It was when they realized Aynsley had been more than just quiet that they could plainly see she had wandered off- but not too far. She was near to the path they had taken to get here, surveying a cluster of trees with distinct curiosity.
She had paid little heed to the rampant nudity, instead listening to the song from rather afar, appreciating it for far less than what it truly was, unlike Thelen's dutiful adoration, which to her seemed a little excessive.
Upon returning to their little camp, she set about at once doodling what was clearly a map into the dirt, seeing through what little light there was to see by.
From the depths of her leather bodice she produced a stalk of some one plant or another which she stuck in her mouth and munched on as she worked. It emitted a fragrance of mint and liquorice.
At long last she muttered something that sounded annoyed and swiped the map out in one low kick of her boot. Forget this, she seemed to say.
Anain grumbles to himself as he watches the naked half drow and paladin walk off. "Hmph. Who wouldn't want to follow? I'm sure she'll be just fine with Thellen though. I wonder if he'll see her from any other angles that I couldn't? Ahh... so be it."
After swigging a long gulp from his waterskin, Anain reaches into his backpack and pulls out his Everburning Torch. He replaces the waterskin and looks about the area which his torchlight illuminates. Not being able to see much, he reaches into his backpack yet again. With a long sigh, he pulls out some jerky and sweetbread from his rations and begins to eat.
His thoughts wander as he eats the meal and while he is tired, he finds himself suprisingly enjoying the adventurer's staple. Again, he wonders if camping in the open is a good idea; but figures he can at least defend himself should any sort of trouble rear it's ugly head. "And besides," he thinks, "I'm sure Ansley is about somewhere."
After wolfing down his meal, he rises to his feet and again takes a pull from his waterskin. "Not quite ale, but it'll have to work." Anain walks a small perimeter around the camp, ensuring there is nothing of worry close by and after a few moments, finds a comfortable spot in the long grass. Once the wizard is settled in, he begins flipping through his spellbook, the torch illuminating a content smile as he sees the familiar arcane words.
To Anain, Aynsley seemed to come out of nowhere, sticking her head into his personal space rather suddenly and with a wry scowl at that. "You there." She mumbles, her stalk of what-have-you waggling from her mouth as she speaks, like a farmer talking around a length of wheat in his teeth. "Any extra parchment in that stash of yours?"
Thelen was simply searching to see if there as anything that could be used to provide early warning in the area of an intruder. He has nothing of the sort in his pack, so if there is nothing in the area the point is moot.
Upon returning from his walk with Riann and seeing the annoyed look on Aynsley's faces as she scratches away the dirt, Thelen asks, "Lady Aynsley, what was that you were drawing? I understand you have many talents and wonder if it was something that may be of use to us?"
He then turns to Anain and mentions in a pleasant tone, "I understand the need for scholarly pursuits to be furthered, but I do caution against any of us using anything other than natural light unless absolutely necessary. Each moment we do so is a moment we are as a painted target in the night to those around us. If it is essential that your studies be conducted this evening, I understand, but if they can wait, then perhaps morning would prove a more beneficial time for all."
Finally, Thelen brings up the topic of a watch, "We should agree on a most appropriate and effective watch order. It seems to me to be sensibile that Riann take the darkest watch as her ability to see through the gloom would be best utilized. I prefer to take the early morning watch so I might bask in the glory the Morninglord has provided. Anain , I understand needs continuous rest and therefore should have the first watch. That leaves Aynsely for the remaining slot. Is everyone ok with this? Do any of you have any other suggestions that may enhance our safety in this situation?"
She purses her lips so as to disguise her absolute amusement at he who would go frolicking after the naked Elf with no abandon. "Ah, there you are at last. I was merely mapping the terrain, t'was nothing of consequence..." Aynsley quickly covers up a chuckle with a half-assed cough. "How is our dark friend?"
Aynsley quickly covers up a chuckle with a half-assed cough. "How is our dark friend?"
