Iskra Oski's page

Iskra knew the question was coming, had prepared a dozen great answers.

Then she dipped into those damned undiluted spirits Impulse kept in those jugs, and Kala Dja was being friendly-flirty, and her mind goes blank for a while.

"Iskra..." she covers a hiccup with a cough and a clenched fist over her mouth. "Iskra of the Oski, of Musk Ox House!" Much clearer, this time. "And my hope is simple- in these days I've made some good friends with my fellow scouts, and I hope that we remain good friends until the end of our days." She looks at each in turn: Kala Dja, self-proclaimed Kellid princess; Impulse, genius at stone and steel; Eirthgim and Agn, old and wise caller and spirit; Grymgold, hearth-tender and wound-sealer- even Pakano, the brat with promise.

Feeling bolder- flushed- she shouts out, "And that long after our bones are reclaimed by the hills, the Broken Tusks will live on, and know our deeds, and sing our songs!" She raises her arms in a double fist-pump- her new tattoo sings a stinging song, but she loves it all the same- before plopping to the ground, exuberant, almost giggling.

"I suppose there's little time to waste, huh," Iskra says, getting up from her cross-legged sitting position. "I think I'll start by clearing the trail- if it doesn't take too long I can hopefully work on gatthering up the herd as well." She slides onto Tomi's saddle and heads off trail-ways.

Iskra Oski's Survival (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Let's Hero Point that, hmm?

Iskra Oski's Survival (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 Butts.

Two hours on the trail an Iskra's spent most of it hacking down some overgrown brambles and following false leads to varmint lairs. "Hope you're not tired, Tomi- we gotta cover the whole thing again just to be sure," she says, patting her bird's long neck.

Iskra Oski's Survival (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

The second pass fares much better, as she sights some larger animals whose spoor she'd spotted on the first pass. A lot of loud warks from Tomi and her own threatening posture startles the beasts, sending them to seek homes elsewhere.

She looks up at the sky, checking the sun's position. "Still some time to gather the herd, girl- let's hop to it!"

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Herding goes quicker, even with the expected longer work time, as Iskra, astride Tomi, round up stragglers and keep the myriad animals in line.

With an hour left to spare, Iskra decides to check on the others- and maybe sneak a sip of the spirits, if she's lucky.

Iskra's silent for a long time- the look on her face is a mixture of consternation and confusion as she wrestles with this revelation. Finally, she speaks. "Generations ago when the demons came, the Broken Tusks took in the Oski. If my ancestors encountered the Burning Mammoths, they clearly didn't decide to invite us in with open arms then- give us weapons and skills and teach us to fight back. They may have even fought with us- we faced many hardships along the way before finding our new hearthfire."

Her face becomes set hard, jaw clenching. "If after all this ime they seek some sort of connection, so be it, but I don't think they come peacefully. And I'll stand with all my kin-" she looks meaningfully to everyone present, "-in defending the Primordial Flame and the entire holding."

She sits in the silence to follow for a time, her face softens, her hands and jaw unclench. "What's a 'Primordial Flame?'" she asks quizzically.

Post-meal finds Iskra tending to Tomi, changing out her bandages for clean ones before doing the same for her own hands and forearms. Tomi makes a low warble and shakes her feathers as the herbal paste applied on the bandages contacts with her scabs. "I know, girl, it stings, yeah? It's okay, that's just Grymgold's medicine doing its work. I don't like it either, but we gotta do things that are uncomfortable sometimes." She sighs as the last of Tomi's bandages are firmly in place. "But in the end, it feels better, right? Atta girl."

Iskra pats Tomi for a bit, turning to her bowl of water to wash her hands clean before tending to her own wounds. "First the bird, then the saddle, then the rider," as Mom is fond of saying- help those who can't help themselves, tend to your gear so you can tend to others, then tend to yourself. Old Sarkoris bird-raising adage, she's told- not that the Old Country had a lot of bird-raisers to begin with, but that's beside the point.

She unwinds the bandages from her arms, wincing a bit as she does. "Probably went a bit overboard, but y'know? These scars'll make for a great story sometime. 'If you need to kill a giant porcupine, try using a spear!' Hmm, I'll have to work on that bit of sage wisdom- it's not very snappy, is it?" Tomi, for her part, seems unimpressed.

"Fair enough," Iskra says, grinning. "Probably time I get to bed- big things ahead, eh?" She pats Tomi down one last time before retiring for the evening.

