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Bruh that's fake news

[Quaksna]

The very air feels warped...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

If another master over the unseen is in peril, you act without a second thought. You have to help the creature!



In between the opposing sides you leap, and growl at the men present.

"Hold it, it was the wolf calling for help!"



The party does hold in place, while the wizard remains unmoved, to no one's surprise.

"Wait, what?" Uzin asks, with a frown, but genuinely curious. "What is going on here?"



"I was sent to investigate this area, for something very strange is going on indeed!" the wizard answers, and shows no intent of backing down still.



"Indeed it is, I'd swear Pik's ears dissapeared just now!" Esem says, in a tone serious, but you cannot tell with him whether he means it...



"Such illusions hardly can do harm, but this wild magic has many a dangerous way to affect you otherwise! This wolf is quite clearly source of this all, and it is my duty to capture it!"

"Blackhoof, what is that thing?" Uzin turns at you.

As you can't tell on your own, you were just about to question the beast, but it was faster.



"I seek no harm... At all." a voice echoes, elusive and unclear as the being's from you witnessed, yet of an articulation refined, it is unlike any creature you have ever heard.

"It talks!" mouths Esem, as his head snaps all around, passing glances upon everyone. "This place's rather odd, the sorcerer has a point..."

"This is no spirit..." you say, putting the observed slowly together. "They tend to not voice their will like this."

"I'm not a force unseen." the being speaks further.  "Know I'm of flesh and bone, akin to you all."

After this proclamation, the veil fades away, as the creature reveals itself to your eyes. And truly, a giant white wolf it is.



"Are you a beastman, like this savage?" the wizard inquires, but doesn't let his guard down for a second.

"Why do you care about things that do not concern you?" asks the beast, its maw's motion corresponding with the words uttered. The sound does not, hovewer, as it does not sound nowhere near as harsh as one would expect.

"I have to bring you to justice, and the deer can't stop me!"

You hold onto your stick ever so tightly, anticipating an attack. Most of the men present seem bewildered, Uzin you feel, though, sympathizes with the sorcerer.



The tension rises, when Flax slowly and deliberately walks over to you, and puts himself in front of the two foes.

"Flax?" you whisper.

"I'm not getting you killed." he says, his voice stern and fell, as his eyes briefly turn towards you.

"Oh we cannot fight witches with Cegad on top of it, can we?" asks Esem, and with each of his eager additions you are more and more convinced, he is not one to jest this once.



Pik looks forward for the fight, as he did the whole time, and Uzin, seeing his men and this unforeseen turn of events, tries to settle everyone down.

"Mister runecarver, I don't think it would be wise to press on... If he's with them."



"And what should I do, then?!!" the wizard retorts, his eyes blazing. "I have my orders, you know?!!"

"If I am such a burden to your people, say so and I will move along, if you let me, that is..." the creature steps in, its voice, despite all odds, remaining calm and noble. Such cannot be said for his opponent.

"Let you move?!! Where to?!! If you're a threat, only a fool would allow you to escape!"



"You will." Flax bellows, to catch the man's attention, then he carries on less aloud, albeit still effectively. "Council or not, the wolf is right, this is none of your business."



Now the runecarver gets his blood properly boiling. He sweeps his staff, shrieking an incantation, in a flash he points to the fairheaded warrior.



A yellow bolt, just as you've seen hurled before, leaps from the end of his rod, and like a lash of a whip strikes Flax in the head.



Thick, dark smoke arises, so that you cannot see the aftermath of this spell outright. You watch in silence, as the cloud dissipates, revealing a silhouette you know very well.



As if struck by a club, the man turns his neck back to face the attacker. And you can see, he stands just as he did before, only half of his face smouldering, unsightly to behold, but apart from reeking of burnt flesh, Flax breaks no sweat.


"How?!!" the wizard gasps, and little time he has, before the warrior comes storming for his payback.



Like a pouncing fox, Flax tackles the sorcerer, and brings him down on his back.



Within seconds, he holds his blade above his neck, and judging from his furious gaze, redder then ever, he will strike him down any moment now...



"Cegad, hold it!" Uzin orders the man, and makes no attempt to hide his anger either. "I don't care who started this, you're not slicing his throat open!"

