Harrolayne shakes her head. "Alas, this item is beyond my experience."
Well met Jhod. I am Beorn Haraldson, a servant of Erastil as my friend has said. And I too would help you in your quest to restore this holy place and would invite you to join our quest to tame these lands making them safe for hearth, farm, hunting and trade.
As the altar is cleansed the paladin looks about in wonder at the change that takes place. He goes to his knees at the altar and gives thanks.
Jhod nods and kneels next to Beorn joining him in prayer to Erastil.
"Aye, I would appreciate all the help I could receive, Erastil is clearly present with us in this place, if you guys need to rest here or receive healing please come by," Pushing off his knees, Jhod rises to view the area around the Temple, "In the meantime, I'll take to clearing this place out, maybe I'll build a house or two to help travelers."
Saniana is too excited to kneel in prayer, but she does limit her capering and gives Dax a big hug and strolls around gawking at the place. When the prayers are done, she says, "Let's explore the region around the temple to make sure nothing big and bad is lurking. Then we can feel better about traveling further south to see what the forest hides or across the plains. We probably haven't rooted out all the bandits yet."
"I am certainly ready and able to continue, though perhaps we should not stray too far. There could be creatures or bandits nearby who were avoiding this place on account of the bear who might come a-calling now that it is no more."
Before they head off, Harrolayne describes Yvgeni (the man she knew, not the horse she named named after him) to Jhod, to see if he might have known him once.
You shall have what help I can offer my new friend. Beorn says to Jhod. [b]And I pray that knowing each other will only strengthen our faith and dedication. I propose we rest here tonight, helping as we may while the light holds and set off in the morning to explore the areas around this shrine.
Resting for the night at the Temple of the Elk, you guys set out to fully explore the surrounding forest.
Heading south west you guys find thick forested areas that give way to a rather winding river, you guys know it as the Skunk River.
The ground just east of the Skunk River here slumps away into a soggy mire, notable for the fact that a pair of ruined stone buildings jut from the soggy ground.
Some former river way station perhaps. There seem to be obvious signs that something is living in these buildings.
As you guys ride up, a lone creature pops it head out of one of the ruined buildings windows to eye you guys. It seems to be watching to see what you guys are gonna do. CURRENT MAP
Dismounting, Beorn moves to the front of the group and holds up a hand as he calls out a greeting. Well met on the road. We are travelers and explorers. Will you come out and speak with us and perhaps share a meal?
He pops his head up a bit more, raising his hands, one of them is mangled and broken but healed, as if his hand was crushed by something long ago.
He croaks out in a broken common, "Tru-CE, Tru-CE,"
Yes, yes. Truce. Beorn agrees and stands his ground trying to not look threatening.
Before leaving, Saniana will use her ability to speak with animals to walk around the shrine and tell the animals she encounters that the priest of the shrine will help them if they are injured. She asks them to help the priest by alerting him if they sense a dangerous creature approach. She suggests that Jodh reinforce the sentiment by setting up some feeding stations for the animals and maybe try to befriend some larger, smarter creatures, like foxes and raccoons.
"I think that's a boggard. I've never met one, but looks like a humanoid frog. Not sure if they're normally hostile."
She stays on her mount but does not touch her weapons. She does cast Detect Magic to see if anything shows in the area, patiently scanning first the building and then to the left and right.
Harrolayne, never one to do the talking when with a group, allows the other to converse with the boggard. Instead, she keeps an eye out on the undergrowth around and behind them, left the boggard in the window be a distraction while more creep up on them.
While peering into the underbrush, she notices a fascinating butterfly, which takes to the air. Harrolayne follows it with her gaze as it lazily flits about the clearing.
While staying a top her trusty horse Rosetta asks the creature are you alone? We mean you no harm, we are simply traveling adventures. Won't you join us?"
After she finishes speaking she looks around the area for any other creatures.
Kas watches the same butterfly flittering off that Harrolyane has noticed, smiling and nodding with a murmur of, "Desna's favor...and it went to our left so clearly good luck for us this morn!"
He keeps an eye out for other boggards that could perhaps be creeping about in the stony ruins, but otherwise nods and says openly, "Truce truce! Yes my big friend means truce...food and things to trade too if you want!"