"Our dark friend is quite well, thank you," Riann answers pleasantly before Thelen has an opportunity to respond. She glances with some amusement toward Aynsley, noting the stem in the woman's mouth and grinning a little to herself about the other woman's pleasant peculiarities.
Then she nods to Thelen. "I would certainly not be adverse to taking my watch during the darkest hours of the night. However, perhaps we could divide the night in half, with two of us keeping watch at a time for four hour shifts? That way, should our camp be set upon, we will have twice the watchful eyes and ears to alert us, and if the night passes without mishap, at least we will not have suffered from a lack of companionship and the dullness of solitary hours..."
Anain's spellbook flies into the air with a flutter of pages and a sharp pang of suprise emits from his mouth into the night air as Ansley pulls her prank. An incantation begins to shape in his mind, but just for a mere second; it flits away as he notices it is the Ranger. "Quite the sneak, eh?" Anain mutters, more amused than sore. "I do not have any extra parchment with me, I am sad to say. Other than the soon-to-be-filled pages in my spellbook, that is."
Noticing the half-drow and paladin return from their foray into the distant night, Anain gathers himself, stands and retrieves his spellbook from the earth's floor. With a nod, he glances at Riann then to the paladin. While he tries to stifle the smallest of smiles, he welcomes the two back to camp. "Most interesting. Most interesting." he says without explaining himself further. "As to the matter of my torch, I will gladly conceal it. More to the point I think, is the matter of how everyone, with the exception of our naked friend here, plans on seeing while on the aforementioned watch." His dark right eyebrow raises as he looks at the paladin and ranger.
"I would prefer to see during my watch, but I may be a tad inexperienced when it comes to fighting in the dark. I will need to rest if I am to handle matters tomorrow, but will accept any watch that the three of you see fit to assign me." Anain crosses his arms casually as he waits for the others to figure out the arrangments.
The party settles in for the night, pressing down a patch of tall grass to make their beds while Riann remains awake, vigilant in the gloom.
A couple of hours pass in relative peace, the silence and stillness of night broken only by crickets, distant howling, and Riann's own soft humming. Night has fully settled in over the sleeping adventurers as the moon approaches its zenith.
Riann spots a pair of wolves padding quietly through the brush in the distance, apparently headed in the direction of the camp. With no campfire to drive them away, it was likely that the wolves considered the party to be easy prey. As they approached, it became clear that these were no ordinary wolves. They were larger than average and their stealthy approach suggested a level of cunning unfit for normal predators.
Silently cursing herself for not having the forethought to ask Eilistraee for the blessing of the magics that would permit her to force the creatures into their least harmful forms, Riann grasps the hilt of her bastard sword in one hand and with the other clutches the silver sword-and-moon pendant at her chest.
She thrusts the symbol of her faith forward as far as its silver chain allows, staring directly at the approaching wolves, and commands loudly and firmly in Undercommon, "By the power of the Dark Maiden, I exorcise thee. Haste thee hencefrom in the name of Eilistraee!”
Would that also grant us mere mortals a listen check? *hopes so*
Riann's incantation rouses the sleeping party members just in time to see a brilliant nimbus of sparkling moonlight surge outward from the cleric's outstretched symbol.
Riann sees the wolves cringe away from the light but remain where they are, beginning to surge forward with renewed vigor. The sparkling light quickly fades away into the gloom of night as the grass rustles nearer to the camp.
Riann’s eyes narrow in the darkness into two ice blue slits, and a fast-paced, angry song bursts from her lips, making her courage rise as she springs mid-note toward the wolf on her left, her bastard sword swinging toward its lunging body.
Riann charges headlong into the darkness, her song leading the way. As she rapidly approaches the hunched forms of the wolves, she notices them tense up and prepare for her approach. As she rushes forward and brings her blade down in a sweeping stroke, the wolf deftly sidesteps her attack, the sword biting into the soil beneath.
The wolf that Riann swung at snarls and leaps forward, snapping at Riann's ankle. It catches the thick leather of her boot with it's sharp teeth but Riann instinctively pulls away, freeing her leg from it's jaws. The wolf squares itself off against her, clearly unafraid of the threat she poses to it.
