Tales of Ikhorus

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Garrets eyes narrow, this job already stunk enough without his "friend" trying to hide something. Leaning forward tenting his fingers, "Ras, you claim your life is on the line. That we don't want to mess with these people, yet here we are... Keeping secrets from one another. It's probably best you tell us everything or we walk away right now."
 
Ras finishes scribbling a note and gives it to Barost. "Here, it says you're delivering this in the name of 'Rasdaar Shardesh', and the gold content as well as the vial of ink." As both of them lower their voices he lowers his to match their tone. "I've told you already. I owe some people, and this box carries the agreed compensation. I need you to deliver it for me because I can't wait until the next caravan, and it would go smoother if the people at the tavern didn't recognize me. No need to make a fuss in the big city over this." The dragonborn sits upright again and smiles, when he continues on his usual volume. "Anything else that you request?"
 
The group says their farewells to Rasdaar Shardesh and, soon after, to the village of Dewfall. Hopping on the now covered cart pulled by the two antelopes, you take the only packed earth road that leads out of the village and in the direction of Bankshire, the capital of this Duchy, and the conclusion of the deal just made.
 
As the cart trundled along the path, Garret once again found himself strumming his lute, singing a traveling song:
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.


Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
 
As Kaesalor and Garret drive the most unusual cart some travelers would have ever seen, the group steadily makes their way out of the village and through the few sparse farmlands that surround it. After about one hour of travel, it's not possible to see Dewfall anymore and your vision has to settle for the hilly grasslands with just a few trees scattered throughout the landscape. But, other than that, it goes by pretty uneventful

When nearing the second hour of travel, Barost, was growing tired of keeping his eyes peeled just to see a few animals roaming far from the road, and no other relevant visitors. Now, the cart is about eighty feet from one of the lone trees, this one stands on the edge of the road as its branches hang over it. Among the foliage, the half elf spots some creatures he has never seen before, there were two small lizard-like creatures that can only be described as something between a velociraptor and a chicken, neither side especially happy with the mix. The two monstrosities weren't paying much attention to the group, but, while scanning for more undesired company, the sorcerer sees a third one, about twice the size of the smaller ones, that looks longingly to the cart that was approaching its nesting point.
 
Humming along with Garret for awhile, Barost found himself quite bored already on the trip. At least on the water there was generally always something to be doing ... until he caught sight of some very strange creatures off to the side of the road.

Leaning forward in the wagon he tapped Kae's shoulder, "Stop -- stop!" Pointing ahead of the group towards the creatures, "Those lil' ones are cockatrice -- 'member what they did to the old Captain? Those can do it too with their poison ... Iunno what that bigger one is, but it's got it's eyes on us."

He looked around the area, "There's not much in th' way of cover ... an' I bet they can outrun us if they really want ..." Fiddling with his earring he grinned, "We could take th' fight to them ... maybe salvage some bits for sale, eh? Down th' line, we got a whole wagon we can store stuff on." Sparking his fingers, "I think ... I think I can do something that'd help both Lady Mel and Kaesalor in combat too, if yer both willin' to try?"
 
Kaesalor sized the creatures up. "Those things... they look unnatural. It is better for both nature and maybe even for them to put them out of their misery. Just... let's make it quick." He says with a determined expression.
 
True to fashion Garret was only half paying attention when people started talking about dino-chickens. They sounded delicious, however their appearance was not.

Hearing Kaesalor's thoughts on it, Garret thought it best to remain back and stay out of harm for once.
With a crack of his knuckles he started to play, play songs of inspiration to uplift Mel. Who the creatures seems to take a rather fine interest in, which Garret couldn't fault them for.

The much larger one seemed to be creating problems, and hurting his friends. He chose his next chords carefully, ones to torment the mind. He yelled from his post, "Come to the spit, you overgrown chicken, I've got a barbecue sauce with your name on it!"

The taunt seemed to do it's trick, the bird-a-saur ran in terror giving his friends an opening. The rest of the fight blurred together, as Garret charged toward the melee intent to heal any wounds.
With the death of the last bird shortly following his arriva, he instead turned to his friends in astonishment, "Hey they monsters didn't maul me this time?! You two okay? I cant patch you up."
 
With a nod from the others, Mel and Kae started to charge towards the opponents and Barost reached deep into the pool of thunderous energy within that he usually pulled from to cast his magic -- for whatever reason it felt like ... there was more to it now. Perhaps already, just being with these people for a little while had pushed him further? He needed to focus -- this was magic he'd never tried before, and the weird idea he had -- if he broke his focus now, he wasn't sure he could even manage to try again. Standing in the wagon with one hand pointed towards the other two he took a deep breath only to gasp as the magic flowed through him -- a single lightning bolt it looked like ... bright white and vibrantly blinding yet as it went it instead split, striking both the firbolg and the fellow half-elf in the back.

