"Do you think we can talk to the sprite and get useful information that way? Otherwise, I still have my axe to solve the problem!
Before this adventure, Braham would have had much more reservations about killing a creature in his sleep, but having been attacked now several times by all sorts of nasties trying to kill him and his companions, has changed Braham...
Thanion sets his back down and begins to rummage through it before pulling out a coil of rope and handing it to their new companion. "I have some rope. Here, tie the thing up so we can figure out whats going on."
Drogan takes the rope, tying the sprite up securely.
Glancing at Braham, he nods slightly and gives his great axe a pat. "Perhaps we give the elf here a chance to get what information he can. If not, well..."
Aavelixia looks at Suzy for a moment and turns back to Sturla "Her name is Suzy, she's my friend. She's still very young plant and very curious."
Rolling her eyes, "please put a shirt on, we don't have time for you to get sick on us. " She looks at Sturla and squints her eyes a little as though trying to figure out what these two new people are really up to. Why would he be shirtless. Just then, her facial expression changes and she smiles, she looks at Drogan and back to Sturla. That's why he's shirtless. They were out here spending time in the woods together. How romantic.
She turns her attention for a moment to the rest of the group and says"I don't know that the rope will hold the sprite, the sprite might be too small for the rope. Does anyone have anything smaller like twine?"
Suzy noticed some of the people around the sprite, she slithers towards it. She moves through Sturla and Sevrin's feet. She stares at the sprite, then seems to look at the other companions to see whether anyone is still looking at the sprite. She tries to move forward into where the spite lays, almost as thought asking permission to sit and squish the sprite. Suzy looks at Aavelixia and continues to move forward an inch at a time.
"Are you guys sure you want this thing alive? I think Suzy want to sit and squish it."
Sevrin looks at the scene, and the tiny little sprite, "I don't know about you guys... but I think I've had about enough. For what we faced just getting here, I think the lady may be dead, and I don't know if I'm going to make it long enough to find out." He hangs his head, clearly somewhat ashamed, "This is where I turn around. I'm going back to Heldren. Here you can keep my alchemist's fire, you all may need it more than me anyway." He puts away his dagger, offering just a sideways glance at the sprite, before fishing the flask out of his pack and setting it down nearby.
Thalin holds up a finger in a point of contention, "Now, hold on lad, ye can't just wander off back by yerself. We damn near lost ye on the way out here. Ah'll head back with ye, but first, let's forget this this blinky little bugger here for a spot, and let me call on Magrim for aid. The least I can do is tend ta wounds afore I hare off to see thissun home." The dwarf urges everyone to get in close, or at least a little closer, and calls upon his deity to heal. Then he too fishes out his flask of alchemist's fire, setting it next to Sevrin's. "With this snow, I wouldn't wait up for me ta return. When ye do get back ta town with the Lady, I'll be waiting to tend any injuries."
"Sevrin, stay safe and keep an eye for our return." Aavelixiais is sad to see both companions go, but maybe Sevrin needs to go home and rest. The weather hasn't been kind to him. "Thalin, keep your eyes open on the road, and safe journey"
"Take care, dear friends, may our paths cross again safely!" Braham keeps looking at the path where they disappeared from view for a while and then snaps out of it. "Alright people, we have a noble lady to rescue!"
"For all we know, the lady's disappearance could have been a lovers quarrel, maybe they're out here somewhere in a warm cabin spending some quality time between the sheets" As she finishes that statement, she looks at Starla and Drogar. "The real issue is this abnormal weather"
"As for this sprite, what are we going to do with it? I prefer it if we can dispose of it. I doubt it if it's going to tell us anything. They clearly posses magical abilities, and it can escape easily"
"I agree with Aavelixia, the Sprite is too dangerous. We need to kill it and more on. Anyone object?"
Oh how I hate killing things that cannot defend themselves. They did attack us first though. They deserve to die, do they not? Life is so complicated.
"Very well. If no one thinks there is any information to be gained from the creature then we should end it."
"OK, since we all agree now..."
Braham takes a step backward and swings his axe, completely obliterating the bound creature...
"Hmm, guess that resolves that issue." Drogan takes a step back, watching the other dwarf Thalin depart from the group.
Looking around, he continues, "much as my shirtless singing companion has stated, I am simply out seeking adventure. I would lend my arms to your cause, if you would like. First, " he paused, glancing back over his shoulder, "perhaps Sturla and I should retrieve our gear from our nearby camp."
"Perhaps Sturla and I should retrieve our gear from our nearby camp."
