"Agreed. Let's see if the beast is involved with these orcs we seek. We can rest after we've investigated. Aynsley, lead the way." Anain says as he gathers his belongings from the campsite. "I hope we are not making a mistake."
"Though I wish to follow hastily, I suspect I shall be far more effective whilst in my armor. Would you please assist me so as to save substantial time as I put it on?" He lays his mace down beside himself and begins putting on his armor with a sense of urgency but also with the precision of someone who has done so many times. (unless someone objects--but a 10 armor class is just painful!)
"Of course," Riann says, striding to Thelen's side and rapidly tugging upon and fastening straps with light, deft fingers. She can't imagine wearing so much armor; it looks very hot and cumbersome and she feels the normally-unwelcome slink of her own mithril over her shoulders and chest with renewed appreciation.
She hums a little under her breath as she works, and in fairly short order she and Thelen have managed to get him prepared for battle.
-1 ac penalty is still far better than losing the 7 or so I get without donning. Yes, I'll wait the two minutes. If the two others want to go ahead I suspect that would be ok as long as they only fight the 1 worg (if it comes to that). If they run into any other trouble they shoudl come back to us asap. We don't need to be in an ambush *and* split up.
Aynsley sighs, tugging her leathers into place neatly and bending to heave her pack onto her shoulders.
"How far do we wish to follow? There's a chance this creature is just a feral and our following will only lead us deeper and deeper into empty wilderness, leaving our intentions long behind. When should we decide that enough is enough, if it doesn't take us where we're hoping?"
Aynsley sighs, tugging her leathers into place neatly and bending to heave her pack onto her shoulders.
"How far do we wish to follow? There's a chance this creature is just a feral and our following will only lead us deeper and deeper into empty wilderness, leaving our intentions long behind. When should we decide that enough is enough, if it doesn't take us where we're hoping?"
"Based upon the fierceness with which Lathander allowed me to smite the foul beast, I am confident it is no simple creature. We should decide after we have more information. For now, we follow and keep as alert to trouble and ambush as we are able. Should we proceed in darkness or with the aid of light?"
If he is able to (and considering the speed of tracking I suspect he will be) Thelen would like to maintain a detect evil in an arc ahead of us, sweeping for potential trouble. It may or may not let us know in time, but it could at least prevent ambush.
Riann gives the straps of Thelen's armor one last firm tug. "I doubt Aynsley can follow wolf-sign in the darkness. If we wish to find this creature, we must temper caution with practicality. I believe it better to proceed with light than without, despite the risk of detection." Stepping away from the servant of Lathander, she glances toward Aynsley with a raised, inviting eyebrow. "Thelen's armor looks to be serviceable. Shall we?"
"Thank you kindly, m'lady for the assistance," Thelen says as he grabs the remainder of his gear and prepares to move.
Assuming the others agree with Riann regarding the light, Thelen will walk with his shining mace in hand (making himself a target for all the world to see :) closely behind, but not disturbing his tracking companion.
"I'll take the rear," Riann says, nodding for Anain to go ahead of her as she slips to the back of the group and steps just outside of the sphere of light. "I don't need the light to see and perhaps if the wolf is not similarly advantaged it won't notice me until it is too late. Besides---and I mean no offense, wizard---I'd rather have Anain between Thelen and I."
Anain moves into his position in the group, holding his torch in his hand. Looking ahead, he nods at Riann's comment and focuses his eyes into the darkness.
Nodding, Aynsley motions for the light with one hand bidding Thelen and Anain come nearer to her. She then moves forward to lead on. She starts in the direction the wolf headed, stopping only once she is sure she has reached the point in which she lost sight of the animal. She sinks to a spider crawl on half-bent knees, looking to the earth at their feet.
Aynsley locates the creature's trail with ease. It's passage through the grass has left a telltale path of trampled stalks and it's bleeding injuries have left dots of red on some of the plants as it passed. The ground was fairly firm and unwilling to give up signs of footprints, but the experienced scout had no need for such things. The worg was practically leading them to it.
The trail of blood proves to be the easiest thing to follow as the vibrant red stands out on the light green grass and glints slightly by the light they carry. Aynsley quickens the pace somewhat, still proceeding no faster than a brisk walk, but she has an easy enough trail to follow to permit such haste. The pursuit drags on for the better part of a half hour.
Anain nudges Ansley softly with his elbow and nods at the others, wondering if they hear the same noises he does. "About 30 yards ahead...I hear faint breathing and something moving in the grass." he says quietly. He points in the direction of the noise and grips his torch tightly. "I hope the beast has not led us into an ambush. That would be quite unfortunate."
