Array began to scout further back, looking for whatever had released the dogs.
Your vision flares blue and white; when it returns to normal, the wolves are gone, obliterated by a blast of cold and frost.
The signing stops, and the deep voice slowly calls "...doggies? Doggies, gone quiet, doggies bark for master!"
Isme obliges the voice by casting a spell that mimics the sound of the dogs barking.
"There doggies, good doggies!"
Moving laterally, around the edge of the clearing, Reynard tries to close on the direction the voice is coming from. Unseen by any but Gwenhyfar a second blade, twin to the first, appears in his other hand.
Spectrum says we should try to take the dog-guy alive. Glimmer said telepathically to the group.
"If you say so." Wyam said aloud, as he maneuvered Fearghus to an upper area of the clearing.
Deciding that it would probably be no good were he spotted, he tried to hide himself and Fearghus.
With an earth-shaking shudder, a grey-skinned corpulent creature with red eyes, a fanged mouth and wielding a spear. He gawps at the sight of his slaughtered dogs, and points with his right hand- a hand which you realize with dawning horror has melted and fused by some strange force into a single immense and grisly finger.
"Y-you killed my doggies! W-why'd you do that? T'were only doing kitty play!" He bursts into grey tears and begins blubbering; his spear still slashes out in vicious circles aimed at all of you.
The creature turns, and tries to flee back through the forest.
"Come on Fearghus! We're not letting him get away." Wyam kicked the sides of his mount to spur Fearghus into motion.
The mount took off at an astounding rate, for while Wyam had been training Fearghus for speed already, making him faster than most horses, he'd further increased his partner's attribute by gifting him with horseshoes to greatly increase his speed.
When Wyam caught up to the retreating figure, he bellowed out a Challenge to it.
Seeing Wyam ride after the monster, Reynard sprints across the clearing, following as fast as he can. Gwen, see if you can close with Wyam so we can keep a line of communication open.
Obviously Gwen sends back at Rey, rolling her eyes as she flaps rapidly over the trees.
Spectrum casts a spell and takes to the air, moving quickly above the ground but below the canopy.
"I suppose we better go after them," Isme comments to Shalelu before taking flight.
Flapping quickly, Gwen is nearly able to catch up to Wyam. Seeing the giant ahead, she has an idea.
"You can't escape, you know. We're in here with you." she sends, telepathically speaking to the monster.
Taking to the air and riding through the forest, you quickly pull ahead of the blubbering ogrekin. He stops, turns and growls "Y-y-killed my doggies!"
He lashes out at Wyam.
Shalelu hesitates, then stays behind to take care of the firepelt.
Isme takes the direct approach and supernaturally yanks at the ogrekin's consciousness.
Isme recognizes an Ogrekin, the result of an unfortunate union between ogre and human, cursed with horrific malformations due to its tragic ancestry.
With a furious yowl, he throws off Isme's mental grasp.
Wyam took glancing blows from the Ogre on his armor but was not seriously hurt and thankfully not knocked from his saddle. The forest terrain did not help with his mobility and he realized that he and Fearghus could not withstand this sort of punishment for long.
He jabbed out with his lance before deciding to move away.
Spectrum flew above and behind Wyam, careful to stay out of the Ogre's reach. He took a swig off a vial and then spat down at the ogre. The mixture became a tacky glue as it flew.
Focusing his thoughts, Reynard concentrates on thoughts of searing fire, visualizing it in his mind, imagining it emanating from the spot where the ogre-creature is standing.
Wyam was thankful for Spectrums support but was not ready when the explosion of fire flared out.
Wyam's lance swings wide.
The ogre is stuck in place, and scorched by Reynard's flames.
With a furious growl, the ogrekin wrenches himself free of the tanglefoot bag.
Spectrum wasn't well equipped for taking people alive or for fighting off individual targets.
Lock him down with the luck siphoning wands. he sent to the dragons.
Glimmer flew towards the fight drawing a wand as she went.
Array, still hidden in the trees, used a wand on the Ogre.
Spectrum cast Grease beneath the ogre.
Isme rolls her eyes at the unnecessary theatrics and grips her hold over the ogrekin's consciousness more firmly and yanks.
Despite valiant effort, the ogrekin hits the ground, slumbering, a thick greasy strand of drool pooling onto the dirt.
Spectrum dismissed the Grease spell, a bit miffed at the waste of arcane resources.
"Wyam, tie the creature up. We need answers. when it wakes."
Wyam slowed Fearghus, the creatures blow had been strong enough to make his ears ring. With a grunt of pain, he laid a hand on the point of impact and called upon his healing powers to seal the wound. He found that his powers somehow managed to do more than before.
He nodded to Spectrum and brought Fearghus around to tie up the Ogre Kin.
Landing on Reynard's shoulder, Gwen asks What were you thinking, stupid? Trying to burn your own eyebrows off?
