Morning comes, and the owlbear remains where it fell, while Ta'de-win and Norton keep watch. Rook and Kesten start setting out a cold breakfast buffet on the back of one of the wagons.
The beast is in a semi-conscious state of shock. After Ta'de-win spends some time with it, the two of you are able to determine it cannot be seen as a sum of it's parts. There is something alien behind it's eyes.
In it's state it is receptive to the most basic needs of most creatures. A slight healing from Ta'de-win mends enough damage to prevent it from being permanently crippled.
Ta'de-win can't tell if you will be able to improve your relationship beyond unfriendly, but the beast seems to have dropped it's hostile temperament. Taming seems unlikely at it's age though.
"Let's leave it be, it may find its own place here."
To the others
"Ready to break camp?"
"Agreed. For now, it will not attack us. It has at least been given a chance, though it may never truly become friendly with our kingdom. At best, it will at least keep it's distance. Perhaps, after we have begun to settle this land, we can set some aside, if he chooses solitude." Ta'de-win prepares herself to leave the camp with the others.
"Well, with that taken care off, let us move on to deal with quite another type of beast."
It is a cool morning, by the time you are packed up and on your way, a slight drizzle of rain starts. The moist air - cooler than the ground, causes some fog; mere wisps in most areas, but in the little dips you travel through, it is thick enough to lose sight of the ground at times.
The woods to your right seem to be solely deciduous... primarily oaks and maples. Even with the early morning fog, it somehow looks friendlier than the comparatively gnarled chaotic wilds of the North Narlmarches... idyllic but mundane.
The fog should burn off soon. It should stop drizzling and warm up mid-afternoon . Which is about the time it has been estimated you will reach the fort... should you travel directly there.
"What a nice morning, it is like one of those epic tales you used to hear about as a child, you half expect Jack o' the woods to come riding out of the fog on his valiant steed just now."
The Green Man leans forward a little to listen for the sounds of a legend riding out of the mist.
Ta'de-win looks ot the skies, listening to the words of the mist as the group prepares in the morning. "The fog and rains, if we make it to the Stag Lord's fort, will have since lifted by the time we arrive. The weather will help to cover us as we travel if they have patrols, but not as well when we arrive."
You go over a rather bumpy patch which feels like wagon wheel ruts are crossing your path, before you descend into a foggy dip in the terrain.
Furiel and Ta'de-win call your attention to the glow of a lantern in the fog; a few dozen feet into the treeline to your right. Rising above it is an overturned carriage. You do not immediately see any signs of life or it's occupants.
"Your wisdom is noted, Ta'de-Win!"
Alice will approach the Wagon with caution, in Crane Style, Ready to defend herself if need be.
Ta'de-win halts the others and begins surverying the wet ground for a moment for any signs of tracks that have not yet been washed away, examining the carriage from a distance before going closer.
"Overturned...you need a fair bit of muscle to do that, unless it was overturned because it raced along unstable ground at high speed? But there should be signs of that..."
The Green Man will also be ready for combat, dismounting and drawing his axe.
Furiel backs up Green, confident with the big man in front of him.
The overturned carriage sits unmoving like an island in the fog... in a sparsely wooded area, thirty feet into the forest. When you get closer (but still outside the treeline of the woods), you see the tops of thicket-like redberry bushes surrounding the carriage, but cleared in a swath by it's veering into the trees.
Ta'de-win slowly approaches the wagon, seeing ruts along the hill giving truth to Green's words. As she examines the ruts in the fog, something else catches her eye, causing her to stop and slowly back towards the others, eyes searching above. "Be on guard, hiding among the mists are webs. It may be a nest or a trap of sorts." As she backs up she readies her shield and sickle.
Furiel creates a dog out of thin air.
The summoned dog rushes in.
You see the dog trot over toward the wrecked carriage into the shaded foggy thicket. It goes along the cleared swath, it's head disappearing into the fog as it sniffs the ground, it looks back toward you, sniffs again... and then starts barking at the light.
There is still no sign of any other threats.
should anyone happen to mention fangberries, they are quite useful in potion making.
