As you wait for Neverhome to finish calming down, a large white elk steps out of the forest and walks toward you. In a friendly voice, he exclaims, "Hail, friends! 'Tis strange weather to be wandering around in the forest. And you look so agitated! Is everything all right? I know it's none of my business, but can I be of assistance?"
Silence blinks at the elk in absolute utter confusion for a moment. Friend Neverhome, I didnt get shot in the face with spritely magic back there did I? Food is talking to me i think. yes yes. He began eyeing the strange elk and slowly edging forward atop his mount. He was beginning to wonder if the strange weather and fey creatures was making him paranoid as well.
"You could explain to us why there is a strange winter in these lands yes yes? It is not time for snow here." He added.
"Never heard of Sprite magic doing this."
The appearance of the "talking" Elk will grab his attention, making him forget what he was fretting about momentarily. And then he notices the Elk's mouth isn't moving.
"Da. We are seeking the sentinels. Do you know where they are spirit?"
"You all are seein this too right?"
Erika's jaw drops as the elk steps out and speaks. She looks around back at the group and back at the animal.
Of everyone, Blik is the only one who seems completely unsurprised by the speaking animal. Obviously wary of the unknown creature, but with a strange formality, Blik will bow slightly and speak with an unusual confidence in his small voice.
"My friend is right, we seek the source of this unnatural weather. If you have any insight it would be appreciated."
Whoa, I called him my friend! M-Maybe they are my friends now!
More than slightly perplexed at the appearance of a talking elk, Zses and Crow will give a good look at him/her/it.
Maybe this elk is not evil, but I'll better check. Strange things are happening here
His tail lashed and his whiskers twitched. His ears too, laid back. He tried to quiet the slight rumbling in his belly. He wondered if the elk could hear it. Still eating spirit elks was probably not a wise thing to do...even if it looked so very very tasty.
The elk begins to answer your questions when it notices Zsestrian mumbling and waving his hands around. "Um... what is that one doing? Is he all right?"
By all appearances, it's a normal elk - if a bit large for its type. It has pure white fur and majestic antlers. Of course, it's talking, so it can't be a mundane creature, but maybe it's some kind of magical beast? Elk are common in this part of the world, but you've never seen or heard of one that can speak.
"At this point I really couldn't tell you." he'll say with a shrug.
"No, but that's never stopped us before." Hobbes answers. "So what are you? Besides not a normal animal."
Erika steps forward tentatively towards the elk. "You can talk...? But, how?" She extends a hand to the animal slowly, letting it sniff her.
"Our friend is well, yes yes, He was shot by little blue things with rainbows and has been a bit confused since. Do all Elk talk in these woods? The local villagers never mentions talking elks, perhaps thats why my earlier hunts went sour. he began inching closer his tail slowly ever so slowly moving as his ears twitched a bit. He also kind of leaned forward a bit not exactly in a crouch yet but...he licked his lips again for a moment his eyes gleaming.
"Oh, sorry... I did that unconsciously. We were attacked by sprites, zombies and Tatzlwyrms, so I was scanning the area for magic effects out of paranoia. I'm sorry if I offended you..."
Crow will look with curiosity at the elk, and then croak to the bizarre animal "Are you like me? Talk too? Are you okay after all the snow?".
Too absorbed in looking at his feet in shame for offending the friendly elk, Zses doesn't notice that Silence probably wants to make lunch out of the elk.
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[spoiler=GM Rolls]
The elk shies away from Erika's outstretched hand. Perhaps its concerned about the hungry Catfolk? It's definitely eyeing him warily.
"I'm not really sure what you mean by 'what am I'. I'm just an elk! Perhaps a bit more intelligent than the norm, but that's about it. As far as I can tell, I'm the only one to learn your language, though, if that's what you're referring to." It looks curiously at Zsestrian as the chanting stops. "Well, did you find anything? It sounds like you've had a dangerous journey thus far, so I can understand your caution."
It thinks for a minute. "You say you're investigating the weather and looking for 'sentinels'? I don't know what those are, but this is definitely unseasonably cold weather. Snow in this season? So strange!" The elk doesn't seem bothered as it chuckles merrily.