For a half second, Barost panicked -- oh gods, had he killed them? Did he fuck up? Daring to look -- no -- the spell had worked! The two forms struck by it had grown larger, Kae himself now tall enough to merely pluck the creatures from the tree easily. Feeling a bit giddy at his magic actually working, unfortunately when he went to use his crossbow it went horribly wide. Seeing the tide of the fight seem to shift, biting his lip in hesitation -- trying another new dangerous thought ...? Well if he was going to do it ... it might as well be in the country-side right? Hopping off the wagon, letting his crossbow fall to the side he ran forward, bringing his hands together as he usually did, however while there was no sound by him, in the middle of the fight a thunderous crack echoed out into the air, spooking the antelope. Using his usual and familiar winds he ducked back, hoping to catch them if the mounts did decide to bolt.

Watching the fight continue, he reached for his crossbow again, seeing an opportune moment and fired, killing one of the beasts with a clean blow, running forward slightly he felt a burst of energy as he managed to fling ice towards the remaining one too and watched as the battle ended. Letting his focus on the spell end he watched the others shrink back to their normal size he couldn't help but grin stupidly as he led the wagon over to the fresh corpses. "Guys! Did'ya see what I did? I made ya both bigger! Oh man that woulda been great to have on th' ships, yanno?"

Mind elsewhere for a moment his attention came back, "Oh -- right, anyone good at salvaging this kinda stuff? Not sure how well it'll hold, but I can make ice if we need it?"
 
Kaesalor had a dream last night. He saw the great bear again, that he had to put down for its own good. But this dream... was different. He was fighting not against, but alongside the noble animal. He was thinking all day, even as he was charging towards his enemies, of what this dream could've meant. His focus was thrown off for a moment when he felt a small jolt of lightning strike him and somehow enlarge his form, nearly to its double. But the distraction only lasted for a moment. He found the memory again, the dream clear as daylight in his mind. He stopped, just in front of the tree for a second and closed his eyes. He said, in a low voice: "Great Bear... grant me your guidance."

For a second, nothing happened. But then, he heard a growl. This growl was much like the one he had given when he fought with abandon before, but it was... louder. Much louder. And it came from... behind him? He paid it no mind, as he knew exactly what it was. He reached into the tree and plucked the largest of the creatures out of it easily. But it wasn't only his own hand that grasped the thing. There was also another limb, barely visible and merging with his own at points. It was the arm of the ethereal bear spirit that was now fighting with him. He then slammed it right into another approaching monstrosity. They bit and clawed at him, but he paid no mind to his injuries. He let go of the larger creature and reached for his battleaxe. As he slashed the creature, the foreleg of the spirit bear mauled into it. He struck again, now for a final blow against the largest of them, with wild abandon. He tore into it with his weapon, and then the spiritual claws slammed it down into the ground. The bear spirit roared, ready to fight on. But by this time, there was nothing else left to fight.

Recognizing this, the ethereal spirit dissipated. It was now that Kaesalor noticed one of the antelopes became frightened of the loud noises of battle. He immediately rushed to it, trying to calm it down. "Hush, friend. It's over now. We're sorry... to have frightened you. Calm down now, there's nothing to fear anymore."
 
Seeing the lighting bolt striking down, Mel had only a second to sigh. Gods dammit.

Blinking open her eyes, there was only a split second where she thought she had died. Before the horrible screams brought her back. Almost frightening, if not for the inspiring words from behind her. Striding forward, she was surprised when her steps hit harder than before. Looking down at herself, to the others. What the fuck did that sea bitch do to me? Shrugging she begins to attack the strange creatures in front of her. Her attacks slowing due to the monsters bite. With the final slain, she stalks toward the others.

"It was certainly interesting. But next time warn us, darling." Fixing her hair she goes to sit down on the wagon.
 
Thankfully Garret's simple upbringing had given him some experience with animals. When the antelope spooked, he was able to help Kaesalor calm the beast down, with some local sweet grass he knew other livestock to be fond of.

With those creatures calmed down Garret turns his attention to the beasts. He and Barost made quick work, cutting the beasts up; first the glad that seemed to remove petrification; a few choice cuts of meat.

Everything was going smoothly until they attempted the removal of the petrification glad... The blade was slick with blood and he made a terrible error. They nicked the gland... First his fingers locked up, then his arm became stiff... "Barost... I think..."

