Ahh Verditius. By your nature a very straight forward House. I do not mean that in a bad way just that, in general, Verditius take something and shape it into a tool. They know what they are working with and know what they want it to become. Criamon, and mystics in general, tend to deal with the metaphysical and abstract. So by saying I saw the caves in a vision or dream does not mean that traveled to the actual caves. I must try to interpret that part. Ikelos pauses looking at Marcellus' smiling face.
For example, my vision had me traveling to a castle with a tower that was forever burning in its center. I struggled with this until another of my House mentioned that the Covenant of Andorra was said to have an eternal flame within the walls. The vision also had me meeting a man a ghost and a person who took animals and shaped them into something else. Not a pleasant vision as it would just grab an animal, like a squirrel, and make it into a hammer. Ikelos pauses and shakes his head. So the vision had them guiding me to a maze that lead to a great door. Something will happen there to save or destroy something but in the end it will release me of a burden.
OOC Marcellus is not really one to worry overmuch about things either. He's Optimistic (major), so he expect all of it to work out in the end. That's not to say that he won't ask questions, but it is more out of curiosity than concern. His native language is Occitan (Gascon), so the favoured language so that all can understand each other is certainly Latin.
"Goblin War? A dragon? You must tell me more about this at some point! Perhaps over a pint after this expedition is over?"
Marcellus' enthusiasm is slightly dampened by the explanaiton, but not much. He laughs at the image of him making a squirrel into a hammer, "Not the way it works, that is for certain!"
"A great door, you say? Do you think that is another image or will there be a real door? It must be hard, trying to make sense of all that." He shrugs, "As you said, I am rather... what was it? Straight forward, I believe you said? I am not sure it is a nature of my House, my master told me that some of them can get quite mystical and all. Of course, when you are working hot iron, you have better pay attention to what is in front of you, or you will burn yourself real quick."
OOC: Two optimistic magi heading for adventure. Can't beat it!
There could be a door or a dragon or a pit or a black knight. Something bars the path and must be...bargained with...defeated...tricked? I am not sure and mostly have to try to make my best decision when it happens. It can be very confusing but my pater and others have told me to follow my visions. He looks away and says as if to himself. Even if they lead to non-apt actions.
"So, based on your vision you expect an obstacle of some sort, although you are not sure about its nature and how to overcome it." He nods, "Perhaps I will be able to help, but perhaps not. My repertoire of spells is fairly limited."
"What is this about "non apt actions" is this something related to the philosophies of your House? I think my own pater mentioned something about Criamon following some sort of rules, but I must admit I do not remember much about that. Can you tell me more about it?"
You have these conversations as you trapse through some light woods, trees turning yelllow and orange, leaves swirling in the wind above the ground. Marcellus asks about the meaning of non apt actions, when suddenly Oscar raises his hand and stops.
Hold up! Something's not right with these animal tracks.
He squats down to take a look.
Roger! Take a look at this. Do these look like owlbear tracks to you? I hope I am wrong. Those things haven't been seen in years. Thought they were wiped out.
Roger squats down to look at the tracks.
Not sure if they are. But it looks like it.
he stands up and responds to Ikelos
Owlbears are a type of chimera. Imagine a bear with a beak and covered in furry feathers. Artificial creations of magic. There was a rogue mad wizard living in the area several years back that used to create and breed these things.
Who was it? Vibria and Vocis I think? After the outlaw wizard got killled by a drake, they explored his cabin and found a few eggs of the creatures. The magi have them preserved in stasis back at the castle. The things have not been seen since then, so it was presumed it was the last of them.
I don't think the tracks are fresh though. Maybe a few days old?
Marcellus comes closer to look at the tracks, careful not to erase them. He tries to determine what makes them different from tracks from a regular bear, for future reference. (He has a small score of 2 in Hunt, with a specialty in tracking.)
"Hmmm... There could have been more eggs elsewhere, or a few of the... owlbears... may have escaped captivity and reproduced. Life finds a way in nature, and magic meddling tends to be unable to prevent it."
Ikelos looks around at the woods. It is too wild out here. he says to himself. So what do owlbears eat? Are they sight hunters like an owl or nose forager like a bear? He seems to think for a moment. Head with a beak probably means sight.
