The party hears of a disturbance in a small villiage. Should they choose to investigate, they will discover the villiagers preparing to hang a merchant. The merchant apparently sold the villiage weapons to deal with a worg. The attack was completely unsuccessful, the worg managed to kill two of the villiagers because their weapons were ineffective. The villagers are accusing the merchant of selling them shoddy weapons and possibly even being in league with a greater evil that is somehow causing the worg to attack the village. The merchant, for his part, says he is innocent.
Any attempt to get the villiage to delay the execution will be successful (the villagers don't really have it in them to kill someone, they're good people). The party can use various magical means to determine if the merchant is telling the truth and to check the magical auras of the weapons (they are non-magical and look to be perfectly acceptable shortswords). If that is not enough to spur the party to think something more odd is afoot, they are approached by a 13-year-old lad who was brought on the hunt for the "worg" as more of an observer. He claims that the weapons struck the beast but that they did not leave a wound. He also claims to have seen the "worg" fly off after killing two of the villagers. Of course, no one believes him.
After hearing the lad's tale, a successful Knowledge (nature) check of DC 12 will let the party know that the creature must have some kind of resistance to ordinary weapons. A successful Knowledge (arcana) check of DC 12 will let the party know that they are facign a Yeth Hound and not a worg!
The creature is preying on the humans, feeding on their blood and fear. The party will be able to flush it out during the night. It wants people to come after it so it can kill them. However, the hound is not a very clever beast and likely has woefully underestimated the party. It will fly in and attack from the rear. Beyond that it will simply launch into an evil frenzy.
When the party returns victorious, the villiagers will apologize to the merchant and give him and the party a feast! During the meal, they tell stories and one of them may be about a strange green flying beast.....
next: yrthak