Chapter Two: Bilal's Menagerie

[Purr]

<p>


One by one, the Grey Wardens open their eyes as their senses slowly come back to life. No, you are not dead - at least you do not think so - but much has changed since your last waking moments. The first thing each of you notices is your complete lack of sight. All is black. There is something covering your eyes - some kind of cloth tight about your head. Your wrists are bound behind you and your ankles are well-tied together, both by some smooth but extremely tough material that you cannot seem to easily break or otherwise defy. You then realize there is something that tastes of leather in your mouth. You are gagged and cannot speak. Lastly, your skin tells you that you are also wearing next to nothing. You are lying on a hard wooden floor, and your wrists are bound to something else, preventing you from standing, sitting up, or even moving more than a foot to one side. Then you realize it - you somehow tied to each other. You may be still wearing your bathing suits perhaps, or whatever you were wearing beneath your robes or armor, but nothing else. Luna alone senses that Sparkle is still quite unconscious, and Luna's <em>Mage Armor</em> remains active, though how long that invisible benefit will remain is not known to her. Oh, but your ears work perfectly fine... You hear Bilal cheering nearby, as if in a hall close by. "I have done it! Oh, I have done it! I captured a Half-elf! A <em>Half-elf! </em>What a fine addition to Bilal's Menagerie! Oooh!" He is nearly shrieking in amazement. You hear the sound of a hand striking cloth. "Come now, scholar! Share in the joy! I have captured manticores, nagas, basilisks, and all kinds of wonders that kings and rich folk never get to see but through me - but <em>this</em>?! It was so good of you to tell me about him when these 'Grey Wardens' arrived. What are there, four, maybe, five in the whole world? Teach me!" It takes him a moment to reply, but when he does, you quickly recognize Stewart's voice. "What about the others, good master?" "To hell with the others! What am I going to do with them, save for perhaps the Wizardess? What a fine plaything she will make. What was her name?" "Captain Grimdell said her name is Luna." Stewart appears to pause as if careful not to say more. "'Luna'," you can almost hear the grin on Bila's face. "And she looks to have some fine 'moons' too, doesn't she? Just like the monk over there. Heh, heh! What is the name of the Half-elf?" "Otiorin." "Oh-tee... just what kind of name is that?" "Gray Elven." "Oh! I wonder if they want him back!" Your ears tell you Bilal the Rich is bouncing up and down in joy, his jeweled sash jingling. "Not... likely, good master." There is then a sudden rush of movement followed by a gasp. The master of the caravan is whispering, his tone turns harsh and full of threat. "Stop hesitating. You know I hate that. What <em>else </em>should I know about Half-elves? What aren't you telling me?" Stewart remains silent. "<em>Stewart</em>!" Bilal paces back and forth like a prowling cougar. His words come unhurried, like an archer aiming at an easy target. "Perhaps... perhaps it is time you stop caring about what is in my menagerie, and <em>start</em> caring about things more dear to you. Like... Beatrice?" You hear Stewart gasp again. His breathing becomes shaky. "Yes... You can't afford her medicine without my pay, can you? Of course, you can't! And no one else who can will take you." You think you hear the sound of Bilal tapping his finger on Stewart's thin chest. "<em>You</em> were second <em>only</em> to Grand Scholar Oscar of Highwind in the knowledge of monsters and rare creatures! And second place <em>is </em>first loser; you know that, don't you? I only know so much... but you? You.. are under my employ to fill in the gaps." There is a movement like something sliding against clothing, likely from Bilal to Stewart. "So. Half-elves? How much is he worth? 100,000 at least, right?" Stewart's voice is low. "No." "More?" "You meddle in things beyond you. You could be killed-" Bilal suddenly roars. "<em>What are you talking about</em>?! Speak plainly!" Stewart's voice now takes on a firmness of its own. "Bilal, you know not what you carry in this wagon! There are but a handful Half-elves in all of Sharseya, and <em>all</em> of them have pasts shrouded in mystery. For example, one is completely responsible for the complete destruction of the Wild Elves' ancestral home. Understand? That act alone forced the Wild Elves to enter, some say 'invade', the Forest Eternal where their Wood Elven cousins have long lived. That nearly started a war." Stewart sighs. "A Wild Elf will kill Otiorin on sight, and quite possibly anyone else with him." "So? A single Wild Elf?" "They travel in packs, like hunting wolves! And they hide ferocious secrets..." Bilal's tone becomes more cautious. "What else?" "Another Half-elf was directly responsible for the death of a dragon-" "By my coins!!" "She is known as the Dragonslayer for that very deed and more. And if she is free and you are her your enemy, you won't see her coming until it is too late. Yet there is one fact I remain uncertain of." Bilal taps his fingers together and listens. "I <em>think</em> the Half-elf in question is female, but I don't <em>know</em>. I had to leave Highwind before I found the answer." "And we might have him, if it is a him?" "Correct." Bilal slaps his forehead. "I suppose we will have to interrogate him. Or perhaps he could get eaten and I won't have to die by some Wild Elf's arrow. Time to get creative again. In the meantime..." "Eaten? What-" "Throw them in with the Beast." "'The Beast?!' You brought them here to-" "It should be fine! Fine. We fed it two hobbits just yesterday! Remember their dying screams? And how the whole wagon shook? Oh, what a symphony! It will likely eat the one we have there next, don't you think?" Bilal's foot taps upon the floor. "And if he eats one of the others instead... well... that's just a bad roll of the dice, I suppose. Either way, I need time to think about this while we travel to Highwind." Bilal turns to leave, but pauses. "Oh and... <em>good work</em>, Stewart! <em>Goooood</em> work! I bet your Beatrice would be proud of you! Ha ha ha!" Without waiting for a reply, Bilal leaves. A few moments later, in come the boots of many men. You hear the jingling of brass, like keys dancing on a belt. Then you hear a great door squeal open near you, and your ears tell you of a very large room beyond, though not so large as the room with the pool. "Careful, men," a voice says. "Keep your steel at the ready here, or tempt a violent and gruesome death!" One by one you are tossed inside. You feel the pricks of hay all over you as you land on the floor, and as the door slams shut, you hear the jingling of what must be a huge lock being turned. Then the footsteps fade away... ...to be replaced by the sound of something big. Something big in the room with you. Your ears detect the heavy breathing in lungs much greater in size than your own, followed by the animal sound of a low threatening growl. The growl of a hunting creature. A Beast, one might say... Then that something sniffs the air around you. It comes closer. Then it sniffs again. Finally, your ears hear a sound like speech, perhaps? Or is it your imagination getting the better of you? Perhaps you are going a little mad when you hear the thing make a sound that seems to say... "Mooooooaaaaarrr..."


