She has no desire to partake in food and drink with the others. The smell of the cooking meat is repugnant to her, so she moves away from the light and warmth of the fire and watches from a distance as her companions hungrily consume their meals.
She must learn on her own, Eva decides, not bothering to explain to Mallifyr about their undeath. But it isn't even undeath per se, but rather a twilight between life and death, a way station where they must reside until their vengeance is complete. For Eva now understands that vengeance is their sole remaining purpose. No, not vengeance: justice. If the gods do not deliver justice—and clearly they do not—then we must deliver it by our own hands.
When it comes time for rest, more confusion: Mallifyr feels no need for sleep. Indeed, she feels invigorated by the arrival of night. What has happened to me? Sitting in isolation outside the tents, Mallifyr is hardly bothered by the cold.
Wait, a sound! Numerous crunching footsteps fast approaching in the snow. Sabetha's warning and the stirring of the others inside the tents. Nestled in shadow, Mallifyr crouches into a defensive position.
Coppershrugs, "You know I don't hold much with religion. No offense to your mother, but I think people are better off finding their own solutions. When Macreadus would drone on about Lathander's blessing this and Lathander's guidance that, I'd just ignore all that blather. But now he's gone and done something stupider than normal; I can just feel it."
Sabetha:
There are many of the creatures incoming, by your count more than a dozen. But they sound small and they are making the sort of noises that dogs make. It sounds like they might be dragging something behind them.
Sabetha tilts her head, puzzled for a moment as she listens.
"They sound on the smaller side. Maybe dogs, dragging something behind them." Suddenly, she realizes something. "They could be the sled dogs the raiders had. The raiders might have left them behind or met with a bad end, at the hands of the Winter Wolves or otherwise, and the dogs are running back, dragging their sleds. I am not sure. Be ready for more than a dozen creatures. If it is the dogs, we need them and the sleds."
She looks around to make sure her companions are up, seeing most of them. Where did Mallifyr go?
"My advice Copper, is put a bit more stock in the divine. I don't mean to say religion should be followed blindly, the gods are real enough though that you might just need them at some point. I will check on Macreadus for you, when I'm next near lonelywood. Now get your legs working on your part of the deal. I am going to get some rest before Mishann has to tell me again... At that point we'd both better be up to date in our prayers!"
Naraeld bids the gnome farewell with his thanks, before retiring to his own bed. He steadily removes his armor, and the padded tunic he wears underneath. He flexes his broad shoulders and twists side to side before reaching his arms backwards and tensing them, cracking joints along his upper back and letting out a sigh of relief. He looks at the mail, the damaged links from Kaltro's blade are more than he can fix himself, yet he still takes time to oil the suit down, keeping it flexible and rust free. I should be able to get a replacement from the armoury tomorrow. Might be best to go there first thing, before seeing Markham. They can repair this suit easily enough. He finishes his work then prepares his fresh clothing for the morning, laying it out ready in case he should need to rise rapidly. Then he lays himself down, his staff propped up by his bed, and quickly falls into dream.
As they gaze together into the night, Auril's dazzling display painting the northern sky, Mallifeva marvel at the new world awakening. A strange change has taken place. Everything appears different. Darkness has become shadow, and shadow light. And they, Mallifeva, feel perfectly at home.
That night, while you sleep, Tarsellis comes to you in a dream. “My chosen, I come to you with news and with a directive. The Frostmaiden seeks to control this northern realm with her chill touch. But I and others have chosen to fight her influence here. This is, in part, why I chose you. I believe the key to freeing your friend from the fell influence of the lady Auril is to also have her offer devotion. I can free her from the Frostmaiden but you must bring her to me. Near the lake that the mortals call Redwaters, there is a grouping of standing stones. Bring her to me there, when the moon is full, and I will claim her as my own.”
Everyone else:
Sabetha alerts everyone to the coming of the creatures before they arrive. The creatures, in turn, appear to be some of the dogs from the bandits party. Some of the dogs are dragging harnesses behind them. And others are dragging a somewhat broken dogsled. The dogs themselves appear to be fit, but also quite agitated. They enter the camp, and immediately began to sniff the party members. The dogs appear to be friendly and well taken care of. However, there is no sign of their masters.
