Unable to match the monk for speed, Jorum draws his weapons and prepares for the inevitable attack.
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It takes a little longer for the larger man to slither his way through the small space and only appears as Cyrene and Branwyn slip inside the second cave. He takes a moment to survey the valley before noticing the dragon and lowering himself to avoid being seen. After moving carefully along the ledge, he enters the new cave slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the dimmer light. "And I am Jorum," he adds with a nod, letting Sabach finish his introduction before speaking.
Jorum shoves his blades back into their scabbards in disgust before checking that Cyrene and Branwyn are okay. He nods in agreement with Valda. "Well spoken," he says before helping Arianda and then Cyrene both to their feet to head back out of the cave.
"Damn it! You will not ignore me!" Jorum yells, getting even more frustrated.
"C'mon, you sack of shit!" Jorum snarls at the demon, trying to distract him from the stumbling harpy. "Afraid to take on a man?!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Jorum sees Cyrene fall. "Arianda! Help Cyrene!" he shouts as his blades continue to dance.
With a grin of satisfaction, knowing the demon can be hurt by regular weapons, Jorum continues to stab and slash.
With a tip of one his swords in Valda's direction in thanks, Jorum continues his assault on the demon.
You have a big heart. She signs, after enjoying the hug. Never forget that. And you don't need to moon me. A smile returns to Jorum's face and he signs back. 'No trouble at all, Little Angel. If a moon is what you're looking for, I'll be happy to shine one in your direction.' ~~~~~~ Jorum draws both of his blades and moves to engage the demon.
Jorum glances down and is taken in entirely by Cyrene's performance. "Hey, hey, hey," he whispers softly, dropping down to her level again and enveloping her in his arms. "I was just kidding. I'm sorry - I'm a cad. You could ask for the moon mounted on my left arm and I'd find a way to give it to you one-handed."
You mean you won't if I just ask nicely? Her hands signal while her eyes dance with laughter. Jorum turns his head and lifts his chin in an attempt at humorous dismissal. "Nope. The moment's passed. Missed your chance. Who knows when it may come again."
Jorum was prepared to shed his clothes to retrieve the pendant from the cold water, but Sabach beats him to it. Squatting down next to Cyrene, he whispers, "I guess you'll have to wait for some other chance to see me in my swimwear," before giving her a wink and a peck on the cheek. Rising, he heads towards the exit. Once back in the main tunnel, he heads across the way towards the eastern passage.
"Lagofirs," Jorum announces as he examines one of the grease patches. "And you've got enough pets, Cyrene, no need to bring one back with us," he adds with a grin towards the halfla. "Careful making a flame - that stuff burns really well." As the tunnel opens up into the foggy cavern, Jorum checks their flanks with an eye to an ambush. "Lagofirs don't like others in their territory, so keep an eye out." He carefully approaches the post near the pool.
"Most caves have nothing in them to worry about, other than maybe an angry bear or something similar," Jorum says, stepping forward. His eyes, however, continually search out the darkness, watching for any threat. "This one's probably harmless. We just need to find a way through it. You can stay right behind me if you'd like." With an eye for tracks, he moves forward slowly towards the western branch.
Ranger 4 HP +12 Class Feat:
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The frustration Jorum feels over failing to stop the avalanche is only partially mitigated by Pakano's fall. The remainder is vented on the nearest longshield.
Jorum hears the cries of pain from his companions, but that only serves to focus his efforts on Pakano.
Jorum ignores the longshields and joins the others in the attack on the Broken Tusk traitor. "How about a counter-offer?" Jorum declares as his blades flash left and right. "We feed you your own manhood after gutting you like a fish?" He gives an exaggerated shrug. "I realize that it's not much of an offer, but it's the best we can do for someone that betrays their own kin."
"I have no idea," Jorum replies, shading his eyes as he looks over the bright snow.
It takes a moment for Jorum to turn his attention from the flash matrimonial discussion taking place in front of them to Cyrene's discussion of tactics. After catching up on what she's saying, he begins signing back. The rest of the following should remain here to avoid being drawn into the conflict. Hopefully we can catch Pakano unawares as well. It would be a nice bonus to be able to remove him from the equation.
"This sounds like a long-standing feud that we really don't want to get into the middle of," Jorum comments to the rest of the group. "We should be on our way."
"That doesn't mean she completely trusts it either," Jorum says, keeping his hands close to his weapons. "Where are these ... quicklings?" the ranger asks as he tries to spy out the twigjack.
Jorum gazes eastward and then back to the west. One hand rubs the back of his neck. "It would be the right thing to do," he says finally. After looking up at the sun in the sky he nods his head. "Yes, let's head back and free those unfortunate ladies."
Jorum nods. "For now we'll seal you in with stones as best we can," he says. "If we can find a more permanent solution we'll return."
"Ladies, we apologize for the intrusion," Jorum says with a slight bow. He gestures at the laid out remains. "If I may inquire, who is this a place for?"
"Cyrene?" Jorum calls out without taking his eyes off the huge beast. "This looks like it has you written all over it." His hands move to his weapons, but he's hopeful that the halfling can sooth the savage breast.
Jorum - who did not stay up with Argakoa and Cyrene - shades his eyes and takes a closer look at the barrow. "That looks like a perfect spot for someone to spy on us from. Yeah, we should check it out."
"You need to learn more of medicine." The angel says calmly. "You should not continue taking blows in this way without repairing yourself." "You should listen to your angelic companion," Jorum says, stepping closer to the halfling and kneeling down to look her over. "We don't need a martyr." A light kiss on the tip of her nose follows and then the ranger rises to survey the scene. "We need to get back to the following."
