Aleria looks on, listening to him. Her grin turns soft, a smile of a caretaker to her ward. She gently starts to smooth his hair, making sure that he is bandaged and able to move. She can't help but laugh a little as she speaks. "If you are that afraid of yourself, i'm sure we can have you fitted for a collar and a leash."
She smiles at him, her mirth dying down for a moment. "That fire not only kept you safe, but the rest of us as well. All of us have strength and weakness. The trick is, to embrace your strength to overcome weakness, not to deny your strength in fear of your weakness."
She gets the last ones in place and smiles. "Alright, you big ox, you should be able to move now without turning the whole place red."
Ra'hl laughs along with her. "I'm not the biggest fan of animals as it is. I don't think I'ld enjoy living like one."
Ra'hl climbs to his feet, looking down and the shambled rags his clothes have become. "And this is why I bought the magical garments." With a small readjustment of his sleeves, Ra'hl's forester outfit tailors itself back to a perfectly clean and fresh outfit.
"Thank you, again. It was very kind. For both your deeds and words. I will keep it in mind." Ra'hl grins at Aleria, "But you'd do well to remember I am no ox. A dragon maybe, but certainly not an ox."
Jhod approaches and looks with earnest interest at the party but seeing that Aleria is dealing with majority of the issue of Ra'hl's health he moves on to the place where the bear disappeared from, There are rumors, of course. Legends. That Erastil, in ages past, would take those among his faithful that were not of his liking and "teach" them lessons. Transform them to creatures. Lock them in vessels so that they might learn. This place is old, perhaps this is such a tale. We should stick together so take a few moments to rest, then we should look in the cave and elsewhere around the sight to be sure that all is at peace in this place...
Duška slowly lowers her bow and eyes first the demise of the bear and its true souls reveal with wide eyes;
Ai Maminka! The blood of the great wyrm runs deep...
With new found respect and a hint of caution, the fey-touched ranger moves to her comrades;
"Then we released someone here... This was blood well spilt yes? If there can be such a thing..."
She maintains an overwatch on Ra'hl and Aleria as healing both physical, and perhaps emotive, are administered.
Ra'hl draws himself up, finding his bastard sword in the tall grass and lifts it up, cleaning the blood that was spilled upon it off the blade and handle. Once it is sufficiently cleaned, he slides it into the sheath and turns his attention to the cave's entrance. "Shall we proceed?" Ra'hl asks with a bit of hesitation.
Aleria nods, sighing softly at Ra'hl, before picking herself up, and readying her bow once again. She will begin a complete search of the area in and around the shrine.
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Cuddles, Mattrim, Saber and Anton navigate west partially by memory but otherwise by skill tracking back over the terrain and back into the woods to meet up with the others. The small band passes by the gold vein that the original group found early on as well as the large bandit camp (now abandoned) that set the stage for the current tensions with the Stag Lord.
The group notes that until they hit the treeline there is an almost constant presence of kobolds just off the horizon seemingly moving about too and fro to parts unknown and back, never getting close to the group but in many cases seeming to be keeping an eye on it. The group also notices a few times that there are tracks belonging to horses and men. Most of it is old, and very well may be the bandits the group has at the Post but there may be more scouts.
Regardless there is little trouble and after 2 days of brisk travel the wizard, hunter, monk and tiger come upon their comrades at the Temple of the Elk...
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Aleria, Ra'hl, Jhod and Duska take their time at the temple as a number of events unfold over the next two days.
At the recommendation of Jhod the group commits to staying and exploring the ruins. The place brightens notably as the bear passes and the fountain in the center of the grounds, with water that was much filled and murky becomes cool, clean and restorative, offering healing magic. After a day the magic fades but the water remains bright and pure.
Aleria and Jhod find old journals and notes from a priest who lived here in the days of Taldor's efforts in the region. It is a story of sadness as it is clear the priest meant to provide a beacon of Erastil's glory but turned to despair as civilization was defeated at the hands of wild natural forces. The cleric's faith clearly turned in his final days and his writing border on blasphemous as he notes preparations for a ritual to sacrifice a bear in the name of driving out the "trolls and monsters of these lands". In the days that follow the ritual the cleric notes his body is changing and a sickness is taking him, he laments his sins against Erastil's promise of natural harmony and views his ritual as an affront to Old Deadeye's will...Jhod concludes that Erastil punished the cleric for his folly, giving the temple a protector and sustaining it at the cost of the cleric's humanity.
The two Erastilians are able to make significant headway cleaning the temple site and restoring it to its former glory; a symbolic melding of wrought stone and man made beauty deep in the heart of the wood.
