As you move through the halls, you hear a cracking sound a few rooms ahead.
"Ew!"
You hear the sound steel being scraped against stone, and a suddenly a torch lights up ahead.
"Oh... sorry, friend. Didn't mean to.", you hear from the room ahead.
When you enter the library room, Yasamina is trying to clean her boot. The skull of the body on the floor is caved in, and Yasami's left leg is vaguely gray with a red-ish tint. She scrapes pieces of meat from her footwear with ehr dagger.
As they make their way back through the big room with the lizard, Joran remembers to grab his javelin on the way back out.
Caiten approaches Joran. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you a question. I have been pondering this since we encountered Calmont. Why do you seem so hesitant to kill him? Since we have arrived at the Citadel we have killed ten creatures and seriously injured two others. For most of them their crime was that they expected that their next meal would be us. The giant bat was probably just defending its home. Now, I don't think that defending ourselves was a mistake. But it is confusing to me that this Halfling with much more intelligence, greater crimes, and whose only believable motivation is rampant greed is given more consideration. I feel that I am failing to properly understand something. Possibly something important."
"I will, of course, continue to forbear from killing him currently. The town council and you have both requested that, and I will respect your wishes. Especially since I currently don't fully understand the motivations behind it."
"Well, you said so yourself, buddy, the town council asked that he be brought back alive to handle things their way and I gave them my word to do just that. If I were to give them my word and go back on it, do you think they'd ever trust me again with anything? Heck, I wouldn't. I'd be real skeptical at the very least. So when I give my word to anyone I'm not going to simply push it aside like it means nothing. I'll do everything in my power to avoid that at all cost. You know, you're only as good as your word, friend. If people can't trust you when you give them an oath to do something, then you can't ever be trusted. I want folks to know that if Joran says he has your back, then I want them to be confident in that. I want them to think: 'I know Joran. I can trust him. If he says he'll take care of it then he'll take care of it.' And as long as I live and breathe, I will continue to hold myself to that standard; anything less than that is unacceptable. Doesn't really matter what happens on the other end of that bargain, all I can control is what I do on my end. See what I mean?" he asks, but then continues on a bit more before the android has time to respond.
"And I understand what you mean about Calmont. Trust me, I wanted to beat him to a pulp myself - right along with everyone else of course - but we don't really solve nothing like that, you know? Killing everyone we meet isn't the answer. Now, will there be those who will refuse nothing less but death? Of course! and that'll be on them. But I didn't think Calmont was one of those types. I know the guy - not well but well enough - and this really is out of character for him. And come to find out, he lost his whole family in the Goblinblood wars when he was just a child. That is GOING to have and affect on a person, you know? Nobody would come away from that and not have some form of bitterness attached to them. Because of it, he hates ALL goblins with a passion and to a degree ... I get it. But that doesn't give him the right to go around killing/threatening all goblins everywhere. As you can see," he motions toward the Bumblebrashers, "they're not all bad," he says with a grin, giving him light pat on the shoulder.
"Anyway, each situation is unique in its own way and has to be dealt with accordingly. There's no way you can group them all in one big pile. There's just not because they are not all the same. And this one wasn't a situation to where we had to kill the guy. Especially considering I told the Council I'd bring him back alive," he says in a matter of fact way, shrugging. "So does that help answer your question?" he asks, hoping he was able to explain it clearly enough.
"Yes, that is useful. Thank you."
"Though it leads to more difficulties. It indicates that there is no complete solution to problems like this. This will require a great deal more analysis."
"Though it leads to more difficulties. It indicates that there is no complete solution to problems like this. This will require a great deal more analysis."
Letting out a chuckle, "Yes, yes it does, my friend. And just you acknowledging the idea of there being no complete solution to such problems tells me you understand more than you think," he tells him, giving a wink and a slap on the shoulder. "Well done!"
A bit later, Caiten mentions to the entire group, "I also found a minor magical trinket. It won't do me much good, but I can attach it to one of your weapons. When your attack connects exceptionally well, the magic can be invoked to add additional abilities to the strike. I would recommend either a knife weapon for bleed, or one of the large two-handed weapons Joran and Oren use to add knockdown. Though any weapon would have some effect."
A bit later, Caiten mentions to the entire group, "I also found a minor magical trinket. It won't do me much good, but I can attach it to one of your weapons. When your attack connects exceptionally well, the magic can be invoked to add additional abilities to the strike. I would recommend either a knife weapon for bleed, or one of the large two-handed weapons Joran and Oren use to add knockdown. Though any weapon would have some effect."
"How's that?" the barbarian asks. "Additional abilities? What does that mean additional abilities?"
