Darkworld IC

[Zed's Dead]

Darkworld, Chapter One: North

Where has the horse gone?
Where has the warrior gone?
Where has the giver of treasure gone?
Where have the banquet seats gone?
Where are the revelries in the hall?

Alas, bright cup!
Alas, armored warrior!
Alas, princely splendor!
How that time has passed away,
Grown dark under cover of night,
As if it had never been!

--spoken by an unnamed warrior-poet, long dead. It is said he was a Wanderer.

It is the eleventh month, Blotmonað, a time of need and of sacrifice. The sun is not yet truly setting, but it seems instead to be flickering on the horizon. All around you is foot-deep snow. You are traveling through the foothills of God's Teeth. There are sparse trees here, but the sharp-eyed among you say they can see a deep wood close by and beyond that, more snow.

You are headed north. There is nowhere else to go. If you look toward the northern horizon without shielding your eyes, the fast-falling, silent snow flies into your face, blinding you. Most keep their eyes on the ground. The caravan, once a bold force of fifty-two, is now a group of twenty-eight haggard souls bound for Stone--each for his or her own reasons. The two surviving merchants were forces to leave their wagons behind. They cut the horses free two days ago and mounted them bareback. Seven caravaners are walking. The seriously injured are on horses.

The wolves have been tracking your caravan for three days and nights and are no longer satisfied with picking off the stragglers. Last night was the most bitter fight. Two of the gigantic, wild-eyed wolves were slain, but nine defenders died outright and four of the critically wounded had to be left behind. The pain of that loss might still stick in your throat. There is not one among you who remains uninjured.

...froze. Her blood. It froze. Her blood. It froze. Her blood. It froze. Her...

Edder, a boy of about thirteen, will not shut up. He as been moaning the same words since dawn, when his mother was bitten nearly in two by a wolf's snapping jaw. Cullen, the de-facto leader, a hard-bitten man, has little hope for the boy's mind and spirit and he suggests in hushed tones that you should leave him for the wolves.

They may pause for him just long enough, see? We ain't far from Stone. Just an hour or so.

You hear a piercing howl to the East. Perhaps a mile off. They are coming.

Welcome to Darkworld. You have had fitful snatches of sleep for three days. Fatigue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#exhausted)has set in. Make a fortitude saving throw in a spoiler under your post (DC 20). If you fail your save, you have only been able to muster the stamina to prepare 1/2 (rounded down) your normal number of spells today. If you make the save, you have a full spell list. Select your prepared spells accordingly. See the OC thread for details on the changes to spell preparation.

Roll 1d12 and subtract the number from your HP total. This is the numerical equivalent of your injuries. Please post your total current HP in the spoiler.

Because you've suffered their attacks before, you know you have several minutes to prepare before the attack begins in earnest. The wolves thus far have begun with howling at a distance, circling the caravan, and taking hesitant lunges at the party, which become more and more bold until chaotic melee breaks out. You judge that the pack last night numbered about 18 wolves. Two were killed and several were injured in some way, so you may be fighting 16 wolves. The wolves, by the way, are almost as big as your horses.

[GeekLord]

Kralkar, Barbarian/Sorcerer

[roll0] Fortitude save for spells per day...I assume spontaneous casters may cast only half their daily spells if they fail this save?
[roll1] current damage subtracted from 39 hit points

Exhaustion drags at Kralkar as he trudges forward into the driven snow, following the tracks of those ahead of him. The bitter wind licks at his exposed skin with razor tongues, and cuts its way through his thick winter furs. It has been hours since he last felt his feet.

A howl drifts eerily through the snow, and the gelding pulls restlessly against the reins Kralkar grips in a stiff hand. "Whoa," he murmurs, "settle down." His numb lips distort the words, but not the calm he projects toward the warhorse. The figure slumped on the gelding's back makes no response, and Kralkar checks the knots holding the figure in the saddle. He doesn't know the man, only that he was a member of the caravan injured when the wolves attacked. Traveling on horseback has broken open his wounds, and fresh blood stains his thigh. Untended, he cannot last much longer, but Kralkar keeps moving grimly forward. Their only safety lies in reaching Stone, and stopping to tend the injured will doom them all. The strong will survive and the weak will fall. That is the way of things.

"I have no intention of falling," Kralkar mutters. His horse whickers nervously. Gripping the reins in his teeth, Kralkar beats his hands together to get the blood flowing and works the stiffness out of his fingers. His eyes track to the east as another howl pierces through the quickening wind, and he unconsciously resettles his sword in its sheath. It won't be long now. The caravan will need to tighten its formation defensively before the wolves attack, or none of them will survive to reach Stone. Kralkar peers forward into the snow, searching for the blunt figure of Cullen.

[Zimmia]

Fort save: [roll0]
Injuries: [roll1]
HP 41/42


Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Daar found, the spirits smiling on her, that she was not as injured as some. Quite some time ago now she had put herself as far away from the caravan leader as possible and hearing his ruthless comment made her want to stalk over to him and smack him in the face. Instead, she drew her sword and looked quickly to see if anything in the landscape nearby would allow them a more defensible position rather than letting the wolves completely surround.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

[roll0] --> half spells today
[roll1] --> 15/24 HP remaining

(Knowledge nature and geography rolls, respectively)
[roll2]
[roll3]

(Arlen's Spot/Listen rolls)
[roll4]
[roll5]

(Sul's Spot/Listen rolls)
[roll6]
[roll7]

Arlen leans heavily into the wind, bracing himself against the next gust. The last few days had been torture, and more than once he had longed to slip into the shadows and leave this dangerously large group behind, but his conscience prevented him. He sighs as Cullen again threatens that poor young lad, hoping he won't have to stop the caravan leader doing anything rash. Keeping his opinions to himself for now, he peers forward into the gathering gloom. "Might as well get ready for this fight - doesn't look like we'll be avoiding this one" he mutters softly to Sul, who sits unhappily bunched up on his shoulder, her wings drawn as closely to her as possible. "Why don't you go up for a little bit, see if you can't spot those wolves coming and get us some warning, eh? A little fight will get the blood moving, and sure." Sul nibbles his ear gently and then takes off, her broad wings silent in the falling snow. Arlen sighs. These were NOT ideal conditions for a fight, but they'd have to make the most of it. As he looks around, hoping to see somewhere better for a fight than this open road, he racks his brain again, trying to remember what he knew of wolves' weaknesses and the countryside they'd been traveling through, looking for anything that might lend advantage in the coming fight.

[Tura]

Elva
Fortitude save: [roll0]
HP loss: [roll1]

Knowledge (nature): [roll2]
Spot: [roll3]
Listen: [roll4]
The howl from afar made the thick-coated dog by Elva's side stiffen and growl. "Shh, easy, Gray", said Elva, and looked wearily ahead, with a hand before her eyes. The journey had been perilous enough even without the wolves. Plunging her staff through the snow with every arduous step, and wincing every time her injured leg landed at the wrong angle, she nevertheless tried to look around without slowing down. If they surround us, we're lost.

But Cullen's comment about Edder startled her, and her head felt dizzy for a moment. Leave the boy for the wolves? It was as if the gods were testing her. She saw reason in Cullen's words, and good reason. But something told her that she couldn't possibly accept it, not yet. She pushed back the thought and turned once again to the east. Maybe, beyond all hope, they could hold them back. Maybe she could hold them back.

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen: You feel Sul's presence in your mind. A sense of worry pervades her thoughts. She is only worried like this when you are in great personal danger. You get the impression she doesn't believe that the odds are good. She urges you forward, towards the forest. Perhaps she sees shelter, or perhaps she believes you would be more at home in the trees.

You look into the woods ahead, but the snow is coming down even harder, making it difficult to see anything but a green/black blur. The wolves are closer. perhaps 1/2 a mile. You, like the others, hear the howl of the leader. Unlike the others, you can also hear the answering yips and barks of the pack. You count around twenty, but you don't know whether some have repeated their answer.

You know running from these wolves is useless. They probably rested all day in a warm cave nearby after last night's battle. Even in the best of situations, the pack could wear down your swifter, heavily burdened horses. As it stands, the horses are at the last of their strength.



Daar: Your cursory glance around reveals nothing. Perhaps if you looked harder...

Kralkar: While you work out the kinks in your joints, you hear more howling in the woods. The wolves are closing in.

Tura: You, like the others, hear the howl of the leader. Unlike the others, you can also hear the answering yips and barks of the pack. You count around twenty, but you don't know whether some have repeated their answer. You are standing on a rise which allows you to see the pattern of trees in the distance. They suggest that there might be higher ground in the forest.

Cullen spurs his horse toward the woods. It gallops clumsily through the deep snow, kicking up a spray. Yesterday, when the snow started, he warned the caravan about behavior like this. He's apparently decided to make a run for it.

One of the merchants, a man named Srat, follows him closely.

The horses' ears are back, and their eyes are wide with fear.

Bren's Mum, who was riding with Bren beside her, startles at the howls ringing through the growing gloom. Bren barely holds her on her horse.

[GeekLord]

Kralkar, barbarian/sorcerer

Kralkar spits a curse into the frosty air as he sees Cullen galloping clumsily toward the trees followed closely by one of the merchants. The fools! They've doomed themselves...and maybe the rest of us too. The thoughts flash through Kralkar's head before a flurry of wind-blown snow hides the men from his sight. As quickly, Kralkar puts them out of his mind.

Sensing shifting movement in the people around him, Kralkar raises his voice. "Hold! HOLD! Keep your place!" The impulse to follow their leader would have the caravaners strung out along the trail, exhausting themselves and their horses in a futile dash for the trees. Their only hope for survival lies in maintaining discipline and not giving the approaching wolves any openings. Kralkar injects confidence into his voice and projects it through the swirling snow. "Cullen has purchased us an opportunity. Stay together and we'll reach Stone." His voice is hammered steel. "Separate and you'll never see the dawn."

[roll0] Bluff check to appear confident and calm.
[roll1] Perform (oratory) check if you need it.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen, ranger/wizard

Idiot. Even the thought leaves a vile taste in Arlen's mouth. If you lose your head out here, it gets bitten off. He paused abruptly as he felt the familiar touch of the owl in his mind. Safer in the forest? He peered again through the windswept snow into which Cullen and Srat had disappeared, unable to see much more than that there was a forest. Still, knowing the bird to be as wilderness-canny as he, he trusted her.

"Hold! HOLD! Keep your place! Stay together and we'll reach Stone. Separate and you'll never see the dawn."
Good man - panic is the last thing we need. Still, "Yes, but we're too unprotected here! We have time to make for the forest in that direction, where we'll be better able to protect ourselves! We can't outrun the wolves, but if we make a stand, we may be able to drive them back long enough to get to Stone."
Arlen put as much force into the words as possible, but knowing actions would speak louder, he stood his mount off the trail a few feet, towards the forest, and turned to see who would follow. Standing there in the stunted grass at the roadside, it was difficult to avoid holding his breath, for what happened next would be crucial.

[Zed's Dead]

"Cullen has purchased us an opportunity. Stay together and we'll reach Stone." His voice is hammered steel. "Separate and you'll never see the dawn."

The rag-tag group turns as one and stares with desperation at at Kralkar. Several of the men and women straighten visibly and tighten their grips on their weapons. A tall, sinewy woman raises her spear. Her eyes are wide with fear, but her voice is strong.

What can we do? The wolves only left us this morning because they had enough meat! Our leader has run. You're here. What do we do? Make our stand here?


"Yes, but we're too unprotected here! We have time to make for the forest in that direction, where we'll be better able to protect ourselves! We can't outrun the wolves, but if we make a stand, we may be able to drive them back long enough to get to Stone."

Three heads turn to look at Arlen, but just then, another piercing cry splits the air from the west and dozens of howls answer.

[Zed's Dead]

Zimmia: You look desperately around the area for a defensible position. You count seven wolves stalking through the shadows in the woods to the west. Squinting against the snow in the fading light, you think you see an orange-yellow flicker in the woods to the North. Fire? You can't be sure.

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

"I can see... seven from the west" Daar says in a quiet voice, "and... what is that?" she speaks more to herself of the flicker of light in the north. First things first however, the wolves are approaching. "They're right," she raises her voice and agrees in as an authoritative voice as she can manage. "Together we can make a stand - it's out best chance." 'and maybe our only one,' came the unvoiced thought.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva begins to move forward, but the howling and Daar's warning makes her stop on her track. She tries to make out the position of the wolves, where Daar pointed. "Gray, stay next to me." she says as calmly as possibly, while she fidgets with her torc. She then holds it tightly, stands still with half-closed eyes for a moment, and offers a prayer to the gods. When she opens her eyes wide open again, she seems resolved and stronger, and the elkhound beside her growls once more.

"Ready your bows and spears!" she shouts, and turns to Edder "Stay back, boy, quickly" she whispers and points to the east. "Go!" she says, and turns west once again.
Now, where are they?


spot: [roll0]
listen: [roll1]

[harmonictempest]

Arlen, ranger/wizard

Hearing another set of howls, Arlen grimaces. Time was running out, and they were still exposed on this road. He turned to the fur-bundled, russet-haired man who had just calmed everyone down, who was just a few feet away. "Kralkar, right? We need to get off this road; there will be better protection in the woods just to the north. We've got a minute or two before the wolves arrive - will you help me get the caravan to the woods before then?"

[GeekLord]

Kralkar

][roll0] Spell failure check

The chorus of wolfsong is alien, pitiless...and eerily beautiful, Kralkar notes distantly, even as he thrusts the reins of his horse into the hands of a walking caravaner. "Stay with the group," he growls. Someone speaks his name, and Kralkar turns to the dark-haired elf.
We need to get off this road; there will be better protection in the woods just to the north. We've got a minute or two before the wolves arrive - will you help me get the caravan to the woods before then? "Aye, we’d do well to reach cover before the wolves arrive, although they're moving fast. But we can't follow Cullen's lead and scatter." Kralkar spits in the snow. "We'll all arrive together or not arrive at all, I’m thinkin'. Gotta keep 'em focused. Lemme see what I can do."

"Ready your bows and spears!"
Someone else is thinking. Good. We might have a chance after all. Kralkar reaches into his pouch and takes out a pinch of powdered iron. He feels the power thrumming in his blood, pushing restlessly against his carefully crafted barriers. Kralkar concentrates, giving the power a purpose and offering it release with a whispered word and gesture. The energy leaps eagerly to his command, coursing through his body, crackling along veins, tendons, ligaments, bone, muscle, reshaping it as its master desires. The familiar pain fades, and Kralkar grins toothily down at the elf...from twice his previous height. His voice is deeper and booms through the deepening gloom.

"Form up on me! All torches and spears to the outside of the group. Make noise and don't give the wolves any openings. Those with bows, use them before the wolves close. Injured and noncombatants to the middle of the group. Whatever you do, stay together, stay with me, and don't stop moving!" Kralkar steps to the front of the group, unlimbering his sword and adjusting his perceptions to his new size while his eyes scan the terrain to the west.

[GeekLord]

[roll0] Spot check

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Even as Kralkar begins to channel his great arcane power, Daar lifts her gaze momentarily to the skies, praying in the quick heavily accented speech of Uruk. Moments later Daar too begins to stretch and grow in size. She couldn't help but notice some of the caravanners shrink back from her. Dismissing that, she nodded to Kralkar and then started to scoop the people from the rear. "Let's not wait too long," she says in a quiet voice, "we can use all the time we can get."


Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[harmonictempest]

Arlen, ranger/wizard

Looking over his two newly-large companions, Arlen grunted his satisfaction. Their added strength would be balanced by their cumbersome new size, but now they were as large as the wolves, and could hold the line for the group. With them holding the first charge off, he'd have a moment to prepare. Speaking quickly and loudly to himself in strange words, he quickly traced a large rectangle in front of him in the air. After waiting a moment, he plunked a finger into the space, and nodded to himself as his finger struck the invisibly hardened air. That ought to provide a little more protection...
Then, he straightened, reviewing his gear and assuring himself it was all in the correct place - bow and arrows at the ready, pack open in case a quick retrieval was needed.

The snow slowed, then, as animal and man stared across the meadow at each other. Warned by Sul a moment before, Arlen was already waiting when the wolves came into view. Surveying the little group, he gave a grim smile as Sul soared back into view and perched on his shoulder. They'd not go without a fight, at any rate.

Quickly, he called up a powerful conjuration to trap the wolves at the edge of the woods, hoping his spellcasting would go mostly unnoticed while everyone was still staring at either the woods or his newly enlarged comrades. Teasing a small spiderweb out of his belt pouch, he whispered words of power to it, before opening his hands. The ethereal white wisp whizzed out into the snow, hardly visible against the slowly floating flakes. As it reached the wolves, however, it blossomed into an enormous sticky net, attaching itself to two trees and flying toward the group of wolves with deadly precision.

"The snow slowed" indicates where we entered initiative. Casting Web IF the wolves are in range (130 ft), and I can catch a fair number of them in it (40 ft diameter circle). I'm assuming with that Initiative roll that I'll be first or nearly first, so I will *definitely* cast it if I go first and they're all still at the edge of the woods. Reflex save DC 15, and moving in it has special rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/web.htm). If they're not in range, or if I really can't catch more than two or three of them in that area, I'll do something else, but I'm pretty sure that action should work with my initiative.

[roll0]
[roll1] (if needed; spell fails on a 1)

[Zed's Dead]

The light is fading, and the snow has momentarily slowed.


Three heads turn to look at Arlen, but just then, another piercing cry splits the air from the west and dozens of howls answer.

Four wolves rush out from the trees in a wedge formation and cut off Cullen, the Merchant, and their exhausted horses from the tree line. Cullen and the Merchant swerve to the East to escape them, but the wolves are faster, and they all disappear over a hill to the Northeast.

In a few moments, the screams of the horses and the men resonate through the gloom.

__________________________________________________ _________


The familiar pain fades, and Kralkar grins toothily down at the elf...from twice his previous height. His voice is deeper and booms through the deepening gloom. "Form up on me!"

The entire party at once shrinks away from Kralkar, a few even turning their spears to threaten the giant. Momentarily, the wolves are forgotten.

It's witchcraft!

He's huge!

The entire group freezes.

The old woman shouts at the top of her quavering voice. He's on our side, you fools! I've seen his kind before! He'll fight with us if you let him!

I'll fight by your side, Kralkar. The tall woman who questioned you moments before now turns to the west and readies her weapon for the onslaught. Immediately, the survivors move quickly to carry out Kralkar's orders. The weak and injured are surrounded by burly men with ashen spears and yew bows. Those with torches are ready to strike, remembering that last night, one of the wolves was injured with fire from a broken lantern. The loosely organized group moves cautiously toward the woods to the north.

When Daar, too, grows to twice her size, some shy away, but many smile and there are even a few hopeful cheers.

Eighteen wolves emerge from the forest. Their eyes flash in the twilight and low growl emanate from their throats. The most eager ones lope directly toward the caravan.

Edder watches with wide eyes.

blood...blood...blood...blood.

roll initiative, please

[Zed's Dead]

Zimmia: You recognize the leader (a huge black wolf which towers over his pack) near the tree line to the west. He must have been injured last night, because he walks with a limp. You can hear the whines of at least a dozen other wolves hidden in the trees.

[GeekLord]

Kralkar

[roll0] Initiative roll (-1 fatigued, -1 size modifier = +0 mod)
[roll1] Spell failure check for Shield


Eighteen wolves emerge from the forest. Their eyes flash in the twilight and low growl emanate from their throats. The most eager ones lope directly toward the caravan.
Kralkar grins savagely as the first wolves sweep into view. Adrenaline surges through his veins, shocking away the fatigue and filling his huge frame with pre-battle euphoria. He begins to chuckle under his breath, the sound growing in his chest until it bursts from his lungs into the winter night. "Haha! Hahaha! Come then, you winter spawn! We're ready for you now!"

Recklessly he taps into his nearly depleted store of arcane power and shapes his spell, then holds his hand out toward the approaching wolves and concentrates. Beyond his palm, air shimmers briefly. Kralkar grunts approval and lowers his hand. Snow drifts toward the barbarian and slides across an invisible surface hovering in the air on his left side.

Kralkar glances over his shoulder to make sure the spears and torches are in position and sees a young man stumble, terror evident in every awkward move. Kralkar catches his fear-filled eyes and winks reassuringly. "Chin up, lad. This'll be quite the tale to tell your grandkids, eh? Stay with me and you'll be alright." His voice is filled with eager confidence and is pitched to reach the ears of every member of the group as they move together toward the trees.

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Sheparding the remaining people along, Daar squints and peers out into the night. She sees the leader and a surge of hope wafts through her. "The leader - the big black one - he is injured," she says in a sotto voce meant to reach Kralkar in front and not beyond. 'If the leader goes down, they might break' she says to herself, forming a plan. She looks around again, hoping to see a cave or other place where they could mount a proper defense. Seeing none, she resigns herself to the trial in front of them.

It would be ironic, she reflected, if she came all this way from Vaalah only to perish within a days walk of Stone. She quickly dismissed the thought, confident that the spirits had a much different plan for her, and that part of her trial may well be to see that these people reach Stone safely. "Keep moving" she encourages the terrified caravanners. "We will be all right."


Initiative (minus 2 - 1 for size and 1 for exhaustion) [roll0]
Current AC is 16 (minus 1 for exhaustion, and -1 for size)

[Zed's Dead]

Round One
Initiative
18 Arlen
13 Kraalkar
11 Wolves
6 Daar
5 Wolf Leader
5 NPCs
4 Elva

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The wolves weave their way through the trees and flow smoothly over the snow toward the group. One scarred beast lopes ahead of the others, its eyes gleaming with ferocious hunger. Kraalkar gauges its movement and as it comes within reach swings his heavy sword in a diagonal cut at the wolf's neck.
[roll0] Attack roll
[roll1] Damage roll

"Stay to my right and keep moving!" he yells to the group, and moves forward. Daar's words register with him and he gestures to the south. "Archers, focus on the big black one!"
5-foot step to K/L 14/15

[Zed's Dead]

Quickly, he called up a powerful conjuration to trap the wolves at the edge of the woods, hoping his spellcasting would go mostly unnoticed while everyone was still staring at either the woods or his newly enlarged comrades. Teasing a small spiderweb out of his belt pouch, he whispered words of power to it, before opening his hands. The ethereal white wisp whizzed out into the snow, hardly visible against the slowly floating flakes. As it reached the wolves, however, it blossomed into an enormous sticky net, attaching itself to two trees and flying toward the group of wolves with deadly precision.

The effect was immediate. Eight wolves were bound tightly by the strange, sticky substance. Their menacing growls turned to high-pitched confused whines. Even those who weren't caught directly had trouble inching their way through the mess.

The large black leader, injured as she was, became furious at the sight of her children being trapped. She rushed through the deep snow and closed on the first prey she could see. Viciously and without thought for her own safety, the massive wolf leaped upon her prey and savagely tore at Daar's left arm, which she had instinctively raised to protect her neck.

Daar:
Take 13 points of damage.

Kraalkar's sword came down in a huge sweeping arc and buried itself in the snow where the wolf had been standing. The wolf lunged at Kraalkar's sword arm, but missed, his teeth snapping in the frigid air. A third wolf ran carefully around the strange sticky substance, shot across the snow, sunk his teeth into Kraalkar's leg, and locked his jaws upon his prey.

Kraalkar:
Take 12 points of damage.

The last rays of the sun evaporated into the aether.

Here's the new, updated map (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj174/ulricgantai/?action=view&current=Wolfmap2.jpg).

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

As the teeth of the wolf-leader tears into her left arm, Daar grunts with the pain, her adrenaline pumping to even higher levels. In a great voice she shouts "og’ll bur arur barnarls harlarl aru gland!" With another growl she swings her blade at the wolf, with a hope that her spirit ancestors were watching over her at that point.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Daar's blade makes a swift slice to the she-wolf's exposed shoulder. The wound gapes, but the large, black thing doesn't seem to notice. She bared her teeth and growls savagely.

As if they were awed before by blindingly fast battle going on around them, the other members of the failed caravan finally come to their senses. The
bowmen do as they are told and try to the best of their ability to shoot the black wolf attacking Daar before moving north with the rest of the caravan.

Most miss, and the arrows whiz into the blackness, but two steel tips bite deeply into the she-wolf's side. She seems not to notice.

Screaming his battle-cry at the top of his lungs, Jeb (a citizen of Stone) runs forward and thrusts his ashen spear at the gaping mouth of the mother wolf. She sidesteps and bites the spear below its deadly head, snapping it like dry bone.

Ulula silently and swiftly closes on one of the wolves trapped in the sticky net and thrusts her spear into its side, so deeply that the wolf cries out in shock and pain. Uluia uses the momentum of her thrust to twist the ash-wood shaft of her spear until the very life of the wolf spills out upon the snow.

There ya go, missy! Give the bitch her due!The old woman shakes her fist in the air as she is led on horseback. Her rheumy eyes reflect the torchlight. I've not felt so alive in years!
Another fighter, the one who killed the wolf with fire the night before, runs into the dark without a torch, following Uluia. His momentum carries him directly into the mire. Worse yet, he falls beside a wolf which is struggling to move forward. He screams in fear in spite of himself.

Imbris, eager to prove himself, runs to take a flanking position behind the wolf Kraalkar is fighting. He passes too near his enemy, and the wolf snaps at him, laying open Imbris' left forearm.

The rest of the group move quickly but cautiously toward the waiting arms of the dark wood, as if they fear the dancing shadows hide even more wolves.

The new map (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj174/ulricgantai/?action=view&current=Wolfmap3.jpg).

[Tura]

Elva, Druid/Wilderness Rogue

Elva looks at the wolves emerging from the forest, and the sight of the she-wolf on her left makes her stand and stare for a brief moment - she can't help admiring the large animal. Soon she regains her wits, and with a nod points at the leader of the pack. "Gray, attack!" she says sharply, and raises her arm, showing him the way south. The elkhound, barely restraining himself until then, runs through the snow, and twines through Jeb and Daar, eager to plunge his teeth in the she-wolf's flesh.

At the same time, Elva grabs her torc once more. A few words and a gesture later, the empty space behind the she-wolf suddenly becomes a blur, and another wolf appears out of thin air, this one white-furred, and set to fight with his own kind.
"The white one is on our side!" she shouts as loudly as she can, struggling to be heard through the noise of the battle, and then grabs her staff with both hands and begins to move forward.

Gray: move to J-20, attack 1d20+6, damage 1d6+6
Nature's Ally: I-19, attack 1d20+3, damage 1d6+1
Elva: handle animal free action, Summon Nature's Ally full-round action, 5-foot step to M-17
No flanking bonus included.

[Tura]

Rolling again (sorry, I don't know why it didn't work)
Gray:attack [roll0], damage [roll1]
Nature's Ally: attack [roll2], damage [roll3]
Oh, and Elva moved to L-17, sorry for the typo.

[Zed's Dead]

Gray attempts to bite the she-wolf's extended right paw, but her teeth close on air. She is quick for her size. A much smaller white wolf appears, seemingly out of nowhere. He rips into the she-wolf's flank.

Tura:
Cool.

I have put Gray at I-20 because she can't effectively occupy the same space as the NPC at J-20.