The boggard shambles out, seeming to belive you guys as friendlies, "Me, Boggard, Me, Garuum," He points and croaks and a big slimey looking lizard creature shloops out of a window, pointing, "Ubagob"
He continues to shamble out, a little further, "You, go," he spreads his arms in a gesturing motion, "Me"
"Ahh!" Kas nods enthusiastically and points first to the boggard and his lizard companion for emphasis. "You Garuum...he Ubagob." Kas pats himself on his own chest, followed by a pat to his horse. "Me Kas...she Gerdie."
Holding up his hands in a sign of friendship, the older man says, "Your home Garuum...we go. But first talk to Garuum? Talk and learn? Talk and trade for things?"
Eyeing you guys, as he gets closer you are able to notice that one hand is indeed mangled and it looks like he has scars from what are probably manacles as well on his wrists.
"Home, yes, me Garuum, you Kas"
Pointing to himself Beorn says his name and then asks You want us to go with you?
Noticing the boggard's injured hand, Saniana dismounts and approaches slowly, holding out her hand and then gesturing to his.
She tries to determine what might have hurt his hand and when. Then she points to the scars on her wrists and looks at him questioningly and with sympathy.
At another point, she points to the others , says "Friends," and smiles at them, then points at Garum, gestures around the swamp and says, "Garum's friends?"
Rosetta smiles and pats her horse, "Yes! Friends,that's right.."and she trails off.
Harrolayne merely sits on her horse and waits. The boggard doesn't appear to be hostile, and the others are far better suited to dealing with the niceties. She glances at Garum occasionally as her new companions attempt to communicate with him, and she finds herself fascinated with his features, and in her mind, begins imagining him wearing a battered top hat and waistcoat, perhaps with some sort of umbrella hooked over one wrist.
Thinking of an umbrella, she realizes that she's getting a bit of sun sitting here in this clearing, so she pulls her parasol out from its binding and snaps it open.
He lets you examine his hand, eying you carefully as you do so. It looks like he was manacled at some point and he must've smashed his hand to bits to slip it through the manacle.
It never really healed quite right after that.
He shambles back into his hut, rummages around for a second before coming out with cloth wrapped parcel, open it up carefully he reveals a number of gems, "Tra-DE?"
Saniana murmurs, "I'd bet bandits had a hand in these injuries."
She leave the others to trade and moseys over to the lizard that left the hut, trying to identify it.
Then she tries to talk to it using Speak with Animals. <Hello,Ubagog, is it? I'm Saniana. Are there other boggards near?>
Beorn nods affirmative to the creature and opens his backpack, dumping the contents on the ground. [b]What do you need?[/b[ he asks. The following items are present:
Weapons:
Cold iron dagger
Greatsword,
Other:
bedroll
belt pouch
flint and steel
mess kit
Rope
soap,
torch (10)
trail rations (5)
waterskin
whetstone
wooden holy symbol of Erastil
He gets down, and sifts through some of the contents, picking up some items, tossing others, he grabs the rope, a torch, and some trail rations "Garuum?"
He holds out a deep green spinel in his other, mangled hand, "Be-ORN?"
The lumbering, pale purple frog-like creature with sickly green eyes, a healthy covering of slime, and two huge, walrus-like tusks, sticks out a large, long pink tongue and licks Saniana before croaking, <"Only mean Boggards, they hurt Ubagog, they hurt Garuum, no like us, we run away and hide,">
Unsure of the value of the gem, but pretty sure he is getting the better of the deal Beorn pushes the rest of his trail rations and the cold iron dagger to Garuum. would not cheat you Garuum. At least take these things.
Santana returns, wiping slime off her face. To the group she says, "According to Ubagog, other boggards did this and other bad things to Garum. Might be we will need to take care of them. Can't have them harassing our settlers."
Garuum looks to Ubagog and then to Saniana, nodding, "Big tribe, me not like other Boggards, not mean like other Boggards," looking to Beorn, "Map?"
He circles where the boggard tribe is on the map, though trying to take on a whole tribe of boggards might be an adventure for down the road.
look of concern and agreement comes to Beorn's face when Saniana points out the danger of leaving such creatures here to harm settlers or tradesmen. They must be dealt with. he agrees unhappily.
Saniana stares at Ubagog, trying to tell what kind of creature he is.
She asks Ubagog, <Are there other threats to folks like us nearby?>. She offers him a goodberry.
