The bark was brittle from the cold, slick and fluffy on the top like one of Vee's vanilla cookies. Crampons bit right through it. With the grappler locked in above, and the anchor about halfway up...well, was a quick zip to make to the ascent.
A climber's kit includes special pitons, boot tips, gloves, and a harness. You can use the climber's kit as an action to anchor yourself; when you do, you can't fall more than 25 feet from the point where you anchored yourself, and you can't climb more than 25 feet away from that point without undoing the anchor.
As soon as Gunnar detects the close approach of the foe, he surrounds himself with warming flame and looks for enemies with his enhanced sight.
Luthael joins his companions preparing for battle. In respect to them, he prays to Khors in silence readying his soul for what may come. He grips his shield and caresses his bejeweled amulet of the sun.
Scramsax ascends into one of the massive sequoias that mark the outer edge of the small clearing where the stone hut sits. The soft stabbing of the spiked foot gear grabbing the bark and rubbing scrape of rope drift on the wind. The noise stops when the halfing seems to disappear among the heavy ice coated greenery of the tree's lower branches. The sounds of the halfling's climb are soon joined by Luthael's familiar prayers to the sun god as the prophet prepares for the forthcoming violence. This time he is joined by Raseri's less familiar northlands prayers. The newcomer's words end with the crackle and spark of electricity dancing along her steel blade.
The whoosh of flames whirling upon Ingryd's hammer comes from just outside the hut's doorway where the bearkin stands. Her deadly maul a beacon of promised pain to any who would try to force their way by the mighty guardian. Atop the stone structure, Gunnar stands. His dwarven features flickering between light and shadow with each passing whirl of his companion's maul. The changing light doesn't affect the stoic wizard's concentration or sight as he gazes out into the still, cold silence of the frozen wood.
Time passes. Sand slips through the hourglass. Beyond the thick clouds the stars continue their passage through the infinite void of night. Some begin to wonder if perhaps the concern was all for naught. A false alarm. Nerves stretched too taught. Then the wizard's head swivel's north.
From his perch atop the stone hut and with his arcane enhanced vision, he is the first to spot the pair of crimson eyes gleaming in the night. They eyes slowly resolve into the wolf's head and features of huge warg. But this is no warg, for it moves upon six thickly muscled legs that move with a mesmerizing grace and ease across the deep snow. Wide shouldered and with thick fur ranging from void black to an icy storm gray along its belly and at the tip of its thick tail. It stands as tall as a war pony, it's sharp canine teeth gleaming in the firelight that bursts forth from the wizard in his watch post.
No sooner does the first beast appear in the north than another appears just behind. Two more appear from the east while another pair creep forward from the south. Six of the beast in all. Silent except for a few soft rumbling growls from deep in their throats as they slowly stalk forward.
Raseri grins at the two six-legged wargs as they enter the clearing. They growl at her, and she laughs.
"Hversu sæt. Popparnir telja mér auðvelt bráð. Komdu, leyfðu mér að sýna þér hvernig á að væla!"
She stalks forward as she lets Thor's Divine power flow through her. The storms demand she be bold. As she does, she holds up a hand towards the further of the wargs. Her eyes, though, lock onto the ones of the warg closer to her.
"Eldingarhamar, verkfall!"
Her voice rings out over the wind and growling wolves. She misses Strykur, the warhammer she'd used many times to cast the spell, but she didn't need the hammer to summon the image of Mjolnir that has been engraved in her mind. It roars into existence above the warg's head and swings down to strike like a bolt of lightning. Thunder cracks in the clearing as the hammer falls, but even over this din, Raseri's voice rings loud and clear as a trumpet's.
"Dans! Ó, þrumur sem lýsa himininn, dansa! Dansaðu og sláðu fjandmanninn á undan mér!"
She turns her focus on the other warg, the one her hand is reaching out for. As she chants the words to her spell, the air thrums with divine power and the will of the Lady of Storms. Her hand closes as the last word rings out and from her fist a bolt of lightning dances across the distance to strike at the warg. Thunder cracks again, echoing off the trees and the walls of the stone hut Gunnar's magic had raised. Before the last of them fades, she'd returned her hand to the hilt of her greatsword and set her feet in the stance of The Tail, sword back and hilt at her trailing hip.
"Heiður hungur," she taunts them as she waits their charge.