End of Round One. You may begin Round Two.
Here's the updated map (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj174/ulricgantai/?action=view&current=Wolfmap4.jpg).
Note that I added the wolves who just killed Cullen and the Merchant.
Key:
f=forest
F=fiery light in the forest
w=wolves
n=weak or injured npc
N= NPC who is battle-worthy (you know they are, because they proved themselves last night.)
D=Daar
K=Kraalkar
i= Imbris - kid Kraalkar tells to stay with him, and he'll be ok.
A=Arlen
E=Elva
G=Gray the Elkhound
S=Sul, the Owl
C=Cullen X = dead
M= Merchant X = dead
L=Wolf leader
Uluia = The woman with the spear who is interested in fighting with Kraalkar
@= Edder
O= Old Woman
H=horses
S=summoned white wolf (for now, I'll let the summoned white wolf have an S. I forgot about Sul. I'll update the white wolf's avatar when I update the map during round 2.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
"Aaaaaaarrgghhh!" The wolf's fangs sink into Kraalkar's muscled leg, and the barbarian roars in pain. Cries of alarm and pain sound from the group behind him, and Imbris' arm is laid open to the bone by the flashing fangs of the wolf's partner, and the wolves press forward, eyes aflame with ravening hunger. The huge black wolf growls, a rumbling snarl of rage and impending violence. Realization comes to Kraalkar in a flash, and time seems to slow down. They are no ordinary wolves. These are the Hounds of Wulocha. It is the time of sak'aach, the culling of the herd.

Everything speeds up again. A wave of hot fury surges through his body and a red haze descends over Kraalkar's vision. From the corner of his eye, Kraalkar glimpses a smaller shape, pale and lethal, attack the black monster from behind. It is a sign from Mutani! He sends a white wolf to aid me! Kraalkar surges back into battle, his blade whistling toward the wolf that savaged Imbris. "Come, you demon-spawn! You will not take me today! I am Kraalkar! KRAALKAAAAAR!"

I've been having trouble with the boards today, and then I got busy. Sorry for the delay. As per DM discussion, I enraged before I attacked. The rage will last for 5 rounds after this one and be finished at the end of the 5th round (after my actions for that round).

[Tura]

Elva

Elva strides forward and turns left around Daar, determined to have the she-wolf surrounded. But her eyes keep darting to the other wolves, mindful of any attacks they might make on her while she goes for the leader. Now that she's close to her, she can't help wondering if there's anything in this world, anything at all that this magnificent animal fears. Oh, but you should, she thinks, and drives down her staff with both hands and all of her might, in a large arc, aiming for the animal's head.

In the meantime, Gray seems infuriated that the she-wolf evaded him, and sets on her with a wild growl, trying to tear her ribs, while the white wolf attacks again, frenzied by the taste of blood in his mouth.

Elva: Move to I-18 (3 squares, half speed), tumble , attack [roll1], damage with sneak attack: [roll]1d6+4+2d6
Gray: attack [roll2], damage [roll3]
White Wolf: AC 16, hit dice 2d8+8 (24 hit points IF full), attack [roll4], damage [roll5]
Included flanking bonus for all.
I completely forgot the bonus from augmented summoning for the first round, please add 2 damage...

Knowledge (nature) about the she-wolf in particular: [roll6]
Spot as a free action, to see how the wolves are moving in the web (which ones seem slowed): [roll7]

If the she-wolf moves, the animals will attempt to follow her, and Elva will attempt to put herself in a flanking position before attacking. If she provokes an attack from another wolf, she will probably ignore it for the moment, unless she (or Daar) gets badly wounded.

[Zed's Dead]

Tura:

Knowledge (Nature) This particular specimen is a "half-breed" Giant Dire wolf, which was born of the pairing of a gian wolf and a dire wolf. Known as particularly fierce and wise opponents, these wolves hunt in packs and are sometimes known to give their lives for one another. You get a sense that the She-Wolf is in a protective stance, and that it is unlikely that she will willingly leave the battlefield.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen, ranger/wizard

Straightening from his casting crouch, the crafty black huntsman swiftly scanned the battle, his keen mind swiftly running through possibilities and priorities.
What do I know about wolves like that one not enough time to study through that question. Could cast a cantrip to weary her it doesn't work as often on stronger creatures like her. Just arrows then focus on the leader. Can't waste the magic arrows I'll never be able to retrieve them. Two other wolves about to break free Edder and Imbris fatigued can't worry about it just keep moving. What's that fire we're moving toward don't know but Sul wants us there and fire can't hurt as a weapon. The wolves that killed Cullen and the merchant went this way - should watch out for them.

As he raises his longbow, he nods to Sul. "Check on the wolves" - the owl understands perfectly, lifting off his shoulder with graceful swiftness. He moves then with rapid precision, firing off one arrow, and then another in the same heartbeat. Lowering the bow, he begins moving to the north, directing the nearest noncombatant, "Make sure Edder keeps going." He readies his bow for the next wolf, keeping an eye to the east in case the wolves return.

Thinking - free action (good thing, huh? :smalltongue:)
Directing Sul - free action
Arrows - full-round action (Rapid Shot)
5-foot step to 15M - free action
Speaking to nearest noncombatant - free action

Sul will understand his words as "Check on the wolves near Cullen and see if they're a threat", specifically if they incoming or not. She flies to 14U, about 30 feet high, and looks for them. [roll0]

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[Zed's Dead]

The weakest members of the caravan do the best they can to move quickly north, off the road, into the trees. The able-bodied allow the injured and weak to lean on them, while doing their best to stay alert.

What remains of the caravan is almost at the tree line when four wolves appear over the rise to the Northeast. Their ears are up and alert, and even in the torchlight, the caravanners can see their dark, blood-stained jaws and necks. They must have paused just long enough to kill Cullen and the Merchant, and then turned back to live prey.

Upon sighting the vulnerable humans, the small pack race in to the kill, only to find ashen spears set against their charge. One wolf impales himself, taking fully half the length of the shaft into his body. The point protrudes from between his shoulderblades, but he does not fall. The defender is unable to hold his spear as the wolf rears up on its hind legs and howls in pain.

The other three are nicked and slashed, but not seriously wounded. One wolf almost playfully swings a paw behind and beneath a defender's legs, throwing him to the ground, and then savages his leg and torso.

A few arrows fly into the night, but none is able to bite into the wolf flesh.

The wounded cower behind the defenders, praying for deliverance.

The Old Woman, instead of cowering, picks up a dry, fallen fir branch at her feet and lights it on a torch which has fallen to the ground. She waves her makeshift firebrand in the air.

Come closer, Curs! You'll get a burnt muzzle when ya try to bite me!

To the southeast, Jeb uses his broken spear like a quarterstaff, a valiant but ineffective effort. The blows that land glance off and seem not to deter the She-Wolf's wild attacks.

Edder does not move, but stares at the She-Wolf in a kind of trance.

More to come. Specifically, wolf attacks!

[Zed's Dead]

The wolves in the sticky spiderweb-like strands are having trouble freeing themselves. One wolf is just able to make it out of the goo, and he stands panting for a moment before he can join the fray.

Kraalkar whips himself into a frenzy, dodging the savage, hungry jaws of the two wolves facing off against him and lopping the ear off of one of his attackers.

Gray's fury gives her the strength to bite the right foreleg of the She-Wolf, crunching bone between her teeth.

The momentary distraction of Gray's bite causes the She-Wolf to recoil in pain just as Arlen's first arrow whizzes by. Those within range then hear a pop, and Arlen's second arrow now protrudes from the shoulder of the She-Wolf. She involuntarily yelps with pain. Her left foreleg, which she was favoring before the fight, seems to have stiffened further, limiting her mobility.

Updated Map coming soon.

[GeekLord]

[roll0] Second attack (-2 for second attack, +2 for flanking)
[roll1] Damage (I forgot to add 3 points of damage to my previous attack from my increased Strength and 2-handed weapon)

[Zed's Dead]

After lopping off an ear, Kraalkar's greatsword whips around a second time, too fast for the eye to follow, and shears the wolf's head from his body.

Uluia Steps forward and jabs her spear at a wolf who has nearly freed himself from the web. Her comrade is still ensnarled in the sticky mess.

I will try to protect you from these snapping jaws, but you must free yourself from the mire!

Nearby, Imbris takes a step to the right jabs his spear at the wolf he is flanking with Kraalkar. He hits the wolf, but without enough force to pierce its hide.


Spot as a free action, to see how the wolves are moving in the web (which ones seem slowed): (1d20+8)[18]

Most of the wolves are stuck fast, but one wolf does manage to free himself from the web. He now stands behind the summoned white wolf, growling.

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Daar resets her jaw and prepares to make another swing at the more injured She-Wolf, challenging her in a mixture of Uruk and Common. "Come on! Azizsh ghurg if you can!" she taunts and then her sword arm flashes.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

As Daar's blade slices her snout, The She-Wolf recoils. With nowhere to turn, she gathers herself and slams Jeb in the chest with her muzzle, knocking him back ten feet. Then she runs toward the road and howls long and loud. Dozens of howls answer her from the Western wood.

End Round Two. You may begin Round Three. I'll have a map up tonight.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The wolf's body collapses. Hot blood spurts and steams in the snow. Massive muscles bunch and relax as Kraalkar whips the heavy blade around and over his head, and then hammers it down onto the wolf that had ripped his leg.

The world is hazed in red, and the cries and howls around Kraalkar reach his ears as though from a distant place.

[roll0] Attack 1 against K-13
[roll1] Damage for attack 1
[roll2] Attack 2 against K-13 (if it's still up, otherwise against I-15)
[roll3] Damage for attack 2

I have Cleave--so I'll roll my extra attack (for downing the previous wolf) in a separate post. The newly dead wolf is in L-13, and the Cleave attack will be against the wolf in K-13 that Imbris just flanked (which is the same wolf I'm taking these two attacks against).

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

[roll0] Cleave attack against K-13
[roll1] Damage for Cleave

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Exhilarated that the She-Wolf looks to be breaking, Daar raises her falchion wanting to finish her off before she gets to escape

AOO on the She-Wolf:
attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]

[Tura]

Elva

"No!" yells Elva as the she-wolf lunges towards Jeb, and brings her staff down on the pack's leader. At the same time, Gray and the white wolf, born hunters, dash at the fleeing she-wolf.

AoO:
Elva: attack [roll0], damage with sneak attack [roll1]
Gray: attack [roll2], damage [roll3]
White Wolf: attack [roll4], damage [roll5]
Included flanking bonus for all.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

"Damn, I should've known they'd be coming back! Better leave that wolf bitch for the others, Sul, or our companions won't last." Sul takes off immediately, fearlessly going to lend what aid she can, while Arlen lifts his bow and lets fly another volley before stepping north again. "Get to that fire!"

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
Attacking the wolf in 10Qthat looks healthiest and that Sul isn't flanking* - full-round action.
5-foot step north to 14M - free action.
Speech - free action.

Sul takes a double move to 8R, going up and back down over the wolves so as not to provoke AoOs. She now offers flanking bonuses to the NPCs in 8P and 10P. Her AC is 19 (touch 15, flat-footed 16).

Pardon the "cuss" word, but it's technically perfectly appropriate. :smallwink:

*Pardon the complexity, but Arlen's trying to be as efficient as possible. He'll aim for a healthy-looking one (of the four in the NE), but also one that isn't being flanked, as he wants to maximize Sul's effectiveness.

[Tura]

Elva

The white wolf sniffs the air, having sensed danger behind it. He immediately turns around and comes face to face with the wolf that managed to free itself from the web. Without a second thought, the white wolf bites savagely.

Elva looks in horror as the she-wolf reaches the most unprotected member of the group. "Gray, defend." she says quickly, and the faithful dog runs east like the wind, turns left and charges. "Close your eyes, boy, and let go!" yells Elva to Eddar. With things happening so fast, she can't begin to explain anything to the frightened child. Instead of attacking, Gray leaps on Eddar with his full weight, carefully keeping his claws contracted so as not to hurt the boy, and tries to push him back, as far away from the she-wolf as possible.

The air behind the leader of the pack becomes a blur once again, but this time it's no wolf that comes out of it, it is a winged beast. A winged mare, with an eagle's beak and claws, magnificent and arrogant, flaps her winds behind her and stands on her hind legs, well above the she-wolf's head. She then fiercely slashes with her forelegs, and lunges to bite the large wolf.

Elva steps forward and stares, with her hand still on her torc and her eyes gleaming with nothing short of reverence. "Thank you" she whispers.


Elva: summon full-round action, 5-foot step to J-17.
White Wolf: attack (the wolf in G-19) 1d20+5 for 1d6+3 damage.
Gray: moves to K-20, charges diagonally to N-17 (where Eddar is) and bull rushes him 10ft, sending him to P-15, so that now Gray is in O-16. AC 17, Strength check: 1d20+7
Hippogriff: position O-18 (O-19, P-18, P-19). Full attack: claw 1d20+10 for 1d4+6 damage , claw 1d20+10 for 1d4+6 damage and bite 1d20+5 for 1d8+2 damage. AC 15.
Flanking bonus applied.

Note: if Gray doesn't manage to push Eddar back that far (or at all), the Hippogriff will appear a bit to the right. (I'll calculate that later if there's any need, the point is to keep flanking.)
EDIT- Yeah... I'll go to OOC and roll now...

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

"You won't get to the others without a fight" Daar growls at the She-Wolf although she knows that she can't reply. Once again she raises her blade, looking to mortally wound their leader.


It seems to me as though the she-wolf isn't totally out of range - if she is I will edit. I'm also adding a flanking bonus - if she isn't flanked anymore, pls take 2 off of that.
attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Kraalkar's battle-fury turns him into a force of destruction. Upon decapitating one of his opponents, his blade circles quickly, slicing deeply into the other wolf's thick hide, and then plunging the blade into its chest. The wolf's body goes limp and slumps into the snow.

"No!" yells Elva as the she-wolf lunges towards Jeb, and brings her staff down on the pack's leader. At the same time, Gray and the white wolf, born hunters, dash at the fleeing she-wolf.

Daar's falchion cuts a hank of hair off the She-Wolf's hide as she tries to escape the circle, but in avoiding the large uruk, she inadvertantly turns her savage jaws away, leaving herself open. Elva and Gray move as one--Grey savages the She-Wolf's underbelly while Elva's staff cracks her on the head, right between the ears.

A moment later, Jeb is sprawling on the snow. He has dropped his spear-shaft, and he makes no effort to regain his feet.

The she wolf somehow makes her way across the battlefield to the road, where Edder is standing, awestruck. She pauses just long enough to voice an ear-shattering, keening, plaintive howl. Dozens of wolves' voices rise to meet her own.

Gray pushes Edder back without resistance. The boy falls hard on the snow, but is not hurt. He pulls himself into a ball on the ground.

Instantly, the wolves attacking the caravanners perk their ears and charge to their matriarch's defense. One gets a spear in the side as he turns to run. Two arrows plunge into the shoulderof one wolf as he charges. He breaks stride, but resumes his run. Two arrows from the bows of the caravanners hit another wolf in the flank as he runs to the fight.

The immediate threat gone, the caravanners head into the woods.

The old woman can't help taunting the wolves. She waves her firebrand in the dark air.

Come back, ya pups! I'll teach you to mess with Meg Gerney!

A strange, winged creature materializes behind the She-Wolf. She doesn't see it, but somehow nearly dodges its blows. Its claw and beak rend the She-Wolf's back. She cringes, but she does not fall. Two wolves unhesitatingly leap to attack the wierd creature. One snaps and misses, and the other bites the hippogriff's foreclaw, leaving deep trenches which drip golden blood.

H. takes 17 damage

The third wolf attacker lunges at Gray just as she is recovering from pushing the boy back, ripping a nasty wound in her side. The fourth wolf manages to throw off Daar's attack by snapping at her sword arm just as she is about to deliver a telling blow against the She-Wolf.

Gray takes 14 damage

The white wolf and the wolf who has recently freed himself from the mire continue to bite and dodge, and it seems that, for now, the white wolf is winning his battle.

Everybody make spot and listen checks. By the way, you do realize that Sul is incredibly vulnerable if she allows herself to get within striking distnace of these wolves' jaws. I'm just saying...

END ROUND THREE. YOU MAY BEGIN ROUND FOUR.

I think I got all the action, but if I left anything out, just let me know. I'm writing this under a time crunch.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

[roll0] Cleave attack against J-14 for downing the second wolf in the previous round
[roll1] Damage on Cleave attack

[roll2] Attack 1 in this round, vs. J-14 or I-13 if J-14 is dead
[roll3] Damage

[roll4] Attack 2 in this round, vs. J-14 or I-13 if J-14 is dead
[roll5] Damage

[roll6] Cleave attack for this round if I get one (against I-13)
[roll7]

Kraalkar is not paying that much attention to the other wolves behind him, given that he has so much to work with in front of him. These are the attacks he'll make unless the updated map makes some other action blindingly obvious. I'll be away from my computer today, so I won't be able to check until this evening. Please let me know if any of the moving wolves provoke an attack of opportunity from Kraalkar.

Kraalkar does not slow down when the second wolf drops; if anything, he moves faster, his blade a blur in the torchlight. His face is locked in a savage snarl, and his eyes flash with rage.

[Zimmia]

Daar Barbarian/Cleric

Daar's focus changes as the new wolf nearly hits her as she went after the She-Wolf. She resets herself slightly and goes after this new threat.

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Attack wolf 4: [roll2]
damage: [roll3]

[Zed's Dead]

Having seen his brother slaughtered by one spear-thrust just seconds before, one wolf fights his way through the sticky mess away from Uluia. He is almost free!

Moments later, three swift strokes of Kraalkar's greatsword cut him deeply and then slice him in half, quickly ending his struggle.

The unfortunate wolf's sister attempts to push herself away from the raging giant, but his final blow catches her side and opens a deep wound between her ribs.

Daar frees her sword arm from the ravening beast who confounded her last attack and brings her falchion down hard on the wolf's shoulder.

The snow turns to sleet.



If you made spot/listen DC 20: In the midst of the chaos of the battle, you hear to the north, through the trees, the soud of men shouting. You probably noticed earlier the caravanners heading into the forest for protection. If you glance over as you fight, you see the caravanners grouped near the place where you first saw the fire in the woods. Although their bodies block the fire now, you can see its light reflecting off the branches of the fir trees swaying over it.

On the other side of the fire, illuminated by its light, you see the head and shoulders of a brutish humanoid towering over the caravanners. He is brandishing a spear twice the size of Uluia's, though he doesn't seem to be attacking the caravaners. His rough, heavily accented voice booms out of the little clearing and is even audible to your trained ears.

I SAID, GO AWAY! He speaks in the Varsa tongue, though the accent suggests he is not from Stone or the surrounding area.

Ooc:
{Those of you who didn't make a DC 20 spot didn't see this at all. Perhaps you were busy. Those who didn't make a DC listen check heard it, but couldn't make out what he was saying.}

OoC: {Here's the new Map (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj174/ulricgantai/?action=edit&current=wolfmap10.jpg). It somehow has been shrunk to 1/4 its usual size. I'll fix it, but here's how to get along in the meantime: use the zoom slider on the right to make the image big enough to see. Sorry, guys, but like I said, I'll fix it.}

[Tura]

Elva

Hearing Gray yelp in pain makes Elva wince as if it was her who received the blow. She runs next to the elkhound, clearly in distress, only barely remembering to move in a small arc so as not to come too close to the nearest wolf. "I'm here" she says softly to Gray, and then anger wells up inside her as she sees the wound in her side. She raises her staff to strike the she-wolf, the most dangerous foe threatening her dog right now.

Opposite of her, the hippogriff lets out a piercing shriek, exclaiming more wrath than pain. The winged mare's foreleg comes down slashing the she-wolf in tremendous force, and then she strikes again. As for Gray, she bravely holds the line and resumes fighting.

Farther west, the white wolf has disappeared into nothingness as mysteriously as he had appeared. And the commotion up north is something that Elva opts to ignore it for the moment, having her hands full.


Elva: attack [roll0] for [roll1] damage
Gray: attack [roll2] for [roll3] damage, AC 19, hit points 26/40
Hippogriff: claw [roll4] for [roll5] damage , claw [roll6] for [roll7] damage and bite [roll8] for [roll9] damage. AC 15, hit points 28/45
Flanking bonus applied only for Elva and the Hippogriff.
Elva to N-16. If Big Mama falls, proceed to nearest wolf. Did she fall already? That was a crit...

[Zed's Dead]

The hippogriff's razor-sharp talon flashes for an instant in the firelight before plunging deep into the wolf's neck. The talon emerges, bloodied and steaming, into the freezing air. Confusion and surprise play over the She-Wolf's countenance, and all who look upon her can see see the wisdom in her eyes.

She raises her head to give one last howl that won't come. Instead, she chokes, and a stream of blood splashes on the snow at her feet. She looks up into the eyes of her destroyer. A second talon sweeps in from the left to finish the grisly work, and this time the She-Wolf doesn't even try to avoid the blow. Her heart pumps what must be the last of her blood--a river which flows down her neck and forepaws. Her knees buckle. Her heavy body collapses into the snow.

Time slows perceptibly. The combatants pause, realizing the gravity of this moment.

A long howl of anguish and vengeance, a mournful keening cry, cuts the air from the West. It is answered by countless howls. If you look at the moon you can just make out the silhouette of a giant wolfen form standing on a small hillock above the battlefield. He surveys the scene with giant, burning eyes. In the woods, the eyes of his followers smolder with the same eerie shine.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva freezes on the spot, petrified. A chill runs down her spine and her heart all but stops beating. A terrible foreboding and an inexplicable feeling of loss consumes her. She glances to the western sky, and without knowing why or if there is a shred of truth in her words, she whispers, breathless:

"Dear gods. It's the father."


free spot: [roll0]
knowledge (nature) for the giant wolf, and also for the expected reaction of the pack: [roll1]

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Arlen turns swiftly at the sound, his satisfaction chilled before it had fully risen. He darts swiftly toward the fire, Sul returning to him and then matching pace. If they didn't reach the fire now, they would never make it to Stone. He stops and turns, making sure his companions are keeping pace with him, and scouring his meager remaining store of magic for anything that might help. He had the first glimmer of a plan, but he would have to time it perfectly.

Drawing from a belt pouch a small lump of wax, Arlen presses it in his hand, molding it swiftly into a crude approximation of a mouth. Then, shouting in a strangely harsh and strong voice, he utters "Azgala rakir modas!" and hurls the wax into the woods directly between the giant wolf, his pack, and the party. Instantly, an incredibly loud, hissing sound between a screech and a roar issues from the spot where the wax landed. Arlen waited - if his spell work had taken hold properly, that sound would be a replication of the Dragon's roar, an ultimate predator who, if his guess was correct, the wolves would fear like none other.

One move action toward the fire, readying an action to cast a spell (potentially casting it now, actually).
Knowledge (nature) to figure out what these wolves would be most afraid of, whether that be noise, deep water, or another type of predator, as well as anything he knows about the giant wolf:[roll0]
Knowledge (geography) to get Arlen's BEST possible estimate of how long until the wolves get to them, as precisely as possible: [roll1]

[Zimmia]

Daar, Barbarian/Cleric

Looking at the wolf on the hillock, Daar's lips move without actually speaking. She shakes her head slightly and then goes for the next wolf in her path.

It is a VERY busy day and I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, sorry about that.

Attack the nearest wolf if there is one in range: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen:


Arlen knows quite a bit about the wolves of this region, and especially giant wolves. This particular wolf is a giant wolf (a large creature, by RAW) which is actually heavier and longer than a warhorse and more than twice as deadly and tough as a dire wolf. It has no natural predators, but wolves and saber-cats often compete (directly or indirectly) for deer, wooly mammoths, wooly rhinos, bison, elk, moose, and other large herbavores. You actually saw the aftermath of such a battle about seven days ago in a mountain valley south of here.

This particular wolf is evidently the leader of a pack of dire wolves, much as his female counterpart was. Whether he is her father or not is a matter of speculation, but you do get the sense the two were linked. The particular call the wolf made is known locally as Vergardis, the challenge of the wounded wolf. Some barbarian clans in the region use an approximation of this call as their battle-yell. It's incredibly effective as a method of demoralization, especially in certain circumstances--such as these.

The giant bear is also a formidable foe for a lone wolf or even a handful of wolves, but bears are not known to travel in large numbers.

The Storm Roc is bird which lives in God's Teeth. They are few in number, but they can grow to incredible size. The Storm Roc has been known to swoop down and grab wolves, bears, bison, and even young mammoths during winter, especially Blotmonað.

These wolves have no fear of water or storm.

The final possibility that springs to mind is the legendary Dragon--a creature you have never seen. You have, however, heard what you thought was its call from a great distance while exploring South of here, in Sardica.


A thunderous roar eminating from the woods immediately to your west causes your heart to jump in its ribcage. Such a sound cannot be ignored, and has an immediate, visceral effect on all involved in the battle. The wolves of the She-Wolf's pack, who have evidently either faced a Dragon or some other similar creature, lower their stances and, as a unit, run to the east--their tails between their legs.

The wolves in the western forest retreat several feet, but it is caution (not fear) that seems to cause their hesitation.

The caravanners--to a man--fall prone on the ground or hide behind trees, while the brutish humanoid falls back into the shadows on the far side of the fire.

END ROUND FOUR. BEGIN ROUND FIVE.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Steam wreaths Kraalkar's powerful form as the furnace heat of his rage meets the cold night air. His body is spattered with blood, and the thick dark liquid drips steadily from the tip of his blade into the churned slush as he looks for another threat. "Is this the best you can do, dark one?" he bellows in scorn. "Your dogs have failed to..."

Kraalkar's boastful words are silenced by a long howl of anguish and vengeance, a mournful keening cry from the West. The barbarian whips his head around, dread pooling in his stomach. That sound... The silhouette of a giant wolfen form stands on a small hill, overlooking the battlefield with large, burning eyes. "Aaiiieeee!" Kraalkar gasps in sudden shock. Then his voice rings out. "It is a Son of Wulocha!"

Kraalkar's form sags and seems about to drop to its knees. Aiiee, we are doomed...

Doh, too slow! This post was intended as an RP response to the giant wolf's appearance. However, I'll edit it in the morning to serve as the beginning of Round Five's action, depending on what the corrected map Zed posts looks like.

This post is PART ONE of my round (the non-action part). Part Two incoming.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Melting snow mixes with the sweat on Arlen's face, but he barely notices as the weather becomes harsher. His eyes flick to follow the fleeing wolves, then return to those still motionless on the western flank. Hardly daring to breathe, Arlen moves on the the next step in his hastily-concocted plan. Moving so swiftly he almost fumbles on the first try, he opens another of the pouches connected to one of the many straps that cross his torso. Turning his head back over his shoulder without turning his gaze, he shouts at Kraalkar "Don't mind the sound, it's not dangerous! Just make sure the others know that, and rally them by the fire!" Then, resolute, he strides toward the forest. If this doesn't work...best not to think about it. As he moves forward, so does the sound: The roar comes again, this time accompanied by a few thumps and rustles, as if something very large is moving through the underbrush.

After a dozen paces, Arlen halts, holding in front of him a small, clear marble in each hand. As the thundering echoes of the roar begin to die away, he chants again, though this time the words are lost in the sleet. He suddenly crushes the marbles between thumb and forefinger, and the same moment, two fist-sized globes of light wink into existence at the same spot where the roar has just ended, as if whatever was crouching in the darkness had just turned two large and baleful eyes on the wolves ahead of it on the hillock.