As Sabetha watches the dogs arrive without their erstwhile bandit masters, she remains alert, longsword ready even as she greets the dogs in the way any fnew would-be owner would. If they are running from something, whatever it is could be close behind. But either way we need these dogs. And they are lovely animals. Suddenly, she desperately misses her fox friend Moonshadow, who she had liberated from the trapper Fef Moryn. Moonshadow had then left with the chwinga just outside Good Mead. It seems now like a dream to Sabetha, two eons ago even though it has only been two days.
I was someone else back then. But the moon is still in the sky, casting its moon-shadow through the trees. She looks up and feels something from the Moonmaiden, Selune, up there in the heavens. Mercy. Mercy for the people of Good Mead. For the misguided, tormented people of Dougan's Hole, now that she understood their plight from Mallifyr. Many in this harsh land deserve Mercy. Many more, certainly, than will receive it.
Many but not all. Sabetha would never have mercy on those who would choose to inflict suffering on the innocent. Duhk. Sephek. Zara and Jotan, and the last of these raiders. Whoever had planned the raid itself, and whoever had captured Blackberry once. For them, she had something else in mind entirely. She would just have to be more wise in how she delivered what was deserved to them than she had been in Mead Hall. Whether what was deserved was Mercy or... the alternative. Her face remains a mask and she begins to attune to the Ring of the Narwhal.
"Be ready," she calls to her companions. "If the raiders we were chasing are now slain, I shed no tears for them, but the Winter Wolves may be close behind. We should take the dogs themselves with us, fixing the broken sled and outfitting the harness with a new sled once we can buy one. But we have a decision to make. Continue following the tracks to confirm the death of the raiders and perhaps hunt these Winter Wolves? Or take the dogs and the remnants of their sleds and turn back for Bryn Shander to meet with Naraeld and report back to Hlin Trollbane and Sheriff Markham Southwell?"
Naraeld reels as Tarsellis reaches out to him, plucking control of Naraeld's unconscious mind from the grasp of his dreams. "Redwaters! Damned you Tarsellis, for a god you display a frustrating lack of forethought. Could you not have come to me when I was in Good Mead to impart this task?" In his dream he shakes his head, confused and irritated at the urgency that he has employed to get Elk Running back to Bryn Shander. "Have our efforts to bring Elk Running to this point been a waste of time? Bah, you know full well that I will accept the charge, though the lake is large and suffers from constantly shifting shores of broken ice. Where beside it shall I search for your stones?"
"I see no need to hunt wolves, but the dead raiders may have left some supplies behind that could be useful to use... if they aren't too far off," says Blackberry. The artificer pulls out his tools and heads over to the broken sled, beginning repairs on it, and seemingly talking to his own hand.
Aubin relaxes upon seeing the dogs and approaches them to give them head pats. There is a small bit of comfort having the dogs here as it reminds him of Drander his childhood dog.
He then checks their paws for any stuck ice or stone which would make moving too uncomfortable. "This is a boon for us, but we also need to keep these pups fed. We may need to hunt if we are out here too long." says Aubin
Mallifyr counsels Eva to remain hidden. Eva agrees. Both feel as if their corporeal self were soaked up by the darkness, absorbed by it. What strange transformation is this? We are one with it: one with the night.
They circle the perimeter of the camp to the other side, crouching low and padding silently. When they reach their destination, they stop and wait quietly, peering vigilantly into the gloom whence the dogs have come.
"So we continue following the tracks, hoping to find the corpses (and supplies) of the raiders we were tailing," Sabetha replies to Blackberry, noticing the harengon's new glove for the first time. How did I miss that, and why does it look so familiar? Floppy-ears sure has some tricks up his sleeve...
"Right, then. We need to convince these dogs to return in the direction they were fleeing from." Sheathing her longsword, she glances around for the two rangers now with their group, seeing only one. "Giant-kin, if you are in agreement, help me get these dogs settled. Aubin is right that we may also need to hunt soon to feed them. And did anyone see where Mallifyr has gone? She was the one most intent on chasing the raiders."
Sabetha'sAnimal Handling, at advantage assuming help from Greth'g'karee: 20 (dirty) (Attempting to corral the dogs, establishing the party as the new masters, and convincing the animals to continue with us the way they had come from).
Satisfied that no threat was pursuing the dogs, and noticing that Sabetha and Greth'g'karee have calmed them, Mallifeva step from the shadows.
