It's Written in the STARS pt5
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 21.
It is now Burai's turn! Edinaz is next!
GAME: Burai casts Fireball. Caster Level: 5 DC: -87
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+6: (12)+6: 18
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+6: (19)+6: 25
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+6: (16)+6: 22
GAME: Burai rolls 5d6: (16): 16
Burai eyes the Dire Wolves. If they were, say, wargs, he might feel an ounce of sentiment. But these? He chants in the secret language of the Druids. His eyes begin to glow. A pinpoint of light flies into the midst of the wolves and then explodes in roaring flame.
The wolves sacter as the fireball comes towards them. It's impressive, enough to frighten animals, to be sure.
They've spread out and have retreated back into the woods a bit.
Fire explosions are definitely not the kind of thing animals like.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 21.
It is now Edinaz's turn! Dire Wolves is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 20.
It is now Dire Wolves' turn! Lysos is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 20.
It is now Lysos' turn! Elena is next!
GAME: Lysos rolls handle animal: Trained Use Only: 0
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 7.
It is now Elena Hudson's turn! Sabina is next!
Wolves. Of course it's wolves. Lysos's first urge is to force her way back into the cabin, smell or no smell.. but maybe realizing that the horses would be easy meat for the wolves, she reconsiders. And then suddenly the night is briefly alight as flames roar to life in the forest. "Stars on our heads!" she exclaims, making sure she grabs reins to stop any horses from trying to pull free.
GAME: Elena Hudson casts Light. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
Elena steps forward, picking up a small rock from a ground. With a quick prayer, it begins to glow radiantly. She hurls the stone out into the darkness, eyes scanning as she asks Lysos, "Do you see them?"
GAME: Elena Hudson rolls Ranged: (16)+3: 19
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 6.
It is now Sabina's turn! Burai is next!
The stone provides a little more lighting.
There are four wolves, catually, not three. One of them was hanging back.
... and there may be more than that. Hard to say, huh?
GAME: Sabina rolls intimidate+3: (12)+5+3: 20
Bina blanches as the world outside erupts into flames and then light. But at least she can see what's going on now. Swallowing her fear she opens the door with peacock apon her shoulder and starts beating the doorway with her quarterstaff. The peacock's tail feathers rise and spread and it gives out it's strange shrill calls while Sabina herself yells in her best inpersonation of a mountianlion. High pitch rolling down into a growl.
While the wolves (hopefully) do not understand common, they certainly look hesitant to continue their approach.
They'd very much like to not be set on fire, and some ssparks and embers from the fireball linger out there amongst the trees.
...good thing Lysos is here so it should start raining again on her at some point.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 21.
It is now Burai's turn! Edinaz is next!
GAME: Burai rolls 5: (16)+5: 21
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 21.
It is now Edinaz's turn! Dire Wolves is next!
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 20.
It is now Dire Wolves' turn! Lysos is next!
The wolves retreat further back into the darkness. Evidentally, peacock's and mountain lions and fire and light are scary.
They are, after all, animals, even intelligent ones, but it's clear that they're aware that this won't be easy prey and may go looking for something easier.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 20.
It is now Lysos' turn! Elena Hudson is next!
Burai glares at the wolves a bit. Then the snorting of a horse draws his attemtion. He moves over to join Lysos near ithe horses. He's connected before with the one he rides, so he leaves it for last, instead turning his attention to the others.
GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 7.
It is now Elena Hudson's turn! Sabina is next!
Lysos remains by the horses, ensuring there is room for Burai as well as he joins her. "I don't see them at all," she admits sourly to Elena, even as she squints to try and see past the light and the fire into the shadows of the woods. "I think they got scared away."
GAME: Whirlpool removes the timestop.
Timestop by Whirlpool has left.
Sabina steps out of the doorway and walks a wide circle around the horses, yelling and screaming as she goes. The staff is beat on ground, rock or tree durring the transit and the peacock continues to call out as well. When she can no longer see the wolves she relaxes and tries to soothe her bird.
Lysos is, of course, stinky. And covered in mud. Not that she blames the horses. Not in the slightest. She certainly isn't giving them the evil eye now that danger has more or less passed by, for now. Definitely not the evil eye.
Edinaz sheathes his swords, and goes to help hold onto the horses. "So, now they know we're not easy meat."
You can occasionally hear the sort of sound that indicates the wolves are still out there.
But they're pulling back out of the light, now. Perhaps they'll wait to try again. Either way, their presence is now a problem.