When Resari repositions herself, Luthael takes the stairs to join Gunnar on top of the bunker. These beasts probably are to soften them the up for the hunter who is probably coming from the west.
"Scramsax! I'm going to cook yours hoping you can drop one quickly." With a prayer to his Sun Lord, he sends a mote of flame between the odd wolves in the north that explodes into a ball of holy fire.
inspired by Raseri’s invocation in Thor’s name, Gunnar raises his hammer and sends a bolt of lightning at the two she attacked (two wargs to the south).
“Fight well Thorsdottir! His favor is with you!” calls out the dwarven devotee of Thor.
At Luthael’s words, he keeps scanning the surroundings for additional threats.
Ingryd growls at the wolves. She gives no ground. These people are counting on them, and she will hold the line. The others and Raseri were capable so the Bearkin stood ready to attack the wolf daring enoungh to think those behind would make an easy target.
With my line on my harness and feet on the trunk, I whipped stones at the hexapedal horrors...
Raseri races forward calling forth the weapons and magic of her faith. The radiant hammer lashes out against the first charge beast and strikes with a flare of holy light. The creature shimmers, its flesh rippling as a stone disrupts a pond. A moment passes and the gray shadow skin of the beast begins to glow with an equally radiant power as it continues it race ahead. The second creatures almost appears to welcome the priestesses second blast of holy energy. A moment later it too radiates the same brilliant ivory glow.
The two quickly close the distance on Raseri. The first flanking to her left the other to her right. The first catches Raseri in its jaws sinking into her flesh brilliant radiant light sears and burns the wound causing more pain even as she twists away to avoid a secondary rake of it claw. Unfortunately, she dodges right into the path of the second glowing creature. Jaws rend and sear flesh even as claws rip at her armor to find the soft meat beneath all the while the burning light cooks her flesh and boils her blood away.
From atop the stone hut Gunnar and Luthael unleash fire and lightning upon the two other groups of charging creatures. Luthael's fire erupts like an inferno among the two coming from the north. Neither seem intent on avoiding the oncoming blast. Oddly, these two both ripple as the others and then begin to burn, the fiery red glow illuminating the northern part of the clearing.
In contrast, those charges from the east crackle and spark with electricity as the race toward the front of the hut where Ingryd stands ready to keep anything from breaching the doorway and reaching her defenseless charges inside.
From his perch in the trees, Scramsax fires a sling stone that catches the first beast dead center in its forehead. The blow stops the beast momentarily as it shakes off the blow. Burning eyes glance about searching for the source of stone but it cannot locate the hidden halfling. So instead, it follows its partner toward the hut.
************
Ahhh...the pack has engaged. We are late to the banquet. We must hurry and see how they fare against the quarry. His thought-speech is answered by a rumble of hunger from his mount's throat.
************
Shadow Warg One: 84/100 (Radiant 3)
Shadow Warg Two: 91/100 (Radiant 3)
Shadow Warg Three: 46/100 (Fire 3)
Shadow Warg Four: 71/100 (Fire 3)
Shadow Warg Five: 77/100 (Lightning 3)
Sahdow Warg Six: 77/100 (Lightning 3)
Gunnar struggles to understand what is happening here—are these creatures turning the elemental damage back against the party?
Raseri finds that she may have underestimated these monsters as they tear into her. She's hurt, but she's far from out of the fight. She growls at the one that had bit and clawed at her.
"Brenna, hundur."
Lightning crackles around her and strikes out at the warg.
The lightning sheathes her greatsword as she strikes the warg she'd hit with her guiding bolt.
Despite her bravado, she knows that another flurry of attacks like that will down her, so she calls upon the divine energy she wields to heal her wounds with a word.
"Khors' holy fire will purify you creatures!" With a prayer to his Sun Lord, he sends another mote of flame between the odd wolves again that explodes into a ball of holy fire.
A gentle breeze fluttered the snow-covered evergreen needles, seeming to dislodge some pinecone or small nut at a high speed into the injured magi-wolf's face.
It certainly wasn't Scramsax.
" Blast it woman, retreat back to me." Ingryd says as she steps forward, hoping the strange woman wants to swap out.
