Two kingdoms at war. One the righteous Drostardy, the other the tyrannical Karakia. It almost sounds like the start of a minstrel's tale. Nothing can get a young soldier's blood pumping like the thought of battle, nothing can change their way of thinking quicker that feeling a sword cut into their flesh...
But this war is not fought by man alone. No, Karakia found allies in the most unusual of places: the forest. An unfair advantage to be sure, had not the good forest-folk gotten word of this alliance. How they got the news is unclear, but now they are mobilizing to make the war fair again, and protect the good people of Drostardy from their evil kin.
For if their existence is made common knowledge, they shall not know peace. Legends tell many tales of their kind helping heros survive or making them heroes in the first place, but each time they are written off as shapechanged fey or even gods.
Now they must ask themselves a question. Do they follow the Law of Challenge or Serve to the word and protect Drostardy, possibly revealing themselves, or do they let the kingdom fall and live under Karakia's rule? Each must make their own decision.
swims down the river, enjoying the peace before the storm
|
All of you (assuming you have decided to serve) have received a mysterious scroll, penned by a human wizard, you suspect, seeing as how the writing altered itself to be read in your native language.
The message said: ”If you wish to Serve, then be at the Main Clearing on the following day, when the sun is at its zenith. Then you will be called to Serve.”
The message is signed, Izbahn. None of you have heard of him.
Each of you have arrived at the forested clearing just before the appointed time. Other than the other noble animals who have presumably answered the summons, you are alone.
Rikka gnaws upon the nut he is currently devouring. The overwhealming urge to gather his food for the winter ignored, he re-reads the missive. To serve or to stand by and let evil prevail? Rikka was not a wise squirrel, but to allow evil to spread was to be subject to its whims. And if there was one thing Rikka could not stand above all else, it was being subject to someone else's whims.
His own whims, on the other hand, were his master.
And his whims frequently involved destruction. Which was frowned upon by the elders. But in war? Things burned in war...
So with a spring to his bounce, Rikka came to the clearing. He was a silver squirrel with odd blue eyes. At the moment he was sitting in the middle of the clearing, casting tiny lightning bolts around the clearing, squeaking with delight when they struck a target.
Morning brings with it the unexpected smell of paper.
What the hell? Who knew where to send this?
sniffs cautiously, then unrolls scroll
The choice to Serve was made long ago, so Fitzwater heads to the Clearing. Hearing what sounds like crackling, he notices an odd colored squirrel in the open area, throwing bolts.
A common brown water rat enters the Clearing, stands on his haunches, and puts his paws on his hips in a strangely human gesture.
Yellow eyes survey the clearing from the underbrush at the edge.
squirrels? you have got to be kidding me.
Lobo will scent the air again, seeking any alarming traces then stalks into the clearing itself, growling low in his throat to announce his arrival.
He is a large wolf, his fur a deep grey/black. A white slash crosses his muzzle, and another along his left side while a dirty swatch of cloth hangs around his neck. (a ragged bandana for those humans reading)
"Which of you appetizers is Izbahn..."
Lobo will flash a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Rikka pauses in his electrical revelry. In rodent, "Yep, yep, yep! Called and summoned and ready to serve. You?"
When the scarred wolf enters the clearing, Rikka chitters loudly and fluffs his tail. 'I am big! I am too big to eat!' his fur says. In the common tongue, he calls out, "Too big to eat, wolf! Many many shocks! Bad taste in wolf-mouth! Not Izbahn! Is Rikka, mighty mighty tree-climber, mighty mighty son of storms!" The insane looking squirrel begins to bounce about in place, odd electrical sparks coming off his fur, which is now standing straight up. "Mighty, mighty! Not afraid of scarred tooth-wolf! Mighty, mighty!"
Lobo makes a sound that could be a snort, then fixes his gaze on the Rat still looking unhappy.
"Is it You then, Rodent? Are you the one who tried to Call me to serve?"
