In the northlands of the world, long after the comforts of civilization have ended and where monsters roam the lands, Mercer (a cleric of a dark deity whose name he did not know), left home in search of an ancient gem that would grant him the power to charm any person of his choosing. The charm was not mind control necessarily, the target would just regard the user as a trusted friend and ally. For example, if he had this power, a shopkeeper wouldn't give him a magical weapon for free. However, he might be persuaded to sell it at the cost it took to acquire it instead of for a profit. A king would not abrogate his throne for him, but they may grant him a seat of power on his council or grant him access to forbidden secrets. This sort of power was barely more than a legend, but Mercer was determined to find it. He had been traveling in this cold wasteland for weeks in search of a long abandoned ancient temple built into a mountain side. Rumor has it that this temple was dedicated to the same god he worshiped, a god of lies. While the journey had required him to defend himself from the occasional band of goblins or owlbears, he had not yet been tested to see if he was worthy to receive such a prize. Mercer pondered if he would be chosen to wield this power, especially for such selfish reasons. He was determined to acquire it by any means necessary. Of course, that meant finding it first; a task made infinitely harder by the given he sought to accomplish this feat alone. A group would've been better, but even if he had the money to hire an adventuring party, there is no way he would have risked his prize falling into the wrong hands.
Mercer continued walking through the snowy forest when suddenly there came rushing out towards them what appeared like two huge wolves with one being very large while another looked smaller standing next to it. They were both wearing thick fur coats which made their bodies look even larger than normal creatures. Suddenly one of the wolves began to speak in an all to humanoid tongue. A smell filled the air that caused Mercer to stumble and his vision to blur. Spellcasting from an animal could only mean one thing: a druid. "Who are you?" asked Mercer with a terrified expression.
"What do you seek in these woods?" The wolf spoke, a feminine voice was detectable beneath the throaty growl that followed every word. A rough bark came from behind him as the larger wolf began to move closer to him. His heart raced faster causing beads of perspiration form along every inch of skin under his armor, still shivering from the cold winter air around him.
"Allow me to pass! I mean you no harm to you or these lands!" He shouted, managing to get back to his feet and steady himself, if only barely. Both beasts stopped moving forward slowly sniffing the air before turning away without another word, assuming Mercer to not be a threat. The scent left his nostrils and slowly he regained his senses.