That was the last word out of his mouth as the rest of his body became ridgid.

Well shit... Hopefully this isn't permanent
 
Barost scratched his head, "Uh ... I mean I was pretty sure you wouldn't die at least?" Watching her walk away he went off to help Garret with salvaging the bodies, trying to ignore the grossness of the corpses, some of them a bit squishier than they should be from the sonic damage they had taken earlier.

Not entirely paying attention he glanced up as he heard his name: "Oh --shit! Oh hells," he grabbed the gland that seemed to remove petrification, wrapping a bandage around the end of it in an attempt to control how much came out and coated the fellow half-elf's hand, watching the stone appearance start to fade. With a sigh he saw it work, only for Garret to go right back at it and the scene repeat once more, unfortunately this time Barost managed to spill the entire gland over Garret, causing even more of a mess.

Sitting back on the grass observing the mess, "Well ... that coulda gone better. So much for that ... least we maybe know what we're doin' now? Maybe we'll find some more on the road."
 
Watching the children mess around, Mel sighs. "Seems these kids need more supervision than I originally thought." Making sure Kae has the cart ready, she turns towards the others.

Striding over to the other half-elves, Mel motions her cane at the scene. "I would suggest you clean yourselves up. We have a road ahead of us that needs us to get moving. And I hate to keep it waiting." Pushing gently with her cane, she slowly directs them up and towards the cart.
 
Then, the group jumps back in the cart and start moving again, although a bit slower as the antelopes got a slightly scared from the ruckus.

And with that, the third, the fourth... and the fifth hour of travel goes by. The grass, the hills, the azure sky and the early-afternoon sun ever-present in the rarely changing surroundings. Every once in a while, the few sparse trees appear closer to the road, or it's possible to see animals walking ways away from you, as boars, hyenas, birds, coyotes pass by and none of them react to your presence, simply crossing the grasslands with their own course in mind. Next to completing the sixth hour, the packed-earth road is climbing over one of the many low hills of Eldercliff and Barost hears something on the other side of it - growls, screams, guttural noises and the unmistakable sound of iron hitting iron.
 
Chuckling and teasing Mel as she acted like their mother, Barost settled back into the wagon, keeping a watch on things as they went ... and back into the boring travel once more. Almost dozing off he perked up at hearing what sounded like combat. "Guys --" he hissed, "Do you hear that? Someone's fighting over the hill I think -- I can't tell who or what though."
 
Garret moves closer to investigate the origin of the sound and sees a fierce ongoing battle. With about half a dozen corpses laying by their feet, five gnolls are standing against five orcs that cleave through their forms with their massive greataxes. An orc that wears plate armor is fighting two of them at once, while the four others slowly chip away at the opponent's numbers. Within seconds, the first gnoll falls dead on the ground, followed by another killing blow delivered by the armored orc. The gnolls see this change of tide and try to retreat before more warriors fall before the orcish forces. However, the pursuit is not looking good for those that become prey, as the orcs appear to be closing the distance quickly.
 
what bloody spectacle of gore is this? Also wow that axe is big!

Garret chooses his moment to get his companions attention, luckily they were within running distance as he sprints back down the hill. "Guys, orcs and gnolls are having a scrap, come quick! We can finish off the survivors."

He's not entirely sure what he hopes to accomplish with his plan, but maybe this will at least make another good story...
 
And with that, the group tries to walk undetected over the small hill to face the orcs Garret saw moments after running after gnolls. When you can finally see the hillside better, you find the same many hyena-like corpses motionless amidst the tall grass and a plated hulking orc-figure sting over them. Past him, the other uses are kneeling down over the dead gnolls while using knives to cut something off from them. In that moment, the bigger one, that appears to be the captain, screams something in the guttural language that is Orcish before slowly turning around to make sure no more surprises were coming their way. That's the moment he sees the half elves and firbolg trying to make their way over their direction. With a sadistic smile, he takes his greataxe from his back and points to your forms while yelling to warn the others.
 
"let's kick some orc butt!" Garrets enthusiasm is infectious as the battle is joined. First things first, a sound taunting to this fellow, "you mother was a gibbering mouthers!" does he even know that that is? No matter it will have put his adversary off his game.

Garret spent most of the fight ducking and weaving behind Mother Mel hurling insults. The bigger green monster had caught his attention, poor Kaesalor would need his help. Quick of white he hurled a nasty spell at their leaders brain causing him to run in fear. Then he kept running, what a coward.

A few good notes for Mel in reward for their stalwart defence of his person, and it was on to the next task.