"Princess, if I have my say, you get the biggest helping. I mighta killed it, but ah..." she looks down at her ravaged arms holding the skull. "If I had your smarts, I woulda used something with a bit more distance and not thrown my hands into a walking thicket of knives."

She grips Kala Dja's forearm, then winces at the ill-timed gesture as a few of the new wounds reopen. Her eyes, though, are full of sincerity as she says, "You lead from the front, and you lead smart. What'd my mom say once? 'Passion and compassion,' somethin' like that. I swear you'll be leadin' this holding before you know it."

She turns to Grymgold. "I'll gladly take some bandaging up. Damn but those quills sting! Kala Dja, Impulse, you want first dibs? I can sit for a bit with Tomi if you need tending." Tomi warks in possible agreement, or probable hunger.

"You hurt my Tomi, you sonova-" Iskra loses it and lets out a roar that almost blots out Tomi's warks of pain. Lance and main gauche fly downward with startling aggressiveness.

Command Mount; Tomi Supports; Iskra does Twin Takedown, sheathe main gauche

Iskra Oski's war lance attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Iskra Oski's war lance damage (P): 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Iskra stabs into the porcupine with her war lance, pulling it upwards to jam the main gauche into the massive rodent's neck.

Iskra Oski's Reflex save (E): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Iskra Oski's Reflex save (E): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
porcupine's spine damage (P): 1d8 ⇒ 6

Spines catch and tear at Iskra's hands and forearms, but she remains undeterred, drawing the main gauche out brutally before shaking her lance free from porcupine flesh.

"Stay. The ████. DOWN." Spittle flies from her gritted teeth.

Despite her fury, Iskra still manages to sheathe her main gauche and begin readying her healing supplies to stanch Tomi's bleeding.

Iskra seems similarly jubilant at a chance to blow off some steam on a problem best solved with the simplicity of violence. "Hey look, something even pricklier than Pakano!" she shouts before spurring Tomi into action. The pair charge forward, Iskra with lance and main gauche out and ready. Tomi lets fly a terrible "WAAARK!" as they advance on the spiny critter.

Command Mount; Stride and Support for Tomi; Hunt Prey and Twin Takedown for Iskra

Iskra Oski's war lance attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Iskra Oski's war lance damage (P): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Iskra's lance and blade lunge forth, striking beyond the thicket of spines to find tender meat underneath. Tomi's caterwauling has its intended effect on the porcupine, leaving the critter caught off-guard.

Iskra Oski's Reflex save (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Iskra Oski's Reflex save (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Iskra's deft reflexes save her from the worst the porcupine's spines have to offer.

I made both saves so for simplicity's sake I'll roll damage just the once.

Pocupine's spines (T): 1d8 ⇒ 5

"Yeowtch!" Iskra sucks wind through her teeth, looking at her bloodied knuckles. A couple harsh, unpleasant-sounding Abyssal words tumble out of her mouth.

"Huh." Iskra leans in closer to inspect the faces of the dead hunters.

Iskra Oski's Medicine (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

She frowns. "We've all seen brands before, but these are different. Like the drowned woman at the river, they don't seem to be tending to them properly afterwards. This one here, look- they're practically blind in one eye! This is incredibly sloppy, needlessly painful and cruel work."

Looking up, she realizes the rest of the group is waiting for her to catch up. "Whoops! Sorry, yeah, let's head back." She mounts Tomi and the pair trot up to the front of the line, beside Kala Dja.

"Seems a bit much to use thorn snares for hunting, yeah? What, couldn't stalk and take down a tapir like a real hunter?" Iskra whistles and mounts Tomi in one fluid motion, weapons out as the pair rush towards their foes. Lance and blade flash in tandem before her. "Worry not, today you eat the Sarkoris Special!"

Mount; Command Companion to Stride twice; war lance Strike on Red

Iskra Oski's war lance attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Iskra Oski's war lance damage (P): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

The strike is off target, thrusting past the hunter's face as they dodge reflexively. Iskra spits and girds herself for the counter-offensive.

Next round Iskra will kick on Hunt Prey, and this'll all go a lot smoother, I hope

"A lot seems to be happening recently in the area- are there other followings around locally this time of year? I can't seem to recall any, but most springs I've been up to my ankles in bird droppings or catching game, so we coulda had whole meetings with followings in years past that I missed." Iskra pauses, then clearly sets her brain to wracking.