"Do be sensible," a black cat drawled lazily from the edge of the clearing. "They are rodents. You cannot expect to get much sense from them. But I suppose I can't expect logic from a canine,"she added sarcastically, winking as she said it.
She walked daintily into the clearing, sparing a brief glance for the insane squirrel. "If you shock me I may forget that I am a civilized cat," she warned before sitting down and carefully grooming her fur with her tongue. She paused briefly and looked up at the wolf.
"Oh, for crying out loud, stop looming! Obviously the one who called is not yet here. You may as well sit and wait. There is no need to frighten the rodents over it." And with that she returns to her grooming, ignoring the others.
Ignoring the display from the wolf, Fitz heads over to talk to the three animals.
I'm Named Fitzwater. Call me Fitz if you want. You folks from around here?
Rikka's fur lowers slightly, but he continues bouncing about, chittering. "Cat! Wicked claws and climbing cat! Rikka not afraid! Mighty Rikka, son of storms! See you, cat! See you!" His honor and sense of drama fulfilled, Rikka slowly edges toward the wolf and cat, keeping his tail high and his head low, watching them both closely for signs of aggression.
Finally, seeing no agression and hearing the rat's words, Rikka calms visibly. He sits on his haunches and stares intently at the cat. Wolves were silly creatures, all bluster and teeth, but they could not climb. CATS, on the other hand, were dangerous killers who must be watched at all times. Couldn't trust a cat, that's what the elders said and Rikka heard probably about a third of what they said, but that was definitely one of their sayings.. Or maybe it was couldn't trust a rat? Or a bat? Or a bear?
Oh well, their sayings were silly anyway.
Rikka stared at the cat, allowing small sparks to play around his whiskers. "Rikka bad taste, cat. Rikka make cat belly very sad. POP!" With this, Rikka leaps into the air and comes down all fluffed up, on all four paws, tail in the air and puffed up to full. He then abruptly goes calm, and begins grooming the fur on his cheeks, perfectly naturally.
"Where Izbahn?"
Minna glanced at the squirrel with amusement.
"I prefer birds anyways," she said, drily. "Dinner that comes with a toy. Feathers are such fun."
"Birds! Pbbbst. Rikka no like featherheads. Not fair stupid stupid birds get fly, Rikka no fly. Not fair. Stupid stupid!" The squirrel spits slightly at the mention of birds, but still looks somewhat longingly at the sky...
A voice echoes from one of the corners of the glade, tinged with amusement, ”Glad to know I don’t have to clean up any messy bodies here, he he.” As the voice ends, you all see (and smell) a human male smelling of magic. He walks in front of you and inclines his head in greeting.
”I am Izbahn. Before I go any further, I need to know, do you Serve, or Challenge?” He waits for a response.
She looks at him disdainfully, her tail lashing back and forth.
"I listen. I am a cat. Cats do not Serve. If the whim takes me, I may choose to Help. As the lady Bast directs."
Smelling the human, Rikka does what any self-respecting squirrel does when confronted by a human: he freaks out. He puffs his tail and begins to race around the clearing, chittering as loud as he can.
When the human speaks, Rikka pauses. He sniffs the air, watching the Cat almost agree. Rikka sits up on his haunches. "Rikka is Rikka's master. Rikka does what Rikka wants. Rikka chooses to serve."
I follow my Calling. I chose to support Drostardy over Karakia. Lives should be lived free as the river and never be dammed.
watches the actions of his fellow Noble Animals and thinks- Bo was right- I have spent too much time among humans and such.
Lobo glowers at the cat, but says nothing more and simply pacing til the human's arrival.
"Who are you Manling, and how do you know of us?"
The wolf will glower at the cat's words, and pace irritatbly back and forth until the human arrives and speaks.
"Wolves do not Serve, Manling. Who are you, and how do you know of our kind?"
The human looks back at the wolf, not flinching in the slightest. He speaks quietly, ”So, I hope your hearing grows better in the future. In case you missed it, I am Izbahn, and I know all about the existence of the Noble Animals. Unfortunately, so does our enemies.”