The party's approach seemed to startle whatever rested in the grass ahead. They could all hear a low growl and more rustling. Finally, the stillness of night was pierced by a blood-curdling howl that issued forth from the injured worg. The party could faintly discern the beast's silhouette in the darkness as it began to lope away once again, but far slower than before. It was evident that the creature was badly injured and fatigued from it's flight, but the howl may very well have been intended to draw the worg's allies to it if they were near.
Anain moves towards the wolf like beast, reaching into his belt for a simply carved piece of wood. With the wand in hand, he whispers an arcane phrase and flicks his wrist in the worgs direction. White blue light bursts forth from the wand with a hum, leaping at the injured creatures hide. Knowing this is his best chance to hit the creature, he mutters to his companions "Shut it up!"
The sizzling ball of energy streaks forth from Anain's wand, striking the wolf's silhouette unerringly. It issues another yelp, this one a tired yelp of fatigue and surrender. The creature seems to know that it faces certain death.
Quick as can be, Aynsley swipes an arrow from her quiver and shoots the pitiful beast as best she can figure, her concerns at this point little more than wishing it out of its misery.
Aynsley's shot streaks into the darkness and strikes the silhouette, giving up another yelp of pain, but still the beast lives.
Riann squints at the figure quivering in the tall grass for a moment, clutching the hilt of her sword. Then, closing her eyes for a heartbeat, she offers up a quiet prayer to Eilistraee to bestow her blessing upon the assembled, that they might end the creature's suffering quickly.
Riann squints at the figure quivering in the tall grass for a moment, clutching the hilt of her sword. Then, closing her eyes for a heartbeat, she offers up a quiet prayer to Eilistraee to bestow her blessing upon the assembled, that they might end the creature's suffering quickly.
As she prays, the priestess’s hand finds one of her arrows, and she quickly loads it into her crossbow. The worg shifts within the high grass in front of her and Riann struggles to aim true before firing. The unmistakable sound of a crossbow being released reverberates in the night air.
The cleric's crossbow snaps loudly, loosing a bolt into the darkness but sails high above the mark, missing the worg completely. With another howl, the worg finds it's survival instincts again and runs hard and fast into the night, the tall grass swishing noisily in it's wake.
As Thelen moves, he raises his repeating heavy crossbow, takes aim as best he can, and lets loose a bolt at the fleeing beast.
Thelen moves forward through the grass, stepping only a few feet in front of Aynsley as he attempts a long shot into the gloom. The powerful catch on his heavy crossbow snaps loudly, echoing into the night, and looses a bolt into the darkness. There is no indication that it has found it's mark, however.
Anain breaks into a sprint after the wolf, his torch bobbing and weaving like a celebratory firework as he tries to close the gap between himself and the faster creature. Hoping to close with the wolf and get off another blast from his wand, he tries to breathe calmly, knowing his companions are not far behind.
Anain rushes after the worg, bolting forth into the darkness with his torch to light the way. About 100 feet ahead, near where the worg had been originally seen, the grass and brush gives way at Anain's footstep, collapsing to reveal a crude pit trap! The wizard quickly dives for safety and ends up on the other side of the pit, gasping for breath but no worse for wear, and continues pursuit.
Aynsley, who had been in fast pursuit after Anain, skids to a halt as the sound of splintering brush crashes forth before her. She throws out her arms, lest any of the others decide to continue the mad dash forward.
"Anain!" She shouts, reaching behind her for one of the lights. "You alright?"
"Anain!" She shouts, reaching behind her for one of the lights. "You alright?"
With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Riann gazes off into the darkness in the direction of the fleeing worg. "We now have greater problems than escaping quarry." She flicks the tip of her sword toward the pit gaping before them. "Our presence here is known, or at least anticipated."
The worg continues to flee into the night, howling in pain and stirring the night air with it's cries.
Thelen runs the remainder of the distance up to the pit, looks down to see if there is danger from below, and begins scanning the area with his 'evil sense' turned on high. :) He also says, "The cursed beast seems to have both outrun and outsmarted us this time. We can try to track him further possibly in a moment, but we should first determine if we are secure where we stand." After seeing the bottom of the pit, he steps back from the opening so as not to be bullrushed in by anything that might attempt to do so.
