Kess takes a moment to examine the cloth, and wonders if it was torn as if by a claw... or shorn, as if by a blade. She also examines the the shape of the fragment... is it, by chance, a bandage?
Chrys doesn't sense anything out of the ordinary with her Paladin ability, only the tranquil peace and beauty of the forest.
As you inspect the blood soaked cloth, it appears that the stains are not fresh. The blood is definitely dry. By its cut and shape, it does appear to be a bandage of some sort. However, when you pick it up, it strikes you that there's something familiar about the cloth. The fabric is a light, soft velvet in its weave of fine quality, although more rustic than what a noble would wear, and the color is a bright, forest green. You've seen that color before... perhaps recently...
...That's when it hits you. This is the exact color and style of fabric of Aelar's tunic. Now that you recognize it, you're almost certain that this was indeed a bandage that was cut from his very own clothes at some point in the recent past.
The memory comes flooding back to you... In your minds, you suddenly recall the heart-wrenching scene of the unconscious Lia lying on the floor of Dauric's home, barely clinging to life, with a bloody stump where her left arm used to be, and the visibly exhausted Aelar holding a cloth tightly to the stump to try and stop the bleeding, while another bandage covered his own missing left eye, also lost in the same ghastly battle that Duskbringer had wrought upon these poor elven folk.
Nym surveys the blood stained cloth with a thoughtful hum, looking around at their surroundings before her eyes fell back to it. Meeting Chrys and Kess' eyes, she could see that recognition blossomed in them the same time as it did her. "Aelar... Well at least this means we're on there right track. ...Right? Or... Does this mean we accidentally doubled back?" The drow scratched the back of her braided head, now looking around in confusion. "Directions are a lot harder on the surface."Her expression was sheepish.
"This bandage belonged to Aelar?" Alae responds to Nym's comment. "Perhaps it was simply changed for a new bandage and discarded as they made their way to your friend?"
She tries to focus, and to let the forest speak to her. Tracks on the ground, the shape of the foliage nearby. Had they doubled back? She didn't think they had, but Nym seemed concerned, and it was best to be sure. Then letting her senses spread out further, trying to touch the essence of these woods - was there anything magical affecting this place?
Lumen listens, and then looks at the bandage. "Seems fair to guess that this is just something she left on the way, it would be hard to believe this is a sign of something bad," Lumen says. He's ready to move along once the others have done their investigating.
The half-orc marvels at the path that led him here, being kicked out of his clan for seeking music and art, seeking his fortune in Yartar, competing in a tournament, finding Chyrs and Kess and then Nym and Alae. Dryad, orcs, hags, assassins, trolls, dragon scales, will o wisps, dragons... who knew what might come next. Song fragments danced around in his head, and his fingers found the well-worn frets of his lute, playing with melodies in silence. It was hard to remember details of all they still had to do, but the group was starting to check off items on their to do list. Who was the wizard who sent them off to find his dryad friend? He really ought to have written more of this down.
((Chrys has keep excellent notes throughout the campaign, and she can remind you that the wizard in Yartar who sent you to rescue his friend and former love, Phelanie the dryad, is named Ander Bran Dundragon.))
Although Nym is experiencing some temporary directional confusion, possibly due to the bright sunlight, Alae reassures her that you are on the right track and sees no signs that Aelar may have doubled back on the trial. Nor does she sense any kind of magical auras in this particular area. Your consensus is that they simply discarded, or more likely, dropped the bandage at some point during their flight, perhaps after changing it for a fresh one as Lia's condition worsened.
Continuing on, you spend the next few hours traveling along a pronounced game trail that dips in and out of a series of small gullies, until evening descends upon the forest once again. At times, the trail seems very hard to follow, but Aelar's map gives you the confidence to stay on what you feel is the right course. At day's end, you find a suitable camp spot next to a large boulder that has numerous timeworn carvings upon its smooth face. They seem like runes of some sort, but they're illegible and not recognizable as any kind writing or language that any of you understand.
Nothing bothers you during the night, but you do see numerous rabbits that dart to and fro around the edges of your campsite, and a few of which run boldly right through the middle, of it. They awaken you a few times during the night, although none of them make any efforts to investigate or dig into your belongings.