"What..." the wizard pants, his eyes flickering between the two. "You're... Just going to let this madness... Slide?"

"I can make sure the wolf is brought before a runecarver assembly, once we get to one. But you will stop the fighting this instant! Do you accept?"



Not the magician, nor Flax hide their displeasure with the offer, but don't let the chief wait long. They both nod, and so does the wolf in the back, after gining it some thought.

"Release him."

Flax obeys, and lets the terrified wizard slip from underneath. He makes sure to hop a good few ells back, before talking to you again.



"I implore you, get rid of this devil. He will rain doom upon you all!" he roars, then scurries away, as fast as he can.

Now, everyone is quick to confront Flax, especially Uzin, seeping with ire.



"What. Was. That. About?!!" the leader shouts, and should he had Flax under his sword, you'd bet someone would die that instant.

"I can't behold such injustice..." he utters, in the same cold, grave voice.

"Injustice?!!"

The chief struggles to hold reins onto his breath, but does not answer back further. When he does calm down, he talks to the beast next. "Wolf, we did what we could. I beg, heed the agreement and cooperate."

Once again the being nods, obediently passing over amidst the hunters.

"Cegad, now listen to me carefully." spits Uzin, for the last time addresing the bold warrior. "Should we face any ill-will from the runecarvers for your insolence, I'll make sure you won't see light of the day! Come along men, let us move on! And no more stops until further notice!"



"Oh boy, we made boss real angry, didn't we." Esem whispers to you, and although you've just witnessed an encounter unforgettable, he does make it sound rather mundane, as if such a state of affairs was deeply familiar to him. "Let's not try his temper further, shall we?"


To this you cannot object, and quietly the lot of you gets in motion.. The wolf skims around the party, just as a beast would, but tries to keep close to you.

[Strik3r]

well, that went less than ideally.
But i suppose we do have a favour to return to Flax now, so lets try to heal his face. Lets try to look for any healing herbs but if that doesn't work, lets fall back on a healing spell.

Also, lets talk to Uzin and ask him about the so called "Runecarvers".

And talk to the wolf being too, does it have a name? What is it: a transformed shaman/druid, some kind of empowered animal/guardian or a half-spirit? Also since it can communicate in a magical way, lets use that to secretly tell it that we(blackhoof) wont let it be turned over to anyone.
[?]
This was rather unexpected behaviour from Flax.
There may be even more to him than i initially thought. It may be that his dark power has corrupted him, and his... odd personality is a result of that. I suppose the last question is: Did he take this power willingly (and now potentially regrets it?) or did it possess him in some way? I suspect we'll find that out in due time.

[shreckneps]

+1 to trying to heal Flax, asking about the Runecarvers, and trying to get more info from the wolf

I'm not sure that promising not to let the wolf be captured is the best thing, at least not until we have more information. The Runecarvers are apparently authorities of some sort, and also a powerful organization. Defying them, especially in such an open way, may not be the smartest thing to do. Additionally, we don't know anything about the wolf, other than its magic being familiar. What if the Runecarvers have a genuine reason to capture him?
I think it's most likely that the wolf is innocent, and that we should side with him.. But what if he isn't? And what if he's just being brought to a trial of some sorts, where he could be found innocent anyways, and the only thing our resistance accomplishes is damning us all?
To know how we should side, we need to learn more about both the Runecarvers and about the wolf. I don't think we should make firm commitments until we have an idea of their implications.

[Superdorf]

For all of Cegad's murderous bravado... I feel we may have more of a friend in him than we thought. Somehow.

+1 to trying to heal Flax, asking about the Runecarvers, and trying to get more info from the wolf

+1

[Strik3r]

We'll see, ideally, we'll never meet the bloody Runecarvers. If we can anticipate such a meeting, the wolf can run away before we actually meet them. After all, we can sense magical auras (and if any Runecarvers can too, let 'em chase after the thing themselves) and the wolf can turn freaking invisible, at which point no one in our party (aside from us) can track it. There is of course the fear that the runecarver we met will tell of this to his runecarver friends and they expect a deer man and a red-eyed fighter to be followed by an anomalous wolf thing¹... We just have to hope that this was a low-priority thing and the incident report will get caught up in some kind bureaucracy and/or forgotten and buried.