Having a moment as she watches Furiel's summoned companion barking ahead, she takes another moment to look at the berries, "Fangberries. they taste like raspberries but with fuller flavor." She then refocuses on the dog, watching. "Perhaps the rain has driven whatever made the webs into hiding."
Norton is still sitting on the saddle, keeping the rear, whatching things from above.
The sun continues to rise... the morning light creeps down the tree tops in the shade of the hill.
The carriage light in the fog winks out. Furiel's conjured dog turns on itself and starts gnawing at it's back leg. It goes between a whining and snarling sound, as it starts spinning to nip at it's own flank.
The carriage light starts to glow again. You see a mass of tiny insects or spiders engulfing the dog like a black sock with red dots the size of pin heads.
As you might expect, the dog's biting has no visible effect on the swarm of vermin.
"Damn! Another of those swarms, People stay clear of those things. Furiel, Ta', have you got anything to deal with those?"
Furiel motions and his hands are aflame.
He throws a ball of fire into the insects as he retreats.
The flame hits the ground near the dog, and has no visible effect on the swarm. Some of the fog does start to "burn off" from the fire, however... providing a clearer view of the thicket and wreck.
You can see the faded colors of the carriage more clearly than the others in this shaded area. While not anciently decrepit, it looks too weathered to have a lantern still lit.
"Oh no! Not again..."
Taking lesson from the previous battles, Ta'de-win summons a sphere of flame, rolling the sphere into the swarm.
Ta'de-win's ball of flame rolls into the area; burning off more fog, but the swarm seems to divide... allowing the sphere to pass through without noticeable effect.
As the summoned dog howls and starts to fall to the biting swarm, you see tiny motes very similar to the spirits that constantly surround you, flow to the light as if it were "sucking them up".
"What in the world...? A spirit eater! The light is a spirt eater, beware, don't let it consume you!"
The light could very well be a will o' wisp. Though you did not see what Green was referring to ... They feed on fear and death
Furiel tosses another ball of flame at the swarm narrowly missing.
"Stand firm against the light! It may well be a will o'wisp, here to feed upon our fear and upon death!"
Furiel once again hits the swarm with an accurate burst of flame.
You know very little about them apart from what you stated, they fly, they can change the type of light they emit, and they have been known to lead people following to their death through natural hazards.
You hear a crackling sound from the tiny vermin in flames. As Ta'de-win calls out her warning... the light flies out of the carriage lantern, and arcs through the air straight to flame-handed Furiel. The gnome is blasted with a small explosion of sparks.
Furiel has another bit of flame left. At the first opportunity, he heaves it at the swarm again.
"I'm hit. Heal me and hurt the lightning maker."
will o' wisps are nearly immune to magic, can turn invisible, and Green is somewhat right... they can heal when near dying creatures.
The others gather around... Kesten calls out "What will you have us do, Ser Ambrosi?"
Kesten
Errol
Kressle
Rogar
Rook
Round 1
HP 25/25
AC 16 T12 FF12 CMD15
F/R/W 4/3/7
Storm Burst 6/7
Spells
0th - Create Water, Light, Purify Food and Drink, Mending
1st - Burning Disarm, Frostbite, Cure Light Wounds, Obscuring Mist
2nd - Bull's Strength, Flaming Sphere (Cast), Fog Cloud
Ta'de-win keeps the flaming orb centered on the swarm, leaving the others to deal with the will'o'wisp.
"Furiel, don't mind using magic against that glowing thing, Wisps are immune to magic."
"Kesten, keep everybody close in group. and stay on the defensive, me and the others will try to deal with it."
Realization that his healing won't be of much use as long as the spirit eater can harm his focus, The Green Man decides to deal with it as fast as possible, his voice rumbling forth in a deep bellow of rage.
"If you can fight with weapons, hit it!!"
Furiel steps 5 feet away and casts a spell to grow Green larger.
The wisp makes an unnatural "Wah!" sound as Green cleaves into it.
Kesten takes and executes Norton's orders. "Arm yourselves and stay together... keep clear but be ready!"
Rook fires off an arrow, but finds it difficult to hit with its erratic flitting about.
Norton guides Murak around the threat in order to surround it.