The ratfolk scratches his head, looking back at the group. "Maybe it's just a deer?" he asks, pondering.
It takes Lars a moment for the notion that he was just talked to by a stag to sink in. He actually looks around for the source of the voice for a moment while Baxter responds first. When the stag fails to respond to his rather vague question, Lars tries being more direct.
"The comforts of home lose their luster when you know there are others in peril and you can do something about it," he adds to the stag, feeling really weird about speaking to it. "We are a rescue party seeking the kidnapped survivor of a caravan that was ambushed at the edge of the wood. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
The stags head raises back up, "I can't say I do. You should probably turn back, the winter is coming and it's not safe."
"That's not an option," Lars say, grimly. "A woman needs our help, and she shall have it. I don't know what your angle is, if this is some sort of mind game to trick us into abandoning our errand where physical violence has failed, but it won't work. Perhaps most stags don't talk because they don't have anything useful to contribute." He gives a frustrated sigh and turns back to the others. "We should press on, we're wasting time here," he asserts, frowning, and begins to once more trudge through the snow in the direction of the trail they've been following.
"Lars is right. I hope you the best Mr. Stag, but we have a job to do and a person to save." Ysabella starts to follow after Lars.
"And who is this person you're trying to save? A woman you say? What if you find her? What then? Will you return to your homes?"
"It's not so simple. This unnatural winter... I need to know why it is here and who brought it." Ysabella says, her eyes far away.
"I agree with ysabella." Baxter says, relieved that the stag is, in fact, talking. "This is not natural, things are falling out of order and that's bad for everyone."
"I quite like the snow. I don't think you can stop snow though..."
Tawny and Bedwyr push forward to get a better look at the passive-seeming stag, "Everything has its season. Even white stags. Where are you from? You seem to belong to the snows, not the woods?"
arctic beasts, snow sprites, white stags: how are they in a Taldan forest, it was summer a few days ago. Stags don't fly.
"You don't think I could have been here before the snow? Are these not woods?"
Vernonia listens to the exchange and then ask the stag, "What is your name?"
"No, I am a stag. Should I have a name?"
"Most creature have a name that is given to them by parents or elders. Some creature are able to choose a name for themselves either because they like it or to hide their given true name. Stag is what you are, not who you are."
"Perhaps its name's stagnation, since talking to it is keeping us from getting anywhere," Lars calls back over his shoulder at the exchange. He smirks and thinks himself quite clever, and continues to trudge until he's starting to pull too far away from the rest of the group.
"I'm with the big guy." Bedwyr pauses for a moment, "What's your name big guy, I like to know who I'm agreeing with."
"Anyway, let's press on. White-Stag-with-no-name, you can come along if you'd like?"
He nudges Tawny on but keeps him well clear of the stag so that the obedient beast doesn't feel teased or tempted.
"I agree as well. Follow us if you must, but we have a job to do." Ysabella walks away purposefully.
The stag turns and walks away in the opposite direction.
Vernonia:
Bedwyr:
Elk range in great herds throughout the plains, hills, and forests of many wilderness areas. Their size, strength, and antlers allow them to contend with most of their environment's dangers, though herds generally favor flight to combat. Elk also prove exceptionally adaptable survivors, capable of living through severe weather changes without concern. Most breeds of elk stand between 3 and 5 feet tall and weigh between 350 and 550 pounds, with females far slighter than the males.
This Elk appears to be male and the voice was also male in sound.
As Ysabella walks away her Greatsword suddenly shrinks to the size of a toothpick. (specifically 1/16th of it's original size).
"I'm Lars, Son of Gustaf," Lars reminds Bedwyr. At least, he's pretty sure he mentioned it before, but the circumstances of their meeting are so strange and hectic that it would be understandable to have missed it, even assuming that Lars himself remembers correctly that he did so in the first place. "I have to admit my curiosity about you, my new friend. How does one so small manage to get into such proximity of a lion like that without becoming a snack?" He continues trudging as he asks, completely unaware of any sudden developments on Ysabella's gear.
"Well, I think the idea is that my great-great-someone got to know an angel very well, intimately even. And, strange as it may seem, Tawny is in much the same proverbial boat. So, we're kindred spirits, we found each other."
I smile and give his mane a ruffle, "Plus, we've got the same sense of humour."
Ysabella reacts violently to her blade shrinking, twisting left and right, looking for the culprit, "We're not clear yet!" She holds her toothpick sized blade up to the others, "Some sort of magic has shrunk my blade, it must have been that damned stag!"