In the midst of casting rays of frost to put out vegetation that had been set alight by the fireball, Rey glances at his friend for a moment, before continuing. I wasn't sure our good knight was going to be able to keep up with that...thing. Tough to ride a horse through trees, and all that. Figured I'd better try and finish it quick. In hindsight...there were probably better options. He thinks, looking a little sheepish as he finishes with the scorched trees and turns back to the others. We've spent too long depending only on ourselves, need to be better team players. "Sorry about that." is all he says where the others can hear, nodding in Wyam's general direction.
Spectrum gave Reynard a ghost of a smile. "I fireballed Wyam not long ago myself."
The foul creature is duly bound. Shalelu walks over with the firepelt. "...ugh; who's the fatty?" The firepelt snarls and growls at the unconscious creature.
"Ogrekin," Isme answers Shalelu before addressing the firepelt. "Is this the one who took your master? Are there others?"
The fireplet snarls. Yes. This, and others.
Wyam gave a glance between the two arcane casters. "Simply because I can generally withstand fire magic, don't make that a habit."
He looked back down at their captive.
"Right, now let's see what he's got to tell us." He then gave a not so gentle kick to the Ogre-kin.
The ogrekin starts back to unconsciousness; he starts weeping dirty grey tears. "Y-y-you killed ma doggies! I'll K-KILL YOU FOR THAT!"
Wyam grabs the Ogrekin and pulls his arm back to slam his gauntleted fist hard into the Ogre's stomach.
"Focus! You're in no position to be making threats here. Where are the rest of your group?! Where's the ranger you found?!"
Spectrum put a hand on Wyam's arm and gently pulled him aside.
"Isme, would you mind taking over the questioning?"
Safely away from the ears of the ogre, Spectrum spoke calmly. "Are you alright? It seems unlike you to strike a creature that cannot defend itself."
Wyam eyed Spectrum. "I'm fine, Spectrum. That creature blames us and rightly so for killing it's hunting dogs. It wouldn't listen to reason anytime soon and I can see it would as soon try to kill us as make an escape given the chance... the fastest way to get it to talk and tell us what it knew was through force.
Someone's life is at stake and I won't let them die because I was too slow to act trying to play nice with a monster."
"Wyam, I do not claim to be a moralist. That is your purview. I answer to no one but myself and prefer decisive action. The dogs were in service to a monster. Their death was an unfortunate necessity to protect us. However, there are lines I will not cross. Torture, for example. Harming a helpless creature is unnecessary. Even if your god permits such behavior, I cannot. We have other ways. Regardless of what the Ogrekin would do to us, I hope we hold ourselves to a higher standard."
"I will not lecture you further. I was just worried the corruptive nature of the secrets we are uncovering may have gotten to you."
"The seven rune lords began once as paragons of virtue. They did not fall by chance. They fell because they lost sight of the necessary restrictions to power while in pursuit of higher goals."
"I would hate to see that happen to you as well."
"Hmm, I don't disagree...
Maybe I acted a little too rashly with the Ogrekin. It was the fastest way I could think of to get answers, I don't know the extent of what you and Isme can do when it comes to your magic, not to mention Reynard, so I don't often consider it an option unless I've seen it before.
Perhaps these seven rune lords fell because they thought of themselves as the virtues and eventually did not see when they stepped over the lines of morality. I don't really know. What I do realize is that I am human and I have my flaws, so I can take advice from my friends."
At Wyam's stern command the creature cries harder and launches into long-winded, stuttering disclosure. "M-m-m-m'family's back at-t-the homestead, wiff Mammy! M'brothers... caught 'em rangers nights ago, caught 'em skulking through woods. C-c-c-caught 'em, mammy said play wiff 'em but go g-g-gentle. Three still m-m-m-movin', so gentle! Look-" Clumsily rolling onto his side, he shows a length of cloth. "M'favorite b-b-blanket!" sewn onto it are five patches bearing crest, some bloodsoaked. Shalelu mutters, "Black Arrow patches" before he rolls back. "Mammy sewed em. Good ol' mammy, love mammy, lov-lov-lov mammy..." He points in the direction of the homestead.
Coming back from his talk with Spectrum, Wyam found the creature having given into his earlier intimidation. " Well it looks as though we have our answers. We'll leave him here. Let's head for this homestead, we don't have long."
With that, Wyam, hopped on Fearghus once more and began to lead the party out in the direction they were pointed toward.
"Not going to kill him? That might be more merciful." Isme shrugs. "I'll leave the decision on what to do with him as I don't care either way, but I doubt he'll change his ways. Shalelu can explain it better than I with her experience. Speaking of." She turns her attention to Shalelu. "You recognize the patches?"
Shalelu nods, a little shaken. "Black Arrow patches; they sow them on their uniforms... one per ranger..."