"Perhaps a more concrete example. If you hit well with your flail, assuming that you don't kill the target in the one hit, you could invoke the magic in the talisman. Which would ... snag, I guess is the best description ... on the target. So when you bring your weapon back, it would drag them off their feet. It would consume the talisman in the process though, so it would only be usable once. Also, different weapons would interact with the magic differently."
Dario catches up with Yasami to scout further ahead for danger and opportunities on the trip back. The banter behind him leaves a small smile on his face; it was oddly like going on a patrol back at the Hold. It was strange to be travelling in such diverse company yet now, it felt kind of right.
As the group follows the road back to town , Lisi and the warg pup stalk a short way off, staying just within earshot of the group in case of trouble.
The pups are . What's this? Why does it smell that way? Ooh what about this?! They sniff everything , and mark a few choice spots as their territory.
Shadow freezes, joy vanishing. "I smell Mama.".
The declaration has Rocco's tail between her legs in fear. It was clear by now that mother wargs we're not the coddling sort. Before Lisi could comment, Shadow darted deeper into the woods. Lisi loses sight of her in the scrub... Then hears a small yelp.
Cevendyl opens his holy symbol, and thanks Yuelral briefly that the Warg speaks common ... hopefully she will not have the Will to defy his Command. He needed to race to find Shadow in case her wounds were severe
"Joran, it's time for that spell we talked about. I am assuming the Warg will charge: if you and Oren can hold a line for us, I will Command her to hold perfectly still so you guys can handle it, and then head I can head into the scrub to find Shadow before we lose her. Good?"
"Caiten, in case you are wondering. No, this is not typical parent-child relationship behavior."
"Indeed. I am thinking that this is a case where killing someone because of their behavior would be appropriate. Yes?" Caiten draws his bow and peers into the woods.
Yasamina stops when she hears the pups talk of momma. "Wolfmother...", she whispers under her breath, and then watches one of the pups run into the undergrowth. She pulls out her dagger and rapier and charges after the pup, slicing any branches in the way.
"I'll make sure more of Yasami isn't eaten!" Dario says to the others, chasing after the brave woman as she rushes ahead after the missing pup and into the forest.
Cevendyl opens his holy symbol, and thanks Yuelral briefly that the Warg speaks common ... hopefully she will not have the Will to defy his Command. He needed to race to find Shadow in case her wounds were severe
"Joran, it's time for that spell we talked about. I am assuming the Warg will charge: if you and Oren can hold a line for us, I will Command her to hold perfectly still so you guys can handle it, and then head I can head into the scrub to find Shadow before we lose her. Good?"
"I will need to ensure that Calmont doesn't attempt to escape, but I can hold the line".
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"Rocco, STAY," says Lisi, looking deep into the warg pup's eyes. "You need to stay at my heel and not run off."
He sighs as Yasami and Dario run off. "We need to stay together! Soot and ashes! Wolves latch on to prey from the flanks and back! Calmont and Sulee in the center of a circle, blast it!"
Lisi rarely draws a weapon, but his rowan-wood club is in his hand now.
"Lisi, do you think it is an entire pack?"
"Oren, if you need to set that one down, I will keep watch over him."
"I will need to ensure that Calmont doesn't attempt to escape, but I can hold the line".Cevendyl opens his holy symbol, and thanks Yuelral briefly that the Warg speaks common ... hopefully she will not have the Will to defy his Command. He needed to race to find Shadow in case her wounds were severe
"Joran, it's time for that spell we talked about. I am assuming the Warg will charge: if you and Oren can hold a line for us, I will Command her to hold perfectly still so you guys can handle it, and then head I can head into the scrub to find Shadow before we lose her. Good?"
Drawing his greatpick, "Not a problem," he responds with a tone of absolute confidence.
Rocco started to chase her sister but Lisi's command made her hesitate, and finally sit, then stand, then sit again, agitated.
The party flies into action, their short time together making them less than a cohesive unit, but still a formidable one.
Caiten and Oren remain on the path, Oren dropping Calmont to the ground and placing one foot on him so his hands are free. Caiten's optical sensors scan the heavy foliage for movement.
Yasami, Dario, and Cevendyll fly into action, Joran not far behind. They burst into a small clearing, adrenaline pumping in their veins, bracing themselves for what they will find.
There, face to face with and unharmed Shadow, is the warg mother -- dead. She was a big one, even by warg standards. She's lying on her stomach, head between her front paws, almost as if she were sleeping -- but a great deal of blood mats her fur between her shoulder blades, and her eyes are open and unseeing.
Shadow is sniffing at the corpse tentatively, as if afraid her mother with wake up and snap at her -- and also dealing with the sense of loss any creature might feel when losing the only caretaker they had ever known, before you all came along yesterday.
