The massive blonde bearded warrior is quite confused by what the little one does, watching her go and scratching his head, but then again it was certainly not the first time he hadn't quite understood what was going on around him. He is definitely not going anywhere though, particularly when ordered in such an impolite manner.

Finding his wits, [Sound of Cork Popping] also steps forward.  He opens his beak, and the now somewhat familiar voice of an older, kind sounding man emerges.

"... Greetings and Salutations.  My name is [Sound of Cork Popping] and I am a scholar traveling in search of novel fauna.  I am in the process of writing what I hope will be the definitive early work on the animals and monsters of this new land.  I see that you have an unusual beast, or the hide of a beast, or another item belonging to a beast, to include, hair, horn, tail, wing, claw, scat, or not otherwise specified.  It would be of great help to my work if you would cooperate with my investigation into this creature, which I assure you will involve only a modest inconvenience to you and minimal harm to your pet, livestock, harvest or magical companion.  In exchange for your cooperation, I am willing and able to offer one round of drink at the nearest reputable tavern or public house, not to exceed one silver peace.  I am sure that we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.  Huzzah for the advancement of knowledge!...".

The hunters seem too confused the little girl’s presence to realize that she’s getting closer to their prize. Her praises of their skills further contribute to their confusion, though one the crossbowmen does have a little dumb grin after hearing the compliments.

Now that she’s next to the creature’s leg, Ember sees the trap firmly attached to its hind leg. The contraption is nearly as big as her and could probably cut Ember in half if she was the one to trigger it. The jaws have pierced through the creature’s fur and skin and a tint of red has now stained the otherwise immaculate fur. It looks really painful. At a quick glance, the contraption doesn’t seem magical in nature, working on a mechanism of spring and pressure plates. It is attached with an iron chain to a peculiar-looking metal rod. 

Though Ember is "allowed" to get closer, the two hunters currently sitting on the creature keep a close eye on the little girl.

The leader turns to the funny-looking bird man. He cocks his head to the side, not expecting this type of voice to come out of the kenku. He then shakes his head back into focus and chuckles.

"Right. You want to study this thing? Be my guest! Just as soon as we’re done with it.", he replies mockingly.

Thurodim is not really sure what is going on around him but he knows he dislikes the leader of the hunters, badly, his grip on Skullcrusher tightens to be ready if the hunters do anything that he might interpret as hostile.

Ozyre notices Thurodim's iron grip on Skullcrusher and gives a bit of a "hold your horses" motion.

Responding to the leader, Ozyre decides to take the mocking comment in good faith. "I do think that we'd appreciate that quite bit, thank you! We wouldn't want to get in the way of your work. Also, I would never pony up something that isn't mine, but I believe that parts of our party may perhaps be able to connect with the beast, sort of thaumaturgitize it into a nicer state of mind. That would mean the beast would be more comforted which in turn would mean you're all a lot safer and you could stand a real chance of obtaining and making off with your antler in record-breaking time. Plus, we could handle releasing the creature once you've gotten what you need and have hopped a few stones' throws away. I think we can agree that this would be best for you, best for us, and best for this wonderful unspoiled environment, yes?"

The last "yes" is a bit louder than it needs to be to be properly communicated, at least to the hunters.

Ember, who’d been getting a closer look at the bar keeping the trap anchored, straightens at the sound of that pointed “yes.”

She turns her attention away from how to disarm the trap and back to the men sitting atop the creature while Ozyre talks with the apparent leader. “Whaddya use them antlers for, Misters?  Do you grind ‘em up for medicine? Hang ‘em like a reeaalll big trophy?” She holds Aggie atop her head and adds, “Or wear ‘em like… like a badge of honor?”

[Sound of Cork Popping] is oblivious to any tension between the parties, so enraptured is he in the sight of this magnificent specimen.

He approaches the cage and [using his final level 1 spell slot] he opens his beak and calls back out with a mimicry of the sound he has heard the creature making, casting speak with animals.  

The leader looks more and more annoyed as the conversation continues. As Ozyre finishes his speech, he turns to the gnome.

"Best for you?", he asks with a scoff. "I don’t get paid to care about what’s best for you! I’m here to collect what the boss asked and move on, the latter being what you should be doing right now."

The hunter holding the saw looks down to meet the little wizard asking questions. He looks at his companion, who shrugs in response. 

"You know? I didn’t even think to ask the boss why he wanted those antlers.", he says a bit dumbfounded. "I guess I just follow boss-man’s order so he won’t get mad at me."