Under the increasingly cool morning air on the fourth day of travel from Ravensglade, you pack up and begin what you hope is your last day of walking before reaching Dauric's tree. Navigation is fairly straightforward, and before noon, you pop out into a large open clearing onto a well-traveled trail, where two streams come together and form a small lake at the edge of a field. Walking out into the open, you can feel the warmth of the late summer sun on your faces, and you recognize that this is the landmark where you left the main the trail and began traveling in a more southeast heading. You have now completed the circle, although Aelar's secret trail got you here considerably faster than your outbound journey to the keep had taken.
As if to welcome you back, you notice a bright blue swallow that flies down and begins serenading you for awhile with his characteristic, whistling, chirping warble, before eventually flying away. You recognize him from before.
From this location, you recall that it is about two more hours to the stone bridge which marks the intersection of the trail that leads to Dauric's home.
"Seems like we're gettin' close," Chrys says, balancing carefully on her goat. It's rougher going that she remembered; while sure-footed across uneven terrain, riding anything without a saddle is making muscles in her legs that she never realized she had before ache terribly, despite the unusually intellligent goat's best attempts to make the journey comfortable for her. She briefly considers asking Nym if her friend Dauric might be able to fashion a saddle for Lupin, and then quickly discards the idea -- the thought of asking a druid to construct a trapping of civilization to constrain an animal seems like a spectacularly bad idea. Even if Lupin isn't quite an ordinary goat.
Resigning herself to an undignified waddle for the next few days, she spurs her mount onwards, looking up when the swallow approaches. "Oi! Looks like we're almost there! How're the rest o' you holdin' up?" She tries her best not to look too hopeful that the others might want to spend a good amount of time resting at Dauric's tree; it's a little bit embarrassing for a soldier like herself to admit to being weary. Well I ain't never trusted nothin' but my own two legs before, she thinks stubbornly, putting on a game face.
Deception, Chrys is totally used to riding a goat, she does this all the time, you guys: 8
Nym can't help but let her finger tips trace over the unfamiliar runic carvings of the stone that they camped by, wondering if the carvers were still alive or just as worn as their work. The rabbits running past were entertaining, if mildly annoying as the night wore on. They interrupted her prayers and trance a few times, starting Nym with a laugh as they would bound right past or over them. There is one instance though after her watch and when she had settled to trance that she was trancing deeply in unpleasant memories when a rabbit had used her form as a jump pad and roused her so suddenly that she reacted violently, pulling her longsword out and breathing hard, amethyst eyes darting about for the perceived threat until she realized her mistake and with a shaking hand, sheathed her weapon, apologizing to the one on watch.
In the morning, the drow seems stiff and quiet, her eyes peering up at the fist sized red stone constantly circling her head multiple times. " 'Maybe'..." She would murmur under her breath with a scoff before pursing her lips and shaking her head. Something else to speak to Duaric about perhaps before bringing up again.
It had been entertaining to trek with Chrysoberyl's new mount. There were multiple times that Nym had to restrain her hand from reaching out and petting the furry creature. Though the dwarven woman didn't look particularly riding on it, perhaps due to her armor? Her previous pensiveness was broken by a bright smile as she recognized the bright blue swallow singing to them. Perking up at Chrys' questions, she replied with a hesitant smile, "I have a few things I need Duaric's counsel on if we're not in a rush. Also I can't help but notice that your Lupin looks remarkably like a Deep Rothé Chrys. Can he see as well in the dark as they can? I have to say I don't think I've seen many people ever try riding a deep rothé though..."
"Ah, nay, I don't think Lupin here can see much o' anything in the dark. He's not a real goat... or, uh, deep rothé. Look," she says, scrubbing Lupin between the ears. "I want ya ta show Nym here what you can do. She's a friend, so go on."
Lupin's ears twitch, and then he steps forward and peers into Nym's eyes, as if waiting. Chrys clucks her tongue. "Starin' ain't gettin' ya anywhere, goathead. How 'bout this... go on an' give her a lick on her left ear if ya want scritches behind yer left ear. Give her a lick on her right ear if ya want scritches behind yer right ear. An' if ya don't want no scritches, snap your teeth at the sky, hear?"
Lupin thinks about this for a minute, then carefully leans forward and gives Nym a slurpy kiss on both her right and left ears.
"I guess he don't have a preferred side!" Chrys laughs. "Go on, though. Ask him a question in common. He's like a lil' kid, he can understand ya. Yeah, like a kid..." She snorts at her own pun.
