Bellowing a laugh at Adriana's earlier comments, Khalaban span, the Earth weapon once again flashing into existence. Given his general grudge against wolves, he wasn't especially concerned by news that they were controlled.
Khalaban's strike catches the wolf under the chin. It recoils, but isn't down yet.
Maxilla holds their hand ready with Apsu's God Gun arcane power to deliver a divine touch to anything within range, or to a party member if they become injured within said range.
They are definitely not abandoning their 'safe spot'.
"Do not kill them...it is not their fault!"
Adriana charges at the lastemple wolf. At the last second she twists the sword to bring the flat of her blade down on the wolf's head.
Moreover, it looks similar to an enchantment that dominates the bodies of its victims...
Adriana's strike catches the last wolf in the temple, and it falls down with a whimper, unconscious.
The sheep are starting to calm down, except for the one with a freshly-bloodied mouth. It stares at the wolf corpse, trembling.
Maxila remains watchful and aware for a bit from his perch.
Grunting at the idea of sparing the wolves, Khalaban looked at the other five. Well, it was fine to keep one. If it tried to attack again they could subdue it.
Moving over to the blood-crazed sheep, Khalaban picked up the wolf body and moved it away. "Calm yourself, brave one," he murmured to the fluffy fighter. "I doubt anyone here will dare taste mutton stew for some time with that display," Although at this rate they would run out of things they could eat.
Grabbing a piece of fruit from his back, Khalaban fed it to the sheep to calm it.
Vixie is quick to run to her sheep, speaking in hushed Sylvan and kissing each sheep upon the head. She takes special care with the one with the bloodied mouth, cooing gently into her ear.
The sheep sniffs at the fruit Khalaban offers her, and is quite happy to bite into it with a pleased "Baa!"
She doesn't pay any attention to the wolf bodies littered around the camp. The rest of the sheep feel more at-ease after Vixie's attentions.
Bertrand puts a finger to his lips thoughtfully, carefully examining the wolf corpses for any clues that might indicate the source of their frenzy.
Just to be safe, Bertrand casts Detect Magic and concentrates on the unconscious wolf. Likely an enchantment spell...but it never hurts to be sure.
Adriana will also go and study the wolves. She will also cast stabilize on any that is still alive.
Adriana finds a pair of wolves who are still alive--the one Vixie stabbed and one of the wolves Khalaban smashed.
Chuckling, Khalaban petted the sheep and rose. "So, these beasts were controlled by another?" He glanced at the corpses. "Irritating. I have no objection to fighting - and slaying, aye - for my life, but to do so with puppets forced to throw away there own life..." Khalaban shook his head.
"They're definitely under some sort of magical effect...but I'm unable to discern its exact nature."
Now that the threat appears to have passed for good the little dragon glides down and heads over to the wolves that the rest of the party is looking at.
"Let me see if I can figure it out?"
Maxilla leans in and gives the wolf a good *SNIFF* and then starts sneezing uncontrollably for a few moments before wiping their nose and looking to the party.
"Something dead or someone playing with dead things has been doing things to these poor wolves that even Adriana wouldn't condone. Necromancy." **ACHOOO!**
Adriana pauses and says,
"Wait a minute...there is alot of things I would not condone...anyway can anybody Track? I think we should track them back and have a very long conversation with whoever or whatever is behind this."
Vixie raises a hand. ”I like to p-play in the w-woods, so I’ve g-gotten good at tracking things. I c-can’t promise anything, b-but I can try!”
"I know some woodcraft," Khalaban added. "I can assist the lady Vixie with it, I believe."
Vixie smiles at the assistance, and sets about looking for hints of where these wolves may have come from.
With Khalaban's help, Vixie follows the tracks to the south of the camp, where they all join together a little more consistently rather than the surrounding tactics they employed on the camp.
"They c-came from th-this way!" she announces, heading slowly in that direction as she follows the trail.
In the middle of the night, on maybe two hours of sleep at most, without packing up the camp or grabbing her backpack.
"Do we want to go now, or would it be wiser to rest until morning?" Khalaban was much less interested in heroing without a decent rest. And he certainly wasn't leaving the tent behind. He was quite convinced that this trip would require whatever privacy could be found.
