Wolf Runners

The Trade Road attracts bandits like a lantern attracts moths, but few robber gangs have a leader as menacing and capable as the werewolf Sylish Kreed.
The Wolf Runners gang targets travelers along the Trade Road between Fallcrest and Hammerfast. Merchant caravans and farm wagons make particularly tempting targets. The legend of the Wolf Runners has grown in the time that the gang has been active in the area, and people as far away as Winterhaven and the Dragondown Coast have heard about the bandits and their wolves.
Sore Loser: Sylish Kreed, leader of the Wolf Runners, is a large man with long, dark hair, which he wears tied back. A wolfish grin brightens his rugged features, and it grows wider as the situation around him intensifies. A chainmail tunic protects him when he rides into battle. Kreed approaches every raid with good humor and a certain amount of politeness; he tries to be civil in his dealings with victims. He leaves them short of gold and goods, but alive—that way he can rob them again at a future date.
Despite his good-natured approach to his chosen profession, Kreed hates dealing with defeat. On the rare occasions when the bandit leader winds up on the losing end of a battle, his good mood darkens, and he becomes sullen and even depressed. He tries to break the gloom by taking revenge on whoever beat him or by engaging in a new battle and winning with style and overwhelming force. He won’t forget the loss and continues to harbor a deep hatred for the person who got the better of him, but a victory or two puts him back into his usual calm and cheerful nature.
Wolf Companions: The gang includes a number of gray wolves and dire wolves (described in Monster Vault), all of which serve as companions to the charismatic Kreed. The wolves tolerate the rest of the bandit gang, but they treat Kreed as though he was the alpha male of their pack.
Kreed’s Secret: In addition to being the leader of the Wolf Runners and an exceptional warrior who handles a greatsword with ease, Kreed hides a dark secret from all but his most trusted companions. A few years ago, before he formed the gang, Kreed was bitten by a powerful werewolf. Now, he is a lycanthrope, able to shift between wolf, hybrid, and human form. Most of the time, the bandit leader maintains control of the affliction and can shift between forms as he sees fit. But for three days every month during the full moon, the curse overcomes him, and Kreed gives in completely to the wolf inside him. During this period, he and his pack of wolves leave the gang behind and take to the hills and forests. The rest of the gang sets up camp in some remote location and remains there until Kreed and his pack return. While Kreed is away, the de facto leader of the gang is a calm, steel-hearted female tiefling named Eveni Redblade. Kreed rescued her from the clutches of the Dark Drake of the Moon Hills (page 42) some months ago, and her loyalty to the werewolf is beyond reproach. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the Wolf Runners have no other lycanthropes in their ranks.
Ambush Specialists: Sylish Kreed and his bandits have access to horses, although they prefer to ambush prey on foot and keep their horses hidden nearby. Sylish and his wolves lead the attack, with Wolf Runner swiftarrows attacking with their longbows from the rear. If a battle turns sour, Sylish retreats so that he might live to fight another day. If getting away is not an option, he surrenders and begins plotting both his escape and his revenge.