Little Buddy takes the rations gratefully. When you ask about the collar the lizard cocks its head for a moment before answering, "Dead meat gave bright necklace, it makes me strong."
By the late morning you join a narrow trail that snakes westward through the bleak hills. The walk becomes a little easier and above the cloud begins to thin somewhat, allowing a watery sunlight to share some of its warmth with the lands below.
Dealuri you are the first to see a hand cart on the track ahead. As you all get closer you see that the owner of the cart, a tall dark haired human, is worrying over what appears to be a broken wheel. He looks up as you approach.
Each casting of the Animal Speakingness takes 10 minutes to ritual-prep, then lasts for only another 10 minutes.
It's not that Skritch has ADHD (Acorn Deficiency Hunter's Dedication) syndrome or anything, but sometimes he has to take a break from concentrated work on the one topic. And yes, that is, sometimes ... to hunt for acorns. Sometimes.
He'll settle down with Little Buddy and Vakas whenever he can to help them better get to know each other. But right now, he's interested in the fellow up ahead that Dealuri has spotted, the one with the broken wagon. He's quite aware that larger folk might consider it a mere barrow, but, when you're only a foot and half tall (and that's on a good day!), believe me a hand cart is all the wagon a wagon needs to be to be a wagon.
That was another one of his old hutchmaster's sayings, although it didn't, you know, come up that often.
Skrtich will continue trotting on Sunhill as they approach the fellow. He thinks about it for a second then decides he won't make the first approach himself, better to let someone more the stranger's size give good greeting.
But he will, ever so surreptitiously, take a firm grip of the leathered handle of his club where it hangs at his belt and give his trusty cudgel a dose of that ol' Shillelagh tingle...
Dealuri continues forward and stops about 15’ from the human. “Hullo there. Whacha taking and where ya going?” She doesn’t recall them passing any settlement so his presence here is odd. However, she remains friendly and clueless despite her recent activities.
"Just taking this and that ere and there." He shrugs, "Got me a problem wiv the old cart avent I?" The man straightens laying the broken wheel aside. "Don't suppose any of you fine folks can lend a poor fella a hand?"
“Sure! No problem, I have something that might do just the trick…” Vakas is itching to use some of his new found abilities as well, he bends down and touches the wagon wheel, saying a few words and making some motions, and the wheel starts to actually mend some of the broken parts! “There you go, sir. Where are you going and what are you hauling, with this cart? It should work much better now…”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"My thanks good elf. Very impressive" you hear a soft click as the stranger pulls a hand cross bow from his jacket, pointing it directly at you.
The cover on the back of the cart is thrown back to reveal a dwarf armed with a heavy crossbow and to the right and left of the trail figures emerge from behind the nearby rocks armed with bows and side arms.
"Where we're going is our own business friend, but what we'll be carrying is a kind donation of say ten gold pieces each from your good selves." he gives you a grin, "We'll even let you keep the cart as a gesture of good will."
"This is my cart." growls the dwarf.
"Gendrin for the last time yer not keepin the cart." the man snaps before controlling his temper and turning back to you Vakas, "So what's it to be elf, ten gold each or we fill you with arrows and take everything?"
“What, d’ya think I’m just another rube that fell of the turnip wagon? Dontcha know someone in the business?” At this point, Vakas starts to make a number of hand motions, low sounding clicks and unintelligible sounds (speaks to them in thieves cant) to basically say, don’t try to pull one over on me, that is my usual spot to do something like that, don’t make me stick this dagger where the sun don’t shine, etc. He gestures at vulpine eyed Dealuri, Thannadol, and Rachus, basically saying “Don’t mess with us, you will draw back a nub.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Skritch doesn't notice he wasn’t included in the they're-not-to-be-triffled-with look that Vakas just made.
He doesn't notice because he is busy casting Enlarge/Reduce. He seems to sit taller in his saddle as he grows from Tiny to Small (still rideable on a Medium Mastiff!).
Then he runs at this ingrate whose wheel Vakas has just so kindly mended, screeching in furry fury.
His high-pitched chitter dopplers into a terrifying deep roar as he Bonus Action Wildshapes into not a Large, but a HUGE(!) Brown Bear.
