Ganamede snarls around his mouthful of Dewdrop as a dagger, arrow and speartip pierce his armor. The rest of his gang redouble their efforts seeing Ganamede's furious gaze turn on them. The last one with the bow simply charges at Corrin instead of trying to shoot him once more, while the others stab with greater fervor.
The man closest to Ganamede seems to wilt as his dagger drops to the floor from clumsey hands, while the others hit their targets, causing slight punctures in Corrin and Anyborthelos.
Any tries again to slice the man in front of him. He adopts a more fluid fighting style, bobbing and weaving, and then lashes out when the man leaves a slight opening.
Ganamede is tired of chewing on the elk and drops Dewdrop to take his rage out on his tormentors. His fury is not restricted to your own group as he reaches out to rip apart his man that just dropped his weapon.
After ripping a hole in his gang members stomach he turns on Callanniel.
Letting Cal fall to the floor he turns bloodthirsty eyes on the rest of the group.
Moving away from the crazed man Dewdrop tried to headbutt the gang member who just stabbed at Corrin, Corrin however had only one mission it seemed to fell the crazed leader.
The man is overwhelmed by Dewdrop, Nilelane, and Anyborthelos' simultaneous attack and drops to the ground when Nilelane's blade finds a new home in between his ribs.
In addition to all of this Corrin's arrow again finds the seam in Ganamede's armor, adding another puncture wound to him.
The last gang member, with wide panicked eyes, tries to stab Dewdrop to stop the goring from happening to him.
The gang member manages to get his shortsword in one of Ganamede's bite wounds on Dewdrop and punctures deep within the elk.
Any dashes over to aid his allies, and takes a running, leaping slash at his foe.
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
His usual awkwardness is gone in his fear for Dewdrop, and the craze of battle.
Ganamede swipes a claw along his armor and moves to the middle of the large melee , his voice able to shake granite loose from the hillsides and holding much threat, "I've killed three of my gang members today, would you like to be the fourth?"
The final gang member looks back and forth between your group and Ganamede, confusion in his eyes. Ganamede takes this time to lick his fangs lasciviously and bites at Any.
His teeth clack together on empty air as Any's dance moves him aside gracefully.
Dewdrop spun about a loud sudden braying escaped his lips as he took a step torwards Ganamede off the blade of the gang member who stabbed him then collapsed to the ground.
No.....no...NOOOO!
He drew and fired an arrow at Ganamede quickly before rushing torwards his fallen friend
Nilelane's weapon bites deep, and her words confuse Ganamede as he turns his head away from her direction. He tries to see where she is before giving up and turning to Any, "Looks like your friend left you to my tender care..."
The final gang member, swayed by words, terrified of his boss, and noticing that Ganamede is bleeding a lot more than usual steps up to take a swing at him, stabbing him deeply in the seam of his breastplate. The look of shock on Ganamede's quickly paling face is quickly replaced by fury.
Any sneers at Ganamede's words, tries for a quick thrust to the gut, hoping to spill his enemies entrails.
"You'll have to do better than that...you...um...cur?"
Any's final slash takes Ganamede across the gut as his breastplate rides up during his movement, causing entrails to spill across the pages on the floor. He looks shocked briefly before all the rage leaves his face permanently, slumping to the floor and bleeding profusely changing the parchment beneath him red.
The final gang member drops to his knees as tears stream down his face, "It's over. It's finally over..."
He channeled natures regeneration into the some of the berries he had in his pouch immediately handing two of them to Any.
gi...gi...give the..them to...to Cal.
He said as he knelt by by his friend, First staunching his wound then trying to get the young elk to eat a healing berry. He knew the one berry wouldnt be enough, but it would help to make sure he pulled through. Once he was done there he moved to Cal, double checking the aide provided by Anyborthelos.
Nilelane's search comes up with:
- +1 Breastplate
- Masterwork longsword
- 240 gp
- Curious furled note
We have been following you since we have arrived in town, and we believe you will be a perfect addition to our organization. Our Lord can always use more Terror troops to put the proper fear and respect in the elves that reside in His rightful domain. The emissary we sent bearing this letter will be able to show you what His power can do. Do not refuse this offer or your life is forfeit.
At the bottom of the letter, instead of a signature, there is an emblem, an axe biting deep into a bleeding tree stump.
- Endure Elements (CL 1st)
- Shock Shield (CL 3rd)
He wasnt really paying attention to miss Nilelane at the moment, he was moving from Cal to Dewdrop in a perpetual state of worry for them both... However once he was sure they would be okay.... He knelt by Dewdrop trying to keep the elk still ... though he was grim faced and pale, shaking just slightly.
He had almost lost his bestest good friend, and while he he was very much assured that they had done a good thing, that the affront to nature Ganamede had been responsible for it.
Eat... you want to eat us?
He said lowly still not really paying attention to the gangmember or the others really. He slowly pulled out his sickle and moved to the monster. He placed the point of it just under his sternum and cut deep, after several moments he reaced and and felt around tugging until he had the dead monsters heart.
Na.na Nature will not a.a.acc...accept you in its cy..cycle, there will be no rebirth, no re..re..renewal that comes from you abhorence.
He muttered glaring at the carcus. He rose heart still in hand and actually glanced torwards Anyborthelos.
C...c..can you hel..help me ge..get some rocks to co...cover the body. I..I..i dont want an..any animals to sca..scavenge from it will we ca...can burn it.