I think Arlen is just to the north of Kraalkar at the beginning of this round. He'll move forward toward the west, though only 10 or 15 feet, not his full move - i.e., if it really goes down the wrong way, he's not completely alone out front. He then releases the Ghost Sound and casts Dancing Lights in the same space. He's trying to keep the noise and sound close enough to scare the wolves, but not so close that they'll be able to see that there's actually nothing there.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar watches the dark-skinned elf stride toward the Son of Wulocha, whispering words of power. His confidence is impressive, as is the shattering roar which splits the air. You shame yourself with this unmanly weakness! Kraalkar snarls to himself. If this nak'ali can face the demon, YOU can do so as well! Exhaustion is spreading through his limbs, dulling the edge of his reactions, but Kraalkar stiffens his knees and thrusts his chest out, using his anger and shame to fan the flame of his rage.

"Take everyone to the fire," he growls at Imbris, "and set a perimeter of flamable items: brush, wood, anything you can find. We will follow. Go, now!" Kraalkar notices the two wolves struggling in the sticky webbing, and his rage flares anew. A short step brings them within reach, and Kraalkar attacks. "Come, demon spawn," he roars into the night, "and face your doom!"

5-foot step into K/L 13/14, free action.
[roll0] Attack 1 vs. I-12
[roll1] Damage 1
[roll2] Attack 2 vs. I-12 (or I-13 if I-12 is dead)
[roll3] Damage 2

[roll4] Cleave attack vs. I-13 if needed
[roll5] Cleave damage

[Zimmia]

Daar

After the momentary feeling of triumph as they cut through the wolves, Daar comes far too close to dropping her blade as she hears the dreadful howl from the west. She feels her legs tremble and she resorts to biting her lower lip in order to keep from diving for cover like the caravanners. Tasting the tang of her blood tells her that all this is far too real. What could this creature be? All the rumors of monsters she had ever heard flipped through her head as she tried to make sense of it all.

Her stagnation is broken by Arlen and she marvels at his sense of composure in the midst of all the chaos. She takes in his words and turns to the caravanners near her, opening her arms and trying to shepherd them together in order to get them moving. Somewhere in her brain she notices that these people are looking at her with a mix of horror and awe and she is suddenly reminded that not every human is brought up to be a fighter, whereas in her tribe even those with the most domestic of tasks are more than capable of defending themselves and the tribe. When she speaks she tries to make it a comforting tone although their expressions tell her that she didn’t quite succeed. “Come now, we are far from dead! Keep moving together – we will protect you!” After she speaks she focuses her attention inward, thanking the spirits for getting them this far and asking for their help as they face this new unknown menace.


CLW (self): [roll0]

[Tura]

Elva

With the dragon's roar still ringing in her ears, Elva thinks that this is the end, every beast in this mountain has turned against them, and nothing can save them now.

"Don't mind the sound, it's not dangerous! Just make sure the others know that, and rally them by the fire!"
Arlen's words make her blink in disbelief, but seeing him just march into the forest brings her to her senses. If we don't focus, we'll never make it. she thinks, frowning, and bursts into activity. Hustling forward, she shouts to the others.

"Everybody go north and keep away from the forest! Jeb, get up! Edder, come on boy, come with me!" As she walks, her eyes search frantically the woods for any sign of the second pack. We'll be prepared this time. Gray doesn't need to be told anything, a nod and she follows swiftly, despite the fact she's now leaving a trail of blood in the snow.

"Yell if you see them coming close!" cries Elva, worried that with the dark and the rain she might fail to locate the wolves in time.

In the meantime, alerted by the dragon's roar, the hippogriff flaps its wings and flies up in a steep angle, heading west. It glances up and around in mid-air from 30 feet high, perhaps upset but without slowing down, and suddenly looks down again and dives straight for the wolf caught in the south end of the web, fast and hard.

Elva moves to N-10
Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]
Readies action: Entangle spell (40ft radius centered at the junction of D1,D2,E1,E2)
Trigger: if she perceives (via spot/listen checks, or if someone else warns her) wolves having entered for good in the northwest quarter of the map. "For good" means around colums D and E. If she fails to notice them in time, and so much as a muzzle appears out of the forest in the west, she'll cast it immediately.
(OK, that seemed complicated, sorry, but I think it just took a lot of words to describe something quite reasonable. Right?)
Gray moves to O-11.

PS- It goes without saying that I don't intend to entangle allies. I assumed Arlen is safely around lines 9 or 10 and colums G or H. If by any chance he's gone deeper, I'll move the spell's area accordingly.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

As his spellcasting concludes, Arlen drops his hands to his sides, clutching his bow and coming somewhat to his senses again. The focus of the moment had caught him up - so fiercely had he grasped at his flimsy stratagem that he had not had time to think of fear or self-preservation. Now, when there is nothing to do but await the outcome of his spell, the situation comes over him in a rush: the next gust of wind seems to go straight through him, and he is suddenly conscious of his surroundings, in front of the group and facing the wolves nearly alone. Perhaps the fear of the group had been a more sensible reaction than his reckless offensive...

Nervously, he notices Kraalkar, only a few paces away, but noticeably farther than the wolves struggling to free themselves in the portion of the web nearest him. Reaching out for the comfort of his connection with Sul, who circles protectively overhead, the canny woodsman shivers. Offering a quick prayer to Oloriel, the goddess of Nature, he peers around the battlefield, hoping that this evening will see them safe and warm in Stone, and fearing for the first time that this might not be the case for him.

Nothing but fluff and a free action. :smallbiggrin:

Arlen:
[roll0]
[roll1]

Sul:
[roll2]
[roll3]

Edit: I am Arlen and this is Sul, and we are: The All-Seeing!! :smalltongue:

[Zed's Dead]

Again, the wild, impossibly powerful roar almost deafens you. Though you think you heard Arlen clearly, you still have to struggle to keep your wits about you in the face of such a realistic aural assault. Your mind believes there is a huge beast only a few dozen paces away, yet your eyes cannot confirm or deny its presence due to the poor illumination of the torchlight.

And for a few moments after the crashing and roaring have subsided, you hear very little, besides the sounds of your companions and the caravanners to the north and the sleet cascading onto the icy snow.

Imbrus has made it to the caravanners, and is shouting orders in a quavering, yet surpisingly convincing voice:

Yes. Exactly. He said to chop down limbs or anything you can find. Yes, we should set them on fire. What? I'm not going to argue! Are you? Do it now! What? What are you talking about?

Uluia races to Jeb's side and helps him get to his feet, but he is leaning heavily on him. It's all she can do to hold him up.

Edder does not move forward. He falls to his knees instead, his palms face up, a blank expression on his face.

Vululf, the fighter caught in the web, is pale faced with terror. He is attempting to free himself, but to no avail.

The hippogriff, perhaps sensing an easy kill, climbs into the sky and flies straight down towards one of the mired wolves, talons extended.

Kralkar takes a mighty swing at a mired wolf, badly wounding it, but not killing it. The wolf's struggles intensify as it tries to escape its doom. Kralkar is about to take another swing just as the "Dragon" screams again, and his aim is thrown off by the terrifying sound.

A few of the mired wolves free themselves and then run quickly into the night away from the scene of their matriarch's fall.

Two wolves are angered by Kralkar's attack, and once they free themselves, they leap at Kralkar, mindless of their own safety.
These wolves (J-12 and J-13) were previously at I-12 and I-13. Take your attacks of opportunity (if you get two?). If you don't kill the I-12 wolf with this blow (or the cleave blow, if any, he hits you for 14 damage. I-13 misses.

The shining eyes of the wolves in the darkness do not advance or retreat.

You hear only the sleet falling all around you.

END ROUND FIVE. BEGIN ROUND SIX.

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen

As his spellcasting concludes, Arlen drops his hands to his sides, clutching his bow and coming somewhat to his senses again. The focus of the moment had caught him up - so fiercely had he grasped at his flimsy stratagem that he had not had time to think of fear or self-preservation. Now, when there is nothing to do but await the outcome of his spell, the situation comes over him in a rush: the next gust of wind seems to go straight through him, and he is suddenly conscious of his surroundings, in front of the group and facing the wolves nearly alone. Perhaps the fear of the group had been a more sensible reaction than his reckless offensive...

Nervously, he notices Kraalkar, only a few paces away, but noticeably farther than the wolves struggling to free themselves in the portion of the web nearest him. Reaching out for the comfort of his connection with Sul, who circles protectively overhead, the canny woodsman shivers. Offering a quick prayer to Oloriel, the goddess of Nature, he peers around the battlefield, hoping that this evening will see them safe and warm in Stone, and fearing for the first time that this might not be the case for him.

Nothing but fluff and a free action. :smallbiggrin:

Arlen:
[roll0]
[roll1]

Sul:
[roll2]
[roll3]

Edit: I am Arlen and this is Sul, and we are: The All-Seeing!! :smalltongue:

You can pick out the leader, as he is still illuminated by the waxing moon from your angle. He has drawn a bead on you, and though his ears perk when you cast your aural illusion, he barks orders to his footsoldiers--not a retreat. Sul is quite nervous, and is finding that the sleet is impeding her movement just a bit. Take -5 from her move speed.

You hear both sides of Imbrus' conversation with the caravanners:
What? They want us to start a fire?
Yes. Exactly. He said to chop down limbs or anything you can find.
Build a fire, here? Like a camp?
Yes, we should set them on fire.
Bollocks to that. I'm not going to set up camp here. I'm gonna find shelter. Where the wolves and whatever else is out there can't find me.
What? I'm not going to argue! Are you?
I'm gettin the hells out of 'ere.
Do it now!
I'm goin down in the hole.
What? What are you talking about?
DOWN THE HOLE, you dumb F***.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar: attack of opportunity while I consider my options.

[roll0] Attack of opportunity vs. I-12 (woohoo, crit!)
[roll1] Damage

[roll2] Cleave attack (if necessary)
[roll3] Damage

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar


[roll0] Attack 1 vs. J-13 (19 is a crit threat with a greatsword, woot!)
[roll1] Damage

[roll2] Attack 2 vs. J-13 if the first attack didn't kill it
[roll3] Damage

I had Cleaved J-13 after dropping the previous wolf from the AoO. (Cleave can be used once per round, but I had only hit once on my turn (didn't kill the wolf) and so hadn't Cleaved yet this round.) If my first attack hits and kills J-13, I will forgo my second attack and instead take a move action (40 ft.) to O/P 6/7. Otherwise I will take both attacks against J-13.

Blood from the crumpled corpses surrounding him makes the footing treacherous, but the barbarian sets his feet firmly and growls, focusing his strength into a massive two-handed blow at the last wolf.

Kraalkar feels his anger-driven energy fading as he stands over the bodies of the wolves, chest heaving. The sword is suddenly heavier in his hands. I must hold it together...for a little while longer... he thinks desperately. The caravan...

Marshalling the last of his reserves, Kraalkar straightens to his impressive height and squares his shoulders, then turns and moves rapidly toward the camp. "Stop your squabbling, little man!" he booms, injecting stern warning into his deep voice. "You waste valuable time. Build up the fire!"

[GeekLord]

[roll0] Bluff check to appear strong and commanding
[roll1] Perform (oratory) check for vocal inflections

Not sure if you want these, but I'll throw them out there in case you do. I want to take charge of the situation and get people organized. My rage will end at the end of my next round, by the way.

[Zed's Dead]

If you look West, you can see the wolves melt into the darkness of the woods. Some head North, and others move South. The giant wolf seems to have disappeared.

Zimmia: it's no problem for her to hoist him on her shoulder, if she wants. He weighs about 170 lbs.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Daar looks around her, taking in all their dwindling options. She spies Jebb being held up by Uluia and turns around to help them. She comes up to him on his right and puts her left arm around him, about to hoist him up when she thinks the better of it and picks him up gently and puts him over her shoulder. "None of us will be left behind," she says encouragingly and the three of them head toward the others.

Move back to N/M20 (or meet them if they manage to move forward) and take Jebbs weight from Uluia. The fatigue and the large size cancel each other out and she has a STR of 16. I'd like to get them moving right now. If the 16 isn't enough to help him along, she will stop and cast bulls strength, but only as a last resort - we're already far enough behind the others that I don't really want to stop to cast the spell when we're so spread out. (edit, thanks for the clarification)
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Suddenly, the wolves vanish into the darkness, heading either north or south. Arlen's breath whistles in through his teeth with surprise. That's not good...

Whirling around, he sees Daar already helping Jeff as Kraalkar cuts through some of the last wolves. Appraising the situation, he calls "Kraalkar, can you help Vululf out of the web? Elva, can you or your hound try to drag Edder along? The wolves have gone to attack from another angle, and we need to regroup by the fire before then." He moves slightly west then, standing ready to help anyone who may need it, and ward off unexpected attacks. With a word, he sends Sul to watch for the least sign of the wolves returning.

If you find Arlen's words to be selfish, you should realize that he currently has 8 Str (with the fatigue penalty) and it is obvious to your character that he would not be much help dragging people around.

Five-foot step to 10L.
Readying an attack on any wolves who appear unexpectedly to attack his comrades.
Sending Sul toward the fire, which she will circle, watching for the wolves. This set of Spot/Listen is made by her at approximately 7N, height of 30 feet, on her way toward the fire, looking for wolves. She ends her turn about 15 feet north of the fire, beginning to circle it (and will complete one full lap each turn).
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Tura]

Elva

"Kraalkar, can you help Vululf out of the web? Elva, can you or your hound try to drag Edder along? The wolves have gone to attack from another angle, and we need to regroup by the fire before then."

They are surrounding us as we speak. The boy is beyond help, Gray is wounded and I need to keep my eyes open. Cullen's plan might... work, after all. Elva looks like she's been stabbed in the heart. For a moment it seems as if she's about to head north again. The Circle would certainly approve, she thinks sullenly and leans on her staff.

"Mered!" she shouts suddenly in anger, a rather obscene colloquialism of her homeland that the Circle would certainly not approve. She spins around and stomps towards Edder, wiping the rain and her wet hair from her eyes, and plunging her staff in the snow with more force than necessary. Gray follows silently.

"Come on, then" she says simply to the boy when she gets near him, and without waiting for any kind of response, she kneels and passes her hand under his. Her eyes dart around as she picks him up, expecting to catch a glimpse of the wolves any time now.

Sorry if I wasn't very clear about Edder, but I didn't know how he would react (or how heavy he is). If he can walk supported by Elva, we'll do that, with him in the middle and Gray on the left. If not, she'll try to carry him, preferably in her arms if he's small and light enough. Is there any chance he resists? We'll go straight north after that.
Spot: [roll0]
Listen:[roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

The wolves leap at Kralkar as soon as they have freed themselves fromt the mire, but he is ready. He sidesteps one and lays the other open, shearing its breastbone and exposing its innards. The wolf doesn't even twitch as it falls face-first into the snow.

Kralkar's backswing is powerful enough to sever the second wolf's spinal column between the shoulderblades with a single blow. Its head still moves, but its body lies limp as if it was made of wood. Its death takes but a few moments.

_____________________

Daar and Elva are able to help Edder and Jeb about 20 feet towards the fire, though neither is helping much.

You can get me out. Don't leave me for them! You can get me. Just a tug or two. That's all it'd take!

Vululf is still stuck fast, and he is hissing across the snow:

Don't leave me here! Please! Oh god!

Vululf points into the Southern woods just outside the clearing.

Here they come!

Uluia moves to help him.

If you make a DC 25 listen: You can hear the yips and growls of the advancing wolves. They are all around you.

You also hear some shouting. There is a fight breaking just to the north of the fire.

If you make a DC 25 Spot, you see shadowy wolfen figures along the treeline to the West. You can see shining eyes lined up along the road to the south.

To the north, you can see the caravanners bunching up just north of the fire. Some are thrusting their spears, and others have their bows drawn and ready to fire. Imbrus' voice rises above the group.

Get your spears in there. It's the only way. Meg Gerney is waving her firebrand at the back of the group.

It's him or us!



To the South, you hear several barks in quick succession, followed by a low, long howl. The voice is at least an octave lower than the other wolf voices you have heard tonight. It must be the giant wolf.

End Round Six. Begin Round Seven.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva looks north, then south and feels her mouth drying up. Gray, it seems very likely that it will be our bodies that will delay them from getting to the others. For all the good that may do. Forgive me. Trying to think of a way out of this, and for the moment failing, Elva informs the others of the wolves' whereabouts, at least those she has managed to locate.

"About twenty of them and their leader are coming from the south, and about a dozen from the north-west." Her voice is loud and dull, as if there's nothing to be alarmed of, but also nothing anyone can do about it. As if to demonstrate that you have no reason to pull a fit when you are already beyond hope.

As I said in OOC, that was fluff and free action, proper actions for the round are to follow.

[Zed's Dead]

The fight beyond the fire is intensifying. One caravanner cries out in pain.

harmonictempest: From Sul are waves of anxiety at seeing so many wolves as well as an earnest plea to retreat to the fire. Sul sees hope beyond the fire.

[Tura]

Elva

Finally, Elva touches her torc and whispers a few words with half-closed eyes. And the forest to her west comes alive. The trees bend and writhe, the boughs wrap around the wolves holding them fast and every branch searches for a loose limb to entwine.

Elva glances south again and holds Edder more tightly. "Come on now, let's walk faster and get to that nice and warm fire, shall we?" With the boy in the middle, she and Gray head north, while looking back all the time at the pack of wolves following them.

Once again, we move together north, as far as possible.
Entangle centered at the junction of B5,C5,B6,C6.
And a (rather desperate) diplomacy check: [roll0]
Edit- yeap, pretty hopeless :smalltongue:

[Zimmia]

Daar

With Jebb over her shoulder, Daar puts a free hand on Uluia's arm. "We should join the others at the fire," she says larconically, and continues to move toward the fire. She is far too concerned about just how they're going to survive to utter any assurance about their future but feels she should say something else. "In my tribe, the spirits of our ancestors watch over us and give us protection and guidance. It is perhaps more familial than the gods of humans. Right now, I wouldn't refuse anyone's blessing."

Move toward the fire as quickly as Uluia's movement will allow us.

[Zed's Dead]

Daar, Elva, Sul, Gray, and Kraalkar:

The closer you get to the fire, the more clear the picture becomes. You see a wide cave mouth with a large boulder pushed in front of it. Out of a 2-foot square opening at the top Western side of the cave juts a spear that is almost twice the size of those your party carries. It is jabbing out of the cave entrance at anyone who comes close enough. One caravanner is dead. Three others are bleeding profusely from deep wounds, and have been carried to the back of the group.

Four of the caravanners are attempting to pry the boulder away from the entrance with their spears from the East side of the entrance. Fear and desperation plays across most of the faces in the crowd.

Meg Gerney is at the back of the group, but she obviously understands the situation.

Burn him out! It's him or us!

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Arlen stands frozen for a minute, as he realizes how completely surrounded they are. His shoulder sag, and for the briefest of moments he considers fading off to the east, where he could evade the wolves as they focus on weaker targets. Suddenly, Sul echoes in his head, and as he puzzles over it, something he'd heard earlier finally falls into place.

I'm goin down in the hole.
What? What are you talking about?
DOWN THE HOLE, you dumb F***.

We have to get to the fire. NOW.

Watching the remaining members of the group flee towards the fire, Arlen did what he could to slow the advancing wolves long enough to take advantage of this "hole". With a thought, he whipped the globes of light south toward where he'd heard the lead wolf, setting them dancing in the hope that they would, if not distract the wolves, at least make them detour around it. Then, quickly molding another small lump of wax, this time into a beak, he tossed it high into the air toward the south. Immediately, the fearsome cry of a Storm Roc was heard in the darkness above, as if diving down toward the wolves below. Then he turned and, like the others, headed toward the fire, hoping to find some safety against the impossible odds they were facing.

Not my best RPing, I'm afraid. But my internal writer doesn't quite wake up every day. ;-)

Redirecting Dancing Lights to 18 K and 18M- free action
Casting Ghost Sound in 16L - standard action
Moving towards the fire (not sure where I'll end up 'cause of the crowd) - move action

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar takes in the situation at a glance. "The hole", eh? The large barbarian moves alongside the men who are straining against the stone, and crouches down. "Altogether, then, on the count of three," he says quietly. Spirits help us, I don't have anything left...but this stone has to move. That nejas is condemning us all to death, and I will not allow it! Kraalkar feels a weary anger stir in his chest. He takes a deep breath, braces his shoulder against the stone, and growls "One...two...THREE." With an explosive groan, he channels everything he has left into moving the stone.

[roll0] Strength check to move the stone. I believe the others can Aid Another (me)....I hope.

Rage ends as of this turn.

[Zed's Dead]

With the five of you straining, the rock begins to move. The spear stops its deadly dance and disappears into the cave. The rock stops moving. The spear-carrying brute must be pulling the rock back into place.

Imbrus somehow makes himself heard above the sleet shower and grunting men.

What are you waiting for? Push that god-forsaken rock out of the way. We must find shelter!

Imbrus throws his shoulder into it as three other men grasp whatever handholds they can in order to push the rock out of place.

The cave entrance is opened just enough for a man to walk through with squared shoulders.

There, standing in the firelight, is a large, hairy man, powerfully built, with a protruding brow, a jutting jaw, and a mass of twisted teeth. His proportions are ape-like, and his body is hairy and almost naked.

He is ready. The brute has grabbed his spear again.

COLOR="Olive"]Grrraaaaaahhhhh![[/COLOR]

He shoves the wide flint tip deeply into Imbrus' side and then uses his leverage and incredible strength to disembowel Imbrus.

The boy falls stricken into the snow--his lifeblood pouring out of him, a strange, haunting smile on his face.

Before the brute can move, two spears and an arrow find their way into his naked chest and belly. All the fury and anguish built up over the last three days' hunt add a kind of ruthless power to the attackers. The brute is hurt, but he tries successfully to ignore his wounds.

Ululia is not close enough to thrust, so instead she draws her spear back and lets it fly through the air. It sails clear of the branches cris-crossing its path, and buries itself in the giant's neck.

The brute grasps for its shaft and pulls it out, but a spout of blood from his jugular springs forth. His face is ashen in the torchlight as he realizes his doom, but he does not yet fall.

Another low, long howl eminates from the South, and the almost forgotten wolf horde approaches slowly and cautiously from the North and South. Those to the west are otherwise occupied. [Heh.]

Three wolves break from the safety of the pack and leap upon Vululf. He is ripped to shreds before he has a chance to defend himself or even cry out.

Meg Gerney grabs another firebrand from the brute's fire. She is strangely silent, but her jaw is set in determination as she peers into the dark.

Edder comes to himself, pulls free, and takes a step toward the Wolf Leader. He is sobbing.

blood...blood...blood...blood...blood...

DC 25 Spot
Everybody make a spot check. If you hit DC 25, you will see that several of the wolves caught in the Web and Entangle spells are terrified, realizing they are easy prey for the Storm Roc. Much of their confidence seems to lie in their mobility. The entire group looks wary, and the pack does not make the offensive you expected. Only the leader and a few others look ready to fight at this moment.

End Round 7. Begin Round 8.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva looks behind her, sees the wolves closing in and takes a deep breath. "Keep going north! Daar, don't take even a step back!" she shouts, and makes a gesture with her left hand, her bracelet of beads dangling on her wrist. The trees on her left bend their branches once more, twisting and wrapping around anything that moves. And beneath the snow, the sleeping grass and roots wake up from their winter slumber, find their way up and writhe wildly above the white surface.

"Edder come back! You can't go in there!" yells Elva as the boy passes in front of her and walks headlong to the giant wolf's mouth - and the living trap that the ground has just become. She stretches her hand to grab him before it's too late, all the while staring at the huge wolf with a mixture of resolve and pleading.

And Gray, who has seen many a time the woods of his homeland come alive like that, jumps undaunted on the wolf behind them.


Entangle (via Pearl of Power) centered at U-11,V-11,U-12,V-12.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/81/round8aagl5.jpg
spot
listen [roll1]
Gray moves to L-8 and attacks the wolf at M-9.
attack [roll2]
damage [roll3]

A note about this round's actions: If grabbing Edder counts as more than a move action, I can't do it. I suggest we keep it for fluff (she tried and failed) and I'll use my remaining move action to draw the scimitar.
If it does count as a move action, we're jolly good. And in case you need a roll for that, here's a d20: [roll]1d20

[Zimmia]

Daar

Watching the brute in the cave, Daar gives a joyful cry and moves once more forward with Jebb. "You might as well fall over now, or Daar will slice you right in two when she gets there. That's our cave now!" She is about to look around for the wolves when she hears Evla's warning. Knowing that some sort of spell is about to be cast, she decides instead just to move on. Daar wipes some of the snow and sweat out of her eyes and stalks ever closer to the cave. When she reaches the others, she gently sets Jebb down, looking to see the state of the others.

Would it require a spot check to see how injured our own group are? I think it's probably more a heal check, but we'll do both just in case:
spot: [roll0]
heal: [roll1]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The stone moves, then stops, and Kraalkar's strength drains out of his limbs. I can't...do it... He slumps to his knees, still stubbornly leaning against the stone. His vision seems to flicker. From the corner of his eye Kraalkar sees Imbrus rallying the men, and then a broad spear head bursts from his belly and the boy falls.

NO! Kraalkar twists his body and stares up at the brutish figure wielding the gory spear. "No!" He staggers to his feet, gripping his greatsword in two fists, and swings--to late for Imbrus--at the killer. Someone is screaming in anger, but Kraalkar only dimly registers that the sound issues from his throat.

[roll0] Attack
[roll1] Damage

Please add +1 to attack and damage; I miscalculated the Strength score of an exhausted and Enlarged barbarian.

[Zed's Dead]

Elva:
You see the bloodshed just past the fire continue. You also see that the wolves to the north are closing.

Gray viciously bites an overconfident wolf in the neck, drawing blood before she loosens her hold and regains her fighting stance.

Though Elva is quick, Edder seems bent on self-destruction. Perhaps he believes this will be a faster way to end his suffering. Perhaps he is simply frightened out of his wits.

Daar:
Daar knows pretty clearly that everybody around her has suffered some injury, however minor. It would take a closer look to see who is closes to death, but Kraalkar's blood and the blood of those he slew is certainly intermingled. Though Imbrus has been disemboweled, you have seen a few recover from wounds as grievous as this.

Kraalkar:

Incredibly, Kraalkar finds the will to fight, despite his weakness. His sword slices neatly through the breastbone of the brute, spilling blood and tissue. The brute crashes to the ground. The wolves wait beyond him...as does the cave.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

A grim nod. The wolves were closing ever nearer, but with any luck, they'd make it in time. While the others clear the cave entrance (a pity really; we could have shared it, had he listened), Arlen darts to Imbris' side. Drawing some thick moss and bandages from his pack, he attempts to staunch the bleeding and close the wound as best he can.

[roll0]

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen:
Your minstrations have slowed the bleeding, but it will take something just short of a miracle to save Imbrus now.

The large, hairy manlike thing falls heavily to the snow. The cave entrance is dark, and a deeply repugnant smell eminates, easily nosed by all within the immediate vicinity.

The vines, grasses, and tree limbs of the forest reach out and grasp most of the wolves within their grasp. Those not immediately held fast move very slowly through the area, forcing their way toward their prey. This supernatural attack has unnerved many of the wolves. Their eyes roll, and little plaintive yips escape their black lips. The writhing flora only serves to infuriate the leader, however, who redoubles his efforts to make his kills.