He looms over the cad and pauses dramatically before saying, v calmy (OOC: like Laura Dern running out of the bushes in the first Jurrasic Park), "... Run."
Vakas slips out of thieves cant and into common and says, “And then there’s this guy, who is usually a jittery little Ratatosk, but now he’s a huge friggin BEAR, so I think that you should all back the fudge up.” Except he uses another word besides fudge.
Intimidation with adv due to BEAR : 20
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Rachus continued in a subdued silence happy that Vakas made contact with his reptilian friend. The waylaid traveler seemed a tad armored for a simple merchant or peddler, but he thought nothing of it until the surprise dwarf was sprung. Blasted bandits. He stays back near Elvyn to protect the man should violence breaks out.
Skritch is ready to multi-attack the bandit, depending on whether Vakas' intimidation works or not.
Either way, he thinks, we're keeping the cart. It will help us get Evlyn where he needs to be - plus, Vakas fixed it and the cart would have been just so much roadside junk without his skills.
In squirrel common law that makes it 90% his (to be clear, makes it 90% Vakas'). And you can't argue with maths.
(with a 20) The bandit staggers back as the bear approaches his eyes wide.
"Shall I shoot it?" yells the dwarf, his hands shaking.
"No.. no don't." The man stares at you wide eyed Vakas, "Sorry, clearly a misunderstanding. We'll be going and you can keep the cart."
"It's my cart Malkus." whines the dwarf.
"Fine!" yells Malkus has he turns tail and runs, "Keep yer bloody cart and I ope that bloody bear eats you for breakfast Gendrin."
The dwarf seems to consider the matter for a moment before jumping down with a curse and following Malkus. Around you the other bandits back away and follow their leader as he charges into the wilderness.
Vakas puts his hands on his hips and looks at it objectively, saying “It is a nice cart…”. He looks up at Gendrin and shrugs, fine with either way. “You need to come up with another ploy. The whole “Oh, my poor little cart is broken down, I need help dear sirs” thing is so tired, so cliché. Put your noggins together and come up with another idea. Maybe… maybe you could get a disguise kit and have blood dripping from your mouth, a chest wound, you could be lying on the ground and ole Malkus giving you aide and trying to resuscitate you. “Oh please, oh help, my friend just collapsed!” Like that. And then everyone jumps out! I don’t know, you’ve got to think about it a little longer….” Vakas scratches his head, trying to come up with ideas for them. “Anyway, we’re on our way. Unless you want this bear to tear your guts out. But if it’s all the same, we’re just gonna head on down the road. Bye now!”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Skritch will trot along in bear form beside the group. He can stay that way for an hour so he might as well enjoy it. With a move speed of 40, he can keep up just fine.
After a minute he shrinks from Huge to Large as Enlarge/Reduce wears off.
He mindproposes to Rachus, who he's noticed has been keeping a watchful eye on Elvyn's health, to "Perhaps hitch up the handcart to Sunhill and Evelyn can ease his travels, even if only, er, now and then..."
Every so often bearSkritch will pop up on his back legs and look hither and yon, taking advantage of his Large size, to spy over hill crests and the like, keeping a wary eye out for miscreants.
Skritch has zero tolerance for miscreants, at least when they have a wounded charge to care for.
“Wow, Skritch, that was awesome! You are so big and scary as a bear. And nice job Vakas so Skritch wouldn’t have to eat those dirty people. Ick.” Dealuri is rightfully impressed by their intimidation, she was about to start shoring her own crossbow.
"Elvyn," Skritch asks in a rumbling baritone with which, he must admit, he's quite impressed. He's using words since, as a bear, he can actually speak more easily than as an Ekorre Ratatosk, "are we near our destination? Or are there several days travel ahead of us? ... Asking for a friend..."
OOC: For clarity the dwarf did choose to abandon the cart and follow his companions, did the party take it?
Elvyn replies to you Skritch (though he seems a little confused to find himself talking to a bear) "I er... well. We should arrive just after noon tomorrow if we meet no further obstacles."
Vakas make a survival roll with advantage as you complete the days journey and find a place to camp for the evening.
Dealuri is happy to push the cart with Elvyn in it, if that helps keep him alive. She may not be the strongest but others have useful tasks that she just can’t do.
