Nicolette would nod to Kayle as he offers to fill her water. She also pulls out another skin and has him fill it. Its smell is not very appealing and she ensures he doesn't overfill it and spill it.
When Bohrs offers ale, she will not particularly want any but it is better than plain water at times.
"Sure, just a little."
They also will notice she only takes ale when she's worked out or been through a particularly rough training.
"I'm fine with second watch." She, however, doesn't comment on being able to see in the darkness of night. She's always been able to see in anything but total darkness. As long as there isn't complete cloud cover and their fire doesn't go out, she will be fine.
To Bohrs, she chuckles, "I'm fine with gambling for it. I'm good with throwing things just as I am with swinging a hammer."
Calaithes hands the bag to Bohrs. "Sure. But I'll pass. To me it's just 4 extra pounds to carry."
He finds a level area to lay down and clears it of any small rocks or branches, ready for sleeping, and spreads out his bedroll.
Bohrs produces a set of icosahedral dice and says, "The game is Twenty-One. Roll both dice. A total equaling twenty-one is a win. Any total over twenty-one is a losing roll. As long as you don't go over twenty-one, you can roll more times, or stand on your total. If none of the other players go over your total, you win!"
He hands the dice to Nicolette and says, "Here, you go first, Good Lady! May fortune favor you!"
The group settles down to find a good camping spot for the night. Nicolette has the right idea of looking for something just off the path with lots of thick surroundings, but she struggles for a while. She's just about to give up looking for something ideal when Owens picks up on something and takes off running. He eventually comes back to Kayle, tugging on his master's pant leg and urging him to follow. Sure enough, the good dog has found an excellent spot to set up camp. It's a nice, level spot, surrounding on three sides by a thicket of bushes, and there is plenty of dry wood to be found to start the fire.
Owens also manages to chase down a couple of rabbits who run into your camp area. You are able to make quick work of them. Though they are lean, the rabbits, supplemented by some trail rations, look like they will make a fine meal in Kayle's capable hands.
The group begins to relax around the fire, playing a game of Twenty-One.
"I've busted!" Bohrs says with a chuckle. "Ah, well. So it goes! No risk, no reward!"
Kayle smiles to himself while he gets ready to begin cooking. "I wouldn't mind the dice, but I don't have the room to carry more gear." he admits.
Turning the fire down he sets his pot hanging overtop so that he can begin heating the water. To that water he adds some seasoning, and some of the bones and pieces of rabbit carcass. Since the fire wouldn't be low enough for the skillet yet he let that go while getting a sachet of dried vegetables out of his pack.
He sprinkled salt and pepper over the rabbit and then placed it onto the hot skillet. Making sure he gave it a powerful sear on either side before setting it near the fire to rest. Then, he poured out some of his vegetables (minced onion, carrot, celery) into the leftover fat and briefly sautéed them. Looking at the pieces of charred rabbit stuck to the pan (fond), he grinned wide and uncorked the small bottle he had gotten out earlier.
The smoky smell of the whiskey wafted into the air when he poured a portion of it onto the skillet. Scraping with a wooden spoon he broke up the bits of rabbit and worked the whiskey about to deglaze the pan of the rich flavorful bits. The vegetables also added their own flavors, and as it bubbled and was folded about it's scent grew thicker.
Finally, Kayle drew some of the stock he was making from his small pot and splashed it into the skillet. The thick glaze of condensed flavor he had there melted into the broth and he whisked about once more to evenly mix it. Then it was just a matter of returning the meat to the skillet and he was done.
"Rabbit and pan sauce." he explained as he held the large skillet out for inspection, "Should make even hard tack tasty if you smother it. I only wish I had some mushrooms."
Nicolette squats on a log once her tent and everything are set up, the fire sustained, and everyone can settle down to relax. With the dice, she eyes Bohrs and tries to understand the rules of the game. It seems simple enough. It seems it is just the two of them, so she rolls regardless.
