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Rendyl nodded his agreement with Damiel, though he shrugged nonchalantly at Tegan's suggestion. "Possibly...and the more we know about the place, the better, should we have to return." After all, if these lands were going to slowly be settled, sooner or later the mites would have their territory intruded upon. They'd either get along, or have to be forced into submission. The ranger sheathed his sword and brought out his bow again, ready to continue upon the suggested path.
Rendyl breathes easier as the party (mainly Vik) take out the rampaging beast the mite had been riding, then proceeds with the others to the small cache of loot and the map. When Damiel asked if he could understand the writing, the ranger shook his head solemnly. Learning the reptilian language of the kobolds had been a hard enough endeavor for the young man...he didn't know if he could learn a third one. It might fill his head to bursting. The lanky man gave the map an appreciative glance, as it seemed the mite leader had at least been trying to keep accurate representations of his neighboring lands. It seemed that there was likely little else to be gained here, and as Damiel had pointed out, they had the item they were sent to retrieve. One step closer to concluding this distasteful task. The ranger made ready to go, though he kept a wary eye out in case the remaining mites decided to gather their courage and counterattack.
Rendyl frowned at the close proximity of the mite leader and his strange mount, but dropped his longbow and drew out his longsword in a two-handed grip. Following up on Vik's more fluid attack, the ranger opts for the hack-n-slash approach.
Rendyl sighed as the healing magic flowed through him, nodding his assent to Djebelle. He followed the swordlord down into the chasm, hoping the way up the other side was just as easy as the climb down.
Narrowly avoiding the rapidly whipping tail of the creature, Rendyl took another step back, wincing as Vik was savaged by the beast but focusing on the task at hand.
Growling in pain as the thing's fangs sink deeply into him, Rendyl wrenched away and backed up a step as Vik stepped up to confront the creature. Pulling his bow up, the ranger let fly.
Rendyl backed away a step from the edge of the chasm (not actually changed squares), putting an arrow to the string and nocking it. Not expecting Tegan's attempt at speaking to whatever it is to go well, he nevertheless tries to let diplomacy take its course. Readied action if the thing continues to move towards them without parlay:
Rendyl gave his companions a sheepish glance after the brief skirmish, taking Tegan's approach of the crevasse as an opportunity to get away for a minute.
After a cursory inspection, he shrugged. The root-laden crevasse was an obstacle to the other side, but with the multitude of handholds it should be quite simple to get to the other side. "Continue on to the other side?" He looked back at the others, arching a brow. Unless one of them strongly seemed to think it was a bad idea, the ranger started climbing down into the pit, trying to be careful in the jumble of limbs and roots.
Having disposed of the obviously tortured kobold (a mercy killing, of course), Rendyl calmly strung a couple more arrows and started firing at the mites with aplomb, trusting in his light armor to protect him and confident that his efficient companions will also do their part to quickly whittle down the creatures.
I worked with drywall briefly...then realized I was in WAY over my head and hired a professional. LOL Good luck, is all I can say!
Smiling in grim satisfaction at the efficiency of his companions, the ranger quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly at one of the murderous creatures, having no love for the small reptilian creatures but not condoning these vicious humanoids' behavior, either.
Rendyl offered no words, but did smile at the swordlord after he had quickly dispatched the mites. His grin quickly faded as the wails continued, and he hurriedly followed after the others as they ventured deeper into the cavern.
Rendyl slid around the others in front of him, patting Damiel on the back as he felt the elf's luck magic wash over him. Lining up a shot at the unoccupied mite, the ranger fired.
Rendyl grit his teeth as Damiel spoke to him about the kobolds, but then relaxed and let out a pent up breath. "Yes. Bad history. I'd best let you and the others make the decisions about them going forward. I'd like nothing better than to plant an arrow into every one of them, honestly." The ranger put his hand on the elf's shoulder companionably, then set to move out. As the group made its way through the cave system, Rendyl listened to Damiel explain what he thought was coming from each direction. As Vik made the decision to go towards the known enemy, the lanky ranger nodded his approval, moving to follow though now keeping a wary watch behind them, as well.
Rendyl, not trusting himself for a second in the cave fool of creatures he despised, blanked out, in a hateful daze for the discussion and theatrics of the meeting. It was not until they were back outside the cave that he came back to in his entirety. The ranger grunted at Damiel's words about the shaman lying, but bit back his angry retort. There was no sense in antagonizing his friend for his well-meaning diplomacy. Still, he would be ready for treachery if and when they returned. As they approved the Sycamore, the lanky man found himself envying the elf's keen eyes. Agreeing that Vik was the more likely candidate for the lead with his skill at arms, Rendyl took the rear post, keeping his bow out and at the ready, though he had no arrow nocked.