Mallifyr kneels before one of the lead dogs, rubs its ears, scratches its chin, gets on all fours, and proceeds to yip, yap, paw the ground, and wag her bottom.
She asks the lead dog in doggish: "Where are your masters? What has happened to them? What creatures are you fleeing from? Are they close behind you? Where can we find them? Please, lead us to where you last saw them. We will do our best to protect you."
Rough dreams of long dead kinsmen culminating in a memory of a spirit ceremony he had witnessed as a child. A shaman of his peoples, upon their dying bed and just before their last breath, had summoned a host of tiny spirits to them. It was a dazzling and wondrous display that had affirmed for the whole tribe that, even though their sage was passing away, her spirit would always remain. As Greth'g'karee arises with the arrival of the dogs he feels somehow refreshed - centered.
The spirits will always be with me. He realizes. Then, Have they chosen me? Am I to follow the way of the Shaman as she had?
Grethassist Sabethawith the hounds, troubled by the suddenness of their arrival (Help action to Sabetha). Once they seem calmed and secured, he portions out rations to each to keep them fed until daylight (how many were there so I can mark it off?).
(( At level 3 Grethbecomes a 'Swarmkeeper'. The swarm are of small nature spirits - dozens of tiny balls of a softly glowing white-blue light. ))
Blackberry starts to respond to Sabetha, nodding, "That's my recommendation. Ammunition and victuals seem pretty scarce around here, I think it's worth the risk to...."and then his voice trails off as he catches sight of Mallifyr's canine antics. "Uh.. yeah, what was I saying?"
Tarsellisshouts in the dream. "Do not lecture me about timing. You have already defied me once these past few days. How I gather information and when I supply it is not a matter for your approval or concern. You told me you wished to save your friend; I have supplied you a means. It would still be easier to kill her and I still prefer that route. Do you wish to continue to act the superior or would you rather remain my chosen, do as I ask, and be blessed with new power? Are you so sure of your abilities that, with a god still seeking your death, you'd prefer to rely on your skills alone? You can be replaced." In the dream, a pit opens beneath your feet and you fall into darkness, seemingly forever. You awaken in the morning, rested but ill-tempered. The falling lasted the rest of the night. Nonetheless, you feel new abilities and ways to apply your gifts from Tarsellis are now within your grasp.
Mallifyr:
The dog you talk to says, "Masters are gone. Killed. Will you lead the pack now? Careful. There are large strange dogs out. They talk like masters to masters, like people to us. They led masters to the bad place, the place the masters were killed. There is a monster inside. We barked and it didn't approach us, but it killed all the masters. Except the ones already there. The strange dogs asked us to join their pack. But they didn't help the masters. So we came back. But the strange dogs are out there. I can smell them. Do not help them!" The dog then pauses and, smelling the bandit you brought with you, runs over to him and playfully leaps around him.
Everyone else:
There are about 18 dogs in total and they do not look starved or unhealthy, but they appear to be a bit spooked, growling, looking around, and barking at the surrounding darkness. Sabethaand Greth'g'kareeare able to calm the dogs and assert dominance over the pack, in part with the help of the bandit, named Undil, who, it seems, was often tasked with keeping the dogs. Undil tells you, "There are a couple of dogs missing. And we had 4 sleds. It seems like the other lads went off in the sleds and ran into some trouble."
The sled that Blackberryis repairing can hold up to three people if pulled by four dogs. He can get it in shape to go if you give the dogs time to eat and rest.
Mallifyr barks and woofs some more, and prances about in a circle.
DM:
"You said that 'it killed all the masters. Except the ones already there.' What do you mean by 'the ones already there'? Some of the masters were already there? And don't worry about us trying to help the monster and the strange dogs; we intend to destroy the monster and the strange dogs. We are your friends. Please, never refer to me or my companions as 'masters'."
The dog gives you a skeptical look. "But you are master! You walk on two legs. You talk to other masters. You give food. You are master. There were two younger masters there. They looked sick. They hid when our masters were being killed by the monster."
Mallifyr is confused.
She has no desire to partake in food and drink with the others. The smell of the cooking meat is repugnant to her, so she moves away from the light and warmth of the fire and watches from a distance as her companions hungrily consume their meals.