Iskra Oski's Society check (U): 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (11) + 0 = 11

"Nope, just recallin' guano and prairie hares, mostly." She dusts herself off in clearly subconscious habit. "Hey. Do we uh... wanna make sure Imek's okay? And Pakano, too, I suppose, though maybe if he catches a foot fulla poison briars, that might be a good lesson for him about skippin' all our scout training."

"Hey Impulse, lemme take a look at those," Iskra says, picking up a thorn and inspecting it closely.

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Iskra Oski's Survival (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Wow, dice roller. Just... wow.

She drops them back into Impulse's hand. "No clue." Iskra turns her attention to the tapirs, her voice taking on the kind of soothing, higher-pitched tone reserved for talking to infants and animals. "Got yourselves into some spiky bois, huh? Let's see if we can't patch up those footsies."

Iskra Oski's Medicine (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Guess the dice gremlin comes for us all some time, eh?

The tapirs, definitely unused to human medical treatment, shuffle and retract their feet at Iskra's ministrations. "Come on, now, I know, it's no fun getting your feet wrapped up, but it'll feel better, I promise."

Iskra Oski's Medicine (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Seriously. This is one ticked-off dice gremlin.

"Oops!" Iskra lets out a long sigh of frustration. "Uhhh... maybe we should see what Imek's up to; kid's got the magic touch. I'm havin' no luck on my end here."

An hour passes, and the tapirs still remain scared, though no worse for Iskra's actions. "Let's... try that again," she says.

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Life is precious, let's burn my Hero Point

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 That'll do!

Another hour goes by, and Iskra's eyes go wide as a grin crosses her face. "It worked!" she whispers.

"That Pakano, I don't trust him further than I can throw him," Iskra says under her breath. "Anyways! We got ourselves a couple scared tapirs, huh? I'm willing to try to calm 'em down."

Iskra steps forward slowly, hands out and palms forward, trying to mimic Imek's body language from her lessons earlier.

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

"Oh, shove it, Pakano, and grow up," Iskra snorts. "You just got punked by someone half your age."

She turns to the rest of the group. "Imek's the only one outside of mom and me who Tomi likes. Kid's a natural talent when it comes to animals. Ain't that right, scamp?" And with that she offers Imek a fist bump. Tomi, for her part, lets out a burbling warble at seeing the young animal handler and nudges the child's shoulder affectionately with her beak.

"Oh, I should probably not- I'd just waste precious supplies." But Iskra brightens. "I'll cheer you on, though! Be nice to work off that tasty meal." Iskra settles down on a nearby log, a main gauche almost subconsciously drawn to clean out some errant dirt under her nails.

It's clear she's genuinely enthusiastic to see what her fellow scouts produce, as she watches with great concentration while the supplies are unpacked.

Iskra looks the body over. "Hmm..."

Iskra Oski's Medicine (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

"See the traces of healing on the burns? These were recent, but the skin's had some time to try to mend itself- she was still alive after getting these scars. Judging by the bloat- and our dead fey friend's proclivities- I'd wager she died by drowning, likely only a handful of days ago." Iskra's face is a jumbled mess of pride at her deductive skills and sadness that someone fell prey to such a senseless death. "How many more would you have taken from us, had we not put an end to your games?" she mutters aloud.

The fey creature falls to the muddy banks with a gurgle, and Iskra looks towards the babbling little blue creature. "Points for dedication to the bluff, I s'pose," Iskra muses. "Best friend dying in the reeds and they still stick with the water spirit lie. Oh well."

Iskra makes a clicking noise and redirects toward the creature, allowing Tomi to take a leisurely predatory stroll around the thing. "I'll offer my prayers to the river in a moment," Iskra drawls, wiping her blades clean in quick motions. "Just gotta take care of one... small... problem first," and with that, her blades fly into action, lunging forth in a double strike.

Tomi's got Stride to burn, so Command Animal to Stride twice to set up a flank, Hunt Prey, then Twin Takedown

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

The river favors me, it seems!

Iskra was waiting for this moment, though a bit of her is loath to admit it; fey are part of the natural world, and so is drowning, she supposes, but drowning people with dirty tricks for fun? How many had died so this thing could have a chuckle?

Iskra slides effortlessly onto Tomi's saddle, prodding her into motion with her heels and charging forth through the water, maneuvering into flanking position opposite Impulse's expected point of impact, twin blades jabbing with practiced synchronicity.