Rendyl looks at the beast with unease, but with the others agreeing to go along it seemed there was little choice but to join them and see what came of it. At Vic's words he nodded, pulling a torch out of his pack and lighting it before starting in after Damiel and the skittish kobold.
Rendyl had grabbed his bow with the intention of swiftly killing the reptilian creature, but he stayed his shot as Damiel started to converse with the humanoid. His face betrayed his irritation, but he lowered the bow, intent on letting the situation play out, for now.
Rendyl nodded approvingly at Damiel's comment, turning to wait for the creature's reply as Vik attempted to communicate with it. After the creature responded in a clearly negative fashion, the ranger sighed. "Maybe we should let it swing here for a bit while we explore the mine? It might be in a better mood to cooperate when we return." Vik was right...why was the creature out here? It did seem like a show of force of some kind...but did that mean the mine was full of other beasts like this, or something worse?
Rendyl eyed the undead thing in the water warily, but Tegan seemed to have the situation in hand as the creature spoke to them of the Stag Lord and where to find him. Simple enough, just follow the river. As the thing dissipated beneath the waves, the ranger blew out a sigh of relief, getting ready to continue on. As they approach the hill, the lanky man nodded his agreement to Vik's question, moving with the swordsman to where the cage swung in the breeze. Rendyl eyes the creature behind the bars calmly, then turned to his companions. "Friends, that is a mite, a creature traditionally known to be evil. He can cast a hex upon you, so be careful if you decide to deal with him! Turning back to Vik, the ranger arched a brow, looking at the tunnel entrance. "Abandoned silver mine...what do you think?"
I'm home...but I don't think I'm who you're looking for.
Rendyl's eyes widened in alarm as the undead creature rose from the depths at the sound of the bell, his hands reaching for his bow. The creature's words do not make him feel any better, and he strung an arrow, ready to fire. Then his elven companion started to speak with the undead, and the icy sorceress actually took a step toward it and spoke, as well. The ranger's brow furrowed, but he lowered his bow slightly, not wanting to seem aggressive if whatever this thing was actually wanted to talk.
As the group continued to shadow the river, the waters only growing more dangerous and deeper, Rendyl scowled often, thinking perhaps he should have crossed over back at the one-time ferry and secured more ropes to make the crossing easier for his companions. They were far enough away now, though, that it might be best to just continue until they found a ford or the river's end. As the party approached the cliff face and the narrow opening, the ranger's eyes drift to the source of the sobbing, the lone creature in the cage. Inspecting it, he holds up a hand to stay his allies for a moment. "Friends, that is a mite, a creature that is traditionally known to be evil. It can cast a hex upon you, so take the thing seriously. Keep that in mind, if we decide to converse with it." His warning given, he allowed the more socially graceful folks to go first, moving directly behind them in case this was a trap of some sort.
Rendyl listened to all of Tegan's statements, his expression not changing through it all. He knew magic was a thing, so he wasn't going to discount the woman's mother talking to water, but it was still a foreign concept to him. As for the crossing..."Ummmm, I don't think the crossing is functional anymore. We could try to shimmy across, but maybe we should just skirt the river and find a different place to ford it?"
Rendyl read over Tegan's letter, his brow furrowed as he slowly pored over the characters. After finishing, he had nothing more to add, so passed it along to the others so they could offer their thoughts. As the icy sorceress suggested the Kobolds to be their next objective, the ranger's eyes lit up, and he quickly murmured his agreement. He was normally a calm, rational man with at least a somewhat soft heart, but he held nothing but contempt for the reptilian creatures. Rendyl retired early that evening after filling his belly with the fine cooking available at the Trading Post, ready to head out at first light the next day to continue their travels in the Green Belt.
Rendyl shrugged as Svetlana let them know there were no new bounties. They still had plenty of work to do in these parts...he just would rather streamline effort and incorporate the places where bounties might exist, was all. Tegan seemed better at that kind of thing, but the ranger still would try. Rendyl left his elven companion and the priest be, not sure how much help he could be to Jhod. Perhaps the man could pray to Erastil for guidance, but surely he had done that already. The lanky man walked over to Lieutenant Garess, letting him know of the lack of bandits in the areas far to the West. "We'll be proceeding South from now on, likely, so I suspect that a confrontation with this Stag Lord will happen soon enough. Be vigilant until that time, though."
Hope you're feeling better, Aku! As for Djebelle, I feel that 4 is probably an ok party size, but the lack of healing is definitely not. Maybe we should pick up a cleric thru recruitment?