Ra'hl finds little of interest and is often wathing warily along the outer edges of the site. Occasionally the bloodrager spots predators and prey alike but they all seem to give the temple a deference and distance. Ra'hl swears once again that he catches a glimpse of a unicorn but even a fleet footed pursuit shows no evidence.
Duska receives, on the other hand, a very clear sense of fey presence. In the two days before the others arrive Duska finds her harrow deck's cards rearranged (some placed in the deck backwards) as well as small artful arrangements of acorns, twigs and other foliage. At one point the half-elf finds a hand written note that literally says "no fey here" and upon reading it the ranger could swear she heard the sounds of laughing and then a brief struggle. All of her attempts to put eyes on the culprits, however, are for naught.
Just has been made as clean as it can get without supplies (to replace broken stones or otherwise do what the groups limited magic can not) the other half of the group arrive...
Ra'hl spots the others approaching and with concern in his voice he calls out "Hey! Is everything alright at Oleg's. I thought we were to meet there?"
In the background of the bloodrager Duška sits looking at her deck of cards. She smiles to herself fleetingly, afore turning her penetrating stare toward the arriving members of their group...
Aleria has spent much of her time as Jhod most likely has. She busies herself with the cleaning, and restoring of as much of the temple as can be.
When the rest of the group arrives, she is in one of the rear chambers overlooking the reflecting pool. Her face a calm mask of serenity as she sits meditating in a seated lotus position.
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Blasted Kobolds, what in the devil are they up to?
Returning his thoughts to the present, Mattrim meets Duška's stare with his own, before before turning his attention to the site and the others. He gently removes himself from the back of the horse he is riding.
Well at least that's done with for now.
Mattrim does his best not to show his discomfort from riding while reaching in to his belt pouch to hand Saber a scrap of meat, before scratching the Tiger's ears.
Hearing Ra'hl
"Dunno, haven't been back yet. We scouted to the other side of the river, ran into some sort of "creature" guarding the passing we found." Mattrim nods his head towards Anton, hoping the wizard might give a better description before continuing. "We found a place to pass though, and decided to head back before trekking to far in on our own. We decided it would be easiest to meet up with you here, and see what you found."
Mattrim begins to study the area more closely, interest taking over his face. Letting out a low whistle: "This place is something. Was it this 'neat' when you found it?"
Cuddles takes the horses' reigns and leads them to the water in the fountain in an effort to make them drink. They must be thirsty, after all.
Noticing Mattrim's cue, Anton takes a deep breath, ready to launch into a diatribe on the differences between corporeal, incorporeal, intelligent, and mindless undead creatures, but something in the half-elf's attitude makes him reconsider. "A most unusual creature," he says instead. "Bound to the site, perhaps by revenge or greed - clearly intelligent, and desirious of the corpse of the bandit leader. He was unlike anything I've read about in my studies."
Ra'hl spends most of the days in the temple helping with whatever task is asked of him. He is mostly attempting to stay out from underfoot, far more concerned with being out of the way than exploring the temple on his own. He makes sure to tell the others of the unicorn he thought he saw, curious if such creatures are known to this area and what legends they've heard tale about the beasts.
As Anton and Mattrim describe the creature they found, Ra'hl listens in but is quite confused. "I don't understand, is it like an animal or something?" We found a bear, or something here. An old priest transformed and bound to the site by some old magic is Jhod's assessment. We were able to end the magic albeit accidentally. Once we did so, the temple seemed to cleanse itself. Though most of the work you see here was done by those two." Ra'hl says pointing out Aleria and Jhod, making sure they get the credit they're due.
Jhod nods after Ra'hl and seems quite proud of the work, I think it is my calling to stay and hold the light here as that fallen priest once meant to. Perhaps I will meet with more success as you bring order to the area.
Aleria seems much more calm and serene as she walks this place. "The Elkheart holds this place as holy ground. A former priest fell into despair, and committed atrocities against Erastil, his punishment being to live life as a diseased animal until he was laid to rest. It is not entirely unheard of for Deadeye to punish errant followers such. I hope that his soul finds peace."
She looks over to Jhod. "If you wish to stay, brother, I will understand. If you need anything, just send word. Perhaps, when the time comes, we can build this community together."
Aleria looks to the others. Unlike her sometimes pointed or on edge looks, she seems much more soft and..., feminine. "How did your venture go?"
Mattrim shrugs at Jhod "It seems to be a fine temple, I wouldn't mind seeing it kept up."
Turning to Aleria and Ra'hl
"I wouldn't call it a 'creature', I'm not sure myself, looked awfully rotten though. Liked Anton said, mentioned it was bound to the area, said it had been murdered.