"Back! What did I miss, oh, the wee fairy is dead..."
The bard, now properly dressed (notwithstanding the shirt put on inside out in the haste), emerged from the trees where he had wandered off just minutes earlier. With him he was carrying the collapsed campsite and equipment of the duo, looking quite encumbered but smiling nonetheless. Sturla was very excited about the adventure to come.
"Right then! Let's get this sextet moving! Oops, ha ha hah! Forgive me, Suzy! Septet, that's what we are."
He handed Drogan his backpack.
"So where's this princess of ours run off to then? And you, seiðrálvur," he said, looking at Aavelixia. "Did you call this weather 'abnormal' in these parts?'"
At his, the Ulfen seemed very disappointed indeed.
Braham heaves a solid, heavy cut, right into the tiny little form. It it split cleanly in half, no doubt about whether his attack finished the creature for good, as there is not likely any coming back from that.
Moving on, with new companions to replace those that went back to town, the group travels deeper into the blanketing snow. The trail still clear only thanks to the weight and number of horses and men that made it. You follow the trail for well over a half an hour. As the path moves along a game trail, even the less astute are aware of movement heard rustling the trees to the right, just up over a ridge.
Following soon after the sound, a large elk crests the ridge, sniffs the air while looking down at the group, a large puff of steam coming from its nostrils. Staring at the group, a voice issues from the elk. It's a little high, but with a deep timbre to it, "Who are you, and why have you entered my wooden home?"
Aavelixia quickly drops her staff and draws her bow. "They travel in herds" She grips her bow tightly and aims at the elk.
"I don't think he's magical"
Sensing Aavelixia's distress, Suzy moves closer to her and tries to sense what else is out there.
"Who are you, and why have you entered my wooden home?"
"Oh ho... ho ho ho ho hoh..."
Sturla was lowly laughing to himself, a dumb grin on his face, while staring at the talkative deer.
"Ah ha ha hah... A talking elk, heh! Oh, I'm so glad we joined up with you numpties, this is grand."
"I don't think he's magical"
"No? The talking elk isn't magical? You sure? Granted, he doesn't look like much of a chatterbox; my nan was such a gossip her lips were still quivering a full day after her death, in midwinter I might add, but I still think this one is notable."
Turning to the gifted ungulate, the bard addressed it. Him. Her? He'd have to figure out a pronoun later.
"Good day, Sir Elk! We are a group of adventurers, out on a daring and urgent quest. Apologies for traipsing through your lovely homestead. I wouldn't appreciate anyone using my living room as a thoroughfare either, but our silly simian eyes can hardly tell one patch of woods from another. Would it be alright if we just followed this here trail?"
Sturla took no small amount of pleasure from being able to describe the party as adventurers.
After overcoming his surprise of seeing a talking elk, Braham addresses the creature: "We don't want to cause any trouble, good sir. Quite the opposite in fact, as we are here to rescue a poor noble lady. Can we pass through your forest? Perhaps you can even help us?"
Braham looks hopeful.
To himself, "Oi, first sprites, and now talking wildlife.."
Gives a sideways glance to Aavelixia.. "Not magical? How would you explain the talking deer then?
Seeing her reaction, his hand drops to his side, loosening his great axe so it is ready to pull in defense.
"How is a talking creature not magical?" Thanion wonders to himself. As the others of the group take charge at the reply, Thanion rests his hand on his estoc with his eyes peeled for any threats that may be near.
"We are just passing through to help someone in need, dear friend. We mean no harm to you or to the forest." She scans her surroundings, looking for more animals that should be with him.
"It might be a druid" She squints her eyes to get a better look. She moves forward towards the elk, very slowly to not cause fear. She lowers her bow just enough to not seem threatening, but ready to attack if needed.
The stag looks warily as the group speaks, but looks to be attentive more to who moves or shifts over who is speaking at any given moment. At one point it even seems to disregard them briefly to hoof at the snow and explore the flora underneath. It doesn't take long when they finish for it to respond. "What noble lady do you expect to find out in my woods? Why should I help you if I know nothing about you? Who are you, what do you offer to your task, are there more of you coming to aid this lady you mention?"
Sia can't help but take Aavelixia's suggestion that it isn't unusual for an elk, deer, goat, or whatever the thing is, to be talking. As the others can think of nothing more than the idea that a animal probably shouldn't be able to do so, but something seems not right about it.
