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Message: <blockquote data-quote="carpedavid" data-source="post: 412762" data-attributes="member: 6971">9.28.02 - Session 1, Part 3While most of the party members try to catch a few hours of sleep, Scarlet remains on deck, assisting the pilot in trying to navigate the Nettle Woods from the air. Never having been on board an airship before, Scarlet is a little bit frightened, a little bit excited, and a little bit frustrated. Many of the landmarks that she is familiar with look completely different or are hidden entirely from the air, so she has to rely more than she'd like on her instinct.After a few hours of sailing east, though, she feels that they've arrived in the right place, and she goes below deck to wake her companions. They emerge rubbing their eyes and yawning, except for Nym, who is wracked with intestinal cramps, and chooses to stay below deck."Ok, I think we're here," Scarlet informs them, as the pilot takes the airship down to treetop level. Rope ladders are kicked off the side, and Scarlet, Taminnyd, Laurel, Shoji, Erendil, Danklar, and Dew climb down to the forest floor. The Nettle Woods take their name from the thick bramble and thorn bushes that dominate the underbrush, and the party finds movement in the area to be painful."Ok, now what?" asks Shoji.Scarlet shrugs, "I told you I could get us to the general area he inhabits. I've never actually met him though, so I don't know where exactly to find him.""Didn't the general say something about looking for bears?" Taminnyd suggests."Right," Laurel replies, "I'll look for bear tracks, everybody stay here." The group watches as she begins looking through the underbrush. As she searches, she moves in an ever-widening spiral, and after about an hour, finally finds telltale signs of bear activity. "I found tracks," she says as she returns to the group, "Follow me."The early morning sun filters through the leaves as the forest wakes up. As the group follows the bear tracks, they see birds foraging for worms and squirrels scampering amongst the oak, maple, and pine trees. After an hour of slow movement through the woods, Laurel finds more tracks joining the first. As they continue, the number of tracks increases, until she finds over thirty different sets of tracks, all heading west. "I think we're getting close," she says quietly."What are we going to tell Proudclaw?" Taminnyd asks Shoji."What do you mean?" Shoji replies, confused."To get him to join the fight," Taminnyd says impatiently."Oh. I think we'll tell him that the woods are in danger. If Avengard defeats Terrel, they'll have no problem marching through here."Taminnyd is less than pleased with Shoji's answer. "This man has no concern for the civilized world. We'll need to do better than that," he says in a dismissive tone, "perhaps you should think before you speak." As he moves away from Shoji to walk next to Scarlet, Shoji decides that he really doesn't like the new wizard."Wouldn't it be funny if we end up getting ambushed and eaten by bears?" Shoji quips, as Laurel notices that the tracks suddenly scatter in different directions. She stops, and looks at Shoji with a horrified expression. Around them, thirty very large brown bears suddenly emerge out of the brush and trees.Taminnyd backs behind Scarlet and fumbles with his bag of spell components as the bears begin to move in closer. Suddenly, a short dwarven man steps out from behind one of the bears. He has a wild look about him, with twigs braided into his fiery red beard, and mud encrusting his brown leather armor and wooden shield, and double-headed battle-axe. Around his neck, though, he wears a braided circle of vines - the symbol for Shara, the goddess of nature."What ye be doin' in my woods?" the dwarf demands, eyeing the group suspiciously.Shoji speaks for the group, "We're looking for Brannaugh Proudclaw.""That'd be me," he replies, now eyeing the group even more suspiciously, "why're you lookin' fer me?"As Shoji and Proudclaw speak, Laurel cautiously approaches the nearest bear. She moves slowly and deliberately, trying to demonstrate to the bear that she means no harm. It sniffs at her and then hangs it's head, allowing her to touch it. Laurel scratches it behind the ears, and it flops over contentedly.Shoji continues, "We've been sent by the Terrelian army. Avengard has invaded Terrel, and the army needs your assistance.""I got no use fer th' world o' men," he says grumpily, "Why should I be bothered t' go an' help 'em?""Well," Shoji thinks for a moment, and then replies sincerely, "The Avengardans want to see Terrel destroyed - all of it. They would have no compunction in burning down the Nettle Woods and killing off all of the animals here. Your bears would be killed off, I'm sure."Proudclaw considers this before speaking, "Well, I can't have m' bears bein' hurt. When d' they need me?""As soon as possible," Shoji replies"Well, I can't leave now, I got's somethin' I have t' finish 'fore I leave.""What is it that you need done, perhaps we can help?" Taminnyd interjects."There be a group o' kobolds been huntin' my bears. They moved into an ol' forge up a ways. That's where I was headed when I met you.""Well, we would be happy to help you," Taminnyd replies, "When we're done, we've got an airship that can take you back.""An airship! I ain't gettin' on one o' them. My feet stay on th' ground." Proudclaw thinks for a moment, then continues, "Tell ya' what. You take 'care of th' kobolds, an' I'll go find your army."Shoji, Erendil, and Taminnyd look at each other for confirmation, then shrug. "OK," they say in unison."Now, these ain't no ordinary kobolds," Proudclaw warns, "they's got magic an' a holy man with 'em. Ain't like no kobolds I ever seen."Scarlet looks at her ward with concern, but Taminnyd responds, "That's fine, we'll have no trouble with them.""Aright, then, Greatpaw here," he points at the bear whose belly Laurel is currently scratching, "will take you t' th' forge, but no further." He walks over to Greatpaw and scratches its head, then leads his other bears into the woods. As he disappears into the forest, Taminnyd and Scarlet notice the head of a gigantic bear emerge from the top of the trees. Taminnyd looks on in shock as the giant bear begins to head west, toward New Charleston.He is startled out of his shock as Shoji says to him with mocking glee, "See! I told you it would work."More to come...------------------------------Notes:1. Brannaugh Proudclaw has several levels in a custom prestiege class, which can be found here: <a href="http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39014" target="_blank">Keeper of the Beasts</a></blockquote>

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