"You are going down, Bohrs the bad gambler..." she chuckles.
When she busts, Nicolette winces but then cheers as Bohr's second roll busts him.
"That's right...now watch me win this."
As they start a new hand over, she looks around briefly and then rolls again.
"Ahh gosh...," she frumps.
She looks to Kayle as he finishes making the delicious-smelling food. Never has such a group wandered the grand path of the Everflame been so spoiled.
"Well now...that looks delicious."
Pulling out her mess kit, she gets a plate ready for dishing up and puts some of her melty bread and cheese on it when it is ready as well as the rabbit. All in all, a hearty meal.
"Ah Ha! The Drunken Hero favors his son!"
"Why do you always win? There must be some serious favor from Cayden shining down on you."
She will let him have his bag.
The food is well-seasoned and cooked to perfection, lack of mushrooms notwithstanding. However Kayle had learned to cook so well, whether from Short Change, Olmira, or some other muse, the aromas and warmth of the fire are a comfort on the cold night. Despite some prodding, Calaithes and Kayle show little interest in the game, which after a couple of rounds Bohrs ends up winning soundly. The tanglefoot bag is his! Should he choose to carry it. He'll have to try again harder to get them to loosen up for a game. And to have a drink!
Just as the game ends, you all hear a peal of howling off in the distance. You turn your heads to the likely source. It sounds like it's a long way off, nowhere near you.
But as you continue to eat your meal and talk, warming yourselves by the fire, it sounds like the howling comes gradually closer.
And closer.
And closer.
Then...it is quiet. Bohrs has first watch, but the howling has you all a little on edge. You go at least half an hour without hearing any potential threatening sounds.
Almost an hour and a half after the first howl, you all see, at the very edge of the firelight, a lone wolf.
Calaithes sees the animal clearly and cautions the group. "It's just hungry. We could feed it or try to scare it off. ??"
"Unless you want to try and tame it Kayle? I might be able to help...."
As the wolves howled, Nicolette didn't seem too bothered. They were common to hear in her home on the edge of the forest. It actually soothed her. Leaning up against a tree, she almost falls asleep when she can hear the soft pads of the wolf at the edge of the light. Her fey-like eyes open swiftly as it comes into view; naturally in the opened gap of bushes where it can gain sight of what delicious morsels lay inside this lit region of the encampment. No doubt, where there is one, there are more.
She quickly stands and pulls up her hammer and looks away from the wolf this way and that for more that would be sneaking about behind the bushes, attempting to find one of the other entrances to their hidden camp.
"Here," she voices softly to her companions. Out of her pack she pulls a handful of dried jerky that she had been saving. They free to take of the some 15 large, pigs-ear-sized pieces from a cow that she had dried. She tosses one to the wolf and then one at each of the two entrances to the encampment. If more wolves show up, she will throw more to aid these hunters and their wild empathy attempts. Perhaps they could leave as friends?
"Perhaps this can help your negotiations?"
Kayle will approach the wolf, kneeling into a crouch as he walked and with his hands down even lower near the ground. "You poor skinny boy." he crooned, "Your pack having troubles or are you alone? Hmmm~?"
He had packed several days rations for Owens, so on top of the jerky he could also provide a small wrapped package with a day's dry food. Placing it down on the ground he would back off half a step, then slowly extend a hand out to sniff.
Not having any practical experience with wild animals, Bohrs asks his more knowledgeable companions, "Is it injured, or just hungry?"
Calaithes approaches as well, behind and to the side of Kayle, trying to help.
The wolf on the edge of the light, even more visible to Calaithes, Nicolette, and Owens, growls as weapons are drawn. It looks like it is about to run away when the Pale Hammer throws some jerky its way. It scampers back uncertainly. It edges back further as Kayle approaches on all four. As Kayle brings out more food, the wolf rotates its head, tilting to the side. It paws forward, sniffing the offered food. It then dives forward, gnashing into the jerky and rapidly gobbling it up. He then gently takes the tied up package from Kayle in his teeth, and with a last look at the group, runs off into the night.