Mount, then Command Animal, Tomi Strides twice, Twin Takedown with two main gauches; add successful damage from the two Strikes before applying resistances or vulnerabilities

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Let's Hero Point that

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

"Wait... I know what this is!" Iskra's face belies her shock as she turns to her comrades, her voice a whisper. "It's a loblobi; I've heard some of the old hunter's tales about them. They're tricksters who play mean pranks on people to amuse themselves. Mean pranks that end badly for the pranked. They hold grudges worse than Pakano. Real troublemakers."

After Pakano's abrupt departure, Iskra's in a mood; it's obvious she's spoiling for a fight, if only to burn off some steam. Her twin main gauches are white-knuckle gripped and she's slightly crouched in a ready position. "Don't let that snotty brat get to you, Iskra," she thinks to herself. "Even this horrid thing is part of nature; no reason to punish it for Pakano's sins."

She glances over at the reedy island shore, and her face sets with determination. "We're probably wise to simply leave, but it's likely to attack us for being poor sports. If our princess or our Spirit Caller have clever words that can get us out of here without a fight, now's a good time."

Iskra activates Hunt Prey on the loblobi.

Iskra pauses. "This feels funny to me. Like, all of it."

Iskra Oski's Nature (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Iskra Oski's Perception to Sense Motive (E): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

She sticks out a hand to halt her comrades, main gauche still firmly gripped. "The movement of the water- that's magic, not a spirit! Explain yourself, strange being!"

"Guess I thought too soon about all this peace and tranquility," Iskra thinks to herself. Still crouching near the reeds, she is about to chastise Kala Dja and Pakano for acting so childishly- and more important, loudly- but watching Pakano's humiliating defeat replaces her words with a barely stifled giggle.

Then Impulse gets their turn in, and Iskra gives in to the laughter.

"Okay, okay, I think we've made our point, yeah?" She says. "Pakano, keep your Spear of Shame- let it be a reminder that a little humility might spare you greater humiliation." She straightens up. "Still. Who leaves such a fine spear unattended? The owner has to be nearby, and I doubt they'll be happy about their loss." Iskra quietly draws her other main gauche and begins searching for signs of where the now-spearless mystery person might have gone.

Iskra Oski's Perception to search (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

If that 16 uncovers signs of the former spear-haver, Iskra will activate her Hunt Prey.

Iskra's enjoying the morning; the exercise, the hard-edged natural beauty of the Realm, even her compatriots' back-and-forth sassery feels... right. "As it is, as it should be," she thinks, taking a deep lungful of crisp air, slightly muggy air of the river. The snowpack melts, the river swells, the land brings forth its bounty. "I hope to enjoy this feeling for many springs to come."

Then she halts, eyes drawn to the spear sticking out of the reeds. "Everyone, hush," she hisses, instinctively dropping to a crouch and drawing a main gauche. Walking cautiously, she approaches to investigate.

Iskra Oski's Stealth (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Iskra Oski's Perception (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Creeping forward towards the reeds, Iskra begins looking around at where the spear juts out.

"Don't speak for me, Pakano- a couple maple meads after a hearty dinner won't slow me down a bit," Iskra says, sliding her pack off her broad back. She straps her usual kit to Tomi's saddle with her rope and shoulders a basket. "This'll be a nice workout, yeah? Good strength training," she says, flexing to ensure free movement with the basket in place. She seems genuinely excited to haul the soon-to-be-heavy container, by now a likely unsurprising response from the young hunter.

Tomi warks amiably and trots along beside her.

Iskra's excited to be back, dismounting from Tomi and making her way to where her mother is tending her own terror bird. Before splitting off, she turns to the others. "We should have some maple-mead tonight by the campfire, plan out our next task, yeah? Not too much, though- wrangling tapirs or carrying sacred vessels both sound like nightmares to do hung over!"

Iskra, astride Tomi, keeps to the thick foliage surrounding the bald-topped hillock, lance and main gauche at the ready in case diplomacy should fail. She cocks an eyebrow at Kala Dja's current tack but is more than willing to see it through if nonviolence solves the issue.

When Kala Dja calls Impulse forward, Iskra's face turns to a grimace before she mouths, "are you sure?" but continues to hold her vigil.

