...I miss playing with our little band of misfits, myself. Those were some fun tales to spin. 

Nice of you to pop in and share your work! 

Also, congratulations on the move and the pending nuptials! 

...there's no giggling and asking to pet dat dawwwwg, but the rest is pretty close.

*plink plink plink*

Edit: Just happened to occur to me that I left a little something out of Dak's proposed tactics... The little guy doesn't plan on getting too close to the boogens, of course, but IF in the chaos a backstab opportunity presents itself, you can be sure he'll take it.

Though the halfling didn’t give voice to his concerns he was more than a little skeptical about the decision to enter the cave with the fighters and their magically-lit weapons at the vanguard. While he was all but certain that they would encounter more horrific beasties in the caverns, he would have much preferred a more subtle approach – a bit of stealthy reconnoitering to gauge numbers and activity ahead of time – as opposed to such a blatant (and, quite possibly, inviting) incursion. Though, I suppose subtlety may not be in that one’s vocabulary, he mused, eyeing the Bofear’s massive back as they wended into the rocky maw of the cave’s entrance. His gaze ticked to Arathea, then, and a wry grin tugged at one corner of his mouth; Nor our Bladesinger’s it would seem. Elegance, yes, but subtlety… Dak shrugged his shoulders by way of completing the thought and, as the first hints of the stench of death wafted from the cave’s depths, lifted the folds of his scarf to cover his nose and mouth against the malodorous air.

A deeper sense of foreboding prickled along his spine as the party took their first steps into the wider chamber beyond the entry cave. The stink in the air had been enough to almost regret having had so much to eat for breakfast, but the sight of the putrid piles of meat and the scattered litter of other remains from which the smells emanated was more than enough to turn his stomach. Ugh, he winced, his nose wrinkling in disgust beneath the layered fabric covering it, I’m not entirely sure that I know just how much one of those things might eat, but this looks to be a buffet fit for more than…

Before the thought could even be completed it was confirmed by the blood-chilling screeches of at least three of the vile creatures as they charged the light from various points in the cave.

…Oh… bugger!!!

Ruadhri hefted his warhammer, answered the shrieking beasts with a thundering cry of his own, and charged forward. “Stay back,” the mad bull-man bellowed as he advanced toward two of the monsters, “I have these two, take the other, blade singer, and everyone else st-staaaaaRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

“Subtlety be damned, then,” Dak hissed through clenched teeth as he loaded a bullet into his sling staff. He lifted his eyes to Rain; “You to one flank and I to the other, mellon?”

((Regardless of the ranger’s reply… unless he happens to loft a more sensible tactic&hellip)

With a scant nod, the Cid skittered to one side, careful not to put too much space between his back and the cavern wall and trying as best he could to stay out of the light cast by the warriors’ weapons. Let’s see if we can’t harass these horrors without doing injury to our allies, hmm?

((OOC: Dak will flank to the left, trying to keep to concealment as much as possible, and look for opportune pot-shots at the critters. He’ll use the bata for as long as it makes sense, switch to darts if the range closes, and if, gods forbid he finds himself in melee, will switch to the short sword should the need arise.))

...not inspecting monster lairs! But, what does the Cid know, right? 

Dak's gonna hang back behind the light, of course, giggling his little butt off and hollering; "Can I pet dat dawg?!"

I read that post as at least three critters (but possibly more) are charging the party and am assuming that they're each coming from different directions, yes? What kind of range are we looking at before they're eating us?

P.S. I'll get a post going soon.

It's been a bit of a madhouse, hereabouts, this past week! 

Anyway, post is finally up, and Dak will defer to Arathea's wisdom. Oddly enough, he's also volunteering to be at the front of the line (presumably with Rain) so that he can check for traps and such should there be any to be encountered.