"Rocco...what is it?" says Lisitsei quietly. He doesn't hear any combat, or snarling, or yelling...
Yasamina finds the Wolfmother in the clearing, and blinks a few times to process the scene.
"Right ...", she speaks when others arrive, she looks at the pup, and comes closer to inspect the mother. She puts the rapier back in the scabbard, but keeps the dagger drawn as she moves. "Keep a lookout, gentlemen. I'd hate to get jumped by whatever did this."
She looks at the bloodied wound to determine the damage.
Caiten sees several members of the group head off into the woods ready for battle. After several seconds, with no sounds of battle, he turns to Oren. "Something strange is going on. Shall we go investigate as well, bringing the prisoner with us?"
"Team Altaerein , assemble!"
Cev looks around at everyone
"Do we need to heal now, or do we wait? If something dispatched the girl's mother, it's a serious thing."
"WE'RE OKAY!", you hear Yasamina shouting from behind the trees.
"Well, most of us, anyway.", she adds for the ones present in the clearing.
Rocco is still wavering between obeying and running to find Shadow. "Mama smells wrong."
Cevendyl looks at the little pup and takes a breath ...
"Your mother has gone to hunt in a different place little one; this happens sometimes when there is a fierce hunt and we cannot heal ourselves enough. Please stay here though, please? Stay calm while we find your sister."
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Hearing Cevendyll and Yasami call out, Caiten nods to Oren and follows the others into the clearing. He sees the deceased Warg. "It looks like the puppies are orphans already."
"Weren't you also an orphan, Caiten?"
"All Androids are orphans. As such, it is a cultural expectation to care for the young of our neighbors. I take it a bit farther than most by caring about the young of other ancestries as well, though I haven't ever cared for any directly."
"All Androids are orphans. As such, it is a cultural expectation to care for the young of our neighbors. I take it a bit farther than most by caring about the young of other ancestries as well, though I haven't ever cared for any directly."
"How can someone be an orphan if the nature order of things defines them as not having parents? Are you not perfect exactly as you are created? You are not missing parents, you are a child of life itself Caiten."
Yasamina examines the body, then comes back to the group.
"Yeah - here's the thing.", she looks for the pups. "Girls, cover your ears."
"Their mom has a slashed belly. Long, deep slash marks. But that did not kill her. So if we follow the blood, we should be able to find a place where she fought whatever scratched her. The kicker is ... She did not die from the wounds. I think it was a mercy kill. Flat blade to the spine... Look."
She points to the spine wound.
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"It is difficult to discuss because the language is tailored for Human, or at least Humanoid biology. 'Orphan' doesn't have quite the right meaning, though it comes the closest. I don't mourn my father. He provided for me quite well. I also had several 'aunts' and 'uncles' who raised me. I even have a 'cousin', or maybe 'sister', who was gaining maturity at about the same time as I was."
Caiten ponders Yasami's words and looks at the wounds on the Warg. "I agree with your assessment on the wounds. Will it make a difference who or what caused the injuries or death? Most people who encounter a Full grown and angry Warg will react violently. We were about to do so ourselves, though in defense of the puppies."
"The wandering ghost of a Hellknight maybe? They are known to be short on healing, long on 'mercy' - not my kind of mercy."
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Oren hefts up Calmont and moves over to the others when he hears Yasami's call.
"I can't imagine that if the ghost of a Hellknight was wandering the grounds, the goblins wouldn't have come upon it and warned us about it. Or simply fled the area entirely in fear. I also can't imagine that Calmont would have gotten past it. Our killer was probably a living person and judging from the fact that they chose to give her a swift end, I'd guess that they're not an entirely terrible person. But let's go find them so that we can be sure."
Lisi stands over the warg's body. "Two parties involved. We need information. Rocco, Shadow, I am sorry, but we will find out what happened. And who needs this?"
He takes out a berry. "I can only prepare one at a time," he says, matter of factly.
Joran moves over to the others and listens in as he resheathes his weapon. "You really want to find them, Oren? Might take us a bit to find whoever did this. That's a lot to keep hauling around, you know," he tells him, obviously speaking of the "extra weight" he's carrying. "You sure you don't want to just go to town and drop that one off first?" he gives a head nod toward Calmont.
Joran takes a moment to see if he can pick up a trail and...