Aynsley swiftly grapples among her belongings, hopping to her feet with her longbow in hand. She tosses her head to clear her eyes of her sleep-tousled curls- little good does it do her in the pitch of night.
Attempting to aim the arrow at the wolf at Riann's feet, she narrows her eyes... and shoots.
Aynsley's arrow speeds through the darkness and strikes the wolf creature in the flank, drawing a yelp of pain. Riann can clearly see the fletching protruding from the beast's hide. It growls angrily but appears to be unhindered by it's wound.
The noise wakes the mage from his light slumber. Anain quickly rises, shakes the cobwebs from his mind, and gets to his feet. Rummaging through his nearby pack, he pulls out his Everburning Torch and tries to light the scene so he can see exactly what is going on.
His military training bringing him to a point of instant awareness (I hope. :), Thelen in one smooth motion pulls his shining mace from its cover and rolls to his feet quickly assessing the situation around him in the warm glow of it's light. (Assuming he has time to attack) He charges the nearest one, swinging with the two handed might desiring nothing more than to repay in blood the creatures violation of our his companion's safety and slumber.
Anain's torch casts a warm glow over the battlefield, it's light barely reaching the distant battle.
Thelen quickly rises to his feet and draws his shining weapon, charging forward into the gloom and stands tall next to Riann, ready for battle.
The second wolf snarls at the paladin's approach and leaps forward, jaws snapping, and sinks it's teeth in just above the knee. Thelen twists in pain as the wolf creature jerks it's head to one side, pulling the leg with it, and throws the paladin to the ground.
Seeing her companion lying vulnerable on the ground beneath the snapping jaws of the second wolf, Riann quickly sidesteps away from the beast she's fighting to slice at the wolf on Thelen.
The dusky-skinned cleric steps quickly to Thelen's aid, her long blade following her graceful step and coming down powerfully on the wolf creature's haunch. The blade bites in as the creature yelps in pain and quickly twists away, avoiding what would have been a much more serious blow.
The wolf that Riann had faced off against originally snarls and follows in step behind her, snapping at her heels. It catches her in the ankle, the teeth sinking in through the hard leather, and pulls back with it's powerful neck, taking Riann's footing and dropping her to the ground face first. The injured wolf growls threateningly as she lands mere inches from it's jaws.
Aynsley darts forward, a mote of panic igniting in her chest. She hits a knee not far from the grapple, kneeling to level herself with the mess. She shoots again, this time aiming for the second of the wolves.
The nimble scout rushes forward, lining up another shot as she approaches. Kneeling only a few feet away from the melee, she dips to one knee and lines up a flawless shot, releasing the bowstring and sends her arrow rocketing forth. The arrow impacts deeply above the wolf's shoulder, causing it to shrink back in pain. The animal is clearly badly injured, but still possessed of hostile intent.
Anain moves closer to the wolves; seeing two of his companions on the ground in front of the snarling lupines. With a single fluid motion, he drops his torch at his feet and digs into his spell pouch. With a cold determination in his eyes, he makes quick and decisive gestures in the air with his hands, finally pointing at one of the wolves. A shadowy nothingness springs forth, lauching towards one of the wolves.
Anain's arcane gestures culminate in a shadowy pulse of energy, ribbons of shadow extending from his outstretched fingers and striking the first of the wolves. Unseen to all but the mage and his target, shadowy monsters seemingly conjured from nightmares rise up and entangle the wolf which yelps and quivers in terror. A moment later, the shadows vanish, leaving only fear in their wake.
Thelen, grateful for the help from his companion but saddened by the painful result, quickly asseses the situation. Thoughts of laying the healing hands of the Morninglord upon the wounded Riann or seeking the vigor of the divine are quickly discarded as he recognizes his true value in this moment lies in the pain that may be issued from his mace. Quickly deciding to attack, hoping to finish the beast, and then rise, Thelen mutters a prayer for strenght as he gains the best angle he can and swings a two-handed smiting blow with his shining mace at the nearest creature.
