Emma Jane keeps her hand near her sword hilt and starts to think of inspiring songs in case battle is impending.
Trifoni's mind went to some dryads who wouldn't mind Alasayn's remark -- and one lover of a dryad who might be a bit difficult to hold back. Between that and Dawn's question that Trifoni was certainly not going to answer for the young one, it was hard to keep a straight face on the shadows. Having seen Dawn in action previously, he wasn't sure whether there was any point in giving warnings as she wandered...
Trifoni's attempts at warning the party of the encroaching seems to largely fall upon deaf ears as both Alasyn and Dawn launch into a discussion about harlots and their associations with dryads. Their chatter seems to provoke a rather unprecedented reaction in the form of an arrow flying forth above the party's heads, as if it were a warning shot.
"You dare! You dare?! I'll show you what a real harlot is, you ignorant wenches, the both of you!" Comes a high-pitched voice fro the shadows. Out strides a large plains-wolf similar to what the party had faced prior, but this time it's been fastened with a crude saddle which upon sits a small gaunt creature with palid skin and ears half the size of it's own body, used as if they were scarves to hide it's face. One might think it some crude imitation of a highwaymen with it's dark threadbare clothing and mishapen tricorn hat.
Six other shadows exit the forest revealing more wolves, half the size of their alpha with snarling maws, skin tight against their ribcages with eyes screaming of savage ferality. "It was you lot wasn't it? You killed him! You killed my brother, and now you come to our woods and start spitting your disgusting lies! I'll string you all up like pigs for that!"
It begins to knock back an arrow in it's shortbow, growling just as bestially as it's own pets.
Two of the wolves launch forward, both of them racing for the half-orc with hunger driving them to attack relentlessly. Neither however manage to break through his strong armor, yet they continue to circle him.
Trifoni looked from the wolves to the others and back, with no sign of understanding what was going on.
Still trying to keep himself between them and Dustan to keep the young man protected, Trifoni cast Shield, his boarding pike not aimed at any of them. He didn't expect his words to change their rage, but maybe he could get Dustan out of the fighting, "I was checking the area claimed by Ulriley Felsweld, on behalf of The Weathersmith's Guild, after an issue with attacked animals. I did not know the ownership of this land was in dispute...or his opinion on dryads." Trifoni didn't discuss the killing, that one was possible, but he had no idea who his brother was.
Nature:
Emma isn't fooled by it's crude disguise for a moment, recognizing this as another get creature known as a Nochlean. Normally these were creatures who were more prone to preying on children then stalking old forrest glades, but perhaps even the fey had their differing natures. She kniws that these creatures have very sensjtive hearing, to the point where music and loud noise is very effecrive against their kind in addition to other typical fey vulnerabilities and defenses. This one seems to have taught itself how to use a bow.
She's aware that on rare occasions Twiglings and Nochlean work together, but this partnership seems to have been particularly close. It's almost as if the two of them had a shared devotion to something in particular.
Emma Jane will release the hilt of her sword and instead begin Inspire Courage (+1 saves vs charm or fear, +1 hit and damage for allies), singing:
The vultures have come home to nest
The clock runs out, the weakest link
A deadly strike, the threat is real!
Alasayn takes a deep breath before focusing the entirety of a 20 hour Osknian symphony onto the Nochlean’s mind, hoping to overload the pathetic creature’s brain.
Loosing his axe, Kaliban retains his grip on his shield.
Your brother attacked, nay... ambushed us... we tried to talk calmly.
Your wolves have not spilt blood. Let us speak calmly now and stop the fighting... maybe we can help each other.
Sorry for your loss. Let it not be in vain.
The Nochlean grit his teeth as sounds both imaginary and real pounded through it's skull. "I'll turn your bodies into mother's fertilizer!"
Well, it seemed Kaliban had his answer.
The various wolves charge forward, biting and snapping at the party all over. One of them manages to get past Alasyn's increased defenses , while another snaps at Hildeborg's ankles just as she stabs it in the side with her spear. Neither of them manage to get a solid hold of their target's legs, saving them from a quick trip to the ground.
Emma's singing is exceptionally beautiful, but for the Nochlean it only seems to piss him off. His mental facilities seem to remain in order long enough for him to snap a pair of fingers at Emma, sparking a dizzy spell to wash over her.
Following up her attack, the woman leaves the spear in the wolf's side only to draw her hammer and slam it across the wolf's face, caving it in.
Alasyn
Trifoni
Emma
Hildeborg
Wolf 1, Wolf 2:
--Kaliban, Emma, Alasyn, Trifoni:
Wolf 3, Wolf 4, Wolf 5, N [A bit of a headache]:
Hildeborg:
Dawn:
Dustan
"Is this about the twig I smashed the head in yesterday?" Dawn asked, vaguely clueless. "But he was trying to kill my friends! Also, he was bad at insults." It was up to interpretation which one she sounded more outrage about.
