Um..........kinda, sorta, no, not really, maybe...
Bale says looking very uncomfortable
Ah....a Sorceress named Lux, she.....attempted to become immortal. Big blood magic ritual, used a volcano....and well it worked, just not the way she wanted it too.
Bale has a smirk on his face as he tells the tale, he still seems uncomfortable.
The ritual wen't off and she became living lava, her body burned and yet she lives, her servants became one with laval as well, but ehr.....they are what we call the young, they are living lava, yet there minds became that of beasts, no rational thought in there heads.
This was a long time ago now, and its said that if a Lava lord lives long enough they can gain a human mind and shape their form however they like, and some can even do magic. but normally there just beasts that can shape there lava bodies into horrible monsters...
So the way you handle them is insult it, if it talks back, run or ambush it, if it just growls at you, you just kill it
bale shrugs, put his hands up unapologetic.
they are all over the place back in my home city....have to clear um out of the bath houses every few weeks...
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It looks like we might be able to reach that tower by nightfall. Could provide shelter. Best make haste though, those yips and howls are jackwolves stalking us. Usually they stay in the mountains and eat the big-horns . I wonder what brought them down into the lowlands?
All at once, eight jackwolves emerge into sight and break into a run toward the party. They're about 30 yards off, time enough for 1 or two shots, maybe.
Bale takes a small knife from his cloak and cuts his arm his blood spilling out as he turns and faces the Jackwolves
Come and face your demise! bale yells, unleashing his deathly aura.
the wolves keep coming, unimpressed by the sense of death and destruction bale emits.
Jackwolves close in on your group from all sides. Each creature has four shining yellow eyes that are placed irregularly on the sides of their long faces. Their grey, mottled flesh is stretched thin over their bony, emaciated bodies.
Rook turns to Bale, obviously terrified by the vicious creatures that are surrounding all of you. He steps behind Bale.
Bale, what do I do?! What are those things?! He asks with wide eyes and a shaking voice.
Gotama pulls his scabbard off of his him and into his hands. He mutters some inaudible utterance under his breath, and places his hand over the lock that holds his sword in its sheath. Interlocking rings turn with metallic, mechanical noises and Gotama unleashes a shining, curved blade from its sheath.
Gotama turns to the rest of your party, and says,
Protect the boy!
The wolves keep moving closer, each emitting a low, hungry growl. You count six of them but it's dark so you can't be sure.
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Abd quickly pulls the slipknot on the pole he's been carrying, then gives a couple of quick shakes to unfurl the banner. The Boar Rampant rises in charcoal against a plain of shimmering white sailcloth. He plants the pole in the ground beside the boy and braces himself for the approach.
With his other hand, he fumbles in the loose folds of his clothing for his hip flask and flint and steel.
Get behind me rook and do as i've taught you....and don't die. bale says as he take out his black shield and sword.
Bale fights defensively, protecting rook and Gotama
Fighting!
The 8 legged wolf like creatures with their multiple eyes run and charge the party. One wolf lunges at Bale and those he is protecting. He deficits the beast with his shield and proceeds to bifurcate another.
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The creatures instinctively surround the group, who are now fighting back to back in a tight circle around the boy. Abd takes a sip of alcohol, blows out a great cloud and sparks it alight with the flint and steel. A fireball roars out in a cone, engulfing three jackwolves.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to scare off the creatures. All three burning jackwolves pounce on him, pushing him off his feet.
Lin slashes at the creatures that surround him, fighting against the wild animals with his dark blades.
Bale stands between the beasts and his companions, protecting them. Gotama strikes out at a few Jackwolves, but his combat prowess is hindered by his missing limb. As the creatures are driven back by Bale, the survivors turn to Abd, seeking an easier target.
The three charred Jackwolves gnaw and bite at Abd as two more of their starving, monstrous kin move away from Bale and circle around Abd. The beasts snap their jaws and stare at their prey with glowing golden-yellow eyes.
We have to help him! shouts Rook, outraged, before pulling his small, sharp, hand-axes from the scabbards at his sides. He rushes past Bale and charges recklessly into the fray attempting to fight his way to Abd through the remaining Jackwolves.
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Overwhelmed by jackwolves, with no easy way out, Abd fends them off with one arm, while reaching back with the other to find his flagpole. It's at the extent of his reach. With intense effort, using his fingertips, he pulls the pole out of the ground. Hopefully it'll give him a tool to escape.