However, even their origin within that dangerous realm does not explain their ability to seemingly take on some properties or aspects of elemental forces used against them. Your cognitive mind burns through another 657 billion nanoseconds reviewing the visual data. (Unfortunately, precious time was lost do to a recurring image of kittens playing with a ball of yarn that Scramsax shared with you a day ago. Ever since, you've been unable to push the block print from your mind.) Still, you finally are able to analyze the visual and see the burned and electrocuted flesh, wounds dripping a viscous gray fluid you can only guess to be blood. They are not immune. Or at least they weren't. You can't be sure now. Fortunately, Luthael unleashes another ball of fire which should quickly add more data to your analysis.
In the meantime, it is quite clear that the creatures do become 'charged' with elemental energies when attacked with such and that the charge then harms any they come into contact with as evidenced by the radiant burns and reddened flesh marring Raseri following her initial encounter with the beasts.
Heartened that the beasts seem to take damage from the elemental attacks, Gunnar sends another lightning bolt at one of the charging pairs. Seeing that Raseri is engaged with her two that he originally hit with lightning, he directs his spell elsewhere to avoid catching her in the spell.
Pivoting, he sends lightning against the two below Scramsax that Luthael just hit with fire, hoping he can whittle down their numbers. He then moves over to the doorway and drops down beside Ingryd, saying, ”We must hold for the sake of those inside.”
Ingryd smiles and nods to the dwarf as she takes a step forward to let her allies regroup behind her.
While Gunnar's eyes suddenly lose focus and go a bit blank, Raseri imbue her magnificently crafted sword with furious amounts of holy power. With grace and poise befitting her elven blood she feints, twists, pivots, and ducks inside the defenses of the two radiant wargs. It is quite the display of prowess, dexterity and sword craft that would make any northern warrior proud. Until that is, she just misses the final blow. The bright steel catches nothing but air and leaves the two wargs, who seem barely able to stifle wicked grins as they growl in stereophonic unity.
Thor's cleric generates a slight bit of revenge when she unleashes the power of the storm against the two catch the first beast by surprise and turning the growl into a yip of shocked pain. The moment gives Raseri just enough time to reset her defenses as the shadow creatures strike. She deftly avoids the first completely, but a claw of the second catches her leg once again drawing blood and infusing the blow with her own radiant energy.
On the opposite side of the clearing, Khors holy fire once again bursts upon the two charging from the north. Flames engulf the already flaming creatures and the flesh blackened and burnt by the previous attack quickly heal. Even the beast dazed by Scramsax's sneaky sling stone emerges from the roiling fire looking healthier and stronger. Fortunately the hidden halfling's aim is spot on and the beast suffers another lump upon the back of its head as a second stone strikes from somewhere up above.
Finally breaking out of his trance, Gunnar rapidly alters his initial targets for his lightning blast. Pivoting away from the crackling duo coming in from the east, he turns to the north and blasts the two elevated by Luthael's fire. It just isn't the first creature's day as it zigs directly into the oncoming bolt of electrical energy. Already charged with a different element, the beast's defenses can do nothing but take the blow. Muscles spasm and fur burns away in an instant. The second of the pair guesses correctly as it zags and while frazzled by the blast suffers much less harm.
With Gunnar dropping to her side, Ingryd waits for the inevitable. She does not have long to wait as the two crackling with electrical energy race forward only moments ahead of the two aflame. The first times its attack perfectly using its partner as a foil. Ingryd completely buys the feint and leaves herself exposed. Jaws snap and rip as the canid briefly treats the bearkin's arm like a caught coney and shakes the limb with flesh rending ferocity. Adding to the bearkin's misery is the charge of electrical energy that crackles through the blow burning flesh and leaving muscles tingling. A raking claw adds to her pain.
The other pair focus on the wizard. Infused with fire, both creatures attempt to force their way past the dwarf's initial defenses. Only the first appears to be successful landing a glancing blow with a slashing, fire infused claw.
Shadow Warg One: 76/100 (Radiant 2)
Shadow Warg Two: 87/100 (Radiant 2)
Shadow Warg Three: 11/100 (Fire 5)
Shadow Warg Four: 76/100 (Fire 5)
Shadow Warg Five: 77/100 (Lightning 2)
Sahdow Warg Six: 77/100 (Lightning 2)
Gunnar throws up a shield and the mystical energy deflects the incoming attack. An arcane aura of protection springs up around him as he shouts, ”Don’t hit them with the same energy they are manifesting!”
Stepping up towards the creatures, Gunnar shifts a bit away from Ingryd and releases a blast of sonic energy from his body, then closes ranks with her again to block the doorway.