"Then you should speak quickly about why you have called us, and which Manling you serve."
Lobo still looks agitated, if not downright hostile. He clearly does not trust this person who claims to know so much about things he shouldn't.
Izbahn looks around at the other animals, and seeing the same set look on their faces, sighs softly.
"This has to stop..."
He raises his voice then, and speaks, "I am sure you are aware of the upcoming war between the manlings. Normally, this would not conern the Noble Animals, but somehow the forces of Karakia have gained the servitude of Noble Animals who have chosen to Challenge, instead of Serve."
He pauses to let that sink in, and continues, "You may not like it, but the manling war has been forced on you. Evil Nobles are helping Karakia (possibly under the cover of being normal animals and being sent by enemy druids) and that they could reveal the existence of Noble Animals everywhere. If that happens, then your kind will never know peace."
Who serves with Karakia?
A screech owl glides into the clearing and Lands on Izbahn's shoulder, ruffling it's dark blue(almost black) feathers as it settles. It appears almost regal.
"Izbahn, I believe I expressed an interest in being here when you arrived? You could have at least waited until night fell, the sun hurts my eyes." The screech swivels his head to lake at everyone gathered before continuing. "I am called Kotori. To answer the rat's question, we have no idea who specifically serves Karakia. Scouts that returned have reported quite a few different species, from serpents to dogs to birds of prey. There may be others."
Izbahn turns to Kotori, ”I am sorry but you know how Naomi likes to stay up late” He blushes for a moment, before he addresses the rest of you, ”Like Kotori has said there may be others, but unfortunately we have precious few hard facts. Chief among them is how did the Karakian army first learn of the existence of the Noble Animals, and second, what were they promised in exchange for their servitude?”
A screech owl glides into the clearing and Lands on Izbahn's shoulder, ruffling it's dark blue(almost black) feathers as it settles. It appears almost regal.
"OWL! OWL!" Rikka once more puffs up, emitting sparks and bouncing about on all fours. "Death from the sky! Bad bird! Bad bad bird! I see you, bird! Catching claws! Wicked beak! I see you, bird! Rikka no food food! Rikka bad food! Rikka mighty son of storms!" Rikka finally calms when the owl speaks, and once more settles onto his haunches, but the presence of so many predators is clearly making him nervous. Sparks are playing around the tip of his tail...
Izbahn turns to Kotori, ”I am sorry but you know how Naomi likes to stay up late” He blushes for a moment, before he addresses the rest of you, ”Like Kotori has said there may be others, but unfortunately we have precious few hard facts. Chief among them is how did the Karakian army first learn of the existence of the Noble Animals, and second, what were they promised in exchange for their servitude?”
Nodding at Fitz, Rikka tilts his head curiously. "No Facts, no truth, no idea? Yep, yep, yep, human ask Rikka find out more, yep, yep. Ask Rikka put head in snake mouth! Human human give Rikka nice-nice? Human give Rikka sweet nut for Rikka-trouble?"
"There is a nut tree near my nest.. Kotori offers. "It's not like we're sending you in completely blind, or even asking you take care of Karakia by yourself. Right now we just need information."
Lobo had quieted down at the Owl's arrival, listening intently. Though still seeming restless, he appeared at least slightly mollified by the avian's presence.
"What are you expecting of them, Owl?"
A tilt of his head gestures at the pair of rodents and the feline.
At the wolf's somewhat dismissive question, Rikka bristles. Hopping in front of the wolf, he poses in several odd poses to emphasize his points.. "Rikka very strong! Rikka very very stealthy like shadow! Rikka very very wise! (He poses in a very thoughtful fashion.) Rikka very very powerful! Mighty Mighty son of storms! Big shock Rikka! Grrr!" He ends this series of strange poses by imitating the wolf, down to the way he sits and his stance.