</p>

 

[Captain Hesperus]

The moment his senses return, Otiorin's mind begins working, taking stock of his situation. Hands bound behind back. Bonds are tight and not like anything previously encountered. Gagged and blindfolded. Near-naked. Gear missing. Imminent danger close. Large creature, semi-sentient? As he ticks off the issues, plans form. His lips curled back to reveal pearly white teeth which seemed to gleam and sparkle with a silvery sheen, even as his fingernails took on that same sheen and lengthened, coming to razor-edged points. He couldn't reach his own bonds, but.... His fingertips quested out and he found the warm smoothness of female flesh. He wasn't sure who it was, he'd not had enough experience touching his compatriot's bare flesh to tell the difference, but one freed person was one freed person. His fingers cast around until they felt the same bonds about the others' wrists and he sank his claws in, working feverishly to lacerate and tear through the tough material.

 

[Sherwood]

Brief panic flares through Luna's mind as she sits tied up, but with a monumental force of will, she forces herself to be calm. Fear is the mind killer. My mind is strong; my fear is weak. I will let my fear pass into me and through me, and soon, only I will remain. Her breathing steadies once more as she carefully tests her bindings to no avail. Humph. Too strong for me to break. No surprise there. Perhaps I shouldn't have spent so much time in the library, and more time working out. Then, a brief glimmer of hope. A bound, groping hand reached out from the mass of skin behind her to grab her thigh, then it moves to her wrists. Luna can feel the sharp claws digging into the skin around the bindings, and despite the pain, she tries to twist to make it easier for the owner of the hand to cut into the ropes. Hope flares inside her. I am not going to die like this! I am going to free my friends and we will make it!