Anain wipes his brow, flinging not only sweat but relief as he looks back at the pit. He brushes himself off, ensures he didn't drop anything and motions for the others. "I would now assume they are on to us. Coming?" he says, half sarcastically. Trying to remain calm, he steps back away from the pit and surveys the area around him.
Riann points out the obvious. "Someone had to have set this trap. Perhaps our... true quarry... will have left some more useful sign of their passing?" The half-drow priestess studies the ground, her brow knit in concentration, but any patterns of movement across the grass and dirt are incomprehensible to her untrained gaze. They could have been made by rain, wind, the worg or a band of orcs for all she knows. Sighning softly, she motions for Aynsley. "This is far more your arena than mine."
Thelen's scan of the area reveals nothing unusual and Anain's careful observation reveals no other traps nearby. It appears as though the worg knew this trap was here and meant to lure his pursuers into it.
A survey of the immediate vicinity reveals the pool of cooling blood that the worg left behind as well as the trail that it led into the area as well as the trail that it left behind as it fled. The bleeding appears to have slowed somewhat, but the beast would still be easy to track.
To the far west, the worg howls again into the night. It's cries are weaker now, however, clearly fatigued from your battle.
Aynsley crouches with a furrowed brow. "...No. Wait." She brushes her hands through the grass carefully and then stops at a patch that has been bitten off clean down to the dirt. Here are scattered lengths of grass, soaked in blood and bruised with teethmarks. "...they know we're coming."
She scrambles back onto her feet, looking to the others with a dark concern in her eyes. "Now we must outsmart them. Otherwise we will have an ambush awaiting us. ...What should we do?"
Anain scratches his chin for a moment, looking up at the night sky. "We are at a distinct disadvantage here. We're on their turf, they can see in the dark and we don't know where they are. I suggest we find somewhere to evade them until morning; our chances should improve with the coming of the morning light." With that, he walks over to where the others are standing and says quietly "That's what I suggest, unless someone has a better idea." With that he reaches into his dark blue robes and absentmindedley scratches his familiar, Gin on the back.
"Might I suggest that we double our remaining watches, if possible?" Riann asks, rubbing her eyes and not looking elated about the notion that they might meet their foe, unprepared, this night. "These orcs will likely not take to their sleep tonight, but will instead rest tomorrow when the sun rides in the sky. It would not be well to have them fall upon us tonight, when even our watchers are weary."
"Indeed," Aynsley nods. "As for me, I think I shall take to the trees. Not that there is much light to see by, but I still think the location would be an advantage. Would anyone care to join me? Riann, you're spry for a climb, no?" She eyes Riann up and down with a smirk, thinking of the naked gallivanting that had gone on earlier.
She rubs her hands together swiftly, seeming to say, 'here we go!' and begins to look about them for just the right spot.
Aynsley spots a very small bunch of trees just a bit to the west of their current location, the silhouettes standing out amongst the starry backdrop. Though the trees are not terribly strong or large, they would seem to make a decent enough watchpost.
With a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, Riann eyes a tree a few feet away from where the other young woman is climbing, and glances up into its branches. "I am not much of a climber," she admits, sheathing her sword and then grasping the lowest branch as though to test its sturdiness. "But..." She clings to the limb and tries to find a toehold before continuing to speak, "Well, I suppose I'll..." She huffs, struggling to pull herself up. "...give it a try. Better night vision and such." As an after thought she drops her pack to the ground to avoid its cumbersome weight. "When I get up, will someone kindly pass that up to me? Thank you!"
Riann is able to climb the tree with a small amount of effort. The long, flexible trunk has few handholds or sturdy branches to brace herself on, but she manages to find a bend in the trunk that supports her weight well enough to stand watch. Thelen hands the backpack up to her when she settles in.
The plains are vast and dark in all directions. The faint starlight that illuminates the fields is barely enough to discern anything beyond the group's immediate vicinity. A gentle wind blows through, causing waves to ripple through the tall grass and the leaves around them to rustle slightly. Far off in the distance, a wolf cries out... perhaps the worg that they had recently pursued, perhaps not.
Aynsley glances over at Riann after a length of quiet and shakes her head. "I don't like this. I have a feeling in my gut that does not bode well, and this air..." She turns her face skyward as she pauses in her speech.
Riann grins back somewhat ferally. "Have we not ventured out to this place in order to eliminate this threat? Do not fear the inevitable, but embrace it and prepare to meet it as well as you are able. Eilistraee will bear witness to whatever happens this night; I for one will consecrate my works to Her, and trust Her to guide my sword in righteousness."