Ingrud roars as she takes the blows willingly. She had been in this fight before. Herself the wall against the evil.
She taps into her trauma, the boiling rage she keeps away. The twisted Honey of her past into the Sweet Mead of Rage!
This leads the Bearkin to whip her Mual the Burning Buzz into action. Two powerful strikes are sent into one of the beasts snapping maw!
Like some kind of aerialist arborer, Scramsax again descended from the canopy on a whisper of wind. Every thought was aligned with the soft clicking rhythm of belays and carabiners, the thief's equipment bobbing and swaying with the branches. The halfling was an artist among the towering, ancient giants.
Raseri grits her teeth as the claws of one of the wargs tears deep into her leg. She growls as she hears Gunnar's warning and dismisses the hammer. She can't spare the energy to control it, not with two opponents trying to shred her to pieces. Lightning arcs over her body as she commands her wounds to close. She can't stay here and let them pick her apart. She pulls the lightning arcing over her into her sword and attacks the first warg that had charged her. Thunder cracks in the grove again, and the Thorsdottir takes the chance to move closer to the others.
On top of the stone structure, Luthael positions himself to maximize the effects of the holy light of Khors and holds up his amulet causing blinding sunlight to radiate from it.
Then, the prophet calls to Khors to smite a warg at the door causing a shaft of holy sunlight to pierce the forest canopy.
Protecting the dwarf, Luthael blinds one of the wargs with even more sunlight to the face when it tries to attack Gunnar.
Thunder rumbles through the clearing as Gunnar steps away from Ingryd's side and summons forth the power of Thor. The booming blast rattles both beasts harassing the wizard. A moment later another sling stone zips from the foliage above and slams into the most wounded of the creatures. It tumbles to the ground and dissipates in a whirl of fire and feathery shadow.
Ingryd slams her hammer into the first creature biting and slashing at her, but her follow up strike is off balance and weak. A blow easily avoided by the quick moving shadow creature.
Raseri's strike lands true. A large wound opens along one of the glowing beast's shoulders. But as she makes a move to join up with her allies she cannot avoid both creature's swiping claws. Ducking from the first leaves her vulnerable to the second and once again she feels the pain of her flesh being torn open and seared with holy light.
Stumbling up to the area in front of the stone hut, Raseri and everyone else quickly shade their eyes as the blinding brilliance of dawn bursts forth from Luthael. Unlike the gloomy gray dawns of recent days, the prophet's power is unhindered by cloud, tree, or mountain. Pure holy light of Khors turns night into day for several seconds and sears shadow flesh.
Gunnar's wards hold firm against the beast attacking him, while Ingryd cannot avoid the flurry of snarling fangs and slashing, burning claws. Following Raseri, the first of the illuminated beasts comes in low and snaps at the cleric's leg. She feels the teeth punch through her armor.
The second leaps upon the roof of the hut and slashes at Luthael. The blow is dead on but much weaker than it could have been.
Shadow Warg One: 60/100 (Radiant 1)
Shadow Warg Two: 87/100 (Radiant 1)
Shadow Warg Three: 0/100
Shadow Warg Four: 76/100 (Fire 4)
Shadow Warg Five: 39/100 (Lightning 1)
Sahdow Warg Six: 52/100 (Lightning 1)
Standing next to Ingryd, Gunnar assesses the battlefield and sees a very wounded Raseri attempting to get away from the beasts. Though the first attack is too far away, once the priestess of Thor approaches and is followed by the creature, he is able to reach out with his Arcane Ward and absorb the second hit.
Knowing his magic is doing little against these creatures, he waits for them to come close, using his time to aid Ingryd in her attack against them (Help action to give her advantage on her first attack). He then repositions to give Raseri a place to fall in between them should she decide to, planning to use their combined defenses to blunt the attack of the creatures against her.
On top of the stone structure, Luthael grits his teeth when the warg bites through his armor. He calls for the shaft of holy sunlight of force to join and defend him.
The prophet spins around the warg to position it, so a fireball does not affect his companions. Then he calls to Khors to blast the warg with holy fire.
Ingryd whirls her hammer and then begins wild swings at the wolves infront of her.
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Raseri lets out cry as claws find a way past her armor and dig into her flesh. She's hurt, and she knows it. As she makes it to the others, her eyes widen in fear as she remembers another forest in a another realm where she'd been mauled and left for dead. For a moment, she sees not the warg but a psoglav lunging at her to end her life. She curls up, the only thing she can think to do to try protecting herself, but then a wall of arcane force stops the beast dead in its tracks. Knowing that she can't take another attack like that, she moves behind Ingryd and chants a prayer to Thor as she does her best to keep the apparently far more effective bearkin in the fight.