Nym blinks as she stares deeply into the eyes of the furry mount, not able to look away from it's strange pupils as Chrys spoke of licking and scritches. At least until she received two big slobbery licks on both her ears. "Augh!" The dark elf couldn't help but exclaim before laughing and then face screwing up in mild disgust and amusement again, rubbing her long pointed ears with her hands and rubbing cloth from her robes in the folds to try and rid herself of the slimey feeling. "H-How about hands instead of ears, hm Lupin?" Obligingly using both hands to scratch both of Lupin's ears. Head tilting in consideration of what to ask, Nym then thinks of, "How many people are in this group? Can you stomp a hoof once for every person? Oh, does he know how to nod or shake his head for yes or no? Some children are less advanced than others, I didn't mean to assume..." Now looking mildly worried she might have overestimated or insulted Chrys' kid's intelligence.
Lumen keeps turning to stare at this conversation, thinking they are talking about Lumen, not Lupin, and just barely avoiding getting very confused, grinning at confusing himself with a goat. "We aren't in such a hurry that we can't stop to saay hi to Dauric, no!"
Lupin listens to Nym, and then stomps all four of his feet, one after the other.
Chrys laughs and gives the goat an affectionate pet. "Yeah... I'm not a-sure he can count higher than four, t'be honest. He can understand what you're sayin' and recognize us at the least, though I wouldn't put him in charge o' our purse strings. Now," she says, poorly hiding a wince, "Let's get goin', looks like we're expected!"
Her senses touching the woods around them, Alae knows that she would be able to tell if there were any magical presence nearby. But there is nothing. She breathes a sigh of relief. Time to move on.
Alae walks close by Chrys as they continue on the path. The Dwarf seems a little unsure, balanced on the top of her newly summoned goat, and occasionally Alae's hand twitches towards her as it looks like Chrys is about to slip from her perch. But she never does. It adds a small amount of stress to the journey, feeling constantly aware of Chrys's precarious ride, but it doesn't remove the impact of the beautiful environment they move through.
By night they camp by a large boulder, etched in strange runes. At first Alae thought they might have been Giant runes, but she is proficient in that language and the runes make no more sense to her than to any in the group. Something else to ask Duaric about, when they arrived. He must know the area around his dwelling very well.
The rabbits were a welcome addition to the campsite. "Aah, little friends!" Alae cooed in her dark honey voice. "You have a beautiful home, I hope you don't mind if we rest here tonight." Sitting down she continued talking to the rabbits. "You are much darker than the rabbits I am used to in the north. There they are more often than not the purest white, as the snow may settle there year round." A group of rabbits had stopped their hopping by this point, and were looking at her. They seemed to be listening intently. "Do you have any Almiraj here to protect you? I do not see any, perhaps you have no need of a defender here, your lives seem untroubled in this place. I will tell you about the Almiraj. It is said that if times of trouble are bound for a warren, the gods will send an Almiraj to be born into it, so that in time it may defend its family. They would seem like giants to you, 3 or 4 feet long, and a spiralling horn coming from their head. We tell a story about a group of cruel poachers who ran up against an Almiraj, ho ho ho! Let me tell you..."At one point Alae has about a dozen rabbits sitting around her, listening to her story about their equivalent of great heroes and demigods, and when Alae went to sleep that night she was kept warm by a very soft blanket indeed.
Listening to the swallow serenade them in that meadow, standing by the small lake, Alae thought perhaps it was the happiest she had been. "A beautiful greeting,"she says as the bird flies away. When Chrys mentions that they are expected, Alae raises her eyebrows. "You know the bird? It is a friend of Duaric?"
"Mm-hmm," Chrys nods, squinting at the memory of it. "'Twas the first time we were here. Things were light on the greetin' side, since Dauric was carin' for them injured Sehanine in his hut. But when we set out fer Ravensglade keep, I think he sent it after us to make sure we were travelin' down the right path." She squints. "That, or he was like my lil' friend Krackle. Maybe he turned himself into that birdie. I really don't know much 'bout the ways of them druid folk, though," she admits. "But I do know 'nough to tell who's a friend, so if ye be seein' that blue swallow nearby these parts, you know you got one near."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kessdarra smiles as she hears the banter between her companions; though she was often very mum, as was her habit, it was clear the the uplifting tales were helping in some ways to improve her mood. Whatever it was that had troubled her since Ravensglade was being pushed further and further into the back of her mind... for now, anyway.