1. This gave me an idea: They might be expecting an anomalous wolf thing, yes... But i'm sure we could summon a spirit that closely enough emulates or can take the form of the wolf creature, while the real thing has turned 180 degrees and is already miles away. The fools will run around a maze made of lies and illusions like the moronic rats that they are...

All of this is assuming of course that the wolf creature is benign.

[King Zultan]

For all of Cegad's murderous bravado... I feel we may have more of a friend in him than we thought. Somehow.

+1 to trying to heal Flax, asking about the Runecarvers, and trying to get more info from the wolf

+1

+1

[Quaksna]

The party goes on silence, the burden of game upon their shoulders... Oh, you hanged those on Sas. Well...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Hey Flax, that was...  Quite a pleasant surprise! Honestly, I thought we were done for..."

"That's okay, pal. See, I would like to know who the wolfie is myself... Don't like these wizards, too. Gave me the looks before..."

"I would like to repay you somehow, how about your face?"

"Fix me eyes, you mean? That'd be kind."



"Eyes? Your face is... Burned. Like the moon, half black."



The man's brow launch an inch above, as he inspects the ravaged skin with his hand, amused aside the surprise.

"Say, you're right! It really is burned! That I haven't noticed, I thought he just ruined my fringe a little... Well, in that case, do go on!"



You add your palms onto his face, get the magic going, and inquire further about this curious phenomenon.

"You didn't feel the pain, can you now? Are you even a human?"

"Of course I am... This for instance, feels rather pleasant..."

"Don't! Move."



The skin was only surface damaged, and didn't take long to be cleaned off the charred bits, much to

"Thanks, Black. Indeed, how nice it is to be treated with some decency for once... By the way, don't mind Uzin, as I already said, this is between me and those magicians, we have a history. Stay safe."



Speaking of the chief, you should probably get on good terms with him. Olo lets you pass, but keeps an eye on you with a frown noticeably more powerful.

"Blasted punk... A moment, a single moment..." you hear the leader mumble. Always he sounds angry, but when he means it, the listener will know, as you do now.

"Come over, Blackhoof, please, do come over. I can't be mean to you, you just wanted to protect your friends... It's that flaxhair moron... Would be much more bearable, weren't he so... Unpredictable! But I didn't expect, that you two might actually be friends."



"Tell me of these runecarvers, those assemblies."

"Well, you see, here in the north there are quite a number of human settlements, clans, nations... Independently on these, runecarves sprang over time. This order of sorcerers, they... Eh... Carve runes... Do witchery... I don't think they should take great interest in the business of the day... It's a single order, all ove Wintervale, they do not have a head to my knowledge, but the whiter your beard the more important your word is in their councils... That's all I know."



"Alright, you still know a lot. Certainly all I needed to be told of."

"As you've witnessed it is better to avoid them... Why I was hesitant to interfere. For sake of our people, we have to deliver the creature now ourselves. I hope you can understand..."

"I do."



Now you approach the strange being, the reason behind this whole disturbance. It still radiates the force you can link to spirits.

"Greetings, shaman." he speaks to you, now through means of the unseen. A powerful magician it must be, with an understanding deeper than you would have anticipated. The voice you can hear, but cannot reply in the same fashion. "You appear to be willing to give me a hand, correct?"

"You are right there. But first I'd like to know, who are you? A beast you are not, we have seen that. But perhaps this isn't your true form."



"You are clever, Blackhoof. I am a shaman and I truly did change my shape, for my kind was hunted by the likes of humans... So I intend on staying this way. You are the only magician in this group, I'd presume?"



"That is true. As far I know, but I highly doubt there is another..." you respond, and think you know where this is heading.

"Then, should I turn invisible and ran off, you wouldn't stop me, would you?"

"Of course not! If you're in danger, I'll save you from those human wizards, no doubt about it!"



"Who is that tall individual, anyway?" the wolf asks, and although you would expect a bit more life in his voice, given he has just find himself an ally, he does sound more irritable and dry. "His powers I recognize not, yet clearly, as you've said yourself, he can't be a sorcerer..."

"He is a mystery just as great to me. But we should be glad that he helped saving you, now, shouldn't we..."



"Over there, look!" Sas calls, some leaps ahead in the front..



"That's a..."