Aavelixia is aware that those of the druidic path can change into animals, and it is not unheard of for them to find a way to speak while in that form. She can tell, though, that this type of elk is not native to the area. Its thick white fur is that of a far northern breed, native more to lands that the snow is native to as well.
"I'm just a simple blacksmith from Heldren, and again, I mean you no harm. There could be more people on the way, we don't know really... Have you seen this noble lady in your woods? Or do you want something in return for your help?"
Sensing Aavelixia movements, Suzy follows her. Curios to why everyone is just standing and talking, Suzy moves regular speed as close as she can to the fury animal.
Thanion sits at attention, prepared for anything that may come at them. Nothing about a talking deer elk or whatever it was made sense to him and he was perfectly happy letting the rest of the group take the lead.
Whispering so the the elk could not hear her, "I don't think the voice is coming from the elk. I think someone or something is there with it." She makes sure to not let her eyes roam too far from the elk. Something is off...
Sturla's mind worked in funny ways. For one, he tended to see the world through the lens of a story. This came with some benefits and detriments. On one hand, life's hardships tended not to bother the bard. After all, the hero of any story has to go through hardships! That's how you know they're the hero! Be a dull story anyway if the hero just found the princess sitting on his doorstep with the dragon having suffered an unfortunate, but predictably hereditary, fatal heart attack. One had to earn these things.
On the other hand, he quickly got annoyed when the narrative of his mindscape didn't go his way. For example, he had already cast the talking elk as the fantastic magical helper the hero finds in the second act. Stories were full of these! The old man who handed the hero the magic sword, the wise owl who turned out to be a deity in disguise, the priest whose blessing foiled the forces of evil at the last moment...
This elk was quickly being recast as 'heroic trial' in Sturla's ongoing narrative, and he didn't look best pleased about this.
Whispering so the the elk could not hear her, "I don't think the voice is coming from the elk. I think someone or something is there with it."
"Whot? You mean it's just a plain elk with some cheat about? Aw, that's not nearly as fun..."
Sturla seemed genuinely disappointed at being deprived a magical elk in his life, but composed himself quickly enough. How smart could an elk be really, he thought. They eat grass.
"Alright, listen up," he exclaimed, addressing... whatever the ungulate represented.
"We're not askin' for your help, Master Elk. We ask for nothing but your apathy, in fact. Don't mind us, 'cus we'll be out of your forest as soon as our feet will allow, yeah? We're not trouble. We'll find the little princess and be on our way; that's all we want. Quick as a greased butcher over ice. Surely the trouble here are those dastards what done the kidnapping in the first place, eh? We're just here to right a wrong."
As the bard spoke to the possibly-not-at-all magical elk, he considered whether the entire group perhaps owed Aavelixia an apology.
"I don't think the voice is coming from the elk. I think someone or something is there with it."
Drogan mutters softly and unintelligibly under his breath. Slowly, attempting to not alert the elk or whatever being is doing the communication, he circles around to the right, trying to see if he can spot whatever is behind the elk's head or on the elk's back.
The elk appears to listen to Braham as he speaks, but it is a little tough to tell as it sniffs the air at Suzy's approach. "You should keep your plant at a safe distance or m.. I'm liable to wonder if it's edible." As Sturla speaks the elk seems to mostly ignore him, sniffing the air in Suzy's direction, craning its neck out and even taking a tentative step forward toward her.
Regardless of its body language, it responds to the man all the same. "You can't just wander my woods unbidden. I see no sign of a captured lady, just you folk, and your refusal to answer my questions is starting to grate." The elk takes another single step closer to Suzy, neck stretched out, and sniffing.
+ 10 = 35
Drogan continues his circling, moving at half-speed, getting a good view of the elk's back.
Aavelixia's eyes widen as she hears the elk say:
"You should keep your plant at a safe distance or m.. I'm liable to wonder if it's edible."
Her heart almost stops beating as the image of the elk biting and eating Suzy enters her mind. She jumps into action to save Suzy, at this point she has stopped listening to who or what is talking.
Acting on pure instinct, she calls to Suzy "He's dangerous!"Having her bow in her hand, she aims and fires at the elk. She moves quickly to get in front of Suzy to protect her.
"Move any closer and it will be your last step"
your refusal to answer my questions is starting to grate.
Braham does not know exactly what 'grate' means, but he thinks this is an extremely rude answer, given that he did try his best to respond to the elk's questions...
He doesn't trust this whole situation one bit, and starts to circle around the elk to see if there's anything suspicious going on behind it...