Though, she had to admit, seeing Chrys valiantly try not to look like a startled reindeer calf sliding across ice floes as she tried to ride a goat was very amusing, as was Nym's reaction to her sudden tongue bath. Kess did her best not to giggle too loudly at her drow companion's misfortune. Though the image was highly amusing.
And then came Alae and the rabbits. Though Kess did her best to push down any thoughts of a meal of rabbit meat; not only would it have been inappropriate in the moment, she didn't want to scare the rabbits away. After all, they were just surviving.
Though Kess also also loved the story about Ala moden, not that's not it... Alamomola? No, that wasn't it... and why was she thinking of a weird, pink fish? How was it spelled, again?
Al... mirage? Owl Mirag? Owl Marriage?
Regardless, it made her smile as she listened to the story. Kess had seen plenty of snowshoe hares in her times, observing them respectfully from a distance with their cute eyes and their white fur and their soft, big paws...
Why were rabbits so cute?
As they came across the bird, however, Kess looks around. It was a thought - a fleeting thought - but one that didn't seem terribly illogical. Given that they found a bloody bandage, other things could have found a bloody bandage... and thus, Dauric. Maybe it was paranoid, but Kess casually looked around as her companions marveled at the sight of the blue bird.
Kess looks around to see any signs of Dauric... or anything else that isn't Dauric...
Nym was enamored with Alae's tale of the Almiraj and tried to picture it based on the rabbits and the Firbolg's description. Certainly fantastical indeed. "Have you ever seen an all-mirage before Alae?"
Glancing up at the singing swallow, it's blue plumage flashing in the foliage above, Nym smiles and shakes her head. "I don't know for sure. We saw it when we last left here. So I never got a chance to ask him. And well...I'm probably not the best to ask about recognizing things. Everything is still very new to me so unless their sizes, shapes or colors are very different, many creatures that are unfamiliar to me look too similar still."Nodding at Chrys she admitted, "There have been many times I was simply admiring a new animal and then suddenly it turned into Duaric." The drow laughs, her eyes crinkling as she felt a warmth in her chest at being able to return to her friend and be so close to others even dearer to her heart.
And speaking of which. Nym glances at the only other person who wasn't staring up at the songbird and slows her pace to match the other elf's. "Ph'dos tenu Kess?"She asks in Undercommon quietly with gentle concern, not trying to draw the attention of the others unnecessarily. "Dos kluth kyone."
"Are you alright Kess?" She asks in Undercommon quietly with gentle concern, not trying to draw the attention of the others. "You seem on edge."
Having hit the main trail, you turn west and walk along the much more well traveled path for two hours, before reaching the familiar intersection at the stone bridge. From here, you step off the trail, drop down into the shallow gully and make your way down the dry creek bed until finally, you reach the edge pf the small, lush clearing and see Dauric's small stone cabin against the base of a large oak tree with the moss covered roof.
You don't spot any sign of the druid at first, but as you approach, you suddenly see him step out from behind the oak tree. The Dragonborn greets you all with a hearty smile as he spreads his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.
"Well hello, Nym, and greetings, friends! I've been been hoping that you would stop by and see me on your return! How was your journey back from Ravensglade?"
Nym immediately perks up, her whole face lighting up as the black dragonborn steps out from behind a tree as if hiding inside the bark all along. "Duaric! Goddess it's good to see you again."She bounds towards him but stops a few feet away, hovering awkwardly as if she just didn't know what to do with herself and instead simply stood smiling sheepishly. "The journey was much quicker this time. Alae found us- Oh you haven't met!"The drow suddenly realized, stepping back and gesturing to the enchanting Firbolg.
"This is a new companion we made just as we reached Ravensglade Keep. She greatly aided us defeat Duskbringer and save the darthiir of the Keep and managed to find a short cut through the trees."Temporarily forgetting the Common word for 'forest' in her excitement, Nym prattled on, "And the group used to be called the Pie Pals but now they're, I mean we're calling ourselves the Dawnbringers. Because we defeated 'Dusk'bringer, you see! Oh and just the other night there was a troll and a wisp and I think it might have been the ghost or spirit of some old noble that was controlling the dragon?"
Finally she looked to the others as if to confirm her memory and realized that she was completely rambling. Clamming up, the cleric rocked on her feet and glanced down at her feet in mild embarrassment. It very much felt like a child overly excited to tell a parent about the new friends that they had made.
Kess takes a moment to examine the cloth, and wonders if it was torn as if by a claw... or shorn, as if by a blade. She also examines the the shape of the fragment... is it, by chance, a bandage?