The jackwolves continue their assault, three of them biting around his face and neck and two more on his limbs.
Rook approaches the crowd of Jackwolves surrounding Abd, and one of them turns to see him approach, growling and baring its jagged teeth.
(15: Good -> Very Good!)
Rook doesn't hesitate and he remembers his training as he moves towards the feral beast. He feints the animal by leaning to his left before lunging right and slashing the beast horizontally across the face with his pair of hand axes.
Blood sprays from the wound of the creature and Rook is temporarily taken aback by the unexpected dark red color of violence. In this moment Rook realizes his ability to cause harm to others and his capacity for acts of evil.
Bale throws his shield to rook noticing his hesitation and the fear that has overtaken his features after his first kill protect the old man and Abd rook! bale yells to him
bale grips his dark blade with both hands and swings, a hurricane of destruction baring down on the jackwolves
blood rains upon him as he engages the jackwolves
By Darxi's will!! Bale curses as he sees Abd get swarmed by the jackwolves once again.
Bale rushes To Abds side slashing out in massive strikes with his blade.
The moon hangs in the sky over the broken tower.
Rook snaps back to reality as the Jackwolf that he wounded turns and runs away into the dark, cold, night, fearing for it's life. He drops one of his axes and picks up Bale's heavy shield.
Rook turns to the two wolves around Abd and rushes to his aid.
9 is Mixed which turns to Good with the Banner.
Rook bellows a primal battle cry as he charges up to a Jackwolf and brings his right handaxe down into the top of it's skull with a dreadful crunch.
The last Jackwolf turns from Abd, sensing a new threat and moves to attack Rook, who raises the dark shield.
Gotama sees all of the chaos around him and moves to join the fray. He's an old man but he was once a talented warrior. With his one remaining arm he isn't much of a fighter these days.
He moves around the remaining wolves (the one that is now facing Rook next to Abd and Bale, and the Jackwolf that Lin is engaged with a near distance away.) as he runs to Abd side and tries to help him.
= 7 (Bad) -> (Mixed)
As Gotama stops some of Abd's bleeding a lurking Jackwolf emerges from the shadows behind him. The beast prepares to pounce on Gotama, who is none the wiser.
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No time to pull out the rope trick. Abd uses his flagpole to vault into the air, then stays there, hovering in midair with one hand lightly resting on the top of the staff. With his other hand, he fishes a throwing knife from his bandolier and flings it at a wolf.
The knife plunges to the hilt, right in the middle of all the eyes. The beast collapses instantly.
bale attacks the jackwolve by rook bringing his blade down upon its head. the beast jumps out of the way, but is still nicked by Bale's dark blade
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Safely floating above the battlefield, Abd pulls the pole up off the ground. Hand over hand, he raises the banner above his head and begins waving it in grand circles.
The boar seems to move on the flag, raising up even higher and presenting gleaming tusks. Abd and his allies get a rush of serotonin and adrenaline from the sight.
Bale stands beside Rook, and the bleeding Jackwolf whimpers and flees.
Gotama looks up at Abd and smiles as his comrade rises triumphantly from the brink of death. Abd looks down at the old mans face, and quickly notices the Jackwolf behind him, but before he can warm his ally, the beast leaps onto Gotama's back.
Result: Bad
Gotama screams as the beast knocks him to his knees. It sinks its teeth into his shoulder.
Lin carves a pair of wicked scars on the beast's back with his two inky black shadow blades. It yelps and tries to leap off of Gotama's back hoping to flee.
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I've been better., Abd says as the endorphins wear off. He floats to the ground and begins to rummage in his belongings. "Let's see: Field guide to medicine, Alcohol, Fire, Cloth. Should do. I need to read this a bit. Then can I get a hand with the dressings?"
After carefully studying the small guidebook, Abd starts to apply dressings. "Hold this here please. Yes. Like that. More pressure. Perfect", grimacing.
Bale cleans his blade and take his shield from rook.
Im fine lin, maybe we should set up camp for tonight, we could light some of the bodies on fire, dissuade some of the predators, we should also take some of there blood
You ok kid? bale asks.
Tired, you all approach the crumbling tower after gathering meat and blood, perhaps even a few skins if you thought to. As you walk through a hanging stone archway that is all that remains of a former wall you enter a sort of courtyard that lies at the foot of the tower. Remaining pieces of ceiling, wall and floor are scattered over the ground and greenery sprouts up between the stone that has sunk into the dirt. Right outside the courtyard are four sheep laying in the short grass. They sleepily bah at the five of you from the ground.