Erika frowns at the elk as it steps back. She looks back at Silence and then back to the animal realizing the problem. She takes a step back placing herself between the Catfolk and the elk. "Yes, it is quite strange. This weather I mean..." She looks hesitantly and then speaks again. "Perhaps you could help us, I presume you know these woods? Do you know of anyone doing anything..uh... evil in the area?"
"Do you have name?"
Erika's movement into his path made his tail lash for a moment, She was in the way he couldnt...His eyes widened and his flat ears lifted back up. If one could see through his dark fur It would have been obvious he was embarressed. His composure regained the feline stood tall again his tail mildly swaying. "Yes yes, what is elk's name?" He asked, it was after all the epitome of bad manners to eat talking named spirit elks.
"Oh, yes, where are my manners. My name is Zsestrian"the witch will point to the raven "and this is Crow. What's your name?" Zses will ask with a friendly smile.
"The High Sentinels are a group of people that lives in this woods. They keep bandits away, and all have... Zsestrian will proceed to describe the Sentinels uniforms or something that identifies them.
"Do you know where they are? They've been missing since this strange weather started, and we were tasked to find them. By now, we only found two of them, but it was already too late..." He will fall silent and, with a pained expression, try to keep away the images of the massacre near the village.
The elk appears to relax as Erika interposes herself between it and the cat-beast. "I am called Fawfein. Nice to meet you. I don't understand 'evil', but I have seen people like how you described. Their wood cave home is deeper in this forest, but they haven't been there for a few suns now. I can help you look for them if you want. What should I tell them?"
"That... We're... Looking... For them?" Neverhome manages to say after a moment of confusion.
"Could you please point us to this 'Wood cave home'?" Zses will ask politely.
"Fawfein is a nice name, yes yes." the Samurai began his hand finally moving away from his katana. But friend elk I am sorry we must cut out conversation short. We have to find those men in the wood cave home and soon." He turned to moved to remount Mule and continue on their way. If they didnt have those pressing concerns he could have sat here and talked to the lunc...the stag for hours out of curiosity. Right now it was a distraction. And he might have been a little jealous, like a talking white elk was that impressive.
Hobbes is unusually quiet during all this. Granted one would think was used to things like talking cats, talking birds and talking goat-demon people.
"Very well," Fawfein replies, "The wood cave home is farther along this trail. It will take you a few more hours, most likely, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. I'll keep an eye out for the people and tell them you're looking for them."
The elk bids you farewell and walks away. Soon, it's lost from sight. You keep walking along the trail for a while before the forest begins to clear out again.
Silence watched the elk thing walk off with a slight little sigh... elk strip steaks sounded tasty, but still killing spirit animals was a bad idea he supposed. Though the talking beast hadnt been much help at all. He shrugged it off though and made sure to check on the mounts before they began to travel again. "A few hours to get answers then Yes yes? let us be careful, no need to barrel into some form of bad things like a trap. Is everyone okay?" He asked once more remounting Mule and adjusting his gear.
Silence's query brought him out of his concentration on the speaking elk only for him to realize how much colder it had gotten. "These southern lands have lulled my body into uselessness. I can feel it seeping into my soul. This definitely feels like home."
As they move just out of the area Fawfein is in, Erika looks to Silence, "He seemed like a nice animal. You didn't have to scare him."
"Rusalka is nice. Then they drown you."
"Be careful, Fawfein. These woods are no longer safe. If you see something strange, run away like an Erynies is chasing you. Take care.".
As the elk is walking away, Crow will croak a last farewell "Bye Fawfein!"
"Wow, this clothes are working better than I tought."
And Rusalka, hum. First omniscient psychopathic grannies, and now amiable murderers. Lyosha's homeland must be a really dangerous place.
Lost in thought, it will take some time before he notices that Crow's shaking. "Crow? Crow! Here, get under the scarf.It's getting too cold to just stand there on my shoulder." Zses will say, and then wrap the raven with his scarf.
"Your home sounds terrifying."
"It is.