Scram heard Invictusol's undeniable call for the shaft and swung to his aid, zipping another stone at the ankle-nibbling spectre...
With the aide and benefit of Gunnar's ward, Raseri survives long enough to slip away from the beasts. Getting in behind Ingryd she uses the big bearkin as a raging, fur covered, and lethal heavy shield. The brief respite offers the cleric enough time to heal the worst of her wounds while Gunnar steps in to fill the gap.
Above and behind the trio Luthael fends off the illuminated beast currently nipping at his ankles. Fire and force lash at the shadow creature although it manages to duck aside from the worst of the fiery blast. Moments later yet another stone flies from the forest canopy and slams into the beast's side with a resounding *thump*.
Tired of being an oversized chew toy, Ingryd counterstrikes and catches one of the wolf-like brute right in the shoulder. Bones break and the beast goes tumbling to the side at the force of the blow knocks it back several paces. A fortunate blow for not more than a heartbeat later the crackling energy that surrounded the beast sudden overcharges and bursts with a thunderclap. Fortunately the bearkin's blow pushed it back far enough, the blast had no effect on her or her companions. The dark gray, wide shouldered creature slowly picks itself off the ground.
The two other creatures near Ingryd and Gunnar suddenly suffer the same effect. One, the second infused with lightning, emits a burst of electrical energy that catches dwarf and bearkin in its blast. The second, merely releases a brilliant blinding burst of radiant light. This is quickly followed by a second burst from the creature fighting Luthael on top of the stone hut.
The two on the ground, also back to their original gray shadow selves, continue to press the attack against Ingryd and Gunnar, along with the third that still burns with the fiery power of Luthael's holy magic. The wizard fends off multiple blows as tooth and claw seems to snap and rend from every direction. Arcane wards flash and glimmer in the night, but then the creature still imbued with Khors power slips past Gunnar's mighty defense. It's jaws snap and rip flesh leaving a bloody patch of torn and blackened flesh behind.
Ingryd fairs little better, but benefits from the lack of electrical charge jumping from each swipe of claw and ripping bite. On top of the hut, Luthael struggles against the beast fending off one blow only to feel the pain of a second as a claw shreds his flesh and pushes him back a step.
Shadow Warg One: 60/100 (Radiant 1)(Gunnar)
Shadow Warg Two: 43/100 (Radiant 1)(Luthael)
Shadow Warg Three: 0/100
Shadow Warg Four: 76/100 (Fire 4)(Gunnar)
Shadow Warg Five: 10/100 (Lightning 1)(Not Engaged)
Sahdow Warg Six: 52/100 (Lightning 1) (Ingryd)
The warding flame from Gunnar’s Fire Shield scorches the beast who bites him as the dwarf tries to shield himself from the incoming attacks!
Still reeling from the mauling she'd received. Raseri calls forth Thor's divine power with a word to heal her wounds.
Then her eyes lock onto the one warg who isn't engaged with her newfound allies.
"Eldingarhamar, verkfall!"
"Hammer of lightning, strike!"
Ingryd avoids the shock but not the flashing light. Not wanting to loose her momentum, she grabs the wolf
Ingryd swings her hammer to hit the one who attacked her then lunges to grapple with the wolf. If its taking her sight shell hold it close and make it suffer.
Losing his sight, Gunnar lashes out with his stylized hammer at the beast who just chewed on him!
Taking a defensive posture, Gunnar prepares to shield himself if he feels at attack coming in.
Somehow the light burned brighter through the leaves, magically sizzling Scram's 24k golden eyes. She heard the sound of a bear snatching a wolf. Northern chatter about dings and work. Dwarf grunts and crackles. In her imagination, even, she heard the Prophet still calling for the shaft.
But the shadow spectres evaded the master-thief's detection.
Luthael grits his teeth as the creature's teeth rends his flesh again. Fortunately well-practiced to the blinding light of the sun, he gets his eyes closed before the blinding effect, blinking quickly to clear his vision.
He calls for Khors to burn Ingryd's two shadow wargs with holy fire trying to mixup the energy.
The holy lance of Khors stabs at the one on the roof with Luthael.
