Indeed Morley, we should see about these mites, and the sooner the better. Vash, might I give you a kiss? All the boys will be jealous....
"A little feystiality before before our Mite genocide. Always good to get the blood up..." Grendolynn says sardonically.
...and apparently, some of the girls. Valeska smiles sweetly.
Grendolynn just chuckles heartily and mounts up again, ready to search for the mite tree.
As her companions prepare to depart once more, Antha speaks up to the two tiny creatures, "Thank you for speaking with us, Fair Ones."
Propitiation of a sort made, Antha falls into the column in search of the temple with the cursed Stag Lord bear.
"Indeed, if there are others of your like in this region, it might be helpful to tell them of us. Though I fear I must go, or I may be left behind." Teyran said, hoping the grig would take the hint and remove herself from his horse.
Perlivash nods but suddenly looks bashful which results in the grig returning the favor and issuing taunts in his direction about kissing in the trees. Both of them return to the trees to watch the group depart with frowns on their faces.
"Not that it matters, but I am impressed. You seem to have quite an ability to make friends of the Stolen Lands. Had we been so lucky then maybe the Stag Lord wouldn't have fallen as far as he did from his quest." Akiros said; breaking the silence that he held during the during the meeting with Perlivash and Tyg.
Darkness comes again, and the group makes camp again. The night passes uneventfully as the sun rises again you are back on the road in the woods. You continue to explore the Narlmarches, and Akiros seems to get more quiet as the day progresses.
"We are close now. I can sense it out there." He breaks his silence again. He points off in the southwestern direction.
When Akiros warns that they were nearing the temple, Antha focuses her attention to their surroundings... out of whatever arcane cloud her mind had drifted to during the morning's ride.
After traveling half the remaining distance indicated by Akiros, Morley dismounts. Shield slung high on his shoulders and axe on his lower back, he holds his musket in one hand, and leads his mount with the other. "Plan?"
"Proceed slowly and carefully, I would say," Teyran announced, dismounting as well. He drew his sword and held it in front of him, ready for battle. "Akiros, if you know the way, would you mind serving as a guide for us?"[/b]
Valeska eyes the Paladin's sword. Shall we start off with... ranged weapons?
Arasmes readies his crossbow. "Some should be prepared in case, the new guardian charges in."
Grendolynn will draw her spear and shield and form up behind Teyran.
"One also wonders whether killing the guardian is possible or even advisable. Considering the last person who killed it became the next one... Is there a way, perhaps, to cleanse the temple of whatever may be causing the guardian to go mad?"
"Tha God-talker makes a good point...
Hey Akiros! What set tha first Guardian off when you'n yer friend first came 'ere?" As Tad dismounts, stringing his bow & loosening the arrows in his quiver.
"I am not sure. We came here, and didn't see anything at first. We going to set camp, and were talking when it came rushing out of the temple in a roar and charged us. After my companion struck the final blow it transformed into a man. He looked happy, almost smug as he turned to dust before our eyes to be carried off by the wind. My companion fell to the ground screaming and grabbing his head at that point then transformed into the same beast we had just killed. He nearly killed me in the same rage as the previous monster..."
"Per'apse we should be lookin' ta dispatch tha beastie wi'out killin' it then...
Well, lucky for you lot that I'm 'ere then in'nit. Knockin' som'un down a peg wi'out killin' 'im s'wat I'm good at then."
Of course, nets & traps wouldn't go amiss either...
Everything's clearer in hindsight.
The thick tangle of brambles gives away into a large clearing in the woods, its border partially defined by ruined stone pillars. The western face of the clearing is dominated by a looming, upthrust ridge of rock, nearly 300 feet across and rising to a moss-topped height of 100 feet at the center. The side of this towering boulder facing the clearing has been carved in the likeness of an immense elk, its antlers drooping down from its weathered face to frame a 50-feet-wide cave entrance. A flight of stone steps leads up to this cave entrance from the forest clearing-both the steps and elf face feel quite old and are thickly encrusted with layers of moss. A 50-foot-long oval pool sits in the middle of the clearing, its waters thick with algae.
Antha looks around for signs of the man-bear-thing.
Teyran watched warily, sword at the ready. He expected the creature would be in the cave at the back of the clearing,though the possibility that it was out foraging certainly occurred to him. He moved forward slowly, so that he was even with the large boulder to his right, and cast his gaze around in three hundred sixty degrees.
Keeping pace with Teyran, Tad focuses more to his right as Teyran is to his left. Tad's bow remains at the ready.
Morley looks into the clearing as well with his musket ready. He tries to keep an eye on the beast's possible approaches... particularly the cave and the path north of the pool.
Thought we were looking for mites...
"Me too but I guess we need to take care of this evil temple first. Lead the way noble paladin."
"It seems the temple came into our path before said mites. Nonetheless, if we can do some good here, perhaps it will have a beneficial effect on the area."
There are some rumbling noises echoing from the temple. From your vantage point there isn't much movement yet. You will likely have to make a good amount of noise to draw the creature out...
"Right then, wish me luck!" Tad exclaims as he begins hooting & howling, stomping his feet & kicking the side of the boulder between him & Teyran.
Grendolynn hustles over to the north, crouching behind the fallen column there for cover.
Set an ambush...
Teyran moved forward, toward the pool, he turned to the others, saying "I will draw it out, be ready to disable it." Teyran worked hard to keep the tremble from his steps, as eager as he was to see the world beyond this one, he would have imagined a better end for himself than in a mutant bear's gullet. When he reached the pool, he dipped his sword in it, swirling it around a little, making some noise, but likely not enough to attract the beast's attention.
He turned to the others, waiting for a sign that they were ready before he began hitting his sword on the stone that bordered the pool.
The young tactician moves to stand near Teyran.
Antha took cover behind one of the ruined pillars, staying close to Akiros.
Morley moves forward slowly, and takes position; crouching between a large rock and ruined pillar.
Teyran manages to get in-front of Tad before he can draw the attention of the bear and do it himself. The response was immediate as soon as Teyran and Tad began to make loud sounds as a roar echoed out of the cavern and the large beast came charging out at a dead-run towards Teyran.
The beast seems more aggressive then a usual bear. It roars as if in anger and rage or pain...
Soon after the Bear roars it's aggravation, Tad looses an arrow in an attempt to further infuriate it, with him.
Grendolynn rises up as the bear passes her, throwing her spear at it.
Finding herself far too far way to help her companions, Antha dashes for the next pillar over to be next to Tad.
Morley takes a shot with his musket as it charges Teyran, but is too cautious avoiding his allies and shoots wide.
As the beastly bear charged him, Teyran watched it, hoping to find some hint of what was off about the creature, beyond the obvious fact that it was a bear with stag horns, of course.
When the bear reached him, Teyran had his sword held high, ready to deflect any blows the creature might strike. He offered the beast a quick strike with his sword to ensure it stayed interested, though he was careful to not open himself up to attack.
It doesn't take much to notice or sense that the bear is enraged beyond understanding and will fight until it has been killed or knocked unconscious.
Seeing his arrow fly wide of the roaring bear-thing, Tad drops it & commences his own roaring charge.
Grendolynn manages to catch the beast in the shoulder with the thrown spear and it seems to impossibly enrage it more. Antha moves closer so that she could help her companions while Teyran timidly engages the beast while trying to guard himself from the dangerous claws that it is wildly swiping around as it roars for him. Morley lines up a shot, being careful not to hit his companions, and misses. Tad fires an arrow that completely misses the running bear. Aresmas holds back so that he can heal anyone wounded by the creature.
The massive creature rocks back on its hind legs as it roars before coming down on Teyran in a flurry of attacks with its massive claws before snapping a bite at him.