The elf regards H'vok while she dismounts gracefully from her horse before accepting the charter from him. Her tone is quite matter-of-fact when she finally answers him "Yes, I can indeed cook. However I'm not sure my palette is refined enough for your tastes, as I usually don't cook sapients"
"I will thank you not to insult my companions lady. H'vok has thus far shown himself to be an upstanding and honorable man with almost no tendencies toward his ancestry's evil desires. You show a lack of wisdom to speak in judgement before seeing all sides of the case."
Shrewd, but hasty
In a what would be a British accent in our world, and a smirk on his face:
"I don't eat sapients either. The master would not allow it. Imagine a noble feeding people to his pet hobgoblin. I am quiet sure it would not have gone over well."
Emalea also reads through Chiron's charter, after returning H'vok's.
"Well, they really seem to be the right ones. 3 humans, if you count the dead one, one of them almost a girl still, a centaur and a hobgoblin. They have the charters and know the right names."
She returns the paper again, bowing slightly to him. In Sylvan, the language of the fey and creatures of nature she utters what she believes is a traditional greeting when meeting a centaur "You honor me with your presence Chiron Starwatcher. I wish you always find soft grass beneath your hoofs"
"I will thank you not to insult my companions lady. H'vok has thus far shown himself to be an upstanding and honorable man with almost no tendencies toward his ancestry's evil desires. You show a lack of wisdom to speak in judgement before seeing all sides of the case."
"You are correct, I should not have assumed such terrible things, merely because of his heritage. Please accept my appologies, Sir H'vok. Words of your tale have indeed reached my ears. But unfortunately so have tales about your people."
"I thank you for your good greeting and I hope you do not take my reproach too hard. For my part, I am still gauging the hobgoblin's character. He shows potential to be both a stable comrade and a bit of a loose cannon. But tell me, how did you come to learn the language of the wild places."
"I will thank you not to insult my companions lady. H'vok has thus far shown himself to be an upstanding and honorable man with almost no tendencies toward his ancestry's evil desires. You show a lack of wisdom to speak in judgement before seeing all sides of the case.""You are correct, I should not have assumed such terrible things, merely because of his heritage. Please accept my appologies, Sir H'vok. Words of your tale have indeed reached my ears. But unfortunately so have tales about your people."
"Apology accepted, but remember I can only be held accountable for what I do, no matter how much some people would like to insist otherwise."
He pauses for a second."Darn it, now I am starting to sound like Chiron. I need to continue to be reckless while I can still claim youth as an excuse. Now let's go get us some bandits."
Chiron raises an eyebrow at H'vok.
"Youth and temperance are not mutually exclusive. You would do well to keep such idle talk burried in your mind. Especially considering your unique position. It will not take much for you to lose your hard earned place in human society. One wrong move and you'll be just another hobgoblin for the pitchfork. Remember that."
"Youth and temperance are not mutually exclusive. You would do well to keep such idle talk burried in your mind. Especially considering your unique position. It will not take much for you to lose your hard earned place in human society. One wrong move and you'll be just another hobgoblin for the pitchfork. Remember that."
"From my understanding of the world, any of us are susceptible to that, Chiron. But I will not bore you with my family history." Naen meets Emalea's eyes with a stern, appraising look. "Forgive my hesitation. The scope of our expedition is still setting in for me, and we've already lost one of our number." Naen extends her hand. "Well met, all the same. I'm afraid you will have to trust my word for now, as my charter is with my belongings in our camp. Perhaps Chiron or H'vok will vouch for me." Naen sighs, looking back to Carmichael's body. "Now come, everybody. It is late, and we have a body to bury."
Sense Motive:
Emalea smiles at Naen and shakes her hand in the human tradition. It was still a strange custom to her, but she had learned that human's seem to take this seriously. "Well met, Naen Tesrec. Master Oleg mentioned all your names to me, and having a centaur and a hobgoblin in the same party is hardly common, so I can assume by now that you are all who you say you are."
