"An'so that is how I be wit' dem two halflin' lasses all night long, mates." The boisterous goblin chuckles at the end of his tale as if trying to give it some validity. Having finished the long winded, clearly fabricated story, he had been successful at keeping most of the group's attention distracted from the task at hand and on himself. He was a sucker for attention and his desire to seek it out usually got him in trouble.
Falger was beginning to think things wouldn't be as exciting as he had hoped, but he was enjoying the warm sun. He shrugged to himself, something would happen eventually.
Irikar shakes his head at Korvin's story, sighing, He will lead any bandits right to us with his loud voice... It's a good thing we're on an open plain!
Korvin opens his mouth wide and yawns. The warm sun beating on his skin warms his blood and his head, making him sleepy. The endless hours on the plains begins to wear at his resolve. He begins to daydream but quickly snaps from it. "I don't want dreams. I want action!"
"There's no way I thought I be signin' up fer dis. If dere's one ting dat is gonna kill me its dis boredom!"
He slinks down in his saddle and leans waaay back. He looks back and forth over the plains. "There's got to be something out there!"
Irikar chuckles slightly at Korvin, "Could be worse. We could be watching crops grow."
Stop! Do you all hear that?! Howling. And .. whimpering.
Kezzin nudges his pony a bit in the direction of the howling. It's over this way. Let's check it out...
Lead the way, High Lord Kezzin
With that, Alrich turns to follow the High Lord and tries to discern what has drawn his attention.
Falger found himself nodding in agreement with Korvin about the time Kezzin spoke up. Glancing at the kobold Falger said, "I don't here anything..." Then young man's eyes lit up with excitement, "but we should go check it out anyway!" Falger grinned as he directed his mount after Kezzin's.
I lead the way, following the sounds that I heard.
Jarix's faithful steed loyally follows the other horses, as a good herdmember does, allowing Jarix's reverie to go unbroken.
"Let's be movin' then.
He digs his heel into the pony's side a little, nudging to forward along with the rest of the group.
As Kezzin leads you towards the source of the sound, you eventually spot it: far up ahead, the noises exaggerated beyond belief, is a flock of wolves being led by a larger, darker kin. They are all chasing something that seems to be shifting in and out of existence - a tawny canine with a brilliant blue nimbus about it.
All the creatures seem to spot you at the same time - and in a blink of an eye, the chased creature is at your footsteps, panting. Great wounds drape its side as it fades in and out of reality. It looks over its shoulder and with a panicked, pleading voice, begins to speak.
The great, dark creature leading the pack of wolves is a creature known as a Worg - evil creatures that revel in malice and enjoy the suffering of others.
The creature at your footsteps is a blink dog - an intelligent, good-natured canine with the innate ability to shift in and out of existence. They naturally speak Sylvan.
"Please," he pants, "I... I cannot outrun the monsters at my rear, they've murdered my pack, and I'm too weak to continue much further..."
Falger slid down from his horse, drawing his blade. "That big, dark beast over there is a worg, we can't let an evil creature like that run wild. I don't know what this thing is saying, but we should help it."
I don't know what that big wolf is, but when Falger says "Worg," I immediately uses my staff to cast Mage Armor. I then prepare to cast Summon Monster I to summon a Celestial Riding Dog.
I say to the injured creature, I know not what you say, but I know an unfair fight when I see one, we will defend you. So saying I move my pony next to the animal and dismount in front of it, a little behind Falger.
I use my healing hex on the creature.
Healing Hex:
That should help your wounds. Let us deal with your enemies.
Init:
.
Let us rid this land of these vile creatures.
Irikar draws his bow and readies an arrow, "Agreed. It must be put down." A pity about the wolves, however. The beasts suffer only because that evil thing has taken lead of their pack.
He quickly casts Divine Favour, waiting for the signal to attack.
Korvin hops off his horse and pulls his two daggers from their places along his belt. He watches as the wolves approach, readying himself for death or victory. He stands alongside Falger - if Irikar stands near the front, Korvin will share his square.
