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Shouting in Skald, Jan invokes the spirits of his ancestors to guide his attacks(fighting with 2 weapons)
In Skald-"I see my father and all the great warriors of my family standing in the Halls of Valhalla!"
*=if flanking.
Note- if Brayden brings down the wolverine (blue), Jan will take a 5-foot step to engage Purple, but won't be flanking.
Feeling renewed in body (Brayden) and spirit (Jan), the pair of warriors continue their assault on the Blue Wolverine, eager to bring the beast down before it does them any further harm. Brayden buries his katana into Blue's flank and then Jan follows it up with an axe blade to the neck and a shield bash to the snout, which finally lays the wolverine low! It collapses to the ground with a pained cry before growing still.
Still very much alive and enraged, Purple continues its assault on Brayden in a flurry of claws and teeth...
...but can't land a blow on the blue warrior! It does come close though, teeth snapping on air just an inch or two shy of Brayden's arm.
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Round 4/Round 5
Brayden
Jan
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Purple
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Lazarus
Denair
Frankie
Meredith
Yorad
Active Conditions: Bless
Everyone is UP!
Denair flies over the wolverine, landing behind it. Once she lands, she tries to clobber it. "Sorry about this!"
While Frankie continues handing out good touches by the grace of Desna the rest of the group rallies against the remaining raging wolverine. Blades slice, spells fly, and Purple Wolverine finally collapses under the group's combined onslaught!
From its position up on the nearby rocks the Green Wolverine continues to tremble but seems a little calmer now that the fighting is over.
Denair flies back up to the remaining wolverine. "It's okay. Calm down. We're friends, here."
Denair takes a good look at the collar. "Hey Boss, come up here and take a look."
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Frankie scratches his chest for a second as the fight comes to a crashing 'thud', all of his friends are safe and at least they saved one of the bear wolves. He takes a step forward to pet the downed fur baby. "Can we save it? Or is it too late?"
He tries to stop the bleeding but isn't quite sure how... and it certainly doesn't help. "Ummm... not good." He mutters, glancing around with a guilty look on his face.
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Jan is less concerned with the wayward wolverine than the other members of the party,"If the beast has a collar, then it is the companion, pet or belongs to someone."
to determine if the creature is in fact an animal companion to a Ranger, Hunter, Druid, etc.
"Bring the creature with us if you like, but if it goes rabid or hostile, we will have to put it down."
After taking a few drinks of water and a handful of dried fruit and a piece of jerky, Jan tightens up the straps on his gear, "We need to keep going...let's move out."
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Frankie smiles and pats Brayden on the leg "Its amazing I know!" He heads over to help with the green wolf-bear beastie.
"Want my help? I can help! Lemme help!" He dances around thinking about reaching out to pet the thing before pulling his hand back each time nervously.
Wouldn't you know it the wee lad does what all wee lads do: go for its tail first.
While the other two wolverines are, unfortunately, beyond saving, the third with the collar is still alive and seems to be uninjured. Now that the fighting is over and the flames in this section of forest beginning to die down somewhat, the creature cautiously clambers down from its' perch on the rocks to approach the group. More specifically it seems to take an interest in Meredith and Denair but also Jan and Frankie, to a lesser degree. As Jan studies the creature's demeanor and bearing he's almost certain that this particular wolverine is a companion animal to someone; most likely a druid or fellow ranger.
Dragbog confirms this as he comes padding up to take a better look. "Oh! That shiny! That’s Se-NEN-le-LEL’s pet bear-thing," he remarks. "He this little pointy-eared stick-man-elf, he lives here in forest somewheres near Dragonskull village. Means we be getting closer!"
Upon closer inspection, the collar itself seems to be carved of bone and studded with bits of jade - the 'shiny' that Dragbog was referring to. Denair's keen eyes notice that the soot that covers it appears to have recently been smeared by slender fingers while Lazarus can see that it radiates an aura of magic.
As the group gathers around, looking at the collar and conversing about what to do next, the wolverine utters a low-pitched chattering sound and nudges Meredith's hand. To Jan's trained eye, the creature seems...worried.
"Okay, do the hand thing, speak softly, and carry a big...stick?" Denair waves her arms frantically, trying to remember how to handle animals. In a few minutes the magic fades and Denair loses her focus. "Gah! I can't remember!" she cries and then falls silent.