Over the next half hour, two other wolves approach the campsite where Nicolette threw the other jerky. They do not stay long, grabbing the meat and then fleeing.
Eventually you settle in for the night, ready for your watches. The night passes uneventfully...until Nicolette's watch.
She is vigilant through her watch. There is nothing obvious that approaches. A few owls and mice contribute to the night sounds, but that us all.
And then...there is a wolf. Where did it come from? It strides confidently into the firelight, staring directly at the barbarian, stopping just a few feet away.
It was strange to her that she did not see the wolf approach, or hear it, but then again, was she paying attention enough? Her eyes reach out beyond it to see if there are others. There were a few who had come to take their meat, but this one seemed alone. "Should I wake them?" she thinks to herself as she pulls a piece of meat from her pack, now down to under 10.
"You are hungry again, or are we friends now?" she asks it in a lower tone. After seeing them frenzy over the food, this interaction is different. It approaches her readily instead of warily. "It's not foaming from the mouth..."
She will drop the meat at its feet, hoping it finds the offer satisfactory but something inside tells her this is different.
"Do you want live flesh?" she considers to herself. Her hand is on her hammer, but it is not raised. She is defensive, but not in a violent pose. There is a bit of fear in her mind, being so close to a predator, but mostly because she's never been so close to a live one that isn't trying to bite her. Somehow, it is more intimidating.
The wolf looks down briefly at the offered meat, but ignores it. It takes another step forward, opens its mouth, and pants lightly, smelling the air and watching Nicolette in her defensive position. It stands on the opposite side of the fire, almost seeming to intentionally warm itself in the glow, yellow eyes flickering with the sparks of flame. It seems to take a long time for the wolf to break its gaze from Nicolette, but it eventually looks at each of the sleeping figures in turn. It's not hunger, really, but more like...curiosity.
Nicolette isn't sure how long the wolf stays, but it eventually turns to leave, walking, not running, until it gets to the edge of the young woman's vision. If Nicolette reflects on the interaction, she realizes two things. First, that wolf definitely did not seem hungry the way the other three did. But that didn't mean it wasn't hungry. And second...
---
The rest of the night is uneventful. Whether the party had actually made friends with wolves was an open question, but they had at least not been attacked by a ravenous pack. The Fangwood deepens before them, and the Crypt of the Everflame awaits. Looking over the map, it appears that the Gray Lake is next.
"Good Morning, friends!" Bohrs says pleasantly, as he rises and begins striking his tent and stowing his bedroll. "Our quest continues this fine morning!"
Calaithes wakes with the sounds of movement, then Bohrs greeting. He stretches and looks around, then rises to his feet. "Good morning Bohrs, and everyone. Perhaps we should break our fast before we get walking?" He digs in his pack for food. "Or at the least we can chew on something while we walk?"
Kayle waved off the idea of breakfest as he bundled his possessions. "I'm not very hungry in the mornings." he admits, "I'll eat something later." Owens was following in his every step. Both much more eager for breakfast and wanting attention after Kayle dealt with the wolves the night before. It did not take long before Kayle grew irritated.
"Will you stop that?" he huffed. A moment later and it was clear he would not. Kayle frowned and took a knee, holding Owned under his large head and giving him a nuzzle. "Go bother Nicolette." he suggested in a conspiring tone. Then he bounced up and Owens happily took off to make a nuisance of himself elsewhere.
Later, when they got ready to head out he would take to finding the trail with Owens again.
Owens was all too happy to follow Nicolette around. She gave him treats, affection, and she often left things lying around for him to pick up. Kayle may have had too much of him so early in the morning, but Nicolette was sure to want to see him!
So it was that he followed her around the camp like a shadow. Bumping his large head into her hip when she stopped, sniffing at unattended items, and if he even thought she was leaving something for him a single moment he would pick it up and return it to her like a good boy.
