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"I almost do too ... almost."
"Just to be clear ma'am, out in the rest of the world, it isn't exactly considered "unjust or biased" to want to live. Sorry, it's just not."
"On the other hand, we're compelled to do the bidding of Baba Yaga, not to protect abominations which are an affront to nature itself. We treated with it, we heard its terms, we were even polite to it when nothing about it resembles a "lady" in any way ... but I'm not convinced that we need to race off to kill something to feed its depravity." Elbrynn draws HUNTER while saying a soft prayer to Ketephys as he does so, the elven curve blade gleaming as it's brandished. "My people have a very long standing enmity with evil trees, and this one is hardly more special than ours. Even Treerazer would scoff at this waste of soil."
"I am happy to go hunting, Rising Star and I have long practice at that. Not entirely sure this "tree" wants a brace of rabbits, but who knows."
"How do you know about spanking!? Do centaurs say that to scare their children too!? Elves tell kids many stories, about humans who hit their children when they make mistakes; there is also a story about a Pixie who steals the baby teeth of human children. I never had a chance to find out if they were true, although it wouldn't surprise me if it were a pixie in Absolam ..." The half-elf smiles remembering how horrible it had seemed to be born human "Let's do this in stages; if you would lay the straps of the harnesses out, I will pick them up as an eagle ... and transform again when I am above you. Be set for a little jolt, trust me, it will hurt me more than it hurts you."
Orik shrugs, "I guess I can fly around on Elbrynn, right? Sounds better than climbing..." He looks at Elbrynn unsteadily, and says to Erdija, "I hate flying as much as you do, so misery loves company - or whatever." He shakes his head and prepares to go up with everyone. "Would it be better to take a minute? Would you like me to transform first, here on the ground? I think it is more fitting for me to carry you Orik, but I suppose you could mount Erdija, although that seems a little inappropriate." Elbrynn smiles broadly ... "That said, I do have to agree with Yrja: flying is wonderful. When the burden of all of this is ended, I hope that we can go back to your village and share the beauty of flying with the children of your tribe. They will love this land like never before."
"I can fly us up, to conserve everyone's magic ... but not all at the same time. I think I would probably need a harness to lift our guide though."
Screeching down from his reverie in the sky, followed not entirely closely by Rising Star, Elbrynn the Roc hurls himself at the abomination.
ROC (please scale back to Huge)
The druid inside the Roc knows that their companion could be hurt; the Roc focuses on the kill.
Elbrynn seemed as though he were about to growl ... the noises come, but his wounds seem to close in response. -23 +13 = -10hp
-23hp sucks Is there room for Elbrynn to wild shape into a Roc?
"Mantle or no, I would hope you could also see that we have no quarrel with the Fey, and some us see ourselves as well aligned with the First World. If we've already given offense of some kind, I am sure you know it was not intended."
There are 5 humans in this group and the centaur, correct?
Elbrynn, as could be imagined, perks up hearing that there would be Giant Eagles along the way. He turns to tell Rising Star as well. "If we do happen to meet giant eagles, I will be happy to speak to them and negotiate safe passage."
Thank you. It's really demoralizing to realize that freelancing and substitute teaching are my options right now. Nevertheless, I'll make a go of it. If the discussion tab is now the 'demoralization tab' I am happy to share more :( 9 months of looking AND pain in the "centaur" interviews ...
"Given that I don't really have much gold to spend on supplies, I'm fine skipping the town. I do always have things I'm looking for, though, so hopefully we will find some treasure along the way so we can fortify ourselves for the future challenges that will inevitably come -- I suspect we have a long road before us." "I suspect the same ... and I suspect that a meal we do not forage for and we do not cook ourselves may be welcome. Our time with the centaurs was very much needed. The opportunity to ask for information we do not have seems prudent also."
"You know, in the southern forests of Kyonin, Kostchtchie is more of a fairy tale than a god. We speak of him as a cautionary tale, juxtaposed against the reality of Treerazer. He was supposedly an Ulfen human here in Iobaria, filled with such rage that he killed his own mother and sister after being tricked by his father who he then killed as well." Elbrynn take a breath ... "The story goes on to say that, desiring immortality, he fought the giants of Iobaria in seach of Cyclopean secrets, and eventually came across The Great Witch. She granted him his wish, but turned him into what he hated the most: a giant, wildly misshapen and grievously ugly ... and that is how we scare little elfs."
#2
Remembering HUNTER, his elven curve blade, Elbrynn draws and moves in to attack again (Demon C)
Elbrynn fires again, hopeful that he will not expire before speaking to Rising Star on more time ...
Elbrynn can feel his friend Star outside, agitated; Elbrynn takes a moment before his shot to make sure his friend can understand him
"Make all the noise you can my friend! Wake the other no-wings! Their camp is under attack!!"
Elbrynn had his bow nearby as well, and quickly gets an arrow off, even as he calls out to Rising Star to return to the tent to harry their assailants.
Elbrynn takes a moment to gaze at his hunting brother, and to say a prayer of thanks to Ketephys for the bounty of their 'hunt' today. While most of the result was probably predictable, the fascination of the centaurs was not. He had been immersed in elven culture and surrounded by magic for so much of his life, it was hard to imagine the clan would be so amazed. Elbrynn smiles at Erdija, taking just a sip of kvass until he realizes that it is like a very very very ancient elven beverage also made using natural fermentation. He drinks deeply as he remembers a life long ago. "Today I learned a lesson, which in itself is rarer and rarer as I get older, and yet rarer still given its origin." He looks over and smiles again, at Rising Star "As we spoke of the clan, and the differences of our people's, Rising Star laughed in the way birds laugh and said, "2 legs, 4 legs, 8 legs ... to us an elf, a centaur, an anadi are all the same. No-Wings." I will admit, I had never looked at culture through his eyes."
