The warg appears to consider this for a moment. "A black scour...no, we have not suffered any illnesses. We are too strong for paltry human plagues. If you have brought this scour with you I swear my vengeance will be swift and painful!" The warg's eyes glimmer with dark amusement. "But no need to make matters unpleasant before they need to be--if I let you leave with these...mushrooms...what do you offer in exchange?"
Bac looks over to the others, leaning out of the warg's direct view as he does. "What are we offering?" he whispers.
"We can promise 2 oxen to be delivered here once we retrieve the mushrooms and return to town. Would that be sufficient?
The wizard looks up from his notes and looks the warg right in the eyes.
Ascian looks from Theo to Bắc, before shrugging. "Better than my first idea."
Bac raises his eyebrows and begins rapidly combing his beard. Two oxen was quite the offering, but if the warg took the bait it would be a small price to pay for the mushrooms.
Kane shuts his mouth, slightly offended at Theo's proposition, but not having a better offer. He stands tall, not reacting to the wargs insults and threats.
The warg's lips peel back from its teeth in a sneer, and it lets out a cynical laugh. "Oh yes, if I but give you what you want now you'll bring me a bounty later--do you take me for a fool? I know humans! If you return at all it will be with torches and spears! Show me the cattle first, and then we may have something to speak about. Begone."
Theodorus sketches a short bow and then turns to his friends.
"I think, overall, that went pretty well. Now let's get these beasts their oxen so we can continue on our way!"
He looks at the others, waiting to hear their acclaim for his brilliant play.
"Theo..." Ascian says, hesitantly. "It was a good idea, but it's going to take us at least a week to get back to town and bring the oxen back here. And that's assuming we can find anyone willing to sell them to us."
Bac whispers "Theo, you bounce back from rejection with the vigor of a man twice your age. Or was the saying 'half your age'? Hmm." He shakes his head. "That was as good as a refusal in any case. We're not going to take weeks to bring oxen here. Especially since our warg friend has little reason then to hold up its end of the bargain."
He places his right hand in his sleeve. "Let's solve this the way a wolf'll understand, savvy?"
Grattfaulk was surprised negotiations had been going so well with a warg until they inevitably fell apart. He positions himself closer to the wolves, ready to fight.
The warg snarls again. "I will let one of you live, to warn that stinking town that Greypelt will brook no trespass in his forest. The rest of you will feed my pack."
-ROUND ONE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt
Wolf (Blue)
Theo
Wolf (Green)
Ascian
Bac
Kane sighs with a resigned expression. "It is no surprise, brother, that you would resort to such tactics. Know that I take no pleasure in this, but it must be done."
Despite his words, Kane holds his ground, pulling a spear out of his brace and readies it specifically for Greypelt, when he comes closer.
◆ Draw weapon
◆◆ Ready Action - When Greypelt walks through the doorway.
◆ Demoralize Wolf 1
◆ Demoralize Wolf 2
Grattfaulk attempts to stare down the the two guard wolves but felt like he didn't much success.
Bac quickly tugs his flintlock out of his sleeve and draws a warhammer with the other hand. "Mmmmhmm. Careful you don't choke on me. I've heard I'm rather tough."
Grattfaulk glares and growls at the wolves, who appear considerably more afraid of the warg than of him. Kane draws a spear and readies to throw it when Greypelt emerges from cover and lopes across the yard, dodging the elf's spear with a disdainful bark of laughter.
"Just for that, you will die first, elf. I will rip out your throat and feast on your flesh!"
The other wolf scrambles over the rubble and disappears from view, though Bac can hear it panting as it lopes around the ruin towards the party.
-ROUND ONE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt
Wolf (Blue)
Theo
Wolf (Green)
Ascian
Bac Dau
As the creatures move to attack, Theo also moves to keep the warg insight.
Once he can see the beast again, he calls up his arcane powers and hurtles a chunk of the ruined wall at the beast.
