The friendly neighborhood Uthgardt barbarians in Phandalin’s corner of the world are the Gray Wolf tribe, notable for the lycanthropy that afflicts their tribe. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, their attitude toward their affliction is akin to that of Fenrir Greyback, in that they fully embrace their lycanthropy. It’s a feature, not a bug.

They’re also a truculent bunch. Conyberry is a ruin because of the Gray Wolf tribe’s predations. Of all of the Uthgardt tribes, they are among the least civilized. Along the Triboar Trail, caravans would be as likely to be targeted by Gray Wolves as they would goblins or orcs. I’d say they’d be more dangerous than either, and not solely because of their lycanthropy.

The glowering woodsman who has no interest in speaking with the party might be a Gray Wolf tribe member. And how would the party know any differently? The unfriendly homesteaders might be Gray Wolves who live at the farm now, after tearing the previous occupants to shreds during the last full moon. Again, who would know?

The woodsman and the homesteader are both unwelcoming to the point of hostility in order to drive unwanted callers away. But that does not mean they’re not interested in hunting them down when the full moon approaches.

It might be a fun reveal when, after a surprise nighttime encounter with a werewolf leading a pack of wolves into the party’s camp, the vanquished werewolf morphs back into the surly woodsman they tried to speak with two-days past along the trail.

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