As the gathering dark precluded any immediate search for the owlbear’s lair, Dak resigned himself to aiding in the set-up of the party’s simple campsite. Helping to gather firewood (his glowing topknot, courtesy of Lady Isil’nari’s petty revenge, providing ample light for his searching), tending the coals as necessary and, after a meager supper of trail rations and a handful of fresh foraged berries and mushrooms, sat himself down by the fire with his pipe to bear witness to the unintentional comedy that unraveled around him. He took particular delight in the interaction between Seleniniel and Rosariel and her rodent companion, scarcely managing to stifle a belly laugh as the poor rat was volleyed between the two woman and giving a slow shake of the head and knowing smirk in reaction to Lady Isil’nari’s handling of the situation. Obviously unused to the ways of the wood, he mused, shrouded in his cloud of pipe smoke,  or, more likely, too familiar with having things her own way and, since we chose a shorter route than the one she preferred, is taking out her wrath at the perceived slight on whomsoever might cross her path at any given moment.

He found himself wondering over Seleniniel’s overt bitterness in the wake of that interaction. Was it a trait common to mages, perhaps, or was there something more to it? Rosariel’s social awkwardness, he thought, was easier to understand given that the woman had likely had more interaction with creatures of the forest and ventured into civilization only infrequently. Dak took a late shift in the watch rotation, waiting for Seleniniel’s light spell to wear off before offering his services. In the end, it turned out to be an unnecessary caution as the night passed without incident.

Dawn broke and, shortly thereafter, so did the camp as the party set out in search of the owlbear’s den. It wasn’t long, thanks to Rain and Rosariel’s skillful tracking of the beast, that the group found themselves at the mouth of a sizeable cave which the creature obviously called home. After some inspection of the entrance and the littering of gnawed bones and, according to Rosariel, the unusual number of tracks around and about the place, the expected conversation as to how they would proceed commenced. Though the idea of delving into the monster’s lair was less than appealing, Dak was prepared to do just that…

It would be preferable to creep in alone, though, he mused, his gaze flitting over the troupe, unencumbered by the clatter of so many feet and weapons. Perhaps get an eye on whatever waits in the depths before it is determined what action need be taken.

…The bladesinger seemed to have read his thoughts, however, and before he could give them voice, dismissed them. “I'd advise we advance as a group with caution, if we split we can be easily picked off," Arathea she cautioned, “You clerics can make light yes? Torches can suffice if necessary, but I feel if there's something better we should use it, it would be... not very advantageous to see a monster only when it's right in your face.”

She perused the tracks and the mouth of the cave once more before addressing him directly. “And halfling, I understand you like to go off on your own little adventures in these affairs but this is not one of those times. Even the most quiet thief or fiercest warrior can be torn apart in seconds without allies.”

“As you say, arwenamin,” Dak replied, “I thought perhaps a bit of silent scouting ahead might be in order before all of us fed ourselves to this cave but…” He offered a shrug and leaned on his bata, “…A more martial mind such as yours is better suited to making such tactical decisions. Still, I offer to be at the forefront should we venture inside, checking for things less expected than owlbears and such, you know?”

...but it's been established the Rain and Dak have traveled together before. As such, I'm assuming they have, at least, a passing familiarity with one another's 'stealth skills' (which I'm guessing are pretty high compared to the rest of the party).... If so, I propose Dak and Rain scout the cave (minus the glowing top-knot, please).

I can write a little something up, if that's agreeable.

I was gonna say; "Let's ask dad," but there ya go!

Shoulda, coulda, woulda, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhooda!

Nicely done! Loved it!!!

...hoid uv it.

Looks pretty cool, though... and if Grandma recommends it, who am I to argue?

*tries to remember Steam login creds*

Can take a flying f*** at a rolling donut on a gravel driveway. He'll never catch me!

Besides, he shares a bed with Faith Hill. Take the wins where ya can, bud! Geez! Whaddya want fer nothin'? Rrrrrrubber biscuit?!?!

And all of you here are probably too young for that reference...

Get off my lawn!!!

Aliket, Alovet, Awantsomemoreovet!

We're not lost, we're tactically misplaced. lol

Also, how much do owlbear feathers bring, I wonder?

I hate it when that happens! That's one of the reasons I tend to write up my posts in Google Docs or Word, then copy/paste to the Inn.  Autosave FTW!

Pretty much what I expected from S, to be honest. Loved it! Dak's 'retort' has been posted. 

Also, as the Little Man has great faith in Rain's estimation of such matters, he's more than happy to help with the scouting/searching of the area for a nest. Not that he has great tracking skills or anything, but his powers of observation might come in handy.