Yellow eyes narrowing, Lobo will lean closer, stopping when his head is inches from the squirrel's. He stares intently at the small creature for a long moment, then blows a large puff of air that may send the little creature tumbling. He'll make a sound that could be a snort or a chuckle, perhaps a mix of both and turn back to the others afterwards.
"Mighty indeed."
Yellow eyes narrowing, Lobo leans down, closer and closer until his snout is inches from the posing squirrel. He stares at Rikka for a long moment, then blows out a gust of breath strong enough to knock the little fellow over. He makes a sound that could be either a snort, or a chuckle, perhaps a mix of both. Straightening up, he looks over at the others again.
"Mighty indeed."
"How terribly impressive," she said drily. "You're stronger than a squirrel. What amazing feats will you perform next?" she added, clearly amused.
Lobo will give the cat a disapproving look, but not bother to reply to those words coming from a mere feline. He will instead turn back to the Owl, awaiting his answer...
looks over his fellows- shakes head
walks into center of group of animals
Izbahn asks we work together against a common threat. Species rivalry has no place. Let us prove ourselves against those aiding Karakia.
"What are you expecting of them, Owl?"
A tilt of his head gestures at the pair of rodents and the feline.
"The same things I am from you, Wolf. Information and the will to survive freely. It is not too much to expect from you, is it?" The owl inquires with a swivel of his head
Izbahn asks we work together against a common threat. Species rivalry has no place. Let us prove ourselves against those aiding Karakia.
"This one is wise." Kotori states simply.
Rikka rolls with the wolf's breath and comes up chittering. "Bad wolf! Bad bad bad!" He calms a bit when Fitz speaks, but silences when the owl speaks; owls are a great deal more frightening than wolves.
"What what what and when? When Rikka Rikka go, see see and talk?"
"I do not like wicked man-things who kill my forest. Even less do I like wicked animals who think not about consequences and encourage more man-things to come and kill my forest because they think only wicked animals live in it." Her tail swished in irritation and her claws came out as she spoke, clearly angry.
"Very well, I will help you find this information. But I expect you to do something with it. I am not your servant. This is a temporary alliance."
Lobo snorts.
"and where can this 'information' you wish to gain be found?"
Minna curls up and twitches her tail over her face, looking for all the world as if she had fallen asleep, though she was listening carefully.
Izbahn looks over the group of noble animals one more time, before he nods and says, "Good, I an glad you all agreed to undertake this mission. I must depart now. If you need to contact me, Kotori can leave a message for me. I will check on your progress from time to time. Good luck."
With that, he steps back and utters a magical phrase. In a billowing flash of light and smoke, he vanishes, leaving all of you alone with Kotori.
"So, now that we are human free," Kotori says as he glides gently down to the ground. "We can discuss the various ways you can get to Karakia from here, or at least some their mobile nests or 'camps' as they call them. You should stay away from hunting trails the farther away from here you go, Karakians will be using them as well. Hmm... the entire forest could be considered hunting trails though..."
"Let me see if I can spot a quick trail." With powerful flaps of his wings, Kotori shoots up into the air and begins to glide around looking for a trail that looks less used than others. Those of you watching him notice a small black dot even higher than Kotori is following the same path as him.. then it dives and collides with the owl.
At the same time the bays of hunting hounds echo through the air and moments later two dogs burst into the clearing and charge right at the group!
Initiative:
Rikka puffs up and chitter-hisses as the dogs rush in. Stupid dogs! This would be a massacre!
Minna hisses in surprise and anger, her fur standing on end. She sends a bolt of fire at one of the charging canines before running for the trees.
:
:
One of the dogs yelp as the fire's heat gets past it's barding, but it keeps running even as Minna runs for the trees...
Rikka raises on his hing legs and emits a series of mocking chirps as the dogs advance!
Taunt to demoralize the dogs:
You can use this skill to cause your opponents to become shaken for a number of rounds. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier.
Success: If you are successful, the target is shaken for one round. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the DC. You can only threaten opponents in this way if they are within 30 feet and can clearly see and hear you.
Fail: The opponent is not shaken.