"A forest fire!" observes Esem, and is quick to inform his superior. "In our direction, boss!"



"I doubt you want to march through alit brush, as much thickheaded you lot are!" barks Uzin, making sure all have stopped to listen.. "No way, another reason to speed up, I say! Should it spread, our home might be struck in someway, too, we must move on, come!"

[Strik3r]

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[Insight]

If what the wolf creature says is true, there's a chance the runecarvers will target us as well at some point, speaking of the wolf creature, maybe we should get it to teach us how to transform too, sometime.

I'm still unsure whom to trust, everyone seems genuine enough. But i suppose that's the trick with liars, no? I guess we just have to be ready for any one of them to double-cross us at any time. Lets hope no-one does.

A forest fire, in the middle of winter?! Something's not right here. Somehow i doubt a campfire or a torch is enough to light the damp wood on fire in the middle of winter. It would probably take... a lightning bolt, yet the sky is completely clear. This had to be done by a wizard's hand.
A runecarver? Unless the one we met decided to take his frustration out on the forest/village, no.
An unknown evil wizard... maybe.
That only leaves... A shaman... I'm only aware of one tribe around here... and that's our own. Did they attack the humans as revenge for Crackantler? But why the forest?

I'm hoping we find a better explanation for this soon, i don't like how this is shaping up.
I suppose there's a chance that an exremely hot (and un-natural) flame might have lit the forest on fire?
Unless we know how to do a wicked rain/snow dance, i don't think there's much we can do against the fire.
I guess we could summon our trusty scout raven and look ahead. That way we can get a nice overview/map of the nearby area, too. I was hoping to leave that for later when we were in town, but oh well.

[Superdorf]

Whatever else we do, offer to take up some of Sas' burden for him. He shouldn't have to carry all that junk.

[shreckneps]

I like the idea of using the scout-bird to get an idea of the surroundings as a whole..
The forest fire is very worrying though. I agree that it is probably intentional, and that we probably can't stop it. However, if we choose, I think we'd stand a decent chance at finding the person responsible and stopping them from starting another. I also think that we have some responsibility to do something about the forest fire.. Or maybe not, we're a shaman, not a druid.

On Runecarvers.. It seems like they are an amoral NGO. A very powerful one. I don't think that intentionally offending them is a smart idea, even if it is moral.. However, they have already been offended by us interfering with the arrest. Our human party-mates best hope is appeasing an already-given offense by surrendering the wolf, rather than preventing offense. If we travel with them to do that, we may be forgiven also. However, Flax has beef with the Runecarvers.. The Wolf supposedly is innocent and being hunted by the Runecarvers.. We don't entirely know the morality of either of these people, but it seems as though there is a conflict between Runecarvers and all other Magickers. It seems as though our choice is really to side with the Runecarvers or with Flax. The Runecarvers are a large magical organization, so we could probably learn more about using magic by joining them.. If the type of magic they use functions similarly to Shamanic, or they have some Shamans. If not, we might be able to pick up a second type of magic(is magic learnable? genetic? mixed?). On the other hand, the Runecarver we saw had no knowledge of Flax's powers, so it may be harder to figure him out if we side with the Runecarvers. We may also have to fight him, which could prove quite difficult.. If he beat us and whichever Runecarvers were present when we tried to join, it would likely be the end of our story. If not, it would be a long way back to his good books.

On Wolf.. We could quite easily set the Wolf free. If he turns invisible, only we can stop him from leaving.. If it happened when we were in no position to do so, like during someone else's watch at night, we could even claim innocence and not offend our party members. On the other hand, if we want to side with the Runecarvers, it would be in our best interest to stop him from leaving.. Either way, I think we should ask him to stay for at least a few nights to teach us some Shamanic powers, and maybe provide some insight into our party members. Specifically, I think we should try and figure out how to spirit morph. We should also ask if he knows some means of long distance magical communication. This would be useful in a few different schemes related to him. We could, for example, have him escape from the humans but continue our tutelage at a distance. Or we could have him escape, and then rejoin our party when we and Flax leave the other humans, to try and build a coalition of anti-Runecarver Magickers.