Gunnar's fiery shield adds its fire to the gnawing shadow warg's own fiery aura. As it does a few of the creature's wounds seal themselves. Raseri feels welcome relief as more of her own pains are eased by the healing power of Thor. Feeling better recovered the priestess directs her holy disapproval at the creature so recently familiar with Ingryd's hammer. But somehow Raseri telegraphs her intent and the beast is already moving by the time she finishes the final syllable of her spell. The burning light does little more that melt the snow and ice where the enemy was standing moments earlier.
Despite the dancing blotches of red in his eyes, Gunnar lashes out with his war hammer. There is a satisfying *thunk* and crackle of arcing electrical energy that signifies he did the beast harm. This is followed by a series of nearby thumps, thunks, and thuds as Ingryd's hammer becomes a whirling mass of deadly steel. Fire and iron pummel the beast harassing the bearkin. Curiously, having lost its electrical charge a few seconds earlier, when the bearkin's flaming maul strikes, it is like a match to dry tinder. Suddenly the beast is once again engulfed in elemental power only this time it burns with red hot flames. The smell of burning fur fills the air as Ingryd grabs at the burning warg and engulfs it in a crushing grip.
In the trees above, Scramsax can only rub at her eyes and try the clear her vision of the never ending starburst of colors that continue to flash and flare in her eyes. Her sling stone cracks harmlessly off the side of the stone hut, inches away from Luthael's foot.
The prophet, having stared into the sun more than once or twice over the years is unaffected by the burst of holy light. The holy spear of Khors pierces the flesh of the beast harassing his lower half. But the prophet focuses the bulk of his wrath upon the lone warg on the ground below before it can rejoin the battle. Another blast of fire erupts upon the field of battle. The air fills with steam as snow is instantly turned to vapor, low hanging needles wither and brown, the warg is engulfed and consumed by the fire. A second, now burning warg howls with fury and takes out its frustration by renewing its assault upon the dwarven wizard.
The first beast is thwarted as Gunnar manages to summon his arcane shield just before a claw would have nearly removed the wizard's arm. The second, eyes gleaming with hungry intelligence takes advantage of its companions strike. Slipping just a little further to the dwarf's side, the warg lunges forward. Tooth and claw catch Gunnar all along his leg leaving the limb bloody and torn. The only saving grace is the searing heat of the burning fire seals the worst of the wounds to prevent the wizard from bleeding out on the snow.
On top of the hut, Luthael is able to duck and dodge away from the continued assault. Down below, Ingryd wrestles with her own burning beast. She manages to keep free of the snapping teeth, but the warg rakes her belly with its claws creating several lines of bleeding cuts.
Shadow Warg One: 44/100 (Gunnar) (Fire 3)
Shadow Warg Two: 36/100 (Luthael)
Shadow Warg Three: 0/100
Shadow Warg Four: 84/100 (Fire 3)(Gunnar)
Shadow Warg Five: 0/100 (Not Engaged)
Sahdow Warg Six: 26/100 (Ingryd) (Fire 3) (Grappled)
With the shadow warts attuned to fire, Luthael raises his bejeweled holy amulet and opens a window to the radiance of dawn.
The holy lance continues to reply to the shadow warg which attempts to gnaw on Luthael.
Gunnar's Shield flares into life and adds a minor enchantment to his arcane shield, but the other attacks crash through!
Badly hurt, Gunnar stands in the doorway and dodges as best he can, shaking his head and trying to clear it.
Scram heard a window open near Luthael, along with the tell-tale slathering of wolf chops and 6 pairs of doggy paw nails clicking on stone. Hanging upside down, the thief nulled every sense but sound before chucking a bullet into the darkness...
If circumstances cause a roll to have both advantage and disadvantage, you are considered to have neither of them...
Ingryd grappling with the dangerous dog, she growls and squeezes harder as she does she bites hard.
She struggles with the Wolf but bites twice befoee grabbing hold again. As she does she tries to get the beast under control, and hopefully slay it.
The roaring sea far below was covered in stratus, disguising its hidden self as thunder.
It was the 99th day of the Green Man's climb, and above there was neither star, nor moon...only the deep blackness of cold, heavy rainfall.
In truth, and miles above yet, it was the Billowsman who idly played his lung. With it came a song of the blade's creation. Green Man would pause his ascent to consider the way it began...