Almost all children and most adults like sweets, so Elbrynn watches the team get to their tasks and decides finding berries might be the one things that both he AND Rising Star could help with. His friend would likely be able to smell them long before Elbrynn would, which made him think. There would have to be other birds who already knew where they could find berries.
Elbrynn casts Commune with Birds & Speak with Animals so that he and Rising Star can ask the local avians where there might be some excellent berries growing; places where it might be very difficult for centaurs to reach.
Elbrynn translates what is said in Sylvan to something comparable in Taldane. He raises an eybrow listening to the Chief discuss the frost giants ...
SYLVAN: "Stewards of the Natural, I ask a boon of thee. I ask for your benediction, that my companion, Rising Star, could take to the sky above your lands, and perhaps hunt for a time.
Elbrynn smiles broadly as Rising Star opens his wings; the eagle is clearly preening solely for his audience "Once my brother is cared for, we might talk of secondary matters; withces, witchcrat, politics. I would then also humbly express our gratitude at your forebearance given our arrival; we are truly grateful even for this small parley, and it was not our intent to trespass.
Orik starts, ”centaurs? Okay. Okay. Dez, centaurs - ecology? I don’t think they’re particularly aggressive. Right?”[dice=nature]1d20+11 "Not really aggressive, true, but at times extremely territorial. They need to be respected, and it is well that we have not hunted on lands they may consider theirs."
ALL - while I knew I would be a little slower because it was my birthday, the next 2 days of bomb threats on my work place took a little more out of me than I had planned. Please bot me as needed, I will be able to attend to my games on Sunday :)
"So then if we were never to exit, you would have no reason to fight us. If we were simply gone, that would not contitute exiting in a manner which you would need to enforce. Similarly, if we were simply to return, without ever appearing outside you would not need to confront us, as your charge would remain unchallenged." Elbrynn smiles for the first time "So it would seem that we should make a deal with the Hut itself, to transport us beyond its walls ... and to listen for our call when it is time to return." "or ... present a conundrum to the smarty-pants here, built on what I just posited: that if we were to let him kill us, we would, and I know this factually, be reincarnated, which would put us beyond the Hut, and would inherently cause his failure, as he will have 'allowed' us to exit."
Do you have as many players as you need?
"Yes, the riddle is a metaphor, almost surely for Time. I will drink from its chalice if we are in agreement."
Elbrynn looks at 'Star with unbridled love, "Friend, can you see further into those alcoves? You are much better at spotty shiny things than I."
"We fight things to have access to the answer our wits deduced; you grabbed the tusks without any fanfare ... but also without imagining how many before you dissolved into the ground in the years they tried to guess the clue. I believe the Old Mother wants us to back up our wits also."
"Star, fly ahead, attack its face."
Elbrynn smiled, thinking of Ketephys.
There is NOTHING Elbrynn likes as much as meeting other birds!
"That seems to be Tryva's instruction, aparently admonishing us that the moon must be waxing or we will not have access to the Maiden." "Fascinating."
"Ruk. Awk. What were the dream's desires? Tell me," says the raven, pacing atop a pillar, limned by the endless dawn. "She was trapped and "wanted to be get out" ... we took care of that."
Elbrynn smiles and makes a small gesture as he touches the symbol of Ketephys on his sword "Star, this thing isn't even real, it isn't even a shadow. Fly true, fly through, treat it like the worthless vapor it is. Blow away its hands when they move, swoop through its face when it speaks." Elbrynn looks at the spirit and laughs
"I agree, Yrja. Hers was a most ungrateful response. Myself, I found Elbrynn's reasoning quite compelling." Looking over at Dez with a wry grin ... "I'll tell you a secret new friend, it's compelling because it's truth.""It was also, however, a test. A soul would also have found at least some of that truth to be compelling, even through the anguish. This is not that." "This is a worthless reflection of a great life, a mockery. Yelizaveta WILL be reborn!" The beautiful blade that has been at the elf's back seems to arrive in his hands as he swings at the apparition ... The blade known as HUNTER
Orik and Yrja may be lousy at bluff and diplomacy and Dez not bad, but me as a player am TERRIBLE at puzzles and riddles. So unless my recent action accomplishes something, or unless any of you PLAYERS want to metagame a bit with some very specific suggestions, or unless the GM wants to give an even bigger hint based on Dez being better at this than I am, I think we're at the end of the road here. Well I gave it a shot ...
Elbrynn turns to the apparition ...
"Be the witch she cannot take from you."
"I'll be honest, I have been called a lot of things: strange commoner is new though."
"I will absolutely come with you; there is something I am meant to learn here, and I believe this compulsion was meant to bring us together."
Turning to Dez, Elbrynn says, "Star is my brother, and he is named in honour of Falling Star, one of the hunting partners of our god Ketephys." Turning back to Yrja, "The Old Crone's sense of humour is matched ONLY by her keen sense of irony: but the Brightness and my journey are part of the reason I am called "WitchWarden" The half-elf takes a deep breath like he is about to preach ...
The Half-Elf brushes himself off, as though there might still be feathers left to fall. He looks up and sees Yrja, at the same time turning and seeing the other eagle; he turns back to Yrja: "The beautiful one is Rising Star, and I am Elbrynn. To all appearances we are fine, certainly more so than in the cage, thank you for that."
"How we ended up there, and the Queen of Witches, well, that's harder to say. I think perhaps we heard her call, as it seems a few of you have; history says she has a peculiar sense of humour too, so reminding me that I seek the Brightness as a way of framing my "invitation" to be here could well be part of her plan."
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