◆ Move
◆ Telekinetic Projectile (Verbal)
◆ Telekinetic Projectile (Somatic)
Attack:
Damage:
As Greypelt hangs back to taunt the party its lupine companion races past, scrambling over the rubble and either failing to hear or heed the warg's growl of warning. Shying away from the hulking Grattfaulk, the wolf instead lunges at the seemingly easier prey--Theo.
Fortunately for the wizard, a rock turns under the wolf's foot and its first bite closes on empty air--so when the second lunge catches him, it's a painful bite instead of a vicious mauling.
-ROUND ONE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt
Wolf (Blue)
Theo
Wolf (Green)
Ascian
Bac Dau (Frightened 1)
-ROUND TWO-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt
Wolf (Blue)
Theo
Wolf (Green)
Ascian
Bac Dau
Bac trots on into the fight, calling out "Oh no you don't. Theo is a delicate boy that doesn't take well to being bitten!" He lowers his flintlock for a point-blank shot at the green wolf and fires.
Then with his shot spent, he tries to smash it on the noggin with his warhammer.
He places his spent flintlock back up his sleeve.
----
Kane gets himself into a better position and casts a spell, targeting Greypelt alone.
◆ Stride
◆◆ Electric Arc vs. Greypelt (Basic Reflex save vs. DC 17)
Across from Bắc, Ascian charges her rapier with negative energy, before lunging forward and thrusting her blade into the wolf.
Grattfaulk swings his maul overhead bring it downward at the wolf.
◆◆ Power Attack
With a sharp crack the pistol in Bac Dau's hands fires, the shot grazing the wolf's back. Hammer swings from Grattfaulk and Bac narrowly miss, but Ascian catches it with a magic-enhanced thrust that seems to sap the wolf's energy--it's retaliatory bites are sluggish and the tiefling dodges. Wounded and surrounded, the wolf scrabbles back to the relative safety of the courtyard just as the other wolf rounds the corner. Loping up Theo the wolf seizes the unfortunate wizard's leg with its jaws and yanks his feet out from under him!
With a furious snarl Greypelt lunges into the gateway, avoiding the worst of Kane's crackling lighting as he clambers over the rubble to reach Ascian. "I've never eaten a devil..." the warg chuckles as he opens his jaws terrifyingly wide--but the find nothing but empty air not once but twice.
-ROUND TWO-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt
Wolf (Blue)
Theo
Wolf (Green; -9dmg, Enfeebled 1)
Ascian
Bac Dau
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Dazed, Theo looks up at the wolf that knocked him to the ground and his eyes grow huge with fear.
Remembering his training, the young wizard throws his arm out and speaks the words to create 3 glowing darts that streak towards the wolf.
◆◆◆ Magic-Missile:
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Frantically moving the the motions of the spell, Theo sends three darts slamming into the wolf, which gives a yelp of pained surprise.
-ROUND TWO-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-4dmg)
Wolf (Blue; -15dmg)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg, Enfeebled 1)
Ascian
Bac Dau
-ROUND THREE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-4dmg)
Wolf (Blue; -15dmg)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg, Enfeebled 1)
Ascian
Bac Dau
Bac circles around to flank the blue wolf, delivering two swipes with his warhammer.
---
◆◆ Power Attack
◆ Strike
Aelwulf loads up on his first and is able to capitalize on it or the follow up.
"And you never will," Ascian replies, infusing her rapier with magical energy before aiming a thrust into the warg's vulnerable neck. She follows it up by summoning a magical barrier into place to protect her from its counterattack.
"Oh no you don't," Kane says, as he casts another spell of electricity at the warg.
◆◆ Electric Arc vs. Greypelt (Basic Reflex save vs. DC 17)
Bac darts past the wolf menacing Theo before suddenly reversing direction with a grace that belies his age and size. Two well-placed hammer blows crack the wolf's skull and it collapses to the ground, never to rise again.
A brief moment of identity crisis causes Aelwulf Grattfaulk to swing his hammer a split-second too late, the heavy blows sending up a rain of shattered stones but missing their target.
Greypelt fares little better than his minion--as Kane sends another bolt of lightning his way the warg twists aside and is only grazed. Unfortunately, this puts him directly Ascian runs her glowing rapier through him, deeply piercing the warg's side. The warg's retaliatory bites are sloppy and Ascian easily dodges. Feeling the tide turn, the warg snarls again and flees into the ruins.
