Brandt, seeing his comrades step into action, loosens his axes and steps in front of Nalys. Drawing an arrow smoothly to his cheek, he sights along the arrow to find the next wolf to appear.
The wolves close on your position, avoiding the fire on the northern side of the camp, and winding their way through the trees.
Brandt's arrow glances off one wolf's toughened hide before the creature can jump out of the way, and with feral growls they run forward to come for you and your horses.
Isla begins performing her war song from the watch post.
Brandt discards his bow, unlimbering his Great Axe as he steps against the onrushing wolves. Yelling loudly, "Get Away!" he aims a brutal overhand chop at the first wolf he reaches, attempting to smash it to the ground quickly and singly.
The wolf nimbly dodges out of the way of Brandt's crushing blow.
Nalys touched ground, while spelling some words and grass and roots came alive, capturing everything in the area. He moved forward to help Brandt fight wolves.
Geliglee moves over to the fallen log north of Callum and prepares a spell if the wolves rush him.
Calum held his blade, waiting to strike. If he moved too far from the horses he risked being entangled by Nalys' spell, if he didn't move fast enough the wolves would be upon his allies in a split second.
Waiting for the right moment to strike Calum swiftly brings his blade down upon a wolf.
The wolves in Nalys' area of effect try to slip through the grasping creepers...
...Two are able to slip through, but one gets stuck.
Calum's sword blow cleaves through the wolf's shoulder, hurting it terribly and sending it in retreat.
Two wolves charge towards Geliglee on the log...
...and they are able to shake off the effects of his bright color spray! They press their attack by jumping and nipping at him...
...and though one misses, the other gets a solid bite in with it's teeth, tripping Geliglee backwards off the log!
The remaining wolf that can still move lunges in retaliation at Brandt...
...but misses, teeth going wide.
[url=https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1NPnSKXMJsDr0lYm9rT350IKO2GRr2LIX_Mb-VCgHfN0/edit?usp=sharing]Map updated. Party is up![/ooc]
Noticing that Geliglee is in trouble, Isla fires an arrow at the wolf sinking its teeth into the gnome.
When she releases the arrow sooner than she intended, she curses loudly, before continuing her song.
Brandt, continuing his assault upon the entangled wolves, attacks again.
Isla's arrow misses, but Brandt's axe strikes true. The wolf is grievously wounded, and looks ready to run at a moment's notice.
Geliglee attempts to blast the wolves with the dazzling colors again before moving behind Calum.
"Hmm, these seem to be a bit smarter than the average wolf. That or just hungrier. Taste my steel instead of my flesh creature!"
One wolf appears to shake off Geliglee's blast of colors, but the other is caught square in the eyes, knocking it unconscious to the ground.
Calum rides over to intercept the wolf that is jumping over the log after Geliglee, and carves a furrow in the creature's side. It howls at the wound, and attempts to flee.
The trapped wolf works its way free of the creepers to lunge at Nalys...
...biting him hard in the leg but not hard enough to take Nalys off his feet.
The other wolf, unable to escape the creeping snares of the foliage, gnashes wildly at Brandt...
...but cannot find purchase among the weeds.
Taking a second to calm down, Isla continues her performance and re-aims her bow at the wolf attacking Nayls.
Your arrow strikes true, and the wolf whimpers in pain!
Seeing Nalys potentially in trouble, Brandt redoubles his efforts with the wolf he's fighting while calling out, "Nalys, I'll be right there! Don't let it get you on the ground!"
Nalys jumped away from wolf, holding his club with both hands in protective manner.
I'm trying to, but it's very hungry
Calum dismounts from William in front of the gnome. Raising his shield he readies himself for when and if a wolf would attack him.
"Let's see if any will come this way Geliglee, perhaps they welcome death?"
Brandt's axe splits the wolf's head wide open, laying it to the ground.
"The wolf on the other side of the log is only out for a few moments. As I'm already injured, I'll defer to you who understands battle better than I."
Geliglee stays next to Calum.
The wolves are no match for your steel and magic, and have either dispersed into the woods or fallen. Your horses are much relieved that they have gone, and you have time to patch up.
Your meeting with the kobolds will happen three dawns from now.
Isla quickly scurries down the the ladder and runs over two her injured companions. "Are you alright?" she exclaims. Gesturing to their wounds, she asks "Um...may I?"
