(Casual D&D II) The Fellowship of the White Dove

[dpdx]

[Sorry I missed my turn. I was at a job interview this morning, and I don't think I hurt my chances at landing it, if I do say so myself. Of course, if I do land it, my posting to PbP will be strictly at night (you are hereby warned).

Oh, and no need to thank Fendric for casting a Bless. It's what he does. ]

Fendric, feeling a responsibility to the creature he summoned into battle, runs forward around the fire and swaps out two orisons (Guidance, Read Magic) for Cure Minors on Snugran (stabilizing him, and taking him to 1 hp.).

After a brief conversation with His Enduring Radiance's Own giant bombardier beetle, conducted entirely telepathically, Snugran winks out from under the bear 20 seconds later, presumably to return back to his home plane and finish healing.

Fendric then expends the rest of his magic as best he can to bring everyone, two legs, four, or six, to or near full health.

(If Griscle is irretrievably dead [I think only Festy knows for sure], Fendric will entreat Pelor for Protection over Griscle's body, in addition to Nurthk's Cuthbertian blessings ('cause after all, Griscle was a Good dog, not just a good dog), and then offer his deepest condolences to Nurthk. "After all, we all loved him, and he deserves the Highest Honour.")

Noting the position of the moon in the night sky, Fendric agrees with Shavah's suggestion, and settles off to trance, back by the fire.

 

[Uriel]

OOC:Niccolo can cast 2 more CLW for 1D8+4 if need be. rolled a 7 and an 8...woohoo!

IC:Checking from one to another of his companions, Niccolo's eyes come to rest upon the dead dog. Alexander comes forward as well, whining plaintively at Griscle.
Niccolo silently turns and goes back to his gear, sitting on his saddle and wondering how things came to this. He wanted to ward the Bear off and the thing just shrugged off his spell as if...

Niccolo casts Detect Magic on the bear's body, hoping that any enchantment would have a somewhat lingering effect. he had a suspicion that someone had driven the bear to it's end, and he wanted to find out who and how.

 

[Sparky]

Oliver closes his eyes and with shaking hands covers his face. He stays like that for a moment, collecting himself.

What kind of damn fool am I? What was I thinking? I'm wasn't thinking. If I was thinking I would have stayed at the Way Station, but nooooo... Had to hare off after Fendric and Niccolo because they're from Hedrogura. And they spoke with the Knight. The Knight whose words brought Rin back, after so long. Rin, lass, what now? What should your stupid husband do?

He opens his eyes slowly and gives his head a shake, with a tinkling of the tiny symbols of his cloak's clasp. He picks up the crossbow, grimacing at it, and goes over to his pack, giving a hard look at the staff leaning against Bastrop's pack saddle. He cleans his swords quietly, eyes gone hard, glaring at the staff. His hands are still shaking and he balls them into fists. Who was it came to Caval's Horde... who was it brought Rin back to me that night? He sheaths the blades and checks on Bastrop and Winkle, keeping quietly to himself.

After a time he rejoins the group, tread almost inaudible - movements, sure and confident. A cough bends him double - frailty at odds with his new bearing. His bushy brows knit, in sympathy, and he looks at Nurthk. "I'm sorry. He... was. I... I'm sorry I yelled at him. I know he didn't mean anything." He clears his throat, uncomfortably and listens to Raven's rebuke.

"Yeah. Raven's right, Orbril." He goes over to the bear and puts his hand out, hestitating for a moment before burying his hand in its fur, "I wish we could have done otherwise. He was... a handsome cretaure." Heaving a sigh that stirs old smoke in the deepest recesses of his lungs, and making himself cough again in the process, Oliver turns and heads off to resume his patrol. Good that I have a watch to finish. Nerves won't be letting me sleep for a while. He checks his crossbow over for damage as he makes his sweeps.

 

[dpdx]

"I'm certainly not as inclined to describe a creature that tried to kill us as 'handsome,' May the Light Strike Such Blasphemy from my tongue. Save your honorifics for those noble animals who gave their lives on the proper side of the conflict, wanting nothing but peace and the occasional pat on the head."

Fendric's watery, withering glare leaves Oliver as quickly as it settled there, and focuses on the bear, as if he were expecting it to erupt into flame. Finally, as Oliver sheathes his weapons, Fendric walks away from the bear, nodding backward at it as he faces the others.

"Anyone needing additional clothing for the passes could do worse than to take a blade to this bear. Pelor Forbid we should waste what is sent against us, I suppose."