-ROUND THREE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-26dmg)
Wolf (Blue)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg)
Ascian
Bac Dau
Bac taps the warhammer head on the wall of the ruin, striding in after the retreating wolves. "What was that about us feeding your pack? Xiayeng would be laughing at your pride right about now." He reaches the green wolf and attempts an overhead swing to knock it out.
---
Theodorus stands and moves a little forward to see if he can target either of the wolves before they escape. Seeing the Warg, he fires another chunk of rubble at the creature using his magic.
◆ Stand
◆ Move
◆ Cast cantrip (Start casting)
As Theo clambers to his feet, the remaining wolf takes stock of its injuries and its pack-leader fleeing and decides to do the same, whining as it limps into the ruins and disappears into the darkness.
-ROUND THREE-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-26dmg)
Wolf (Blue)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg)
Ascian
Bac Dau
-ROUND FOUR-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-26dmg)
Wolf (Blue)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg)
Ascian
Bac Dau
Kane looks at the slain wolf with a look of sorrow, but his face quickly hardens as he looks toward the direction that Greypelt took off in. "Hardly much of an alpha if you slink away as soon as your 'pack' has been reduced," he calls out to the warg. "I think it best that you just leave this area all together, or risk your own fate!"
◆
◆◆ Ready an Action
With the wolves retreating, Bac decides to pace himself rather than rush into some kind of trap. He drops his warhammer and moves up closer to the entrance to the ruin. He draws his flintlock and slips another bullet in. "Well well well. They're scampering away."
"We're not done with you yet!" Heedless of any potential danger, Ascian rushes forward, her blade extended. She catches up to the warg at the entrance, and lunges forward with the tip of her rapier.
Ascian rushes in and stabs the warg, drawing a yelp from Greypelt that turns into a snarl as the monster turns and delivers yet another vicious snap of his jaws that misses the tiefling. With a frustrated sound deep in his throat the warg flees into the darkness of the ruin.
-ROUND FOUR-
Grattfaulk
Kane
Greypelt (-26dmg)
Wolf (Blue)
Theo (-9dmg)
Wolf (Green; -15dmg)
Ascian
Bac Dau
Bac advances, flintlock at the ready, but by the time he reaches Ascian the warg is nowhere to be found. "All that yapping, and now he's running away. Let's give the place a look. Maybe we can find our mushrooms before he thinks to come back for another round. From that last sound he made, I think he's hungry for a little more of a licking."
Kane watches the warg flee and lowers his guard, though doesn't put the spear away. "We need to watch our back. A regular wolf would accept defeat, but this creature seems intelligent enough to hold a grudge."
As he speaks, he begins to look around for any signs of the mushrooms.
Ascian, frustrated with the warg's escape, nonetheless holds herself back and moves to rejoin the others. She nods in response to Kane, saying "True, though hopefully he's learned a lesson today. Theo, how are you feeling?"
With things calm enough to take a good look around, your group surveys the courtyard. It's a mess of rubble and weeks overtaking the ruins but much of it is worn down by the passage of creatures. The tracks you has seen before are an impenetrable mess of scratches in the dirt now.
Recalling that Laurel's book indicated the mushrooms liked rust, Kane picks over the shattered gatehouse where there are likely scraps of metal lying about. Poking around the rubble, Kane finds several mushroom stems around the half-buried bits of nail and twisted rebar--each stem broken close to the ground, as though torn off...or bitten.
From their roost up on the roof, the razorcrows begin cawing impatiently, evidently wanting you to move away so they can come down to enjoy their new meal--the slain wolf.
"Oh now that's just our luck." Bac frowns at the stubs of mushroom. "Anyone have sense for tracking? I can't imagine the wolves want to eat mushrooms, so whatever else gnawed these down might be visiting other places where they grow."
"Perhaps if we looked further into the ruins? Don't dwarves keep armouries and mines and such?"
The young mage grits this out between his teeth...trying to not cry out in pain.