She must learn on her own, Eva decides, not bothering to explain to Mallifyr about their undeath. But it isn't even undeath per se, but rather a twilight between life and death, a way station where they must reside until their vengeance is complete. For Eva now understands that vengeance is their sole remaining purpose. No, not vengeance: justice. If the gods do not deliver justice—and clearly they do not—then we must deliver it by our own hands.
When it comes time for rest, more confusion: Mallifyr feels no need for sleep. Indeed, she feels invigorated by the arrival of night. What has happened to me? Sitting in isolation outside the tents, Mallifyr is hardly bothered by the cold.
Wait, a sound! Numerous crunching footsteps fast approaching in the snow. Sabetha's warning and the stirring of the others inside the tents. Nestled in shadow, Mallifyr crouches into a defensive position.
[Dexterity (Stealth) check: 20]
Naraeld:
Copper shrugs, "You know I don't hold much with religion. No offense to your mother, but I think people are better off finding their own solutions. When Macreadus would drone on about Lathander's blessing this and Lathander's guidance that, I'd just ignore all that blather. But now he's gone and done something stupider than normal; I can just feel it."
Sabetha:
There are many of the creatures incoming, by your count more than a dozen. But they sound small and they are making the sort of noises that dogs make. It sounds like they might be dragging something behind them.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
Sabetha tilts her head, puzzled for a moment as she listens.
"They sound on the smaller side. Maybe dogs, dragging something behind them." Suddenly, she realizes something. "They could be the sled dogs the raiders had. The raiders might have left them behind or met with a bad end, at the hands of the Winter Wolves or otherwise, and the dogs are running back, dragging their sleds. I am not sure. Be ready for more than a dozen creatures. If it is the dogs, we need them and the sleds."
She looks around to make sure her companions are up, seeing most of them. Where did Mallifyr go?
Passive Perception: 17
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"I am in no mood for any more surprises." says Aubin as he stands in the cold with an irritated look. Dark eldritch energy crackles around his hand
@DM
"My advice Copper, is put a bit more stock in the divine. I don't mean to say religion should be followed blindly, the gods are real enough though that you might just need them at some point. I will check on Macreadus for you, when I'm next near lonelywood. Now get your legs working on your part of the deal. I am going to get some rest before Mishann has to tell me again... At that point we'd both better be up to date in our prayers!"
Naraeld bids the gnome farewell with his thanks, before retiring to his own bed. He steadily removes his armor, and the padded tunic he wears underneath. He flexes his broad shoulders and twists side to side before reaching his arms backwards and tensing them, cracking joints along his upper back and letting out a sigh of relief. He looks at the mail, the damaged links from Kaltro's blade are more than he can fix himself, yet he still takes time to oil the suit down, keeping it flexible and rust free. I should be able to get a replacement from the armoury tomorrow. Might be best to go there first thing, before seeing Markham. They can repair this suit easily enough. He finishes his work then prepares his fresh clothing for the morning, laying it out ready in case he should need to rise rapidly. Then he lays himself down, his staff propped up by his bed, and quickly falls into dream.
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
As they gaze together into the night, Auril's dazzling display painting the northern sky, Mallifeva marvel at the new world awakening. A strange change has taken place. Everything appears different. Darkness has become shadow, and shadow light. And they, Mallifeva, feel perfectly at home.
Naraeld:
That night, while you sleep, Tarsellis comes to you in a dream. “My chosen, I come to you with news and with a directive. The Frostmaiden seeks to control this northern realm with her chill touch. But I and others have chosen to fight her influence here. This is, in part, why I chose you. I believe the key to freeing your friend from the fell influence of the lady Auril is to also have her offer devotion. I can free her from the Frostmaiden but you must bring her to me. Near the lake that the mortals call Redwaters, there is a grouping of standing stones. Bring her to me there, when the moon is full, and I will claim her as my own.”
Everyone else:
Sabetha alerts everyone to the coming of the creatures before they arrive. The creatures, in turn, appear to be some of the dogs from the bandits party. Some of the dogs are dragging harnesses behind them. And others are dragging a somewhat broken dogsled. The dogs themselves appear to be fit, but also quite agitated. They enter the camp, and immediately began to sniff the party members. The dogs appear to be friendly and well taken care of. However, there is no sign of their masters.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
As Sabetha watches the dogs arrive without their erstwhile bandit masters, she remains alert, longsword ready even as she greets the dogs in the way any fnew would-be owner would. If they are running from something, whatever it is could be close behind. But either way we need these dogs. And they are lovely animals. Suddenly, she desperately misses her fox friend Moonshadow, who she had liberated from the trapper Fef Moryn. Moonshadow had then left with the chwinga just outside Good Mead. It seems now like a dream to Sabetha, two eons ago even though it has only been two days.