 

[Kaerri]

Kitrin wakes groggily - whatever that poison was, it doesn't seem to like hobbits much! Finding herself bound, gagged, and blindfolded, she starts testing her bonds, but freezes when she hears Bilal and Stewart's conversation. A low growl starts deep in her throat when she realizes they've captured her whole party (plus the nice monk lady), but as soon as she hears herself she cuts it off - no reason to warn them that they've got listeners. She pretends to be asleep, but can't help growling again when she hears Bilal has fed two of her people to some beast. If it eats me, I'll kill it if I have to claw my way from its stomach to its heart! She starts wrenching at her bonds again, but is interrupted by the minions who haul Kitrin and her friends away to their doom (or at least to this mysterious "Beast"). She grunts as her body hits the hay-covered floor. She can feel movement to her back, but isn't sure what's going on - maybe their rogue has come up with a plan of escape? Maybe Luna's found a way of casting something? Then the "Beast" speaks, and she writhes and twists her way up (hoping to stand, but settling for kneeling or sitting). The gag in her mouth won't allow her words, but that doesn't mean she's silenced. Kitrin lets out a muffled roar of her own in an attempt to Intimidate this new threat into paying more attention to her than to whatever her party is doing.

 

[Purr]

As Otiorin reaches inside of himself to draw upon his lineage, yes indeed, his fingers grow sharp silvery claws. He reaches out to the nearest friend and Kitrin feels a few sharp things of some kind poke right into her arm. Unfortunately, this action creates sound. Sound that causes sniffing from the Beast, followed by a pause.


It does not take eyes to know that The Beast now looms over the entire party. And suddenly, Otiorin feels claws from another, new source. The heavy paw they are attached to places itself on Otiorin's chest, the fingers wide, and there Otiorin quickly learns that this thing is clearly Large-sized, with a strength to match. The claws move upward. Up to Otiorin's face. There they stay a moment and suddenly Otiorin feels the unmistakable feeling of huge, sharp fangs on the back of his neck. They dig in a little as if to say, "Be still!"


By this time, your noses come into play. All of you smell something besides each other, and the wood, and the hay. You smell cat. As in the large, man-eating kind.


About that time, all of you hear Kitrin's muffled roar. Well, it was supposed to be a roar. Normally her voice on the battlefield is something that puts fear into the hearts of your enemies, while raising your own spirits, as Kitrin is adept at getting reactions out of your enemies. But not this time. This time, it sounds more like this:

Spoiler

[media]

[/media]
Upon hearing this, The Beast releases his grip on Otiorin and apparently looks to the source. Even bound up and gagged, Kitrin has drawn a creature's attention from the rest of you. However, the second sound you hear out of the creature is an adoring, "Awwwwww...."


Then the sniffing resumes. While each of you are struggling in your own way, there is someone in your party who appears to be focusing on making a ruckus, but she's not doing a very good job of it. This too, eventually, gets the attention of the Beast. It sniffs once, very deeply, then again as if to be certain.


And the third sound you hear the creature make is a surprised whisper.


"Bria!"

 

[Purr]

You hear claws and teeth madly tearing away at someone's bonds. Then as you hear her gasps and feel her movements against your own, you know Bria to be free. The two of them work as a team. And quickly. Though the Beast does most of the work, Bria tries her best, pausing only once when she reaches Otiorin. "Oh my," she whispers as she gently touches his hands. In moments, your party is unbound. It will still take you a minute or two to remove the last of your well-tied bonds, which you discover are lengths of deep purple silk.


Your eyes tell you now that you are in the inside of a massive cage some 2o feet wide, by 20 feet high, and 35 feet long. This cage fills the inside of the great wagon you now realize you are traveling inside, though you do not feel the road beneath you. The hay is rich and deep all over the floor. In one corner, it reaches about two feet high. Through a dagger-sized slit-of-a-window at the very top of the wagon, a sole sliver of moonlight sneaks through. You look about and notice you are all wearing bathing suits or less.


Then Bria rushes up and jumps into the Beast's arms. She seems so small there, but he immediately returns this fully-mutual embrace. "Oh, you silly fuzz-bucket!" she whispers, "I was so worried about you!"


They whisper back and forth, briefly. Then Bria nods. And even in the dim light, your eyes now give you the full tale of this furry, muscle-bound monster - enough to tell he has been aptly named. Each of you look up to see the focus of Bria's relief and delight:

Spoiler

Then there is dead silence for a moment as if the Beast stops to focus himself. He raises a claw to his lips. He looks down on each you and says, "Shhhhhh!" as he gently lowers Bria to the floor and away from him. He gently but insistently pushes each of you out of his reach. And then something in the hay in the corner rustles. "SHHHH!" he repeats and all is quiet again.