Edder walks right into the fray, and his unnerving muttering is cut short as the Wolf Leader takes him into his mouth and crunches his bones. Edder, ironically, comes alive in those last moments, as if he has startled from a waking dream. His arms and legs flail about, and he screams from the depths of his soul until there is no more breath left in his body. The Wolf Leader grunts heavily, tosses the boy's body aside, and howls with an unnerving and shrill challenge to those who would dare oppose him. His hackles are up, and his eyes are bright.

The wolves from the north, unrestrained, must have seen this strike as their call to arms. They charge across the frozen ground and leap, snapping and growling, onto their prey. More than half a dozen caravanners are cut down in an instant. The few who thought to set their spears against the charge are somewhat successful. No wolf is killed, but three are injured. Three caravanners run into the cave out of sheer desparation and fear, only one torch between them. No wolf yet follows.

Kraalkar is bitten savagely on the thigh by a snarling wolf. Take an attack of opportunity against one attacking wolf, since you have reach, and it must pass through your threatened square in order to hit you. If you don't kill it outright, take 16 damage

Daar, too, finds a snarling wolf attacking her leg and lacerating her calf to the bone. Take an attack of opportunity against one attacking wolf, since you have reach, and it must pass through your threatened square in order to hit you. If you don't kill it outright, take 15 damage.

The wolves from the south are more careful. They see the sticky web and writing vines on either side, and they especially see that these effects can be easily felt by their brothers and sisters. They proceed more slowly, and they do not yet attack.

Meg takes several steps north, almost into the front lines of the battle. The surviving caravanners have formed a kind of protective semicircle around her and a few of the weaker members of the group, but she shouts to her defenders,

Step aside. I'll fry these pups where they stand.

At once, two bold wolves run forward, directly at her. Just before they reach her, Meg waves her firebrands in the air, weaving a strange fiery symbol which hangs in space before her. Twin streams of fire burst forth from her torches, searing both wolves and causing them to burst into flames. Their cries of pain, terror, and confusion cut through the sounds of the battle, and even those caravanners on the edge of despair are awed and amazed by what they have seen the old woman do.

The burning wolves run back to the North, colliding with each other, with the trees, and with other wolves as they run. In just a dozen steps, they both lie dead, smoldering in the snow.

Meg manages to screech a challenge above the din.
There! I'll fry ya all, and eat ya fer supper, ya mangy curs!

On the caravanner casualties--remember, often two or three caravanners (especially the weaker ones) occupy the same square. It might get a bit thick for a bit, but I'll make sure to count as precisely as I can. I think we're running pretty low on friendly NPCs now, however. By the way, I'll have a new map sometime Monday evening. I'm finishing the nine weeks right now. Tura, could you send me an larger version of your modified map if you have one? If not, it's ok.

End round 8. Begin round 9.

[GeekLord]

Take an attack of opportunity against one attacking wolf, since you have reach, and it must pass through your threatened square in order to hit you. If you don't kill it outright, take 16 damage
[roll0] Attack of opportunity
[roll1] Damage

[Zimmia]

Take an attack of opportunity against one attacking wolf, since you have reach, and it must pass through your threatened square in order to hit you. If you don't kill it outright, take 15 damage.

Attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Kraalkar and Daar see the wolves coming. They swing in unison, their blades whistling though the air. Both wolves are grievously wounded, but both stay on their feet and finish their charge.

[Tura]

Elva

This is hardly the first time Elva finds herself watching at close range a man being eaten alive by wolves. And back in the forest of her homeland, one could simply not afford to be squeamish about such things. Still, the sheer size and power of that wolf makes the scene more unnerving than anything she has ever witnessed, and the growing feeling of personal failure only makes matter worse.

"..too late. And for nothing. And at the expense of..."
With a glance to her right, Elva sees Gray in danger of being surrounded and immediately comes to her senses. "Down, Gray, get out of there, and watch it!" She nods to her and runs back north, not in a straight line but heading west and then turning, showing the elkhound that she should take a similar route. She arrives next to the fire, steps over a dead body and hastily attacks the nearest wolf, shouting to the men near her: "Run to that hole now!"

Gray retreats carefully to the forest, turns around before the snapping branches, positions herself next to Elva and growls to all directions.


Gray withdraws (no AoO please) and moves to K-7, then to O-3.
Elva moves in a semicircle: N-6--> N-4--> O-3-->P-4 and attacks the wolf at P-5.
attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]
spot: [roll2]
listen: [roll3]

[Zed's Dead]

Attempting to avoid the snapping jaws of the wolves around her as well as the whipping vines and tree branches of the forest, Elva swings her weapon and just misses the quick-footed wolf. Gray, too, has taken action, and is attempting to herd the survivors like sheep toward the apparent safety of the cave.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Tying the last bandage, Arlen stood up. The boy wouldn't die immediately, but he needed better care, and soon. "Grab this boy and get in the cave while you still can", he said to the nearest villager before turning to scan the field. Just a matter of who was faster now. Arlen longed to stand between the villagers and the wolves, but in his current state, a bite could finish him as easily as it could one of them. He saw Kraalkar clearly staggering from exhaustion and blood loss, and attempted to pick off the wolf that was savaging him.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
Hoping that might be enough, he called to Kraalkar "Finish him, and get yourself inside that hole before you lose any more blood!" Then he stood alert, ready to pick off another wolf, with Sul circling a few feet above his head. With any luck, a few of them would still make it.

[Zed's Dead]

The wolf nearest Kraalkar seems not to feel the first arrow, which strikes a glancing blow and flies off into the forest beyond. The second, though, buries itself in its shoulder and seems to limit the wolf's movement a bit as it moves warily from side to side.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva pants as her staff misses the wolf in front of her and lands in the snow. Trying to regain her balance, her eyes dart wildly across the battlefield, and she sees the two uruks, who must have slain more wolves than the rest of the caravanners together, bleeding almost uncontrollably.


"Finish him, and get yourself inside that hole before you lose any more blood!"
Oh but he'll never make it, thinks Elva as the wolves close in, and yells in response:
"Never mind the wolf, just get in!"

Free action. We're still in round 9.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The wolf's teeth sink into Kraalkar's meaty thigh, and the barbarian staggers.


"...get yourself inside that hole before you lose any more blood!"

The elf's words penetrate through the fog of his exhaustion and register in Kraalkar's mind. Almost by reflex, he swings his sword around perpendicular to his body--so heavy...too slow--trying to catch the wolf in its side. Then, grunting in pain, he shuffles deeper into the cave, barely able to support his weight on his wounded leg.

[roll0] Attack 1 vs. the wolf
[roll1] Damage

Standard action: Attack (missed the cleave).
Move action: Move into the cave, up to 20' (exhausted = half speed) depending on what's (waiting) inside (no need for torches with darkvision).
Let me know if I need to make a Spot check.

[GeekLord]

[roll0] Cleave attack vs wolf in Q-0
[roll1] Damage

[Zed's Dead]

It must be muscle memory. The gory blade slices the wolf's head clean from its shoulders. The body stands for a moment and then falls to the ice.

Kraalkar's follow-through fails to even nick another wolf, who avoids the clumsy blow easily. The remaining wolves are closing. They can smell blood.

[Zed's Dead]

As Kraalkar enters the cave, he leaves a blood trail on the snowy rocks. Daar's blade hovers high above her head, ready to deliver a killing blow to the injured wolf before her, but she decides instead to follow her grievously wounded companion.

As soon as they enter the relative safety of the cave, Daar puts her hand on Kraalkar's shoulder to stop him. His breathing is quick. Daar says a few words and places the tips of her fingers on his forehead, then closes her eyes.

Kraalkar and Daar:
damp, musty air greets your nostrils as you descend into the dark. Though all color is drained from your surroundings as you descend, you can see that the passage ahead is narrow enough that you will have to crawl on your hands and knees if you go fuch farther in your enlarged forms. The walls around you are composed of a rough stone, possibly granite, shot through occasionally with a lighter, sparkling crystaline material.

Make spot/listen checks.

Cure Light Wounds [roll0]

[Zimmia]

Daar

Panting with the effort, Daar sees some of Kraklar's wounds close and inwardly shakes her head. Her brow furrowed in concentration, she looks down into the cave. As long as there were no more surprises, they might be able to fend off the wolves, as long as they don't have to fight anything else in the cave at the same time.


Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

The Lead Wolf yowlps twice, and the entire pack surges ahead as a unit. There is a perfect precision about the attack which suggests they hunt this way often. A pack of this size must hunt successfully every day in order to survive, and they are obviously good at killing.

It is a slaughter. Every visible target is attacked by at least one set of snapping jaws. Jeb falls under the sharp, slashing teeth of two wolves. Imbrus, lying helpless, has his throat torn out and his intestines unraveled by a pair of black wolves. Vululf is torn in half by two young wolf rivals like a wishbone under the dinner table. His spine snaps audibly over the growls of the wolves and the moans of the dying.

You hear other caravanners screaming and shouting useless pleas and prayers as they are ripped limb from limb by the wolves and then tossed aside to bleed to death on the snow.

Three wolves growl and rip at Elva.

Elva takes 17 damage.

Uluia, Meg, Gray, Elva, and Arlen are the only surviving members of the party above ground.

Perhaps the most crushing fact is that four wolves have completely blocked the cave entrance.

Uluia skewers one wolf who is closing on Meg--not killing, but maiming the savage beast. Her eyes are bright with desperation.

They've cut us off! There is no escape! Daar! Kraalkar! Close the entrance to the cave!

Meg takes a steps over Imbrus' corpse and chants something in a language none of you has ever heard before. She brings the tips of her firebrands together in front of her face and begins to blow with all her might. After two breaths, the firebrands glow orange. One more breath brings their fire to life. Then, a jet of flame, seemingly eminating from her mouth, crackles through the cold night air. Almost instantly, all of the wolves in front of the cave entrance, as well as two in the woods 50 feet away, burst into flame. The immolation is quick and complete. In moments, there are only smoking, blackened carcasses where five wolves once stood.

Burn! Burn! Die in the flames of Hel!

The Lead Wolf Yowls in surprise.

End Round Nine. Begin Round Ten.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

One chance left. Just one. Arlen reached into the top of his pack instead of his quiver, and pulled an arrow from the second quiver there, whose tip glistened strangely in the cold moonlight. Try to give Elva a chance to get past those snapping jaws...he fired at a clump of wolves poised to strike Elva the moment she moved. Can't get any closer without hitting her as well...here goes.
Attack roll against wolf in 5N[roll0]
[roll1]
I'll wait to see the effect of that before posting the rest

Edit: Ok, I'm pretty sure that hits. If it does, there is a *bright* flash as the tip touches blood, and the wolves at 5N and any adjacent squares make a Fort save (DC 14) vs one round of blindness from the glare. The wolf that was hit gets a -2 penalty on this save, as it was closest to the flare.

*crosses fingers and hopes that allows Elva to make it to the cave.*

After firing the shot (so much for retrieving that arrow), Arlen shouted "You can make it, Elva!" Then he darts inside the cave, telling Daar "Get ready to push that stone back the second everyone's inside, and we might just hold them off." He crouches behind her then, ready to sell his life dearly if the wolves make it into the cave.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva cried in pain as the wolves ripped at her, and for a fleeting moment felt grateful that the sound of her own screams covered the roar of the fight and the wails of the dying. Surprised to be still on her feet, she realized their only way out was blocked by the wolves, and all but abandoned hope.

Distressed to see her wounded, Gray let out a high-pitched bark, which soon turned into a ferocious growl. Looking past what seemed like a million snarling teeth around her, Elva saw her dog crouching, ready to come to her rescue, and stopped her with a gesture before she could step into the fray. No Gray. I'll come to you.

Doing her best to fend off the blood frenzied animals, Elva began to retreat towards her dog, wishing at least to die by her side. But Meg's impressive and decisive display of power suddenly cleared the way again, and Arlen's arrow and heartening words promised a glimpse of hope after all. Now or never.

Gray, follow me! she says with renewed confidence, and runs to the cave's entrance.

Elva Withdraws initially to O-3 where Gray is, and from there straight north and into the hole. If she passes intact from Gray's square, the dog simply follows her, also Withdrawing. But if she does provoke an AoO while leaving O-3 and falls unconscious/dying, Gray will try to carry her to safety, if at all possible. (Read: DM's discretion.)
Spot check: [roll0]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar feels Daar's hand rest lightly on his forehead, and the sharp pain from his wounds fades to a dull throb. "I thank you, shinja," he mutters quietly, hand reaching automatically to grasp the amulet around his neck. The damp tunnel narrows ahead, and Kraalkar considers it carefully. I'll have to squeeze through in this form...not a good thing if there are enemies ahead. But where are those who entered ahead of us? And what of our companions behind?

Shouts and screams from outside the entrance mix with snarls and the chilling crunch of bone. Kraalkar hears the crone's shrill cackle and the elf enters the cave.

Get ready to push that stone back the second everyone's inside, and we might just hold them off.
Nodding grimly, Kraalkar grips the stone tightly to hide the trembling in his hands and waits for the right moment.

[roll0] Spot check
[roll1] Listen check

I don't know how much room we have in here, but I'll ready my action to roll the stone back across the entrance as soon as someone gives me the word to do so.

Also, is my Spot check good enough to locate the spear dropped by the ugly man from before? It might be better for holding off wolves than my sword would be, given our environment.

Edit: Ouch, guess not. My ears work, though. :smallsmile:

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen
The arrow finds its mark in the wolf's side, and a flash like a small sun pops in the dark and just as quickly fades. Two wolves actually recoil from the flash.

Elva
You see a stone sticking out of the snow and use it to launch yourself into a wirling, spinning lunge toward Gray, who snarls fiercely at the wolves while making her retreat. Teeth snap at your legs. One wolf reaches out his paw to trip you, and at the same moment, another bites the air just inches from your nose. His breath smells of carrion. You stumble, but you somehow manage to keep your feet and make it just inside the cave entrance.

Kralkaar
You hear a shuffling and scraping sound in the darkness of the cave behind you, but when you glance around you see nothing. You remember that the brute's spear is lying in the snow just outside the cave entrance. You saw it in action, and you noted how effective it was to hit targets at reach.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Wiping the combined sweat and snow out of her face, Daar carefully moves so that she is standing over Krallaar, and puts her hand on their best chance for safety, the rock that covered the entrance. She felt its cool, rough texture and closed her eyes momentarily, offering a silent prayer for those who had already fallen and for the safety of those still left alive. "I can help," she says to the weary Kralkaar and places a hand on his shoulder. "We have come this far together, and we're still here."


Readied action to move this rock just as soon as Arlen gives the word. Since I'm standing quite near him, I want to try and get a better look at just how injured Kralkaar is:
spot: [roll0]
heal: [roll1]

[Tura]

Elva

Elva slides into the hole, hardly believing her luck, thanking the gods for allowing her to survive. She pets Gray abstractedly, while her mind races. Will the others make it? More importantly, will the wolves follow? She knew that wolves have no fear entering big caves, but this was a small entrance. And if they managed to block it with that big rock, could they be certain that the giant wolf wouldn't just push it away?

Unable to speak yet, with her heart still beating like a drum from the strain and the close escape, and her pupils dilating to adjust to the darkness, Elva looks around and wonders what other animals could find shelter in that hole.


Knowledge (nature): [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Listen: [roll2]

OK, that was fluff basically, and the checks for the next round. I hope this doesn't mess things up (ignore it if it does), I just wanted to have as much data as possible before deciding what to do next. :)

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen and Elva can see and hear this descriptions. Kraalkar and Daar may be able to hear some of the following:

The two of you can see the battle raging outside. Uluia fights like a woman possessed. She whirls and stabs with her spear, staying just out of the wolves' reach as she attempts to find the relative safety of the cave. She has almost made it when a wolf throws out a forepaw and sends her sprawling into the deep snow. He is on her in an instant. Uluia somehow turns and gets the shaft of her spear between her jugular and her attacker's jaws. Two other wolves run over to her, ripping and tearing at her arms and legs.

Meg closes her eyes, whips her firebrands about her head in an eerie, graceful dance which belies her years, and as one of her staves reaches its apex, she lets it arc through the air. The flight of the fiery, glowing stick is beautiful and precise. The stick lands on the back of the wolf who crouches over Uluia. The wolf explodes into flame. The snow where Uluia lies melts almost instantly, but strangely, she is not even singed. Embers fly in all directions from the burning wolf and grow into small fireballs, igniting whatever they touch. In all, seven wolves are burning. The scatter, blind from fear and pain, running headlong into any object in their path. Any object they touch is also scorched.

Edit: Uluia is trying to get up on her ruined arms and legs.


Ha! I knew there'd be a burnin' tonight! I could feel the fire warm my bon--

Meg's victorious cry is cut short as several wolves leap out of the night and lay her low. You hear the sizzle of her remaining firebrand as she drops it in the snow. A now familiar long, low growl rumbles through the trees. The lead wolf stands over Meg. He is close enough so you can clearly see his coal-like eys and the saliva dripping from his razor teeth.

Elva:
[spoiler]You know this is an incredibly large and fierce wolf pack, unlike any you've ever encountered or tracked. You have heard tales as you traveled through this region about a giant wolf pack leader thought to be the offspring of the legendary Fenris Wolf. Until now, you thought they were just stories, but now that you can see the wolf up close, you are beginning to see why this tale filled the listeners with true fear.

Daar:
You know that Kraalkar is grievously wounded, not far from collapsing, though he took some comfort from your healing touch.

End Round 10. Begin Round Eleven.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

NO! The tragic sight almost physically nearly drags Arlen out of the cave. Frantically, with the crackling speed of heat lightning, he inventories any possible option that might save one or both of their brave comrades. Poisons, magic, arrows, rope, knives... But nothing that would give more than a faint hope of rescuing even one of them, while exposing themselves to nearly certain death. Even as his heart cries out at the injustice and he begins mentally running through his possessions a third time, a strong pressure seems to make everything recede under a cool blanket. Emotion became distant, an indulgence for later. The chances of rescuing anybody was minuscule, the chance that they would join their comrades in death if they did not move the stone immediately nearly certain. At the realization, every fiber of his being seemed to sag, though his appearance does not for the moment change.

Sul swoops through the entrance of the cave and, comfortable in the dark, perches on a small shelf. Woodenly, Arlen reaches out and clasps Kraalkar's shoulder, leaning forward so that Kraalkar and Daar can hear him. In a flat, crushed voice, he says "We can't save anybody else. Push the stone back."
The only actual round 11 action he's made so far is the RP and speech, both free actions.
Edit: Aid Another adds a standard action to that, I believe. Remaining move action will be Spot/Listen checks, which I'll go roll in the OOC now.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Screams, silenced with sudden brutality, punctuate the crunch of bone and the wet rip of slashing fangs from outside the cave. They're dying, and there's nothing I can do! Kraalkar agonizes silently. The barbarian presses his sweaty cheek against the rough, cold surface of the boulder, gathering his strength, steeling himself for the effort that will seal the fate of those outside the cave.


"We can't save anybody else. Push the stone back."

Kraalkar closes his eyes. May they return to the Mother's embrace. The prayer is cold comfort, but the barbarian has no energy to spare lamenting his fallen comrades. Reaching down to the core of his being, Kraalkar tries to wrestle the stone across the cave's entrance. "Wulochaaaa!"

[roll0] Strength check to move the stone.

[Zimmia]

Daar

In a split second, multiple images flew through Daar's head. One warrior trying to distract a giant boar so it would not impale his partner - time slowed and she could see the great tusks slide easily into the uruk. She again saw the ambush on their tribe as the traitor betrayed them all, watch as silently a spear slid into the sister of one of Daar's playmates - time slowed and she could see the life force ebb out of that little face. Suddenly she could see Old Jurik, sitting by his stream as the sun dawned; his favorite time to teach her. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made Daar'kin. There may come a time when your very life will depend on who you choose to save." Those words hit home with a dreadful reality and she bit her lower lip to keep the tears at bay. "Forgive me, and may the spirits of your ancestors welcome you," she mumbles as she reaches with Kralkaar and rolls the stone back into place.

Strength check for the rock [roll0]

[Zed's Dead]

The three of you strain against the rock. It rolls into place. There is a small gap in the upper right corner of the now blocked entrance.

[Tura]

Elva

"Guard" is the first thing that Elva says as soon as she catches her breath. Gray immediately roots her feet to the ground, facing the dark tunnel, sniffing the air and pricking her ears. Elva knows that if something approaches them through the dark, Gray will let them know. She then turns around to face the entrance, and winces.

The old woman that the giant wolf is currently looming above is the sole reason she made it to the cave, and the sight of a crippled Uluia trying to get up is nothing short of heartbreaking. Elva stands dumbstruck for a moment, everything seems a dead end. She can't imagine any way to help them. She can't imagine robbing them of their last hope, no matter how futile that would be. And she can't imagine dooming the rest of the survivors for nothing. One clansman’s death may be the whole clan’s prosperity, and the Earth knows that, this is how she feeds her children, this is the only way. The words of Alsaz ring in her ear, the very reason she has found herself so far from home in the first place.

"Godspeed." she wishes them solemnly. "And thank you." The two uruks and the black elf struggle to move the rock back to the entrance, and she can't help them in that tight, narrow space, but she notices their stricken and crushed expressions as they strive, and finds the fact oddly comforting. Alsaz would do it without even blinking (As should you, she hears his voice in her mind), but it's still consoling. As the rock falls into place, she takes a torch from her backpack, and lights it with a tindertwig she strikes against the tunnel's rough surface.

Gray has low-light vision and scent (30 ft). If she scents something she can't see, she'll take a move action (I mean move-equivalent, without actually moving) to pinpoint the direction of the scent. And bark, of course.
I have already rolled spot and listen for that round, see above.

[Zed's Dead]

The grating of stone on stone becomes a sharp rasp just before the stone wedges into place. The cave becomes utterly dark. The moon must have been swallowed by storm clouds. Elva lights a torch.

A scream you can only assume is Uluia cuts through the night air. You can't quite make it out, but it sounds like a curse.
If you make a DC 25 Listen check, you actually can make it out. Damn you! Damn you all to the pits!
The scream is cut short by savage snarls and barks.

All is silent. You become aware of your own breathing.

A bright white light penetrates the gloom through the open crack above the rock, and a deafening concussion literally rocks the cave. Dust and pebbles fall from the ceiling. The walls seem to shift momentarily before settling. Gray and Sul are as startled as you are. Gray looks at Elva and whines, involuntarily.

DC 25 Listen checks: If you made the check, you heard Meg's voice just before the explosion--I'll burn, and burn and burn until your grandsire won't recognize...!

Outside, as the explosion dies down, you can hear the faint cries of wolves. But these cries have a different timbre than you have heard thusfar--perhaps it is the sound of fear. The wolves seem to be moving away.

The long, low howl of the Lead Wolf echoes through the forest.

End round 11. End of Initiative Order

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar slumps to his knees as the stone rolls into place with a ponderous crunch. Aynia forgive me, it had to be done. He stays on his knees, trying to gather his energy. And now we are facing...what? There was a noise down the tunnel...

The weary barbarian pushes himself to his feet and takes stock of the group and his new surroundings. "Where are the others who entered this cave?" His voice, leeched of emotion, drops tiredly into the silence.

[roll0] Spot
[roll1] Listen

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

"Rest a moment, Kraalkar", the dark-skinned ranger said quietly, his voice nearly as dead as the Uruk's. With time now to catch breath after the battle, he moved stiffly as he hoisted himself up briefly to catch a glance out of the gap in the rock. Forcing his expectations as low as possible, he could not repress a glimmer of hope, remembering how Meg's fire had not scorched Uluia in her penultimate strike.
[roll0]
[roll1]
Knowledge (nature) to interpret whatever behavior of the wolves he sees and guess what they might do next: [roll2]

[Zimmia]

Daar

Daar takes one quick look out of the cave, trying to catch a glimpse of Meg since she had heard that the woman was still alive. It was too much to ask, really, that she would be able to take on the wolves, but she respected the woman for her determined-ness. She then turns her attention to Kraalkar and bends over him, speaking in what for her is a comforting tone. "Take a moment to regain your strength, huruz-mau. At least for now we are not in immediate danger." She places her hands on his shoulder and upper back and offers a petition to the ancestor spirits, feeling their love and life force surging in her and out through her hands.


spot: [roll0]
listen: [roll1]

huruz-mau translates to 'brave warrior'

CLW for Kralkaar: [roll2]

[Zed's Dead]

The smell of burning wolf hair fills the air.

If you look to the right (west) you see burning trees and a smoldering pile of ash where Meg once stood. The snow has been melted down to the earth for 30 feet around, and a few wisps of grass are still alight. If you take time to look closely, you may see as many as twelve wolf bodies piled in the area around Meg's immolated form.

To the South, you see several wolves ripping out and gulping down pieces of the caravanner's corpses. They are survivors, and their complete attention seems to be for their meal.

Uluia's corpse dangles upside-down from the Lead Wolf's mouth, her hair brushing the snow. For a moment, it seems her still-open eyes look directly into yours, but it might be a trick of the light. The hair on his muzzle, face, neck, and forelegs has been burned completely away. His skin is charred in several places. His mouth and nose drip blood, but you are unsure whether it is his or Uluia's. He must be in excrutiating pain, but he is grinning horribly with his prize dangling from his mouth.

To the East, the firelight provides only the barest hint of illumination. You can see the flashing eyes of the wolves who are still trapped by the trees. At the rate the pack is eating, it seems that the wolves' meal may be gone before they are able to free themselves.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva walks, a bit unsteadily, towards the elkhound, kneels and checks Gray's wounds. "You're such a brave dog" she whispers, and holds her tight, muttering a prayer. Gray licks her hand in gratitude and she looks towards the tunnel, trying to discern any telling noise. She then turns to the others:
"You all fought... incredibly valiantly. You must be the pride and joy of your clans. Before anything, how badly is everyone hurt?"

Cure Light Wounds to Elva and Gray: [roll0]
listen:[roll1]
Gray remains on guard until further notice.

[Zed's Dead]

DC 25 listen checks: (the ones you made count) From deep in the cave, you hear the sound of echoing voices. One is deep and calm. The other is higher, and sounds anxious.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Nothing, then. The gore of a hundred deaths flickered before him briefly, and this pain was added to it, as a body laid on a pyre. Not the first, not the last, and not the most painful, but it, too, deserves its due. He bows his head briefly in honor of the fallen, then turns, practicality once again taking the forefront of his mind.

"No survivors outside. We'd best keep here and lick our wounds for the time being."

"You all fought... incredibly valiantly. You must be the pride and joy of your clans. Before anything, how badly is everyone hurt?"
Inclining his head in gratitude, Arlen replies "I've the same wounds as this morning, but no more. I can wait."
Hearing voices down the tunnel, he remarks "We shouldn't wander too far - we're in no shape for another fight at the moment."

If no one moves to stop him, he walks a few feet past Gray, calling quietly to the villagers to return, as the door is blocked for now. "Horeld! Come back this way, and bring your companions! We've blocked the door - it'll be safer here."

Spellcraft check on the spells Meg cast in battle: [roll0]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar


Take a moment to regain your strength, huruz-mau. At least for now we are not in immediate danger.
Kraalkar grips his amulet as the warm energy flows once more from Daar's hands, and the pain of his wounds recedes. "Once again I thank you, shinja," he says solemnly. Twice now she has rendered aid, though under no obligation to do so. My toh'grul increases...Mutani send I have an opportunity to repay the debt soon.