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"I wonder how he lost his pet," Brayden ponders, looking at the necklace over Meredith's shoulder. "Perhaps the wolverine was terrified of the flames and became skittish, charging off into the woods. I'd think we might pass by .. Senenlelel's? place on the way to the village. Might be able to return his property," the samsaran suggests. "And gather more information about the, what was it, walking houses?"
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"An Elf guy? I've seen them before, but never up really close. Let's go meet him!" Frankie continues trying to pet the wulf beast, especially if it shows any signs of liking him, or at least doesn't try to scratch or bite him.
"Hey Yorad! Don't forget that knife you threw away. Don't want to lose your toys, you might want them later! Maybe this Goblin village has a circus or something... a knife throwing event maybe?" Frankie looks over to Dragbog for a hint of confirmation.. maybe?
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"I've no need of the amulet, but perhaps someone else would appreciate the natural armor's protection."
Lazarus observes the dire wolverine. "It seems worried."
The samsaran asks Meredith and Jan, "Do you think you could urge the creature to find its way back to its master? Handling animals is not one of my skills."
Sid the cussing bunny pokes his head out from within the wizard-priest's robes, pink nose and long ears twitching in agitation.
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"Yeah. Let me get this burn out of the way." Meredith takes out her wand of Cure Light Wounds.
"Alright." She turns to the wolverine. "Let's find your master."
Logan has absolutely no idea what Meredith is doing. Or why she wants to pull his tail. What is it with bipeds and their obsession with tails?
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"Hey! Thanks for reminding me about my knives Frankie," Yorad shakes his head in amazement that the young boy even noticed one of the knives had flown off perilously close to the burning woods. Quickly retrieving it he grins at Frankie, "I certainly HOPE they do! Can never have too much...practice right?" He gets an evil glint in his eyes at the thought.
Dragbog eyes Yorad warily. "Longshanks needs to watch where those knives going. Sharp ends for foes and food, not for goblins or longshank good guys!"
"And okay, can try to look for Se-NEN-le-LEL on way to Dragonskull village," the goblin continues. "Not bad sort for longshanks, so hope he not cooked by fires."
Dragbog watches with some bemusement as Meredith tries to communicate with 'Logan' but only succeeds in leaving the wolverine rather confused. "Maybe need to learn to speak bear-monster-thing better? It okay; longshanks words sometimes hard for Dragbog so Dragbog know how you feel," he remarks, patting Meredith on the arm. "Let's go, maybe bear-monster-thing-pet follow, can help sniff for Se-NEN-le-LEL!"
As Dragbog beckons the group to get moving again his keen eyes spot Sid peeking out from Lazarus' robes and the goblin gets a slightly predatory look in his eyes. "Longshanks always bring goodest of snacks for trips? Need to go places with longshanks more if they always bring live snacks," he grins widely, glancing towards Frankie and the poor, resigned-to-its-fate pigeon he's been carrying about. "But anyhoo, save snacks for later! Let's go!"
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After taking a few moments to rest and mend your wounds, Dragbog and Jan continue leading you further into Finadar Forest. Logan, as if sensing that you're looking his master, trails along not too far behind you. Though the wolverine does keep a small amount of distance between himself and the group he does occasional move in closer to chitter at Meredith and Denair, as if to say, 'Hurry!'
The day wears on and as the time reaches mid-afternoon you draw into what Dragbog assures you is the home stretch of the forest before reaching Dragonskull village. This area is choked with smoke and ashes, making it difficult to breathe and hindering movement as piles of ash and smoldering embers make the footing treacherous. Given the circumstances it comes as a surprise when the little goblin begins to sing the same quiet little song from earlier as he leads you along…
~Stoke the ember, build the flame
Take its food to keep it tame
Chop the earth, cut the roots
From the ashes grow green shoots~
Based on your conversation with him back at Mishkar you realize that it's Dragbog's way of reminding himself and everyone else of how to control fires and navigate burns - information that you suspect will likely come in handy before all is said and done.
"Hokay...Se-NEN-le-LEL home somewheres around here," Dragbog informs you, peering this way and that through the smoke. "But not sure where 'zactly, elf-shanks move around like nomads. Keep eyes and ears open, okay?"
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Denair plods along, trying to communicate with the wolverine but getting nowhere. If only her memory was intact.
