Berenkor woke and immediately whistled upon hearing the sound of attack, standing up as faithful Farkas reached him and somersaulting into the saddle. Mounted and armoured, Berenkor drew his kukri as he rode Farkas towards the attack
Seeing the danger to his wolf, the outrider expertly pulled Farkas back from the snapping jaws of the wolf about to latch its teeth to his neck.
Moira is startled awake by the growling of wolves and Cotton's warning. Throwing off the covers, she goes to grab her bow but stops. She notices the lean look to the wolves and an idea comes to her mind.
"Don't attack them. Just keep them busy a moment!"
She then sifts through her pack looking for her leftover rations.
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Mindful of Moira's instructions, Cotton does not attack the wolves -- she runs for the nearest tree and tries to climb it!
Forgot i was top of the order. Moira of course, tosses the rations near the wolves hoping that will be enough to satisfy them. If not she grabs her bow.
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Round 2
Awoken by the sounds of cottons screams Moria gets up spotting the wolves and calls out to the others as she grabs something from her pack.
Cotton scrambles away from the wolves who snap at her as she attempts to flee. The gnomes shielding holds them at bay as she scrambles up a tree
Berenkor masterfully climbs onto Farkas bareback and rides forward as his wolf gains the attention of the intruders. Sa'sori comes from her tent assessing the situation.
The wolves bare their teeth at Farkas charging at him. The first wolf nearly catches Farkas but Berenkor pulls his mount to safety just in time. The second wolf Farkas dodges himself but the third catches Farkas's leg fangs sinking in deep as the wolf tugs trying to pull Farkas down for access to the smaller meal on the wolfs back. Farkas remains upright shaking the wolfs jaws off his leg.
Round 3
Moria tossed a chunk of meat from her ration catching the wolves attention. They noticeably lick their chops interested but unsatisfied.
Berenkor near-shouted incredulously as he threatened the wolves with his kukri, warding them away from his wounded steed's vulnerable and wounded front leg. The battle-trained mount snarled at the three animals and bravely stood his ground, but couldn't make an offensive headway fighting off a small pack.
"There just hungry. They wouldn't do this if they weren't deaperate. Through what you have now!" she orders moving to one of the spare backpacks the town gave them.
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Sa'sori does not want to waste her night's rest by casting a spell.. so she shrugs and follows Moira's suggestion... tossing a days rations from her pack to the hungry feral wolves.
Round 2
The wolves scamper away from Berebkor and Farkas tearing into the trail rations preparing to flee back into the woods.
"See? They were just hungry. If they wanted to kill us they would have brought more. I am surprised at you Berenkor. I figured the friend of a wolf would be a little more sympathetic towards them," she says, hands on hips and with a look of disappointment.
"Y'know," Cotton says from her perch in the tree, "after the thing with the illusionary Orcs, I wouldn't be too surprised if someone starved those guys and released them near us. A little surprised that they'd go to the trouble, but not too surprised. Okay. Who wants to stand underneath me so I can jump on their head?"
"That would incure the wrath of Arnama and nobody wants that," Moira says moving under the tree, arms out to catch the treed halfling.
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"Arnama would object to my jumping on people's heads?" Cotton asks, a teasing lilt to her voice. The next moment, she nimbly leaps into Moira's arms and, in the same motion, tumbles to the ground. "Tadaah!" she says, proudly. "And my Mage Armour worked a treat! Need to file that experience away for further use."
"Was anyone injured?" asks Vera sheathing her greataxe.
Each year a group from the small town of Kassen journeys south to the "Crypt of the Everflame to bring back it's light as a winter tradition in Kassen. This year, each of your mentors recommended you to carry the flame, each for their own reasons. You have each been extended an invitation and joined on this perilous journey.
After a short ceremony conducted by the mayor himself you set out south into the woods south of Kassen. Some two hours in you encountered a band of orcs whom you quickly fought off and realized they were an illusion sent to test you. Weary for more "tests" you continued following the map included in the gear given to you by the mayor. As night started to fall you set up a sturdy camp. During the earliest hours of twilight a small pack of wolves descended into your camp but Moria's quick wit and knowledge of the creatures was able to sacrifice some of your rations to chase the wolves away.
Now morning comes and you rise to meet it ready to seek out what today holds for you.
Dyrm missed much of what happened with the wolves, but he got the gist of it, "That was quick thinking, Moira," He says when the beauty of a new day arises.
"Thank you. Now can we go back to sleep? We should reach the crypt tomorrow."
"I'll take watch"
The rest of the night passes uneventfully. The next morning you pack camp and head out down the trail again. A couple hours into your journey, the trees begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark humanoid form lies next to the water.
"Someone sunning? This early?" Cotton says, head cocked inquisitively. With a muttered Word and a gesture, the Gnome conjures four orbs of light and sends them spinning towards the dark shape, skipping along behind them herself.
Damnit Cotton. Don't rush into things like this. Moira follows but keeps her bow out just in case. "Wait up, this could be another test."
"Oh," Cotton says, "yeah, that makes sense. Sorry. I'm just a little giddy to be out here, and to have a brand new day. Y'know?" The little Gnome bestows a sunny smile on Moira. "Want to go check it out together?"
