The Great Gates (In-Character)

[Modric]

Robern

Noticing the party going down the right hand path, he follows the group wearily.

Ah, and now we've found a big, bad wolf...


Robern will ready his sword, just in case.

[Paladin]

Day 1, Dawn - Eyes are watching...

While you contemplate the approach of the enormous beast and decide upon your course of action, you can't help but feel...watched. The sensation crawls up your spine and raises the tiny hairs at the nape of your neck.

You each see small flickers of movement from the corners of your eyes, but when you look directly at them, they vanish. Every so often a small stone will slip loose from the walls of the pass and skitter to the ground at your feet.

Divitiakus 4/6
The Violet Chaplain 4/6

[Karaunios]

Divitiakus "There's something amiss here. Please, watch around me. I'm going to try to communicate with this animal. Protect me while doing so. If it's the leader of a wolfpack, maybe I can convince it that we aren't pray... Warriors, uses your shields to build up a circle the best way you can around me, the rest, get into that circle so you can get behind their protection, and attack if need be from behind... Just let me a little room to... talk to the beast."

Divitiakus will attend to commune with the spirit of the coming wolf as soon as it's in range.

[beniliusbob]

Vamstar and the Violet Chaplain set themselves up at Divitiakus's flanks, the Chaplain with mace and shield and Vamstar wielding his longbow. Briarthorn hangs near the back, readies her dagger, and curses her choice of spells once more.

[Paladin]

Day 1, Dawn - Eyes are watching...

The great maned wolf shakes his head as if casting off an unwelcome touch. A deep, audible growl emerges as he advances on the party, but to your surprise, it isn't the inarticulate growl of a beast but a voice speaking words. A very angry voice.

"Cease your meddling, shaman!" He snarls. "I like it not." He pauses ten feet from you. "As my soul fled my body, I saw that damned wizard crouching over me. He whispered that I have blood to spill and honor to win. Today is not my time to die."

Divitiakus 4/6
The Violet Chaplain 4/6

[Modric]

Robern

Robern watches as the shaman attempts to commune with the wolf and the wolf's cryptic reply.

Excuse me wolf, but what the hell are you talking about?

[Cougbeav]

Siegfried

Siegfried readies his axe and raises his shield to cover the shaman's flank.

Sounds like we have a meddling wizard and his curse on this poor man and beast, methinks talk may be futile here

[Karaunios]

Divitiakus

"Hold on! Don't attack! The sorcerer took away Haukr's body and said we would see our friend reincarnated in a new form. I think this is Haukr, although his appearance has changed."

------

Haukr Ulfgangi

The one who now has the appearance and the gait of a wolf shows his sharp teeth in what passes for a grin. "The holy man is right. I had the honor of falling in battle, although no time to acquire glory and everlasting fame, but have suffered the curse of being imprisoned in this form till the end of my days, in exchange for a second chance."

He rises his muffle again, to his right and to his left. "But we're not alone. Something or someone surrounds us. We better get ready for battle. Now, let me walk into your ranks and let me fight at your side again."

[beniliusbob]

Briarthorn Brightwater

"Well, this is unexpected... but not without precedence in the stories of old. And another battle companion is surely something we should not decline!"


The Violet Chaplain

The Chaplain growls quietly, thinking of other unholy things she's seen in her time. But they can sort the wolf-man out later. She scans the horizon for enemies.


Vamstar the Younger

With the horror of battle and sorcerous fog so recently upon his psyche, Vamstar accepts the talking wolf with ready ease. He's more concerned about what nasty things might try to poke him to death or stave in his skull.

"Where? I don't see anything..." Vamstar spins in place with his bow, looking for something - anything - to shoot.

[Paladin]

Day 1, Early morning - Eyes are watching...

Despite the eerie feeling and dire warnings, you can see farther down the path from this position, and it begins to widen. It's twenty feet wide further down, then thirty. It continues broadening until it disappears around yet another bend. You even see small sprigs of grass pushing up amid cracks in the stone. No enemies are immediately visible. Do you continue, or do you turn back and select a different path?

Divitiakus 4/6
The Violet Chaplain 4/6

[Karaunios]

Divitiakus

"Calm yourself, Vamstar. We don't want any potential enemies to see us that way, do we? The shaman puts his hand on the young archer's shoulder. "I don't know, but something tells me this is a sensation we're gonna have to get used to...

Anyway, let's take the path to the left and be done with it."

He starts walking that way.

.....

Haukr

The wolf makes a low growling noise. "Let's just move and not linger here any longer. A still target is an easy target."

[beniliusbob]

Briarthorn, Vamstar, and the Violet Chaplain heed the wise shaman's words and follow him down the leftmost path.

[Odin One Eye]

Valkur Twigbeard

He readies his sword and shield, and follows the group down the left path.

[Cougbeav]

Siegfried Diceheart

Siegfried shoulders his shield, gathers himself and follows the party down the left hand path.

[Paladin]

Day 1, Early morning - Eyes are still watching...

Firmly set on your new course, you proceed down the lefthand path. For the first few feet, it mirrors the other. But as you proceed, it narrows to a small channel some ten feet wide. The sides are sheer and slick as glass, and the wind blows full in your face. Grains of sand sting exposed flesh and force you to blink repeatedly. The keening howl of the near-constant wind is distant at first, but the farther you go, the louder it becomes. Curiously, the tone rises to a shrill whistle at a certain spot on the path. If you proceed past that spot, it lowers to a dull roar once more.

If your mission is to find sources of water, food, and new land to settle, there is little promising about your current track. All is dry, dead, and empty. The intensifying wind buffets you hard, tearing at your clothing and dislodging stones from above. They fall all around you and litter the path. I need everyone to make a normal (3d6) dexterity check, please, and post the results with your next action. Post your dex score with it, so I can compare the roll to your score without checking each character sheet.

Divitiakus 4/6
The Violet Chaplain 4/6

[Odin One Eye]

Valkur Twigbeard

Dex 8 [3d6] = 13

[Karaunios]

Divitiakus

"Not that it looked more promising than the other two paths at first, but now it's even less promising. This is a place we ought to visit at a later date, I reckon."

Normal skill check [3d6] = 15 Dex 14


.....

Haukr

The wolf sighs, or does, at least, a sound that passes for something similar in lupine terms. "Make up your mind, shaman.

But, it's true, this path doesn't hold anything of interest for the moment. The sand is blinding and an ambush could easily be set against us. We better try to get on our trail and choose another path at the fork. I'd say the one in the middle.

If that one fails, then we can follow the arrow and fall into a trap."

He snorts. Or growls.

Normal skill check [3d6] = 13 DEX 10

[beniliusbob]

Briarthorn Brightwater

[3d6] = 5 vs. DEX 11


Vamstar the Younger

[3d6] = 15 vs. DEX 10


The Violet Chaplain

[3d6] = 8 vs. DEX 10

[Paladin]

Feel free to ask questions about your surroundings as we go, also. I only describe what is obvious at a casual glance. If I mention something out of the ordinary or noteworthy, it might bear investigation. If you wish to examine something more closely or your character pays particular attention to a certain thing, let me know in your action and you'll get more detailed information.

Going forward, do me a favor and post your next action with your ability check. We can move things along more quickly that way!

[Karaunios]

I edited Haukrs action.

What say you, folks, should we just go back and try the second path? With blinding sand in a canyon and all that it seems easy to be attacked from all sides at a disadvantage."