He only got briefly distracted when the others had some interesting smelling item they were packing or he thought he sa- squirrel! When he thought he saw something in the brush.
"Maybe cold, hmm? But I don't know...it's a very strange wolf. I don't know enough about them to really say, but I've never even heard of this behavior before...It's just...watching me."
What disturbs her most is that the others were far more appealing than she was to the other wolves, and although she presented some food, so did they. Yet here he is, just staring. She settles into the stare, losing track of time. Her skin begins to crawl for each minute longer it must seem. Her ears focus around her for an ambush from behind, but she doesn't dare break the gaze. Just when she couldn't take it anymore, he shifts and leaves her.
Nicolette will slowly follow it out of the camp at a good distance, but as she does, she notices there is no shadow.
"Could this be a fey? The work of the gods? A spirit?"
-----------------
The night carried on and in the morning, she woke to the warmth of the fire. Thankfully they had enough wood and a bit of food to sustain them.
"Not so great a morning," she answers sleepily. "It may disturb your souls to hear, but I have to tell you all, that while you slept, another wolf 'came' into the camp. I thought it strange I could not see it approach until it was right before me. I walked right up on me and stopped just there by the fire. It just showed up. We stared at each other...for...well...a very long time I think. Then, it left, and as it did, it briefly looked at you all and then was gone. I followed it out, but couldn't see it anymore. I know I wasn't dreaming or dozing off. And if you think that's disturbing...I saw no shadow cast by the fire...and it came right up next to it. See there, there is the meat I threw to it. I was disturbed to say the least. I think it was hungry, but I when I threw that food it didn't eat it..." she asks the more faithful. "Needless to say, not the most comforting dreams. I think I can still see its eyes..." she shivers.
When Owens came to her, she brightened and pointed at the dirt where she had dropped the snack for the wolf the night before. Perhaps the dog would smell its presence as having been there right in the midst of them? In any case, the meat is there for the eating.
"Go on...get it," she tells him.
That morning, while the others studied or sought their own seclusion, she herself will pluck and pull seedlings from various sources around her. She will arrange them in the shape of an arrow on the ground. She plants them, then covers them with dirt. She then will hang a set of chimes over the area and will chant some lighly sung prayers to the sound of the wind blowing through them. After which, she will drink a bit of water from her canteen and will then lean forward over the seedlings and pour some over her head. The drops water the seedlings well. It is her devotion to Gozreh and Erastil she does every morning. Afterward, she will say prayers to various other gods for strength and wisdom with a little less devotion, but still with faith in her heart. Only her parents or those who have stayed out with her for a time over days would know she does this.
When complete, she will begin to help clean up the campsite.
When finished, she hurls her pack on her back and then will follow after Kayle. While the others may not like breakfast, she will have some of her bread, cheese, and a piece of jerky.
Calaithes shrugs at Kayle's comments. No breakfast? Well, he assembles a bit of meat and cheese in a roll of flat bread, then closes his pack and pulls it to his shoulders. Lifting the roll to his lips he grins and starts walking. "Lead on then Kayle. I can chew and swallow while I walk, and wash it down with water from my skin. Keep and eye out for any game though please. As hungry as those wolves look I doubt we'll see any, but fresh meat would taste good for dinner!"
Hearing of Nicolette's experience leaves a shiver running up and down his spine. A spirit of some sort? Nicolette wasn't one to tell ghost stories so this must have been real. But what was it? They'd need more information.
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Bohrs retrieves a bit of cheese and dried meat from his ration pack, stows the rest, and pours a measure of ale into his silver tankard.
"There are several great songs for the road. William, Son of Nels wrote quite a few, as did James the Buffeted, though his are more akin to sea shanties. Nevertheless! A quiet journey wastes the opportunity to foster camaraderie and fellowship! What shall we do to pass the time, a song, a tale, a battle of puns or poems?"
