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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1878950" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the Seventy-EighthIn which: our adventures in a winter wonderland continue.The party returns to the village to find that Lord Agasha, along with twelve of his men, have arrived.Agasha, astride his warhorse, grins to see the adventurers.  “There you are!”Anvil comes forward and takes Agasha’s horse’s bridle.  “As are you.  We feared you might have been beset by the ogre or her minions.”Agasha shakes his head.  “No… just these damnable blizzards.”Anvil nods.  “Hopefully, we have seen the last of them.”“Really?” As Anvil fills Lord Agasha in on their conjecture surrounding the cause of the region’s strange weather patterns as of late, the rest of the party prepares their horses and makes ready to depart.  They are pleased to find that Lord Agasha’s complement includes six soldiers, three trained scouts, and three clerics to lend healing and spell support.Seeing that the peasants have been thrown into a frenzy in an attempt to billet nearly twenty visitors, Reyu suggests that the group move out as soon as possible in order to make whatever progress they can before nightfall.###Tracking in the general direction indicated by the goblin prisoner, the party eventually finds and follows the tracks of a few of the goblins they were not able to track down the previous night.  The following day, just after the group has resumed following lunch, Reyu—who walks towards the front of the marching order—notices that a set of enormous bear tracks have begun weaving in and out of the sets left behind by the goblins.  Wanting to confirm her suspicions, she brings the tracks to Benedic’s attention.“Yep,” the ranger agrees, “it sure looks like he’s following ‘em.  Not like last time either, you’re right.  He’s moseying through on his own time, not keeping pace with them.“Do you think it could be the same bear Sheesak had dominated in our last encounter?”  Reyu asks.“I suppose it’s possible,” Benedic allows.  “I’ve never heard of a bear holding a grudge like that, but she must’ve kept him under her thumb for days… weeks.  That’s bound to leave an impression.”Reyu considers.  “I think…  I would like to contact this bear… If we continue to follow its path.”Benedic, for his part, does not seem sure that this is the most prudent plan he’s ever heard, but he also recognizes that Reyu has always—for whatever reason—had strong feelings where this bear is concerned.And so, that night, the party (and Lord Agasha, and all of his men) make camp a little early.  Then Reyu, Thatch, Benedic, Kiara and Lira go to seek out a giant man-eating bear.###“You don’t have to come along, you know,” Benedic whispers to Lira as they quietly make their way through the snow.“Yeah,” she replies, “but… you know… challenge.”“Your enthusiasm is inspiring.”Lira swats him on the arm.  “Don’t you start.”Reyu turns back to the whispering pair and frowns for silence.  “This bear has reason to be wary of us. I do not wish to alarm it.”Benedic and Lira take their cue, and fall back with Thatch and Kiara into a rough semi-circle approximately twenty feet from where the bear has bedded down for the night.Very cautiously, Reyu approaches alone.  Unfortunately, she did not prepare speak with animals that morning, so instead she keeps up a low running commentary in Sylvan, hoping that although the bear may not understand the meaning of her words, he will comprehend the friendly intentions behind them.The bear soon catches wind of Reyu’s approach, and stirs.  He stands, and Reyu is reminded once again of just how big the creature is.  Each massive forepaw is nearly as large as her head, and she is sure that if one met the other, it would not be the bear’s paw that would come out the worse for it.Senses sharpened to catch the slightest reaction of the bear, Reyu also hears the quiet rasp of Thatch’s sword being drawn from its sheath, and the low murmur of Lira readying a spell, just in case things go horribly wrong.  Reyu takes another step forward, putting all of her concentration towards reassuring the bear, blocking from her mind the knowledge that if the bear decides she is an enemy, the quick actions of her friends will probably not be enough to save her life.“Yes friend, it is all right.  Do you remember me?  Do you remember that you tried to save me once before, despite the ogress?  You were so strong and brave then.  You are strong and brave now…”Gradually, the bear settles back on his haunches, eyes still fixed on Reyu, but making no move towards her.“Good… good… strong, brave bear…”Reyu sits down in the snow, not ten feet from where the bear sits watching, nearly in range of his razor sharp claws, should he choose to use them.“I am going to cast a spell now… Do not be afraid.  I am your friend…”Reyu has been saving back parts of her trail rations since they returned to the Sovereignty, hoping she might find an animal companion on her journey through the woods.  She takes out a handful of cured meat, and offering it out to the bear, begins to cast…###Meanwhile, back at camp…Eva looks up from the fire she has been trying to light.  There’s something… almost like music, floating on the wind.“Anvil?” she asks.  “Did you hear that?”No response.  Eva looks over her shoulder to where Anvil was standing to provide unsolicited advice just moments earlier.Anvil is sound asleep.  So are about three quarters of the others at the camp.Eva runs over to Anvil, trying to shake him awake.###Reyu finishes casting animal friendship.  Now, all that remains to be seen is whether or not the bear is interested in being friends.Slowly, Reyu reaches down to the pile of cured meat in front of her, and picks up a single piece.  She holds it out, offering it to the bear.The bear rises to his feet.  It doesn’t even have to step forward to reach Reyu.  It merely leans—its great head coming within inches of her outstretched arm.  It opens its massive jaws… and picks the food off her hand with its great, rough tongue.  Finishing the small offering, it licks her palm, looking for more.  Piece by piece, Reyu feeds all of her saved rations to the bear.  Once they are gone, the bear comes forward, walks a slow circle around the still-seated elf, and then curls around her, settling in to sleep.Lira lets her readied magic missile drop.  Thatch returns his sword to its sheath.  Reyu lets out the breath she had been holding.The rest of the group is just withdrawing when Kiara suddenly lets out a startled squeak.  She also immediately begins shifting into hybrid form.Thatch reaches up and grabs her by the ankle before she can fly off.  Kiara thwacks at him with one wing.  “Let me go!” she protests.Lira tries to get her attention.  “Kirara, what’s the matter?”“Annika!  She’s not in my head!  She must be in trouble, and I’ve got to go now!”“Okay.” Lira takes a deep breath.  “I know it’s scary, but all the more reason not to go flying off on your own.  We’ll all head back.”Kiara is barely mollified and continues to hover impatiently as Reyu rouses the bear and the rest of the party follows behind her on foot.  None of them understand… Well, Lira might have some little inkling, but how can she be so calm?  Suddenly, Annika’s voice is back in her mind.Huh?  What’s—  Oh… What follows is a strong feeling of calm… then nothing.Kiara is so startled she almost drops out of the air mid wing-beat.  This can mean nothing good.  She looks down at the others.  “We’ve got to hurry!”Hurry they do.  Only moments later the party arrives back in the clearing where they had left Anvil, Eva, and Annika, along with Lord Agasha and his men to make camp.They find Lord Agasha lying, unconscious, in the snow.  He has been stripped of his arms and armor, along with his cold-weather gear.  The group’s tents and equipment are also gone.Anvil, Eva, and Annika, and six of Lord Agasha’s men have vanished without a trace.</blockquote>

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