Dawn focused her response in the form of her usual murderous Ioun Stones direct at the talky one, on the theory that she would likely shut up is she got beaned.
Will Save:
"S-Siberari, achlah, actuia!" Dustan hurriedly chants, placing a hand upon Kaliban. In seconds, the half-orc finds himself becoming rather large in size.
The two wolves that were nipping at kaliban suddenly yelp and duck backward at the unexpected surge of magic. Both of them spot easier prey in the form of a sleeping Emma, and attempt to duck under the half-orc's legs. Yet his massive bulk gives him plenty of leverage, and he's more then capable of taking a swipe at them before they get far.
With time before his shield would fade limited, Trifoni gripped higher on his 8 foot boarding pike.
He edged away from the larger Kaliban, trying to encourage Dustan back from his creation and closer to the sleeping bard so Trifoni could try to nudge Emma awake with the not pointy end up of pike and keep the pointy end at hand if attacked.
Trifoni's nudging is enough, and Emma jerks into wakefulness!
On her action, Emma Jane will draw her blade (move action) and attack (-4 penalty for attacking while prone).
Trifoni manages to nudge Emma awake, almost instinctively going for her blade to slash at the wolf above her. Yet her position isn't right at all, the sharp blade missing the predator by several inches.
Alasayn motions to a rock and then gestures to the wolf looming over Emma. Nothing happens. In a flustered tone the undine huffs,"What in the world? I...this is not supposed to happen!"
Whoa... What magic is this?
Kaliban feel the strength surge within his, drops his shield and take a two handed grip upon his battlaxe.
I don't want to kill you, but I will not allow the priestess to be harmed!
Both wolves crumple under the strength of his swings, leaving Kaliban with room to breath and energy to spare!
Kaliban moves in a manner to flank another wolf, less maws gnashing should help speed up resolutuon.
The Nochlean drops it's bow to grab it's head with both hands in teeth grinding frustration, pounding the side of it several times with both. "No, you were supposed to be asleep! Asleep! Fine, I'll just have to do this myself!"
With one hand he hanks the fur of his mount causing it to yelp as it was urged forward. At the last moment he leaps off the beast and tries to grab for Emma with sharpened claws. Though his nails rake her skin he fails to to get a hand completely around her neck.
It's wolf mount knows better then to attack it's master's own prey, and instead spinning around to snap ineffectually at Hildeberg, who uses the opportunity strike out with her weapon, wounding it's face. Her followup strike fails to find purchase as the wold is already darting to the side.
The other three wolves make more goes at their own quarries, the one by Emma ducking back with downed ears at the sight of it's pack leader, turning instead for Kaliban. None of them manage to land any bites!
Miraculously fails
Dawn grunted. "Hey, she doesn't need to nap if she doesn't wanna!"
She hurled another Ioun Stone.
The Nochlean's head explodes into planty gore!
Frightened by the death of their 'Alpha' and the sheer size of kaliban, the remaining four wolves suddenly duck their tails and flee into back into the woodland.
Not wishing to let these beasts escape unhindered, Hildeberg takes a swipe at one of them, yet only catches a few strands of hair.
Emma Jane stands up and screams! "Dammit Dammit Dammit! I had the prefect spell for that little jerk and I fell to that weak-ass magic!...grrr."
Dawn waddled over and patted Emma's hand comfortingly. "Don't worry. We all have bad days. There head getting smooshed seemed to do things fine."
"Thanks for your kind words, my friend," EJ says, sheathing her sword.
Trifoni was tempted to attempt to trip and pin one of the running wolves to get further information, assess if there was reason to be concerned of a future threat from them - and for other reasons - but in their fleeing, the threat seemed diminished enough for the time to turn attention away from less pleasant thoughts. He loosened his grip on his pike.
Still not dismissing his shield yet, he asked after Dustan and the others well-being.
The wolves leave unimpeded. You do not know if they'll ever threaten the ranch again after this, but it's evident that their pack has at least been hampered severely.
"Th-that was crazy..." Dustan mutters, eyes wide. "I never wsnt to do that again. I think I'll stick to my books after this."
Your soroundings are quiet now, morning sunlight contibues to poke through the canopy of this strange copse of trees. On the ground, the bodies of several wolves along with their fey master cool.
Bark's always worse than the bite... posturing. A shame. Didn't want to kill them.
"Well, I kinda killed her brother. Hopefully there parents aren't around too, otherwise this is going to end up being a whole family feud, and my father says those are a pain." Dawn shrugged, clearly unconcerned by either the moral implication of there rampant fey murder or the possibility that the kill streak hadn't ended.
