Help with a mystery! (not shadowcaster related)

[veven]

This is somewhat related to the thread I just posted but I figured it was separate enough to warrant a different thread. In my E6 setting there is an artifact that can cast awaken 1/month. Someone got a hold of it and has been awakening animals. My players met a wolf whirling frenzy barbarian the other day and the druid loves him. The druid is really interested in learning how such a thing was possible but Avery (the wolf) doesn't know how it happened. I plan on having them run into a few more awakened animals, gaining more pieces to the puzzle of Who/How/Why. The problem is, I only know the How (the artifact). I come in search of cool ideas for who would be doing this (probably a druid...? i dunno) and why (is he crazy? does he have some bizarre scheme?)

All ideas are welcome, I want this to be fun/awesome.

[Doc Roc]

This is somewhat related to the thread I just posted but I figured it was separate enough to warrant a different thread. In my E6 setting there is an artifact that can cast awaken 1/month. Someone got a hold of it and has been awakening animals. My players met a wolf whirling frenzy barbarian the other day and the druid loves him. The druid is really interested in learning how such a thing was possible but Avery (the wolf) doesn't know how it happened. I plan on having them run into a few more awakened animals, gaining more pieces to the puzzle of Who/How/Why. The problem is, I only know the How (the artifact). I come in search of cool ideas for who would be doing this (probably a druid...? i dunno) and why (is he crazy? does he have some bizarre scheme?)

All ideas are welcome, I want this to be fun/awesome.

Could be there's no scheme. He just wants to make. It's surprising how hard it can be to relate to that, and how horrible a villain who just wants to build things is.

[Divide by Zero]

Perhaps the druid is awakening animals to defend the wilderness against a threat of some kind, like encroachment by a nearby town. If you want to make it a villain, maybe he's becoming far too aggressive in his defense and needs to be stopped.

[Seonor]

A Mage is studying the brain of various animals and humanoids to see why some beings are able to speak, reason or plan ahead and others are not. The awakened animals are one of his experiments. He awakens and sets them free to see how their behavior changes, then catches them and starts his tests/autopsy.

[veven]

then catches them and starts his tests/autopsy.


Ooooh man, I love this. They are already in love with the Wolf so the chance of him being killed would be a pretty well baited plot hook.