Slowly Kraalkar's trembling muscles relax. They are safe for now. At the expense of your companions' lives, whispers a cold voice in his mind. Kraalkar flinches. We had to! he yells back. They said to do it! The voice is remorseless. You are useless, Kraalkar, just as the warriors said. You abandoned your shieldmates! You abandoned Imbris! Kraalkar crushes the voice with a mental snarl. He would deal with those ghosts later. Right now we have to get out of this thrice-cursed hole.

[Zed's Dead]

You have a moment to look around. The cave, lit only by torchlight, is made up of a kind of dark grey rock with occasional crystal deposits. The floor is dirt, presumably tracked in from the outside over years of use. there are scrape-marks on the rock that has been rolled over the entrance--a sign of long use. The entrance chamber itself is fairly level, but at the back, where the passage narrows, the floor slopes downward at a sharp angle. If you go toward the passage, you will feel a slight draft on your face. It's warmer than the air outside, certainly above freezing.

Once your breathing quiets, the cave is nearly silent. The voices, one deep and one high, continue to murmur and echo through the dark cavern.

Arlen speaks softly into the darkness.

The voices stop.

Gray whines. Her nose twitches, and she looks back at Elva.

[Tura]

Elva

"What is it, Gray?", asks Elva and pets the elkhound behind the ears. She moves towards the tunnel, calling Gray to follow her, with her leaf-shaped sword in hand just in case. She rises the torch up, and looks down the slope.

If I'm not stepping literally on Arlen's toes, I'm in M-7.
(And Gray is a she.)
Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

DC 20 Listen: edit: just added to the spoiler as well.

The voices have changed to whispers. They sound human, but this is not the Varsa tongue. After a few moments of listening and peering intot he dark, you can hear the scrape of boots on stone.

Gray's hackles stand up, and she takes two steps forward toward the narrow, darkened passage.

[Tura]

Elva

"Footsteps. They heard us, I think."
Elva follows the dog down the tunnel and squints a bit, trying to shed some light in there with the torch.

Moving about 10-15 feet. Can we open the map a a bit?
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar steps away from the cave entrance toward the sloping tunnel, his attention on the elkhound. That dog doesn't like whatever's down there. Best be cautious. Pushing his fatigue aside with an effort, the barbarian lifts his sword into a ready position, sword tip aimed at the tunnel entrance. He pitches his voice to reach Elva where she stands with torch raised, peering around a bend in the tunnel. "What do you see?"

[roll0] Spot check
[roll1] Listen check

Moving to squares J/K-5/6. I'm readying my standard action to attack anything overtly threatening that comes within reach (undead, tentacled cave monsters, etc.) especially if I see it threaten/attack Elva.

Yay for working ears!

[Zed's Dead]

Elva:
Thrusting your torch forward and squinting past its brightness into the dark, you can see that the passage opens up to a room about twice the size of the entrance chamber you just left. Two large, brutish humanoids with jutting jaws, protruding brows, and hairy bodies are moving toward you, bent double because of the low ceiling. One is male and the other, female. They wear furs about their waists, and their torsos are bare and hairy.

When you thrust your torch forward, they grip their spears with both hands and crouch, so their backs can straighten in the small space. The larger one with the deep voice
GET OUT! THIS OUR CAVE!



Kralkaar:
You hear the deep voice shout in the echoy cave, and you can understand his heavily accented Varsa. GET OUT! THIS OUR CAVE!


Daar and Arlen:
Make a listen check. If you don't hit DC 20, you can certainly hear a shouting humanoid voice thundering through the passage, but the echoes make it difficult to understand the thickly accented Varsa.

All:

Make knowledge (nature) and/or knowledge (local) checks, please.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Even though her healing touch had been directed to Kralkaar, Daar took confort in the closeness with the spirits as she cast the spell. During her long journey this far, it had always reminded her that though she was far from her tribe, the reach of the spirits was infinite, and allowed her to remain focused on her goal of reaching Stone. She straightened and moved away from the mouth of the cave, shutting out the sounds of the feeding wolves. She caught the sound of Elva's companion as it guarded and realized anew that their troubles were not completely over. Raising her blade, she stood upright and took a deep breath, concentrating on what was beyond the glowing reach of the torch.

Move to E/F-4/5, and ready standard action.
Listen: [roll0]
spot: [roll1]
Knowledge nature: [roll2]
Knowledge local: [roll3]

[Tura]

Elva

"We mean no harm." Elva speaks calmly, trying to reassure the Walkers as well as Gray with the tone of her voice, and takes a moment to sheathe her blade before raising her right hand, palm out, to show it's empty. She tries to talk loud enough to be heard in the other room, but not so loud as to sound threatening.

"Of course the cave is yours. But there is a pack of wolves outside, big ones, and if they get in, we'll all be in danger. We can help you defend the cave, and we can share our food with you. We'll leave as soon as the wolves go away. And if there is a way out the back, we can leave right now, if you like."

Is the torch the only source of light in there? How many more exits are there in the room?
Oh, and here's a d20 just in case you need it. [roll0]

[Zed's Dead]

The male Walker narrows his eyes and takes a step closer to Elva.

Wolves?

He glances at the female.

<Where Gok? Gok outside?>

The female answers

<He cook deer.>

He looks back at Elva.

You CLOSE CAAAVE! GOK OUTSIDE WITH WOOOOLVES!

The language he speaks is Darkworld's equivalent of Sylvan. Even if you don't speak it, you may recognize the language.

I'll answer all your questions regarding position, etc. tonight. I'll get a new map out, which should clear things up quickly. There is only one torch. These guys have low-light vision, something I should have included in their description for the hella-high knowledge check.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar


You CLOSE CAAAVE! GOK OUTSIDE WITH WOOOOLVES!
Aye, it would have to be that way. "Gok" is outside... The idea comes suddenly, and no sooner does it enter his mind than Kraalkar acts upon it. He whispers a word of power and suddenly his form shimmers and morphs, until a brutish humanoid looms in his place. Instead of a sword, he appears to hold a large spear. I hope this works...

Moving past Arlen, Kraalkar steps up to the hole in the wall and mimes thrusting his spear at attacking foes. "GOK CLOSE CAAAVE! NO WOOLVES!"

[roll0] Perform (oratory) check to mimic Gok's voice
[roll1] Bluff check
[roll2] Disguise check

Standard action to activate my disguise, move action to shift position to F/G 3/4, and free action to speak.

[Zed's Dead]

At the sound of Gok's voice, both Walkers run to the narrow space between the chambers. The male pushes past Elva and Gray and looks at Kraalkar. His eyes are bright, and he laughs when he sees Kraalkar.

Gok! Hasah Vu!

Ke Nane? Ka Nane vul-vesh?


translation: <Gok! You live!>

<Who are they? Who are these Other-landers?>

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

"That one save me!" Kraalkar gestures back at Elva, but keeps his attention on the narrow opening and his "spear" poised as though to strike a target outside the cave. "I repay debt."

[roll0] Bluff check
[roll1] Oratory check
[roll2] Disguise check to impersonate Gok (as per the skill description)

I don't know if you want these each time I interact with them, so use/discard these rolls as necessary.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Now what? Kraalkar wonders as he peers through the crack, trying to get an idea of what the wolves are doing outside. The familiar rush of energy he feels during a performance sharpens his mind. I wonder if I could... He surreptitiously pulls a few hairs from his fur clothing and blows them toward the opening, blocking his actions with his bulky body. The air whispers from his lips, through the hole in the wall, and suddenly a wolf snarls outside the entrance.

"HA! You no get my friend!" Kraalkar thrusts the spear through the hole and crows in victory as the "wolf" yelps in pain. The sound moves away from the boulder and fades into the distance. Kraalkar turns toward the passage. "It danger there. I show them other way."

[roll0] Spot check to see what's outside.
[roll1] Spell failure check (1-20 means the spell fizzles) on ghost sound.
[roll2] Bluff check to interact with potential attackers in an authentic manner...
[roll3] Oratory check. Let me know if I need to make these to mimic Gok's voice as best as I can when I talk.

Also, please let me know if I'm doing too much here. I'm trying to cast a spell (standard), mime an attack (move), and talk as a free action.

[Tura]

Elva

It takes a moment for Elva to realize what's going on, though she assumes this is one of the black elf's tricks. As she finds herself between the two Walkers, she involuntarily takes a few steps back, quietly calling Gray next to her. She's not sure how far this will take them, and doesn't feel too comfortable about lying to the Walkers either, but she understands that the truth may.. complicate the situation.

<These are no ordinary wolves. The son of Fenris leads them. Even the mightiest warrior doesn't stand a chance against them. We fought them as best as we could, but most of us fell. We are wounded and tired. May we pass? Can you show us the way?>

OK, it still makes sense after geeklord's post, I'm keeping it.
Note: Elva doesn't like lying and generally avoids it. The "son of Fenris" part isn't meant to be a lie, but a description - their vocabulary wouldn't allow the long explanation.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Sizing up the situation in a moment, the elf relaxes. Here was an area others were far more expert in than he, and he was content to watch Kraalkar's stultified facade with mild amusement. Slinging his bow back across his back, he leans quietly against the wall of the cave, cooing to Sul to come sit on his leather-gloved fist. Stroking her absently, he nearly cracks a smile, and an amused glint flickers in his gray eyes as he watches the pretense play out. Acting always seemed so...silly, like a game where other people pretended it was a good idea for you to look like an idiot. At any rate, it afforded them all a light-hearted moment to forget the pain of the last few minutes, and a distraction from weary legs and stiffening muscles.

Besides, a strange cavern to explore? That thought alone makes Arlen glad for the possibility of delving deeper into the cave. Turning away from Kraalkar, he follows Elva toward the rear of the cave, Sul on his hand so that she won't have to try to fly in this cramped space.

[Zed's Dead]

The large male Walker looks at Kraalkar and nods his head. Then he looks at Elva and claps her on the shoulder. Elva feels she's been hit with a large sack of grain.

Gal Gok, Vu.<You help Gok.>

He smiles, revealing surprisingly white teeth.

<I know Fenris' grandson. He kill us. He eat us, still alive. He not stop.>

The male looks at the floor with regret.

Then, he turns to the female and points down the right corridor.

Vred Dreck Dol. Maman nee.
<Go start fire in pit. We cook.>

He looks at Elva, and then gestures to the party.

Harh das, vu. Das. Vrenvren gas, vo vu.
<You stay here. Stay. Morning come, you leave.>

He then turns to Kraalkar.

Gok kashk arooo meme?
<Me help kill wolf, Gok?>

He brandishes his spear.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar grunts agreement. "You kill wolf. Show them they not come here." He turns to Daar and Arlen. "Come, fire this way. You rest."

[Zed's Dead]

The brute forces his way through the tight spot and walks toward the cave entrance.

He motions to the party.

<Go. Eat. Hot food good. You save Gok. Eat food. Share drink. Is good.>

He looks at Kraalkar.

<We fight wolf all night. Kill many, eh?>

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

"Yes, many!" Kraalkar grins toothily. "We be warm soon, plenty fur." Kraalkar glances toward the flickering torchlight in the passage. "That one save Gok. You watch here. I talk to that one, then we fight wolf."

Kraalkar moves toward the tunnel and Elva, adopting a serious expression appropriate for any discussion touching his honor.

[Zed's Dead]

The brute heads toward the blocked entrance. He pauses for a minute, looking at the others, and says,

Vul-vesh chik, chine Gok?
<Why you talk Out-Land, Gok?>

[Zimmia]

Daar

As she realized that Kraalkar was not just talented as a warrior and arcane instrument, he also had another astonishing quality. She kept her face passive as the interaction between 'Gok' and his friends continued, feeling that at last their luck had changed. She was a little alarmed when Kraalkar suggested that he and the others go and kill the wolf, but she also realized that the two were fresh and were going to be fighting from the best defensible position.

"Just maybe..." she thought.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

<Out-Land their way of talking. I talk Out-Land so they know we their friend and we no hurt them.> Kraalkar switches back to heavily-accented Varsa and gestures to Daar and Arlen. "Come, I show you fire. Eat food. You safe here. No wolf come." He leads the way toward the fire beyond the tunnel.

Moving 40 feet (double move) to M8, which includes reduced movement from squeezing through the tight space.

[roll0] Spot as I come around the corner.

Let me know if you need any other rolls.

[Tura]

Elva

<We thank you for your hospitality.> says Elva loudly, but as soon as "Gok" approaches she hushes her voice and whispers urgently "How much more time?", gesturing to his new looks.

She moves between the two passages, trying to see what's going on in both tunnels, and has Gray stand guard in front of the left one.

Move to I-12, Gray to G-13, guarding.
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Kraalkar

<Out-Land their way of talking. I talk Out-Land so they know we their friend and we no hurt them.>

The brute smiles at this, then smiles (or perhaps leers) at the others.

HA! Yes. No hurt them!

He peers through the crack as as Kraalkar and Arlen leave the room. Evidently, Kraalkar's spell has earned the interest of the wolves. The brute jabs his spear through the opening, and a loud yelp eminates from beyond cave entrance.

<HA! I hurt wolf, Gok!>

As you each make your way into the next room, you can see that the passage to the right is illuminated by fire. The passage to the left is dark.

[Zimmia]

Daar

"Good hunting" Daar says as she passes the male brute and makes her way down the tunnel to join the others. So far so good, but she also knew that Kralkaar couldn't keep it up forever. At least it's giving them a chance to take a breath before they have to fight again.

Move to the bend in the cave, L/M-7/8

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar


How much more time?

Kraalkar shakes his head at Elva's urgent whisper. He can feel the energy binding his large frame together begin to unravel at the edges. Overstretched tendons protest sharply, and his joints feel tight. Not long now... I have to find that exit before this fades, or it isn't going to work! He pauses beside Elva and glances down each tunnel. "I need to exit the cave in this form to explain where Gok went, and to explain "my" appearance. But I have only moments." His whisper does not travel beyond her ears. "Do you know which tunnel leads to the exit?"

Move to J/K 10/11.
[roll0] Spot check for external illumination/exit signs.
[roll1] Listen check for wolves/outside sounds.
[roll2] Survival check for any indicators.

[Zed's Dead]

Elva: You can hear voices and see firelight reflecting off of the walls of the right corridor. The left corridor is quite dark in comparison. You may hear the whistling of the wind to your left.

Kraalkar: In order to make this move more smoothly, and in order to keep up with your time (somewhat less than a minute) remaining on the spell, let's post per round. No initiative necessary.

All: We're going to move into per round actions in order to keep up with Kraalkar's spell duration. No initiative needed at this point. Whoever posts first, acts first.

The chamber is dark and quiet. The large brute behind you at the entrance is thrusting with his spear, keeping an actual wolf at bay.

There are two passages: one which leads off to the right, and one which curves to the left.

Begin Round One

[Zed's Dead]

Daar: Perhaps it's your darkvision, but as you look carefully around the room, you see the hair of Gray's coat flutter as if he were standing in the wind. Though you might expect it to be warmer away from the entrance, it actually seems just as cold.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Arlen, still relaxed, catches Kraalkar's eye. With the tiniest inclination of his head, he indicates the left passage. Standing erect from his position where he had been leaning against the wall, he takes a step toward it, obviously in no great hurry.No bluff check needed because Arlen actually is totally relaxed, and rather amused by the situation, truth be told.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The flicker of firelight reflects off the walls of the right-hand passage. We can't afford to be wrong... Kraalkar catches the dark-skinned elf's gesture and turns toward the left-hand passage. It is dark and silent, but the elf has proven he knows his way around the wilderness. With a return nod, Kraalkar moves into the tunnel.

Double move to C/D 15/16.
[roll0] Spot check
[roll1] Listen check
[roll2] Survival check (if needed)

[Zed's Dead]

Kraalkar trots downward through the passage to the left. He carries no light, but he travels confidently through the cavern. He quickly disappears into the darkness.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

The elf follows Kraalkar down the passage, unhurriedly observing the cave walls and floor as he goes. Too bad we can't spend the night here.

Moving down the left passage, far as I can for now without stepping on someone's toes.
[roll0]

[Zimmia]

Daar

Hearing the excited voices of the cave-people, Daar moves out of the way of the narrow corner in the cave, and toward the left-side tunnel, out of the way of the female she hears. 'It's only a little time left,' she thinks to herself as she feels the energy of the enlarge spell start to waver and her muscles and tendons begin to feel like elastic bands in an oven. It could be perfect though, if the others are drawn into battle with the wolves at the entrance, then they had a chance to escape down the left fork. She had no idea where it would take them, but the breeze was a good indication that it went somewhere.

And at the moment, somewhere was their best option.

Roll results: spot: 17, listen 28, survival 14

[Tura]

Elva

Elva takes a last look to the right, and hastily follows to the left tunnel, glancing behind her from time to time to check if the Walkers are distracted enough by the wolves to not bother with them for now. Gray moves a step ahead of her, always alert.

OK, I really need to check my emails more often... Sorry about that.
Moving north full speed.
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Knowledge (Nature): [roll2]
Knowledge (dungeoneering) untrained: [roll3]
knowledge checks to guess where the tunnel could lead (outside, inside, sleeping Walkers, animals...). Mainly wondering if walking around with a torch is a good idea.

[Zed's Dead]

Elva and Arlen: Check your email. I sent you a new map. and a description. If you know Woric, you can hear the following conversation as you stand in the next chamber.

Daar: [/spoiler] You hear approaching voices and foosteps from the right passage. As Elva and Arlen head into the left passage, you hear a shuffling and the sound of rocks falling to the cavern floor. I don't think you know Woric, so the following dialog will be gibberish to you. Unless you know it, of course.[/spoiler]

Elva and Arlen disappear into the left passageway, taking their light with them. Four large humanoids shuffle into the chamber, spears in hand, looking for a fight. One is a female, and the others are males. The males point their spears at Daar menacingly.

2nd male: <Who you? What you do here?>

female: <Where Gok and Vred?>

3rd male: <Look tasty, you. We eat you tonight. Big meal!>

END ROUND ONE. BEGIN ROUND TWO. NEW MAP ON EMAIL.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The stone is cold on Kraalkar's arms as he muscles himself over the ledge, forcing his exhausted limbs to obey him, and the bitter wind drives sleet into his face as he breaks through the layer of snow. The ice is coming down harder, working its way into a real storm, and the frigid wind leeches heat from his skin with frightening speed. The barbarian lowers his head and peers around. Nothing moves near him. This might work after all...

Kraalkar reverts to his normal human voice. "Aaaah! Help, wolves!" And then in Gok's voice: "Hey! Get away, wolf! You no come in Gok's cave! Raaaaaah!" And again in Gok's voice and this time in the Woric tongue, <Aaaarr, now I kill you wolf!>

Shaking from exhaustion, Kraalkar releases the fading energy that holds his large form together and dismisses the illusion that makes him look like Gok. His body collapses in on itself as his bones and muscles reshape themselves into familiar lines. Sweat bursts from his pores and his body is racked with pain. The wind whistles through him and freezes his sweat-soaked furs against his body. Almost...there...

He quickly falls to his knees--more of a collapse, really--and rolls in the snow and then, gripping his greatsword wide of his body, drops through the hole into the cave.


[roll0] Spot check

Rolls from email roleplay:
Perform (oratory) check: 26
Bluff check: 24

The check to climb out of the cave was part of my last round through email, but I included it here for the sake of completeness.

[Zed's Dead]

Elva, Arlen, and Kraalkar


Elva and Arlen have just entered the dark chamber and discovered the bodies when Kraalkar calls out.


Kraalkar reverts to his normal human voice. "Aaaah! Help, wolves!" And then in Gok's voice: "Hey! Get away, wolf! You no come in Gok's cave! Raaaaaah!" And again in Gok's voice and this time in the Woric tongue, <Aaaarr, now I kill you wolf!>

A few moments later, Kraalkar drops through the hole in the ceiling onto the pile of snow, ice, and rock.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Eyes open wide in true surprise, Daar finds herself suddenly surrounded, while the divine power in the spell granted by the spirits begins to wain, and she wobbles a little bit on her feet. She holds up her hands and looks from one to the other. "I am a friend... I help Gok"

Daar doesn't speak Woric, but those spears kinda speak for themselves :smallbiggrin:

[Zed's Dead]

Daar:

The Walkers, who looked like they were about to skewer you on the spot, pause at your mentioning Gok's name.


OOC: Please make a bluff check.

[Zed's Dead]

Daar:

Perhaps it's your familiarity with the social norms of tribal society, or perhaps you somehow intuitively sensed the fear-driven aggressive behavior of the Walkers surrounding you, but somehow you modulate your vocal pitch and use your body language to calm the Walkers immediately.

Sensing that you don't speak their language, the female speaks Varsa to you.

You help Gok too. Good. Where he? Where Vred?



Kraalkar reverts to his normal human voice. "Aaaah! Help, wolves!" And then in Gok's voice: "Hey! Get away, wolf! You no come in Gok's cave! Raaaaaah!" And again in Gok's voice and this time in the Woric tongue, <Aaaarr, now I kill you wolf!>

Simultaneously, you all hear a vicious growling sound coming from the cave entrance. The Walker covering the entrance, who you assume is named Vred, howls victoriously.

The Walkers' heads turn simultaneously toward the sounds.

Female: Vred?

Male #4 Gok?

Without a word, two of the males run into the left passage while the female and remaining male run toward the entrance.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva looks around the chamber, wondering if the dead bodies are Walkers of the same tribe and why they weren't buried properly. While she observes the bodies, the chamber and the passages that branch out of it, trying to remember what kind of odd burial rituals the Walkers were known to have, the Uruk crashes down. Elva forgets the corpses and swiftly moves next to him, helping him up and looking for any new injuries.

Then the two Walkers come stomping in, and Elva puts a hand on Gray's fur and soothes her before she starts growling at the newcomers. She looks at them, trying to keep as calm as possible, and waits for Kraalkar to complete his explanation. For some odd reason, despite the urgency of the situation, she remembers an old custom of her village, a theatrical sketch of sorts (where one would play the role of a warrior, another the role of a werewolf and they would pretend to fight), and she smiles. And here is someone who plays both roles at the same time.

spot [roll0]
listen [roll1]
knowledge nature [roll2]
knowledge dungeoneering [roll3]
survival [roll4]
(to see/hear/understand anything about the chamber, three passages, and especially the corpses.)

and
heal (I think) [roll5] to see if Kraalkar is hurt from the fall

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Despite the darkness, Arlen moves fluidly. Backwards as it may seem, he is more comfortable in this mysterious place with secrets to explore than in any well-known comfortable retreat. He paces confidently toward the bodies, wondering what happened to them. Strange, one would think even the Walkers would bury their dead. As Arlen reached the bodies and bent to examine them, he was interrupted by Kraalkar's energetic roleplaying. As their companion fell through the roof, once again small as life, two more Walkers rushed into the chamber.

Hmm, well that would certainly be one way out. Might be a little difficult to reach, though. I wonder where the other villagers went? Arlen stands, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement to the two new arrivals, and waiting for Kraalkar to give his explanation. "Why don't you go see how safe of an exit that is, Sul-lah?" he whispers to the owl on his hand. "Then we can start looking for the other members of our caravan." She takes off, dropping a few feet towards the floor before her powerful wings kick her up towards the opening in the ceiling. Waiting for the interaction before him to progress, Arlen bends slightly again, looking for any trace of the other villagers. With a slight twinge, he remembered the fire down the other passage, and hoped their companions had not so speedily been made into a meal.
-Arlen didn't see any trace of them earlier, did he?
-Sending Sul up through the roof to scout around and see if that exit's safe and if she sees any sign of the other villagers.
-Arlen speaks Woric, just for the record. He's simply choosing to let Kraalkar lead the way.
-"-lah" is an Elven diminutive. Added to Sul (wind), it means "breeze" (literally, "little wind").
To look for tracks of the villagers: [roll0]
To know the burial customs of the Walkers: [roll1]
Sul's Spot and Listen once she gets topside: [roll2] [roll3]
If Kraalkar does not immediately get up/begin speaking, Spot and Heal checks to see if he's okay: [roll4] [roll5]

[Zimmia]

Daar

Relieved beyond belief, Daar watches the four others disperse down two legs of the tunnel and immediately heads down the left to catch up with her friends. As she walks she concentrates for a moment and the energies keeping her double size dissipate and she returns to normal with a groan as her muscles reduce in size, but very comfortable to be her usual self. Moving down the left passage, she looks around her intently for the others, and any hint of where this leg might go.


move to E-14 (I think - I can't actually see the letters on the map), and dismiss the enlarge person. If time, add some checks (if not these can serve for next time)
spot: [roll0]
listen: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Elva: You look around the room, looking and listening intently for anything which would shed a clue of what this place might be. You notice that two of the corpses have stone weapons in their hands. Another has what looks like a stone scraping tool and a small leather pouch on its chest.

Arlen: You see no tracks other than those of your party and the Walkers. Perhaps if you went back to the central chamber...

You notice that the weather has worsened. Heavy sleet is falling through the opening in the ceiling.

You get a strong sense of anxiety from Sul. She is coming back in.

Kraalkar seems fine. He landed on the pile of snow and ice, which broke his fall.



Daar: You hear the others as you head down the corridor. If you peek around the corner, you see the map.

If you don't peek, don't look at the map. :)

edit:
The two Walkers eye the three of you suspiciously.

<Where Gok? We hear him in here.>

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden appearance of the large Walkers, and he staggers clumsily to his feet. "Who...what..." He stops, takes a deep breath, and grounds the point of his sword at his feet.

<I greet you, friends. I do not know who "Gok" is, but one such as yourselves erupted from the snow and killed the wolf that was attacking me, and then chased the second wolf...> he glances up at the ceiling and thinks a moment, <...that way.> Kraalkar points in the general direction of the cave's entrance. <I tried to follow, but I fell down this hole.>

Kraalkar glances around and lets out a joyful shout. "Arlen! Elva! You're safe!" He turns back to the Walkers and bows. <I thank you for welcoming my friends to your fire.>

[roll0] Bluff check
[roll1] Diplomacy check

Let me know if this is too much for one round. I'm using my standard action, move action, and free actions to speak.

[Tura]

Elva

<They did welcome us to their fire, and we were offered food and shelter> Elva nods to Kraalkar, and turns to the Walkers <by Vred> she concludes, hoping the mention of a familiar name will ease their suspicious minds a bit. She had heard the female inquiring Daar about him, and was sure that he was the one who told them to stay.

No need to make this more complicated than it already is. These Walkers aren't very hospitable, but they are merely protecting their den. I can't blame them.

If (and only IF) it is possible to Aid Another for a diplomacy check, I'll try my chances to roll 10 or higher.
[roll0]

[Zed's Dead]

The Walkers look confused for a moment. They glance at each other, and then look up at the hole in the ceiling.

Without another thought, one crouches low and offers his leg as support. The other stands on his leg and easily lifts himself out of the cave into the storm, then extending his hand for his companion, who is lifted out of the hole. The moves are practiced and immediate.

They disappear into the stormy night.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

As the pause following the Walkers' departure stretches thin, Arlen finally breaks the silence. "I suppose that could have gone much worse. Should we head to the main chamber to share the dinner they offered?" As Sul flaps back to his wrist, he relaxes at the thought of some shelter in this weather. Then, as he thinks on where the real Gok is (and what might happen if they leave that way in the morning and his body is discovered), and the other bodies in this room, and the strange absence of the other villagers, "Then again, perhaps we should explore the cavern further."