Flax.. He didn't even notice that he was burnt. However, he thought we might be able to fix his eyes being red. Would this mean undoing the Alterations Flax has undergone? Or just undoing the visibility of it? This also means he doesn't understand his Alterations entirely. He doesn't know whether we can fix his red eyes -- if he knew we could, he probably would've asked earlier. If he knew we couldn't, he would've told us so when we offered. So he's trying to figure his powers out, just like we are.

My suggested course of action:

Ask Wolf if he can do anything about the fire
Send out a scout to get a feel for the land, or the fire
Ask Wolf if he will stay a few nights and teach us how to spirit-morph, and some way of contacting him if we separate
After we have learned what we can, or we are approaching a larger group of humans, tell Wolf to leave invisibly while we are asleep
If we and Flax split from the party reasonably soon/close, try and meet back up with Wolf to form a new party, opposed to the Runecarvers


Alternatively, we could side with the Runecarvers:

Ask Wolf if he can do anything about the fire
Send out a scout to get a feel for the land, or the fire
Ask Wolf if he will stay a few nights and teach us how to spirit-morph, and some way of contacting him if we separate
When Wolf tries to leave, pressure him into staying longer.. See if we can keep him with the party to be turned into the Runecarvers, or milk him for as much magicks as possible
When we meet with the Runecarvers, try to discreetly talk with one of them to warn them that Flax is very dangerous and ask if you can join
Join the Runecarvers, and attempt to learn magic from them


I think that siding against the Runecarvers is the preferable choice. They seem to not hold moral high ground. They are powerful, but so is Flax, and we can build up power by rallying all the Outcast Magickers against the Runecarvers. They might be good to learn magic from, but they also might not know Shamanic magic, while we know that Wolf does. We also wouldn't have to build relations with an entirely new group of people.

[Strik3r]

wow, that's quite indepth, beats my little infoblurbs by a mile.

But i think we should take everything one step at a time.

However, yes, choosing our current party over the runecarvers is probably the wiser choice. After all, it seems like they're not really fond of shamanic magic, maybe the reason the one back there left us alone is because he didn't know that we are a shaman, because we didn't really cast any spells (i don't think he figured out that the raven was ours).

On Flax: There is still the chance he's just manipulating us.

[King Zultan]

Boo runecarvers, they sound awful.

Lets just go around the fire and pretend it isn't there.

[Quaksna]

You're writing more than I am. How's that possible...

Spoiler: Reimagined, 2.6. 2022 (click to show/hide)

"Well, is there any way we could intervene, anyway?" you ask, passing a glance at the wolf.

"We can't save the burning forest completely, that would take a much more complex spell. We could at least cut off the fire so it won't jump to another place... Should you help me, and should we have some time left..."



"We haven't." the leader steps in, his words deadly decisive.

"But we camped just once on our way back..." mutters Esem from the back, but little does it matter.

"And we're going to twice more, today and tomorrow, if I am not mistaken. The day after... We should be in our hamlet."



"But we will approach the forest at the edge, is not it so?" the beastly sorcerer inquires.

"We do, but the spot where it narrows the most you won't see by a dozen yards! It seems only this forest's on fire, so the peril reaches our home not. As I've said, let's speed up so we can be sure, of the real damage!"



"We could send Flax to scout ahead and see if he's truly fireproof while at it!" mouths Esem once more, but one rigorous look from Uzin it takes to silence the bold hunter.



"Enough chit-chat, let's move! Come on, I've seen much hardier men in my time than you pitiful lot..."

And move you do. Seeing Sas carry an awful load all by himself, you walk towards him first.



"Give me one of those, I'll help you." you propose.



This has surprised the bowman, and with a smile he passes you a sack. Hopefully this means he doesn't fear you as much.



Next, navigating through the group, you find your way to the wolf-shaman again.



"Say, I've seen you perform lots of useful spells..." you speak to him. " You think you could teach me something? The shape-shifting, perhaps? Or turning invisible?"



"I could indeed... You do command spirits already, thus no great difficulty I observe. Still, it will take time."

"No need to be too ambitious, mayhap something a day's time? If you intend to stay that long, that is..."

The wolf chuckles. Never've seen such a beast do that.



"Not sure if that can be enough, it all depends on your skill, too. We can give it a try."

You think for a moment, then question further.



"Is there a way to... Stay connected, even as we eventually will separate? So you could guide me after?"