Lysos doesn't quite groan as she goes about smearing as much of the mud as she can off of her face. "We're not going to get any more sleep, are we," she says. On the bright side, maybe the mud is masking some of the skunk scent.
Bina sighs and starts cleaning Lysos with prestidigitation. "We can try. But I'd have at least one other person on watch with me if possible. I feel like I almost missed seeing them until it was too late."
Edinaz grunts. "Shall we at least settle down?" A nod. "You need me to do it?" Looking a little bleary.
THe poor horses, on the other hand, aren't thrilled with Lysos being so near. That much is obvious. 5r
They have more sensitive noses, okay?
Bina shrugs. "Only if you feel you can. I was lucky to see them." She says and then winces as she realizes how unlucky Lysos has been the who day. "Let me get some torches. Light them up. Stick them around. That should keep the wolves at bay for now, right? A reminder."
Burai moves towards the trees. He summons water to douse a few spots that are still smoldering. "We can't make the horses travel in the dark...so I suppose we should get what sleep we can."
GAME: Lysos casts Prestidigitation. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
GAME: Lysos casts Prestidigitation. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
The thought of riding horses in the dark with wolves the size of horses stalking them all the time gives Lysos reason to shudder after Sabina deals with lighting some torches... casting some of her own incantations repeated a few times, continuing the work Sabina started in ridding herself of at least the worst of the muck.. and hopefully some of the smell. "Can.. can I sleep inside again?"
No doubt the lighting will help dissaude the wolves, to say nothing of the watch, mountain lion sounds, and also Lysos' smell.
After a good change to the watch order, you get all the rest you can before saddling up to leave in the morning.
It seems to come all to early for some of you, given the interruptions to your rest, but you're soon able to get under way once more, without the threat from the dire wolves, or dire badgers, looming over you.
What's next? A dire bear? A boar?
A dire wereboar gnome?
You pass from country roads and light forest into the more treacherous foot hills that lead to the slopes of the mountain in question. These are dotted with abandoned pastures and farms, abandoned due to the looming threat of demons. You sight the occasional loose goat.
GAME: Lysos rolls perception: (20)+4: 24
GAME: Burai rolls perception: (1)+11: 12 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Sabina rolls perception: (13)+5: 18
Burai watches the surroundings as he rides. At the start of the journey he was keenly interested in traveling to new areas. Now he seems a bit glazed. His eyes don't quite focus and his lids droop. He seems dangerously close to nodding off. Perhaps he needs a full night of uninterrupted sleep more than most.
GAME: Edinaz rolls perception: (20)+10: 30
Edinaz is trying to stay on without horribly chafing his thighs. He looks down, double takes, and then starts following something. Finally, "Hey! There are horse tracks."
Lysos is in.. a surprisingly better mood. Yes, her night had been pretty terrible. Yes, the last few days have been trying. Yes, she is far, far from comfortable now. But! Her horse, after all of this, hasn't abandoned her. So that's a plus. And a few short, but apparently helpful conversations with Sabina leave her in a bit better of a mood. In fact, her chin is more or less held up as the group continues the search, and she even jokes a little bit with Edinaz along the way. That is, at least, until they come to a stop as the tracks are noticed, and then her eyes are wide and looking about.
The masked priestess looks at the tracks and smiles. "I think.. that it's only one horse. And not that old of a track. I mean I don't see anything else here trackwise either. Anyone here good at following tracks? I don't want to miss something like her leaving the road."
At least the constant rain has helped create the mud these tracks are visible in.
Perhaps Lysos is good for something after all!
In any event, it's an easier to follow trail.
Burai stirs in his saddle. He turns and looks at Sabina, then at Edinaz. Then he follows their gazes to the tracks. "Tracks?" he repeats. He blinks and then rolls his neck. "Finally." He studies them and then turns his head slowly in the direction he thinks the tracks may be leading. He nudges his horse in that direction.
Edinaz hops down from the horse, "If someone takes my horse, I am." He gets ready to start tracking in earnest.
GAME: Edinaz rolls survival: (10)+12: 22
"Nope," Lysos says in answer to the tracker query. So instead she makes herself useful and gathers up the reins of Edinaz's horse while the others do their woodsy thing. She does try to keep an eye out for those wolves, though. "Do you think she's close?" She tries to keep the desperate hope of that question being answered an affirmative from her voice. "I mean.. Burai.. he looks ready to fall over. I'm only thinking of him, see."
There is a sound. A rumble.
...you remember the lone goats you saw.
But then you encounter something horrific. More horrific.
Goats.
A whole *herd* of goats, rushing down the muddy roads.
A loose goat herd *coming right for you*.
This is not your day.