...after spending a few moments searching, Joran covertly glances toward the others. Man I don't see A THING. You have got to be kidding me! How in the WORLD can I not find one stupid track! Okay, I've got to think of something to where this isn't so embarrassing. Oh! I know. Taking a deep breath, "Well that's impressive. I mean there is literally no tracks of any kind that I can find. And I gotta say, I am a pretty good tracker. I'm no novice for sure. Obviously this guy is good. Real good. A 'professional' if you will. Definitely not one to be trifled with," he states firmly, narrowing his eyes as to appear tough. "You may have outsmarted us this time, pal, but next time... oh yeah next time we will find you," he says to the empty woods. "You can run but you cannot hide," he finally finishes, crossing his arms and going silent as he's unable to think of anything else to add to that at the moment.
"Team, I will do my very very best to be as non-priestlike as possible ... when I can. This isn't one of those times. Lisi, maybe you would like to take the girls a little ways away, sit down, and try to explain what last rites are?
Cevendyl seems genuinely sad
"I think it's important that we show the girls both respect for their mother AND what it means to be respectful in a civilized world. I do not really think burial is practical or timely at the moment, but I think with a small amount of effort we could set up a pyre. As we set it alite, I can say a prayer for the girls and their mother."
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Oren quickly gives up on the idea of hunting for the killer after Joran proves unable to follow the blood trail. He says nothing, in an attempt to be polite to his fellow barbarian.
"Yes, we should create a pyre for the mother. The least we can do for Rocco and Shadow is to bless their mother as she travels to the next life and prevent her body from being eaten by scavengers." Oren clamps a hand over Calmont's mouth, so he can't say anything disrespectful.
Lisi turns to Cev, his slightly elven eyes without guile.
"I know that a pyre is traditional in many place, Cevendyl, and your words come from a place of compassion. Please understand that there are many injunctions in Isger against...burning things. Especially in the wooded areas."
He shakes his head. "Nature will take the mother's body and use it to feed animals, fungi, and the earth itself. We can cover her with leaves, and a prayer is welcome. Will that work?"
Caiten listens silently to the discussion about what to do with the body of the dead. Simply absorbing the information about the various processes and procedures to respect and honor the fallen.
Lisi turns to Cev, his slightly elven eyes without guile.
"I know that a pyre is traditional in many place, Cevendyl, and your words come from a place of compassion. Please understand that there are many injunctions in Isger against...burning things. Especially in the wooded areas."
He shakes his head. "Nature will take the mother's body and use it to feed animals, fungi, and the earth itself. We can cover her with leaves, and a prayer is welcome. Will that work?"
"Of course it will work, and I appreciate your guidance with regards to what is customary here. I meant only to show respect for life, respect for its passing, and to guide the little ones just a bit. Creating a small barrow as a tribute to their mother is perfect, and I am happy to say a prayer."
"Not to attract misfortune, but" - Yasamina approaches Lisitsei - " in the unlikely event of you perishing, and us not being able to do anything about it... Should we just leave you where you are? Cover you with leaves?"
She pauses while looking at the half-elf. "Genuinely curious. Different folks have different funeral rites."
"For example if that would've been my case...", she pauses. "It won't don't worry, but IF. I want to be burned to ash." She looks at Calmont "-AFTER- I die, Mister Calmont, and then mixed with oil to make ink or paint or something that can be used as a medium for something emotionally fullfilling. Like a poem or painting, or something like that. And if I find out you have done something cliche with me, like sprad my ash into the seas, or a river, I will find you, and haunt you until the end of days. Not -your- days, mind you. All days. Like when the moon crashes into this world, and beyond that."
Calmont just glared over Oren's meaty hand, which was still clamped over his mouth. He'd been tempted to bite it, but didn't enjoy the prospects of a concussion. He was just stewing quietly.
Rocco joined Shadow and made a small whimpering sound. Shadow was quiet, then moved in front of Rocco, blocking her view of their mother, and spoke the most eloquently you'd yet heard from her. "Mama says strong one survives. We survive. Stronger than Mama."
She pauses while looking at the half-elf. "Genuinely curious. Different folks have different funeral rites."
"For myself, it is preferred to be brought as quickly as possible back to my own people. Sulee knows where they are. If my body is sufficiently intact, then it is possible that it may be revived and renewed externally. If that is not possible, then any other option of disposal is equal."
Caiten looks to the two puppies. "How about you two? Do you know what is done with your dead pack members?"
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Yasamina walks up to Caiten with a stiff and surprised grimace on her face. "WAY too soon, man. Let them cool down a little."
"I am sorry. I am not meaning to cause more distress. As you pointed out, handling the dead incorrectly can cause more distress than talking about it."
"Also, these two have already dealt with the death of at least one sibling. As well as the threats of death at the hands of their mother. I don't think that they are unfamiliar with the concept."
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"Mama ate brother." Rocco said simply.
"Well, sounds like there isn't a wrong way to deal with this then." Caiten walks over to a nearby tree and sits down against it. Returning to his silent observations of the group, processing the emotions in his own way.