Iskra marks the strange creature as a Hunt Prey target, but otherwise stays where she is- Hunt Prey's Perception bonus might prove useful in detecting any falsehoods or treachery from the fey(?) being

Iskra listens intently as the planning unfolds. "I'm willing to leave Tomi behind if absolutely necessary- she's not a stealth hunter, though we might miss her speed even in these hilly woods." She pauses. "Should we approach from multiple angles, or as one unit? Whoever or whatever is up there might be easier to catch if we approach from two or three directions."

Iskra sits on the ground, attempting patience in being tended to. "Just some scratches, nothing to get excited about," she wants to say- but what does playing tough matter in these circumstances? She's seen the rest of her fellow scouts. They're all tough. We're all tough. And if the worst today brings to bear are some sneaky birds and their dirty tricks, she should really count herself lucky.

If worse comes to bear?

Best be prepared for it, then.

She looks up towards Eirthgim- even bent nearly double, the old one still seems eerily tall- and smiles. "It looks worse than it feels, I promise. Thank you, grandparent-not-by-blood." It's an old term- kthallgr, in the Sarkoris Hallit that still peppers her speech, generations apart from that land- but a highly respectful one, one she's called Eirthgim since she was young and they... well, less old. "When you're done tending to me, if you'd leave some of your kit, I can tend to Tomi. She can be a bit feisty, you know. Best I handle her."

She glances over to the others. "I'll admit, Pakano, I acted rashly. And you can see the results of it plain as day on my face. We're all of us not immune to getting a bad idea stuck in our heads, yeah? But listen to Eirthgim; their words are wise. We help each other. That's how we get by."

Iskra still can't see what's going on, but there's definitely less raven cawing than there was a moment ago. "Just keep up the pressure, we'll be out of this mess in no time!" she shouts, hoping it sounds encouraging. "Let's make some noise, Tomi!"

Tomi rears up and lets out a horrible cacophony, while Iskra attempts to stab and jab at the periphery of the source of the diminished swarm's flaps and caws, hopefully without hitting one of her comrades in the process.

Command Animal; Tomi Supports; Iskra does Twin Takedown plus an extra main gauche Strike at the square of the swarm next to Agn, hoping not to friendly fire at her allies

Iskra Oski's blindness flat check 1: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Iskra Oski's blindness flat check 2: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Iskra Oski's blindness flat check 3: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Iskra feels the impact of her war lance glancing off the boulder and attempts to use that sensory input to direct her slashing swipes with her main gauche into the bird mass.

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

If 15 connects, the swarm is flat-footed again.

"Ack! BIRDS!" Iskra cries, fending off raven pecks to the best of her ability. Tomi squawks and flails her vestigial wings at the unceasing onslaught.

Iskra Oski's Reflex (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Tomi's Reflex (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Blood streaming down their faces, Iskra and Tomi find the swarm overwhelming, but still carry on with the plan. "I was born to raise birds. I spent my youth tending to birds. I ride the most terrifying bird the Realm has known! I! Will! Not! Fall! To! BIRDS!"

Command Animal; Tomi Supports; Iskra draws a main gauche in her off hand; Twin Takedown

Flailing blindly, Iskra spurs Tomi to let out another piercing screech, draws a main gauche, and begins a vicious flurry of slices and jabs with her weapons.

Iskra Oski's flat check 1 (blindness) (T): 1d20 ⇒ 2
Iskra Oski's flat check 2 (blindness) (T): 1d20 ⇒ 13

Hoping her main gauche connects, Iskra puts her all into it...

Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (P, Versatile S) : 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

If 22 hits and 6 deals damage to the swarm, the swarm is flat-footed until the start of Iskra's next turn.

The sudden convergence of ravens swarming around Impulse takes Iskra aback; even Tomi looks a bit startled, though her avian face remains difficult to read as always. Wen Impulse's axe explodes with brilliant arcs of electricity, flash-frying corvids left and right, the resultant flash momentarily sends bright spots cascading across Iskra's eyes. As soon as her vision clears, she takes a moment to study her prey, then nudges Tomi into action.

The terror bird unleashes a terrible "SCRAWWWK!" and begins pecking at the raven swarm, while Iskra attempts to skewer some birds with her lance.

