Dardek stays absolutely still and as quiet as a Dardek

Nib stops, eyes wide; he is amazed that he was spotted or heard - he felt he was being very sneaky.  He turns to face the hunter in admiration, listening to what is said.  When the other sounds up ahead are heard, he crunches down. and stays still as can be, focusing on his breathing.  He does not want to interfere in the hunt and motions for the others to be still.  He watches to see what happens next, looking to the hunter to see what they will do.  

Peering through the brush, you see a clearing where Thréig, followed by his fellow hunters, gingerly tiptoes toward a small gathering of elk grazing in the grove. Near the center of the gathering is a giant bull, easily 10 feet tall.

The giant elk lifts its head as the half-elves approach. Upon seeing this, Thréig silently signals for the group to hold.

They obey.

Without another sound, Thréig slowly reaches into his belt pouch and produces a small ring made of carved bone, about 3" in diameter, adorned with decorative gold chain mesh and colorful ribbons... As he slowly closes the pouch, you see there a few rings in the pouch... The way he's eyeing that giant buck, you get the sense he intends to approach the beast and do something with those rings. Thréig holds for a moment, statue still, until the giant elk goes back to grazing.

Finally, he takes a breath, ready to continue.

The half elf you've been speaking with turns to give you a sharp look and whispers, "You need to go. This is not for you."

But Thréig overhears and shushes him.

Still staring at the giant elk, Thréig whispers a response in a language you don't understand. The half elf translates.

"You should not be here... but... It is not proper for anyone who witnesses the rite to depart before it is complete." He turns, looks you all up and down. "All present must aid the tiar in his contest... or challenge him to take his place."

As he explains, you see the other hunters take their positions. Two of the hunters produce hemp-spun nets and duck into the woods to flank the giant elk. The third whispers something to his dog, which instantly springs into the heavy growth as he draws a bow,  shifting targets between the different elk. A few of the elk lift their heads, sensing the presence of the hound and looking around.

All the while, Thréig crouches, preparing to walk carefully in a direct line toward the giant elk.

"How will you lend aid?" Whispers the hunter, impatient for your answer.

Nib speaks very softly to the hunter, saying “I’ll sneak around behind them, and use my signal whistle that I took from the village, to drive them toward you.  If any of the smaller ones give a problem, I can put an arrow into them!  But mainly I’ll just try to drive them toward you…”. Nib looks for a nod or sign of agreement.  If so, he will begin sneaking off to the side, trying to do his part to help.  

Ashley watches the procession with wide eyes.  She has never seen a hunt before, and this elk, this grand beast, was a sight to behold.  As Nib offers up what he can do, she tells the hunter, "Tell me which quadrant to go to, I can use fire to stop the animals from running in that direction."  She tries to keep her voice calm, but shes all but inside.

The hunter catches Nib by the arm before he moves. "We do not want them to run." He explains.

He points in the direction of the half-elf leader who continues his careful advance towards the giant animal.

"Look..." Says the hunter as he directs Nib's attention to the carved ring held in the leader's hand. The hunter then draws a line in the air with his finger, going from the ring to the giant elk's horn. "Our tiar must crown the Tierna Foraise with the ornaments of our people..." He claims. "This takes care and caution and attunement with the lords of the forest... Only then can we take a life from the herd... To do so without giving the lord of the forest his honor would be profane." 

He watches as the elks freeze, holding their position. Some of them watch Thréig with an indifferent but cautious animal stare. The half-elf leader holds perfectly still until the elks resume their grazing. When this happens, the hunter breathes a sigh of relief.

"If they're startled and bolt when our tiar is among them, he could be trampled, or worse..." The hunter says in a tense whisper. 

Upon hearing Ashley's offer of help, the hunter's eyes widen sharply. For a moment you're certain he's going to ask how she can wield fire so easily... But he's too focused on the task at hand to ask too many questions. With two fingers he motions toward the giant elk's right flank, then indicates to a space behind it.

"If you can truly summon flames, they'd serve best in that direction. Should things go wrong, perhapse you could use the fire to drive the bulk of the heard away from our leader. Is this a thing that would be possible for you?

Dardek wracks his mind....what could he help with? He has no skills that would help on a hunt. He can't fight or sneak like Nibs , or breath fire like Ashley. He is pretty useless. How he's made it this far is beyond him. As he looks to the ground he quietly mumbles the only thing he can do "I can mend his wounds if he gets hurt"

Realizing what she said in the heat of the moment, Ashley swallows and whispers, "I'm really quick with the flint and all that.. but yes, I think I can help."  and she heads off to where the hunter pointed.

Nib stops and considers the words, saying “I don’t want to interfere or muck it up.  Maybe I should just watch and help out if I can…. You tell me, mister…”

Talon holds firm, not moving as he watches what is unfolding.  

"Talon has tricks..."  He says to the whispering Half Elf.  "Talon can...disorient...the sacred one hm?"  

He first makes antlers over his head with his fingers, then touches his forehead.  

"...if necessary, that is.  Mighthurtthesacredonetoo, some.  But Talon also has other tricks...like his..." 

He wiggles his finger like a worm...or tentacle...as he tries to communicate something he doesn't have words for...