"Oh, thank you, Isla. Now I see, why that farmer couldn't use his magic oil - he haven't had that good friends to give him enought time for that" he smiled, but gently stopped, when girl started taking wand out. "Don't worth it. If I find some berries, I ask the spirits of nature to feed and heal me"
Nalys chanted a short prayer over the dried berries, affected by cold and long holding on their brush to be collected that evening. After that he selected 6 of them and offered 4 of those to his friends.
"Nature was generous and Spirits are supporting us, in our mission. Take this berry to heal a minor wound or keep it till morning and it will replace your meal with a small feast" after that he ate one of remaining berries and kept another one for tomorrow.
"Geliglee, I am sorry that I was unable to completely protect you. Looks like a wolf got his jaws on you before I could slay it. William is a bigger wall then I so I would recommend hiding behind him next time."
Calum wipes off his blade on a corpse before looking at his armor and sighing.
I just cleaned it off yesterday, who would have thought that there would be so much blood during a real fight to the death? None of the stories I read ever really touched on that.
Relieved as Isla's magic heals the painful wound, Geliglee thanks her.
"I will try better to keep from harms way in the future, but thank you Isla for your aid."
Looking to the group he adds, "Well, that was a fine awakening. I hope the meeting with the Kobolds goes better. Perhaps we should break camp?"
Isla nods, "The sooner we get to the meeting point, the less surprises we'll have come meeting time." Isla returns to her tent and starts working at disassembling it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Agreeing with Geliglee, Brandt nods, "Aye the sooner we get there the less likely it will be that they prepared something for us there." Considering everyone, "So who will lead our talkin' with the Kobolds?" Brandt asks.
Calum's brow furrowed a bit. Not opposed to the camping bit, the "knight" was more concerned about whatever else nature might have in store for the adventurers.
"I have been trained in the arts of speaking to people without offending them. However I believe that a good storyteller would be a better diplomat as she can be more fluid in her tone. The edicts of my Order make me appear soft in court. Although I would be honored to be a second Lady Isla."
Isla turns towards the group when she hears her name mentioned, letting a tent support rod slip from her grasp. Abandoning the heaping mess that was once her assembled tent, she walks back towards the party.
As she processes what Calum is suggesting, Isla looks down at the ground embarrassed and kicks some dirt around. "I'd like help...I really would...but I...I can't speak their language." Speaking very quickly, as if trying to justify herself, she continues, "I've been trying to learn it. I really have... I mean, I know its got some similarities to old elven...and I can pick up words here and there...but they talk so fast and I can't speak it at all..."
Sighing, she gestures to Geliglee, "I think its going to have to be Geliglee doing the talking. I'll try my best to advise him regarding diplomatic etiquette and whatnot...Goodness knows I been beaten over the head with that stuff since I could talk. But unless they speak Common, I will probably just offend them by butchering their language, if I try to speak to them directly..."
Smiling warmly Geliglee adds. "I will be happy to serve as a translator, with you being our representative Isla. It is hardly an uncommon practice. I'd rather not simply speak with them as I'm know to be a bit brash at times."
The trip from the bandit camp to the bridge is blessedly uneventful. You are able to follow the river without difficulty as it flows out of the trees and into the nearby hills, though you are not able to get very close - harsh brambles grow thickly on either bank for many meters.
When you find the bridge, you see that it spans a location where the river rushes through a seven meter deep gorge. The bridge is quite narrow, with only one railing, and appears just barely wide enough for your horses.
The surrounding land is filled with bare hills and cool winds. In this late winter month, there are very few signs of greenery emerging.
Far to the east, Nalys spots (and points out) what he believes to be a massive tree, bare of foliage. It would be several hours' ride to reach it from here, but it is a landmark that is clear for miles around. Otherwise, there are a few spaces between hills where you might be able to set up an unseen camp, if you keep your campfire smoke to a minimum.
Geliglee shuffles through the notes and scrolls he has been assembling as part of the exploration. "We could continue to expand our maps, that way we are not wasting time..."
Isla nods, "Let's get the lay of the land here first and rest up, then spend the next couple of days exploring... "
Isla begins scoping out the area, figuring out where kobold might try to hide ambushers.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Sounds like a grand plan, I think we're well suited to resting then spending time wandering about to see what we can see."
"Let's take look around" Nalys sent Shiara to seek something, that might pose a threat and started to check around by himself.