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Post by Shinko on Nov 29, 2014 21:11:39 GMT -5
The climbing lessons went about as well as Sieg had expected, though at least he knew that as ever his inability to get up a tree was good for a laugh. Eventually they called a halt to the proceedings and decided to move on, reaching the cairns and eventually finding the Horn mountains in their sights by nightfall. They camped for the night, and by midmorning the following day they topped a rise, and there it was. "Lake Moran," Sieg remarked, and whistled appreciatively. It must have been miles wide, he couldn't seen from here exactly where it ended. Miles of sparkling blue water amidst the rolling hills of the Bernian mountains. "Well we're here; now we have to figure out where the kelpie is and how we're going to kill it," he said, turning to Orrin. "The finding bit is going to be loads of fun, I imagine. I imagine you'll probably give me a dirty look if I suggests using myself as bait again?" he added, his tone making it obvious he was only joking. And the boys have finally gotten themselves un-lost and reached their destination!
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Post by Omni on Dec 1, 2014 10:17:36 GMT -5
Lake Moran was quite a sight alright. There must have been miles and miles of deep, blue water! There was no telling how wide, or how deep it actually was. Add in that there was some kind of horse monster that drowns people living inside of it, and it really unnerved Orrin. "Well we're here; now we have to figure out where the kelpie is and how we're going to kill it," said Sieg. "The finding bit is going to be loads of fun, I imagine. I imagine you'll probably give me a dirty look if I suggests using myself as bait again?" he added, his tone making it obvious he was only joking.Orrin looked at his friend and gave an unamused smirk. "Well I was thinkin' of usin' bait. But I was thinkin' of usin' somethin' a little less lively." Orrin headed toward the cart and reached inside. "Somethin' like... this!" Orrin pulled out an object that had been carefully wrapped to protect it from the elements. Once he pulled back the wrapping, it revealed a moderately large block of a familiar, granular substance: a salt lick. Orrin suggests baiting the kelpie with a salt lick, which it looks like he already acquired some time ago. Let's see what Sieg thinks of this little idea.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 1, 2014 12:06:13 GMT -5
Sieg quirked an eyebrow at Orrin's salt lick. "I erm... I suppose that's one idea but are we even sure demon horses like salt? Or that it'd be stupid enough to not think something was up if a cube of process salt turns up in the middle of a wild forest? I mean the idea of using meat as bait for the hound was one thing, since we were under the assumption at the time it was eating people so it seemed obvious it was a carnivore but... I dunno, this seems a little far-fetched. Not to mention with the size of the lake it might never come anywhere near the salt to notice it." The half-elf shrugged. "I mean there's no harm in trying, just that we might want to have a backup plan of some kind?" Sieg is dubious of the salt baiting plan, ane explains why.
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Post by Omni on Dec 7, 2014 18:05:36 GMT -5
Orrin paused, looking at the salt lick. "I dunno. I just figured if it's a water, horse, a salt lick would be perfect for it, ya know? Plus, it's supposed to have the essence of 'Woo, so maybe it could even double as a sort of weapon. Figured it was worth a shot, at least." Orrin looked back at the cart. "I guess we've got the feed and treats for our horses. And the bolas... I should probably have my crossbow ready in case we have trouble gettin' close..." He turned to his fellow knight. "What would ya suggest?" Orrin explains his idea, then starts some last-minute planning.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 7, 2014 21:09:11 GMT -5
"I don't really have any ranged weapons so I'll probably just keep my sword on me since it's longer than the mace." Sieg replied, surveying the landscape pensively. "If we can't lure it out with the salt or something else, it's possible it'll be drawn just to us, as possible prey items since it apparently makes a habit of killing people. Or... maybe Freddie or Freya might be able to smell it? They're not dogs but horses have pretty good senses of smell too, and if we can find tracks or droppings or something that'd give Freya something to go on." He crossed his arms. "Either way, we should try to get it away from the water if we can- it kills people by drowning them so that's one home field advantage we really don't want it to have. We'll probably want to be mounted if we actually have to confront it, since there's no telling how big it is. If it's anything like the size of Freddie we'll really appreciate the extra boost from the horses. If it's on the scale the strzyga was... we'll need every extra inch we can get." Sieg shuddered at the thought of a horse scaled up to the amount that the owl had been. He seriously hoped that wasn't the case. He smirked a little. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll just be pony sized. But I'm not one to hedge my bets on luck." Shaking his head he went on, "Plate armor probably isn't going to be terribly useful against it. If it fights like a horse it'll be kicking and biting us, and blunt blows to metal armor will just create a dent that's painful and distracting- the armor won't really protect us much. Probably better to stick to cloth or leather armor that'll cushion the blows without denting." Sieg talks strategy.