The Beast looks to Bria. The Ko monk nods, ready.


"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAARR!!"


The Beast lashes out with such hair-raising snarls and loud, furious roars as to frighten the dead. Bria takes her cue and starts screaming fearfully at the top of her lungs. The Beast smashes his fists on the floor and the bars with a ferocity that would give a minotaur barbarian reason to pause. His blows are terrific and speak of martial training. The entire grand wagon rocks and trembles as if in fear. Then Bria shrieks one last time and nods at him. The Beast ceases his violence as quickly as he started it. Awful chomping sounds fill the room.


And outside? You hear the groans and muffled cries of awed and terrified men. Right outside your door.


"I ain't goin' in there!" you hear one say. "And good master doesn't have enough money to make me!"


In time, they move away with shaky steps, leaving you free to converse in relative peace.

 

[Purr]

Bria then steps up in the middle of the team and says, "Everyone? This is my good friend and teammate, Powerpaw. Um, is it O.K. if he joins us? He's really violent! That's good, right?"

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Freed at last, Otiorin allows his claws to retract, their shape flattening and rounding out until the resemble fingernails once more. Now he felt hungry, the hunger only fresh red meat could assuage. He remembered his grandfather speaking of this moment, 'Otiorin, be wary of thy heritage. Within thy mortal frame beats the heart of a dragon, indeed a full dragon lays coiled within thy breast. It lies, quiescent, until that time that thou callest upon it. Then, once called hence, it shall remain with thee, until thou quench it's hunger and thirst and return it to its slumber. As thou mature, thou shalt have greater control over it, but at this tender age, thou mayest become the dragon's plaything if thou allowest it to gain overmuch control.'


He rose to his feet as Bria and 'The Beast' enacted the epic audio-drama of 'The Slaughter of the Grey Wardens'. At first, he didn't understand the ruckus, then realisation dawned and, as they started to quieten down, his cried out and begged for mercy in the Elven tongue, quickly silencing himself with a shriek. At least that would cause Bilal some pain at a profit lost.

 

[Kaerri]

"...wow." Kitrin's whisper is lost in the shrieking and nomming sounds, but her eyes are as big as the party has ever seen them as she watches the Beast's performance. It might be hard to tell whether she's admiring, awed, or simply afraid (though the party probably can't remember when Kitrin has ever shown fear). "Wow," she whispered again as Bria stepped up for the introductions. "Kitrin. Hi."

 

[Sherwood]

As the bonds are freed from Luna and she gets her first glance at the Beast, she is quite glad that this creature seems to be friends with Bria, and even more glad that Bria has attached herself to their party. Slowly she stands and looks at the creature. In a quiet voice, she says, "Wow indeed, Kitrin! Bria, allow me to say how very thankful I am to have you around. I am Luna Kaftan. Well met, Powerpaw."


Getting down to business. "My friends, the good news is that I still have most of my memorized spells ready to cast. The even better news is, I fully intend on using them all to rip Bilal the Rich a new one. I do have a total of two Shield spells prepared and they can be cast on someone other than myself. The bad news is, I don't know how much longer my Mage Armor will be active. But, I do happen to have two Fireball spells prepared!"

Spoiler

Current memorized spells:


Cantrips: Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Read Magic, Detect Magic


Level 1: Shield x2, Gravity Bow, Burning Hands


Level 2: Mirror Image, Scorching Ray x3


Level 3: Fireball x2, Displacement


Force Missiles x6

 

[Purr]

During Powerpaw's ruckus, as Otiorin begged for mercy, there was a short moment between them that possibly produced a lasting effect.


When Powerpaw heard Otiorin audibly joining in on the game, he whirled his whole body around on all fours, then with a roar, he pounced on Otiorin. During the leap, Powerpaw twisted his head sideways so that his terrible jaws were horizontally-aligned with Otiorin's face and SNAP! He stopped short just inches away, but for a skilled warrior, it may as well have been a mile. Those fangs gnashed in what was obviously a well-practiced and powerful biting technique. A technique perhaps designed to shear a man's face off?


And in that moment, when the Beast backed off and Otiorin's cries came to a stop, Powerpaw's eyes softened but for a moment and seemed to ask, "Hey! You O.K.? I didn't scare you too much, did I?"

 

[Purr]

"Uh, moar?" Powerpaw listens to each of you and then looks to Bria as if eager for guidance. She pats his arm reassuringly and keeps her voice low.