I was someone else back then. But the moon is still in the sky, casting its moon-shadow through the trees. She looks up and feels something from the Moonmaiden, Selune, up there in the heavens. Mercy. Mercy for the people of Good Mead. For the misguided, tormented people of Dougan's Hole, now that she understood their plight from Mallifyr. Many in this harsh land deserve Mercy. Many more, certainly, than will receive it.
Many but not all. Sabetha would never have mercy on those who would choose to inflict suffering on the innocent. Duhk. Sephek. Zara and Jotan, and the last of these raiders. Whoever had planned the raid itself, and whoever had captured Blackberry once. For them, she had something else in mind entirely. She would just have to be more wise in how she delivered what was deserved to them than she had been in Mead Hall. Whether what was deserved was Mercy or... the alternative. Her face remains a mask and she begins to attune to the Ring of the Narwhal.
"Be ready," she calls to her companions. "If the raiders we were chasing are now slain, I shed no tears for them, but the Winter Wolves may be close behind. We should take the dogs themselves with us, fixing the broken sled and outfitting the harness with a new sled once we can buy one. But we have a decision to make. Continue following the tracks to confirm the death of the raiders and perhaps hunt these Winter Wolves? Or take the dogs and the remnants of their sleds and turn back for Bryn Shander to meet with Naraeld and report back to Hlin Trollbane and Sheriff Markham Southwell?"
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
@DM
Naraeld reels as Tarsellis reaches out to him, plucking control of Naraeld's unconscious mind from the grasp of his dreams. "Redwaters! Damned you Tarsellis, for a god you display a frustrating lack of forethought. Could you not have come to me when I was in Good Mead to impart this task?" In his dream he shakes his head, confused and irritated at the urgency that he has employed to get Elk Running back to Bryn Shander. "Have our efforts to bring Elk Running to this point been a waste of time? Bah, you know full well that I will accept the charge, though the lake is large and suffers from constantly shifting shores of broken ice. Where beside it shall I search for your stones?"
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
"I see no need to hunt wolves, but the dead raiders may have left some supplies behind that could be useful to use... if they aren't too far off," says Blackberry. The artificer pulls out his tools and heads over to the broken sled, beginning repairs on it, and seemingly talking to his own hand.
(OOC that is a cute picture of a glove)
Aubin relaxes upon seeing the dogs and approaches them to give them head pats. There is a small bit of comfort having the dogs here as it reminds him of Drander his childhood dog.
He then checks their paws for any stuck ice or stone which would make moving too uncomfortable. "This is a boon for us, but we also need to keep these pups fed. We may need to hunt if we are out here too long." says Aubin
Mallifyr counsels Eva to remain hidden. Eva agrees. Both feel as if their corporeal self were soaked up by the darkness, absorbed by it. What strange transformation is this? We are one with it: one with the night.
They circle the perimeter of the camp to the other side, crouching low and padding silently. When they reach their destination, they stop and wait quietly, peering vigilantly into the gloom whence the dogs have come.
"So we continue following the tracks, hoping to find the corpses (and supplies) of the raiders we were tailing," Sabetha replies to Blackberry, noticing the harengon's new glove for the first time. How did I miss that, and why does it look so familiar? Floppy-ears sure has some tricks up his sleeve...
"Right, then. We need to convince these dogs to return in the direction they were fleeing from." Sheathing her longsword, she glances around for the two rangers now with their group, seeing only one. "Giant-kin, if you are in agreement, help me get these dogs settled. Aubin is right that we may also need to hunt soon to feed them. And did anyone see where Mallifyr has gone? She was the one most intent on chasing the raiders."
Sabetha's Animal Handling, at advantage assuming help from Greth'g'karee: 20 (dirty)
(Attempting to corral the dogs, establishing the party as the new masters, and convincing the animals to continue with us the way they had come from).
