Wildwood Red in Tooth and Claw II [IC]

RG
Info
OOC
Old IC

The Oath of the Hunt

With vines and saplings we bind thee,
In forests of green shall you be.

A ring of trees to be your cage
Forever your wanton heart shall rage.
Where cruel instinct and blood lust roam
In this realm you’ll make your home.

To chase, to hunt and then to kill
All for glory and the thrill
One the predator; the other prey
Nary the hunter rues the day.

Where life and death forever duel
Only the fittest here shall rule.

Dover poem as recited by Alagor the Scholar King.

In the few hours of darkness when neither of the Forge's two suns bathe the world with illumination, a new celestial object is visible against the starry background. Few notice at first, but those who do notice that it shines with an odd green light. They also notice that with each passing night it grows larger and brighter as seen in the brief hours of the night's clear view.

"Firblain, Victor, thank you for answering my call." King Alagor's rich voice welcomes the pair of you warmly. The large german sheperd-like canine humanoid dover King stands taller than the dwarf but a touch shorter than the tiefling. Thick brown fur covers his body and he gestures with delicately structured hands bearing dexterous digits. The dovers’ feet are very similar to a wolf’s paw and despite the bipedal posture, clawless hand, and regal presence there is an underlying animalistic nature to the dover presence accentuated by the jaws and teeth of a lupine predator.

"Your skills as woodsmen have been praised many times and you are both accomplished hunters. You have proven yourselves valuable members of the Silber Dovers. I would ask a service of the two of you. I have a task that requires skilled trackers but also requires explorations into the dark depths of realms underground."

Standing in his audience chamber King Alagor looks regal, a leader loved and trusted by his people. The Queen sitting behind him however looks both predatory and protective, she has the air of one ready to spring instantly to action. Her spear leans against her throne within easy reach. On the other side of her throne stands the black furred dover druid Zallon. He occassionally whispers into the ear of the Queen, his words too low to be overheard. Also in attendance are various dover elders, a few of royal dover progeny and the fostered elven youth. To the side is a massive battered being of white and blue metal, as if bizaare articulated plate were placed over a giant humanoidish figure.

"As you may be aware, the Queen's hunting party came across a being of living metal armor wandering in the woods of our territory. Evaluating its intentions as peaceful and thinking it might be a newly arrived seed she brought it to my attention. I established contact and over time taught him our language. It is called Ennar Forzian." The king gestures to present the blue and white giant. "A being possessed of a life force and will of its own, living magic and metal. It's memories start a few months ago, arising in a dark chamber filled with debris. It dug its way out, managed to tunnel its way to the surface and began wandering, searching for sentient life until its crashings attracted the attention of the Queen's hunters."

The King turns back then to face Firblain and Viktor directly.

"I want you to take Ennar, find where he emerged, and explore the area. Find out if it holds keys to the mystery of Ennar's identity, or secrets that may aid the village. From what we know it is an area outside of the Silber Dover territory. It may be that you can find no more than the chamber he emerged from and that is the end of it. Or it may lead to an underground citadel or an entire abandoned city blocked from the light of the two suns. I want you to learn what can be scouted and then report back to me."

The broad-shouldered dwarf gives the King a half-bow at entering his hall and stands silently while listening. His fingers play along the edge of his waraxe tied to his belt. Glancing between the King and the blue and white metal statue, Firblain thinks to himself, that things alive? must be some kinda mages lost toy.

When the King finishes his speech, Firblain bows slowly to the King and says "It will be done." While rising, he mutters to Victor, "What in the nine hells is that?"

NR4ZN bows low. "Thank you, your magnificence! This humble unit is honored to serve your august personage."

The giant metal figure tuns to the dwarf and tiefling. "My lords Firblain and Victor, it is a pleasure to meet such stalwarts as youselves. If you [burst of static], please excuse me. If you think of anything I may do to aid in our quest, or simply make the going more easy, please do not hesitate to ask. I am yours to command."


[internal high level message code]Memory leak detected at address 90FA905C ... rerouting ... Memory leak detected at address 90FB3094 ... rerouting ... mapped at address 90FB458C.

Victor knelt as he came within the proper distance of the Dover King. These creatures had shown him kindness where none before had, and because of that, they had earned a respectful place in his heart. Whenever his services were required, he eagerly accepted, wanting to show his gratitude to the dog-like humanoids.