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Post by Omni on Dec 8, 2014 15:31:00 GMT -5
"Well if lurin' it way from the water is our first priority, maybe ya've got a point," Orrin said, rubbing the back of his head. "It might be better to hold onto carrots or somethin' and pull away from the lake: maybe it'll follow. I should also probably save the crossbow for an emergency - might be easier to lure it to us if we're not tryin' to shoot it at a distance. Plus, movin' targets and better shots... I'll keep it ready, just in case, but it'll probably be more of a last resort. "I agree with bein' mounted," Orrin said, setting the salt lick back in the cart and pulling out his voulge and bolas. "Gonna need every advantage we can get, and horses are tough enough as it is. I guess leather would also be lighter and easier to move in, so that'll also help..." Especially if we end up in the lake, Orrin thought to himself. More strategy talk.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 9, 2014 10:31:24 GMT -5
Sieg really wasn't sure he liked the way Orrin kept talking as if the kelpie where nothing more than a dumb common horse, to be lured with a kind voice and a carrot. It seemed optimistic to the extreme, given that the thing was apparently killing enough people for Alain to take notice of it. Even if it did behave and think like a normal horse, wild horses where very skittish and fearful of humans- or any intelligent race that vaguely resembled a human. More likely it would run from a person with a carrot then approach them. But if Orrin was really set on this, it wasn't like there was much harm in attempting it. Worst case scenario it attacked them instead of going for the carrots, an eventuality which Sieg was sure Orrin had considered. "We still need to find it before we can even think of doing any luring," he pointed out pragmatically. "Standing on one bank with a carrot isn't likely to do that. Horses are big and heavy, so we should try to find some tracks so we can identify where it spends most of it's time. Then we can see about using carrots or salt or whatever else to lure it. We don't know how it behaves or what it can do, so aside from the strategy we've already discussed we'll have to play this largely by ear and make it up as we go along." He glanced around again, frowning, "I don't see any towns or villages in the immediate area, so we'll need to figure out somewhere to leave the cart and my mule where they won't be stolen or attacked, but they'll be out of the way if it comes to a fight with the kelpie." Minor minutia, I think we're getting close now to actually putting some plans into action! \ o /
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Post by Omni on Dec 15, 2014 17:25:10 GMT -5
Orrin rubbed the back of his head, grimacing sheepishly. "I guess I didn't expect the lake to be that big," he said, gesturing to the body of water nearby. "That and somethin' about the way they described it made it seem like it'd be easy... Like it finds people, I think." He paused then gave a dismissive handwave. "Eh, let's just get our stuff ready and start lookin'. The sooner we find it, the better." ----- The knights managed to find a spot where they could tuck the cart away, hopefully where they could retrieve it, but it wouldn't be found too easily by thieves, or monsters. They readied their gear, saddled up, and set off to search around the lake. The knights had been looking for the kelpie for less than an hour when they found prints from hooves that weren't wearing horseshoes - from an equine other than the ones they were riding. "There," Orrin said, indicating the prints. "That didn't take too long. It's almost like it wants us to find it." Well lookit that. The knights find horse tracks with relatively little trouble.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 16, 2014 19:13:25 GMT -5
Sieg looked down at the prints, eyebrow raised. "In retrospect, I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Well, not us specifically, but people in general. I mean it has to get victims someway." He glanced up at the general direction of the prints, and saw that most of them stayed fairly close to the water's edge- at least within ten or so feet of it. "Well I suppose the first order of business is to find it- then to see if we can get it away from the water. And that means no posturing from you, or we'll never get it to come to us," he added sternly to Freya, repeating the order in Elvish. She flicked her ears towards him, and gave him an annoyed glance before snorting and bobbing her head in submission/agreement. The two of them rode a little further, and after another twenty or so minutes of following the tracks, they heard a soft splashing noise. There, wading in the shallows, was a wild black stallion. It's mane and tall where long, it's fur somewhat shaggy from living wild where there were not grooms or hostlers to tend it. In spite of that, it was quite a beautiful horse. With a little grooming it wouldn't have looked out of place in a nobleman's stables. It noticed them almost as soon as they noticed it, head shooting upwards and swiveling around to face them. It's nostrils flared as it took in their scent, and for a moment it was still. Then it arched it's neck, tossed it's head, and splashed through the shallows. It's behavior wasn't unlike a colt playing a game, which was... not at all what Sieg had expected from a monster that was supposed to be killing people. "What's it doing?" he said, glancing at Orrin uneasily. Well the boys have found a horse in the lake, but it's... not really living up to Sieg's expectations for the kelpie.