Other than that we saw some Kobolds, who left us alone, though they didn't stray far from us either. We also found some tracks of what might be more bandits in the area" Mattrim's eyes flash for a second "but it was impossible to tell, they could have just been from the one's we caught. Best to keep an eye out though."
Eyeing Anton and Cuddles
"Am I forgetting anything?"
Saber moves about sniffing the area, taking interest at any areas that might smell particularly interesting, before laying down in a comfortable location. Eyeing the going on's of the Two-Legs.
"I believe that covers all of the most important points," Anton agrees, eyeing Saber suspiciously as the tiger walks past him. He was still finding ground tea leaves in the bottom of his pack and between the pages of his books. "You look different," he adds, casting a critical eye over Aleria.
Cuddles responds with a grunt. FALL-APART MAN LIKES US
Aleria flashes a brilliant smile to Anton. Her voice is soft and sweet, though something about it may send tingles down the spine. "Oh? Different? However do you mean Master Anton?"
Ra'hl flashes Aleria a flirting smile, chuckling softly at how uncomfortable she seems to be making everyone.
Mattrim shuffles his feet uncomfortably, pointedly paying the current conversation no mind before going to take a seat beside Saber.
Odd ones, them.
"You appear to almost be glowing," Anton replies, frowning in confusion. Then he sees the brief smile from Ra'hl, and it makes sense. "Ah! Post-coital. I see." He grins, satisfied at having reached the conclusion of that brief puzzle. "Well, if the two of you are quite done satisfying yourselves, perhaps we'd best leave this place - soon - there's a lot of ground to cover." He retrieves a stub of pencil and a battered journal from his saddlebags before wandering around the temple, making notes and muttering to himself the whole while.
Aleria's eyes blink a few times. She looks at Anton, then Ra'hl, then back to Anton. She then casts a glance to Cuddles and then Mattrim. She then looks back to Anton. "I see. Well then..." Her features slowly start to stiffen and harden again into the face of the armored huntress.
She casts a glance to Ra'hl, who is flashing the smile and glares. "I hope it was good for you..."
She storms back into the back of the temple, trying to gather her things, and cursing under her breath.
Ra'hl shakes his head at Anton, "I don't think that Erastilians do such acts before marriage, though I am no expert on religion. Even if I am wrong, I can not besmirch her honor." Ra'hl watches her storm off before continuing, "I think she just found a place to call home, though I'm even less of an expert on her. So take the observations with a grain of salt."
Duška sighs quietly as the group interplay turns to matters carnal.
The lithe ranger wanders over to the others, mindful not to catch the tall Hunter's eye, but interested in his feline companion.
"Bajtárs...This Fall Apart Man... Did it have give itself a name?"
Jhod clears his throat noticeably at the interplay and gestures to Duska emphatically, Er yes..yes! This creature had a name did it?
Ra'hl shakes his head at Anton, "I don't think that Erastilians do such acts before marriage, though I am no expert on religion. Even if I am wrong, I can not besmirch her honor." Ra'hl watches her storm off before continuing, "I think she just found a place to call home, though I'm even less of an expert on her. So take the observations with a grain of salt."
Aleria fumes, tossing things at the back of the shrine into her bag. "The bloody honorless leading the clueless! Deadeye save us all!" Her anger seems to be boiling over as she gathers her pack and bow and quiver, moving out front. She seems to be looking for something, setting up what appears to be a target out front.
Anyone that tries to catch her eye or attention gets a fierce firey glare as she continues about her business.
Cuddles approaches the fuming huntress carefully and innocently holds his arms wide. HUGS MAKE BETTER?
Ra'hl just stares at Aleria both flabbergasted and clueless at what he did to elicit such a reaction. Her frustration is quelled by Cuddle's reaction though. He hated to admit it, but Ra'hl found himself a little jealous of the orc's simplistic view of the world.
"Preposterous. This is an abandoned temple in the middle of the woods, it's not a place any sane person should call 'home'. Though the architecture is quite fascinating; I wonder how old it is?" Noting the way Aleria fumes and storms about, Anton turns to Ra'hl, an expression of puzzlement on his thin face. "Did I say something to upset her?"
Duška's eyes narrow as Anton continues to speak;
Ayi Maminka! You always said books do not make men smart!
The ranger absentmindedly shuffles her Harrow Deck as she shakes her head;
"Friend Anton. In The Wilds choices are made not on sanity but instinct yes? Accursed duty and instinct kept the Medve here..."