"It's O.K., Big Fuzzy! These are the 'Grey Wardens'! They offered to have me in their group even after I told them it might be dangerous." Bria then looks to each of you with a bright smile as she says, "This is the friend I told you about! The one I needed to help? Well, here he is! Isn't he scaaaary? Grr, grr!" She gleefully wraps her arms around one of his, as if he were a giant teddy bear. In return, Powerpaw affectionately brushes his cheek across the top of her head, mindful of his horns.


"Hee hee!" Bria reaches up and pushes his whiskers back as if to neaten them. "Bilal captured all of us, too... With words, he separated us, and boof! That was it." Bria pulls her hair behind her and begins turning it into a pony-tail. "He got me with some wine. I took one drink, and ploomp! I was practicing the Ko-monk-on-the-floor technique in seconds flat. How did he get you?" Bria turns as if the question is meant for everyone. "And how did you wind up in here?"


The Beast growls, baring his fangs. Then he looks to each of you as if hesitant to speak.


"Go ahead! It's O.K.!"


"Uh, okies." As Powerpaw converses, you notice his speaking voice is a little higher-pitched than you might have expected for a male of his size. His voice sounds rough and full of youth and strength, yet it also sounds a bit silly, except he is not speaking like this to make you laugh; this is just how Powerpaw talks. He uses the Common language differently than any creature you have yet met on Sharseya. "Uh, I'm Powerpaw. Bria is my friend annnn' I'm gonna kill Bilal!"


Bria says, "Good start! Now tell them a little about yourself. Share something personal like battle philosophy or your fighting systems. I trust them and you should too!"


"You sures?"


"Mmmhmm!"


Powerpaw appears uncertain, but he does not let these fears get the better of him. "Okies. Here it is. I talks funny. An' I know I talks funny. I always haz. Always willz." He flexes his muscles and shows his claws as he drops into a fighting stance suited for unarmed combat. "Because I talks funny, my fellow kitty-faces don't want me ta fight alongside them. They cast me out. They sez I fight great, but I sound too silly when I iz not fighting. And dats all my people do is fight for glories. But they don't want me. So... if I cannot haz a fighting team, I must become a fighting team. So I develop an' follow the Philosophy of Moar."


Powerpaw gnashes his teeth, and performs several blocks and counters. His form is excellent, though he does not immediately appear to have Kitrin's fighting experience. "Moar training! Moar self-knowledges! Moar experiences! If bad guy steps up an' pushes me around, I doesn't take it - I Smack Em In Da Face! IN DA FAAAAACE!"


"Shh!"


"Oops! I sorry." He shifts into another stance and performs a powerful two-handed swinging motion. "Da Face iz da best place ta smack! Bad guys hate dat. I even made up a game in my free time. I calls it Hammer Smacks! 'S a lotta funs! An' seein' Bria-face makes anybody happies, even in a jail cell." He smiles. And it looks odd on a face like his, but genuine.


Then he snarls and there is nothing silly about it. "But Bilal the Rich is gonna be Bilal the Dead. He gonna spend his fortune screaming in Hells! He pointed his little dragon-face rod at me and knocked me right outs... Said I was da best for his menageries..." He growls again from deep within his chest. It is the sound of a warrior ready for vengeance. "Bria, I wanna nom his face so bad, I kin tastes it." He licks his lips and fangs.


Then a growl of a different kind erupts inside the wagon-cage. "Uh..." Powerpaw looks at his tummy. "I iz starvins. Bria? I kin haz noms, pwease?"


Bria whispers, her pretty eyes grow wide as a thought dawns inside of her. "Of course, I do! But... um... what about the hobbits? Bilal said he fed you some hobbits?"


Suddenly the hay in the far corner explodes with activity. Two battered-looking, hay-covered hobbits wearing farmer's clothes burst forth and run up behind Powerpaw, hiding behind him as if they trust him with their lives. They bow to all of you. "That be us! Whittle and Bonabin at your service!" says a lady-hobbit in an excited but hushed voice.


"Said something about food, did you? You have some?" says Bonabin. You notice they are holding hands.


Bria positively beams at Powerpaw. "You didn't eat them after all!"


He crosses his arms and tries not to sound offended. "Of course, I didn't noms them! What you think I is? A monster?" Then he turns to everyone and adds, "After we noms, how does we get outta here?"