Hearing his underlings get distracted by the little girl, the leader snaps back.

"Hey! Get back to work you two. We’ve already been delayed long enough." The leader then addresses Thurodim. "And you! I’m not going to repeat myself a third time." He points at Ember and yells "get your daughter, get your stuff and get lost."

The giant wolf creature seems to shift in surprise as [Sound of Cork Popping] casts his spell and speaks to it. It whines back:

"I won't get lost, I'm an expert pathfinder, and I have no daughter..." The massive blonde bearded warrior says sternly. "...as far as I know." He adds after a moment of strenuous thinking. "Who is your boss and why would he want these antlers?" Thurodim after a brief pause then presses on to demand. 

Cork looks up from the strange creature, the waters of his enthusiasm parting just enough for him to finally notice the precarious situation.  Still, he struggles as he lacks the words to communicate his own thoughts on this matter.  

Turning to Ozyre, he waves for his attention and then pantomimes the following:

Points at the bound creature

Puts hands on top of his head, fingers splayed out

With one hand, karate chops the other hand off of this head and lets it fall limply

Shakes his head in an exaggerated fashion

Raises both hands and shrugs his shoulders, then gestures at the scene unfolding around them

"It's important to question the status quo," Ember says sagely to the henchmen.

At the yelling, Ember puffs up her chest. "I'm not a daughter," she huffs at the leader with a stomp of her foot, "I'm a granddaughter." In a burst of chaos, the little wizard howls like a wolf and chucks a chittering Aggie at the two men atop the beast then bounds towards the trap to try and release/unanchor it.

((Aggie will try and distract the two atop the creature (getting into their clothes if needed LOL)))

The massive blonde bearded warrior too bursts into action, letting out a loud growl to distract the hunters.

Deception if needed: 6

Ozyre, who isn't 100% sure on what's going on since his attempts at reasoning failed, decides that the time for thinking has very sadly passed and had a small, out-of-the-way funeral where only those who knew it best were invited.

For the heck of it, he tries to howl, but it's quiet and high-pitched. Any half-discerning canine would be able to pick him out from a crowd, even disregarding his numerous other unwolflike features. "Sorry, you'd want the other kind of gnome for that sort of thing. Anyhoo, how do we plan on proceeding? Will menace suffice?" He tosses his axes off of his sides with a twirl and catches them. The runes on one of them flare up with a bright red as he presents the face of its head towards the hunting party.

In a matter of seconds, all helol breaks loose. It starts with a peculiar-looking squirrel being tossed at the two men atop the beast. Aggie burrows itself in one of the hunter’s shirt, causing him and his collegue to panic.

"Status wh-?", he has time to say before the magical rodent starts harassing him. "Wha? Get it off! GET IT OFF!", he starts screaming.

Ember makes her way to the rod holding down the trap. (Make a Strength check to pull it out of the ground. You may also attempt an arcana check if you desire)

On the other side, Thurodim and Ozyre get ready for a fight. The barbarian’s might howl seems to catch the leader and most of the hunters attention. Except the two currently dealing with a bad case of squirrel-itis.

The leader pulls out a sword and a dagger and gets into a defensive stance. "Kill them all!", he bellows out to his underlings, who draw their weapons on you.

(Roll for initiative everyone)

The massive blonde bearded warrior growls, quickly finding a fierce battle stance, ready to mow his way over to the little one.

Initiative: 20

STR check: 17-1 16 (dang, she really is trying lol!)
Arcana: 9+5 14

Initiative: 9+3 12

Initiative: 10 (9 + 1)

"How come menace never works?"

Initiative: 5

Initiative:

Beast

Crossbowmen

Ember

Thurodim

Spearmen

Ozyre

Cork

Hunter leader

Hunters on beast

Sensing that a conflict is arising, the beast begins to struggle against the chains that are holding it in place.

Strength check: 12

Having been given the order, the two crossbowmen load their weapons and aim them at Thurodim, who is currently the more intimidating target.

Crossbowman 1: Attack: 5 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

Crossbowman 2: Attack: 13 Damage: 8

Then, as they reload, they move to cover behind the trees.

Ember's turn is up. Despite her best efforts, the little wizard is unable to remove the rod from the ground. However, as she touches it, she feels an unmistakable magical aura around it. This is not a regular piton. Upon closer inspection, there is some sort of button along its side. You're not quite sure what its purpose is.