As the king spoke, the Tiefling followed the gesture, seeing the 'white giant' that he had heard the others whisper about. He had heard of Iron and Steel Golems back on his home world, and this monstrous creature resembled what he had heard, but appeared to be even more advanced. But as unusual as it was, all manner of creature found their way to the Wildwood, and this one was no different.

As the king finished the orders, Victor stood slowly. "Worry not, my liege. I have the utmost confidence in our abilities. Your orders shall be completed as quickly as possible." As he turned back toward Ennar, Firblain whispered a question to him. With a small grin, he replied, "Seems to be some sort of golem, but I've never heard of one with free will."

Victor nodded to Ennar. "Your company is welcome, Ennar Forzian. I'm not certain of what can be done now, but if a situation occurs that would require your abilities, I will let you know." The words were formal, but warmed by a genuine smile on the Tiefling's face.

A sparrow swoops into the hall and flies around a little before landing on the shoulder of the black furred druid. He whispers into the Queen's ear then formally excuses himself and withdraws from the chamber.

"Very good." says the King warmly at your acceptance. "Go with my blessing."

As you leave the King's Hall you see the druid whispering something to the small bird which leaps off his shoulder and wings up and away. He looks up and spies you then gestures for you to come near. "Come, walk with me to the Belly. I must leave the village soon and would speak to the newly arrived travelling bard Taggart is hosting before I go. And I would talk with you of your search."

As Firblain is leaving the hall he pauses to take a long look at Ennar. Shaking his head, he walks out to be caught up by Zallon. "A new bard in town, huh? I hope he lasts longer than the last one. Poor bastard got himself lost in the woods - till the goblins found him" Firblain says.

Walking towards the Belly, Firblain looks up and scans the sky, looking at the place where the green star appears in the true darkness. He grunts, "So what'd you have in mind Zallon?"

"You do well to look for the new comet. Few noted when it first appeared, many still do not know about it at all. By Ennar's recounting and my tracking of the nights, he awoke, if that is the right word, when the comet first appeared. I think it unlikely to be coincidence. Keep your eyes and ears open if you find his underground chambers. Note every oddity. Recover what you can that you think is not a threat. I cannot say what you will find but if things appear twisted or corrupted then be quick with your axe and be willing to burn. I go to confer with other druids of the Circle about the meaning of the comet. I hope to see you all when I return and hear what you have learned."

Kularian said:

Victor nodded to Ennar. "Your company is welcome, Ennar Forzian. I'm not certain of what can be done now, but if a situation occurs that would require your abilities, I will let you know." The words were formal, but warmed by a genuine smile on the Tiefling's face.

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The robot nods solemnly, "Yes my lord. I look forward to being of assistance."

dog45 said:

As Firblain is leaving the hall he pauses to take a long look at Ennar. Shaking his head, he walks out to be caught up by Zallon. "A new bard in town, huh? I hope he lasts longer than the last one. Poor bastard got himself lost in the woods - till the goblins found him" Firblain says.

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NR4ZN turns when the dwarf shakes his head. Squatting slightly to address him the towering machine says, "Is there a problem my lord? I offer my apologies if I have caused you discomfiture. If you would explain my error, I will certainly refrain from such trespasses in the future."

voadam said:

"You do well to look for the new comet. Few noted when it first appeared, many still do not know about it at all. By Ennar's recounting and my tracking of the nights, he awoke, if that is the right word, when the comet first appeared. I think it unlikely to be coincidence. Keep your eyes and ears open if you find his underground chambers. Note every oddity. Recover what you can that you think is not a threat. I cannot say what you will find but if things appear twisted or corrupted then be quick with your axe and be willing to burn. I go to confer with other druids of the Circle about the meaning of the comet. I hope to see you all when I return and hear what you have learned."

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"My lord Zallon, I concur with your assessment that there is likely a causal link between my return to functional status and the new light in the sky. While many of my memories previous to the crash are not currently accessible, I do know that the Ottotowans would certainly send a rescue vessel if they lost contact with the ship that I arrived on. I had assumed that my ship had simply left when things went awry. This may be cause for concern. Ottotowans are a peaceful people, but quite technologically advanced and psionically adept. They would spare no effort in recovering the souls of their dead for revivification.

As for the current quest, extreme caution is certainly advisable. Unfortunately my Geiger counter is offline, so our only warning of radiation or similar energies may be die-off or the warping you have described. And thank you, my lord, for the warning"