Hunt Prey; Command Animal; Tomi Supports (if Iskra's lance attack hits and deals damage, the raven swarm is flat-footed); Iskra makes a melee Strike with her war lance; Tomi attacks using her beak

Iskra Oski's war lance attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Iskra Oski's war lance damage (P): 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Tomi's beak attack (T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Tomi's beak damage (P): 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Alas, Iskra and Tomi seem to have severe trouble meaningfully connecting with the swift-flying birds. "Stop flying around and fight with some self-respect, you damn..." huffs the irritated ranger.

Iskra is pissed. "Who would- why w- GRAAAH!" she sputters and kicks an errant rock, sending it flying. Seeing Impulse set off, she mounts up on Tomi to follow along, lance at a low ready. "Whoever did this is in for a world of hurt."

Upon reaching Impulse, Iskra gives the large boulder the size of a small boulder a thorough inspection...

Iskra Oski's Perception (E): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

"Rockloom; Gornok River; tapirs; got it," says Iskra cheerfully. "Rockloom sounds the most potentially dangerous, so we should probably start there, yeah? Make sure we can complete everything in time."

Iskra lets out a whistle, and Tomi runs to her side, where she saddles up. "You ready, girl?" Iskra whispers before spurring the terror bird forward, lance out and main gauche set for an immediate slash.

Command Animal; Tomi Strides adjacent; Mount; we Stride to moose; Twin Takedown with Jousting on the war lance (+1 damage, d6 damage die, one-handed weapon) and Twin Strike (main-gauche at +5 attack); damage is combined before applying resistances and weaknesses, if any; the pair move to flank with Agn

Iskra Oski's war lance attack (T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Iskra Oski's war lance damage (P): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Iskra Oski's main gauche attack (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Iskra Oski's main gauche damage (Versatile S): 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Once everyone is in place, Iskra slips through the underbrush, finding a spot visible between the two trees to hide until it's time to call Tomi over, mount up, piss off a moose, and likely dodge a very impressive set of antlers in the process.

Iskra Oski's Stealth (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

...Unfortunately, Iskra's left foot found a particularly tricky tree root, causing her to stumble briefly and let out a silent swear. She musters herself, and...

Iskra Oski's Stealth (T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 Hero Point

She freezes, checking to see if the moose noticed her and hoping everyone else got in position first. Her fingers rise to her lips, ready to whistle for Tomi as soon as things go sideways.

Somewhat shyly- an unusual gesture from the normally boisterous ranger- Iskra raises a hand. "That's similar to my thinking, Kala, surrounding it if possible. I might have an idea to add, if I may."

She clears her throat and grabs a stick, marking a crude map of the area in the dirt. "If we spread out in too obvious a trap, the moose might hesitate- or it might pick someone to charge at random. What if one of us-" she draws a stick figure astride what could be a cloud but is probably meant to be Tomi- "makes a clear and obvious target while the rest lie in wait, and we draw it between these two trees here? I have a lot of rope; we could make a hanging tangle of loops and knots, tied to each tree, at moose-head height. Running pell-mell at an obvious mark, the moose is unlikely to consider, or maybe even notice, the ropes, and snag its antlers in them. If we're lucky, the beast might even break its own neck!" Iskra's voice is barely contained to the conspiratorial wisper it was at with her last remark; she's proud of the addition, but clearly unsure of what the rest of the party thinks of it.

"And if not, we'll be in prime position to make best use of each of our abilities, hopefully with the target entangled for the duration."

A golden-eyed, dark-haired, and tanned Kellid, her hair tied into knots decorated with leather thongs and ribbons of bright natural colors of the current season, stands attentively beside a large terror bird whose feathers sport similar decor. Iskra of the Oski, as you know her, is dressed in hides and furs that only add to her tall and wide frame's visible muscular bulk, but when she moves- sparing gestures here and there- she possesses a quiet fluidity. At her hips are sheathed twin wide-hilted daggers clearly of Sarkorian make, and a stout hunting lance and three javelins are slung across her back. The few bits of her exposed skin display numerous ornate tattoos of the eastern Kellids, in some ways resembling but not entirely accurate to animals of the Realm.

Iskra practically vibrates with excitement- it's clear she has great enthusiasm for what lies before her, and on occasion, she draws one of her strange daggers and uses the well-honed edge to clean out errant dirt from under her blunted nails.

The bird, Tomi, regards the proceedings with the alien mindset of an avian, occasionally pecking with great speed to consume an errant varmint or snap an insect from the air.

Dot

Iskra Oski and Tomi reporting for duty!

...

Tomi says, "WARK!"