"Animals make choices on instinct, yes," Anton replies, only half-listening to Duška. "Perhaps if more people used rational thought rather than base instincts, the world would be a better place for it." He closes his journal with what would have been a satisfying snap if not for the dog-eared pages. "Duty, though, that makes sense." As if remembering something, he snaps his fingers, adding, "Oh, and the foul creature we found called itself 'Davik'. An odd name, not one of any historical significance."
Duška ignores Anton's somewhat lecturing tone and mulls on the name, searching her memory for any significance from rumour or experience;
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Mattrim, having relieved his loins from the ache of riding on the horse, stands back up.
Addressing everyone, or whoever is immediately present. He stands awkwardly, pausing, trying to figure out how to best go about this. Finally, after a minute, he gives up and launches into a long winded speech where his voice starts to rise in pitch slightly, and the tempo of his voice picks up as well, the longer he talks.
"So, we've purified the temple and we've scouted the immediate area ahead. We should perhaps consider what our next move might be. On one hand we still have our 'friends'Mattrim does his best to remain cordial sounding on the matter, though a slight twitch of the lip perhaps reveals otherwise "Under lock and key. Whatever we do to them, we should figure that out soon and be done with it. On another hand we saw a lot of Kobold activity in the area and tracks of other possible bandits, they might be nothing, but it might be worth looking into as well. Last we also have to consider what that spirit, or creature, or whatever it might be, delaying taking action against the Stag Lord will likely only anger it, if gone too long, so at some point we need to start considering what we will do there."
Mattrim stands, finished for the moment, clearly flustered.
Ra'hl seems notably interested in the report of kobolds. "How many?" Ra'hl asks trying to reign in any signs of enthusiasm. "And, were you able to mark their coloring?"
To Rahl's questions the smaller group that arrived can report that the kobolds in the area run in the "black" range with some dark scarlet and blue making an appearance. They also never saw less than two or more than six.
To Anton's point Jhod can only bow his head and smile, Like the monastaries of other orders or remote libraries of learning, Deadeye urges us to set about monuments of his power on the frontiers' of our lands. True, the setting is rustic but I am a man of nature. I will remake furniture and the like, the cave is built to live in and I am blessed with magics to aid me. I will not molder here like fruit or hermit myself like the last caretaker. But I was called here, while you were called to deal with other things. the cleric offers a slight shrug as thought that settles the matter.
With Jhod's decision to stay behind the group decided it best to capitalize on the crossing to the east at the river. Over the next two days the newly reformed group sees almost esactly what Mattrim, Cuddles and Antone described coming in: kobolds skulking on the horizon and faded tracks from bandits. With nothing new emerging on the trek the group reaches the crossing in the fading light and decides to camp and cross in the morning.
Mattrim will go about his usual business, before taking a walk around the campsight. Before casting to see what the birds have to say. As green energies wrap themselves around him, filled with the dark fleeting images of abstract birds perhaps chittering amongst themselves.
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"We should decide on watch order before we sleep."
"Remember, if you need ice, just ring the bell."
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The birds report the movement of a handful of creatures that almost forces Mattrim to roll his eyes until they mention 2 legs on 4 legs in 2 groups of 3. The blinding speed that birds love to quote the numbers of things the notice in patterns almost being indecipherable at first.
Duška nods absentmindedly in agreement at the discussion as she looks out to the falling dark;
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The interjects the plans on that which she sees;
"Hold. Across the river to the South. Flickers of light... I think them not fey yes? Camp fires perhaps... Or other with charter? Or bandits..."
The lithe ranger's brow furrows;
"Matters not. If I see them. They may see us. Be ware..."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Anton sighs, squinting into the darkness. "There's nothing out there." With that, he sets about setting up his bedroll, muttering about the sticks and stones as he does so.
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Cuddles stands Anton up by the head and directs his face toward the two obvious pin points of light. Silly Anton, always looking just a little to far to the right.
Cuddles' large hand twists into Anton's messy hair and easily lifts the skinny man half a foot into the air. With a surprised yell, Anton slaps indignantly at the hand, finally managing to drop to the ground. Now that he was facing the right direction, it was easier to see something there.
"Alright, so what do we do?" he asks with a sigh, rubbing his aching scalp. "Do we find somewhere else to camp?"
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Mattrim stands there doing his best to maintain patience before dismissing the birds.
Blasted featherballs, can't you ever just mention the important information.
Sighing Mattrim turns back after hearing Duska, Cuddles, and Anton; grimacing at the latter's yell. "Not so loud."
"Anyways, it would seem the birds agree that there are others out there. The birds report seeing two groups of three. Sounds like they are on horseback as well.
I say we could keep our distance for now, keep the fires out, and try to follow them in the morning. See where they go. That way we don't have to try crossing the river in the darkness."