"Well, today be a good day as any ta die."
Initiative:
"A worg! I, Jarix the Wolf, First Lord of New Celtara will not suffer such a beast to roam our lands. It is even using my namesake animals for its foul plans. I shall kill it and wear its head as my hat, its claws shall adorn my neck, and it's pelt will be used as a comfortable place to rest in my home. Oops, its getting close, I better prepare." That last part said very quickly.
Initiative:
Cast Force Shield.
Falger takes a few strides and sets himself so he's out of reach of the horses. He studied the wolves for a moment, trying to figure out if they would come at them, and how fast, before deciding on a plan of action.
The pack of wolves stop as the great worg leers in your direction. After a short while, they all turn tail and with great speed whisk away from you - at a surprisingly high speed.
Strangely enough, the pack of wolves and the worg seem to be affected by an expeditious retreat spell. Either that, or haste...
We cannot let that worg live.
Spellcraft:
Someone or something case a haste or expeditious retreat spell on those beasts. There is more here than just evil wolves. Lets follow them.
"Get back 'ere ya coward beast!" Korvin shouts as the wolves turn tail and flee. He sighs as he watches them disappear into the horizon.
"Ah, they be knowin' I is 'bout to die from boredom. They is gonna come back 'bout twelve hours from now and eat muh dead-of-boredom body."
Don't worry my friend, we will find something for you to do, I say with a wry grin.
Now, can anyone speak to this strange animal? I got the distinct impression that the sounds it was making were a language.
Irikar curses, "I knew I should have packed flight arrows!
Alrich looks toward the curious looking dog and the voices grow almost completely quiet and he speaks...
Do you speak common?
and then continues in another language
in Orc
Orc perhaps?
and then another language
in Draconic
Would you happen to speak Draconic?
When he finishes speaking, the voices grow louder once more and words from a great variety of languages can be picked out but without intelligible sentences.
Laughing:
I understand your orcish and draconic Alrich, but do you speak this one?
Do you speak the language of the under realms?
My guess is that this is the woodland language, what do they call it? Sylvan I think. Unfortunately I do not speak this language.
"An' they think I'm crazy."
Jarix stands triumphantly as his foes runs away in fear.
The strange dog responds with a sigh of relief when Msosth cures him - he still blinks in and out of existence. He responds with nothing but confusion at the myriad of tongues that you throw his way. Still breathing hard, it starts to mutter in a different language, and shortly after, he nudges one of you in the leg as if to continue speaking.
He seems to be casting Comprehend Languages! But while you can communicate with him, he still cannot respond to you... Perhaps it is best to resume speaking Common?
Spellcraft
"Did he just cast a spell? Comprehend Languages?" Jarix asks the group. "CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" He asks in a slow, loud voice. "IT IS GOOD TO MEET YOU. WE ARE THE LORDS OF NEW CELTARA. I AM JARIX THE ... FIRST LORD." He stumbles a bit over his name in an attempt to not offend the creature. Jarix puts out his hand to shake hands before he realizes that the dog probably can't shake hands.
Spellcraft
Falger watched the worg and its wolf pack with furrowed brows until the vanished in the distance. With a disgruntled sigh he sheathed his old fashioned sword and turned back to the others. He studied the strangely intermittent canine for a few moments before speaking. "My grandfather mentioned something like this once...I think he called it a blink hound or blink dog, or something like that. They're supposed to be pretty smart, even speak. I think he said it was Sylvan. Oh, and they do whatever it is he's doing."
Falger glanced at Jarix as he made his attempt at interspecies communication. After a moments hesitation Falger offered up his own suggestions and questions.
"If you can understand us then nod your head for yes, and shake your head for no."
"Are you alright?"
"Do you live around here?
"That worg, is it new in the area?"
Irikar looks at the Blink Dog carefully, then asks his fellows, "If it understands us and can cast spells, then I suppose it only looks like an animal, and so my gift from Erastil will not help us?"