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Little Buddy takes the rations gratefully. When you ask about the collar the lizard cocks its head for a moment before answering, "Dead meat gave bright necklace, it makes me strong."
By the late morning you join a narrow trail that snakes westward through the bleak hills. The walk becomes a little easier and above the cloud begins to thin somewhat, allowing a watery sunlight to share some of its warmth with the lands below.
Dealuri you are the first to see a hand cart on the track ahead. As you all get closer you see that the owner of the cart, a tall dark haired human, is worrying over what appears to be a broken wheel. He looks up as you approach.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Each casting of the Animal Speakingness takes 10 minutes to ritual-prep, then lasts for only another 10 minutes.
It's not that Skritch has ADHD (Acorn Deficiency Hunter's Dedication) syndrome or anything, but sometimes he has to take a break from concentrated work on the one topic. And yes, that is, sometimes ... to hunt for acorns. Sometimes.
He'll settle down with Little Buddy and Vakas whenever he can to help them better get to know each other. But right now, he's interested in the fellow up ahead that Dealuri has spotted, the one with the broken wagon. He's quite aware that larger folk might consider it a mere barrow, but, when you're only a foot and half tall (and that's on a good day!), believe me a hand cart is all the wagon a wagon needs to be to be a wagon.
That was another one of his old hutchmaster's sayings, although it didn't, you know, come up that often.
Skrtich will continue trotting on Sunhill as they approach the fellow. He thinks about it for a second then decides he won't make the first approach himself, better to let someone more the stranger's size give good greeting.
But he will, ever so surreptitiously, take a firm grip of the leathered handle of his club where it hangs at his belt and give his trusty cudgel a dose of that ol' Shillelagh tingle...
Dealuri continues forward and stops about 15’ from the human. “Hullo there. Whacha taking and where ya going?” She doesn’t recall them passing any settlement so his presence here is odd. However, she remains friendly and clueless despite her recent activities.
"Just taking this and that ere and there." He shrugs, "Got me a problem wiv the old cart avent I?" The man straightens laying the broken wheel aside. "Don't suppose any of you fine folks can lend a poor fella a hand?"
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
“Sure! No problem, I have something that might do just the trick…” Vakas is itching to use some of his new found abilities as well, he bends down and touches the wagon wheel, saying a few words and making some motions, and the wheel starts to actually mend some of the broken parts! “There you go, sir. Where are you going and what are you hauling, with this cart? It should work much better now…”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"My thanks good elf. Very impressive" you hear a soft click as the stranger pulls a hand cross bow from his jacket, pointing it directly at you.
The cover on the back of the cart is thrown back to reveal a dwarf armed with a heavy crossbow and to the right and left of the trail figures emerge from behind the nearby rocks armed with bows and side arms.
"Where we're going is our own business friend, but what we'll be carrying is a kind donation of say ten gold pieces each from your good selves." he gives you a grin, "We'll even let you keep the cart as a gesture of good will."
"This is my cart." growls the dwarf.
"Gendrin for the last time yer not keepin the cart." the man snaps before controlling his temper and turning back to you Vakas, "So what's it to be elf, ten gold each or we fill you with arrows and take everything?"
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
“What, d’ya think I’m just another rube that fell of the turnip wagon? Dontcha know someone in the business?” At this point, Vakas starts to make a number of hand motions, low sounding clicks and unintelligible sounds (speaks to them in thieves cant) to basically say, don’t try to pull one over on me, that is my usual spot to do something like that, don’t make me stick this dagger where the sun don’t shine, etc. He gestures at vulpine eyed Dealuri, Thannadol, and Rachus, basically saying “Don’t mess with us, you will draw back a nub.”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Skritch doesn't notice he wasn’t included in the they're-not-to-be-triffled-with look that Vakas just made.
He doesn't notice because he is busy casting Enlarge/Reduce. He seems to sit taller in his saddle as he grows from Tiny to Small (still rideable on a Medium Mastiff!).
Then he runs at this ingrate whose wheel Vakas has just so kindly mended, screeching in furry fury.
His high-pitched chitter dopplers into a terrifying deep roar as he Bonus Action Wildshapes into not a Large, but a HUGE(!) Brown Bear.