Now the wolf does the contemplation. And it doesn't take him very long.



"Bloodbound should be enough. Unfortunately, to perform it, I need my own blood, my real blood. I would have to revert to my true form, and that is an outrageous thought with these humans around."



"The tall one seems to be on our side. Or, at the very least, he won't try to strike us dead. He seems to take interest in our brand of magic..."

"And useful that is, as the furrowbrow fears him. If he have his support in our cause..."

"That's the only issue there. A cause he has of his own, and apparently it is the two of us he expects support from himself."



"The chief doesn't want any distractions further down the path. That Bloodbound spell would very much allow whatever you want to learn from me, we would be able to keep in touch at all times. We just need a plan..."

Spoiler: Original (click to show/hide)

"Well, is there any way we could intervene, anyway?" you ask, passing a glance at the wolf.

"We can't save the burning forest completely, that would take a much more complex spell. We could at least cut off the fire so it won't jump to another place... Should you help me, and should we have some time left..."



"We haven't." the leader steps in, his words deadly decisive.

"But we camped just once on our way back..." mutters Esem from the back, but little does it matter.

"And we're going to twice more, today and tomorrow, if I am not mistaken. The day after... We should be in our hamlet."



"But we will approach the forest at the edge, is not it so?" the beastly sorcerer inquires.

"We do, but the spot where it narrows the most you won't see by a dozen yards! It seems only this forest's on fire, so the peril reaches our home not. As I've said, let's speed up so we can be sure, of the real damage!"



"We could send Flax to scout ahead and see if he's truly fireproof while at it!" mouths Esem once more, but one rigorous look from Uzin it takes to silence the bold hunter.



"Enough chit-chat, let's move! Come on, I've seen much hardier men in my time than you pitiful lot..."

And move you do. Seeing Sas carry an awful load all by himself, you walk towards him first.



Give me one of those, I'll help you." you propose.



This has surprised the bowman, and with a smile he passes you a sack. Hopefully this means he doesn't fear you as much.



Next, navigating through the group, you find your way to the wolf-shaman again.



"Say, I've seen you perform lots of useful spells..." you speak to him. "You think you could teach me something? The shape-shifting, perhaps? Or turning invisible?"



"I could indeed... You do command spirits already, thus no great difficulty I observe. Still, it will take time."

"No need to be too ambitious, mayhap something a day's time? If you intend to stay that long, that is..."

The wolf chuckles. Never've seen such a beast do that.



"Not sure if that can be enough, it all depends on your skill, too. We can give it a try."

You think for a moment, then question further.



"Is there a way to... Stay connected, even as we eventually will separate? So you could guide me after?"

Now the wolf does the contemplation. And it doesn't take him very long.



"Bloodbound should be enough. Unfortunately, to perform it, I need my own blood, my real blood. I would have to revert to my true form, and that is an outrageous thought with these humans around."



"The tall one seems to be on our side. Or, at the very least, he won't try to strike us dead. He seems to take interest in our brand of magic..."

"And useful that is, as the furrowbrow fears him. If he have his support in our cause..."

"That's the only issue there. A cause he has of his own, and apparently it is the two of us he expects support from himself."



"The chief doesn't want any distractions further down the path. That Bloodbound spell would very much allow whatever you want to learn from me, we would be able to keep in touch at all times. We just need a plan..."

[Strik3r]

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[Insight]

A bloodbind is more than just a way to communicate. Its like a permanent psychic and emotional link with no range limit and no way to "turn it off". Its a way to magically link two individuals together nearly as if they were one and thus should not be taken lightly. A lot of things might potentially (and unintentionally) get sent across. It's a massive burden for the sake of tutoring.

Abilities can always be self-taught and through practice, trial and error. A master develops their own techniques.
I'm gonna reiterate my previous suggestion of summoning our scout spirit raven again to scout ahead and try to find out the cause of the fire.

Also lets turn down the offer for the bloodbound spell.

[King Zultan]

I'm gonna reiterate my previous suggestion of summoning our scout spirit raven again to scout ahead and try to find out the cause of the fire.

Also lets turn down the offer for the bloodbound spell.

+1 Bloodbound seems like more trouble than its worth.

Also what do we have to do to fill that little insight bar you got going?