Any runs to Cal, and drops a berry in his mouth. He squishes the other up, drops it in too. Working Cal's throat to induce swallowing; his face is tense.
Once it seems the worst is passed, he nods at Corrin's request. He stands, and quietly begins looking for the requested rocks.
'Nothing I say will help; silence is best, I think.'
The man looks entirely worn out, flat on his ass, arms resting on his knees as his head hangs on his chest. He breathes quietly and his voice becomes monotone, "Not much to tell...I was in it for the money. Joined, got up in ranks, Ganamede went nuts, started chewing on the marks. Thought it was funny, didn't think anything would happen. Then he started eating us. Wasn't funny anymore. He did this, we were too scared to leave, thought we'd be next. Turned on each other so we wouldn't be.
Then a guy in a cloak finds our place, demands to see Ganamede. Shock of red hair, pale skin, mark on the palm of his hand. Asks us to join their 'crusade'. I thought Ganamede would just eat the guy, instead they go to a private room and talk.
Man leaves through door behind the throne, you show up, everything goes to shit."
The sound of voices. Callanniel opened his eyes and saw nothing, so he closed them once more. Is stomach still ached and his head was still spinning. He moved his arms and legs and once he was sure everything was working properly he sit up, looking for his spear around him. He then paid attention to the voices once more. Corrin... Nilelane... Any. So I'm definitely back... There was another man talking and after a while Cal could discern that the man was probably a prisoner. Good, information is always good. He got up with the help of his spear and once more his head spun, still torment by the feverish nightmares he experienced when he was unconscious.
"I think I'm a bit lost here... what have I missed?"
Any sighs.
"She's...not wrong. I wish she was, but she's not."
He moves to help Cal stand.
"Glad to see you pulled through! Corrin had some magic berries that fixed you right up!"
There is a slight passage with musty stairs leading up, though it doesn't look as though more than one person can ascend at a given time.
"I don't know Nilelane...I don't know. For what it's worth...I don't want to find out either. But duty calls."
The passageway back to the surface is old and musty. The occasional cobwebs can be seen along the sides of the sheer rock and the tunnel begins closing down on itself, leaving enough space for a single file line. The air is damp and certainly chiller than the air on the surface.
When you break out from the underground, through a small trapdoor hidden by the foliage and undergrowth of the area, the sun immediately warms your faces. When the glare from the light finally fades you can see through the brush to the clearing that Harpina has talked about in the past.
The land is scorched, and there are still several small fires blazing around the edges of the glade. More disturbing are several trees that have turned an ashy grey color, whose branches stand naked and upright, as though eaten away by disease or blight. There are no signs of anyone in the clearing.
His eyes took in the scorched earth and he immediately almost pannicked. He put an arrow on his bowstring and his eyes darted about.
Harpina!
He whispered harshly hoping she was nearby and not hurt.
Callanniel follows the other into the passage and feels the touch of the sun and the kiss of the wind when they leave the underground... but something was strong, a stench too much familiar, the stench he feels in his dreams.
"Blasted land... the blight! What happened here? Harpina? What happened to her, Corrin, please tell me!"
Anyborthelos is struggling with formulating a thought. His mouth moves, yet no sound comes out. He eventually gives up in frustration, and jerks when Callanniel speaks, apparently startled.
A slight breeze has kicked up, and the sky has darkened considerably since you've gone underground.
"Forgive my ignorance...but, um...is there a real reason why they would want this?"
He blushes, and then quickly adds "I'm not asking because I think we can reason with them...it's just...maybe...um...we would know how to better counter their plans?"
He quiets for a moment, and then finishes his thought.
"I suppose you can't reason with monsters, so we probably can't understand their alien ways of thinking either..."
Quietly the young druid tilted his head to the side then moved forward trying to follow the markings in the ground he had noticed.
Tr...tre....treerazor's min...min...minions did this.
He began, motioning to he aash grey and sick looking trees with a slight frown while trying to discern heads or tails of what he saw.
There wa wa wa a str stru... struggle here.
He added motioning to the scattered marks in the ground he had noticed.
Callanniel moves forward until he feels the ashes beneath his feet. He then kneels and draws his dagger, makes a deep cut in the palm of his hand, and then shoves it into the blighted ashes. It is quite painful but he sheds no tear nor screams. Turning to the others he simply sais: "The land is in pain... it is just fit that we feel it as well, to remind us about our mission, what are the stakes, and the pain and consequences of our failure."
He then tries to remember anything about the blight, like what causes it (a spell, a ritual, a specific kind of demon), what are the consequences, and if there is something to be done to reverse the damage.
Lightning flashes in the distance and thunder rolls over you shortly after. Rain begins to fall, fat, tear-like drops that chill you to the bone.
He was fairly certain he had some idea how the battle went now and began to describe it to the others albeit in his stuttering style... though the moment the rains began to slowly fall his voice cracked higher panic laced in...
The struggle here was brief, but included no more than four participants and two onlookers. The one person was overwhelmed by three others. There are markings leading back to town, but nothing indicating anyone or anything was dragged there.
Th...th...the rai..rains! I...i wont b..b..be able to fo..fo..follow the footprints!
He began whistling for Dewdrop and pointing to Callaniel while he hurried on follow the tracks as best he could.
"I just can't understand why these monsters are the way they are. What does Treerazor have against trees...I mean...other than the obvious...never mind me..."