 

[Sherwood]

Luna smiles at the exchange between Powerpaw and Bria. Hesitantly, she walks up to the large cat-creature and offers her hand in friendship. "Well met, Powerpaw. As I said before, I am Luna Kaftan. I have spells prepared; perhaps one of them can prove useful in helping to get us out of here. Powerpaw, you have been a prisoner here longer than the rest of us. Do you know where the keys are kept? If they are beyond the cage but in this room, I can grab them. Or, I can try to freeze the lock and damage it, and possibly then you would be able to break out with your great strength." She ponders for a moment, then looks doubtful. "Mmm. Perhaps not. My cantrip Ray of Frost is probably not strong enough to damage the lock if it is built strong enough to hold a prisoner as large as Powerpaw, but it couldn't hurt to try." Luna takes a few moments to carefully look around for something, anything that can prove to be of use.

Spoiler

Current memorized spells:


Cantrips: Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Read Magic, Detect Magic


Level 1: Shield x2, Gravity Bow, Burning Hands


Level 2: Mirror Image, Scorching Ray x3


Level 3: Fireball x2, Displacement


Force Missiles x6

 

[Purr]

Powerpaw nods to each of you and attempts provide a polite and meaningful, "Hewwo." He looks down at Luna and his whiskers rise along with his four ears as he listens to her. Then he looks to Bria with a raised eyebrow.


"Go ahead, fuzzy! Luna is a Wizard. I bet she's studied all kinds of neat things."


"Ooh? Luna is a smarty-face? How kin you tells?"


"She has a familiar named Sparkle. Sorcerers don't have familiars."


"Oh." Powerpaw pulls some hay out of his claws. "Keys... One of Merchant-face's humans haz them. He's a leader. Kinda big for a human, an' he wears two swords. But I don't think he's any good wif them - his coordinations an' balance is all poopy. Just watch how he walks." He points to the thick, wooden door reinforced with steel bars you entered in from. "An' that door is tough. I think it haz resisted stronger guys than me. You'd hafta hit it real hard just ta hurt it. Maybe if I haz my hammers, I could smack the wooden part in, but see them bars? No way for a kitty-face like me to squeeze through."


As Luna searches around the entire cage room, she finds nothing useful. The poor lighting conditions serve to make searching more difficult, details are very difficult to detect, and there is only so much her fingers in the hay can tell her.


Powerpaw continues. "I think this wagon haz only two rooms - this one an' the room beyond it. That room haz a door which goes outside; you kin smell the fresh air whenever somebody uses it."

 

[Purr]

Bria watches Luna digging around in the darkness, and then she looks up to the pale sliver of moonlight entering in from the dagger-sized hole carved into the ceiling.


"If only I had a firefly."


"Firefly?" Bonabin the hobbit asks. "Whatever would you need a firefly for?"


"Well, you see, it's the component required for a Light spell."


"You can make magic with it then?"


"Oh, certainly!"


"Will these do?" Bonabin reaches into the only pouch available to him and shows it to Bria. She kneels down to his height and looks inside.


"Oh, you're wonderful! Where did you get these?"


Whittle responds. "A little after midnight, they come in through the little hole up there. Maybe they like the smell of hay or something? Yondalla's blessing, I suppose," the green-eyed hobbit looks skyward at the mention of the halfling goddess of plenty. "We've had nothing else to do, so why not catch firefliess? Plus we get to make faces at each other while we're hiding in the hay." The hobbits share a laugh. It is a wonderful thing to hear.


Powerpaw looks at the fireflies. "An' here I thought me pickin' you ups so you kin catch buggies was stupid. Shows what I knows."


"Um, Luna? Maybe a Light spell will help?" Then Bria peers up to Powerpaw. "Do you think it's safe for a Light spell in here?"


'Yah, yah," he replies. "Moar light is good. If they could sees in here, they would haz spotted my hobbit buddies."


"O.K. So as long as I keep the light away from the hole, no one outside should know. Um, I guess that will help keep them thinking we're still all tied up?" Bonabin offers Bria the pouch. "Hmm. Ow. That should do. Thank you! Sharleos avanti!"





A soft light-blue glow gradually but quickly illuminates much of the cage room. You see Bria standing near the door holding a strand of her hair; the source of the glow. Now all of you can see well, especially those of you who possess low-light vision. Bria then gently ties the strand around her left wrist and starts searching the room with Luna.