He looms over the cad and pauses dramatically before saying, v calmy (OOC: like Laura Dern running out of the bushes in the first Jurrasic Park), "... Run."
Vakas slips out of thieves cant and into common and says, “And then there’s this guy, who is usually a jittery little Ratatosk, but now he’s a huge friggin BEAR, so I think that you should all back the fudge up.” Except he uses another word besides fudge.
Intimidation with adv due to BEAR : 20
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Rachus continued in a subdued silence happy that Vakas made contact with his reptilian friend. The waylaid traveler seemed a tad armored for a simple merchant or peddler, but he thought nothing of it until the surprise dwarf was sprung. Blasted bandits. He stays back near Elvyn to protect the man should violence breaks out.
Skritch is ready to multi-attack the bandit, depending on whether Vakas' intimidation works or not.
Either way, he thinks, we're keeping the cart. It will help us get Evlyn where he needs to be - plus, Vakas fixed it and the cart would have been just so much roadside junk without his skills.
In squirrel common law that makes it 90% his (to be clear, makes it 90% Vakas'). And you can't argue with maths.
(with a 20) The bandit staggers back as the bear approaches his eyes wide.
"Shall I shoot it?" yells the dwarf, his hands shaking.
"No.. no don't." The man stares at you wide eyed Vakas, "Sorry, clearly a misunderstanding. We'll be going and you can keep the cart."
"It's my cart Malkus." whines the dwarf.
"Fine!" yells Malkus has he turns tail and runs, "Keep yer bloody cart and I ope that bloody bear eats you for breakfast Gendrin."
The dwarf seems to consider the matter for a moment before jumping down with a curse and following Malkus. Around you the other bandits back away and follow their leader as he charges into the wilderness.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Vakas puts his hands on his hips and looks at it objectively, saying “It is a nice cart…”. He looks up at Gendrin and shrugs, fine with either way. “You need to come up with another ploy. The whole “Oh, my poor little cart is broken down, I need help dear sirs” thing is so tired, so cliché. Put your noggins together and come up with another idea. Maybe… maybe you could get a disguise kit and have blood dripping from your mouth, a chest wound, you could be lying on the ground and ole Malkus giving you aide and trying to resuscitate you. “Oh please, oh help, my friend just collapsed!” Like that. And then everyone jumps out! I don’t know, you’ve got to think about it a little longer….” Vakas scratches his head, trying to come up with ideas for them. “Anyway, we’re on our way. Unless you want this bear to tear your guts out. But if it’s all the same, we’re just gonna head on down the road. Bye now!”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Skritch will trot along in bear form beside the group. He can stay that way for an hour so he might as well enjoy it. With a move speed of 40, he can keep up just fine.
After a minute he shrinks from Huge to Large as Enlarge/Reduce wears off.
He mindproposes to Rachus, who he's noticed has been keeping a watchful eye on Elvyn's health, to "Perhaps hitch up the handcart to Sunhill and Evelyn can ease his travels, even if only, er, now and then..."
Every so often bearSkritch will pop up on his back legs and look hither and yon, taking advantage of his Large size, to spy over hill crests and the like, keeping a wary eye out for miscreants.
Skritch has zero tolerance for miscreants, at least when they have a wounded charge to care for.
“Wow, Skritch, that was awesome! You are so big and scary as a bear. And nice job Vakas so Skritch wouldn’t have to eat those dirty people. Ick.” Dealuri is rightfully impressed by their intimidation, she was about to start shoring her own crossbow.
"Elvyn," Skritch asks in a rumbling baritone with which, he must admit, he's quite impressed. He's using words since, as a bear, he can actually speak more easily than as an Ekorre Ratatosk, "are we near our destination? Or are there several days travel ahead of us? ... Asking for a friend..."
OOC: For clarity the dwarf did choose to abandon the cart and follow his companions, did the party take it?
Elvyn replies to you Skritch (though he seems a little confused to find himself talking to a bear) "I er... well. We should arrive just after noon tomorrow if we meet no further obstacles."
Vakas make a survival roll with advantage as you complete the days journey and find a place to camp for the evening.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Dealuri is happy to push the cart with Elvyn in it, if that helps keep him alive. She may not be the strongest but others have useful tasks that she just can’t do.