"Do we wanna head any deeper into the woods today? If people are hurt we should go back." Just in case of cousins.
The young wizard rubbed the back of his head, taking a hesitant glance around the surrounding woodland. While there was silence from a lack of local wildlife, on the very edges of your hearing was the sound of rushing water. "I think... we're close to where we're supposed to be going. I don't know if there's anything... worse, besides that thing at the end but..."
Trifoni nodded sympathetically at Dustan's initial reaction, "I wouldn't blame you, though you handled it well. Let's get this over with, and back to something nicer...
We'll not let even their deaths... be in vane. Let's keep going.
"Death's never in vain," Dawn said cheerfully as she started to move. "Death is what feeds life. We return to the plants, to the soil, to the animals while what makes us us goes to the next world. Our bodies let the plants and animals grow and thrive, and that in turn lets us, when we come back again, grow and thrive in turn. Life is death and death is life, just the opposite side of the shiny gold thingy. Coin."
This probably explained some of Dawn's lack of hesitancy to kill and apparent lack of caution.
Kaliban considers the nature-spawn's words. There is some solace in that, yes.
Though I come from a peaceful people where the taking of a life bars one's soul from the heavens. It is not something to be done lightly.
Hildeberg nods along to Dawn's assessment, and to show for it investigate's the downed fey for anything of use. She returns with a strange clay canister filled with mysterious red goop and what seems to be a femur shaped into a tapered point. At the base of the bone carvings of feathers seem to have been integrated into the the design.
Dustan blinks upon seeing the two items, and asks to examine them both. "Ah, interesting... Someone appears to have taken a goodberry and mashed it into a fine paste, mixing it with water to create a rather odd potion. You can probably spread out the effect like the regular spell, if you had the berries for it. Hmm... And this wand is... Ah, probably not human. I hope... It can grant it's user the sight of a true avian predator. Appropriate for someone who favored the bow, I believe."
He shakes it in his hands a few times, spraying sparks. "Only twelve castings left, but I think it should still be of use. Erhm... I don't really need these, so please take them."
Dawn looked at the potion suspiciously. "Someone else can have that, I can make the berries fresh." She looked at the wand, but didn't know how to use a wand either, and she didn't use bows. "The wand too. I'll stick to my Ioun Stones." The small balls floated around her head in there usual halo, dripping arcane runes.
Hildeberg takes hold of the items for now, seeing as nobody else was too keen on handling the rather strange items and Dustan wasn't all too comfortable with them either. With nothing else left in the area to bother with, your group presses further on towards the sound of rushing water. The air seems clean for awhile, a thick sort've purity that matched the local plantlife. That is until you reach an edge to it where the air suddenly seems to turn stale and the trees now exist withered and cracked, the grass beneath your feet dried to the point where a loose spark could likely set the whole place ablaze.
Emma thinks she recognize the signs, having studied it by chance during her time at the university. Everything about it seems obvious snow, in hindsight. This strange cluster of forestry must have possessed the blessing of a Dryad, a spirit of the forest who channels her power through the trees she lives. What she's witnessing is a distinct reversal of a dryad's blessing, where life is instead being channeled away from the forest and into the fey creature itself. It's dying, and nature is trying desperately to save it.
You break through the last line of trees, and find yourselves under the great branches of a withering willow tree, clinging along the river bank. The water beyond has an odd quality towards it, just as brown and polluted as the small woodland itself. Resting beneath the branches itself is the figure of an old crone wearing a dress of autumn leaves and straw. Her skin is of gnarled and knotted bark, with hair composed of dried cattails. She stirs not an inch as you encroach upon her territory, eyes screwed shut while laying upon her side, the root of her tree acting as her pillow.
Dustan, besides your group, covers his mouth to stifle his gasp of surprise.
Kaliban ignorant of what may or may not be going on, sees an old woman, seemingly weak and in distress.
He softly approaches.
Mother... how can we help?
The woman stirs as Kaliban approaches, her eyes opening to reveal a faint green luminesence. Her limbs creak and crack as she starts to rise from her bed, and Kaliban notices that she dosn't quite focus on hi.
"Barty..." Comes her voice, rough as leaves brushing toguther. "Oh my sweet darling boy, you truly have grown so big... Where... Where's your sister?"
The half-orc has seen this several times during his childhood, as the eldest of his tribe grew in age so to did their minds falter. The dementia gripping her mind has clouded her sense of reason, and she now seems to see you as the Nochlean you had just recently slain.
Kaliban thinks quickly, her mental state may be for the best at the moment.
Off on an errand, of course... you know she likes to range.
How can we help you again? It pains me to see you this way. I can make things right... I have found friends to help us.