As you follow the trail, the trees begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark form lies next to the water.
"Honestly, Bohrs...a sea shanty sounds sublime right now." "...and it will tear my mind away from this worrying business."
As they leave out of camp, she looks for the paw prints of the ghost wolf and thinks on it.
Calaithes moves over by Nicolette, looking on the ground around her. "Ah, I can't be sure, but your night visitor.... Well, it might have been a shadow collector? Do you still have your shadow?"
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"Father Prasst once said something about soulless things casting no shadow, but a soulless wolf?!" Bohrs shrugs at his own remark, and turns his mind to more important matters.
"A sea shanty you've requested, and a sea shanty you shall have! Here's a fine little ditty. Join in once you've caught the tune!
Fare thee well, my lovely Dinah,
a thousand times adieu.
We are bound away from the Holy Ground
and the girls we love so true.
We'll sail the salt seas over
and we'll return once more,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
You're the girl that I adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
Now when we're out a-sailing
and you are far behind
Fine letters will I write to you
with the secrets of my mind,
The secrets of my mind, my girl,
you're the girl that I adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
Oh now the storm is raging
and we are far from shore;
The poor old ship she's sinking fast
and the riggings they are tore.
The night is dark and dreary,
we can scarcely see the moon,
But still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
It's now the storm is over
and we are safe on shore
We'll drink a toast to the Holy Ground
and the girls that we adore.
We'll drink strong ale and porter
and we'll make the taproom roar,
And when our money is all spent
we'll go to sea once more!"
The sudden change of his companions attention causes Bohrs to interrupt his transition into another song. "What is that?" he asks, nodding in the direction of the dark shape.
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Nicolette does indeed still have her shadow, thankfully. She looks for the ghost wolf's paw prints, but they seem difficult to follow as they get further from the previous night's campsite.
Bohrs' shanty makes the initial leg of the day's journey light and easy. There is some initial speculation about what Nicolette may have encountered the night before, though nothing conclusive. There is nothing much to find on the way until they get to the lake. Is that...a body?
Bohrs unslings his crossbow, cocks it, and loads a bolt into the breach. ”I’ve never been more than a fair shot with this thing, but if this is another test, or an ambush, I want to be ready!”
Joy fills her heart before long. She still retained her shadow (not that she'd give a care if it was gone anyway) and she was filled with good energy and song. They couldn't be too loud or it would announce to the whole forest they were there, but they could have some fun. Laughter and silliness may have been common on their walk between Bohrs and Nicolette, if not the others. When they come to the lake and scenery changes, she becomes more alert. When Nicolette sees the body, she assumes the worst and thinks it may be a hunter in danger and rushes upon the body.
With Bohrs's warning, she halts mid-spring and nods until they are ready. Then she takes the lead and ventures forth.
"Owens, we could use your snout. Is there anything dangerous in there?" she asks the dog rhetorically as she moves into the fog closer to the "body" to see what it is.
"Hello?" she calls out to when about 70 feet away.
If there is no response, she will slowly creep up on the figure until right up next to it.
Bohrs' warning is solid, and the group begins making their way cautiously closer to the lake. As they approach, the notion that this could be a body becomes unmistakable, both because of the smell of rot and because of the humanoid features. The dead--and it is dead--makes no response to Nicolette's call.
Looking over the corpse, Nicolette finds huge gouges all over the person's upper torso. From the discoloration of the skin and the angle of the gouges, she ventures that this person may have been bitten to a large specimen of venomous snake. The body doesn't appear to have been eaten by anything, even potential scavengers.
Most of the gear has similarly rotted to worthlessness, exposed to the elements as it all is, but Nicolette does find two useful things. Not far from the body is a fine rapier with a silver hound's head carved in the pommel, two small amethysts glittering in its eyes. Second, there is a coin pouch with 87 gold coins inside.
Bohrs looks at the rapier, attempting to assess its value.