(Not quite sure what to roll for this one, DM)
Chrys doesn't sense anything out of the ordinary with her Paladin ability, only the tranquil peace and beauty of the forest.
As you inspect the blood soaked cloth, it appears that the stains are not fresh. The blood is definitely dry. By its cut and shape, it does appear to be a bandage of some sort. However, when you pick it up, it strikes you that there's something familiar about the cloth. The fabric is a light, soft velvet in its weave of fine quality, although more rustic than what a noble would wear, and the color is a bright, forest green. You've seen that color before... perhaps recently...
...That's when it hits you. This is the exact color and style of fabric of Aelar's tunic. Now that you recognize it, you're almost certain that this was indeed a bandage that was cut from his very own clothes at some point in the recent past.
The memory comes flooding back to you... In your minds, you suddenly recall the heart-wrenching scene of the unconscious Lia lying on the floor of Dauric's home, barely clinging to life, with a bloody stump where her left arm used to be, and the visibly exhausted Aelar holding a cloth tightly to the stump to try and stop the bleeding, while another bandage covered his own missing left eye, also lost in the same ghastly battle that Duskbringer had wrought upon these poor elven folk.
Nym surveys the blood stained cloth with a thoughtful hum, looking around at their surroundings before her eyes fell back to it. Meeting Chrys and Kess' eyes, she could see that recognition blossomed in them the same time as it did her. "Aelar... Well at least this means we're on there right track. ...Right? Or... Does this mean we accidentally doubled back?" The drow scratched the back of her braided head, now looking around in confusion. "Directions are a lot harder on the surface." Her expression was sheepish.
Survival: 4
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
(( Oh no... the dreaded nat 1! LOL ))
"This bandage belonged to Aelar?" Alae responds to Nym's comment. "Perhaps it was simply changed for a new bandage and discarded as they made their way to your friend?"
She tries to focus, and to let the forest speak to her. Tracks on the ground, the shape of the foliage nearby. Had they doubled back? She didn't think they had, but Nym seemed concerned, and it was best to be sure. Then letting her senses spread out further, trying to touch the essence of these woods - was there anything magical affecting this place?
Survival: 14
Detect Magic (Firbolg Magic)
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Lumen listens, and then looks at the bandage. "Seems fair to guess that this is just something she left on the way, it would be hard to believe this is a sign of something bad," Lumen says. He's ready to move along once the others have done their investigating.
The half-orc marvels at the path that led him here, being kicked out of his clan for seeking music and art, seeking his fortune in Yartar, competing in a tournament, finding Chyrs and Kess and then Nym and Alae. Dryad, orcs, hags, assassins, trolls, dragon scales, will o wisps, dragons... who knew what might come next. Song fragments danced around in his head, and his fingers found the well-worn frets of his lute, playing with melodies in silence. It was hard to remember details of all they still had to do, but the group was starting to check off items on their to do list. Who was the wizard who sent them off to find his dryad friend? He really ought to have written more of this down.
((Chrys has keep excellent notes throughout the campaign, and she can remind you that the wizard in Yartar who sent you to rescue his friend and former love, Phelanie the dryad, is named Ander Bran Dundragon.))
Although Nym is experiencing some temporary directional confusion, possibly due to the bright sunlight, Alae reassures her that you are on the right track and sees no signs that Aelar may have doubled back on the trial. Nor does she sense any kind of magical auras in this particular area. Your consensus is that they simply discarded, or more likely, dropped the bandage at some point during their flight, perhaps after changing it for a fresh one as Lia's condition worsened.
Continuing on, you spend the next few hours traveling along a pronounced game trail that dips in and out of a series of small gullies, until evening descends upon the forest once again. At times, the trail seems very hard to follow, but Aelar's map gives you the confidence to stay on what you feel is the right course. At day's end, you find a suitable camp spot next to a large boulder that has numerous timeworn carvings upon its smooth face. They seem like runes of some sort, but they're illegible and not recognizable as any kind writing or language that any of you understand.
Nothing bothers you during the night, but you do see numerous rabbits that dart to and fro around the edges of your campsite, and a few of which run boldly right through the middle, of it. They awaken you a few times during the night, although none of them make any efforts to investigate or dig into your belongings.
