Megan's Kingmaker PbP

Game Master Megan Robertson

"I wish to range undisturbed. I have three wolves serving me as scouts and hunters," says the worg.

"Just keep away, find your own place somewhere else."

Translates for everyone.....

Feral speech....
"I think we can work something out....can you live only on the meat of wild animals. And attack no people or livestock?".........what area do you desire?"

"We cannot control all of the humans to come any more than he can control all of the wolves on the planes. If his pack attacks humans or their creatures, they will be hunted and killed. Nothing we can say tonight will change that."

The magician's wore a look of concern as he listened to Golden Arm's words. How the pack alpha responded next would determine whether there was going to be conflict between them or not. Bearing that in mind, Lothar remained poised for battle should the negotiation turn sour.

Still readying an attack action should the wolves attack.

"Typically I am in agreement however, tha ability tah speak with a pack says tha mayhap tha reason wolves attack people an livestock is because they have not enough territory tah not starve."

@Worg
"Can you leave the peoples and livestock un-molested?"

Calinder worried by the response of the wolf that Barnabus translated for them, tenses and says, "We can try to work it out with them, but just remember we cannot befriend those who do not wish to be friends. Some are fated through their choices to be our enemies."

"It doesn't appear at this point this pack is going to be flexible in this negotiation."

Keeping her voice neutral and her eyes on the worg, Rhasadilara says, "This is not in our power to negotiate. We are doing all we can in providing a warning. If they do not heed it, there will be a conflict they are not going to win."

The worg licks its chops.

"This is my territory. Any creature entering may be eaten, if it tastes good. Those remaining outside will be safe." It describes an area that is roughly the hex you are in at present.

"Worg says anyone or anything entering this hex is fair game for eating, it it tastes good."

"I would then deem these wolves to be a danger to those who may travel these lands or bring livestock here. I do not believe we can leave them here and hope that they will not attack someone. I think they will have to be dealt with now, before someone or something else becomes their next meal.

"The wolves are part of the natural order and will do what they do. The worg is intelligent, is able to make a choice and has done so. I fear Calinder is correct about the worg, maybe not the rest of the pack."

Lothar could see where this was going. When even Calinder, perhaps the most peaceful person in the Wardens, was calling for the elimination of the threat that would be posed by the pack, it became perfectly clear that the negotiation had become an untenable prospect.

And yet Golden Arm did not want to eliminate the entirety of the pack, as she was convinced that they were only following the worg's lead.

Eliminate the worg and the wolves would no longer be a threat.

He understood and was ready to do his part in taking down the worg.

Shifting focus to the worg. Readying an attack action to deal with the alpha.

Barnabus levitates high into the air.....flight hex

"Seems that no agreement can be reached, I shall tell the Worg such that it may re-consider."

@ Worg
"It seems then that we have no chance to avoid conflict with you this day. Prepare then to fight unless you will obey the rules!"

"Watch our backs, Calinder. The wolves will try to nip in if they think we are not watching them."

"Okay Rhasadilara, I will watch behind us for more wolves."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9, watching for wolves coming up behind the party.

The worg stands up with a snarl... then turns and lopes away northwards.

Rhasadilara watches him go impassively. "We will have to be wary. It's not a stupid animal - it might take this as a warning, but it might take it as a declaration of war. I fear the latter. Let us maintain double watches and warn travelers and settlers that we meet."

He'll definitely be a problem if we let him go now. Lothar rose from where he had been crouched, the muscles in his legs tingling as the blood began to flow freely once more. Tell me we're not just going to let him and his pack range through this area. I don't think I could live with that on my conscience.

He looked back at the others, hoping to gauge some sort of reaction from the other Wardens.

I wuz waitin on one of you to make the first move. Next time I'll ride them down on Bess. Nilus says with a grimace.

She looks at Lothar and then Nilus for a long moment, then nods, "They will have the advantage in the dark. In the daylight, I will seek their trail."

All is quiet for quite some time... and then the howling begins. Near and far, as if a conversation was being held. It doesn't stop til nearly dawn, but nobody comes near the camp.

"Mine hope is tha Worg agreed, yet wanted to show only strength afore our eyes. Eventually tha fullness will be known."

After a night of listening to wolves howling, Calinder wakes and tries to prepare for the new day. Once he has completed his morning rituals, he seeks out Rhasa to speak with he ranger.

"Rhasadilara, how shall we deal with these wolves and what precautions do you think we need to take to do so?"