After some moments looking through the hay, both Luna and Bria come upon something on the floor itself. Lines scratched into the wood, perhaps by claw or some similar instrument. At first, they appear haphazard and meaningless, until the two of you brush away the hay and take a closer look. Then you notice something distinct scrawled into the floor.


An arrow.


It points into the corner where the hobbits were hiding. Meanwhile, both said hobbits turn to each other. Bonabin asks, "We were hiding right on top of something important this whole time?" He shakes his head. "I swear I was not meant to be a rogue. Oh, for our farming tools and our seven little stars!"


"I'm hungry enough to eat our farming tools, dear." Whittle replies.


"Oh, sorry!" Bria hops up and slips the strand from her wrist and holds it out. "Could someone take the light? Don't worry, everyone! I will have some food for everyone in a short while. Just don't interrupt my spell, O.K.?"


"Oooh! Oh, boy! Incomin' noms! Moar noms moar!"


With that, Bria stands and bows to nothing in particular. Then she begins to chant a long incantation, as if she were reciting an interesting story in the language of magic. Her eyes closed, there is a soft smile upon the monk's serene features as she slowly performs a series of arranged movements, dance-like, and completely evasive in nature. Her form is excellent and she is a joy to behold, illuminated so in the soft blue light of her strand of hair.


Then you realize you are seeing something most people on Sharseya never get to see - Ko magic in action.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Wolf could not possibly remain indifferent in the face of Powerpaw.


Powerpaw became the center of the ranger's attention and curiosity from the moment he appeared. Learning that he was not just Bria's friend but of the friendly sort altogether merely got rid of what few inhibitions Wolf might have had in the first place. He stood before the large creature, openly displaying his amazement.


"Powerpaw..." he said while slowly reaching out to touch him, trying hard to recall if he had ever read or heard anything that would shed some light on this particular creature.


[dice]495[/dice]

 

[Kaerri]

Kitrin shakes off her awe of Powerpaw as a surprise of a completely different sort comes over her. "Hey! I know you guys! Well, kind of. You're Meadowsweets, aren't you? I'm a Kittenpaw myself. I'm so glad you didn't actually get eaten!" Bria's Light spell redirects her attention yet again, and she looks with interest at the now-visible cage/room/wagon interior. "Oh, nice spell! What's that you've found on the floor, there?" Absently she takes the glowing bit of Bria's hair as it is offered and leans in to see what Luna is looking at.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Otiorin was investigating the cage and its environs himself, during the conversation between the others, the dim interior no great impediment to his Half-Elven eyes. He investigated the cage, its bars, corners, the lock on the door and the hinges too. He searched the bars overhead, the points where they met the upright portions of the cage. He was about to perform a fingertip search of the floor when Bria created light from her magic. with the detection of the arrow, he bounds lithely over to begin his search in the indicated direction, straining every sense to the extreme to find something, anything, to free them from this predicament.

 

[Sherwood]

Luna begins to wonder if the arrow pointing into the corner was just a coincidence. "I wonder, is this arrow magic? Lets find out." She briefly focuses her will on the arrow, and casts her Detect Magic spell upon it. "Otiorin, check in that corner to see if this arrow was pointing at anything besides the hidden pair we have here, please?"

Spoiler

Current memorized spells:


Cantrips: Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Read Magic, Detect Magic


Level 1: Shield x2, Gravity Bow, Burning Hands


Level 2: Mirror Image, Scorching Ray x3


Level 3: Fireball x2, Displacement


Force Missiles x6

 

[Purr]

Neither Wolf's years of learning wisdom in the wilds, nor Luna's countless hours in tome-filled libraries can help discern what Powerpaw is. Neither of them have ever heard of such a creature on this side of Sharseya, nor of any type of monster quite like him.


Powerpaw watches Bria perform her spell. Again, you see an expression of relief in his blood-red eyes. Then Wolf approaches and says his name. The bestial warrior looks down to the ranger, and out comes his massive black and white paw, armed with sharp claws on a scarred fist. He appears to be trying to offer Wolf a handshake.


'Hewwo. Who is you, human-face?"


Bonabin and Marigold "Whittle" Meadowsweet beam and softly clap at being recognized. "You hear that, love?" Whittle nudges her husband. "We're famous!"