At that moment, the stag takes off into a run leaping away into the depth of the forest and snow.
Lars open his mouth to respond to Bedwyr, but then instead goggles at the shrunken greatsword in her hands. "That has to be the single strangest thing I've ever seen, and I'm standing in a winter forest in the middle of southern Taldor next to a Gnome-Angel riding a lion so you know I'm not exaggerating." Seeing the stag take that exact moment to run off, his stomach sinks a little. There's probably no catching a creature as fast as a stag in snow this deep. Without knowing what it was that did it, he's really at a loss for what might fix the problem.
"Maybe try stretching it back to normal?" he suggests, scratching his head. "Or put it down and see if that does anything?"
"That's... that is kind of astounding. How'd it do that?"
Bedwyr quickly realises this might actually be a problem for Ysabella, "Can we chase it? I don't think we can chase it."
"Maybe we should just take no chance if it returns"
Confused by the events, Vernonia realizes that they need to move on and follows after Lars.
A quiet voice, just above a whisper speaks out from a tree ”Neek neek travellers, please do not be alarmed." before muttering under her breath ”Yes yes, did not mean to surprise.”
Peeking out from the branches is a masked, white ratfolk. Her red eyes warily looking over the group, paying particular attention to the cat.
”Stag is gone, yes? Good good.”
”I overheard your conversation with the stag, yes, a talking animal, very odd. ”
“You are seeking kidnappers, yes? I had been hunting a gang of bandits when I got caught in this snow storm . I have since lost both my quarry and my way. Perhaps your kidnappers might be the same briggans I was hunting? Hmm a fortuitous encounter maybe?”
“If I may be so bold, might I join you? If they are the same bandits then we have the same goal, if they are not then my assistance will be payment for helping me out of this wintry mess yes, a mutually beneficial offer .” .
Lars appraises the newest new arrival. It seems that these woods are chock full of people searching for the same, or extremely similar goals as he is. After this stag business, part of him worries about blithely trusting any old person they encounter here, but the sudden loss of Veronwe makes it clear that any offered help should not be turned down. Better to let this Ratfolk help and keep an eye on him rather than turn him down out of hand. Yet another part of him wonders if all these small creatures will actually prove helpful in a fight.
"I have no objection to you traveling with us, especially if there is payment offered," he finally agrees. "These woods have proven dangerous and it seems each of us could use all the help we can get. I'm Lars, what shall we call you?"
HP: 12/12
”I am Nissi. Yes, Nissi Brightshadow. You are tallfolk Lars, son of Gustaf yes? It is good to meet you. I was not prepared for winter and my supplies are running short, thank you for allowing me to accompany you. Yes yes, very thankful”
Nissi’s attention is once again on the cat
”You have a warren cousin travelling with you and a smallfolk rides the cat, it is safe to assume that the cat is well trained, yes? Animals become nervous near me. If they are not well trained they tend to try to bite me or step on me. I will try to keep my distance, I do not wish to cause any problems. No no, do not wish to upset cat.”
Baxter is somewhat relieved to see another ratfolk join their group. "Greetings, Nissi." he offers. "I'm Baxter. Baxter Whitetail."
"Tawny can be very gentle, and I've never seen him eat anything wearing clothes. He is my closest, dearest friend in all the world, as I am his," Bedwyr flashes a smile, "The only reason he might have for eating you is if you keep calling him a cat: Tawny is most definitely a lion!"
Bedwyr's eyes sparkle with mischief at that last line, full well knowing that Tawny cannot understand the common tongue.
HP: 12/12
Satisfied, Nissi hops down from the tree in a gratuitously dramatic display landing quietly in the snow. She sheathes her sword and with a practiced flick wraps the blade tipped chain trailing from her spear around its shaft.
She wears a set of winter gear that was obviously meant for a human. It has been very crudely cut apart and tied together so that it fits her small size.
Then, in contrast to her graceful exit from the tree, she labouriously plods through the deep snow, coming to stand very close to Baxter almost rubbing shoulders with him.
She points to the shrunken sword ”With all due respect to lion Tawny, I have always found animals to be dangerous and unpredictable. It would seem magic talking animals are doubly so, yes? Hmm, yes, magic animals are a new danger.
These woods seem busy today, I am ready to take your lead Lars. Yes, will follow when you are ready..”
Lars nods his understanding to Nissi. There's still one more matter of great importance to attend to before they actually press on, however. He un-slings his original longsword from where he's storing it on his back and offers it to Ysabella.