As she's speaking a small bird lands on her shoulder and seems to regard the other people with a curious look. She turns to fourth member of the group "Which means that you must be either William Flynn or Carmichael Korvus. Judging by the bow and armor, and considering the lack of both on your fallen companion, I would assume that you must be William Flynn. It is a pleasure to meet you"
"Forgive me, sometimes I just talk too much, and don't know when to stop. Now, I understand you wish to bury your companion, yes. I should return to my own campsite in the meantime and break camp, if I'm to join yours. I also have a small shovel among my belongings there, in case you have need for that?"
"Another shovel would prove helpful, to be sure. Thank you." Naen drops to her knees and examines Carmichael's remains. "Would one of you help me pry this trap open?
"It might be best if one of you comes with me then for the shovel, otherwise I will be here as soon as I have packed up my things. It shouldn't take too long."
She waits if someone wants to come along before riding back to her camp "Also it would be good if at least one of you remained here till I'm back, so I will find your camp"
"I will accompany you to your camp. While I'm gone, the rest of you should prepare the body for burial first thing tomorrow. Are we agreed?"
"Very well then. As I said, it is not very far."
She swings herself back into the saddle of her horse and grabs the reins, leading Chiron slowly through the night back to her camp, which really just consisted of her tent and the saddlebags at this time.
"Well I must say, I would have hoped to catch up to you under more favorable circumstances. You said your comrade was a coward, what happened?"
"I will accompany you to your camp. While I'm gone, the rest of you should prepare the body for burial first thing tomorrow. Are we agreed?"
"Yes, Chiron. Be careful."
"I will accompany you to your camp. While I'm gone, the rest of you should prepare the body for burial first thing tomorrow. Are we agreed?""Yes, Chiron. Be careful."
Chiron nods to Naen and a thin smile dances across his countenance.
To Emalea: "I do not wish to speak ill of the dead. Suffice to say he neglected his post and fled when danger presented itself."
William has been silent up until now, staring with apparent shock at the body of his former companion. He recovers himself at Emalea's words.
Yes, Miss Emalea. I am William Flynn. I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances, but I hope we can all work together well.
I will help bury him as well. He turns to Emalea. Carmichael Korvus had the watch tonight while the rest of us slept. Before we knew it, we were awakened by a wolf pack nipping at our bodies. Master Korvus was nowhere in sight. After fending off the wolves, and possibly taming some, we followed his tracks here. Master Chiron is a very accomplished tracker.
Have the wolves followed us so far?
Have the wolves followed us so far?
They have followed you to this point as you fed them.
You will admit, Master H'vok, that asking about cooking at a moment like this is in slightly poor taste.
Please do not be alarmed by our escort, Miss Emalea. William gestures to the wolves that have followed, keeping slightly out of the light of the spell. They are yet young. They will not harm you, as long as you keep calm. I think, anyway. William smiles, in a disarming way. Just don't hurt them, please. I do not think they will give us cause.
"I almost did not ask, but honestly I don't have much respect for our last cook so I felt no need to pretend to care. I can be honest and I can be nice, but you can't always get both."
Emalea nods and greets William as well "I will try not to harm your pets, but if they attempt to bite me or eat Ath'eni, I will not hesitate to defend myself."
Naen remains kneeling over Carmichael's body, doing her best to hide her displeasure at H'vok's words. So casually he dismisses a man he barely knew. Perhaps his ruthlessness will be vital to our success in the Greenbelt, but it does unsettle me here and now.
"I have means to keep beasts from the body now and after burial, but they are back in the camp." Naen tugs cautiously at the bear trap. "William, H'vok...if you assist me with opening the jaws of this trap, I will carry him there."
Perception check:
Arriving at her camp, Emalea gets of her horse, pats it neck as a sign to the mare to stay where she was.
"Would you like the shovel right away, and return to your comrades, or will you stay and give me a hand packing up the tent?" she asks the large centaur.