If he is lucky enough to remove the life that so stubbornly clings to this creature he will stand and attempt to draw the second wolf's attention to himself.
Thelen steadies himself, calling upon the blessings of the Morninglord to guide his strike as he sits up and brings the mace crashing down on the second wolf's head. A dazzling burst of sunlight punctuates his attack and the wolf's skull crushes beneath the holy might of Thelen's blow. The light fades away quickly, but the creature is most certainly dead.
Thelen rises to his feet and turns towards the other wolf with righteous fury in his eyes, raising the bloody mace in preparation for another attack.
Hissing more in anger than pain, Riann rolls over onto her back, spitting grass and dirt as she does so and pinning her eyes on the remaining wolf. Her bastard sword feels very heavy and very awkward even held in two hands, and rather than attempt to hack clumsily at the creature while it is practically breathing in her face, she instead reaches forward with one hand, attempting to grasp a handful of the wolf’s fur and call upon the power of Eilistraee to inflict light wounds upon the beast.
If she still has time and can do so without opening herself up to another attack, she is then going to attempt to roll a few feet away from the wolf and rise to her feet.
Riann coils away from the wolf, sitting up and carefully timing the motions of her spellcasting to avoid opening herself to attack. At the apex of her incantation, her hand glows black with dark power and she reaches out to touch the wolf, grasping with her outstretched fingers to deliver the spell's devastating charge.
The wolf shrinks back, still panicked by the nightmare creatures from Anain's spell and, though it's muscles have gone rigid with fear, it manages to twist away from her touch. Riann's hand remains charged with the spell, crackling and pulsing to be released. Unable to find a means of escape, Riann places the charged hand between the wolf and herself, hoping to deter it from further attacks.
The wolf, clearly terrified, turns away from Riann and streaks off into the night directly away from her, the tall grass rustling as it makes a hasty retreat.
Untrusting that this creature is not feral to the point that it will not return with a pack of it's friends, Aynsley bounds off towards the departing wolf, getting in what she hopes will be her killing shot.
Aynsley takes a long shot into the gloom, homing in on the faint silhouette of the fleeing beast. As the arrow leaves her bow, it is impossible to see it's trajectory as it streaks through the night. Nonetheless, a yelp of pain issues forth from the creature's position and the silhouette twitches in pain before continuing it's flight.
Anain reaches down on the ground and picks up his dropped torch, trying to illuminate the darkness. He moves towards the fleeing wolf, hoping to close on it before it scampers away. "Damn it...." he mutters to himself as he runs, hoping that the wolf is not connected to the orcs the group is trying to track down.
Anain takes up his torch and gives chase, but it is clear that the creature is far too fast for him to catch.
Riann sighs heavily as the wolf attempts to escape. Were it merely a natural wolf, she would be content to let the beast escape; perhaps it was hungry, or frightened and attacked the camp out of these primal urges rather than evil intent. But she'd seen Thelen's attack injure the creature in such a way as to suggest that it not only had evil intent, but enough evil intent to offend the paladin's god. It would not do, then, to allow the creature to go free, for it would likely attack other individuals, including those incapable of defending themselves.
Running toward the beast in order to keep as close to it as possible, the half-drow calls loudly upon the power of Eilistraee again, fashioning a sword out of glowing filaments of moonlight and attempting to stab the fleeing wolf in the darkness.
Riann stands, calling out to her deity for assistance. Her prayers are answered in the form of swirling motes of moonlight that gather near the fleeing wolf. Instantly, a glowing white sword very similar to the one in the cleric's own hand manifests beside the wolf, sweeping low. The holy weapon cuts into the beast's flank, drawing out another yelp of pain and causing the creature to redouble its attempts to escape. The wolf sprints off into the night, leaving the group far behind and disappears into the tall grass well beyond sight.
"All of you fought well this night. The Morninglord has blessed us with good fortune even in the darkness to have survived such a battle more or less in one piece." At this point Thelen moves to Riann (that is who was injured correct?) and uses his lay on hands ability to heal her to full while saying quietly, "Let the healing light of Lathander light your way, m'lady. You fought bravely and well."