[Tura]

Elva

"Yes, perhaps we should." Elva looks around at the chamber pensively. The two Walkers had climbed up for a reason, to find the real Gok. Sure, the weather was worsening and the wolves had been feasting on the bodies for some time now, but even under such unfavorable circumstances, she didn't expect them to resign easily, and she didn't want to risk it - not after they had managed to avoid bloodshed so far.

Elva lowers her voice before continuing.
"About 100 yards south on the surface, there is a dead body obviously not killed by wolves. And if they find it, I suspect sharing dinner won't be an option for much longer."

[Zimmia]

Daar

Daar moves further down the tunnel, taking in the scene of Kralkaar on the ground, and the rubble, and the hole where she caught the two Walkers climbing through and shook her head, as though trying to piece together what's happened. The confusion still in her eyes, she nods at Elva, "Retribution will probably be swift" she says in a quiet voice, "and if we're here we will almost certainly be caught in the middle of it."

With that, she starts off further down the cave.


Int check to see if Daar can piece together what's happened (I hope she rolls better than I do): [roll0]
Move at half speed down the tunnel:
move silently: [roll1]
listen: [roll2]
spot: [roll3]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar nods wearily, his shoulders slumping as the energy of immediate crisis fades. Elva's point is well taken. His ploy has bought them time--best not to waste it. He sheathes his greatsword and moves off after Daar.

[roll0] Spot check
[roll1] Listen check
[roll2] Survival check

[Zed's Dead]

The cave is reverberating with sound, obscuring your hushed voices. The sleet pours in through the hole in the ceiling and seems to crash into the floor of the cave. You hear murmurs of Woric speak in the southern part of the cave--a kind of celebratory hooting. And also, under that, perhaps something else.



DC 15 or above Listen:

You hear growls--some humanoid, some animal, in the storm above you. The two males are actively fighting the wolves, from the sound of it.

DC 20 Listen

There is a low moaning from the passage Daar and Kraalkar have started down. It's eerie. You can't tell if it's the wind, a voice, or possibly voices.

Daar drops something large and metal. Perhaps it's her blade. You can't tell, as she marches ahead down the passage. The clatter echoes down the corridor and throughout the cave.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

About to suggest to Elva that they move down the other available path, Arlen pauses as he hears the strange moaning sound. "Probably the wind across a hole, but be careful all the same", he says quietly as he falls into line behind Daar and Kraalkar.
[roll0]

[Tura]

Elva

Elva looks at the others as they walk down the middle tunnel, wondering what made them choose this particular one. "If you don't mind a slight delay" she calls to them, "I'd like to look for tracks at least at the opening of the tunnels."

She crouches down and looks closely at the ground, holding the torch over every bit of rubble that could seem disturbed or any other sign that someone has passed through. Years of scouting have made this a second nature to her, and although she is more used to tracking through a soft forest bed than this hard rock, she is confident enough that experience will help her determine something.

Gray recognizes this familiar posture, and immediately puts her muzzle down and begins sniffing the ground. Elva glances at the dog from time to time. She knows that, during the journey, Gray has registered the caravaners' scents as friendly, and expects her reactions to be telling, should she smell something. Without pausing, she explains her reasoning to the others.

"Three of our people are somewhere down here, and we don't know which way they went. Avoiding more Walkers might be a good idea, too."


Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Survival (track): [roll2]
Gray Aids another (me) with Survival: [roll3]

Note: It takes more than one round to cover the openings of all three tunnels (I have to move at half speed), but since we stopped counting rounds I hope it's not a big problem. I'd like to be thorough with it. But if you prefer me to take only actions for one round, Elva searches just the left and middle openings for now.

EDIT- Hey, I totally missed the noise (I actually ROLLED A 4), but if there's something visible or invisible there, I can see it! :smallbiggrin: Tracking wasn't no bad either. :)

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen: The moaning sound continues, unabated. The hard stone of the cave reflects every sound, so it's hard to tell your distance from the sound, but you're confident it eminates from this passage.

You can still hear sounds of hooting from near the cave entrance. It's easier to tell where those sounds are coming from because you've been there.

You hear the pad of large, naked feet approaching from the south.

A yip from above seems to indicate a wolf has been injured.

Elva: When you examine the ground closely, you see many Walker tracks, but no human-sized tracks. Rats have been here, gnawing on the Walkers' remains.

North passage (the one Daar entered) A large, heavy object, probably made of rock, was dragged North through the passageway that Daar and the others just entered. It has scraped the floor and walls. This passage rises at a slight angle. Upon close inspection, you find there is something carved into the floor, covered with dust. There is only a faint outline to reveal its presence. When you brush it off, you can see it clearly. It is a rune.

No Walker tracks continue past the corpses in the Western passage (left hand path), but you see many rat footprints leading back and forth over a long period of time. Their spoor is here, as well. The passage doesn't rise or fall. There is a rune here, as well.

The Eastern passage (right hand path) is almost devoid of tracks. The rock is different here--chalky--and alkaline to the taste. A rune appears here, too. Check your gmail for the runes.

[Zimmia]

Daar

With Elva's words, Daar rocks on the balls of her feet and then turns back toward the others. "Many spears make Daar nervous, who knows how many more they are," she says quietly although with some impatience although the last of her thought trails off. "Better to know what's ahead. Plan better than no plan," she agrees. As the others with more experience of caves and the like look for trackes, she keeps her senses alert for any of the other walkers.

covering my previous goof. Move back toward the others (H21) and the usual rolls:
spot (Daar can't track, so she's slipping back into defender mode - looking for possible hostilities: [roll0]
listen: [roll1]

[Zed's Dead]

Tura:


Pondering the details of your examination, you notice that the configuration of the rats' tracks suggest they are not the blind cave-dwelling variety, but a common rat.

You don't see any tracks larger than centepede and other insect tracks in the eastern tunnel.

The soil in the Eastern tunnel seems as if it has been saturated with a base--such as lye, and allowed to dry.


All:
One of the male walkers you saw earlier falls through the hole in the ceiling and crashes to the ground. He is bleeding profusely from his arms, legs, and torso.

A dire wolf leaps through the hole after the Walker and lands on his chest. The wolf bites the Walker's throat.

Roll initiative.

[Tura]

I'll roll initiative since I'm online.
[roll0]

[Zed's Dead]

The wolf's teeth are locked on the brute's neck. You are too stunned to move. The wolf shakes its head back and forth. There is a loud popping sound, and the wolf rips the Walker's throat out.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar glances back over his shoulder as something heavy falls into the cave. He freezes at the sight of the dire wolf, and before he can take action the wolf rips out the throat of the Walker.

There is no end to these things. The thought registers at a distance, almost as though it is the thought of someone else, and it is someone else whose sword appears suddenly in his hands, someone else who slips between Arlen and Daar with speed born of desperation, someone else whose muscles, fatigued to the point of clumsiness, scream in protest as he launches a heavy blow toward the dire wolf.

And someone else whose voice echoes through the cave in the measured cadence of the mal'iq.

[roll0] Attack roll
[roll1] Damage roll

Moved to H20, drawing my weapon as a free action, and attacked with my standard action.

[Tura]

Elva

Lost in her thoughts as she tries to determine which tunnel would be their best bet at this point, Elva is startled by the wolf's sudden appearance, and just stands there and watches as the Walker meets his death. Coming to her senses, she runs towards this new threat, with the torch still in her left hand, and drawing her leaf-shaped sword. Only then does she realize that, now that the spell that had imbued her with nature's strength has ended, her pack weighs so heavily on her back that moving swiftly is beyond her power.

She makes it near the wolf, panting, and thrusts her blade at it. Under the torch's reddish flame, the sword glints with a silvery hue. And Gray, unburdened, runs at full speed and leaps on the dire wolf.

Elva moves to H-18. Attack: (1d20+4)[10], damage: (1d6)[4].
*I'm combining Draw with move.
Gray Charges to H-19. Attack: (1d20+8)[22], damage: (1d6+4)[10], AC 17.

Note: I just realized that I had miscalculated Gray's BAB. "An animal companion’s BAB is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD" it says, which would be +3, becoming +6 with the STR bonus. I've been rolling with a total +4 all this time. Please don't hit me. :smallredface:

Note 2: The rolls were made in OOC, where I posted by mistake. Sorry...

[Zimmia]

Daar

Unable to move from the sudden shocking savageness of the dire wolf's attack on the Walker, Daar hopes that the wolf finishes the job so that the Walker doesn't suffer any more than he has already. As though released from some hidden hold, she finds her muscles and thought freed once more. With practiced determination, she focuses her concentration. 'Spirit Ancestors, harden my muscles and allow me to meet this new threat. Too many have died today already, help me to ensure no more are taken.' She feels the response in her bones as she stands straighter and the point of her blade comes up. A primal shout escapes her lips as she sees nothing but her target, and all of her fear, worry and discouragement transforms itself into pure anger and she shouts a challenge to the wolf and closes to attack.

I don't think this is too much for one round, if I'm understanding rage correctly. The bulls strength is a standard action and the rage is immediate leaving her free to move to take a 5-foot step to G19. The challenge isn't really anything special other than your standard blood-focused scream :smallbiggrin:

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

A growl interrupts the curious sounds from the next chamber. The elf's outwardly calm mien undergoes no change as the wolf drops into the chamber. Inwardly, though, his relaxation melts like wax in a hot fire. Will we ever rest tonight? With face blank, he whips his bow around and looses a pair of arrows across the room at the wolf. Sul lifts off his shoulder, trying to circle the edge of the room and come at the wolf from behind.[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

HP: 15/24
AC: 17

Not sure which way the wolf is facing on the map, but Sul is going to circle the edge of the room and begin flanking the wolf immediately AFTER she sees it attack someone else, if that's possible (she has Int 7).

[Zed's Dead]

END ROUND ONE. BEGINNING OF ROUND TWO.

The wolf reels under a rain of attacks from Kraalkar, Gray, and Arlen. Much of the blood dripping from its jaws is now its own, not the Walker's. Howling eerily, it turns to run down the corridor to the South.

those that threaten in melee range can take an attack of opportunity if they wish.

[BillsBioBlog]

Russian von Moustachio

Russian, a large eared golbin with numerous wolf furs to keep him warm in the cold snow, has been stranded from the group for several days... he has almost lost hope in surviving.

However, his large ears have been able to catch all the commotion of the party's wolf attack, and uses it to finally catch up.

Seeing the wolf limp off, he says almost to himself "What on earth did I miss?"

[Zimmia]

AoO attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[BillsBioBlog]

Russian von Moustachio's character stats

STR 12, DEX 12, CON 11, INT 10, WIS 11, CHA 12 (invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/16860/)

[GeekLord]

[roll0] Attack of Opportunity
[roll1] Damage

[Tura]

AoO
Elva: attack [roll0], damage [roll1]
AC 15, hp 23/33
Gray: attack [roll2], damage [roll3]
AC 19, hp 37/40

[Zed's Dead]

As the wolf turns to run, Daar's falchion flashes in the torchlight. The blade catches his flank and cuts deeply. The wolf yips and scrambles out of sight down the hall to the south, and then, just as quickly, returns to the chamber, looking around desperately for a way out.

A deep humanoid voice rumbles from the south corridor.

<Wolves? In my Hall?>

A burly, barefoot, bearded Walker appears though the chamber entrance. He wears a necklace of bones and teeth and carries a huge cudgel in both hands. It looks as if he has ripped a gnarled fir out of the ground by the roots.

There is a hole in his face where his left eye should be. The eyelid and eyebrow are missing as well. His eye stares at the dead Walker, at you, and then at the wolf. He raises his club menacingly.

<You kill Lof! I kill you and wolves!>

It's not apparent whether he's preparing to swing his club at you or the wolf first. Make a sense motive check to see.

Initiative order: The wolf, the walker chief, and the party--in that order. It is currently your turn to act.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar starts to move toward the wolf, still chanting, but the sudden appearance of the bearded Walker forces him to stop. He orients himself on the gnarled figure and stands warily, but when the Walker's words register, Kraalkar pauses his chant, making a quick sign with his left hand to placate the spirits.

<We did not kill Lof. The wolf tore out his throat. One other of your people has not returned.> Kraalkar gestures wearily toward the opening in the ceiling. <They went to aid Gok. I fear for them, for Gok saved my life from the wolves.>

[roll0] Sense Motive check
[roll1] Diplomacy check
[roll2] Bluff check

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Stepping a foot forward, Arlen lets another pair of arrows fly at the retreating wolf. Turning, he then agrees with the large Uruk. <We do not wish to disturb or harm you, only to shelter here for the night.>
Aid Another on a skill check does not give a specified action length, but hoping that a speech action is enough to Aid Another on Kraalkar's Diplomacy check.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[Tura]

Elva

Elva doesn't let Gray go after the wolf, fearing any sudden movement might make the angry Walker hurl his cudgel out of reflex. Instead, she prays to the goddess of the forest for the wisdom to choose her words carefully, so she can help Kraalkar placate him.
<We have been fighting wolves too, Great Chief, and your own people have welcomed us to your cave. You can ask Vred later, but let us fight by your side now.>

Standard action: cast Guidance (self).
Aid another Diplomacy check : [roll0]

Sense Motive: 1d20+3
I think Guidance can affect Gray too. If so, she'll use the +1 competence bonus for the first roll she makes within the next minute.
Edit - Huh, I forgot to roll for sense motive, I'll go roll in OOC.

[Zed's Dead]

<We did not kill Lof. The wolf tore out his throat. One other of your people has not returned.> Kraalkar gestures wearily toward the opening in the ceiling. <They went to aid Gok. I fear for them, for Gok saved my life from the wolves.>

Both arrows sink deeply into the wolf's thick hide, between his ribs, the tips mere inches apart.

It is as though Arlen snuffed a candle. The wolf is dead before his limp body skids to the ground.

The chieftan glances at the dead wolf and then turns back to you with a skeptical eye.


<We do not wish to disturb or harm you, only to shelter here for the night.>

<Gok save you? I heard Gok's voice! Where Gok now?>


<We have been fighting wolves too, Great Chief, and your own people have welcomed us to your cave. You can ask Vred later, but let us fight by your side now.>

The chieftan looks closely at Elva for the first time. His eyelid opens wide for a moment as he stares at her. His fury seems to have calmed for the moment. He looks again at the dead wolf and then at Arlen and his bow.

<Yes. We fight. We fight together! WE FIGHT WOLVES NOW!>

As if in answer to the chieftan's challenge, a deep, wicked-sounding growl eminates from the darkness above. It is Fenris' offspring.

Edit:
This was, but is no longer the chieftan's response. Tura posted just before I did, and I didn't see her diplomacy roll until after I posted. You may have saved a life or two, Tura!

The eye twitches with fury, and the chieftan draws back his cudgel.

<You kill Lof! You kill Gok! I KILL YOU!>
All:
OOC: Ok. Precarious situation. Kraalkar, Elva and Daar can still act this round. Anyone can speak, but if you've already made an attempt at Diplomacy or Bluff, you may not make another until round 3.

Regarding Diplomacy and Bluff - I believe that these skills do not take minutes to accomplish, especially with simple minds such as these. Delicate negotiations such as these depend upon the turning of one phrase or even one word. Thus, one may make a bluff or diplomacy check (or both) as a free action when speaking to these simple-minded folk. Now, if you were speaking to someone of average intelligence or greater, the DC and the expectations for roleplay would definitiely rise.

Regarding your Sense Motive - Well, it's obvious now what the chieftan thinks. However, just before he became angry, he was actually suspicious but uncertain about your purpose. Right now, he thinks you are interlopers who want to kill his people. Edit: He now sees you as convenient allies, to be questioned later.

Regarding Initiative - Fenris Wolf will act at the end of round two.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Even though she doesn't speak the language, Daar is acutely aware of the danger of the situation. As the chieftain approached she lowered her blade and stood with her shoulders slightly hunched, looking down at the ground in a sign of submission, even as her emotions coursed through her veins. She remained quiet until the huge wolf could be heard right outside the cave. A growl came from her own throat in response and she looks to the chieftain. The quiet voice of reason tries to interrupt in her thoughts and she brushes it away. "We help you," she says in a savage tone. "We kill big wolf!"

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar


<Gok save you? I heard Gok's voice! Where Gok now?> Kraalkar opens his mouth to answer, but is interrupted by the blood-chilling snarl of the lead wolf at the entrance above. Wordlessly, he points to the opening.

And so we die, trapped like rats in this hole. The thought flits through his head, and Kraalkar is immediately ashamed of himself. What drivel is that? You are no weak-livered town-dweller, to fear what must be! You shame your clan, Kraalkar. Kraalkar shifts his sword, holding it before him in a two-handed grip. His limbs are heavy and tremble despite the thrill of imminent combat, and he crouches defensively with his back to the wall. So be it. Try to take me, Wulocha.

Once again the words of the mal'iq echo from the cave walls.

"This hear now the Urd’s dark weaving,
fateful tale-ending of Kraalkar lesaen..."


Fighting Defensively (+2 AC, -4 attack): current AC is 19, current attack is +0

[Tura]

Elva

Elva brandishes her blade in a rare public display of battle ardor.
"Seloy!"

Her clan's name and war cry comes out of her throat loud and fierce, and she marvels at the immediate effect a simple yell can have at her morale. She isn't used to this. The other clans of her area were pretty vocal in their battles, like the Uruk tribes, but it hadn't helped them much - while her own clan, the Seloy, had managed to survive in their shapechanger-infested forest by hiding quickly, moving quietly and fighting in silence.

She glances up at the hole in the ceiling, alert, trying to see if Fenris is wounded and if he comes alone, and takes a few steps back. With a nod she sends the elkhound opposite and positions herself away from the rubble but ready to strike as soon the wolf lands. And Gray growls, staring at the ceiling and barely restraining herself from leaping forward.

Elva moves to J-19 and Gray to F-20.
Quick Recon.: spot [roll0], listen [roll1]

Can Gray ready an action to charge at the wolf the moment he lands? (Or can I ready a free action to tell her to charge?)

Edit - Ah yes, stats.
Elva: AC 15 (flat-footed 15, touch 10), hit points 23/33, Grapple +3, Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6
Gray: AC 19 (flat-footed 16, touch 13), hit points 37/40, Grapple +8, Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
*If Gray charges after all, minus 2 to AC

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

For the love of all green and growing things! Will we ever react to an animal without a battle cry and a heedless charge? If I'm to travel with these folk much longer, we're going to need to have a discussion on the prudence of occasionally actually avoiding conflict. Arlen grumbles to himself, but takes a careful step back and nocks an arrow anyway.
Readying a full attack action as soon as the wolf appears.
Stats:
HP 15/24
AC 17
Saves 3/5/6

[Zimmia]

Daar

As she waits those precious moments, Daar can barely keep from scrambling through the hole, and it's only the little voice in the back of her head, speaking very[i] loudly that keeps her where she is. Her blade is raised, and her intent to be on the great wolf is abundantly clear. She hears Gray growl savagely and answers with one of her own. [I]'Him or me, but only one of us is going to walk away from this,' she vows to herself.

I've been trying to talk Daar, but reasoning with a raging uruk barbarian isn't very easy, even when she's in your own head. She's committed to this.

Ready an action to attack the wolf the first chance she gets. AC: 14, flat-footed 13, touch 11. HP 26/48, saves 7/2/8, grapple +9
rage: 4 rounds
bulls strength: 2:42 min (3 min - 3 rounds ((is what I think has passed)) )

[Zed's Dead]

Those who have a clear line of sight through the hole in the cave ceiling can see two eyes burning like torches in the gloom above. The eyes seem to stare into your own and follow you as you crouch or brace yourselves for the fight to come.

With an ear-splitting roar, the offspring of Fenris dives through the entryway. His muscular neck and broad shoulders crack and break off chunks of rock from around the jagged hole, and the fragments fall to the ground and break into shards at the same moment his giant paws crash to the cave floor. The paws slip a bit in Lof's quickly coagulating blood, but he rights himself, and you realize that his paws are as large as your head.

Fenris-Wolf's face, chest, and neck are hairless, blistered, and raw--burnt to a crisp in places by Meg's final, desperate spell. His tongue lolls crazily, and he seems to smile wickedly at the prospect of destroying every living creature in the cave.

You attack as one, hoping to bring the wolf down with your combined might.

You may make your readied attacks as normal at the beginning of your posts. If you make round three attacks as well, you may roll them in your next post as well. If you are somehow able to kill :smallamused: or affect Fenris Wolf so that the following doesn't apply, :smallwink: I'll edit my post. Tura: Yes, Gray can ready an attack. It will be based on your verbal command (free action). You technically don't have to ready speech as a free action.

Ummm...and by the way, you guys don't get attacks of opportunity against Fenris Wolf just because he is jumping. [B]However, Elva DOES get an AoO against Fenris wolf because she was out of Fenris' line of vision.[B] Yes, this means Elva gets two attacks (AoO + readied attack) plus a full attack this round, if she chooses to take them. The first attack rolls Elva and Arlen make will be against the Fenris Wolf's flat-footed AC (he couldn't see Arlen either).

With another leap, the wolf is upon the chieftan, whose wild swing seems only to graze the beast. The savage canine bites deep into the giant's naked shoulder and locks there. You can hear the vise-like jaw rending bone, and the chief gasps, but does not scream. The tree-trunk cudgel thumps uselessly to the floor. Fenris-Wolf shakes the chieftan as though he were a rag doll. He lets out a howl which gurgles with the chieftan's blood.

END ROUND TWO. BEGIN ROUND THREE.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The great wolf forces its way into the cave, and Kraalkar reels before the weight of its massive presence. The rock wall presses against his back, and Kraalkar realizes his mistake. If I fight to save my life, I will surely lose it. Aid my arm, Mutani! Throwing caution to the wind, the barbarian raises his voice to a bellow. His death song echoes from the cavern walls as he launches a reckless strike at the Son of Wulocha.

"Long the journey, the treacherous path,
danger surrounds the man of valor!"

[roll0] Attack (2 points taken away for Power Attack)
[roll1] Damage (including 4 points of damage from Power Attack)

5-foot step to G19 to attack.

[Zimmia]

Daar

move to F19 and Rd 2 attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]
edit: I just realized I can't edit in my rd 3 attack - that'll be in the OOC


With a murderous shriek, Daar raises her blade high and cuts into the great wolf Fenris. She gains some satisfaction at the contact, even though she watches the chief of the Walkers thrown about like a childs doll. Refocusing again, she holds her falchion high again and brings it down once more. "The sages will sing of our victory this night!" she growls as her blade flashes in the light and powered by the gifts of her ancestors she strikes again.

Round 3 attack was a 20, damage a 9. Rolls are in the OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4221043&postcount=347)

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

The ranger looses a pair of arrows as soon as the monster appears, and they fly across the room before the son of Fenris has even hit the ground.[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]His eyes narrow at the scars on the beast, and he grimly remembers Meg's final sacrifice for them. With Oloriel's blessing, it would be enough to tip the battle in their favor. "See if there are any others, if you can" he says curtly to Sul, before bending again to his bow. As he watches the arrows fly across the room and studies the wolf, he considers it carefully, wondering if this situation might soon become desperate enough for some of the carefully hoarded special materials in his pack - thanks be that he'd stored those arrows, as always, within easy reach.If possible, Sul will fly just a little out of the hole to see if any other wolves are around. Dunno if the weather's too bad or not - she won't risk it if it's that awful. (If you need a Spot/Listen for her, her mod for both is +18)
Second full attack:[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
Knowledge check to sense wolf's weaknesses, if any (only use if necessary):[roll8]
Spot check on wolf (shouldn't require an action, as I'm looking at it the whole round):[roll9]

[Tura]

Elva

The moment Fenris falls through the hole, Elva shouts "Now, Gray!" and both her and the elkhound dash at him from opposite sides, blade and fangs striking in unison as he lands on the floor. Only after she concludes her attack does Elva realize how huge this beast really is, now that she sees him towering over them in this crammed space.

Then the wolf leaps towards the Walker chief, easily evading those he can see, but having his back turned at her. Elva swiftly takes advantage of the situation to strike again, carefully aiming for a large artery in his leg, and prepares to follow. With a nod, she guides Gray to run from the other side, so that once again they'll have their foe in the middle - it's their usual, practiced to perfection, little battle dance.


With another leap, the wolf is upon the chieftan, whose wild swing seems only to graze the beast. The savage canine bites deep into the giant's naked shoulder and locks there. You can hear the vise-like jaw rending bone, and the chief gasps, but does not scream. The tree-trunk cudgel thumps uselessly to the floor. Fenris-Wolf shakes the chieftan as though he were a rag doll. He lets out a howl which gurgles with the chieftan's blood.

Expecting the Chieftain to prove a very worthy ally, Elva is shocked by his quick demise, but doesn't veer from her course. Moving as fast as her exhaustion allows, she shouts at the top of her voice:
<Vred! Fenris is in your cave! Come quick! All of you!>
A quick glance up to the ceiling, as she runs, reveals more wolves around the hole, and she adds in Varsa:
"The pack is up there, be careful!"

Arriving behind the wolf, just as Gray arrives in front of him, Elva strikes once more, this time attempting to slash behind his knee, hoping to sever a sinew and hinder his movement.


Readied actions. Gray and Elva flank (bonus included).
Gray charges: [roll0], for [roll1] damage
Elva attacks: [roll2] for [roll3] damage plus [roll4] sneak attack (Fenris is considered flat-footed for this one)

AoO. Gray and Elva flank (bonus included).
Elva attacks: [roll5] for [roll6] damage plus [roll7] sneak attack (flanking)

Normal actions for the round. Gray and Elva flank (bonus included).
Gray moves to D-18 and attacks: [roll8] for [roll9] damage.
Elva moves to G-18 and attacks: [roll10] for [roll11] damage plus [roll12] sneak attack (flanking)
*Oh, Zed, I've sent you a pm about Gray. I messed up the maths again, and forgot a feat. Improved Natural Armor suddenly seems an excellent choice, but if Gray is the first to fall, maybe you needn't bother after all. :/

Quick Recon.: are other wolves about to fall in, or Walker reinforcements coming?
Spot [roll13], Listen [roll14].
Knowledge (nature): [roll15], if needed. I've rolled a 30 already for this giant wolf earlier, and I'm really, really curious why he jumped in like that (it strikes me as very odd), and if it's likely that his pups are coming right behind him.

May the force be with us. Stats:
Elva: AC 15 (flat-footed 15, touch 10), hit points 23/33, Grapple +3, Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6
Gray: AC 19 (flat-footed 16, touch 13), hit points 37/40, Grapple +8, Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2.

[Zed's Dead]

Your weapons open wide, deep wounds which would have felled a dozen normal men. The tough hide of its right side and flanks is lacerated, and you can clearly see the muscles rippling underneath. The tendon in Fenris Wolf's left rear leg has been cut, and it juts out at an odd angle. The wolf thrashes under the onslaught, but remains standing.


"Long the journey, the treacherous path,
danger surrounds the man of valor!"

DC 15 spot check:
The previously limp arm of the Walker Chieftan pulls a razor-sharp flint knife from a pouch which was dangling around his waist Somehow, the Chieftan twists his arm around and plunges it up to the hilt into Fenris' giant, firey eye.