Vixie turns on her heel mid-step, foot still extended in front of her, and walks back to the camp where the rest of the party is.
"G-good point, M-Mister Khalaban!" she chimes, walking past him and directly back into the tent, falling with an audible pomfff into Adriana's cushy bedroll.
Adriana looks down at the pile of bedroll and exhausted halfling and says,
"Yes we should probably wait till morning."
She goes about resetting the sheep alarm system...of doom apparently. And also securing the unconscious wolves.
"Right, then. Whatever's messing with these poor wolves will have to answer to us...after we get some well-deserved shut-eye."
Bertrand heads back to the tent.
Nodding to the others, the bulky Ragebred picked up the wolf corpses and carried them out of sight. He knew Adriana did not like having to kill them, and doubted Vixie would enjoy seeing her handiwork in the morning light. Plus the scent would upset the sheep, although the remaining wolves would be likely a good idea.
Returning to his undergarments with a shrug of his coat and popping his shield back down, Khalaban cleaned the worst of the blood and grime off himself before he finally went back to bed.
The little dragon resumed his 'watchful' perch on the branch, quietly dozing while watching over the area once more.
The night passes...
--------------
Fireday, 5th of Neth, 4700 AR
...and the dawn breaks through the trees with the tender dappling of sunlight on leaves.
The stabilized wolves are beginning to wake up, as sluggish & wounded as they are. The sheep don't seem to pay them much attention.
Are the wolves still under the the spell controlling them?
The blue fire is gone from the wolves' eyes.
Adriana will take some food from her pack and throw it to them.
The wolves eye Adriana with some measure of suspicion and fear as she tosses them some food, and they're slow to get up and sniff it. They tentatively start eating it before wearily sitting back down.
Vixie wanders out of the tent some time after the sun has risen, disappearing into the woods for a minute or two before returning and grabbing a handkerchief-wrapped package of rations-- some sausage, cheese, and honeytack. She sits beside the remains of last night's fire and starts sleepily munching, her hair a mess.
"Uhm... d-did anyone see a r-river or a lake n-nearby? M-my pouch is a l-little light," says the halfling, taking a swig of the remaining liquid in her waterskin.
Plonking down one of his water skins, and a bottle of juice, Khalaban shrugged. "We'll need to track down water if none of us can create water, it is true. But we should be able to have some breakfast at least," Stirring the remains of the fire, Khalaban began to cook. Various packets of food came out, along with the coffee pot and beans.
Various bits of buttered toast, beef sausage, cheeses, sliced fruits and honeyed cakes came into existence as the coffee brewed and bubbled. Khalaban glanced around to see who wanted what, if anything.
Vixie watches Khalaban pull out a feast and get ready to prepare it. "M-mind if I help?" asks Vixie, putting a few pastries on a plate from her own pack to snack upon while everything else is cooking. Between the two, breakfast is made in nearly half the time-- although Vixie seems a bit confused by the coffee pot.
Some of the sheep actually come over to watch Khalaban & Vixie cook breakfast for the party. They graze on the grass near the campfire as they work.
Vixie smiles ear to ear and takes a handful of oats from her ration package, holding it out for the sheep.
One sheep munches on Vixie's offered oats. Its coat feels very fluffy.
Maxilla watches the sheep warily. If wolves can be controlled, then so can the sheep... and those sheep were more vicious than the wolves last night...
While the others cook, Bertrand sits by the fire. He casts Summon Instrument, bringing forth an accordion, and plays an upbeat tune. His peaceful-looking smile belies the rapid calculations taking place in his mind.
A necromancer, perhaps... Motives... Revenge? A hatred of the living? Difficult to say... Not enough variables...
Raising an eyebrow at Vixie's skill - and the proximity of mutton he couldn't cook - Khalaban sat back to munch. "I am unfamiliar with the area. How much further is it to the Crypt itself?"
"I can create water. Adriana says absently while staring at the wolves and throwing some tidbits of food. She gets up and continues, "But first I must pray for spells." She seems very concerned about something as she walks a little ways off to pray.
Oog: She's is swapping out Brand for create water...
Vixie thinks for a few moments. ”I th-think... Uhm... j-just a few more hours,” she says, trying to remember how long they’ve walked so far and how far the trip was to be in total. She wasn’t great with numbers.