It's Written in the STARS pt3

So when last we left our brave heroes, they had just saved an Ogre's life from a horde of underdwelling Kobolds.

The ogre is looking relieved that that they've fled, and he's just finished helping by YANKING the roped lysos out of the pit and flinging her into bushes.

...wait, those aren't JUST bushes! They're poison ivy.

Sabina yells at the ogre un at the top of the pit. "Hey! I said GENTLE!" She huffs and stamps a foot in aggrivation. She reaches up a hand towards the oversized creature above. "Pull me out, please. SLOWLY so you don't rip my arm off. Lysos! Are you alright?!" She calls out.

Elena climbs up the rope, looking to see where the various horses they were riding have gotten themselves to. She's dirty, and her normally carefully managed hair and attire is something of a disaster at the moment, but she otherwise looks unharmed.

Burai climbs up soon after. He eyes the ogre with a look of disdain. Then he turns to see where Lysos ended up. When he sees the plants he can't help but sigh.

Lysos is in a bush. Well, it's not really a bush. It's more of a shrub, with several creeping tendrils growing away from it. And that bush is poison ivy. This is a fact Lysos is not aware of initially. She's probably heard of it (who hasn't?), but by her lack of hurry in extricating herself, fussing over her bruises from the rough landing, is a good indicator that she is not yet aware of her peril. At least.. until she starts scratching. A peculiar expression forms on her face, and she reaches behind her to pull a short vine of the stuff out from behind her cloak and possibly from under the back of her shirt. And then she starts... twitching.

Edinaz watches Lysos' arc, turning with his mouth in an 'o' -- and then he winces at the landing. He hops up, "Stop scratching!"

GAME: Burai rolls heal: (7)+3: 10

GAME: Elena rolls Heal: (12)+10: 22

GAME: Edinaz rolls heal: (20)+2: 22

Sabina is pulls up and set on her feet like a piece of spun glass. Her peacock flutter-flaps dust and dirt from it's feathers and a small cloud forms briefly. Enough to make Sabina sneeze. It takes her a moment to find the others and see what's going on. A palm is raised to the masked portion of her face and a slow count of ten before she turns to the ogre with a ..forced.. smile. "Ok my fine gentleman. We have helped you get free of the pesky kobolds under ground. Now.. Could you please tell us about the girl you said you saw earlier?"

Edinaz heads over to Lysos. "Salve. You need salve." He is firm, very firm, and concerned. "I even have some. Rub this on itchy places." One big, grey hand offers a pot of white, greasy liquid.

The ogre queitly gets back on his boulder.

'They will be back. I go with you. We run away from this place! They scary. Not as scary as other bolds but scary!"

He nods.

"Where you go?" he asks, hopefully. Yes, there are safety in numbers when there are kobolds around. Yes, the ogre has just decided he's your new travelling companion. At least you can move on, now. FOR NOW.

"What? Why? It itches.." Lysos says, squirming to try and get at an awkward spot between her shoulder blades with one hand while scratching her cheek with another. She looks at the... unfortunate looking contents of Edinaz's pot doubtfully, then looks at him. And scratches again. "I'm not rubbing that on myself. It looks like spoiled butter."

Burai purses his lips and frowns at the ogre. Burai recalls him being utterly useless in the struggle against kobolds. He doesn't imagine it will be any different going forward. Then he turns towards Edinaz. He looks at the salve and then at Lysos. "I think it for the best," he agrees.

Elena looks like she's starting to grab something quite the same, save that hers is strangely pink, when Edinaz offers the medicine first. Raising an eyebrow, she puts the small jar away, turning to look at the ogre. Her jaw drops open a bit, an incredulous look on her face as the others talk. But she closes it, letting the others figure out what to do from here.

Bina stifles a sigh and looks over to the others before returning her attention to the ogre. "Alright. You can come with us. Now. Please tell me about the girl you saw earlier today. You said you saw her traveling the road, right? We're looking for her before she can get herself into trouble. If you know anything I'd greatly enjoy hearing it."

Edinaz repeats, firmly. "It will help, Lysos. It even has a pleasant floral smell." He glances towards the ogre, and tries not to smile too much.