Moving on the archers, Jorum's blades pause only long enough for him to point out one of the Burning Mammoth's as his target before engaging.
Jorum continues to slash away at his selected opponent.
The ranger indicates one of the big, axe-wielding reavers with one of his swords and moves quickly to engage him.
"Look," Jorum says, stepping into the conversation and addressing Adrissa. "You clearly have no respect for us or our way of life and wouldn't blink an eye if you had to kill one of us to get something you wanted. However, ..." He looks around at the others gathering. "It would bother my friends a great amount if you set off on your own and died. Which is what will happen if you leave. So, please, stay with us for a few days."
As if sensing Branwyn's turmoil, Jorum touches her shoulder. "If we're going to do this, we need make sure we catch every one of them. There are innocents back there," he gestures back toward the following, "That are depending on us to ensure we get them to Lost Mammoth Valley safely. If any of the Burning Tusks get away, they'll give away our path to the rest of their tribe. We can't let that happen." He then readies his blades in his hands and begins to move forward as quietly as possible.
How? Cyrene signs, looking up at Jorum. They had so much skill to make the cave but they still couldn't protect the Flame, or Syarstik. How can we get it back when they couldn't? "But they didn't really try to protect the Flame," Jorum replies. "They just hid it away and hoped no one would find it." His hand gives Cyrene's shoulder a squeeze. "We will find it and we will protect it." His smile broadens. "Besides, they didn't have my Little Angel with them." He leans down and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. ~~~~~
The normally chatty ranger is silent as the wonder of the cave design is made manifest. He steps forward and traces his finger along some of the lines connecting the constellations with reverence. Eventually his amazement gives way to curiosity and he draws forth a piece of clean leather and begins duplicating the path of the journey on the material with a sharpened awl. Later on as they leave the cave, he notices Cyrene's silence. "Hey, Little Angel," he says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're being unusually quiet. Is everything ok?" he asks.
Ranger 3 HP +12 Will save increases to expert. General Feat:
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His weapons have returned to their sheaths, but Jorum's hands stay near them. Distrustful that the mystical tiger is no longer a threat, he nods as the creature tells his story. "We will consult the stars to be sure," he says when when Syarstik finishes. His voice is still rough from the choker's attack and he self-consciously reaches up to touch his neck. "But I have little doubt that our elders know the way. Can you tell us any more about this Metuak?"
Jorum groans as consciousness painfully returns to him. "Now this is really getting old," he grumbles to himself as he stumbles back up onto his feet.
Once the fight is over, she breaks the link and then lets herself be drug to his side, where she leans on him and asks ”Are you alright?” "In the company of four incredibly beautiful ladies, how can I be anything but?" Jorum replies with a grin, his voice still slightly roughened by the encounter. He watches her work with a nodding appreciation and when she's finished, he bows in response. "Thank you, my dear. Life wouldn't be the same without you." ~~~~~ Jorum's eyes widen as the cave art comes to life and attacks. He doesn't stand still long, though, focusing on the mystical tiger and slashing at it with his swords.
Jorum rolls away, gasping as he draws in life-giving oxygen. He grimaces as his hands protectively reach up to his neck. "Thanks," he croaks. "I don't think I would have been able to break free on my own." He pauses to draw more ragged breaths. "We should get that hat back to the frog folk."
Gasping for breath as his head pounds, Jorum struggles to break free from the creature's vise-like grip.
Unfortunately, the ranger is unable to escape the grasping hands.
"Sorry, Little Angel, but the only magic I have is my winning smile," Jorum says, his eyes searching the cave for his hunted prey. When said prey drops from the ceiling, a smile of satisfaction graces his lips before his steps forward, his blades flashing.
"Nice catch," Jorum says to the young woman with a grin. He gently attempts to anchor the cord and move it out of the way without triggering whatever nastiness it conceals.
"Thank you for your assistance," Jorum says before turning his attention to the indicated tunnels. Moving closer, he attempts to locate any tracks in the dirt on the ground.
Jorum frowns, clearly not happy with Cyrene entering the cave without any protection, his hands tightly gripping the hilts of his swords, but he doesn't offer any protest. "She can yell quite loudly if the urge presents itself," he says, speaking from experience.
With fear in his eyes, Jorum makes a tactical retreat from the fearsome animated painting before return a few moments later. "In my defense, it was pretty scary," he says with an embarrassed shrug of his shoulders.
"Are you alright?" She signs. "You have to tell Arianda if you start feeling any stiffness. You understand?" "I'm fine," Jorum signs back with a grin as he squats down to 'talk' to her face to face. "No stiffness that wasn't already there. Thanks for the concern," He leans over and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. ~~~~~
The ranger nods at Arianda's assessment of the tracks. He examines the fire ring to see if it's been used recently.
"No, it's not a fate that we would wish upon her," Jorum says, putting a comforting arm around the distressed harpy's wings. "But her fate is a result of her own actions and whether it's a permanent punishment or simply her temporary penance is in the hands of the gods now." "Rather than carry her around, we need to consider the needs of the following and spend our efforts in bringing this food back to the others."
"So much for keeping my distance," Jorum notes for any listeners before dropping his bow and drawing his shortswords. He feels the creature's deadly venom stiffening his muscles, but he manages to fight it off - for now.
Jorum raises an eyebrow at some of Cyrene's gestures and notices that Sabach doesn't translate everything.
Not interested in playing the 'who can turn to stone the fastest' game, Jorum unlimbers his bow and fires at the creature, keeping his distance.
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