As they approach Se-NEN-le-LEL's home, she begins looking around for clues.
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Meredith lets the wolverine lead, stopping only to get Frankie and Denair to focus on the task.
Meredith keeps a wet handkerchief close to her mouth as she avoids as much smoke as she can. She lets Denair look for obvious clues while she looks for tracks, fallen branches, any kinds of temporary shelter or moved underbrush that would indicate a trail.
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"A lovely tune, Dragbog," Brayden smirks.
Who would have thought...
The samsaran walks slowly through the smoke, holding a wet cloth to his mouth as Dragbog had suggested earlier. His eyes burn red with the latent heat, and he squints to try and get a handle on where the elf's home might be. "Perhaps Logan might be able to pick up on a scent?"
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"I'm an expert thrower of things! I bet I could throw a knife too pretty good. Well, maybe one a bit smaller than yours." Chats Frankie as he walks along, stomping in ash piles and stirring up even more clouds of soot than necessary.
Once Dragbog gives the go ahead for hide and seek time Frankie is quickly on the prowl. "Good thing you brought the best hide n seekers in the whole wide world! Right Denny!" And he's off.
The combination of keen eyes, teamwork, and Dragbog's tips on navigating the forest prove extraordinarily fruitful as you search for signs of Logan's owner. Yorad is the first to spot a slight incongruity amid the underbrush that hasn't yet succumbed to the flame, signs of a slight disturbance as though someone or something might have passed through it. As he points it out the rest of the group converges on the spot and their assessments line up with his. Jan then steps in, taking care to carefully study the nearby ground until he spots what he was hoping to find - a faint set of footprints in the dirt and ash.
"Hah! You guys got good peepers, very sharp," Dragbog offers with admiration. "Hard for longshanks to see through smoke usually. Hard for goblins, too. Good job!"
The group hustles along, following behind Jan as he tracks the footprints through the thick smoke. Lazarus soon spots what appears to be a torn piece of clothing snagged on a low-hanging branch, the once-colorful fabric dirty and stained with soot. A little further on, Meredith spies a small bag lying on the ground, a mixture of herbs and spices spilling out from it.
"Oh! Se-NEN-le-LEL definitely been here; he always picking flowers and weeds and putting them in bags like that one," Dragbog notes, stopping for a moment to bend down and peer at the little spilled bag. "Maybe dropped it or something?"
More certain than ever that you're on the right track the group hurries onward through the forest, hoping that you're not too late. After what feels like an eternity of racing along as best as you can, Frankie's keen ears suddenly catch something in the midst of the roar of the flames and the group's own panting and rattling. It's faint, but as he pauses to listen he hears it again. A voice, crying out!
"Is there anyone out there!? Help! I'm trapped!"
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At the sound of voice crying for help Logan chitters with excitement and then bolts forward into the smoke, ostensibly heading for the source. Luckily the cries for help continue and you're able to follow them until you spot a small rocky outcropping just a little further ahead. Atop the outcropping is a bower made of wood and vines and shrouded in flames. The roof seems partially collapsed and as you squint you realize with horror that there's someone trapped in the rubble! Unfortunately, the surrounding area is also choked with underbrush and trees, some of which is actively burning. Logan, his path blocked, races back and forth, chittering wildly.
"Lagán!? Is that you? I told you to get out of here!" cries the figure as he struggles to free himself. "What are you doing here!?"
Dragbog cups his hands to his mouth, calling out, "We come to save you Se-NEN-le-LEL! Me and longshank friends, we help!"
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Meredith coughs some more as they make their way through. "We found him. Let's get rid of this rubble."
Meredith casts Alter Self to assume the form of a burly bugbear. "Denair, fly over there. Be careful of the branches." She begins clearing a path.
Denair spreads her leafy wings and maintains a low altitude through the shrubs.
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Frankie's eyes light up at the challenge. Smears of black soot all across his face and hands with a glowing smile in the middle of it all. "Sure am! Hold my cocoa and watch this!" He leaps and bounds through the brush like a rabbit escaping a hound. No stinking fire and underbrush is going to keep FRANKIE from his prize.
"Here I come Mr Elf guy! I dunno what I'm gonna do when I get there though!" He hollers cheerfully.