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Rendyl nodded in agreement with his companions, not wanting to disturb the resting place of the dead. The ranger was a big believer in karma, and definitely didn't want such an act haunting him.
The tall, lanky man looked with approval at the repairs that have been made at the outpost, seeing that Hylaen had been busy since they had left. Also improving the ranger's mood were the new complement of soldiers and the absence of any more signs of trouble. Perhaps they were making a nice little foothold here in the Greenbelt. The ranger looked on at Jhod with mild concern. He didn't have such a connection to the gods, so he couldn't really empathize in that regard, but he understood what it was to have something and then one day suddenly not. He clapped the man on the shoulder, offering a small smile before heading off to congregate with Oleg and Svetlana. As he hears that Garess has been doing well since their previous departure, Rendyl felt a moment of satisfaction. Their work was by no means done, but they had accomplished a great deal since coming to these lands. "Any more bounties we should be aware of? We explored a large swath of flatlands to the West, and are steadily working our way South, I'm thinking." He looked to the others for confirmation.
Rendyl nodded at Damiel's words. "Yes, let us see if they remember us as friends, or if they are as whimsical as stories suggest..." Regardless, the hot springs could be a nice attraction as the land got settled, as Tegan suggested, so making it safer was something the ranger would be behind, regardless. The lanky man mulled over the elf's words for a few moments, then offered his opinion. "Let's go north and west and clear out the flatlands in a roundabout trip back to Oleg's to restock. It should be relatively quick going, and we can also ensure that there are no other bandit outriders in this area while we map it out."
Goodness, Damiel...weekend from Hell. Glad to have you back. :)
Rendyl shrugged, then unslung his bow and let loose at the monstrous toads. Perhaps they deserved to be here as much as the fey, but the faerie creatures could make valuable allies as they tried to civilize this wild land.
As the group approached the doomed trapper, the ranger's eyes narrowed as he looked at the rope that would have held the logs in place. He inspected the edges, noting that the fraying is much less than if tension had been what snapped the hemp. Something had cut it. "This rope was cut, friends. This man was murdered." Rendyl looked about for the fey, but could notfind them about.
Rendyl's eyes widened at the sight of the huge amphibians, then he turned to his companions. "Do we wish to strike these creatures down for the fey? I will go along as the group says." Perhaps the man they had found had been the 'bad' trapper the fey had mentioned, and maybe karma had done its job. Or maybe it had been murderous sport. The ranger didn't trust himself to judge.
Perhaps with a bit of exasperation, Rendyl traveled with the others to the locale the fey have indicated was full of traps left by the biggins. There, the ranger's keen eyes are keen to find the evidence left by the trappers in the area. The lanky man scowled as he found the cruel devices disguised to the point where anybody could trip them and possibly lose a limb to infection. He nodded his thanks to Damiel as the elf picked up sticks and helped to spring the traps, rendering them harmless. As the petite woman pulled him aside, Rendyl went willingly enough, wondering what it could be about. When she offered a compliment, he stood speechless for a moment, then quietly uttered, "We all have our skillsets. This just happens to be mine. Thank you, though. I'm glad you are here, as well." He smiled at the lovely woman, probably the most genuine smile he's given her since they first met, then turned back to the important work at hand. ************************** As the group left the area to head to the hot springs to clear out the fey's problem there, the ranger took the point position, watching for any potential ambushes or other possible dangers to the group. At Tegan's question, he shook his head in the negative. "There's always the possibility, but it's doubtful. I don't know how many men this Stag Lord could have, but he's lost quite a few. If I were him, I'd be consolidating my personnel before trying to establish a satellite again." The tall man shrugged his shoulders, though, to indicate he wasn't completely sure.
You're a life-saver. Thanks! :)
Rendyl, thinking that perhaps the fey might be grateful to the group for taking care of some of their adversaries, announced, "We are the ones who drove out the mean bigginses and the bear. We're friends." At Damiel's offer to remove the traps, the ranger shrugged. It was something the group could do, surely, but it would take a decent amount of time to sweep the area. As the elven man asked the creatures about the hot springs, the lanky man crossed his arms and remained silent. He was unsure of what he thought of these little creatures. Perhaps they would make good allies, but he couldn't help but think they would be undependable, at best.
The ranger eyed the fey beings warily, but they seemed more irritating than harmful. He recalled from years ago a couple brief lessons about the capricious nature of the fey. Rendyl kept his opinion of the prank to himself, seeing that Damiel and Tegan seem to be trying to ingratiate themselves with the creatures. Feeling the remnant of the cool air surrounding the sorceress, she was at least having to feign her mood. The lanky man kept his eyes peeled on the surrounding woods, anxious. Just because these two had revealed themselves didn't mean that there weren't more of them. He spoke lowly to his fellows as he looked about, "I heard that offering them gifts of shinies will generally appease them or even get them friendly, for what it's worth."