"So... Shall we see what they have in their pockets?"
 
If there was one thing Kaesalor hated in this world, it had to be orcs. It takes no explaining, they are bloodthirsty and indiscriminate. At the mention of them, he grabbed his battleaxe tightly, clenched his jaw and said no word. He just started moving towards them, taking no hurry. Slowly, menacingly. When they noticed him, he ran a few paces forth, then stood his ground and growled. The bear spirit awakened again, now hungry for revenge. His first swing went wide however, maybe his focus was too clouded by the hatred. But then he found his center again and the red cloud in front of him seemed to part just a bit. The manifestation of the bear spirit let out a loud roar when the leader of the orcs closed in to Kaesalor. He took a swing at the Firbolg. Although he shrugged off the blow, the magic in the strike struck into his mind. Garret then cast a spell that made the leader run away, so he took a swing at the retreating orc which just managed to hit him, then he swung at the orc who was still near him, striking deeply into them. Then, he saw the retreating leader. He grabbed a javelin, it seemed like he could make the shot. But sadly, for all his effort, he missed. He roared "GET BACK HERE COWARD!" as loudly as he could before calming down.
 
Attempting to sneak up on the orcs hadn't managed to go well -- but at the very least now they weren't going to be going against two pairs of enemies, and one side was already still injured from battle.

However, while Barost had hoped to start the fight with distance on his side, the orcs ran up quickly, putting themselves in melee range. Dropping his crossbow to the side, Barost brought his hands together once more, causing a shockwave to emit from him, blasting one of them backwards while the other stood their ground -- the half-elf carried away by his favoring winds, attempting to assist Kael in his own battle. Hoping to wear down the leader he lined up a shot, unfortunately it easily bounced off the thick armor he wore as he continued to stomp forwards. Chewing his lip as the battle continued he switched targets, instead aiming at one of the smaller orcs and managed to bring them down, even though he felt the shot didn't have much power behind it.

While the others finished off their targets, he saw the leader start to run and attempted one last shot, only to once more bounce off the thick armor.

Watching him continue onwards, Barost let out the breath he was holding, "That ... could have gone very badly, an' it coulda gone a lot better." He ran a hand through his hair, "I feel so worn out ... I've never cast so much magic inna day." Pausing as Kael roared he added, "We're gonna have to hope he doesn't come back after us ... definitely set up watch when we set camp."

Moving over to some of the dead bodies he nodded to Garret, "Still though, let's see what we've got to work with, maybe we can collect some stuff to sell in town, yeah?"
 
After collecting what was possible from the multiple humanoid bodies, you jump back on the cart and continue the journey towards Bankshire. For two more hours you travel, until the beasts start slowing down after a tiring day of walking. Kaesalor, whilst guiding the two antelopes, searches for a proper place to camp for the night and rest before the next day of travel. Soon after he motions for a stop while pointing to a place little off from the road between two relatively larger hills and in the shadow cast by three of the red-barked trees that sparsely dot the landscape of these grasslands. You tie the animals to one of the trees and position the cart the best you could not to attract unwanted attention, so the night is yours to talk, rest and get ready for the next leg of the journey tomorrow.
 
Finished with helping set up camp, Barost kept a wary eye on Garret's attempt to cook the collected cockatrice husks, gnawing on his dried jerky for now while he skimmed through the journal trying to find pages he could understand.

As his read, his chewing slowed until eventually he was left with the dried meat hanging out of his mouth, staring at the pages before looking at the ring on his hand. "Oh ..." He swallowed before continuing, "So ... turns out the stuff at the bottom of the lake was kinda personal to someone. The blacksmith's guess this was a wedding band wasn't too far off ..." He spun the ring on his finger, "... I think the one who this belonged to passed away, but I don't know if their spouse is still alive." He looked over at Garret, "Does a woman named Andrysra sound familiar at all?"
 
Garret shrugs the questions off, "sorry can't say that I do."
Wondering if rotisserie was the best way to cook the giant bird, he built himself a perfect cooking fire. Enlisting the help of Kaesalor to properly spit the bird the half-elf put himself to the task.
Using some local crushed plants, fresh water and some salt he created a kind of drizzle for the beast... After an hour on the spit it felt right... Similar to roasting a boat in some ways.

Slicing off a piece, he sensed the eyes on him... "Come on guys, it's not like I'm going to get paralyzed...again..." Garret took that first bite and it was wonderful! Similar to ginea fowl and other first birds that he has had the pleasure of trying. Bit of a gamey after taste but over all a complete success!

"You guys want some?"
 
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