While finding the elven druid was surprisingly easy given the circumstances, reaching him proves to be another thing entirely. Try as they might, Brayden, Yorad, and Lazarus find themselves confounded by the thick underbrush that blocks their path. Dragbog also seems to be having trouble, having gotten himself stuck in a small space between a fallen log and the ground underneath it.
On the other hand, Denair and Meredith are both just barely able to make it to the bower; Denair managing fly through the smoke and trees while Meredith manages to clear a path. Frankie also manages to duck and dodge and squeeze through the debris and brush to reach the bower, though it's a little challenging even for him. The druid goggles with amazement as the trio of 'bugbear', leafy plant creature, and small child emerge through the smoke; he opens his mouth to speak but can barely do so for coughing.
"Wh-who are...*cough*...you? D-did Dragbog s-send...*hack*..."
Things aren't made any better when Dirr't pops up next to the bower, kicking up another cloud of dirt and ash in the process. But at least now you can focus on getting the trapped druid out before he succumbs to the smoke. And with Meredith having managed to clear a path, the rest of the group can reach the bower in short order to help as well...
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Lazarus looks to the heavens, whispering a prayer for Desna's guidance, then discovers an engineering solution that might extricate the druid from the debris.
"It's all about leverage, friends. Use those fallen beams to raise the damaged structure from atop him. Don't forget to lift with the legs and not your back. No need for slipping a disk or getting a hernia."
Lazarus, now more in his element, quickly comes up with a plan to use one of the fallen wooden beams as leverage to lift the rubble off of the trapped elf. Jan adds to this plan, pointing out that some of the vines that remain wrapped around said beam could be used like ropes to help with the lifting. Working together the group is able to put the plan into action, pulling and lifting as one while Dragbog and Frankie grab the druid's arms and pull him free once the rubble is lifted.
With the fires very close to claiming the rest of the bower you all beat a hasty retreat back to your original path, which Jan has no trouble at all finding. Once there you're all able to rest and to see more properly to the rescued elf. After a bit of rudimentary first aid and some water, he finally seems well enough to speak.
"Y...you saved me," he gasps, struggling to sit up as Logan chitters and affectionately chews on his shoe. "And you brought Lagán! with you! Who are you? Why are you out here in the forest?"
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"I'm Meredith Ulmari." The bugbear grunts. Everything smells like ash and soot. Lagán's fur is dirty, too. Denair has a smear of maple syrup on her leg after Frankie's last game of tag. She still hasn't noticed it.
"We're all part of the Pathfinder Society, except for Dragbog." She points to the goblin. "He says the source of this fire is within Dragonskull Tribe, and we're here to stop it from burning this forest down. A centaur village and human village blame each other for the flames, so we need to put out the source before it's too late."
She scratches Lagán's chin. "This wolverine lead us back here. You have a loyal and faithful companion."
Maybe staying in bugbear form wasn't the best way to establish peace...
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Frankie rubs his eyes as he sees who he thought was Meredith but is instead a big, hairy thing with a rose bud on its head. Then a big, stony pile of dirt pops out of the ground next to him! Woah..
"Who are you guys! We're like one of those groups of do gooders that saves people!" He strikes a pose "I'm the FLASH! Dibs!" He races over to help tug on the Elf's feet... barefoot, cracked soles, grimy and gross. Pewwww dirty hippy Elf feet yuck!
After much tugging, some tickling and wiping off his hands on Denny's back when she wasn't looking, Frankie emerges with the others, following Jan and Lazarus's lead. "Wooo, you guys are smart! I was just going to pull on his feet all day till he popped out!" The little man gives them each a hug before having his own drink of water from Meredith's waterskin.
"Oh, hey! I'm Frankie. Frankie the Flash!" He hops up and shakes the Elf's hand with a smile. "We travel around the world to save people, and just your luck too! Dragbog and your wulfbear pet brought us here!"
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A length of vine is pulled out of the ground as Brayden finally tears himself free, nearly falling over in the process. "Stupid foliage!" He complains, joining the others as they speak with the elven man.
"I am Brayden, and as they say, we are from the Pathfinder Society and here to help with the fire," the samsaran fumbles with his katana, removing leaves and twigs from it.
This is an old timer elf, not one of Kenner's daugthers. Why are you so awkward?
"We're told your name is," he puts on his best goblin accent, "Se-NEN-le-LEL. What is your actual name, though?"