"I'd advise being careful, the water might have less than friendly beasts in it," The druid warns
"I would be more cautious of the field before the lake." says Vera gesturing to the field of short grass that lay between them and the lake. "We rush across to the body, wary of the lake, but never consider the field. It's an ideal place for a trap." Vera draws her axe in preparation.
"A good point. We should probably stay cautious." She then turns to the figure near the lake. "Excuse me. Hello. Sir? Ma'am?" she yells across the field.
Sa'sori looks at the scene... not trusting the fog over the lake... she sends her familiar "Red Wing" to fly over it to see if there are any creatures hiding behind it, while her tattoo familiar hawk takes fight separating from her back in a vibrant burst of reddish light... Sa'sori casts and scans the scene looking for any anomalous magic.
Sa'sori draws her elven curve blade and moves behind Vera...
Cottons light does seen to help pierce the fog that Sa'sori found no detection of magic in. The added light allows those with keen eyes to peer through the low light an realize the form is not on the rocks by the shore, but appears to be floating in the water caught in the rocks.
"This is your territory, right Moira?" Vera asks hesitantly. "Any ideas on how we should proceed?"
"Looks like someone that needs help," she says moving towards the body. She doesn't get very far before she turns around and adds nervously, "Stay here just in case." She then approaches the figure and, if she still can't make it out, pokes it with a stick that she picks up on the way.
Sa'sori moves to follow Moira, but maintains a constant 30'ft distance behind her and off to the side... keeping Moira within her spell range... so only a move would put her in range to target anything that suddenly decided to become hostile.
Her elven curve blade is in hand and her expression is one of determined defiance... its clear she is not going to let her friend face some potential threat unsupported by her magic.
Dyrm hears that someone needs help, and frowns, wanting to follow, but for now he abides by Moira's call and hangs back. He says, "Call out if you need help and the rest of us will come running."
"I don't run as fast as you long-leggedy folk," Cotton says, frowning cutely. She follows Moira -- at a distance. "If you need my help, I'll be close enough to do something," she explains.
Vera looks uncertain of which group to follow, but ultimately decides to stay with Sa'sori. If she keeps in the middle of the group she can reach anyone as quickly as possible.
The creature does not react to your approach. As you draw closer it becomes evident that the man is floating face up in the water. The human's leather armor has rotted from water damage and the stinch of death floats the air around him.
Moira turns away as the smell hits her. "Oh gods." Once she has control over her stomach she puts her bow away and wades in to drag the body back to shore. "Vera! I need your help here!" she yells as she drag the body.
Sa'sori readies an action to cast if the corpse animates and attacks...
At Moira's call, Vera moves quickly to help Moira haul the body from the water, sheathing her axe as she does so.
The corpse pulls up from the water easy enough. His flesh and leather armor are water soaked and rotted to the point of falling apart. The corpse seems strangely untouched from the normal scavenger animals that would have partaken of such a creature.
Vera checks over the body to try and determine cause of death.
"Ewwww~! Stinky!" Cotton says, theatrically holding her nose. Her eyes are genuinely watering, though. "Why hasn't anything eaten it, though?"
"Anyone know who this is?" Moira asks holding her nose.
The man has several bite marks that appear to be from a large snake on his torso. Vera are reasonably sure the man has been dead for a few months. The snakes venom would have paralyzed the man causing him to drown. And would have also kept scavenger animals away. Lastly, there is a discoloration on the mans wrist that you would guess would have come from a leather strap now missing.
Moria you are certain the man is not from Kassen. Rotten as they are his clothes are obviously the kind purchased from larger cities in the area.
Dyrm joins them, hearing no attack, and gives a look of sympathy to the corpse, "Poor fool..."
"Well, if he's a poor fool," Cotton says, with a courtly bow to the corpse, "then he'll have a fool's proper burial ceremony, as given by a fellow fool for foolish reasons and in a foolish manner. As befits a poor fool who lost his way and his life all alone in the wilderness."
The Gnome uses her knife to clear a piece of ground near the body's head and scratches the symbols of Nivi Rhombodazzle and Sivanah in the earth. Then, hand to heart, she starts to sing in Sylvan. Perhaps unexpectedly, the song is sweet of tone and deeply sincere. Even though not everyone will be able to understand it, it is a song that tugs at the heartstrings, speaking of loss and the fragility of life, of how precious things are broken by cruel accident and the malice of evil hearts... and how the world gradually heals, save for the scars. It is a song about death, and yet also about hope for the future beyond death.
And then it ends, the little Gnome bowing to the corpse again so her black curls almost sweep the earth. "Rest in peace, unknown traveller," Cotton says, one eye black as jet when she straightens up again, and the other as blue as the endless sky.
Dyrm also lowers his head, respectfully as Cotton gives her version of last rites
Vera waits respectfully for Cotton to finish her rites before informing everyone of her findings.
"It looks like he was paralyzed by a snake and then wound up in the water and drowned." Vera shakes her head. "It's a terrible way to go. But these marks on his wrist concern me." She holds up his wrists for the others to see. "I can't be sure, but if he was bound, then we may be looking at a rather cruel execution."
"Maybe he wore a bracelet?" Cotton suggests, shrugging. "A strap on one wrist doesn't make for much of a restraint; you can use the other hand to loosen it, can't you?"