly took control of the hungry pack of werewolves. They waited till nightfall. When the moon was at its zenith, the pack howled in unison. The halfling villagers were stricken with terror and foreboding, for they had never heard so many wolves send out their dreadful hunting call. Torbish led a fearsome attack on these people, slaughtering warriors, woman, children, and livestock. The frenzied blood-lust was such that the earth groaned from the spilled blood and wanton murdering carried out on that night and the days that followed. Bueratum organized an army and sent them after the roving pack of lycanthropes. Many werewolves and halflings perished in the skirmishes. After several weeks of being pursued, Torbish and his pack retreated across the frozen Murk.

The Kudyast have a new leader and a new purpose. They will hunt humanoids, because they are easy to run down, and continue to hunt the deer, sheep, elk and their prey of old. The new leadership under Torbish has united the packs with an evil purpose, grow in size, and prey on the people of Pipe Home.

When the Kudyast was led by the legendary wolf Alpha Male, he maintained strict population control laws. The females were not allowed to have more than one litter per year.

More than one litter will lead to over-hunting, wiping out the deer, sheep and other game in our territory.

- Alpha Male

The werewolves under Torbish's ignore this old law.