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Post by Omni on Dec 17, 2014 1:37:01 GMT -5
Orrin noticed the playful movements of the stallion, watching curiously. "I... think it's askin' us to come play." The half-dwarf paused in thought. "Ya know, I kind of wonder if maybe it just wants a friend, but doesn't realize they can't breathe water." Suspecting what Sieg might say, he rolled his eyes and added in a quieter voice "Or maybe it really is tryin' to kill people and this is it's way of baitin' them. Either way, that's probably the one we're lookin' for - don't think a wild horse would just invite us like that - and we can't just let it drown innocent people." He watched as the stallion trotted through the waters in front of them. "And either way, we gotta try lure it toward us, rather than the other way around." He reached into his saddlebags, moving slowly and pulling out a carrot. He tried gently calling to the horse, holding out the treat. The stallion eyed the treat with uncertainty, but Orrin waiting, watching for what it would do. Hopefully, if it was unafraid enough to prance playfully in front of the knights, it would also be willing to come toward them. Orrin figures whether the horse is trying to trap them, or just wants a friend, they've got to stop it from drowning people. He tries holding out the carrot, hoping if the kelpie acts different from a normal, wold horse, it might actually try the treat.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 17, 2014 11:25:39 GMT -5
Sieg honestly wasn't sure what to think. The half-elf had become frustrated with Orrin before when he seemed a touch too inclined to be merciful towards the Black Hound that was purportedly slaughtering people and eating their insides, but... "Well the Nightsinger turned out to be a lot less homicidal than we were led to believe, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to learn that the kelpie isn't all that bad either," he admitted, watching the thing warily. Orrin proffered the carrot, and the wild stallion sniffed the treat questioningly. It took a few cautious steps towards them, but halted at the edge of the water, all four hooves still firmly in the drink. It tossed it's head, whickering entreatingly, and then put it's nose down towards the water and splashed it gently in their direction. "I don't think it wants to leave the water," Sieg remarked. He gave his own stab at coaxing the kelpie, making beckoning noises and pulling an apple out of one of his saddle bags. But still the supernatural stallion refused to draw any closer, instead frolicking in the shallows and casting them an occasional look as if to say "are you coming?" "It's not working," Sieg said. "I don't know if it's just not interested or if it's on to us, but it doesn't seem to want to take the bait. What now? Do we risk going a little closer to try and draw it out, or go at it some other way? You could try with the crossbow, but it's moving a lot and if you're right about it not being as evil as people think..." After the thing with the Black Hound, Sieg is more inclined to give the kelpie the benefit of the doubt. However it doesn't seem interested in their treats, instead staying in the water and making playful beckoning gestures.
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Post by Omni on Dec 17, 2014 13:21:01 GMT -5
Orrin watched as the stallion stayed near the water, and he eyed the lake with apprehension. "No, comin' closer is what it wants. I think it's smart enough that it'd wait for us if we came to it." The half-dwarf glanced at his weapons. "Yer also right about the crossbow; I don't want to try it just yet. We should see what else we can try to lure it, first." He looked up at Sieg. "I think maybe we should try settlin' ourselves in. Make it clear we're not goin' anywhere." Orrin suggests staying put, forcing the kelpie to come to them if it wants them.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 17, 2014 16:06:25 GMT -5
"Seems like a feasible enough idea," Sieg agreed. "Though not too settled, we don't want to let our guard down." He swung himself down from Freya's saddle, earning a curious glance from the mare. Keeping one hand on her saddle horn, he murmured some reassurances in Elvish before turning his attention back to the kelpie. It seemed more excited that they were dismounting, prancing playfully in the water. However, when neither of them actually approached, instead keeping hold of their own horse's saddles and staying put, it looked almost disappointed. It made a few more gestures of invitation at them, splashing in their direction and even neighing, but they didn't move. "It really wants us to come to it," Sieg remarked to the half-dwarf. "I wonder if it even can leave the water... I mean it's a lake monster, so maybe-" Something cold and wet struck Sieg in the chest, soaking through his gambeson, and he felt a sudden sharp yank that pulled him off his feet. He gave a cry of surprise, barely grabbing Freya's saddle horn with his free hand in time to stop himself from being pulled away from the mare. Glancing around, he realized that there was some sort of clear tether coiling up out of the grass and around his chest. A tether of... water?! It yanked him again, harder, and Freya pulled back against it with an angry neigh, trying to drag him out of it's grip. "What the Pit?!" Sieg snarled, trying to pull himself back up on Freya's back. He risked a look out at the kelpie, and realized something was off about it- it's coat seemed to be rippling, shifting hue slightly. Before he could really register, the rope of water around his torso thickened and yanked him again, constricting painfully around his chest. If it wasn't for the breast collar on Freya's saddle, it probably would have been yanked sideways by the force of the pulling. As it was she stumbled a bit, and then gave another angry bray and tried to pull away again; unfortunately, the elven horse was built for speed and endurance, not strength, and she couldn't get much leverage. The half-elf realized that some of the water was snaking it's way up his neck, and into his mouth and nose. He gagged, sneezing and coughing to clear his airway. " Orrin!" Sieg and Orrin try to lure the kelpie closer, but it seems to have a hidden sting they weren't anticipating; it's a water bender! It grabs Sieg and tries to pull him towards the water, and starts to flood water into his mouth and nose to knock him out so he stops struggling. Holding on to Freya's saddle is keeping him from being pulled away, but the smaller elven horse isn't strong enough to fight the tug of the keplie's power on her own.