Under the increasingly cool morning air on the fourth day of travel from Ravensglade, you pack up and begin what you hope is your last day of walking before reaching Dauric's tree. Navigation is fairly straightforward, and before noon, you pop out into a large open clearing onto a well-traveled trail, where two streams come together and form a small lake at the edge of a field. Walking out into the open, you can feel the warmth of the late summer sun on your faces, and you recognize that this is the landmark where you left the main the trail and began traveling in a more southeast heading. You have now completed the circle, although Aelar's secret trail got you here considerably faster than your outbound journey to the keep had taken.
As if to welcome you back, you notice a bright blue swallow that flies down and begins serenading you for awhile with his characteristic, whistling, chirping warble, before eventually flying away. You recognize him from before.
From this location, you recall that it is about two more hours to the stone bridge which marks the intersection of the trail that leads to Dauric's home.
"Seems like we're gettin' close," Chrys says, balancing carefully on her goat. It's rougher going that she remembered; while sure-footed across uneven terrain, riding anything without a saddle is making muscles in her legs that she never realized she had before ache terribly, despite the unusually intellligent goat's best attempts to make the journey comfortable for her. She briefly considers asking Nym if her friend Dauric might be able to fashion a saddle for Lupin, and then quickly discards the idea -- the thought of asking a druid to construct a trapping of civilization to constrain an animal seems like a spectacularly bad idea. Even if Lupin isn't quite an ordinary goat.
Resigning herself to an undignified waddle for the next few days, she spurs her mount onwards, looking up when the swallow approaches. "Oi! Looks like we're almost there! How're the rest o' you holdin' up?" She tries her best not to look too hopeful that the others might want to spend a good amount of time resting at Dauric's tree; it's a little bit embarrassing for a soldier like herself to admit to being weary. Well I ain't never trusted nothin' but my own two legs before, she thinks stubbornly, putting on a game face.
Deception, Chrys is totally used to riding a goat, she does this all the time, you guys: 8
Nym can't help but let her finger tips trace over the unfamiliar runic carvings of the stone that they camped by, wondering if the carvers were still alive or just as worn as their work. The rabbits running past were entertaining, if mildly annoying as the night wore on. They interrupted her prayers and trance a few times, starting Nym with a laugh as they would bound right past or over them. There is one instance though after her watch and when she had settled to trance that she was trancing deeply in unpleasant memories when a rabbit had used her form as a jump pad and roused her so suddenly that she reacted violently, pulling her longsword out and breathing hard, amethyst eyes darting about for the perceived threat until she realized her mistake and with a shaking hand, sheathed her weapon, apologizing to the one on watch.
In the morning, the drow seems stiff and quiet, her eyes peering up at the fist sized red stone constantly circling her head multiple times. " 'Maybe'..." She would murmur under her breath with a scoff before pursing her lips and shaking her head. Something else to speak to Duaric about perhaps before bringing up again.
It had been entertaining to trek with Chrysoberyl's new mount. There were multiple times that Nym had to restrain her hand from reaching out and petting the furry creature. Though the dwarven woman didn't look particularly riding on it, perhaps due to her armor?
Her previous pensiveness was broken by a bright smile as she recognized the bright blue swallow singing to them.
Perking up at Chrys' questions, she replied with a hesitant smile, "I have a few things I need Duaric's counsel on if we're not in a rush. Also I can't help but notice that your Lupin looks remarkably like a Deep Rothé Chrys. Can he see as well in the dark as they can? I have to say I don't think I've seen many people ever try riding a deep rothé though..."
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
"Ah, nay, I don't think Lupin here can see much o' anything in the dark. He's not a real goat... or, uh, deep rothé. Look," she says, scrubbing Lupin between the ears. "I want ya ta show Nym here what you can do. She's a friend, so go on."
Lupin's ears twitch, and then he steps forward and peers into Nym's eyes, as if waiting. Chrys clucks her tongue. "Starin' ain't gettin' ya anywhere, goathead. How 'bout this... go on an' give her a lick on her left ear if ya want scritches behind yer left ear. Give her a lick on her right ear if ya want scritches behind yer right ear. An' if ya don't want no scritches, snap your teeth at the sky, hear?"
Lupin thinks about this for a minute, then carefully leans forward and gives Nym a slurpy kiss on both her right and left ears.
"I guess he don't have a preferred side!" Chrys laughs. "Go on, though. Ask him a question in common. He's like a lil' kid, he can understand ya. Yeah, like a kid..." She snorts at her own pun.
Nym blinks as she stares deeply into the eyes of the furry mount, not able to look away from it's strange pupils as Chrys spoke of licking and scritches.