Well, Dak mused, returning the unused dart to its pouch as he wriggled free of the cleft between the rocks, that went better than I imagined it might, and much quicker, as well.

Clapping his hands, he wandered back toward where the party was gathered around the owlbear’s carcass. “Well done and efficiently fought,” he lauded the group, giving the felled creature only a cursory glance, “Very impressive!”

“I suppose this isn’t your forte, master sneakthief,” Seleniniel chastened, fixing him with what he imagined was supposed to be an accusatory glare, “Still… perhaps next time you might muster the courage of our Lissentorian devotee. From the looks of her, she’s weathered the worst of it with neither weapon nor complaint… nor retreat.”

“You are correct in, at least, part of that, helkaer,” the Cid countered with a sardonic smile, lifting a brow to match the mage’s, “Combat is not my forte. Not directly, at any rate, and certainly not with the likes of that…” he waved dismissively at the creature’s corpse, “…Such a beast would surely have devoured me in a single bite, perhaps two had it gotten to me after you shrunk it, hm? Either way, I would have fared far worse than Lady Mae’rel.”

His gaze ticked to the Lysoran priestess then, and he offered her a respectful nod. “I am sorry for your suffering, arwenamin,” he offered with sincerity before turning his eyes back on Seleniniel.

“Now, as to what you see as retreat, Lady Isil’nari,” he quipped, rolling his shoulders in the semblance of a shrug, “I prefer to think of as strategic relocation…” He padded closer to the fallen owlbear and plucked a feather from the frill at its neck and, with a grin, used the quill to gesture at the more martially inclined members of the troupe, “…Is it my fault that this lot made such quick work of the foul beasty before I managed to put a dart in the thing?”

“Hmph,” the mage puffed in that curt way of hers, “As you say.” Her indifferent gaze tore away from him and turned to Rain then, and Dak’s followed.

“I'm afraid we're not yet done, friends.” The ranger’s gaze swept the group and the woodlands around them before he gestured at the creature. “Such as these are relentless, hunting and killing all that lives in whatever territory they settle in. Before rest is taken, a thorough search must be made. There will be a cave or similar nearby the foul creature uses as a nest. We must find it, and ensure it is empty, for owlbears are, on occasion, found in pairs.” Rain suppressed a shiver. “Or, if we are extremely unfortunate, we will find a mad wizard nearby.”

I think we have already found one of those, Dak snickered to himself, flicking a quick but pointed glance in Seleniniel’s direction, Perturbed, at least, if not altogether mad.

“In either case, I would hesitate to make camp before we've scouted the area,” Rain suggested, underscoring the need for caution, “lest we be attacked again while off our guard.”

“Agreed,” the halfling nodded, gesturing with the feather in the direction from which the attacker had come, “That way seems to be the likeliest place to begin such a search…” He crept toward the brush line, casting a quizzical glance over his shoulder, “…Shall we?”

((OOC: Translations – Helkaer = “icy one,” Arwenamin =  “My Lady” (familiar/informal) ))

Oh gods! Can you imagine? The stuff that runemaster says aloud is mindboggling enough, if we got to hear what was actually running through his head it'd be madness inducing....

...Do it!

Delays happen and, sometimes, short posts are all that can be done.

...please do! Dak is fun to play, so far... He likes breathing, eating, smoking, drinking, and pilfering stuff. He'd like to continue doing all of those for as long as he's able.

He, like Ruadhri, is also a vagiterian! lol

...she's aDORKable!

Now, if I'd have gone with one of my other concepts for Dak, he could have very well turned out to be awkward... A Cid, raised by Khords as a "Tunnel Rat" (fighter/thief)... Grubby little cigar chomping loudmouth with an axe and shield. lol

I'll keep that one in my back-pocket for another game (or in the event of Dak's untimely demise).

So let's see... Dak's lacking in manners, a second hand embarrassment, and a troublemaker? He hasn't even DONE anythng yet!

"You like me!!! You really LIKE me!!!" 

Just wait until he really does start causing trouble... yer gonna LOVE him, then!

...You never know what you're gonna get!

...and now we're just sitting here waiting for their post.