"...and Talon can also throws the magics..."  

Dardek - The hunter nods in acceptance of your offer to heal if needed.

Ashley - The hunter directs you to circle around the grove to an area northeast of the giant buck where you can get a clear view.

Nib - To you, the hunter says, "Take the signal whistle, as you suggest, find a good position... Give it a blow only as a warning if it looks like the elk are already about to run with our tiar in their midst. If you shoot, do so to frighten the animals away from our tiar. Do not harm or kill." He points off toward a fallen tree on the far side of the grove where you can get a good view.

Talon - The hunter seems unsettled by your presence and unsure how to respond to your offer.  He simply says, "Yes, well... Only in an emergency." He turns toward the grove to watch the leader move towards the giant buck...

You watch as Thréig moves around the periphery in perfect silence. He moves so slowly and with such care that you'd hardly notice him if your eyes weren't already fixed on him. Not a single twig snap or leaf rustle. But now comes the hard part, approaching the giant elk...

As Thrieg moves within striking range of the giant buck, the elk to his right looks up... However, with slow movement and a gentle gesture, he manages to convince the animal he means it no harm...

Unfortunately, as he steps backward with his eyes still locked on the first elk, he snaps a twig underfoot drawing the attention of another... Some of you see that it's about to bolt, potentially bringing the entire herd along with it...

So, we will go into initiative!

To be continued via Discord...

After Thréig performs a a death-defying leap onto the elk's back, the half-elven leader manages to ring a few ornaments on the massive animal.

Once he leaps to the ground, the party manages to keep the giant beast from attacking by distracting it in any way they can.

Talon's contribution is the summoning of a giant spectral tentacle that springs from the ground, inspiring horror and awe in beast and humanoid alike.

As the giant elk runs away, the attention of Thréig and the hunters turns towards the decaying kobold... Ashley distances herself from Talon, explaining that they only picked him up along the way. Talon, confused by everyone's reaction, responds by explaining the source of his powers and insisting that he only meant to provide protection.

The hunters look to their leader for what to do next.

Thréig steps forward, studying Talon, Ashley and the others..."Do all of you know magic, or just the strange one?" He hastens to add, as an afterthought. "You're in no danger from us... Unless you mean us harm.... and don't suspect you do."

Nib pops up from hiding behind the log and walks over, shrugging his shoulders.  “I can’t do magic, no sir, but I tried to help the best I could.  That’s a mighty tough task you have there, to put all those rings on successfully without getting them to gore you in the process.  I don’t know if it can be done!  I’m mighty sorry fellows, that I wasn’t more help to ya.”  Nib looks around at Ashley, Dardek and Talon, not wanting to speak to their magical abilities.  

Ashley watches Talon's reaction to what she said and her heart aches.  Did she really just throw him under the bus like that?  To what, save her skin from only the possibility of a threat?  Is that any way to live?

Anger briefly flits across her face, but then she rushes to Talon and wraps her arms around him if he lets her, the warmth of her skin drastically contradicts the cold clammy feeling of the kobold.  "I'm so sorry, you are my friend.  We didn't just pick you up on the side of the road, we were there when that lady hurt you.  I guess... I'm just not as brave as you are."

She finally lets him go and then with defiance in her voice, "I know a little magic, I just was afraid of being captured again."

Dardek speaks quietly after Ashley "I am the same as her....I know only a little and did not want to be captured and experimented on again"

Thréig steps forward, gesturing for his men to lower their weapons. "Experimented?" He asks with no small amount of surprise.

"Then it's true. The rumors we hear... Humans on a crusade to harness magical forces for their own use?"

He then realizes... "Is that why you've come all this way? Seeking sanctuary with the elves?" The others wince and smile with some mixture of cynicism and amusement. "Well, I'm afraid to disappoint, but the elves of the north aren't inclined much towards compassion. Their dealings with the... inferior races... including their own bastard kin... are entirely transactional. Unless you have something to offer them, they have little interest in your troubles with the striving humans."

He looks to the others and gestures. "But we can talk about that over a meal. Now that our task is done, our people can freely hunt the elk for this season. We'll return to our home camp with the good news. You're welcome to join us if you want... though we have no interest in delaying you if your path leads elsewhere."

Dardek looks at the others..."Food and and a warm place to sleep? That sounds nice." Dardek pauses before saying anything more and looks at the others 

Ashley is surprised by the man's reaction to them.  She figured at the very least they would recoil at the thought of who they were.  Ashley is starting to reconsider the idea of going to the elves.  I mean didn't they just choose it on a whim?  Unsure of the best place to go to keep themselves hidden?  And obviously these people had no love for the humans that experimented on them... it was definitely worth exploring.

The fire genasi is surprised again as Dardek stops himself from unloading all of their information.  She smiles and rests her hand on his shoulder.  "Yes, food and a warm place to sleep sounds wonderful.  Thank you for your hospitality."

Nib scratches his head and has a surprised look on his face as well.  “Well… uh… thank you.  Of course, we would like to join you.  Hear more about..’ hands pointing to the clearing, “all of this.  After you, please lead on.  Perhaps I could practice my archery with you…”