Ubagog slurps up a goodberry, <Yes, big mean boar near by, we call hum tuskgutter, he is really mean, his nest is a big bush by a tree>
Saniana thanks Ubagog and saunters back. "According to Ubagog, there's an unusually mean boar in the area. Perhaps we should take care of it, make the area safer for settlers."
She says to Garum, "Tuskgutter? Big pig?" She holds her fingers up by her jaw in imitation of a wild boar's tusks. "We kill or drive away?"
Content to let Saniana do the talking Beorn tries to look both friendly and martially competent.
"Ooh. Wild boar is quite tasty, and where they live, you can usually find truffles, which are also quite delicious. My father had several living in his es...I mean, in the forests near our home."
Garuum snorts a bit, "Tuskgutter, mean big pig, kill,"
Taking your map of the area he helps you trace a path to its lair, its not necessarily near by, about 10 miles from where your at currently.
"You kill Tuskgutter, my home your home," He nods affirmatively.
"Challenge accepted!" Saniana exclaims, then glances around, "That is, if everyone agrees."
for ideas about the best way to hunt boar.
Kas looks askance at Harrolayne for a moment, finding interest in her words and musing to himself with a nod. He clears his throat and nods enthusiastically to Garum as he gestures to San. "Of course then! I'm agreed if you are San, and of course Beorn and Rose as well. Love of nature doesn't mean a hunt can't be in order eh? Truly if this 'Tuskgutter' is a threat to our newfound friend here, we can see ourselves to it."
Yes, the beast seems to be a general threat. It must be put down.
Heading out, using some of the directions Garuum and Ubagog were able to provide you, you guys set to the task of trying to track down Tuskgutter's lair.
Saniana, with her knowledge of the surround nature and the area wild boars like to bed down, usually in tangles or thickets, is able to help zero in on the location.
It takes well over a full day of searching but you guys think you are getting close to its lair.
After resting for the night, you guys set out hot on the trail. Kasimyr and Beorn are the quickest to pick up the increasingly obvious signs of Tuskgutter's presence. finding yourselves in a clearing there is the broken remains of a stone watch tower in a clearing. Its long overgrown with several large bushes creating a natural protected nest for the boar to obviously live within.
Boom exploding runes!
After her morning meditation and spell preparation, Saniana explains her ideas on how to find and deal with the large boar. "I've prepared a spell that will help us locate the boar. Once we find it, I'd like to attempt to warn it of the risk it faces, remaining in the area. Since I can speak with animals, I might be able to convince it to relocate further from this region. I would need you to back me up by not threatening it, at least until I've had a chance to convince it to relocate. If that fails, I can try a spell that could charm it."
Once she is near what she thinks is the boar's lair, Saniana sits on her reindeer, holds her hands to the forest, facing the stone tower, and says, "Seall dhomh càit an torc a tha."
Then she concentrates on the suspected location. If the boar is in the tower, she will activate her ability to speak with animals and then ride Glyph closer, attempting to get within 30' of the entrance to the tower. If the boar has not noticed her yet, she will call out a greeting.
In animal-speak, she says, <Tuskgutter, greatest of his kind, I, Saniana, wish to warn you of impending settlement by humans into this region. If you do not leave the area, you will be hunted down and killed.>
Assuming she can keep it talking for the required amount of time, she will attempt Wild Empathy to produce a friendly reaction.
Beorn dismounts, sends his horse back, and moves closer, but not close enough to threaten Santana's plan.
As Saniana approaches the boar's lair, she can hear it rutting and snorting, as she approaches on Glyph the huge boar bursts from his brush.
This boar is easily 12 feet long and 9 feet tall at the shoulder. He towers over your horses. Is small beady eyes are black as sin, his massive tusks sharpened to a sword-like edge. Wounds from various battles and encounters create a criss crossing pattern of scars across his vast hide.
It squeals, stamping and huffing hot air out as it glares at Saniana. Boar sounds .
"That's a lot of ham," Harrolayne mutters to nobody in particular.
Saniana weaves a spell she had prepared, trying to ensnare Tuskgutter's mind into tricking him into being friendly for the first time in his boar-ish life!
His beady eyes swim in a haze as she weaves her charming trance. When he snaps too, his huffing and puffing are more inquisitive and far less threatening. He starts to walk right up to Saniana.
<Saniana, I didn't recognize you! Come 'ere ol' friend!>"