William takes a small case from Brownie's saddlebags. Here, let me have a shot. I should have it off him in a moment.
Disable Device:
Assuming that works: William goes to work with his tools, and a few seconds later, the trap springs open. I have set and disabled many traps of this kind, though never one with such a grim sight.
"I wish I could say the same, William Flynn, but I have before buried a man...no...a boy who met a similar fate." Naen looks into William's eyes, as if searching for something. She speaks again after a brief moment. "Thank you for your help, William."
Naen does her best to hoist Carmichael's up onto her mare's saddle.
Strength Check:
"I wish I could say the same, William Flynn, but I have before buried a man...no...a boy who met a similar fate." Naen looks into William's eyes, as if searching for something. She speaks again after a brief moment. "Thank you for your help, William."
Naen does her best to hoist Carmichael's up onto her mare's saddle.
Strength Check: 1d20+2
Hav'k seeing William handle the trap goes to help Naen with Carmichael's body.
aid another:
William helps as well. Aid another:
Arriving at her camp, Emalea gets of her horse, pats it neck as a sign to the mare to stay where she was.
"Would you like the shovel right away, and return to your comrades, or will you stay and give me a hand packing up the tent?" she asks the large centaur.
"I will help in any way you need."
"Thank you, it should be a bit faster that way then. The tent is quite small, but it takes a while to store again."
She crawls into the tent and takes out her blanket and bedroll, rolls them up and places them with her other things.
"The tent is empty now, it should go faster if we work together I think."
With the aid of William and Hav'k you manage to get Carmichael on Naen horse.
Now Chiron do you allow Naen to ride on your back to go to Ema's camp?
Naen watches the others sleep. She watches the two wolves resting beside William. One of those two bit me. It is nothing...the wound is already healed. Hours ago, though, they thought us prey. And one of us was. Poor Carmichael. You said little to us, friend. As we rode through the afternoon, you wore a smile eager for adventure. Your beautiful bird flew overhead. I have not seen your bird, Carmichael. I do not know where it has gone. I do not know if it knows what became of you. Naen stiffens. Did one of the wolves just move? It did...I saw it. Is it waiting for something? Or maybe it is just shifting in its sleep. Maybe it just wants to be comfortable. I want to be comfortable.
Naen scans the treeline, holding her shining morningstar up. Beyond the trees, she thinks she sees movement. Suddenly, her spell fades, and darkness suddenly falls around her. Curses! Another prayer to Milani, and the light reappears. She looks to the treeline. Nothing. She looks at the wolf that moved. It is still. Time passes.
The light is beginning to break, and nothing has yet happened. No more wolves have come. No bandits stalking up on the group. Perhaps this night will finally, finally end. Naen breathes deeply. The body. I must prepare it. She opens her backpack and pulls out her box of supplies, the mark of a healer. There are fluids contained within. Fluids to protect wounds. Fluids which can preserve. Fluids that will stink for days, sure to offend the noses of curious beasts. She sprinkles them upon the body. Milani bear your soul, Carmichael Korvus. I will not speak ill of you. Rest now.
The wounds are horrific, but Naen has seen worse. Sometimes on those that still live. It is good that you cannot see yourself like this, Carmichael. I hope your passing was quick, terrible as it must have been. Milani was with you in those final moments, and she sings of you now. A tear runs down Naen's cheek. She brushes it away, looking to the others. Did they see that? But they are sleeping. I should begin the grave. She retrieves the shovel. She digs.
The crunch of metal against earth becomes rhythmic, and Naen's mind begins to drift. Though images skirt her vision, she is no longer afraid, for she knows that Milani has awoken. The Everbloom stands with her in the cold, dewy morning. She silently prays.
Milani, great in wisdom,
Support my new beginning with my comrades,
As you support new beginnings everywhere.
Foster my hope,
As you foster the hope of all humanity.
Stay with me in moments of doubt,
That I may remain firm.