At least until she received two big slobbery licks on both her ears. "Augh!" The dark elf couldn't help but exclaim before laughing and then face screwing up in mild disgust and amusement again, rubbing her long pointed ears with her hands and rubbing cloth from her robes in the folds to try and rid herself of the slimey feeling. "H-How about hands instead of ears, hm Lupin?" Obligingly using both hands to scratch both of Lupin's ears.
Head tilting in consideration of what to ask, Nym then thinks of, "How many people are in this group? Can you stomp a hoof once for every person? Oh, does he know how to nod or shake his head for yes or no? Some children are less advanced than others, I didn't mean to assume..." Now looking mildly worried she might have overestimated or insulted Chrys' kid's intelligence.
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Lumen keeps turning to stare at this conversation, thinking they are talking about Lumen, not Lupin, and just barely avoiding getting very confused, grinning at confusing himself with a goat. "We aren't in such a hurry that we can't stop to saay hi to Dauric, no!"
Lupin listens to Nym, and then stomps all four of his feet, one after the other.
Chrys laughs and gives the goat an affectionate pet. "Yeah... I'm not a-sure he can count higher than four, t'be honest. He can understand what you're sayin' and recognize us at the least, though I wouldn't put him in charge o' our purse strings. Now," she says, poorly hiding a wince, "Let's get goin', looks like we're expected!"
Her senses touching the woods around them, Alae knows that she would be able to tell if there were any magical presence nearby. But there is nothing. She breathes a sigh of relief. Time to move on.
Alae walks close by Chrys as they continue on the path. The Dwarf seems a little unsure, balanced on the top of her newly summoned goat, and occasionally Alae's hand twitches towards her as it looks like Chrys is about to slip from her perch. But she never does. It adds a small amount of stress to the journey, feeling constantly aware of Chrys's precarious ride, but it doesn't remove the impact of the beautiful environment they move through.
By night they camp by a large boulder, etched in strange runes. At first Alae thought they might have been Giant runes, but she is proficient in that language and the runes make no more sense to her than to any in the group. Something else to ask Duaric about, when they arrived. He must know the area around his dwelling very well.
The rabbits were a welcome addition to the campsite. "Aah, little friends!" Alae cooed in her dark honey voice. "You have a beautiful home, I hope you don't mind if we rest here tonight." Sitting down she continued talking to the rabbits. "You are much darker than the rabbits I am used to in the north. There they are more often than not the purest white, as the snow may settle there year round." A group of rabbits had stopped their hopping by this point, and were looking at her. They seemed to be listening intently. "Do you have any Almiraj here to protect you? I do not see any, perhaps you have no need of a defender here, your lives seem untroubled in this place. I will tell you about the Almiraj. It is said that if times of trouble are bound for a warren, the gods will send an Almiraj to be born into it, so that in time it may defend its family. They would seem like giants to you, 3 or 4 feet long, and a spiralling horn coming from their head. We tell a story about a group of cruel poachers who ran up against an Almiraj, ho ho ho! Let me tell you..." At one point Alae has about a dozen rabbits sitting around her, listening to her story about their equivalent of great heroes and demigods, and when Alae went to sleep that night she was kept warm by a very soft blanket indeed.
Listening to the swallow serenade them in that meadow, standing by the small lake, Alae thought perhaps it was the happiest she had been. "A beautiful greeting," she says as the bird flies away. When Chrys mentions that they are expected, Alae raises her eyebrows. "You know the bird? It is a friend of Duaric?"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
"Mm-hmm," Chrys nods, squinting at the memory of it. "'Twas the first time we were here. Things were light on the greetin' side, since Dauric was carin' for them injured Sehanine in his hut. But when we set out fer Ravensglade keep, I think he sent it after us to make sure we were travelin' down the right path." She squints. "That, or he was like my lil' friend Krackle. Maybe he turned himself into that birdie. I really don't know much 'bout the ways of them druid folk, though," she admits. "But I do know 'nough to tell who's a friend, so if ye be seein' that blue swallow nearby these parts, you know you got one near."
((for the DM))
Kess does her best not to show surprise at the mention of "deep Rothe".
Deception: 15.
Kessdarra smiles as she hears the banter between her companions; though she was often very mum, as was her habit, it was clear the the uplifting tales were helping in some ways to improve her mood. Whatever it was that had troubled her since Ravensglade was being pushed further and further into the back of her mind... for now, anyway.