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Satisfied that no threat was pursuing the dogs, and noticing that Sabetha and Greth'g'karee have calmed them, Mallifeva step from the shadows.
Mallifyr kneels before one of the lead dogs, rubs its ears, scratches its chin, gets on all fours, and proceeds to yip, yap, paw the ground, and wag her bottom.
DM:
[Mallifyr casts Speak with Animals.]
She asks the lead dog in doggish: "Where are your masters? What has happened to them? What creatures are you fleeing from? Are they close behind you? Where can we find them? Please, lead us to where you last saw them. We will do our best to protect you."
Rough dreams of long dead kinsmen culminating in a memory of a spirit ceremony he had witnessed as a child. A shaman of his peoples, upon their dying bed and just before their last breath, had summoned a host of tiny spirits to them. It was a dazzling and wondrous display that had affirmed for the whole tribe that, even though their sage was passing away, her spirit would always remain. As Greth'g'karee arises with the arrival of the dogs he feels somehow refreshed - centered.
The spirits will always be with me. He realizes. Then, Have they chosen me? Am I to follow the way of the Shaman as she had?
Greth assist Sabetha with the hounds, troubled by the suddenness of their arrival (Help action to Sabetha). Once they seem calmed and secured, he portions out rations to each to keep them fed until daylight (how many were there so I can mark it off?).
(( At level 3 Greth becomes a 'Swarmkeeper'. The swarm are of small nature spirits - dozens of tiny balls of a softly glowing white-blue light. ))
Blackberry starts to respond to Sabetha, nodding, "That's my recommendation. Ammunition and victuals seem pretty scarce around here, I think it's worth the risk to...." and then his voice trails off as he catches sight of Mallifyr's canine antics. "Uh.. yeah, what was I saying?"
Naraeld:
Tarsellis shouts in the dream. "Do not lecture me about timing. You have already defied me once these past few days. How I gather information and when I supply it is not a matter for your approval or concern. You told me you wished to save your friend; I have supplied you a means. It would still be easier to kill her and I still prefer that route. Do you wish to continue to act the superior or would you rather remain my chosen, do as I ask, and be blessed with new power? Are you so sure of your abilities that, with a god still seeking your death, you'd prefer to rely on your skills alone? You can be replaced." In the dream, a pit opens beneath your feet and you fall into darkness, seemingly forever. You awaken in the morning, rested but ill-tempered. The falling lasted the rest of the night. Nonetheless, you feel new abilities and ways to apply your gifts from Tarsellis are now within your grasp.
Mallifyr:
The dog you talk to says, "Masters are gone. Killed. Will you lead the pack now? Careful. There are large strange dogs out. They talk like masters to masters, like people to us. They led masters to the bad place, the place the masters were killed. There is a monster inside. We barked and it didn't approach us, but it killed all the masters. Except the ones already there. The strange dogs asked us to join their pack. But they didn't help the masters. So we came back. But the strange dogs are out there. I can smell them. Do not help them!" The dog then pauses and, smelling the bandit you brought with you, runs over to him and playfully leaps around him.
Everyone else:
There are about 18 dogs in total and they do not look starved or unhealthy, but they appear to be a bit spooked, growling, looking around, and barking at the surrounding darkness. Sabetha and Greth'g'karee are able to calm the dogs and assert dominance over the pack, in part with the help of the bandit, named Undil, who, it seems, was often tasked with keeping the dogs. Undil tells you, "There are a couple of dogs missing. And we had 4 sleds. It seems like the other lads went off in the sleds and ran into some trouble."
The sled that Blackberry is repairing can hold up to three people if pulled by four dogs. He can get it in shape to go if you give the dogs time to eat and rest.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
Mallifyr barks and woofs some more, and prances about in a circle.
DM:
"You said that 'it killed all the masters. Except the ones already there.' What do you mean by 'the ones already there'? Some of the masters were already there? And don't worry about us trying to help the monster and the strange dogs; we intend to destroy the monster and the strange dogs. We are your friends. Please, never refer to me or my companions as 'masters'."
Mallifyr:
The dog gives you a skeptical look. "But you are master! You walk on two legs. You talk to other masters. You give food. You are master. There were two younger masters there. They looked sick. They hid when our masters were being killed by the monster."
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
"Looks like Blackberry will need to some to repair the sled. Shall we go hunt for some grub for these pups?" says Aubin