You see a warm light in the large open door of the tower and hear the strained, shaking voice of an old man from inside.
Is someone there?
A giant head pokes out of the doorway. He leans on his small-tree of a cane as he peers out into the cold night at you. He has to bend down a little bit to fit under the doorway and his beard almost reaches the ground when he does. He pulls himself out of the doorway with one hand on his cane and the other on the wall.
He stands leaning over his cane with a crooked back. He must be ten feet tall. Twelve if he was standing up straight. One of his legs is fitted with a split log tied around to serve as a splint and he walks with a painful limp. He is covered in woolen rags and old animal skins patched together and pulled over him. His face seems leathery and is covered in many deep and long wrinkles drawn around his smiling mouth. His eyes are small and surrounded by a million tiny wrinkles.
He gestures into the tower and says in a raspy voice,
Well, what are you waiting for? It's bloody freezing out here, get inside.
He hobbles back inside without another word and sits down slowly on a pile of heavy hides and blankets next to a blazing hearth.
These days they call me Nothing, because I am not spoken to. In my youth and during the wars my allies called me Baldirog Brynir, and later Commander Brynir. My enemies once called me the Arrow Eater. You may call me Baldirog.
The Hill Giants were once allied with the Dragon Lords during the campaigns against the Warlords of the Spine.
He settles into his pile of furs and pulls his hide cloak tighter around his shoulders before falling into a coughing fit. This subsides and he takes a long drink from a wooden bowl filled with water.
You should all make yourselves comfortable, you are my guests for the night. What brings you into the Wilds, if you don't mind my asking?
He inquires with a quaking voice, unintentionally loud but softly spoken.
We seek thieves, who we deem need to be dealt with, we have reason to believe that they fled into these lands.
We thank you for your hospitality Baldirog
Bale finds a corner and sets up his little camp and proceeds to run rook though his first post battle crash. teaching him about his warrior order and his duties as a neophyte in it.
Reavers you say? Excuse me one moment. He says with a strained voice and a slightly troubled look.
He pulls himself up with his cane and great difficulty before hobbling to an old broken closet set against the wall of the tower. He retrieves an axe as large as Bale and limps back to his pile, where he bundles himself up again and sets the axe on the ground.
Forgive my compulsion, but I find myself uncomfortable to be unarmed in a room of men who harvest the blood of my kin professionally. I hope you will not be offended. Despite the subtle sting to his actions and his polite distrust, he seems genuine in his desire not to upset or offend you.
I remember when I was young and small like all of you. Oftentimes I found myself swept away to an unknown land to deliver retribution to some group of supposed evil-doers. Now that I am old and weak I wonder if me and my allies efforts accomplished anything truly. The world is still filled with evil. He reminisces as if he were talking to no one, but as he finishes he turns to Lin.
What do you hope to accomplish, young Reaver?
He seems pleased with your manner and your confidence. Baldirog smiles through his big, wiry beard and gives a hearty laugh.
Oh, how I miss the conviction of youth.
He spies Lin's arm again and his face turns grave.
That scar looks dark. Take care it does not become infected.
Baldirog looks back to the fire and seems to remember something from his past.
The old language of the Vertebrean Giants has a saying, "Anfal dun-uven wan nint maug det dun-Uven anfal du". Not a particularly elegant or poetic proverb, but the language of Giants rarely is. Though, I have heard a few truly beautiful romantic Ash Giant poems about the gratification of wartime reunions, but I digress.
This saying means, "Strike your enemy with nine-fold the pain that your enemy has dealt to you."
I thought I might mention it, as you are men seeking revenge. Though, I now recall the Giant kingdoms fell because of violent vendettas between ruling clans and political instability, so perhaps their advice on grudges is not the soundest.
He pauses for a moment to consider this.
Who exactly are these bandits that you are pursuing?
It looks like some kind of religious symbol to me. I think I met a Pantheist while travelling through the mountains once who believed in a sun god with that same insignia. He was a talented preacher.
Baldirog takes the sword and pulls it from the sheath.
Hmm... I think I recognize this script. It's written in Naakarian, the language of the Northern Kingdom. Apologies, but I cannot read Naakarian.