As he waits for an answer, he keeps scanning the horizon, looking for the worg and wolf pack, or any other threat that might befall the group while they are distracted. That thing might be bait or part of a larger trap...
The blink dog looks at Falger, slightly frightened by Jarix, and he nods in approval. At the first question, he nods; the second, he shakes his head; and the third, he shakes his head.
Mechanics
Haunted Curse
Haunted: Malevolent spirits follow you wherever you go, causing minor mishaps and strange occurrences (such as unexpected breezes, small objects moving on their own, and faint noises). Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction. Add mage hand and ghost sound to your list of spells known. At 5th level, add levitate and minor image to your list of spells known. At 10th level, add telekinesis to your list of spells known. At 15th level, add reverse gravity to your list of spells known.
I have made the faint noises into whispers and taken the liberty of having their volume increase from time to time. No mechanical effect but I like the story aspect.
Also, Alrich has the possessed archetype with the fluff that these spirits following him are the ones melded to his soul and occasionally "bleeding" out.
For note, Alrich is a possessed (archetype), haunted (curse) oracle of the ancestor mystery.
Spellcraft:
Looking at the blink dog.
I am glad that you are better, I only wish we could have eliminated the blight that was attacking you.
So, you are not from around here?
Are you seeking help for yourself or other fey?
Korvin draws closer to the dog and inspects it carefully. He then reaches out and tries to touch it while its phasing in and out. "That be the most killer thing ever."
Kezzin walks over to the strange canine and addresses it, Is there any chance you can show us where that evil beast is lairing? It is a threat to everyone and everything in the area.
At Msosth's questions, he shakes his head twice. When Kezzin asks for the worg's location, he splays his ears and shakes his head once more.
Falger glanced around at the others before speaking up again. "I don't think anyone would object. Do you want to come up with us, at least until we're gone from this area?"
Looking back up at the others Falger sighed, "Unless someone is a stellar tracker I don't think we're going to find that worg any time soon..." He paused as though he had just thought of something and looked back down at the blinking canine. "Could you track it by scent? If you can, would you be willing to?"
To the party - Does anyone know the spell comprehend languages? If so we could cast it and be able to communicate with this intelligent dog through reciprocal spells.
Irikar turns back from his scans of the horizon at Falger's comment and chuckles, gently teasing, "Someone spent more time reading than hunting growing up, I see?"
He smiles and then says more seriously, in a tone much like someone teaching lore to others, "The evil creature is large and surrounded by a group of fellows... who were far more concerned with speed than stealth. Their trail will be easy to find... especially since it's mere minutes old."
With that, he dismounts and heads over to the last sighting of the pack, pointing out what prints he finds to the Magus, while saying, "Of course, the thing is intelligent and probably knows that we can follow it -- so I can't guarantee that this trail would lead anywhere safe. In fact, I expect an ambush."
"No. Rather, we should take our new friend home. Can you lead us to your home?"
Irikar looks up, trying to hide the disappointment on his face, "That beast is a threat to the Realm!" Deadeye's Blood... these City folk will be the end of me! He takes a calm breath and then says, "..But, as you will, First Lord."
"I agree wit me mate. Dis beast is bad fer us all. The longer we be waitin, the longer it has to cause some harm. Let's get it while it be fleeing and be don'wit'it." Korvin looks a bit upset as well. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and you can tell that he is more upset at the fact of not being able to enjoy the hunt rather than not saving people. Though, from his stories you can tell that his concern is genuine, it just isn't as enthusiastic as his desire for adventure.
"Irikar, brother... Ya ever be gettin' the sense that we traded another one of dem dirty human lords fer another that be just the same?"
With all due respect First Lord, we cannot permit a threat of like this to exist in our lands, it must be eradicated!
My thoughts are to go after the critters. I'm itching for a fight and I have never eaten wolf or worg. Never knew when my next meal would be growing up and I can't really say that I know now. The skins could keep the less well-off of our community warm when the winter comes around and I am sure we could use the meat for jerky and the sinews for making bows. But, to be honest, I am itching for a fight.