Both. They have been known to eat snakes, rabbits, wolves, and horses. They hunt, but also scavenge. The only thing that preys upon them in nature are fire drakes. They are mainly nocturnal. The tracks are old and it is mid morning. We have littlle to worry about, but we do need to report this.
Both Oscar and Roger have seen them before and describe them as best they can.
"I see," Marcellus says as Oscar points out the differences, "the claws are a bit farther in front of the paw. It makes sense, with the longer claws you describe."
Raising his head from the tracks, he asks, "Do they only attack to feed or defend themselves? Or do they attack even when not hungry? Where do they usually nest?" He shrugs, "that is, if you know anything more. As these are magically created beasts, you probably did not have much opportunity to study their habits."
After the grogs provide what information they can, the groups moves on. Marcellus, for one, stays on the lookout for more signs made by the owlbears (such as scratches on trees).
Roger so happens to be a Student of the Magic Realm, and Order of Hermes Lore.
A chimera usually combines personality traits as well as physical traits. But not always. Owlbears are not like other magical animals found in nature. They are the mutated creation of the mad-wizard Lord Featherbottom, an orbus cast out from House Bjornaer. His Heartbeast was an owlbear, having achieved some inner mystery and ascending from his original form. Or forms, some claim. Some accuse him of being a crypto-shapechanger, some say he had awakened to a unique mystery and had a dual heartbeast.
He was cast out for murdering children in a fit of bezerk wrathful rage. His creations have been known to exhibit similar tendencies when defending themselves or their territory. An adult male enraged owlbear can take down a young firedrake.
The arch-drakes, they fit into the story. An archdrake is an intelligent variety of a drake. Very rare. Though the Maga Lady Vibra is the cousin of three of them. Her cousins had a taste for owlbears and hunted them voraciously.
The magus Lord Vocis and Maga Lady Vibria confronted Lord Featherbottom, and in efforts to negotiate with him, they agreed to take him to meet one of the archdrake cousins to negotiate some sort of hunting limits. But Lord Featherbottom flew into a berserk rage when he saw, which one was it?, it was Venkath I think. They say Featherbottom met a very quick death, almost instant.
So they are violent and fearless creatures, probably taking after their creator, but they are not known to stray into settled territory or go out of their way to attack humans. As for whether they nest or den, and where they do it, I have no idea.
How big are the Owlbears?
Is what the Woad would ask, if he heard about them. I know this comes later, I'm not trying to story-jack this. It would just be nice to have the whole information package together, in posts close to one another.
Ikelos shakes his head over the information. Very strange creatures by the sound of it. All made by a wizard. I expect we will have to watch for landsharks next. This last part is meant to be in jest but Ikelos does look at Roger with a bit of trepidation and excitement.
We have a Bjornaer magus at the Sa Dragonera chaper who has a shark as his Heartbeast. If that counts.
jokes and laughter, yaddayadda
The party arrives at the precipice of the Valley of Xagyg
The valley is framed by jagged grassy hills, ridges and cliffs. Cave openings of various sizes dot the landscape.
Here we are. Turn back now if you want to avoid adventure. The whole area there is a series of overlapping regios. Roger can tell you more about that kind of stuff. Or maybe you can cast a spell and see it.
Never know what you may find. A community of goblins, an alternate reality, find yourself in a different time or place, return to find the covenant as it was a generation ago, spin the wheel of fortune,
Marcellus grins at the grog's theatrics. "Lead us on to our doom, then, my good man. We have been enthrusted unto your hands and shall follow where you lead."
Ikelos looks around the valley for a while then picks a direction further in where two grassy hills seem to frame a cave opening. This is the way for me I think.
As you get closer, the way to go becomes more resolute. You see a cave entrance that is covered with a wall and door. The exact same door Ikelos saw in his dream. Thoigh in that dream, the door was inside somewhere, this is the exact same door that was seen.
Ikelos moves towards the door humming to himself. When he gets close he finally notices that everyone else is there. Ohh. I thought you were off for your own adventure. He gives Marcellus a big smile. See! The Door! Not exactly what I saw but exactly the door.
He moves up to look closely at the door. He will push on it or turn a knob if possible. If it seems locked he will knock ( unless stopped).
