Howlers
Description
Coyote-type beasts — but wrong. Distended legs give them the height of a small human (~5.5 ft) despite an otherwise animal frame. Moving at night, their eyes glow like two pinpoints of silver light. Their mouths open too wide; the teeth go back further than they should.
They move in packs. They have learned to mimic human voices with uncanny precision — not just sounds, but specific phrases and individual voices they have heard. During the fight at the Durgin Homestead, they threw the hunters' own words back at them. One impersonated Cuthbert to lure Alfie, and another mimicked a baby crying to draw Joseph Cranfield outside.
The silver eyes flash one last time as they die. They manage one final mimicry.
Combat Notes
| Stat / Ability | Detail |
|---|---|
| Size | ~5.5 ft tall; long distended legs; unusually wide stride |
| Armour | Tough hide — -1 armour |
| Weakness | Knees are the weak spot — 3.5 ft from the ground |
| Light sensitivity | Recoil from flames and bright light; will retreat if a scene is well-lit |
| Pack tactics | Deal extra Harm when fighting together |
| Voice mimicry | Can replay heard phrases and replicate specific voices; used to lure, disorient, and unnerve |
| Tell | Silver pinprick eyes in the dark; the eyes flash on death |
Notes
- Both the Cranfield and Durgin families had been hearing "each other" circling their houses at night — in reality, the howlers were mimicking them both
- The Durgins had animal traps set every ten feet around their property — they knew something was out there long before the party arrived
- May be connected to the disappearance of Hamish's other eight sons — unconfirmed
- Referenced in the Order's bestiary — Cuthbert identified them from track analysis before the encounter, and has a strange double-memory of both writing and reading the entry
Are the howlers connected to what happened to Hamish Durgin's other eight sons?
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Session 1 | Tracks identified by Cuthbert as possible howlers; large paw prints in an arc around the Cranfield house, heading North |
| Session 2 | Three encountered at nightfall outside the Durgin Homestead; fought by the gang, the Durgins, and Joseph Cranfield; all three killed |
Quotes
Mimicry recorded during the fight at the Durgin Homestead:
"G'day mate, that's my leg, that really hurts."
— Howler impersonating Cuthbert, Session 2; Alfie fell for it
"I suck. I suck."
— Howlers in unison, Session 2
"ow."
— Dying howler impersonating Cuthbert with its last breath, Session 2