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Post by Omni on Dec 17, 2014 20:25:13 GMT -5
As soon as Orrin realized what was going on, he remounted onto Freddie. He grabbed onto the stirrups with his thumb-toes, taking hold of his voulge as soon as he had mounted up. Unfortunately, the kelpie worked quickly, and by the time he could get to Sieg, it was already forcing water down the half-elf's throat, trying to drown him as he called for help. Definitely not friendly, the half-dwarf decided. As swift as he could, he swung his voulge through the tendril. He successfully cleaved the water, and the section that was separated from its source fell to the ground, releasing Sieg from its grasp. Where the tendril had bet cut, it seemed to reform, growing even thicker as it retook its previous shape. Orrin reached into his salt pouch, throwing some of the substance into the liquid. The water seemed to shudder before again falling to the ground, taking somewhat longer to reform. Orrin took advantage of the opportunity to have Freddie step away from the lake. He glanced at Sieg, making sure the half-elf could also clear some distance, before turning back to the kelpie. "Come on!" he shouted, making a large beckoning gesture. "Ya want us? Ya'll have to come up here and get us!" Orrin cuts the tendril, freeing Sieg. He salts the water and backs away from the lake, making sure Sieg is safe before taunting the kelpie.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 17, 2014 21:13:41 GMT -5
Orrin sliced at the tendril of water, and it lost form immediately, collapsing into ordinary water that soaked Sieg's shirt and armor but was no longer trying to yank him away from his horse. Without the anchor the mare was able to drag her rider another few yards away from the lake, where she stopped and let him finally get his feet back under him and remount. Sieg coughed and wheezed, water streaming from his nose and throat. When he'd finally caught his breath, he swiped a hand across his mouth and glowered up at the kelpie. "That was a cheap shot," he growled softly. "It can control the water? Really? What, do we have to fight the entire Pit-cursed lake?" As he spoke he drew his sword. Freya seemed to take inspiration from Orrin's challenge to the Kelpie, because she tossed her head and stamped her hooves, braying loudly and aggressively in the creature's direction. However, it did not react. The playfulness had vanished from it's demeanor, and instead it was regarding the knights with cool indifference, as if they were nothing as far as it was concerned. The rippling of the keplie's fur intensified and it shifted in color from black to a deep, dark aqua. It backed into the lake, seeming to become one with the water, and as it did so the lake burbled and churned all around it. "It's getting ready to strike again!" Sieg snapped, just before a foaming jet of water spiraled towards them like a miniature water spout. In the immediate vicinity of the lake it was a powerful high-pressure maelstrom, but as it arced across the shore towards the knights it thinned and shrank into a cord barely three inches in diameter. Freya leaped away from it, dancing further away from the water so that it thinned even more. "Orrin, I think it's range for controlling the water is limited!" Sieg said to the half-dwarf. "It can't get at us if we're too far from the lake!" As if to confirm this, the kelpie- now more a horse of water than one of flesh- moved a little closer to them, pulling some of the lake water higher up on the shore with it and sending a second funnel of water at them, aiming this time for the bulkier, slower forms of Orrin and Freddie. Sieg kicked Freya forwards, reaching into his own pouch of salt and flinging it towards the funnel. The water promptly lost it's pressure and shape, so that it splashed over the half-dwarf as if someone had dumped a bucket of salt water at him rather than hitting him with a water spout. The kelpie gave a scream of rage that sounded like an odd mix between a horse's neigh and the crash of waves against a rocky cliff. "Are you going to attack us or give us a bath?" Sieg jeered at the kelpie. It reared, flailing it's front hooves and sending a dozen tiny bullets of water towards the knights. But they were too far away, and by the time the bullets reached them they were not longer under the kelpie's control and hit with no more force than a gentle splash might have. It took another step towards them, it's form starting to become more solid and corporeal again as it moved further from the lake bed. And the fight is on! Kelpie tries to attack the knights several times with it's waterbending, but it can't reach them because they're too far away. Angry, it starts to slowly inch forward, trying to get close enough to hit them without getting too far from the water that gives it power.
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