He then glances around to assess the situation, heals more (including himself, but only after everyone else is healed) as necessary, and suggests someone look more closely at the remains of the wolf which the party managed to take down for anything unusual or useful.
After all of this is taken care of, assuming nothing else is suggested, Thelen suggests the group return to it's attempted rest. Finally he asks the others whether they think it would be better to sleep with the 'lights on' or continue as before. Before going to sleep, Thelen takes great care in cleaning and examining his weapon. He mentions something quietly about proper care of ones equipment being essential to their peak functioning.
The wolf's frantic movement through the brush becomes less distinct as it puts distance between itself and the party. Only a few seconds later, it cannot be heard above the chirping of crickets and the creature has completely disappeared into the night. In the faint glow of Anain's torch, the trail of blood from the injured beast is readily visible amongst the grass.
The body of the wolf killed by Thelen lays motionless, a pool of slowly cooling blood collecting at the base of its shattered skull. In the absence of adrenaline-filled combat, the party is able to clearly see the creature's form. The fur is thick and dark, ranging from pitch black in most places to areas of charcoal grey around the neck and belly. The creature is clearly more powerfully built than most wolves, it's haunches and forelimbs possessed of unusual mass. The teeth, though mostly broken by the might of Thelen's blow, are wicked and sharp, perhaps moreso than usual. The creatures are clearly not lycanthrope, however, as any shapeshifter would return to its human form when slain.
Seeing that Thelen--having seen to others before himself--is yet injured, Riann returns the favor of divine healing. She kneels beside the paladin as he sits cleaning his sword upon a piece of dampened cloth, and touches his wound lightly. "In the name of Eilistraee," she whispers, sacrificing her Bless spell to heal the damage inflicted by the unnatural wolf, "let all pain and injury be cast away and wellness be restored anew. As She wills, so must it be."
Anain pulls up his movement after the wolf, clearly noting its speed and distance from the rest of the group. He watches it clear out of range of sight and looks back at the rest of the group to see the paladin and cleric perform their healing duties. He walks slowly back to the others, hoping that everyone is ok with the wolf fleeing. " I believe that these are worgs." he says as he glances quickly at the body of the fallen wolf.
"Unfortunately, or fortunately, I suppose, there is a strong possibility that these wolves are associated with the orcs we seek. Worgs can communicate with others via speech and I suspect the wolf will lead the orcs to our position given the chance. We may consider moving camp or at the very least, leave those on watch in armor and prepared to fight again should we choose not to move." Anain reaches down and quickly searches the fallen worg's body for any possessions it might have. Looking at the night sky, he sighs and looks at the others.
The paladin's administrations knit Riann's wounds and then his own, leaving nasty welts where once before there were bleeding wounds. The half-drow priestess kneels at his side and returns the favor, a soft white glow emanating from her hands as she rests her palm on his leg as the welts disappear entirely, leaving the flesh unmarred in the wake of the spell.
Anain glances over the worg's body but finds that it possesses nothing more than it's own flesh, blood, fur, and bone.
Aynsley rocks back on her heels, casually giving way to a thought. "I could follow the one that ran. He was bleeding, after all. If these animals are in fact with our orcs, it would lead us right to their doorstep."
Thelen responds quietly to Riann's healing touch, "Thank you dear lady for sharing the blessing of your patron with me. Your kindness is appreciated."
Then, hearing Aynsley's musings, he says, "It seems we have a choice, then: Do we follow this morbid monstrosity in the gloom of night hoping it is slowed enough that we may intercept it before it returns to it's nefarious masters, or do we wait, rest, and possibly walk into a fully prepared fortification? The choice has blades on both ends. What say you all?"
Riann nibbles her lip a little in thought. "Truly, much as I would enjoy a few hours of rest, I fear a little weariness is not nearly so great a threat as allowing our enemy to come to know our position. I would prefer to track the wolf down before it can alert its allies. If need be, we can always attempt to make up lost sleep later, after the danger has been addressed."