The wolf's howl is filled with rage and pain. He swings his massive head and releases his prey, who flies across the room, smashes against the jagged wall of the cavern, and crashes onto the dry corpse of his kin. A flint knife protrudes from his right eye.


...she shouts at the top of her voice:
<Vred! Fenris is in your cave! Come quick! All of you!>

Fenris Wolf roars and turns at the sound toward his most persistent and effective attacker--the one who maimed his leg. The wolf snarls. His teeth gleam like short swords. Fenris Wolf lunges at Elva with his snapping jaws, which rip into her belly, spilling her blood and intestines over the front of her armor and tunic. Elva reflexively backs away and manages to stand for a moment before she drops her torch and weapon and crumples to the dusty cavern floor.

Elva: Take 28 damage. Tura, you can have Elva speak, if you like, before she falls. Feel free to continue to control Gray until (and if :smalleek: ) Elva is conscious again.

A small gang of five Walkers burst into the room, spears at the ready. Fred leads them. Fenris Wolf is engrossed in its attack and does not even twitch its ears at their presence. Three spears plunge deep into its already wounded flank.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar sees the Son of Wulocha turn and maul Elva. His fangs slash with a wet rip, and Elva staggers and slumps to the floor. Kraalkar's blood freezes, then thunders through his veins. Angry heat infuses his voice.

"Companions I found, tested in battle,
keenest of warriors and truest of friends!"

Kraalkar steps out of the reach of the thrashing wolf and crouches next to Elva's body. Blood pools on the cavern floor. Alas, it is a mortal wound! Unless... He reaches back and draws a carved stick from his belt. Now if I can only remember how this works...

The barbarian touches the stick to Elva's body and concentrates.

Move to H18 (5-foot step).

[roll0] Use Magic Device check to activate a wand (DC 20)
[roll1] If successful, Elva is healed for this amount and is stabilized even if she's still in negative hit points

[Zimmia]

Daar

Time slowed. Daar took in everything that happened although she was completely helpless to change the outcome. The walker cheif, with much more mettle in him than it had appeared sunk his dagger true, and Elva succeeded in doing what should have crippled this massive Wolf, but at what cost? Daar knew that kind of injury she had, and knew that it wasn't automatically fatal for the human woman who had been so steady and helpful.

But she had something to finish first. An instants flash took her mind back to a time when a great hunting cat broke its way through the tribal defenses and was challenging all of the people. Kuvaal, one of the oldest members of the tribal guard had done something rather drastic, but it had allowed the others to close and finish the beast off.

It hadn't gone so well for him from there, but it had saved the tribe and today was another day. Her eyes focused, blood rage running through her veins she lay down her sword and silently threw herself at the great creature with one last thought. 'Dear ancestors if I come to you, so be it, but save the others from the same fate,'

Close the distance and attempt a grapple. If I roll well, her ultimate aim is to get under the great wolf, and hold him down. He should have decent minuses right now since the Walker Chief took out his eye.

He'll get an AoO (Daars AC is currently 14) if that fails:
Hit (melee touch attack): [roll0] (if flanking counts for a grapple it would be +13.
Grapple hold (opposed check): [roll1]

May the spirits of our ancestors watch over us all

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Gods preserve us all, the elf gasped as the wolf barely slowed under a volley of attacks that would have killed a grizzly bear. The beast swerved toward Elva and delivered a blow that could easily have felled the black ranger, even at full health. She fell, disemboweled, and the other woman charged headlong toward the beast. Ignoring his muscles, which screamed retreat, he delved into his pack, producing a pair of arrows that had lain near the top, carefully placed within reach in the dear hope they would have not been needed. He focuses so on the deadly things that even the sight of Kraalkar using an item imbued with magic, whose use he had only read about in old inscriptions, makes little more than a fleeting impression, stored to be thought on later. Carefully avoiding the tips, which were smeared with paralyzing tree frog venom, he looses them toward the wolf, praying one will work.

Okay, that's a little less embarrassing for an IC post.

Poison: Freezing Touch (tree frog venom)
One dose per arrow, contact poison, Fort DC 16 or paralyzed for 2d6 minutes (no secondary effect).
Since it's contact poison, I'd guess that if my attack roll is above his touch AC but below his AC, it'd mean that the arrow went through his fur or something, allowing the arrow to touch his skin and deliver the poison without the arrow actually piercing him? I'll leave it to you, Zed.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
*crosses fingers*

[Tura]

Gray

Sensing, rather than actually seeing, Elva fall, Gray lets out a long, haunting howl that would be more fitting to her wolf ancestors - and present foe - than to her own race. And then she seems to go raving mad. Barking wildly, she twists between Vred and Fenris, comes out in the open, runs in a circle, and, right before the eastern tunnel, turns around again.

The sight of Elva laying there motionless in a pool of her own blood is but a dim vision, but the strong smell goes right through Gray's nostrils and into her heart. The wild barks turn to plaintive yelps, and then to a deep, ferocious growl. All she sees now is Fenris and his burned, bloodied muzzle. Gray lunges at him, with red eyes and bared teeth, oblivious to everything but the pain of loss and the urge to tear the wolf's throat apart.

And Elva, laying unconscious at the threshold between life and death, has a calm expression on her face completely at odds with her state. The last thing she ever saw, beyond the giant wolf's eyes, was a green beech forest, and the last thing she ever smelled, beyond the stench of death, was a forest bed waking to the first autumn rains.

Gray charges: 1d20+10 (flanking bonus included), damage 1d6+4
*I rolled in the OOC: attack 17, damage 10.*
So much for killing the drama queen.:smalltongue: At least I spared you from any famous last words. (By the way, sorry I didn't have time to tell you about the runes and other findings, but it seemed completely out of place at this point.)

Stats:
Gray: AC 17, hit points 37/40, Grapple +8, Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2.
Elva: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6, hp -1 stabilized (I assume Kraalkar's wand worked, I was at -5 before and dying.) CON 16.

Gray's movement: through Vred's square at half speed, then to F-20 -> H-20 -> I-19, and from there charge to G-18 where Elva lies. I think it's within RAW, but if she can't charge that way, please add 2 to AC and subtract 2 from attack.

[Zed's Dead]

For some reason, the boards don't want to update the IC, so I'm sending it here. It also gives me a chance to fix gray's action.

With only a touch and a simple gesture, Kraalkar's wand spreads a beautiful, warm glow over Elva's abdomen. When the glow fades, her ragged breathing slows and becomes easier, though her intestines still dangle out of her wound.
The wolf glowers at Kraalkar, blood dripping from his bone-white teeth, and growls menacingly.

Daar drops her sword and charges the giant wolf. His ears twitch toward her and he turns just in time to intercept her mighty attack with his even mightier jaws, which clamp down upon her shoulder and nearly rend her arm from its socket. Fenris' mighty forepaw sweeps her feet and sends her sprawling, bloody and shocked, to the cave floor.
Daar, take 24 damage.

Just as the wolf has felled Daar, "Gray lunges at him, with red eyes and bared teeth, oblivious to everything but the pain of loss and the urge to tear the wolf's throat apart." And she does catch him in the neck, ripping a strip of charred flesh from Fenris' throat. Blood spurts from the open wound.

Both of Arlen's arrows find their mark, but the first is turned by the wolf's tough hide. The second bites deep. Nearly half the shaft is buried in Fenris' side.

Fenris howls again in pain and rage as Grey's teeth, Arlen's arrows, and four spearpoints are buried in his lacerated flank. He looks at Arlen for a moment with his one remaining eye and then turns to the more immediate threat of the Walkers. His attacks are swift and powerful. One Walker lies eviscerated, much as Elva was just seconds before. Another's neck is torn out by Fenris' thrashing teeth.

Vred calls out in a shaky, but strong voice.
<Kill it! KILL IT, OR WE ALL DIE TONIGHT!>

The Wolf howls loud and long. You have heard this before. He is calling to his pack.

All (except Elva)
Make Listen AND Spot checks.
END ROUND FOUR. BEGIN ROUND FIVE.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar feels the energy flow out of the item in his hand and into Elva's body. When the glow fades, he senses that the power stored in the stick has diminished slightly. So its power is limited... I wonder if I do it again... Ignoring the thrashing wolf as well as the dull throb behind his eyes, he concentrates again.

I had posted my Listen and Spot checks, but accidentally deleted that post. I had rolled a 4 Listen and 6 Spot. Here are the other rolls Kraalkar is making during this round.

[roll0] Use Magic Device (vs DC 20)
[roll1] Amount healed if the UMD check is successful

Daar is sent flying, ribbons of blood trailing through the air. The Son of Wulocha is among the Walkers, and two fall.
<Kill it! KILL IT, OR WE ALL DIE TONIGHT!>

Kraalkar stands and grips his sword in both fists. He has nothing left, but there is only one acceptable course of action. Ancestors, prepare my place. He raises his voice in the mal'iq.

"Drew I then the gaze of Wulocha,
the hater of man and render of life.
Sent his minions to do me battle,
ravenous foes Wulocha’s hounds,
yet not availing their master’s plan;
fell to my blade of trustworthy steel."

[Tura]

Gray

Gray presses on, still raging, and bites savagely the giant wolf's exposed flank. His long howl unnerves her and she whines, scenting the pack almost above her head. Scared and cornered, but determined to keep guarding her only family, Gray roots her feet to the ground and growls.

Gray attacks: [roll0] for [roll1] damage.
In case you need them, here are her spot [roll2] and listen [roll3] checks.
think scent is enough for her (or at least counts, somehow). She can even take a move-equivalent action after the attack to pinpoint the location of the scent.]
Also, I edited a previous post (as Zed suggested), so that Elva has alerted the party to the presence of the wolves up there.

Stats
Gray: AC 19 (flat-footed 16, touch 13), hit points 37/40, Grapple +8, Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2.
Elva: -1 hp, stabilized.

EDIT- Oh FFS, can't I once roll properly IC? This time I rolled a d20 for damage. Well, I rolled in OOC (again) and no, Gray didn't do 21 damage :smalltongue: , he did 9.

[Zed's Dead]

spot/listen (DC 15) There is a shuffling, scrambling sound. A few pebbles fall from the hole in the ceiling and clatter to the cavern floor. Four wolves look through the hole down at you. Two seem to be judging the distance, but they look down at Fenris-Wolf and hesitate.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen...

...frowned. The poison had been at best a long shot - poison generally worked much better against smaller or weaker creatures, and this wolf was certainly neither. Noticing its packmates on the edge of the hole, Arlen bit his lip. Out of tricks at last, he could only hope that they could finish off the son of Fenris, and that such an action would be sufficiently intimidating to the rest of the pack. Not one for dramatic flair or death song, his reaction to this rather fatalistic conclusion was to press his lips together a bit more firmly, instruct Sul to keep out of the way as best she could, and continue firing arrows.[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

I'm outta bright ideas. TPK or no, I'm in Kraalkar's boat - fresh out of tricks. I think we all are.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Weary with the effort, and knowing that the end was very near Daar calls on the last bit of grace she can muster before she joins her beloved spirits. She utters the words of an ancient prayer and she begins to glow as she is reinforced by their gifts. There was no time for regret or concern and through her grievous wounds her muscles heave and with tremendous effort she grabs her sword and stabs for the underbelly of the great wolf.

Wow. Just wow.
Activating strength domain granted power - str = 25 (this round only)
AC = 10 (-4 prone)
Attack (including +1 for STR, +2 flanking and -4 being prone): [roll0]
Damage (incluiding all STR): [roll1]
HP: 2/48
Rage: 1 more round

[Zed's Dead]

Daar's blade plunges into Fenris Wolf's belly, severing something deep within him.

Simultaneously, Arlen's arrow buries itself in the wolf's side, just under his left foreleg.

The beast jerks with a violent gasp, and as it releases its breath, gallons of blood pour from its nostrils and open mouth. The once-mightly legs buckle, and Fenris-Wolf's body crashes to the ground.

Daar: Make a reflex save as the body falls (hopefully not onto you)

The wolf's breathing is ragged and pained as his heart pumps his life onto the floor.

All: Spot and listen checks

[Zimmia]

Reflex: [roll0]

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The Son of Wulocha crumples to the ground with Daar's blade buried in its belly. The wound looks mortal, but Kraalkar knows that creatures infused with Wulocha's hatred will kill while they have any life left in them. Best to be certain with this one. Kraalkar moves around Elva's body and gauges the ravaged wolf. His arms ache from the weight of the sword, but he delivers a precise blow to the back of the wolf's neck at the base of its skull with an accuracy that speaks of many years spent chopping wood.

Then he turns his face toward the hole in the ceiling and laughs, taunting any other wolves within reach of his voice with the words of the mal'iq.

"Many his minions filled with fel hatred,
and many are those who do his bidding.
There stand I with faithful companions,
stern and unyielding, a clansman true!
I go to those who went before me,
noble warriors and honorable men!"

[roll0] Spot check
[roll1] Listen check

5-foot step to G19, full round action to coup de grace the wolf.

[Zed's Dead]

DC 15 Spot and Listen: Snarls from the hole above alert you to the wolf pack's presence. A few seem to be eager to jump down into the cavern, but two of the wolf-faces have disappeared.

The Fenris-Wolf's body rolls over onto Daar and crushes the consciousness out of her. She is trapped under the massive corpse.

Daar:
take 8 damage

The razor-sharp sword arcs downward and bites deeply. Fenris-Wolf's head rolls from its shoulders.

The Walkers at its flank scream wildly and flail their arms. They circle the body and thrust their spears into it in a mock battle scene, hooting and howling at the top of their lungs. Luckily, they step over Daar's outstretched legs.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

With the wolf dead, Arlen quickly steps to Zimmia's side. She was grievously wounded before the wolf fell on her, and he fears for her condition now. <Kraalkar, friends help move body off brave friend!> he calls, throwing his obviously tired and thin frame into the effort behind the first to step forward.

Heal check to see how Daar's doing: [roll0]
Aid another strength check to help move wolf: [roll1]
If Daar looks like she needs help, Arlen will take 10 on a Heal check to stabilize her, not using his healing kit and taking his time because they're not in the thick of battle. Result is a 16 in that case.

[Tura]

Gray

Gray moves out of the way as Kraalkar circles around and chops the wolf's head off. The Walkers' wild howls confuse her, and she steps back. She looks around in distress, not entirely sure who is friend and who is foe, and whines softly, tail behind her legs. Then she looks up at the hole in the ceiling, and the tail goes up again. Some wolves are still up there, and Gray begins to bark at them, loudly and aggressively.

I just discovered that roleplaying your animal companion when you're down is a wonderful therapeutic method to get by that awful loneliness of just standing and watching.
At least when said animal companion is a dog. I don't know what I'd do with a fleshraker. Eat people, probably. *grins*

[Zed's Dead]

Vred sees Arlen pushing the wolf and notices that there are a pair of humanoid legs jutting from beneath the wolf's body. He shouts some orders to his companions, and each grabs a leg. Even without a head, the wolf's body is a huge, grunting weight.

Just the walker's free Daar's body, the wolf's hairy legs and torso shift. The walkers drop the wolf as though it has burned them, and back away. The massive claws lengthen into fingers. Its bushy hair retracts into the skin. The bloody ribcage flattens and broadens. Most incredible of all, the great, death-dealing muzzle of the wolf's severed head retracts into a familiar form: a broad nose, large square teeth, thick lips, and a jutting brow. Fenris Wolf is not a wolf at all. The burned, maimed body of a walker lies on the cave floor.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

The elf's heart does a backflip as the monster changes form, and it is with difficulty that he restrains himself from dropping to examine the corpse immediately. The beast will still be there in a minute, and Daar needs help now - in any case, the Walkers may want to deal with this in their own fashion. As he bends to tend to Daar, his brain continues racing on the subject. Well, that would explain the wolf's strange behavior. He clears his mind and leans over Daar, using a small scrap of cloth to wipe away the worst of the blood and grit to see where the wounds are, and applying pressure to stanch the bleeding where he can. At the same time, he is cautious in his examination, as he does not know for certain how private the Uruks are about their bodies, especially the females, and does not want to provoke her or Kraalkar's anger.

Heal check to tend to Daar's wounds: [roll0] Not using up the Heal kit for now.

I had trouble wording it in the post, but basically, I have no idea whether Daar would wake up and be upset that a strange man was running his hands over her, even just to tend to wounds. I doubt it, but figured Arlen was likely to be careful of it anyway. So he's basically being delicate in how thorough his exam is, just in case. I could roll a Know (geography), but this one seemed better to play out.

[Zed's Dead]

harmonictempest:


So many questions...
First off, Knowledge checks to see what Arlen knows about it IC.
Knowledge (nature): [roll0]
Knowledge (arcana): [roll1] - I think this is the more appropriate one, if it's a magical beast.
Knowledge (geography) on the Walkers to see if this sort of thing is known in legend of any kind (I checked, and I'm pretty sure geography is the correct one for info about a given people or culture): [roll2]

I'll post your answer here, because I can keep it straight, and also because I happen to be here right now.

Knowledge (nature): Arlen certainly knew there was something completely strange about this wolf. Not only was he bigger, he seemed to have murder in his heart.

Knowledge (arcana): This particular magical creature is of a kind you've never seen before, though you may have read about them or heard stories at some point. You certainly were getting your +2 damage against this creature. I tried to describe your successful attacks as if they were indeed pretty damaging, but I didn't want to give you too much.

I let you know everything you possibly could have known about this wolf, because in wolf form, it really is a wolf, not a common werewolf.

You have heard legends of a specific kind of curse which bonds a man to the spirit of nature. This is no ordinary lycanthropy, but an actual bonding of a wolf's spirit form to a man--a deliberate act that someone made, either to punish the individual or to teach him a lesson. One of the benefits (or drawbacks) of the curse is a long life due to the individual's constant infusion of energy from the natural world around him. The curse is curable if the one who casts it decides to break it, and the only other way you know to break it is death.

The eye-teeth, liver, heart, and blood of such a cursed humanoid have been known to have various magical properties, but just what those properties are, is pretty vague. You seem to remember something about "invigorating" effects being given to those who know how to utilize these as ingredients. You have read somewhere that seers sometimes could use part of the body of an accursed creature as a voci for powerful divination spells.

The Fenris-Wolf legend is related to this idea, but in the story, Fenris himself took a human female as his consort. Their offspring was a demi-god of incredible cunning and power, who, when he died, would become a human. It's possible that the Walkers will remember this story when they realize what has happened...or not.

Knowledge (geography): Although you've never been here before, you know that it's very likely that this Walker was (or is) a member of the tribe or a neighboring tribe of Walkers. You also know that their funeral rites can be quite emotionally charged and sometimes violent. You have a shadowy reminiscence of one phase of the process being called "Blame-Casting."

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar turns his head at the Walkers' gasps, and sees the Son of Wulocha's form shift into that of a Walker. Death is always the reward of those who bargain with Wulocha. The Hound of Chaos feasts well tonight. He gazes at the corpse, and then turns his attention to Daar. Kraalkar crouches next to her bleeding body.

The mal'iq continues to pulse through his veins, and Kraalkar finds it difficult to hold off, to keep from being swept into the death trance. The living still have use for you, Kraalkar. Your time has not come...yet. The dark-skinned elf is trying to stanch Daar's wounds, but blood continues to pulse from her mangled shoulder despite his skillful ministrations. Kraalkar raises his hands to his forehead, palms out, and sweeps them down and to the side. There is no ill intent here, shinja. In this I repay my debt. Kraalkar lays the carved stick against her shoulder and tries to concentrate on the intricate symbols.

[roll0] Use Magic Device check vs DC 20
[roll1] cure result on Daar if check is successful.

[Zed's Dead]

The walkers, including Vred, gape at the beheaded corpse. A voice from the darkness breaks the silence.

<Touch it not. It is filth.>

The chieftan rises and walks painfully toward the corpse, leaning heavily on his cudgel.

<We will burn it tomorrow, and the others. This is the last. Three of three. We are free.>

The chieftan turns and looks up at the few wolves gathered around the ceiling hole. He picks up a rock and hurls it through the opening. A corresponding yip tells you he hit his mark.

<Wolfs no come back tonight. They lose fighting spirit.>

The wolves move away from the ceiling hole.
He gestures to two of his men.

<You watch. Eyes open. Call loud if you hear wolves. We come and kill.>

They hold their spears tightly and nod in agreement. One runs back down the south passage toward the firelight.
The chieftan looks at Kraalkar and Arlen, and then down at Daar and Elva.
He speaks in broken Varsa now.

You small folk brave help kill it. It dead with you fight. You battle-strong. Not rise again, no head.
He walks over to the grotesque head, reaches down, and yanks his flint knife from its eye socket and wipes it on the hairy belly of the body. The blood is thick and black.

Tonight, you ours. You stay. You others live? We take, heal her and her. Good heal.

The chieftan smiles, revealing his large, white teeth again. One was broken in the fight. He is covered in his own blood and his face is smashed on the right side, but he is beaming with an aspect that can only be described as joy. He motions to Vred, and she lifts the bodies of the dead Walkers onto her shoulders and walks down the southern hallway.

He gently lifts Daar and motions for Kraalkar and Arlen to pick up Elva, then heads down the hallway to the South. He does not look back.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Arlen nodded, staring with renewed interest at the older corpses along the wall. Maybe later, he thinks, before moving next to Elva's feet and standing ready to help Kraalkar carry her. Sul flutters down onto his gloved left hand, and he smoothes her ruffled feathers, calming her down from the recent fight. We'll be safe with these people tonight, Sul-lah, he says. Stay here for a little while and keep watch with this man. In a deliberately casual voice, he adds, And let me know if he leaves this room empty. Then he releases her from his wrist, looking to Kraalkar.
It should be mentioned that the language Arlen speaks to Sul in is Elven. So, you guys can get some sense of what he's saying when he gives her directions, because she goes and does them, but not much detail otherwise unless you know the language.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar nods, and watches the Walker chieftain carry Daar out of the chamber. In the absence of a threat the mal'iq fades from his pulse, leaving the barbarian hollow and achey and very, very tired. The dull throb behind his eyes intensifies, and all Kraalkar wants to do is find a corner and collapse. Instead, he wipes his sword free of blood and fur and then sheathes it, and slides the carved stick back into his pouch.

Arlen whispers to the bird on his wrist and then releases it. Kraalkar stares at the gore-slicked cave floor and the bodies on the floor, at the spot where Daar's blood stains the rock, and at Elva's body, and then at Arlen. He shakes his head dumbly. We survived. The thought is only beginning to register through the haze of exhaustion clouding his mind. He moves to Elva's head.

Once again Kraalkar raises his hands to his forehead, palms out, and sweeps them down and to the sides. Then he bends and grips Elva by the shoulders, straightening with a stifled groan as Arlen lifts her feet. He props her head on his forearms--she deserves her dignity--and follows the chieftain out of the cave.

[Zed's Dead]

Those of you who are conscious may post to tell me how you act during the next few minutes of action. This is a bit of a fast forward, but I don't want the game to lag. Forgive me. If you wish, I'll provide a translation, but I think it's fun this way.

You walk down the passageway, which turns and angles sharply downward. You hear the chieftan mumble something in the darkness, and a stone is rolled away, revealing the inner chamber. This must have been some kind of primitive defense mechanism, in case wolves got into the cave.

The inner chamber is comparatively bright. There are fewer than twenty Walkers there. 7 men (including the chieftan), 8 females, and 4 young ones--19 all told. The fire has been lit, and a doe's carcass is roasting on a cleverly improvised spit in the center of the room. The smoke clouds the chamber before being sucked through an as-yet unseen vent in the ceiling, which itself is 15 feet high. The smell of unwashed bodies is pungent and stronger than it would be in a town meeting-hall or tavern, but not altogether unpleasant.

The chieftan, carrying Daar, is greeted with relief, concern and puzzlement from the various members of the tribe. He places Daar gently on a fur mat and then addresses his tribe. Their attention snaps immediately to him.

Vul-Vesh harh das nicht. Vul-Vesh Gal Gok. Vul-vesh kask aroo y aroo y aroo. Vul vesh kask GAL AROO, FENRIS!

At this, the Walkers go crazy. There is hooting and hollering and jumping. One older woman cries. The chieftan allows his tribe to have their moment of victory. When the celebration wanes, he raises his hands again.

Cossan. Cossan, cossan.

He looks for all the world like a lord mayor addressing an assembly, waving his arms. All is quiet. Now the smile fades, his gaze drops to the ground. He slowly raises his eyes toward the tribe.

Sard Multa. Gan Multa. Gok multa. Lof Multa.

There is a moment of silence, though none has been called for.

The tribe goes back to their work--sadder, yet perhaps more hopeful than before.

Two of the bodies from the wolf fight--Sard and Gan, you suspect--have been laid in a corner, right next to each other. One older woman is tending the one whose throat was ripped out, while a young girl tends the other. The girl is washing the wounds of the second body when he emits a grunt of pain. The girl jumps back and gives a quick and instinctive sign--perhaps to ward off evil. The woman glances over and calls out to the chieftan: Semena! Semena Gan!

The chieftan's eye widens with surprise and excitement.

Vrethal, Vred! Semena Gan! Dos! Dos! SEMENA GAN!

Vred grabs a large leather pouch and approaches the body. She examines him for a moment, and then looks up at the chieftan with a smile.

Sa sa!

The entire group begins to hoot and holler as if they had achieved a great victory. There is much laughter and rejoicing. The chieftan spreads his arms.

COSSAN!

Immediately, the group quiets, and watches Vred do sprinkle a powder into a small clay jar with a little water. Vred rubs the paste on the Walker's wounds, closes the wound, and stitches it together with a bone needle. Gan jerks with the pain, but his eyes remain closed. You can hear his troubled breathing now.

The chamber is still abuzz with excitement.

The chieftan sends two Walkers to get Lof's body.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The chamber is warm and redolent with the thick, layered scent of communal living. Kraalkar blinks as he steps into the firelight, struck by a sense of familiarity and a sudden, sharp longing for his family's hearth. He swallows the lump in his throat. Spirits send I find what I'm looking for at Stone so I can return...home.

Maneuvering carefully across the floor, Kraalkar lays Elva down on a pile of furs, and then straightens wearily. He wants nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but it is important to maintain appearances.

He turns to the chieftain. <You are great warriors. We were honored to fight beside you to defeat that creature.>

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

As Arlen walks down the hall, he feels his muscles unknotting, despite the effort of carrying Elva's body. Stepping in a warm hall thick with auras of comfort and security makes his eyelids heavy indeed, but the investigator is wide awake and watching events with great interest, already making mental notes to add to his considerable store. As with all new events, especially those involving large numbers of people, Arlen does not thrust himself into any spotlight, but waits and observes, reacting as the situation prompts. He bows respectfully at the chief's compliment, and accepts the meat given to him, saving a small strip for Sul.

Following Kraalkar's lead, he remains on his feet until the formal interactions have given way to general suppertime. Tonight will be a welcome rest after this hellish journey.

Noting the healers walking over toward his comrades, he follows.
<Can I help in any way?> Arlen asked respectfully, eager to see his companions back on their feet. After watching them tip broth down both the women's throats, and bowing respectfully during the prayers, Arlen moves in as the women leave. Arranging the furs under them so that they'll be as comfortable as possible, he takes a few clean strips of cloth from his pack, and binds the worst of their wounds after cleaning them as well as can be done at the time. That ought to make them more comfortable when they finally wake.