Yours in faith and practice.
Naen Tesrec feels warm. Though her sleep has been ragged, there is strength in her arms. Her mind is sharp.
Chiron would seem to believe in me, yet he thinks me still young. H'vok tells me my armor is in poor condition. And perhaps it is. Milani, my lady, for today, grant me the ability to amend that.
And it is granted. Though it is but a minor power, Naen cherishes it and gives thanks. She undoes her scale mail and lays it down in front of her. Her shield, she sets beside it. Her morningstar, she also places on the ground.
The rust on the edges of the scaled armor crumbles and blows away, carried by some unknown breeze. The splintered oak of the shield is at once smooth, its shine returned. The weapon; the iron shod shaft, regains its true form. The spikes are bent straight. It is as new.
Naen speaks aloud. Today, I leave the girl behind. I am a woman now. I am your champion, Milani. I will protect my allies and stand fast against my foes. Finally, I am ready.
1st - Obscuring Mist, Bless
Domain - Sanctuary
Yes, the night has passed and it is now the next morning.
William rises to meet the sunrise. Seeing Naen awake, he goes to her once she has finished praying.
I know I'm grateful for that, Miss Tesrec. This lifestyle may take some getting used to for people like us, I expect. I have never appreciated the sunrise half so much as I do right now.
"Oh, William." Naen meets William's gaze, her eyes determined but not without sadness. She glances up quickly to see if the others yet stir. "Understand. The others are no less my allies. I trust Chiron, and I value H'vok's decisiveness. Emalea, she has a good soul and blazing wit...but they are still so strange to me. I am and shall remain dedicated to them, but they are not of my kind. There is something in that, William. The company of other humans. Carmichael was one of us, but how quickly he is gone..."
Naen looks away for a moment, then she steps forward suddenly, taking William's hand firmly. "There is great danger ahead of us, but I will see us through it, William Flynn. I will not abandon you." She squeezes his hand with vigor, then releases it and steps away, seeming to loosen. Her face is red.
Chiron, awake in meditation, waits for a while to open his eyes.
I need not interrupt the humans interaction. This is good for them.
When he is sure that William and Naen are through speaking he stirs more noisily than normal to let them know he's up.
The outburst of emotion catches William by surprise. Momentarily speechless, he recovers his grace quickly, though not without blushing deeply himself.
Call me Will. I am glad to be able to put my trust in one such as you, Miss Tesrec. I just thought your devotional - what you said before I came over here - was really nice to hear. We should stick together, though. With my wits and your faith, I think we can take on whatever comes our way.
William's smile grows broad indeed as he goes about the business of packing up camp and starting up breakfast.
Naen nods. "Will then. Good. And yes. I agree." She turns abruptly and walks away. After a few paces, she notices that Chiron is stirring.
Chiron...did he...? "Good morrow, Chiron."
Chiron feigns a yawn, stretches, and wipes the sleep from his eyes.
"Good day to you as well, friend Naen." He smiles and gives a little bow. Noticing William awake too, he adds. "A woodsman indeed, you stir even before I do." This last bit is said in a teasing but friendly tone.
Emalea wakes up as the first rays of sunlight shine over the horizon, before the sun is fully visible. She opens her eyes and looks around, for a moment unsure of what she's seeing, but then she remembers that she caught up with those she was seeking and had joined their camp during the night.
She tossed the blanket aside, not having bothered to put up the tent again, and slowly stands up, stretching her slender body.
Seeing how Naen is in some sort of meditation or prayer she doesn't say anything to her, and instead moves a bit to the side of the camp, where she sits down, facing towards the forest. She puts up her hand infront of her, and seemingly out of nowhere her small thrush familiar comes flying and lands on her outstreched index finger.
After some time the bird flies up into the air again, hunting for his breakfast, while she herself stands up. She strokes some leaves from her bottom and strolls back to her sleeping place, where she picks up her clothes and dresses again for the day.