"Do you think that elk was from those lands? Do they have talking animals?" He asked still slightly perturbed that the elk creature had... interupted them along the trail. It still seemed strange. Talking animals were strange to him. "is everyone keeping warm enough, frostbite and being overly cold is bad. We can use the magic of that wand to help if you are feeling ill." He added glad he was double furred at the moment, with both the clothes and well his natural silky smooth dark fur.
"Possibly. Never saw one while I was there, but Irrisen is very large and very dangerous."
"Personally, I think that elk was from around here. He sounded trustworthy enough, and he knew where the Sentinels were. I agree that he was strange tough..." Zses will pause a second to ponder."I detected some magic when he was around, but couldn't discern exactly what it was: it could have been telepathy, a shape shifting spell, a group hallucination one, or he could have been magical by himself, or something."
"Like me!" will croak the orange CrowBall on the witch's shoulder.
"There are some animals who have learned the tongues of humanoids, some are even really chatty! I once knew this squirrel once..."
Blik will twitch slightly as if remembering something terrible.
"Well they aren't always that nice. At least he didn't seem to mind the snow that much, though it does seem to be getting worse..."
As usual Blik seems unnaffected by the cold and ranges through the trees at the head of the group.
About 50ft in front of you, a human-sized snowman stands in the middle of the trail before a frozen stream. A crude wooden sign leans against it and bears the words "Trespassers Turn Back".
He blinked at the snowman.Then he looked to friend Neverhome. Then back to the snowman. His whiskers twitched and his tail slowly lashed. "Not right something, something not right." He muttered looking around the air for perhaps that surviving snow pixie thing that had tormented them earlier. "Why... why is this man of snow here? Who made such things, do you think the people who attacked the caravan are somehow watching us?" He asked Mule's Hoofs stamped irratiible in the cold snow. we should ignore that thing stupid fairies. Lets find a safe spot to cross, falling in the water in this cold would be bad. Yes yes."
Blik will sound out the words on the sign a few times, obviously not used to much reading.
"Trespass? I'm not familiar with any creatures that guard streams and write signs...
At the mention that the pile of snow was made to resemble a man, Blik will let out a high-pitched laugh.
"Haha! It does look like a man!"
Blik will playfully throw a snowball at the snowman and begin looking round for tracks.
At the sight of the snowman, Zses will furrow his brow "I agree Silence, something definitely wrong here. Who would put a sign like that here? Besides, who would build a snowman here in the first place? I doubt that when you're in the middle of a forest and a magical blizzard happens you build snowmans just for fun!"
"Unwrap me! Crow will shout.
As soon as he's free, Crow will start flying in small circles around the party to scout the nearby area.
Zses will wear a worried expression"Hold on, let's not get near it! I hope to be wrong, but I suspect I know what this thing is... Give me a couple of seconds"
Maybe he's someone that has been turned in ice, like that poor Sentinel near the village...
"You'd be surprised. I've got a bad feeling about this."
Neverhome will unsheathe the sentinel's sword and approach the Snowman with the intention of knocking it over but will stop at Zsestrian's warning. He'll take a step and take in his surroundings while the Witch works his magic.
"Hmm, Illusion and Evocation." He will chuckle and throw a rock at the snowman. "Well, Lyosha, I guess your plan was better than mine. Let's knock that thing over, it should have very little probabilities to explode! I think..."
"its magical you say? Perhaps we should leave sleeping snowmen lie yes yes? Although do you think you could hit the snowman with that crossbow?" The Feline Samurai began seeing this as an opportunity to get the face making strange friend Zsestrian a little practice at a realish target. Though if friend Neverhome really wanted to smash the snowman he supposed there was no harm in it.. other then it glowed magic, which made Silence wary.
Neverhome will shrug and go for swing before quickly turning and giving Zsestrain a narrow glare at the word "explode". "Perhaps crossbow would be best. Or very big stick." With that he'll step away from the snowman, giving Zsestrain a clear shot at it.
"Sure, give me a second" Zses will say while preparing his crossbow.
Okay, everybody's watching me...I have to at least hit that snowman
While he's aiming to the King Zombie in disguise, Zses will add "Let's try to keep our ears open. If that thing really is an illusion, it should make strange sounds or none at all"