Lysos's scratching is getting worse.. definite rashes starting to form on her exposed skin. Maybe it's a combination of her realizing just how dire this is starting to get and Edinaz's assurances that has her leaning forward to at least sniff at the nasty looking stuff. Her eyes widen, then she snatches the pot and starts slathering it on.

"R-right! Girl!"

The ogre nods. "I am Dondoko, proud warrior!" A proud warrior who hides from Kobolds, apparently. "Yes! Saw girl, on road. Thought about talking to her! She looked nice. But strong warriors do not speak to lone travellers, especially not when strong warriors are ogres! We only speeak to people when we need beer." He nods.

...then he sighs.

"Okay, I give up. Look, I'm a terrible warrior and playing this stereotype is *exhausting*, but people seem to expect it. Anyway, those kobolds are dangerous as hell. Not Genrivia dangerous, but *dangerous*. Let's get out of here, okay? YOur girl went that way. I'll go as far as the road with you and down it a ways, far enough that they're not lilely to follow us in the open, and then we'll go our separate ways. I mean it, though. Be dcareful. The little blighters are likely to be out for revenge, especially if they think you'll be a good sacrifice to their dragon gods or whatever."

And then you're on your way to the road again

Bina does a very slow blink as the ogre's manor changes drasticly. But her smile widens noticeably. She reaches out and gives the ogre a pat on the arm. "Truth is good for the soul, Dondoko. And it's a prety good act until you're needed as a warrior. My sugjestion is head to Alexandria and look for work as a laborer or smith? Something where your strength and size will do you credit. Thank you for telling us about her and yes we'll travel with you that way." She checks to see how the others and Lysos is doing before moving along with the large guy.

Elena's jaw drops again as the ogre gives up the act, eyes widening. "By the Seer's Holy Name. I'm gonna need a drink." She swings up on her mount once more, looking to the ogre and smiling, finally. "It's nice to have you along, Don," she offers. "Are there any other surprises we should know about along the path?"

"Just watch out for the itchvine," says Donkoko, very much not looking at Lysos.

And then you're on your way.

Lysos does not seem to be as happy about the apparent change to the ogre's manner. "You mean... you were smart this whole time... when you threw me into that.. that.. itchvine?" Lysos didn't give the salve back yet. She's still finding places that itch, places a little harder to get to, and she is not pleased.

Burai peers down the road in the direction the Donkoko indicates. Then he turns back towards the ogre and Lysos. Finally he begins moving along the road. "Do you know anything about a dragon in these parts?" he asks after a bit.

Edinaz casually starts walking between Lysos and Donkoko, arms folded across his chest. "Let's not drink with our friend." Booze and ogres. He's /just/ got the smell out of his armour.

Bina remembers her horse and gets back on, keeping pace with the ogre Don. She shakes her head and tries to stay focused on the end goal. "Yes, Dondoko. Tell us what you can of the area around us? Thta would be of great help. Like knowing the Kobolds were about."

Lysos just lookes balefully at Dondoko.. and suspiciously at Edinaz. His positioning seems a little too well thought out. But then she, too, retrieves her horse when Sabina does as well as her rope. "Oh, no, I won't be drinking with that ogre," she assures. "I remember your story, Edin."

So you ride, and the ogre walks, back to the road and you're on your way.

He walks with you a while longer, adding, "There are more 'bolds the way you're going, I'm sorry to say. Worshipping their 'dragon gods' and so on. Hopefully, the girl you're chasing hasn't fallen into their hqands. The stones only know what they'd do to her. Probably chop her up and serve her to them, whatever they are. Be safe, and if you can't, at least kill as many of them as you can for me, you know? Little bastards." While the Kobolds seemed more inclined to capture you than to harm you, the ogre seems to have very negative feelings towards them. Given that they were tormenting him, this is probably earned, even if they didn't actually hurt him.