"We have choices and seem to be of two minds. Lothar feels we cannot let them go after they refused to agree with us. I fear they will be a greater threat the longer we leave them alone. Barnabus seems to hope they will refuse to agree to our face, but follow our directions while away from us. I have my doubts."

"I'm pretty sure our new friend would have been find in running them down last night based on his body language."

"What are your thoughts? What does Erastil tell you?"

"My initial instinct is that at least the Worg leader of the pack is evil and had I been better prepared, I may have been able to dicern his true nature. I feel that if if the pack leader had agreed to some kind of truce with us, it would not have lasted, and we would be right back to where we are now."

"I also think that had Gorguk still been with us, we would not have even attempted to speak with the creature. My feeling is that at least this one wolf is a threat and needs to be dealt with."

Based on what I've heard from the mouth of Barnabus, I'm inclined to agree with Calinder. The worg is the true threat. So long as he holds sway over the pack, no good can come from allowing them to range freely. Kill the worg. Save the pack.

"Let it be so. We hunt down the worg."

Do you want to track him, then?

Assuming no significant dissent, Rhasadilara is planning to track the worg if not the entire pack in the morning. She will also consider her knowledge of pack behaviors and her limited knowledge of the geography to determine where, if anywhere, a likely den might be located.

Survival (Tracking, Plains): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24

Knowledge (Geography, Plains): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

The worg has headed due north, the tracks of a determined animal with a specific destination in mind.

As the others break fast and ready themselves for the day, the ranger scouts, returning to report, "I have found the tracks for the creature. There's no sign of wandering - it seems to know exactly where it is going. I don't find that to be a good sign."

When everyone has made their preparations, let's be off after the creature.

We'll do what must, as we must. Lothar runs a hand across his bare scalp, trying to give Rhasa a reassuring look before mounting up.

Lothar is ready to ride out.

Calinder completes his morning preparations, packs, and readies his horse. When Rhasa returns and tells them that she was able to find the tracks of the pack and what they indicate, Calinder nods and says, "Thank you for your efforts Rhasadillara. Let us be on our way then and deal with this threat so we can continue we can continue with our exploration of this area."

Tally ho!

(Tracks are of a single animal, the worg, not the whole pack.)

It's a good day for tracking, a few traces of mist and a bit overcast but very still.

Realizing the cunning of their prey, Rhasadilara warns the others to be vigilant for traps. She makes a point of hiding the party's tracks as they travel.

And a reminder - When in the plains terrain, Rhasadilara grants all allies within line of sight and that can hear her a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. Also, as long as they travel with him, the ranger’s allies leave no trail and can’t be tracked unless she chooses to have one or more leave a trail.

Survival: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (14) + 16 = 30

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

Barnabus shrugs.

"If tha Worg is smart he would lead us into tha territory err gaping maw o some terrible an powerful denizen o tha land!"

"Thank you Rhasadilara for that warning and advise."

"Barnabus, that very well could be true, all the more reason to be watchful as Rhasadilara has suggested. I don't particularly want to end up as some creatures lunch."

Calinder smiles as he says this, with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"Rhasadilara, do you think he could be heading North to cause problems back at the settlement?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19

"It's possible. All the more reason we must find it."

"Can you tell where tha pack was dispersed towards?"

Rhasadilara did not care about the rest of the pack, but did she see any of the traces for the other wolves.

No wolf has been this way for a while, as far as Rhasadilara can tell.

Sensing his partner's urgency, Lothar kept silent on this trek. This was Golden Arm's area of expertise, so he followed her lead. If she needed him for anything, the magician was confident that she would make it known.

"No, Barnabus. They don't appear to have come this way at all."

"Well that will be good then if we only have to deal with the leader and not the whole pack."

"I still think tha beast is leadin us on either a chase o wild geese err some sort o trap."

Shrugs.....

"That may be true Barnabus, but I don't see that we have a lot of choice at this point, other than letting the creature go, which I don't think would be wise. We must just continue to follow and be wary and watchful of any surprises."

Two months real time later...

Rhasadilara continues to lead the party after the worg. Unless something changes, Rhasa will continue making survival checks to follow the creature and perception checks to hopefully avoid any traps it leads us into.

Barnabus attempts a song while the party is hunting the worg....

"Where o where has my little worg gone...oh where, oh where can he be?...I searched the greenbelt over and thought....."

Perform 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17

Eventually, with Rhasadilara leading the way and tracking, you hear snarling and shouting and crest a hill to see that worg, accompanied by three ordinary wolves, attacking a couple of gnomes who appear to be mapping the area.

You have surprise...