Looking over the blade, Bohrs figures that he could probably get somewhere between 125 to 200 gold pieces for it if he were to sell it.
The coins are interesting as well. The appear to be relatively newly minted from the capital city of Nirmathas: Tamran. They bear the likeness of Forest Marshal Weslen Gavirk, the recently-elected leader of Nirmathas.
”The blade is beautifully made,” Bohrs says. ”Masterful craftsmanship. Far finer than my own blade. It would be worth two hundred gold coins to the right buyer.” He looks wistfully at the blade as he speaks.
"Oh! And I suppose we should put the poor fellow to rest," he adds lamely, clearly embarrassed that he didn't act more piously to begin with.
"We don't, by chance, have a spade or shovel amongst our provided gear, do we? If not, we can weigh the body down with rocks and allow it to sink to the bottom of the lake, or collect stones and make a small cairn for his remains, or we can build a pyre and cremate them."
Calaithes looks over the body and out in the water. "I wonder where the snake went that killed him. Aren't poisonous snakes usually small?"
"At this point, he's more...um...liquid than anything. He is likely brimming with disease and who knows what. I'm not touching him. We can toss rocks on him so he is covered. Then let's be on our way."
She isn't emotionless. She just doesn't want the stink to get on her or following the group.
Almost drawn in by the horrific wounds Kayle kneels down and inspects the dead man. "Usually yes." he agrees with Calaithes, "But wolves normally have shadows as well. Owens, squirrel."
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Looking over the clothing, Calaithes is certain that the man is not from Kassen. Even though the clothing is in as poor of condition as the man wearing them from the exposure, it's style is more urban than rural. If Calaithes has reason to be familiar with fashion trends, it's also "in season" in those urban centers, whereas fashion in smaller villages like Kassen tend to only inherit these kinds of styles years after they have already passed on in popularity in places like Tamran, Glimmerhold, Skelt, or even Crowstump. The man was a commoner, but he was a well-dressed one.
As for the snake, Calaithes knows that some venomous snakes can grow to be larger than their typically small brethren and are notoriously territorial. Further, signs of an undevoured body suggest that an attack was made as part of an effort to protect territory rather than carried out out of hunger.
Kayle focuses more on the body itself, determining that the man has been dead for a few months.
Owens finds evidence of foot traffic leading off to the east.
Kayle ponders the body a moment longer before standing and seeing what Owens found. "It would likely be best to have the remains retrieved later and added to the cemetery." he reasons, "We have an important task before us, and a grave would not do his loved ones any good out here."
The tracks were apparent to Kayle with his dog standing on them and barking over his find. "That's a good boy Owens." Kayle praised, "Do we want to follow these tracks?" Kayle looked into the direction they went, and his expression grew worried.
"I wouldn't want anyone else to share this man's fate if I could help them."
Owens plants his nose deep into the tracks searching for a scent, but then snaps his head up and barks at his find so the two-legged members of the group would be aware of his find. As Kayle approaches the great dog prances about on his feet, stepping on the tracks and perhaps adding a few of his own.
Getting praise, he sits at his master's side and lifts his great head against the man's thigh. He is shortly rewarded with a firm rubbing behind the ears as Kayle ponders what he found. It was all just tracks to Owens, but he was a good boi!
Calaithes looks at the tracks Owens had found.
"That body's been dead for a long time. How old are those tracks?
"I am not going to follow his trail all over the countryside, but we can detour a little and follow to see where his trail leads. If it goes on and on, let's return and follow our original path. Maybe he has a lakeside cabin?"
If Owens wants to lead the way, she will follow.
Borhrs pours out a swallow of ale over the corpse. "Cheers, my unknown friend," he says somberly. "If your god doesn't show up for you in the Boneyard, may Cayden extend an invitation to his hall."
He looks to the others and says, "We can follow the tracks for a little while, if you wish. We might find something interesting off the beaten path!"
"It looks like we all agree then. A short detour...."