Taking 10 on Heal Aid Another check for 16. This is for "long term care", so they gain twice as many hp as usual overnight tonight.

As the evening winds down, Arlen finds his thoughts turning more and more to the creature they'd killed. What kind of magic could create such a monster? What kind of lingering effects might that leave in the body? He'd heard of certain pieces of such creatures being used for magical purposes, and the draw to be able to experiment himself was overpowering.

Arlen took a very practical view of death, practical as in all other aspects of life. He bore nothing but the utmost respect for the spirits of the dead, and he would pray this evening for the spirit of the man the dead creature had been. However, with the spirit gone, any body, while worthy of some respect as the previous home of an individual, was still inescapably little more than a piece of rotting meat (an opinion he knew better than to voice too openly around more staunchly religious folk). Arlen respected the dead, but would not flinch at the chance to get some samples to study later.

When the chieftain introduced himself, Arlen took the opportunity. <It is an honor, Tor. My name is Arlen. If it is not private, may I ask if you know how those Walkers became such creatures?> He phrases it carefully, hoping for some opening that will give him access to the body.

[Zed's Dead]

Arlen:


<It is an honor, Tor. My name is Arlen. If it is not private, may I ask if you know how those Walkers became such creatures?>

Tor's face registers disgust, and then contorts even more in order to pronounce the little-used descriptive term in Woric.

Met'ul Ful'chal!

<Abomination! The witches do this.>

He pauses, makes a symbol of warding by spitting onto the back of his hand, sprinkling dust into it, and annointing his forehead with an "X."

<It forbidden to speak his name. He will rise to kill if I do. I saw it before.>


All:
OOC: I'm going to keep Arlen's conversation separate from the action moving forward, and allow both to continue simultaneously in Earth time. Arlen's midnight adventure will take place via email, should he choose to undertake it. :smallwink:

Daar and Elva:
You rest easily, drifting in and out of consciousness through the night, but without a hint of anxiety or fear. The broth and the minstrations of Arlen bring your body, mind, and spirit much-needed rest. Your dreams and consciousness intermingle until you have little idea where one ends and the other begins. You wake in a large room full of sleeping Walkers. You have been placed right next to one another. Two Walker females lie on either side of you. One even has a protective hand on Daar's arm. Your weapons are lying beside you, and there is a small pot of drinking water made from melted snow near each of your heads.

Kraalkar:
You sleep as though you were dead. You do not stir or turn or shift your body for ten hours. Your long, deep breaths of the smoky, sultry atmosphere allow you an ease you have not known since you were a child. It is truly as if you were with your clan again. When you wake, there is an instant of pain from aching joints and muscles, but also from the realization that the slumbering bodies are not actually Uruks at all, but Walkers. The events of the preceeding day rush back to your mind.

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Awareness comes slowly to Kraalkar, wrapped as he is in warm furs and the soothing fog of sleep. He hears the quiet sounds of people preparing for their day, but all he wants to do is pull the furs over his head for a few more moments. Neini will be along shortly to roust him out of bed, and then he'll have to go fetch water for cooking, but if he can just get a few more minutes of sleep... Something nags at his thoughts, but he can't pin it down. Today he might not have to do his boring lessons. Warke wanted to go hunting and he might bring Kraalkar along. Game won't be easily found today as big a nuisance as those wolves made of themselves yesterday scaring off the deer -- wait, what wolves... -- and especially that big bastard with the flaming eyes. ...there haven't been wolves this year... And someone is roasting venison...for the morning meal?

The elusive thought hovers just beyond the edge of Kraalkar's comprehension. Then the sound of guttural voices and the thick, somehow alien scent of the air penetrates his sleep-shrouded mind, and he comes fully awake with a queer shock and a sudden gasp. This is not my home.

The events of the previous day flood through his mind and Kraalkar feels chilled despite the thick furs. Around him, Walkers prepare for their day, talking quietly in their deep voices. Daar and Elva lie on furs, carefully bandaged. Kraalkar's body aches as he stiffly lifts himself out of the furs and stretches, wincing in pain as his wounds pull against their scabs. He yawns, and his stomach growls. Kraalkar moves carefully over to the fire and scans the cavern for Arlen. It's time the four of them had a conference and decided what their next step should be. The Walkers' hospitality would last for a time, but it would be best that they be gone before it started to wear thin.

And my quest awaits me in Stone...

[Zimmia]

Daar

Time had no meaning. After the pain of her injuries was ended by her unconsciousness it didn't really seem to matter. Some part of her remembered bring her blade into the belly of Fenris, and then a great crushing weight came down upon her.

In those hours her dreams were scattered and varied, sometimes reliving events from the past days, other times taking her back to her childhood days with her tribe. One persistent vision didn't belong to either of the two. She could plainly see herself, on the slight rise of a rocky hill next to a black-grey boulder and the sky a light green of incoming storm, standing with conflicting emotions as the area before her was consumed by fire. There was a definite satisfaction with strong overtones of innocent life lost. Every time her unconscious tried to investigate the vision further however she immediately lost it and was returned to one which was familiar and comforting.

After more time passed, she came partly awake at the smell of seasoned venison. She could hear the steady breathing of those around her, and could feel the touch of her youngest sister Naalahs' hand on her arm. She groaned lightly as she raised her other hand and laid it on top of Naalah and then fell back asleep, and her dreams continued.

Finally the sounds of the other women of the tribe stirring caught her attention. 'I wish I could lay here longer' she thought somewhat guiltily, but she wouldn't be known as someone not to contribute to daily life of the tribe. The motion of throwing back her fur caught her attention due to the sheer amount of effort required. It was only then that she opened her eyes and the reality of the last several days hit her. She noticed that Elva was beside her, and she could see Kraklaar on the other side of the fire. "We...lived?" she asked in amazement, before she laid her head back down to put her thoughts in order.

[Zed's Dead]

The Walkers are stirring now, eating scraps from last night's meal, gathering equipment, and getting themselves ready for the day. The rock is rolled back from the entrance. Gan is sitting up, his back braced against the wall. He is pale, but well.

Daar and Elva are still injured, but their eyes are bright, and they seem re-invigorated.

The rock has been rolled back from the entrance, and it is obviously morning. If you had to guess, You'd think about an hour after sunrise. About half the Walkers who slept here the night before are still here, but the rest are nowhere to be seen.



I'm leaving this in, as a place-holder if nothing else, but it will happen about 10:00. The above happens about 7:30ish

The chieftan approaches you when you are awake and assembled.

<I build pyre. We burn Fenris' body now. And head. You light fire?>

You get the sense that there is a ceremony involved. You notice the other Walkers are looking at you expectantly.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva can't remember what it was she'd been dreaming all night long, but she wakes up with a feeling of comfort and warmth. Opening her eyes, she expects to see a starlit sky or the first light of dawn, and stares for a while at the cavern's ceiling, puzzled. And it all comes back.

"Gray?" she calls immediately, leaning on her elbows and moaning as the muscles of her abdomen remind her of her injury. And Gray appears right in front of her, wagging her tail and licking Elva's hand. Relieved to see her elkhound alive and healthy, Elva falls back again, with a smile on her face despite the pain. Well, unless Fenris jumped up to the surface through that hole, it seems that the All-Mother preferred to take him than us. As she looks around the room, she feels Daar stir beside her.


"We...lived?"

"Apparently." she replies weakly, but still smiling. "Against all odds. Aren't life's surprises a blessing?"

With the exhaustion of the past few days thankfully gone, Elva seems to have livened up. She reaches for her backpack, checks to see if her few things are in order, and makes an effort to stand up and inspect the room and the people in the room. She thanks the Walkers next to her for their help, not entirely sure how this came to be. She nods to Arlen and Kraalkar, beaming, and asks: "So what happened last night? And whom should I thank for my life?"

I'm sorry for not elaborating right now, but before the Chief comes in, Elva will perform a Healing ritual (Cure Minor Wounds): I'm not entirely sure who needs more healing at this point, Kraalkar or Arlen, (I don't know if the character sheets are updated), we'll sort this out OOC.
So, one of them, Daar and Elva heal 11 hit points each. I'll write the fluff later. (In the next post if the conversation continues, or I'll edit this one if we skip to the Chief.

Whenever we get to the Chief's question, checks to understand what he means:
Knowledge (nature) [roll0]
Knowledge (anything else, untrained) [roll1]

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Comforted slightly by his last discovery, Arlen trances dreamlessly and well for the first time in days. Opening his eyes, he is as usual the first stirring by far, which suits him fine. For a moment, he simply stares into space, contemplating yesterday's trials, and the great good fortune that had brought at least some of them here, waking by a friendly fire in safe quarters. Uncrossing his legs, which have grown stiff during the trance, he glances toward the sack next to his pack, half wondering if it would have squirmed away with its strange burden in the night.

As the Walkers around the cave begin stirring up the fire, Arlen spreads his notes on one side and his spellbook on the other, and begins preparing mind and body for the day. First, he composes his mind and offers thanks to Oloriel. For the strength you gave us to fight that which had been twisted from the natural form you gave it. For the spirits of brave comrades, winnowed from the group to leave only the strongest, but missed and grieved nonetheless. For those two who gave their last moments to buy us safety. For these Walkers, offering us space by their fireside. For companions, strong in arm and keen of mind, to stand side by side in time of trial. For the crisp dawn of a new winter's day. And for whatever adventure this day may hold, we offer humble thanks.

He then turns his mind to his book and notes, losing himself in planning, calculation, and preparation for the new day. One at a time, he peruses the runic diagrams of the ancient powers he has discovered and painstakingly recorded over the years. After selecting what will be most useful today, he pushes his mind into each diagram, mentally completing most of each spell: scope, description, name and intent all have a place within each spell's diagram, which had to be completed with utmost care. At the end of each spell, Arlen left the last syllable unspoken, carefully remembering each of the ending syllables so that he could activate any spell later in the day at a moment's notice. Mostly oblivious to the cave coming alive around him, his stomach finally rumbles to remind him of more mundane concerns. He looks up to see his companions stirring. Daar and Elva are understandably confused, but clearly happy to be waking up alive and comfortable.

"So what happened last night? And whom should I thank for my life?"
Arlen smiles quietly (and quite uncharacteristically), and with a wave of his hand and slightly raised eyebrows, he gestures to Kraalkar.
"It's good to see you two awake."

[Zimmia]

Daar

Once she got her mind thorougly around the idea that the giant wolf must have lived, Daar sat up and shook her head while wiggling her fingers and her toes. She felt suprisingly good, and the tiredness which had dogged her steps seemed to be gone. She jumped up and raised her hands above her head and stretched toward the ceiling of the cave. She noticed Walker women watching her and she turned around toward them. Not able to thank them in their own langage, she gives the formal thanks of her tribe; she stands erect and places her right hand on her heart resting the palm of her left hand on her right wrist. She then bows with head and shoulders for a long moment before standing upright and smiling broadly.

She turns next to the fire, and moves quite close to it; close enough in fact that sparks from it probably flicker off her and her amor although she does not make a motion. She crouches on the balls of her feet and stares into the flames. They flicker and play and soon she can see her spirit ancestors in it, reaching out their arms to her proudly. Once she sees them, she loses herself to the Song in her head, the reverence and honor that comes from deep within her. She is quite some time in this reverence and does not seem to even notice the others moving to and from the fire. When she finally stands, she goes to her backpack and pulls out her waterskin and a bit of cloth, wiping the sweat of the fire from her face and walks to join her friends. Her face is almost radiant, the grey-green of her skin flushed with an undertone of pink.

"It appears I may have missed a quite of bit of action last night," she says quietly with the smile that makes those unfamiliar with her kind very nervous. "I am pleased we lost no more of our number. What happened?"

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar crouches next to the fire. A deer haunch sizzles on a spit. The heat of the flame feels good on his skin. Without flame in this wilderness, a man is lost. He remembers the old woman, Meg, calling flame into existence to singe and scorch the wolves. The Son of Wulocha's seared torso had borne witness to her power. Was she like me? Or...something else? Could I do what she did? The fire dances before him. Its flickering flames are strangely compelling, and Kraalkar's hand reaches toward the fire. Then he realizes what he's doing and drops his hand to a stick. He pokes the coals with a scowl. Are you afraid, Kraalkar? The voice whispers drily in his skull. If you had that power, Uluia might still be alive. Imbrus might still be alive. You could have saved them...instead of abandoning them. He sees Uluia again, empty eyes staring accusingly at him. Ruthlessly, Kraalkar walls off the voice. I did what I had to do! They were not strong enough! he snarls, then grimaces and drops the stick. Fool. The last thing you need is for these others to realize you're crazy.

With his belt knife, Kraalkar hacks a piece of meat from the haunch and juggles it from hand to hand, blowing to cool it down before biting into it. He wipes the hot grease from his chin with his forearm, then glances up and notices Daar staring into the flame with the same rapt expression he has seen before on the face of his clan's shinja. He knows better than to disturb her when she looks like that. Kraalkar stands up again with a wince, and moves back to his furs. He finishes the meat, then bends and picks up his armor and sword. Blood stains the metal links of the chain shirt, and the blade is nicked and dirty. It would normally take some effort to clean his gear, but...

Kraalkar whispers a quiet word and snaps his fingers, feeling the energy settle around him in quiet anticipation. Slinging the sword across his back, he moves back toward Arlen and Elva, stopping at the fire to cut another hunk of meat from the deer haunch.

[Zed's Dead]

Here's the email roleplay from the last couple of days.

The Walkers are more than happy to give you food. One female carves off hunks of meat for each of you. This is a bit more done than last night's fare, and is even sprinkled with a wild dried herb, not unlike rosemary.

Kraalkar

Kraalkar eases himself to the ground near Elva and Arlen, and sets his chain shirt to the side. Shrugging the sword onto his lap, Kraalkar draws the heavy blade from its sheath and inspects it. The remnants of dried blood and wolf hair bear witness to the previous day's struggle. But today is a new day, with new decisions to be made. He reaches into his pouch and pulls out a soft cloth.

Kraalkar looks up as Daar as she returns from the fire.


"It appears I may have missed a quite of bit of action last night. I am pleased we lost no more of our number. What happened?"

He returns his attention to cleaning the sword. "Your last attack mortally wounded the beast and it finally collapsed. We took its head off to be sure...but a strange thing happened. The beast...was one of them." He gestures to the surrounding Walkers, then glances at Arlen and Elva. "I have heard tales of creatures like that one, but I know nothing about them. Have any of you encountered them in your travels?"
The cloth moves across the blade, and where it passes metal gleams softly in the flickering light.


Arlen

As the group slowly settles down around the fire, Arlen finishes a last bit of study and begins putting his notes away. With any luck, we'll be somewhat better prepared for today. He picks up the meat he has been given and holds it closer to the fire for a moment to warm it. Then he begins eating slowly, pulling small strips off to feed to Sul every so often.

"Only in writing and hearsay. The creature is not a werewolf, but the spirit form of a wolf bound to a man. Among the more obvious results, it grants long life. Unless the one who cast the curse relents, it is only breakable by death. The witches, long-time enemies of these Walkers, do this to them. We must be careful - the creature may still rise under the will of its creator, headless and broken as it is."
The elf stares into the fire as he speaks, and it is difficult to read his face in the shadowy light. The owl on his shoulder gives a low hoot, and he absent-mindedly feeds her another strip of meat.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva approaches the three survivors and crouches near them smiling, with a hunk of meat in her hand which she smells with closed eyes before tasting it. She waits for their answer with little more than mild curiosity, content for the moment to be alive and safe.

"Your last attack mortally wounded the beast and it finally collapsed. We took its head off to be sure...but a strange thing happened. The beast...was one of them."

The smile vanishes from her face, and the meat falls to the ground. She looks down at her wounded belly, and whispers an almost inaudible "gods, no". She barely listens to the rest of Kraalkar's words. A shapechanger! She had been eluding them all her life, only to be bitten by one here, in God's teeth? But then Arlen begins to explain, and one sentence immediately catches her attention.

The creature is not a werewolf, but the spirit form of a wolf bound to a man.

She looks up again, and listens intently, absorbing everything the black elf has to say. He seems to know the subject well enough, so she asks straight away, still worried, but not as crushed as before.
"So.. that would mean that others cannot contract lycanthropy by the creature's bite... or not?"

The thought of a headless Walker Wolf coming back to life makes her shudder, and she stares into the fire trying to imagine it. A part of her finds it ridiculous. I suppose a funeral pyre would take care of that. The Walkers would know best, anyway.

A knowledge check for the witches: [roll0] (untrained with no modifiers, unless nature has something to do with it - in that case add +10 to the roll)
...aaand for the most improbable check so far, Knowledge (nature) about the rosemary-like herb: [roll1].
What? We like herbs. And cooking with herbs. :smalltongue:

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

The herb has a strong but not unpleasant taste, and the weight of hot meat is welcome in his belly after their ordeal. He barely notices the taste as he confers with his companions, however. Initially puzzled by Elva's strong reaction to the news, Arlen quickly realizes the reason for her concern. "No, you are safe. The curse cannot be passed in the saliva as a lycanthrope's affliction can."

Finishing his meat, he begins carefully repacking his pack. Small sacks, neatly organized bound scrolls, an extra quiver of arrows with different-colored fletching all disappeared into the pack, which held a surprising amount with such careful packing. He used the activity to give his hands something to do while his mind flitted across his research from the night before.

How far were we from Stone?
For the witches: Knowledge (geo) = [roll0]
Knowledge (history) = [roll1]

More later -gotta run

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

Kraalkar nods in agreement and takes another bite of venison. The herb rubbing does well to mask the slightly gamey flavor of the meat, but...there's no reason to keep eating that. He concentrates briefly, then takes another bite and grunts in approval.

No, you are safe. The curse cannot be passed in the saliva as a lycanthrope's affliction can. "My people's experiences with these creatures are similar. It is said that some willingly bargain with Wulocha to receive this power." He shrugs heavy shoulders, and rubs away a bloodstain on his blade. "The Ravenous One always gets the best of that transaction." The blade is clean and gleams as though newly forged. Kraalkar sets it aside and picks up the chain shirt.

"From what I understand, these creatures no longer threaten Tor and his people. And while they have offered us a place at their hearth for a time, we would do well to consider the next step of our journey." He glances at the others. "What say you?" He absentmindedly rubs the cloth over the armor, and chain links gleam brightly in its wake.

[Zed's Dead]

The Walkers evidently sense that your conversation has become more than just idle chat. The women gather up the children and trudge out of the room. Only Gan remains. He is lying on his side with his back to you and is snoring softly.


Knowledge checks, leveling, and healing rituals:

On Witches: You both have a general idea that there are witches reported to live in the woods of this area, but you thought they were further to the north. Arlen, this could be why he spoke of attacks while they were on their way to the summer lands.

On Stone (and its distance from here): You seem to remember something Cort said yesterday, just before the wolves cut him down--something about Stone being just an hour North of here.

On herbs: This rosemary-like plant is much more pungent than its cousin, and more bitter, but it actually is quite complementary. Your people call it "butterfly wing," because its flowers open like a pair of tiny wings. You're not sure what the Walkers call it.

On leveling: When (and if) you guys do the healing ritual, you will officially level up.

Also, I'll leave it to the healer to describe the healing ritual itself.

[Tura]

Elva

Elva smiles at the Walkers' discretion as they leave the room. There, learning to make tools out of metal has nothing to do with courtesy. She then turns to the others.

"Well, logically, we should find out which is the safest - and not necessarily the fastest - way to Stone, and get going. We're not far, I think, and it seems that wolves are not the worst danger one could face around these parts. Only, before we depart, we might want to take another look at everyone's wounds, some are.. pretty nasty. The Walkers were kind enough to patch us up, but a proper healing... "- she trails off for a moment, but continues - "...ritual would be better."

Back home, healing the wounded usually involved convincing them that the gods were taking care of them, and that anyone could do it if he prayed honestly enough - which was not exactly true. But now, it seemed fate had united her with people who had their own means, and didn't need an explanation. Fate.

"I'd be glad to perform it, but have in mind that it takes some time. I think Daar here needs one the most. And me, actually. Arlen, Kraalkar, I'm afraid I can't include both of you. Which one of you feels more... in need?"

Fate. Elva pets Gray absent-mindedly, and, somewhat incoherently, she asks:
"Do.. do you believe in fate? I honestly wonder if we ended up here by chance. Yesterday I saw something I'd never thought I'd see again, certainly not in God's Teeth."
She scatters some ash from the fire in front of her, and draws a sketch with her finger.

http://www.lost-civilizations.net/images/celts/perthro.gif

Lowering her voice, she explains: "This here was carved on the floor before the eastern passage, in the hall where Fenris fell. I can't tell if it was carved by the Walkers themselves, and I don't know what it is, exactly... But I was once told it has a special meaning.. for me."

Elva stares silently for a while at the rune she just drew, and then looks up again.
"I think I should see where that passage leads to."
And she seems surprised to hear her own voice saying that.

[harmonictempest]

Arlen

Arlen speaks up immediately after Elva finishes. "Fate is far from necessary to explain our meeting." Softening his tone somewhat, he continues. "I know what lies down that path, Elva. And it will not be easy to investigate." He pauses, eyebrows knitting for a moment, then draws the strangely lumpy sack over from next to his pack. "Perhaps I should explain. Last night, I offered the chief some aid in protecting his clan against these beasts, and he allowed me to examine the body - an unsettling but informative hour. I removed carefully a few organs that the magic would have concentrated in, hoping to make it more difficult for the creature's limited curse of undeath to awaken. I do not know if it succeeded - some of the organs continued moving in my hands, even after being removed from a corpse that had been dead for hours. The chief took the creature's head somewhere safe, hoping distance would aid as well. He called it the 'holy place' - down the eastern passage." After letting it hang in the air for a moment, he continues, in case he wasn't clear. "Any tribe's holiest place is also likely the least accessible by outsiders. While I do not hold fate responsible, I feel for this chief's plight, and would teach him such protections against these creatures as I may be able to devise. If any of you have known of arcane curses, I would welcome your aid in this.*"

His thoughts drawn back to Fenris, he stares into the fire for a moment, stroking Sul as absently as Elva strokes Gray. After a moment, he rouses himself, remembering to respond "I agree that prudence is better than speed, but I would value arriving before nightfall above both of those, if it is possible. I appreciate the offer of healing, but I took no wounds yesterday, and my older injuries are mending apace. You who fight in melee need it more than I, though I shall watch the ritual with interest."

As if tired by such an uncharacteristically lengthy speech, he sinks into himself, staring at the coals. This is why it's easier to travel alone - no need to spend time explaining everything. Still...their companionship is welcome on this journey.

He's basically asking for Aid Another checks when he does his official research, Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana) checks to figure out what might protect against monsters like these in the future.

[Zimmia]

Daar

Daar sat and listened to the exchange although she also seemed to be a thousand miles away listening to some other, quieter conversation. When she spoke, her voice was thoughtful with pauses between some of her words, almost as though listening to this distant voice even while speaking. "Our spirits too provide for help in healing in times of need. Between you and I," she says addressing Elva, "we should be able to mend the wounds of our group, and perhaps even one of those injured here as well."

"As for fate," (pause) "in Uruk, we have two different words which can both be considred fate. 'sripsh' the fate which has to do with predestination and the idea what what actions we do ultimately don't matter as our place in the universe is already set." Following this Daar makes an indelicate expression which makes clear her thoughts, followed by another pause. "There is another word, shintaa - this is the word we use when the spirits leave us hints to thinks we might uncover but ultimately it is up to us whether we choose to acknowledge these shintaa and perhaps travel that path. This..." Daar points to the rune and looking back to Elva, "May be a shintaa left for you. Only you can decide. If you choose to investigate, I will help you iny way I can. It may be a little... complicated since Arlen indicates this is likely a holy place for them, however the bond forged between our groups in bringing down that monstrosity might help convince them we mean no disrespect or harm."

"As for wardings," she says addressing Arlen, "My blessings from the Spirits do not lie in this direction, but if I can offer any assistance I certainly will. We've already lost daylight hours - and will lose more should we honor the ancestors and perform my healing ritual. It might be best for us to stay here today, recover more fully from our injuries and perhaps assist Elva should she choose to investigate her shintaa."

[GeekLord]

Kraalkar

The cloth slows and then stops on the armor as Kraalkar listens intently to Elva. That symbol means nothing to me, but it seems to have significance for Elva. I'd feel the same way in her situation. But Stone is so close, and my quest... He stands as they talk, wincing as his thigh protests, and the chain shirt slides to the ground with the metallic whisper of shining links. He paces stiffly toward the fire and picks up a stick to stir the coals, listening to the ensuing conversation with half an ear.

Conflicted? the dry voice whispers, amused. And here I thought your choice would be obvious. Kraalkar feels Ssriss slide down his arm toward the fire. It's not like that. I want to help her. I'm going to help her, but we're so close to Stone, and... He jabs the stick into the fire and tosses it down in disgust. All these delays! Kraalkar feels his palm tickle as Ssriss basks in the heat. Aaaah, that feels good. You're wise, you know. Huh? Ssriss chuckles at Kraalkar's confusion. Despite my, ah, prodding, you're wise not to take all that I offer you. You lack control, and would soon be...consumed. The snake stops suddenly, as though it had said too much. Anyway, help her. Work on your control. Ssriss slithers back up his arm. And Kraalkar...this fire is no different from Meg's flames. The voice in Kraalkar's head goes silent.

Kraalkar stares at the fire and clenches a fist. No different from Meg's flames? But...how can that be? Hers were sheer power given form, and this tame thing... He thinks of all the forms of flame he's seen before, from the small ritual fire in Old Nashan's hut, to the hearth fires of his clan in the smoky longhut...the hunters' campfires in the winter...the crackling plains wildfire in the heat of the summer...the forest fire once caused by lightning... Fire is fire...all fire is fire... Could that mean...? His musing is interrupted.

This may be a shintaa left for you. Only you can decide. If you choose to investigate, I will help you in any way I can.Kraalkar turns back to the group and waits for Daar to finish, and then nods. "I too will help you discover where your symbol may lead."

[Tura]

Elva

At the first mention of the Walkers' "holy place", Elva looks down, thoughtful. Following an unknown path is one thing, but breaking into a clan's sanctum is quite another.

Back home, forty-seven chieftains and thirty-one priests and priestesses lay in the consecrated ground under the dolmen's shadow, and Elva knew the names of each and every one of them by heart. No druid was buried there - in her parts, druids are buried wherever they breathe their last, for they know that every piece of land is equally holy, and eager to welcome them home. Be that as it may, she could imagine the clan's distress if some foreigner just barged in the dolmen uninvited.

The Walkers were her hosts, she had been offered food under their roof, and she would probably be dead if it weren't for them. Well, then. It seemed pretty straight forward. If she was to enter that passage, she would only do so with their consent.


This may be a shintaa left for you. Only you can decide. If you choose to investigate, I will help you in any way I can.


I too will help you discover where your symbol may lead.
Elva looks at Daar and Kraalkar, grateful. That was way more than she had bargained for.
"I thank you, both, from the bottom of my heart. I do not wish to put you in any danger, and neither do I want to offend our hosts. Since that place is sacred for the Walkers, I do not intend to enter unless I'm allowed to."

She then turns to Arlen. "I'll gladly share what little I know of wards that could help this tribe, as you agreed. There might be a ritual that needs to be performed on the beast's head. If that is so, I would appreciate the chance to be present, it would solve all our problems at once."