 

[DrZombie]

"Nurthk, we better drag this carcass away from camp, the smell will attract scavengers and predators. We can skin it if you want, but it'll be an uncomfortable, smelly burden."

 

[Festy_Dog]

(If Griscle is irretrievably dead [I think only Festy knows for sure],

[ooc: -12, dead before he hit the ground]

"After all, we all loved him, and he deserves the Highest Honour."

"He does," Nurthk replies.

He had not bothered to spare a moment even to wipe his axe blades clean. As soon as he had confirmed Griscle was dead, he stood silently over his old friend's remains. His grim visage was almost disturbing in the light of the camp fire.

"Nothing this important is easy, or completed without loss. He is the first, let us hope he is the last too," Nurthk's voice is solemn.

Alexander comes forward as well, whining plaintively at Griscle.

"Hush now," he says quietly to Alexander, crouching down and giving him a rub behind the ears.

Griscle loved it when I did that. Funny, even after the flight is over, the remaining few of us seem to killed off by fate. One by one.

His bushy brows knit, in sympathy, and he looks at Nurthk. "I'm sorry. He... was. I... I'm sorry I yelled at him. I know he didn't mean anything."

Nurthk nods.

"No need to apologise, he held nothing against you. I knew him well. A finer death than that is hard to come by," he manages a smile and pats Oliver on the shoulder.

"I wish we could have done otherwise. He was... a handsome cretaure."

Nurthk nods in agreement.

"Nurthk, we better drag this carcass away from camp, the smell will attract scavengers and predators. We can skin it if you want, but it'll be an uncomfortable, smelly burden."

"I'm no leatherworker, but making clothes would take far more time than what we have, so I'm not inclined to try," the sudden change of subject doesn't seem to bother Nurthk, "I don't want to take too long on this though, Griscle needs burial."

Nurthk casts aside his axe and goes about helping move the bear corpse.

 

[Tonguez]

The gnome looks up at Raven a harrowed look on his face

"Your right" he says quietly in acknowledgement of the rebuke "but bears don't act that way - something drove it here."

He goes silent and considers what else could have been done and then realises that it doesn't matter - until Fendric disrespects the bear

"whether bear or dog both were handsome, noble beasts" the gnome says "we should honour both regardless, is no fault of these if us sentient beasts abose them!"

He then goes forward and places his hand upon the bears head offering his own prayer for its spirit "return to the Land my brother"

That done he looks up with a grin "ya know taking the hide'll be too much work, but bear meat can be mighty tastey..."

 

[dpdx]

He goes silent and considers what else could have been done and then realises that it doesn't matter - until Fendric disrespects the bear

"whether bear or dog both were handsome, noble beasts" the gnome says "we should honour both regardless, is no fault of these if us sentient beasts abose them!"

Fendric turns as if Orbril had hit him with a sling bullet.

"Feh. Boarswater. That beast..." Fendric nods toward the bear, "...caused the death of our friend, Griscle, and would have killed some of us if we'd let it, praise Pelor we did not.

So listen: I'll grant you that you have not before experienced the way of one of these strange assaults with us, Master Orbril.

But as the usual target of said assault, I've learned who my friends are, and who they are not, and I'll save my blessings for my friends, if you don't mind. Pray you learn the difference as well, and quickly, before it cost all of us in the learning."

Fendric almost settles back to his area, when he turns around again. "Pity we haven't the time to mount that stupid thing's head on a stake, May it Burn in the Nine Hells, lest it discourage lesser woodland creatures so dominated into leaping at our throats while we sleep. I'd almost prefer humans as enemies, that I might learn something from them first."

 

[Festy_Dog]

"I'd almost prefer humans as enemies, that I might learn something from them first."

I know I would.

Nurthk smiles darkly as he helps move the bear.

Cuthbert knows they'd be lighter, and probably more deserving.

 

[Guilt Puppy]

(Moving along...)

Fendric: The rest of the night passes more peacefully... Completing your morning prayers with the sunrise, you are allowed a bit of quiet time-passing with Hiritus while the others complete their rest.

A few minutes after dawn, however, Hiritus spots something to the East, down the way you came... Figures, moving through the brush, already quite close, forty yards at most... As he tries to point them out, they stand, and begin their charge: Orcs, about a dozen of them.

Hiritus begins to wake the others... Immediate actions? (And initiative rolls?)