"Welcome Sir Venkkor and thank you for your timely aid.I am Andrys Cypher better known as the Hunter. I had a similar problem with the message they sent to me as well. They just dont make messengers like they used to." The Hunter replied."Now about this creature, do either of you have any idea what it could be?? It looks like a cross between a lizard and a grizzly bear with tentacles."The Hunter said as he walked around the immobile beast."Perhaps the same mutateing taint that was put into the wells on Ebbinisea has been put into the streams here as well? If thats the case , we might be in for a very rough trip." Just then Andrys notices a bit of a quiver comeing from the monster. "Uh , Dantes are you sure that you have this thing immobilized??"

Dantes finishes casting a spell and a bluish light appears around Sir Vennkor for a moment. Satisfied of their new friend's good intentions Dantes pulls of his hood so everyone can see his face and says "Welcome Sir Vennkor. We are searching to eliminate this scourge as well it would be a please to have your company on this endevor." Dantes extends a hand to Sir Vennkor who takes it and they shake. With this done Dantes pulls his hood down again, effectively becoming a shadow once again. "As for this beast it is held in check, sort of, and no even I have no idea what it might be other than some kind of hideous mutation." With that said the beast burst into movement charging Dantes, him being the closest. Within the blink of an eye, Dantes' kanata slid from its case and divided the beast in half. The black ichor that the creature had for blood slowly covered the ground at their feet, as Dantes cleaned his blade. He threw the rag that he cleaned it with out after he used it. "Well if there are more than one of these out there, we better get to the source of the problem." Dantes said as he stroked the fire.

OOC: that bluish light around the paladin was a know alignment spell, it of course said you were lawful good [img]smile.gif[/img] , just being careful, as my character would be ;)

[ 04-23-2002, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe ]

"Thats quite a sword you have there Dantes,but did you have to make SUCH a dreadfull mess?"The Hunter asked. With a whisper Andrys summoned up a freezing wind around himself to freeze and blow away the still wet blood drops off of his clothes.As the wind dissipated it smoothed out his hair and clothes then left him covered with a scent very similar to a frozen tundra.

"Now that that is out of the way,I think we had better see to secureing this place a little better for tonight.If you would do us the honor of joining us this evening Sir Vennkor I can make the camp much harder to get into. This way if that things older brother is out there we will have some more warning." the Hunter said.

The Hunter threw his head back and spread his arms wide as he went into a mystic trance.As he whispered words of power a greenish energy began to collect around him as the earth began to vibrate.Then suddenly a great wave of earth lifted the split carcass of the monster and swept it out if the camp.As soon as the wave dissipated a wall of stone formed at the edge of the fire light and moved in a circle around the camp.It was only 6 feet tall,but it was topped by stone spikes that reached up another foot.As the wall completed itself The Hunter collapsed where he was standing.

"I must have been more tired than I thought!" Andrys said."Usualy something as minor as a wall of stone doesnt tax me so much."
Andrys reached out and touched the wall , as he did a dagger shaped flake of stone splintered off."If either of you need to leave the camp for any reason use this key to open the wall.Dont worry about locking up , the wall will close behind you, just dont lose the key or you wont be able to get back in. If theres nothing else I guess Ill be turning in for the night." With that done Andrys opened his bed rol and went to sleep.

Sir Vennkor uses the key to exit the camp.
A short while later he return with his charger in tow.
"I couldn't leave his outside, although he's more than capable to take of himself" he says to Dantes "I think that I'm turn in as well"

Dantes teleports his familiar to the campsite and tells him to keep watch. As the owl flies high up in the trees overlooking the campsite. Dantes settles down for the evening. He studies his spells for a few moments before. Putting his spellbook away and joining his companions in slumber.

In the morning when Andrys awoke he was suprised to see a rather large war horse inside of the camp. Since he and Dantes had ridden pegasi up to this point on the mountain and the horse was such a magnificent animal,Andrys surmised that it had to be Sir Vennkors horse. Seeing Dantes and Vennkor sleeping made Andrys take extra care to be quiet as he donned his skin tight red leather armor.After he was in his armor and had his weapons belted on Andrys put his traveling clothes into his pack. Andrys took one last look at the camp to make sure everything was in order with his sleeping companions before he put his hand on the magicaly errected stone wall and opened a hole in it large enough for him to step through. Once he was outside the wall and had the hole closed back up Andrys made his way over to the carcass of the creature they had killed the previous night.In the daylight he could see it had mottled patchy fur and scales.The teeth were translucent like a reptiles but the claws were long and strong , more like those of a bear.The tentacles were the worst part.They were a mottled purple and green and tiped with some type of barbed spine. Curious , Andrys cut the tip of one of the tentacles in half, only to reveal a poison sac the size of a hens egg.Inwardly the Hunter shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he or one of his companions had been stung by these things.With creatures like this around the Hunter decided that it was time to get moveing. Travel plans had to be made, because with only 2 pegasi they they were going to have to use the Hunters skeletal mounts to travel together, also Andrys wanted to tell his companions about what he had discovered about the creature so they would be better prepared next time.

Dantes awakens to the braying of a large steed. He abruptly frowns as he pulls himself up to a sitting position. Dantes mumbles something about paladins and horses under his breath as he searches through the numerous pockets on his cloak. Finding what he wants Dantes utters a few words of the magical persuasion and then disappears. He aburptly reappears 2 minutes later looking fully refreshed, he mumbles a few magical words and the touches the magnificant steed in front of him. a faint blue glow surrounds the animal for a moment and then disappears. Dantes smiles. "I have just given this animal the ability to fly bearing itself and its rider, and whatever equipment they might have up to the normal weight that the horse could caryy." Dantes states. He then sits down and starts going over his spellbook as he waits for their last party member to awaken.

Sir Vennkor awakens to find that the dawn has come and passed. He's supriced that he has overslept - he nomally always rises with the sun. He quickly gathers his equipment, then he goes over to his charger and inspects it, looking to see if the nights chase had left any minor injuries that needed tending to.

Leaving the horse to feed on some grain, Sir Vennkor goes over to inspect the hell-spawn he had helped dispatch the night before. "Ugly looking thing isn't it", he remarks to his companions, "Perhaps we should try to track it back to whatever lair it emerged from. Something this size is bound to have left a trail"

"You might be right about the trail ,Sir Vennkor."The Hunter replied,"But We were more interested in getting to the demon causeing these strange mutations in men and animals. The sooner we can stop it , the sooner we can rid the land of these abominations."

Andrys unfolds the map they have of the mountain and points at the top of it. "Dantes and I were planing on starting here , at the top of the mountain and working our way through it back down to the bottom in search of the demon.What do you think Dantes?" Andrys asked,"Do we have time to search out that monsters lair and reach out goal by nightfall?"

"Well I feel that the monsters lair might give us some insight into what we are dealing with here. Also it could give us some clue as to where the demon's lair might be. At the very least I think we should probably check it out." Dantes said, not looking up while reading his spell book. "when you guys decide let me know." He added.