"You can't just wander my woods unbidden. I see no sign of a captured lady, just you folk, and your refusal to answer my questions is starting to grate."
"Well, Sir Elk, then we have something in common beyond a hairy arse, don't we?"
The bard was still sporting his jovial smile, but his voice now took on a certain threatening edge. The 'sugar & vinegar' proverb had not been designed around deer, but the sweet approach hadn't worked. Time to work the sour.
"'Cus the fact is that we can. Just wander yer woods that is. You're one elk, albeit an exceptional one, and we're seven viscous bastards. Just plain maniacs. We're giving you the time of day as a point of propriety, you see? Unless you represent something greater than yourself, you can't stop us from wandering wherever we please. Except I don't think you do. In fact, I don't even think you're an elk."
At this, Sturla drew his sword and gave it a fancy and utterly extraneous twirl.
"Either come clean or piss off. And step away from Suzy. Because you're gonna look real stupid eating foliage without teeth."
As Drogan edges around to the right, he manages to see that the fur just behind the elk's neck is pressed down in the shape of a tiny leg, yet there is no leg to be seen. There is possibly some unseen tiny rider sitting astride the elk.
He doesn't have time to investigate further, as Sturla threatens the animal just as Aavelixia fires at it in hasty defense of her leafy companion. Her arrow sticks into the large creature's hide, and the animal lets out a loud bleat of pain and surprise.
Sturla drew a deep breath and swallowed quite a few snowflakes in the process. This didn't bother him. Few things bothered him in that magical moment of silence before launching into song, lungs and spirit ready to burst. Breathing frost and spitting heroic ballads? Oh would that he could do nothing but!
"Viljið tær hoyra kvæði mítt
Vilja tær orðum trúgva
Um hann Ólaf Trygvason
Hagar skal ríman snúgva
Glymur dansur í høll
Dans sláið ring
Glaðir ríða Noregs menn
Til Hildar ting!"
At the first tone, every member of the party felt their heart beat strengthened and their muscles bolstered. The bard was working his magic, and to the listener his song was as much a physical sensation as an auditory one. In the wintry landscape Sturla belted out stories about kings of the north and their epic journeys, all with a smile. He was in his element, doubly so.
Aavelixia gets ready to shoot another arrow, she tries to call Suzy by her side. " come here" It seems like Suzy can't hear or is unaware that Aavelixia is calling her. She then realizes that Suzy may not know that command.
Suzy is sensing some tension from Aavelixia, she hear her yelling something but doesn't know what. Suzy stops and appears to look towards Aavelixia's direction. She sees no danger so she will continue to move forward towards the elk. She will move a little slower to allow Aavelixia to move next to her. She is still curios about the fury animal.
Aavelixia wastes no time in redrawing and firing her bow once more into the large game animal before the thing could even truly react from the first shot. She calls a warning to Suzy to back away, but the plant merely turns to face her, before obliviously facing back toward the animal that so recently threatened to eat her. Instead, Suzy merely continues slowly forward toward the animal, hesitant at Aavelixia's call, but not heeding any warning.
The animal rears up and hops down the short ledge, right past Suzy, and straight for Aavelixia. Leading with its antlers, it angles it head down to ram the elven woman with the sharp horns. The short leap down the ledge into the deep snow was more than the elk was prepared for, not allowing the animal to get its footing in time to aim properly, as it almost tumbles into the snow.
Braham rushes forward, manoeuvring to put the elk between him and Suzy in order to get it to divide its attention.
Sia quickly steps forward and shoves her spear towards the elk. Unfortunately, she gave a sloppy thrust, more concerned about the wellbeing of Aavelixia.
Sia moves to a good position that allows her to try and stab out at the animal with her spear. Her attention was clearly elsewhere, and proved to hinder her thrust.
Braham easily strides forward into the gap between Sia and Aavelixia, and with a low sweeping swing brought it up into the animal's neck. He leaves a great bloody rent in the hide, as the snow and its fur become awash in bright red.
Even as the animal crumples to the ground, Sturla steps up with a rousing song, only understood by about half the group. The call to glorious battle rings out, across the members, even after the animal has already dropped.
It is only through the high-pitched scream of rage rising above the song, matching the voice of the stag, is the idea that there is something else there beyond the animal itself. The shriek arcs up above Braham's head, before he feels an odd magical tug at his weapon. As he does, everyone can see a miniscule, blue-green skinned humanoid wielding a needle-thin rapier appear above him. A pair of dragonfly wings holds the wee creature aloft, as its hand rests on Braham's weapon.