Though, she had to admit, seeing Chrys valiantly try not to look like a startled reindeer calf sliding across ice floes as she tried to ride a goat was very amusing, as was Nym's reaction to her sudden tongue bath. Kess did her best not to giggle too loudly at her drow companion's misfortune. Though the image was highly amusing.
And then came Alae and the rabbits. Though Kess did her best to push down any thoughts of a meal of rabbit meat; not only would it have been inappropriate in the moment, she didn't want to scare the rabbits away. After all, they were just surviving.
Though Kess also also loved the story about Ala moden, not that's not it... Alamomola? No, that wasn't it... and why was she thinking of a weird, pink fish? How was it spelled, again?
Al... mirage? Owl Mirag? Owl Marriage?
Regardless, it made her smile as she listened to the story. Kess had seen plenty of snowshoe hares in her times, observing them respectfully from a distance with their cute eyes and their white fur and their soft, big paws...
Why were rabbits so cute?
As they came across the bird, however, Kess looks around. It was a thought - a fleeting thought - but one that didn't seem terribly illogical. Given that they found a bloody bandage, other things could have found a bloody bandage... and thus, Dauric. Maybe it was paranoid, but Kess casually looked around as her companions marveled at the sight of the blue bird.
Kess looks around to see any signs of Dauric... or anything else that isn't Dauric...
Perception: 24
Nym was enamored with Alae's tale of the Almiraj and tried to picture it based on the rabbits and the Firbolg's description. Certainly fantastical indeed. "Have you ever seen an all-mirage before Alae?"
Glancing up at the singing swallow, it's blue plumage flashing in the foliage above, Nym smiles and shakes her head. "I don't know for sure. We saw it when we last left here. So I never got a chance to ask him. And well...I'm probably not the best to ask about recognizing things. Everything is still very new to me so unless their sizes, shapes or colors are very different, many creatures that are unfamiliar to me look too similar still." Nodding at Chrys she admitted, "There have been many times I was simply admiring a new animal and then suddenly it turned into Duaric." The drow laughs, her eyes crinkling as she felt a warmth in her chest at being able to return to her friend and be so close to others even dearer to her heart.
And speaking of which. Nym glances at the only other person who wasn't staring up at the songbird and slows her pace to match the other elf's. "Ph'dos tenu Kess?" She asks in Undercommon quietly with gentle concern, not trying to draw the attention of the others unnecessarily. "Dos kluth kyone."
"Are you alright Kess?" She asks in Undercommon quietly with gentle concern, not trying to draw the attention of the others. "You seem on edge."
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Having hit the main trail, you turn west and walk along the much more well traveled path for two hours, before reaching the familiar intersection at the stone bridge. From here, you step off the trail, drop down into the shallow gully and make your way down the dry creek bed until finally, you reach the edge pf the small, lush clearing and see Dauric's small stone cabin against the base of a large oak tree with the moss covered roof.
You don't spot any sign of the druid at first, but as you approach, you suddenly see him step out from behind the oak tree. The Dragonborn greets you all with a hearty smile as he spreads his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.
"Well hello, Nym, and greetings, friends! I've been been hoping that you would stop by and see me on your return! How was your journey back from Ravensglade?"
Nym immediately perks up, her whole face lighting up as the black dragonborn steps out from behind a tree as if hiding inside the bark all along. "Duaric! Goddess it's good to see you again." She bounds towards him but stops a few feet away, hovering awkwardly as if she just didn't know what to do with herself and instead simply stood smiling sheepishly. "The journey was much quicker this time. Alae found us- Oh you haven't met!" The drow suddenly realized, stepping back and gesturing to the enchanting Firbolg.
"This is a new companion we made just as we reached Ravensglade Keep. She greatly aided us defeat Duskbringer and save the darthiir of the Keep and managed to find a short cut through the trees." Temporarily forgetting the Common word for 'forest' in her excitement, Nym prattled on, "And the group used to be called the Pie Pals but now they're, I mean we're calling ourselves the Dawnbringers. Because we defeated 'Dusk'bringer, you see! Oh and just the other night there was a troll and a wisp and I think it might have been the ghost or spirit of some old noble that was controlling the dragon?"
Finally she looked to the others as if to confirm her memory and realized that she was completely rambling. Clamming up, the cleric rocked on her feet and glanced down at her feet in mild embarrassment. It very much felt like a child overly excited to tell a parent about the new friends that they had made.
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation