Anya scurried to get herself outfitted and ready for the new risk, and didn't take the time to answer anything. The sheer mass of the bear was intimidating - and it proved a real problem. Usually, killing a bear was something you did on horeback, with plenty of space to evade... this would get ugly.
"Big bear!"
Alandra raises her holy symbol above.
"Be afraid, the might of Pharasma is with us."
Usually, killing a bear was something you did on horeback, with plenty of space to evade... this would get ugly.
Alannah's eyes widen as the bear tears out of the woods twards the group. She sends an arrow streaking towards the creature, surprised by its speed she merely grazes it as she moves backwards coming to stand before Elsbeth in her tent.
Arianna will fire her bow at the oncoming bear.
Attack roll:
Watching the arrow sail harmlessly off into the woods Arianna will drop her bow and pull out her swords and wait for the bear to charge into camp.
Muttering to himself for failing to retrieve his bow (still in his tent), Lev raises his greatsword, waiting for the bear to approach. [b]"I guess we'll have to see who is going to be eaten, won't we?" He says softly to the kobold.
Alandra's voice rings with a deep tone, like a soul screaming from a cavern or well. The magic of her goddess rolls forth, encompassing the bear and the kobold, but whether they are affected or not is hard to tell.
Alanna fires her silver bow, the arrow slicing the shoulder of the big animal and causing it to roar in response. Another arrow seems to sail harmlessly passed it, having come from somewhere in the scrub nearby.
The bear ignores that shot completely, focusing on the original target it had spotted in the camp, it rushes forward crushing tents beneath its mass at moves into Alanna. Rearing back on its hind legs, one of it's forepores slashes out at the young woman.
As the bear comes roaring into camp, Lev reacts without thinking. Darting forward with as much skill as he can muster to avoid the bear's claws, he moves to Anya's side and swings his sword in a great sweep at the monster's hip.
AoO:
Damage:
Sneak Attack (if applicable):
The bear's massive paw swipes scoring matching furrows along Alannah's toned side and taking almost half of her shift with it. She spins with the blow regretting her decision not to don her armor but glad she strapped her belt quiver on.
Her hands move in a blur as she takes a step backward acutely aware of her own danger, yet trying to keep the beast's attention away from the fragile sorceress.
She sends another arrow sinking into the roaring animal's hide, calling back over her shoulder.
"RUN!"
Alandra moves closer and shoots a shard of ice from her holy symbol.
Anya shifted as best she could risk without opening herself up against the large beast. She tried to blindside it, use its mass against itself much like she would do to a heavier duelist as well - only this time her enemy was not even senitent. Easier to trick, much trickier to predict correctly.
Primary Attack (+2 if flanking)
Offhand Attack (+2 if flanking)
Damage Main
Damage Offhand
Sneak Attack Main (if applicable)
Sneak Attack Main (if applicable)
Closing in on the great bear, Lev bravely swung his weapon but misses the bear by a hairs breadth. Slightly overextended, he finds himself staring down the gaping maw of the creature and can smell the breath of the animal.
His sister shifts slightly to gain better advantage on the animal, but her blows fall far from the mark.
Arianna moves forward as well, having stabbed briefly into the great predator as it dashed passed. Her bloodied sward darted forwards a second time but fails to penetrate the creatures thick fur.
Elsbeth shoots acid from her hand, even as she steps away from the terrifying beast. She looks in satisfactions as her bolt hits home, but flinches a moment later when she watches Alandra's icy bolt hiss past ineffectively.
Alanna remains calm in the face of her attacker, stepping back and shooting the bear in the chest. The arrow strikes true, sinking deeply into the creature and staining its brown fur crimson.
In response, the bear flies into a complete rage of pain and territorial anger. It steps forwards, following the young human archer and snatching it up in its great paws, crushing her to its chest. The head leans down to bite into her but in her pain, Alanna manages to throw her head back just as the jaws snap shut.
Lev spits an oath as Alannah is taken into the bear's grasp.
"We must work together!" he calls, lookiing to take better advantage of the others arrayed around the beast.
With a growl, he grips his sword more tightly and uses his best effort to strike the bear a solid blow.
A cry of utter agony erupts from her lips. The pain unimaginable, Alannah focuses her mind, attempting to keep calm. She shifts her breathing bringing her arms in and allowing herselfdrop, the remnants of fabric and her blood slicked skin helping her to slip past the bear's ferocious grip.
With all the strength left in her body she dashes left, attempting to put the fire between herself and the enraged beast.
"I do seriously hope i'll have some nice rest after this,and take your paws off my friend"
Anya's blood turned to ice as the massive beast was starting to tear apart her companion. Where previously her assaults had been testing, and deflected by the beast's thick skin and plentiful fur, now she pushed as hard as she could for one of the few exposed joints she could easily reach. "Let's see how you like to do that with no tendons." She hissed
Primary Attack roll w. Flanking
Offhand Attack roll w. Flanking
Alandra moves closer to touch Alannah and tries to heal her.
Lev makes up for missing the bear earlier by stepping into its flank and slashing his heavy blade across its spine. The metal sinks deep, shattering bone and severing the nerve column there, causing the bears hind legs to fail completely. The big animal roars in pain and terror as its weight causes it to crash to the ground, shock and bloodloss quickly killing it completely.
Elsbeth reins in her spell at the last moment, realising her magics are no longer needed to finish this creature off. She looks desperately at the mass of the animal, trying to see if their newest companion is still alive. With a sigh of relief, she watches Alannah squirm out from under the animal, all but naked and covered in her own blood from the animals vicious claw rakes.
Alandra moves in and summons the healing of her goddess at that moment, reducing the womans injuries significantly. The battle with the bear was over, but again their campsight had been ruined, with two fo teh tents knocked down and their fire scattered.
A whimpering moan from the side of the camp reveals the littel kobold they had captured eariler curled into a tight ball and gibbering in terror. It was quite obviously still suffering the effects of Alandra's doom
The remiander of the night seems to pass without incident, the woods eventually returning to their normal state after the two battles had finished.
Anya moved towards the Kobold, all but intent to snap the rodentlike reptile's neck for the interruption to her sleep... she had always reacted to that badly, and her latest frustration did nothing to help her disposition. Still, she held herself in check - being better than Mawj was still a priority, even with the savage elf no longer casting that shadow directly.
She grasped the quivering miniscule humanoid, and raised it to her face, her hand clenching his neck. "Why... are.. you... here" she demanded.
The viscious wounds closed, leaving angry red welts in their place and with it a ghost of the previois pain. Naked and covered in her own blood, Alannah retrievs her quiver, her motions slow and deliberate, trying to clear her head of what just occurred. Adventuring, death was a constant but still never a welcome one.
The little creature squealed in terror, spraying a foul smelling liquid form its cloaca as Anya squeezed its neck. It wheezed through bruised vocal chords as it desperately tried to answer the enraged woman.
"Big muck sent us <gasp> to kill Cave Ursa. <gasp> Most em wanted to leave Ursa <wheeze> but em arcunum he sends emmus anyhoo"
As Alannah got herself sorted, she could feel the pulse at the side of her temple that warned her ehadaches were close by again. A dull ache in her eyes were further sign. This could be a long night indeed.
Anya(TN)
Arianna listens to the kobold speak, then asks "Who are this Muk and Arcunum you speak of and where can we find them?... to let them know that the ursa if dead, of course."
Recognizing Anya's irritation for what it was, Lev decides to allow her to do as she wished in getting answers from the kobold. Instead, he turns to the bear's large corpse, studying it for a while. He wondered if there might be a way to take it back to the fort. Such a monstrous creature would bring a good price for the fat, meat and fur.
Coming out of his reverie, he glanced at the wounds he still bore from the fight with the kobolds.
"Alandra? Would you happen to have any healing left to offer?"
Alandra wakes up form her daze.
"Oh, of course Lev. You're hurt." She instructs anyone else who is injured to gather 'round.
"Thank you." Lev says, inclining his head. "It is much appreciated."
Looking to the others, Lev decides to raise the question. "So what is next? Shall we see to these kobolds? What of the bear's corpse? It'd be a shame if it were to go to waste."
As Alandra unleashes her goddess' power, Alannah's body heals further regaining it's natural healthy tone albeit caked in drying blood and gore. Turning to thank the priestess, she massages her temple, a strained look passing across her eyes.
Realizing what was probably soon to come, the young archer gathers her things and ducks into one of the tents, crawling into her bedroll with barely a word to her companions.
"If we want to turn that bear into a stew we better do it quickly before it begins to rot.But for now i only want to sleep"
Turning its now bulging eyes, the little dragon man gurgles an answer at Arianna "Big muk em being warchief <wheeze>. Find...em....at....cave......near...deep............spring<gurgle>
With a final urgling sigh, the little creature dies under the angry ministrations of Anya, though it was obviously not her intention for this to happen. Its wounds and complete fear from earlier made its little heart give out completely.
Despite the method in which it happened, the group now had a solid lead on the Kobold lair.
Lev also felt confident he could skin the bear and salvage most of the pelt. Its fur would make for one or two very fine coats come winter time. The mat and fat would most likely spoil by the time he ruturned it to Oleg's, as they hadn't brought any preserving supplies with them.
Alannah
Wretching from the sight she got shakily to her feet, a wave of nausea washing over her as the wound in her head opened a little further. She was looking for someone. Someone important. somone who had made a promise but failed to keep it. A noise then, loud and rushing forwards. Turning groggily, she saw the light looming above her.......then it was morning, and the light was sun coming in through the white canvas of her tent.
Anya tried to shake the kobold back to its senses, releasing her grip somewhat. Only slowly it dawned on her that the small reptile had just expired. "Antlers..." she whispered, her anger evaporating, leaving a numb feeling of terror.
The young Aldori fighter laid down the kobolds remains, wiped her hands on her clothes, and looked throughoutly miserable all of a sudden. The steam she had operated under had just up and left as if it hadn't ever been there.
"I didn't mean to do that." She stated in a flat voice, still mulling over the events. Accidents happened, she told herself - it wasn't the first or the last... but they still made her feel horribly twisted inside, as if it was an intentional violation of her nebulous-at-best code of honor. "I was just so angry... and he... just... I didn't push that hard. That shouldn't have happened."
Lev looks up from where he was busily skinning the bear, taking in all that has just happened and Anya's words.
"Don't trouble yourself over it. Besides, we're likely going to need to find the rest of his tribe and take care of them as well. I don't suspect the prisoner would have survived in the end, one way or another."
Feeling a sort of weary resignation, Lev turned back to his work. He hated to have to leave so much of the bear's remains behind, but there were no other options, anymore than there had been much choice left for the kobold. It was the way of the world.
Ayna shrugged off Lev's comforting words. "No, Lev. I want to trouble myself over it. If I didn't... I would be... wrong." The word wrong came out like a condemnation of heaven itself, gravity-ladden and edged even.
She looked as Lev prepared the bear's hide. "Let's finish what we came for as quickly as we can. Going after the tribe.. will wait until later. I'm not even sure we need to "deal" with them at all."
Lev nods. "Very well. Will we then simply continue our search for the shrine?"
The sun's light eventually broke through the thick canopy of trees above. slowly, the small group roused themselves from their slumber, nearly all of them feeling the pinch from the two battles last night coupled with the broken rest.
Around them, the forest seemed to echo with the sounds of birdcalls and the first stirrings of the day light insects.
Arianna, who was on watch for the last shift, swears loudly all of a sudden as she spots something just outside the campsite that hadn't been there ealier.
A longsword is thrust point first into the gound, traces of blood still found upon it. The blade gleams silver and the handle is made of gold and bone, styled into a family crest. Hanging from the crosspiece, a single lock of dark hair hangs, weighted with a golden ring. It appears to be the sword of Captain Garess.
Perception DC14
Lev kneels down a few feet away from the sword and traces his finger along the small line that marked the area.
"It seems that the fey were not impressed with Garess' battle prowess. Which means that they've done us a favor." He grimaces. "I hate owing debts, particularly to the likes of them."
He grabs the sword and pulls it from the ground. "We should bring this with us. I imagine his family will want it in remembrance of the bastard."
He looks to Elsbeth. "My condolences, if you actually had any feelings for him."
With a nod, Lev returns to his morning ablutions.
"I admit he was quite skilled in handling girls, but from here to think that i could really feel something for him.....come on. I appreciate your thought no less"
Elsbeth stares at the sword.
"You sure that print you found means he is gone for sure?"
Anya sighed as she examined the blade, and the surrounding area. The fair ones had been quite clear and very... throughout, it seemed. "Well, the Kindly Ones are either leaving this as a gift - or as a warning. I would feel better if I know which was their intended meaning." She still seemed somewhat under the weather from last night's accident, and couldn't quite muster the required level of piety and faux grief.
"Lev, take care to hide that blade for the moment. Nothing would be worse for us than to have him disappear, and his bloodstained blade in our posesison." She quickly explained before her half-brother went out of earshot. "With any luck, they merely took their sport with him, and left him humiliated, defeated and very very embarassed... with worse luck, they would enjoy our conflict to escalate, and send us his blade to provide a pretext for violence... and at worst, we offended them somehow, and this is their gracious warning to amend our conduct."
"Can you track them Lev?" Even though Alandra was not particularly fond of Captain Garess, she realizes the gravity of the situation.
Alannah staggered out of the tent, eyes a clear indication of a troubled night. Her breif attempt to remove the blood and gore from the previous night with a rag and waterskin, had been only partially successful, and though she now wore her armor, she looked more tired and young than the confident warrior who stood against a bear with nothing more than a bow only a few hours past.
Looking over at the sword she shook her head.
"Whatever carried that sword was none too strong, and probably flying."
She ran a hand through her hair, an expression crossing her face as if she had to focus her thoughts.
"The little time I spent in the town says that he's not the type to let that blade away from his hip. If he's still alive he sure as hell isn't happy."
Having gathered up the Captains belongings, the party pulled up camp and prepared to leave. Their choices now were twofold. they could follow the directions of teh Kobold and track down the lair of its brethren, or continue to pursue the path of Erastil's priest and track the old temple.
Anya had made her thoughts clear last night, suggesting the group could ignore the kobolds, but what of the others?
Lev's attempt at tracking the fey fails when he reaches the glade from the previous day. The fey appear to have taken the blade across the water itself, and it would take some hours of tracking to hopefully find the point from where they entered, if at all. Certainly time they couldn't afford to lose if they wanted to pursue their other tasks.
Lev will follow his sister: She suggested leaving the kobolds be for now, so he's planning on continuing the search for the temple.