Baldirog re-sheathes the sword and hands it back to Lin. The Old Giant remembers another story.
I have heard of a Naakarian assassin named Hakan. They called him The Fury because he fought with unbridled rage. Couldn't be the same Hakan, however. The Fury was captured, tortured and executed after killing a noble family and kidnapping the Lord's daughter. Don't know what became of the daughter.
I almost went after his bounty myself, actually. I was in the North at the time, but by the time I heard he was wanted he had already been killed.
Baldirog strokes his beard and says,
Truly it is a mystery. It must have been fifteen years ago that I first heard of The Fury. Still, if you and your allies were the ones to finally best him, you should be proud. I have heard tell that he was a talented killer.
You notice that Gotama has already fallen asleep, and Baldirog yawns and begins to prepare his bedding.
I am tired now. I hope that you will sleep well, Lin, Bane of The Fury. The same to you, Dark Swordsman and the young one.
With that, Baldirog lays down in a massive heap, wraps himself in dusty furs, hides and blankets and falls asleep.
The sun rises brightly and the world is painted pale red gold by its light. A brisk, cool breeze sweeps over the plains and gently through the drafty and dilapidated tower. You smell the bonfire which still smolders from the night before, and the sheep outside.
Outside, Baldirog tends to his flock, and gathers wild plants for his breakfast.
Gotama continues to snore.
Rook nudges Bale awake.
I'm hungry. He says bluntly.
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Sometime during the night, Abd's body lifted about 4 inches off the ground. There's a thump and a sharp groan when he lands hard upon wakening.
Taking stock, Abd sees purple and yellow bruises surrounding the dried blood, torn flesh and puncture wounds.
Sorry I slept so late. Time to redress these, I think.
The overpowering smell hits hard. The smell of infected flesh. There's a lot of white fluid in the wound on his right ankle. That's not good.
uh....your hungry...well I think i still know how to cook... bale gets up and and shakes the dust off,
does anyone have any eggs? and maybe a frying pan?
I know there's a chicken somewhere around here... I also have sheep's milk and sheep's cheese! I never eat the stuff myself, but you're all welcome to it. Baldirog bellows from outside the tower.
You can spy the chicken through a hole in the partially broken second floor of the tower, pecking around above your heads. There is a broken splinter-laden, wooden board staircase set against the wall of the tower that leads to the second floor, about fifteen feet above the first. Most of the steps are missing, and the ones that remain seem unsteady.
Without another word, Rook immediately begins to climb up the decrepit staircase, which creaks loudly as he pulls himself onto the lowest beam.
Gotama rubs his eyes before pulling a couple of cast-iron pans and a roll of bandages from his large backpack. He stands up, stretches, tosses Abd the bandages and says,
Wash those before you wrap them. If worst comes to worst we'll have to take some more drastic measures.
He then walks outside where he proceeds to gather edible plants scattered around the tower.
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Using some of his rope, Abd ties a cross piece onto his flagpole. There, that should give me something to lean on.
He then proceeds to wash the wound and wrap it again. It might slow down the spread, but it's not getting better.
Gotama, any chance you know where we could find some medicinal herbs out here? I could use something to stop the blight.
"I know that milkweed mixed with juice of the thorn-berry can help slow the spread of blight. Milkweed is easy, but thorn-berry grows at higher altitudes. Also, spearhawks sometimes hunt around thorn-berry bushes because there's so many smaller birds hiding in them.
Also, I need to replenish some of my alcohol supply. Baldirog, do you have anything fermented? Even some old silage* would do. I can distill it for you."
Gotama walks back to the tower and thinks for a moment. To Abd, he says,
You're right, that would do the trick. Once we're in the mountains I can find everything we need to produce a healing salve. The sooner we leave, the better.
Baldirog hears Abd's request and walks to a shed behind the tower.
He returns and enters the doorway of the tower holding a round clay pot of wine as large as Abd.
Will this work?
Gotama takes a few pieces of Jackwolf meat from Lin, cuts them into smaller pieces with a knife, and begins to fry them in his pan using some fragrant cooking oil that he brought with him. He tosses a few vegetables into the wok as well and soon the entire tower smells strongly of his cooking.
Rook continues to clamber up the broken-down staircase taking a long and slow creaking step over a gap where one of the boards used to be. As he begins to peer over the staircase and onto the second floor his eyes widen.
Wow. He says to himself.