I think we (I guess Damiel and I) had decided that Damiel would attempt to talk to our shadow.
Rendyl smiled amiably at Damiel as the elf sauntered up to him, his face darkening as he heard the man's hushed words. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded his affirmation to his elven companion. Perhaps this was their little saboteur?
Rendyl tried to power through the spicy meal, but after several gulps of water and relatively little progress made on the food, he set it back down in irritation. As the others share their complaints he can only agree. "I didn't notice anything, but something has clearly tampered with our food. I'll do some hunting and get us some fresh game, if you are all agreeable?" The ranger wasn't sure it would work, long-term. If something was contaminating the food, then it would surely attempt to do so, again. "I suggest we keep a sharper look out at night...whoever is on watch duty should probably stay close to the supplies to make it harder for them to be fooled with." If no one objected, the ranger retrieved his bow and quiver of arrows and started trying to find them some fresh fare.
Rendyl looked over the letter for a moment, then nodded his affirmation. Everything seemed to be presented well in the document. When the topic turns to where to go next, Tegan's suggestion seemed as good as any, since the other charter had decided to go after the kobolds. No sense butting heads with the other group after they had grown to at least respect one another. "Finding a tatzlwyrm seems as good an idea as any. Let's continue in the wooded areas, then, as I think they like brush, trees, and water." Taking out the map of the Greenbelt, he indicates where he would like to go next.
Congrats, Djebelle!
Rendyl is glad to see the trading post still standing, with no evidence of any attacks in the group's absence. He had hated to leave the place relatively unguarded, but they had been tasked with exploration and charting, so it was necessary. He looked to see if Garess' garrison had been replenished, but doubted it, seeing as there were relatively few repairs made to the place. The ranger is glad to have a place to relax (relatively, anyway), and is looking forward to a comfortable corner to rest in. His brow furrowed at the absence of the other charter, but with the shape they were in they might have decided to retreat back to Restov to regroup. He decided he'd inquire as to their whereabouts after a nice, hot meal.
Rendyl nodded his agreement to Damiel's suggestion. Maybe he was growing soft, but the prospect of a nice bed inside sounded pretty marvelous. As did the reward offered for the berries, as the ranger didn't fancy going back to the patch and trying to procure more after the damage the spider hoard did.
Rendyl addressed the others, "It's a wild animal, for sure, but no more dangerous than any other to human-kind. With that being said, it is a large predator, and depending on how long it's been down there, it could possibly attack us. Unless..." He looked back to the horses, where the boar meat was just starting to sour. "Maybe we should throw it a few chunks of the wild boar, first, to satiate its hunger. If it's not starving it will almost certainly leave us alone." The ranger looked about to see how his companions felt about this.
At Damiel's question, Rendyl thinks as he helped Vik get ready to help the creature escape the pit.
Rendyl almost slipped into the pit, but caught his balance at the last moment and hopped away from the edge, breathing heavily, telling Damiel and the others of the large cat's predicament. The creature below was dangerous and probably frustrated and wouldn't have taken kindly to a newcomer sharing its prison. At Vik's suggestion the ranger nodded. Predators were a normal part of life in the wild, and killing this one could throw the ecosystem off for miles around. Still, he pulled out his bow and stepped back from the pit. He loved nature, but was not foolish...he would shoot the creature if it attacked him or his companions.
Curious, the ranger approached the pit, keeping an eye out for other, similar traps so that he and his companions don't fall into another one.
Assuming he made it to the side of the hole, Rendyl peered over the edge to see what could be at the bottom.
Rendyl shrugged at Damiel’s question. ”I don’t have a preference, really, but the grasslands will go quicker and are probably more likely to be of interest to the Swordlords. Let us head west, if no one objects.”
Rendyl shook his head at the close call, alarmed that spiders of all things had nearly crippled the group. The ranger was always determined to learn from his mistakes, though, and planned to get some flasks of oil from Oleg's when they returned. "Are you both alright?" Rendyl asked both Vik and Tegan, hoping Djebelle could do something for their dozens of bite wounds. The tall man kept a sharp eye out as Vik waded back into the bushes and harvested more berries, and after the deed was done he indicated the trail. "Shall we continue on our way, then? Mapping is tedious work, but we're doing ourselves no favors by putting it off. Besides, maybe we'll run into some more of the bandits and cull their numbers further." Speaking of the bandits brought to Rendyl's mind the last time they returned to the Outpost, of the carnage that had occurred while they were away. He could only hope Garess could keep things under control until they returned.
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