He turns towards Sabina and shrugs his shoulders. "I've been living out this way since I deserted the war, back in the day. Didn't see much point in fighting for Bludgun to rule over a bunch of humans who were gonna hate me tomorrow even more than they hated me today at the time. ALso, the food was shit. So, watch out for kobolds. And the killer plants and, oh, and keep your distance from the big hollow tree about two miles down the way. There's a nest of dire badgers there. You should be able to keep a wide berth from it and they won't bother you."

Edinaz gets up on his horses carefully and not at all confidently. He nods. "Good, because that was not pleasant at all." He keeps focusing on riding and being solid in the saddle. "That doesn't sound good. Thank you for telling us."

Burai tries to think of a way to avoid mounting his own horse. After a few moments, be shrugs and climbs into the saddle. Then he rides after Edinaz. "Dragon gods, dragon gods," be tries to remember if he's heard the name before. "I wonder what they could be..."

GAME: Elena rolls Knowledge/Religion: (17)+8: 25

Elena can't help but smile a bit as Don tells them of the trail. "I've known men to do less useful things for less noble reasons," she tells him. "At least yours is well thought out. I respect that decision." And then, quite matter of factly, "Kobolds tend to worship literal dragons. It's entirely feasible that this girl who ran off to be with the dragon would find herself before him, were she captured. So our goal remains the same."

Edinaz gives a little start. "A real fucking dragon? Oh. boy." His lifts his chin. "Godsdamned prophecies."

Bina nods her head to Don and gives him a smile. "Thank you, Dondoko, for the information. May Tarien bless your steps and guard you from harm." She waves to the ogre as he departs turning to Elena and nodding slowly, smile slipping at this unfortunate news. She sighs and shakes her head again. "Let's press on and see if we could catch up? If our more knowledgable trail folk would take the lead please? I don't want to run into that den of badgers."

Lysos keeps shifting in her saddle, unable to get comfortable... the agitation isn't doing her horse's mood much good either. But she does manage to at least keep him going in a straight line with the party. "Huh. A den of badgers. I feel like that's tempting fate, to be honest," Lysos grumps. "I for one second the request that someone not lead us into their den. Please."

"Agreed," Elena says, a bit of a sly tone creeping up in her voice. "We should get to the dragon as quickly as possible." And with that, she heels the horse a bit, pressing it on a bit further up the path, a satisfied smile on her face.

Burai nods. He'd rather avoid the badgers as well. Although something tells him that may be more difficult than it sounds. He quirks an eyebrow as he studies the way ahead. "I would feel much more confident, if we could pick up her trail for ourselves..."

GAME: Burai rolls perception: (19)+11: 30

GAME: Sabina rolls perception: (3)+5: 8

GAME: Lysos rolls perception: (13)+4: 17

GAME: Elena rolls Perception: (11)+6: 17

GAME: Edinaz rolls perception: (16)+10: 26

SO, there's the hollow tree.

You're able to see it early and start making a wide berth, keeping to the other side of the road, far far far from the damn thing. No sign of the badgers, but then, they'd be dug in under it, wouldn't they?

but it would appear that your instinct was right -- near to it, hidden in the shrubs, is a bold first spotted by Burai, easily enough, and then soon thereafter by Lysos and Elena.

But that he's spotted doesn't stop him from tossing the little stone in front of the burrow.

The stone goes 'POP'.

Loudly. A thunderstone.

In front of a den.

A den of dire badgers.

GAME: Elena rolls Ride: (9)+-6: 3

And, obviousy, Dodonko has sparted ways with you, as stated, by this point. He went as far as he said he would.

GAME: Sabina rolls ride: (10)+2: 12

GAME: Edinaz rolls ride: (12)+0: 12

GAME: Burai rolls ride: (12)+-1: 11

GAME: Lysos rolls ride: (10)+4: 14

The badgers burst out and they're... huge.

THe kobold has ducked into the bushes behind them, ensuring that you're in their line of sight, of course. That was always his plan.

And so, as a result, the badgers see you. THey focus you. And they racew towards you.

Fortunately, you're on horse back, and thus, begin a ride away from them. The badgers are large but s horses are 1) larger and 2) faster over a longer period of time.

For the most part, all is going well... right up until Elena's horse gets a bit spooked by allowing them to get too close and bolts off the roads and into the woods away from the rest of you.