"Hopefully your greatsword will return to its normal size in time," he says, somberly. "I have no idea how to fix it other than that hope, though, so in the mean time you're welcome to borrow one of my normal-sized weapons. It's not as big as yours was, but at least you can wield it as-is."
"Let's get cracking then."
Bedwyr shrugs and presses on.
Ysabella just sighs sullenly, what a day this is turning out to be.
She thanks Lars and takes the weapon he proffers, "What's next? Flying jackrabbits with divine might?" She shakes her head as she stomps off down the path.
Lars nods and presses on as well, letting Ysabella vent without comment.
"At least there aren't any dragons." Baxter replies to Ysabella's exclamations as he struggles to keep up.
A human-sized snowman stands in the middle of the trail before a frozen stream. A crude wooden sign leans against it and bears the words "Trespassers Turn Back."
A solid sheet of ice extends across this frozen stream, while snow-covered rocks line its banks.
"Seems awfully whimsical for a 'keep out' sign," Lars muses as he sidles his way around the snowman to the bank of the river. He stands at the edge. Carefully and slowly he tries applying increasing amounts of pressure to the ice sheet with one foot (while keeping the other firmly on the snowy ground) in order to get a feel for whether the ice can hold them well enough to walk across or if it seems likely to crack under their weight.
Baxter comes up to the snowman, pondering. "The last time we saw something innocuous, it proved to be a warning sign of what we'd be dealing with." he reasons.
Baxter will go so far as to poke the snowman, and then all the way through it with his rapier, just to be sure.
Baxter steps up to the snowman and a loud sonic burst erupts from the Snowman speaking in common and shouts "Can't you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!"
Baxter and you will take damage but you are not stunned.
The snowman appears to have exploded to pieces as well.
Ysabella just stares at the now exploded snowman, "I went to realistic with the jackrabbit idea." She checks on Baxter to make sure he is okay and then says, "We're not going to turn back just because some magical exploding snowman told us to are we?" She then sidles up to Lars and the frozen stream and asks "Solid enough to cross?"
HP: 12/12
Nissi covers her head as bits of exploded snowman rain down, then immediately glances over to see if Baxter is alright. After seeing that he is relatively unharmed she whispers
”Hmm. It seems these kidnappers of yours are going through great lengths to dissuade pursuers, yes? The whimsical, as Lars put it, but dangerous nature feel like fey are involved yes, mischievous fey. But why why would fey be involved with kidnappers or bandits I wonder? Yes, curious in deed”
Nissi draws her short sword and quickly scans the trees to make sure the group isn't about to get ambushed.
Satisfied, she turns her attention to Lars as he starts testing the ice.
“Perhaps a small folk or warren folk should check the ice? We are lighter so there is less chance to fall through if the ice is weak and if we do fall through it would be easier for a tall folk to be a rescuer rather than the one in need of rescuing, yes? I do not know how to gauge the strength ice, but I am willing to test it first.”
Baxter's head comes up with snow pouring off him. "Somebody write that down!" he says. "Most interesting response."
As Lars and Ysabella step up to the creek, two creatures erupt from the ice and attack.
Creature 1 and hits for and and and is now staggered for 1 round.
Creature 2 and hits for and and and is not staggered.
Lars:
Vernonia:
Ysabella:
Bedwyr Elberion:
Nissi Brightshadow:
Creature 1:
Creature 2:
- Nissi
- Ysabella
- Bedwyr
- Creature 2
- Baxter
- Lars (staggered)
- Vernonia
- Creature 1
Round 1
Nissi's turn...
Nissi crouches down and scampers towards the creatures, fighting mightily against the deep snow and hisses "Living ice! Even the frozen waters rise up to cover the kidnapper's escape! Yes, I wonder who this kidnapped lady is now that they would go through such lengths to acquire her, hmmm.
Round 1, Initiative Count 12
Lars grunts with surprise and pain as the icy creature slams him pretty hard in the gut. Perhaps its the intensity of the physical pain, but he doesn't even notice the iciness that's supposed to go along with it.
This is one of the reasons I prefer archery, he thinks to himself as he rallies his strength and his concentration to swing his sword at the creature that's attacking him.
As he swings his sword he feels a painful tugging in his midsection and, looking down, sees a surprising amount of blood down there. "I'm really hurt and could use some help," he gasps back to the others. He hopes that, now he can see his attacker, he can keep his little buckler between it and himself as it likely readies another slam against him.