Bonabin nods emphatically. "I never thought we would be recognized anywhere outside of Highwind! And a Kittenpaw all the way out here near Summerset! Oh, bother. I thought we were the farthest hobbits south right now. Looks like you have had us beaten all along, Kitrin. Still, it is good to be among fine, hole-dwelling folk who can understand the dire necessity of a second breakfast!"


Whittle quietly cheers at Kitrin. "We've nothing to worry about now, Bonny. We have a Kittenpaw among us! We are as good as freed! Heard all about her grandmother's heroic adventures, haven't you?" And with that Bonny and Whittle lower their voices and excitedly chit-chat.


Otiorin has likely never beheld a lock quite this large and well-made outside of his homeland. This solid steel lock seems to be the same type of strong metal the bars are made of. The cage and the bars over the door are definitely a custom-made design forged just for this purpose; the kind of job that requires coin in quantities most people never see. And though the reinforcing bars and thick wooden door have seen much abuse on this side of the wagon, the damage is only cosmetic.


As Otiorin bounds over to the hay-strewn corner, he sees Powerpaw notice and comment, "Ooh, good balance. Just lookit how he uses his feets." Otiorin reaches the corner and begins his search, and his time spent practicing the arts of alertness pay off quickly. The floor beneath the pile of hay hides an emerald green scroll case fitted with brown wax seals. Wrapped around the scroll case is a piece of parchment. It has suffered a "dry-crack" along the center, but still whole. If handled carefully, it should be readable. Yet how long these have lain undiscovered here, Otiorin cannot tell.


And then the light-carrying Kitrin joins Luna as the wizard casts her Detect Magic spell - a spell thankfully free of the necessity of a material component. In almost the same moment Otiorin finds the scroll case, Luna focuses her mind on the arrow scrawled on the floor. However, it turns up as boring and as mundane as a typical book on politics.

 

[killfire]

Sits up, looks around, and stares at everyone with that "What happened?" look. Shakes head to clear the after-effects of the gas, since I didn't drink or eat anything. Peeks at the lock on the cage and door, wondering if it can be picked or if other methods must be used. Waves at everyone.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Adding a friendly smile to his curious glance, the man replies to Powerpaw and accepts the handshake without hesitation. "My name is Wolf. I'm a ranger. Things of the wilds are my passion, but I've never, ever, seen your kind before. Or anything remotely resembling. Where did you come from?"

 

[Purr]

Wolf's question appears to catch Powerpaw off-guard. Completely 0ff-guard. He raises a claw to answer, then he hesitates. Then he looks over to Bria, apparently for guidance, and sees her still deep in mid-spell, gulps, and he hesitates again. Then he looks down to Wolf with wide worried eyes as if to say to himself, "Just what in the hell am I supposed to tell this guy?"





Finally, his whiskers twitch as he appears to come to a decision. "Uh, okies... 'S like this. You is a human-face. I is a kitty-face. An' I comes from the land of kitty-faces." Then he looks around, "And that's nowhere near here. Uh, I guesses you does not haz kitty-faces around here! Heh, heh. Uh, is the noms readies yets?"


He tries to look away from Wolf as if to change the subject, then a thought strikes him and his tone changes back to one of curiosity mixed with excitement. "Hey, Wolfs! How you git the birdie? An' what kinda opponents does you likes to kill? You is ranger - rangers always hate somebodies..."

 

[Sherwood]

Luna looks about in ever growing frustration. "That's all fine and good, but it doesn't help us get out of here! I hesitate to try my magic; the Fireball spells I know would blow us up, and the Burning Ray may just weld the lock shut and not blow it open, and I damn well know that my puny little Force Missiles won't dent these bars if they are built strong enough to hold someone as strong as Powerpaw. If we just had something to pick the lock with! Even if it is out of the cage, I could grab it with my Mage Hand spell and bring it over. Or, if there was some way to lure the man with the key inside, I could cast my spell then and try to sneak the key away, or just blast him and take it from his body." She is not used to being stuck in a situation where she has access to her magic and it won't help out at all.


Luna heads over to the door and examines the lock and the hinge. Perhaps her Burning Ray would do the trick...


[dice]552[/dice]

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Otiorin picked up the scroll case with care, gently teasing the parchment away with cautious movements of his fingers. The dried skin creaked and flexed as he manipulated it and he worked it loose, little by little, until it was free. With the care of a scholar he placed the freed scroll case down then, by the light of the two wizards' spells, examined the parchment.