Heiður they named her
who sought their home,
The wide-seeing witch,
in magic wise;
Minds she bewitched
that were moved by her magic,
To evil women
a joy she was.
Raseri tries to stab the pooch Ingryd holds while also offering a prayer to mend some of her wounds.
Ingryd sinks her jaws into the flailing neck of the beast she has grappled. Slowly it's struggles grow weaker and weaker even as the bearkin's flesh continues to burn in the aura of flame ignited by Luthael's fiery blast. Seeing an opening, Raseri lunges forward. Her short blade slips past ribs to pierce the things heart and moments later the struggling beast go limp in the bearkin's arms.
The snap of a sling echoes through the woods followed by the slap of stone upon flesh. Holy light flares across the clearing and suddenly the hunter harassing Luthael falls dead at the prophet's feet as spear, stone, and pure holy light are too much for the shadow beast to withstand.
Blind and wounded, Gunnar places his burning shield between himself and the now burning beast. The creature seems intent to throw itself into the arcane fire but suddenly Luthael's light washes over the beast and snarls in fury and pain even as the light shatters its mortal visage and sends it back into the shadow realm.
The second beast, having sustained fewer injuries weathers the blast of holy power. Snarling, it starts to lunge once again at the wounded dwarf, but a high pitched, ear piercing whistle emerges from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.
Striding into the flickering fire light is yet another of the six legged shadow wargs, this one a bit bigger a bit broader of shoulder. Upon its back is a ravenfolk, but one unlike any encountered before. Instead of coal black feathers, this ravenkin's are a deep crimson with a streak of white feathers running along the right side of its head. An eldritch light fills golden eyes and sparks with power as its long black beak drifts back and forth as if drawing in the various scents in the air.
Another whistle, sharp and short causes the remaining beast to disengage and scuttle to the ravenkin's side to lay down next to its master and his mount.
"I am Null of the House of Ten Thousand Daggers." The corvid says in a high, scratchy voice. "Where is the one that smells of forests, black powder, and the magic of the shadow roads? The one who stinks of roses and elven blood. The one who dances with death and who by its actions earned the enmity of a goddess?"
Shadow Warg One: 0/100 (Gunnar) (Fire 3)
Shadow Warg Two: 0/100 (Luthael)
Shadow Warg Three: 0/100
Shadow Warg Four: 65/100 (Fire 3)(Gunnar)
Shadow Warg Five: 0/100 (Not Engaged)
Sahdow Warg Six: 0/100 (Ingryd) (Fire 3) (Grappled)
Gunnar blinks away the searing brightness and tries to recall where he has heard the House of Ten Thousand Daggers…
I had a few responses for Null, but wasn't about to hand my voice over to a House rat. Imagine what it might do with my voice. Who it might trick, who it might trap.
I could've been deceptive. 'Due to an unexpected temporal rift caused by a rogue microwave oven set on defrost mode, they found themselves inadvertently transported to an alternate dimension where gravity works sideways, making it impossible to move in the usual directions. Consequently, they're currently engaged in a rather perplexing game of interdimensional hopscotch with a group of sentient, rainbow-colored giraffes until they can figure out how to reset the cosmic microwave oven timer and return home. Tough luck, eh?'
...one could certainly imagine how it might turn out.
I could've betrayed the Six. 'They're hiding her! Kill them and I'll show you!' But I was rather fond of those chaps.
I could've used that evil chipmunk like a grenade right about now, tossing it down from above into the open shirt of Biddy McSquawks downstairs...you know, letting it really go to town.
But I figured roast pheasant was on the menu.
Somewhere deep in the Margreve, Arianna sneezes as her ears turn bright red.
"My apologies," she tells the ancient spirits of the forest here. "You were telling me about Noodle the Mad Goblin and his quest for the Dreaded Moby Duck."
"Ah, yes. It was after the devilish drake took his left eye that Noodle the Mad set out for what he believed was the monstrous duck's one weakness, hoisin sauce..."
Raseri is grateful for the reprieve, but she doubts it'll last long. All of them are hurt, except for Scramsax, and she isn't so sure that she could help Ingryd and Gunnar with their wounds without provoking an attack.
She is about to chance it anyway when Null mentions something that brings a twitch to her eye.
"Who in their right mind messes with black powder? That stuff is dangerous and only useful for getting yourself blown to bits," she says, remembering a long ago request to make a Iron Canton hand cannon for the Grey Ladies' manservant.