The Crowfeather Bandits I - RPLOG

Participants

• Fenris
• Kazel
• Lucas
• Rokarion
• Zuri

Date

25/2/479

Log

The canyon is the right one. It got to be, as it is the only one. The stones of the road is hidden under a cover of fresh snow and the wind is like a whip to the face and the curves of the road make it impossible to see far ahead. It does not come as a surprise that bandits would lay ambushes on an important trade route with conditions like these.

Fenris is riding atop his shaggy, purple buffalo, which is a rather interesting sight. A huge, tiger striped bunny on an even bigger buffalo. What a pair. The rabbit has his oversized ears tied back carefully to rest against his back, though they do blow about a little in the wind. Thanks to his thick, fluffy fur and long coat, he seems unbothered by the chill. He is also rather more heavily armed than usual, a number of large weapons situated in holsters on his mount's harness. He hums as he rides.

Lucas stands at he opening of the canyon, a hand resting on the belt holding his weapons, fingers tapping at the handle of the pistol in it's holster. He pulled a hand away, adjusting the leather sleeve resting on it's harm, the leather squeaking softly as it settled. "Should have broken this armor in more..." He muttered, tail trying to sway from side to side to stretch out the leather. His head pitched from side to side, cracking as he began checking his weapons, ears catching sound of the appraoching buffalo.

"So, this is the place the merchants spoke of?" a young voice can be heard saying as its owner appears into view, a youthful squirrel dressed up like the heroes of romantic fiction, large tail gently swaying with the winds. "Very well, let us find those dastardly villain old friend and show them the error of their ways." the squirrel says to his companion in a distinctive trill to his sing-song voice, an accent a well-travelled being would associate with Andrussian.

The elephant sighs at his companion, looking up at the taller being briefly. "I'd say this is the place." He looks over at Lucas and Fenris, glancing at them up and down judgingly. "Winds preserve us.. this looks like a motley crew if I've ever seen one." The elephant is wearing heavy robes, and with each step forward he taps down the staff he's holding. Strung from his neck are various rolls of prayer beads, many of which are inscribed with what are clearly mathemagical symbols. "I hope you're right that this may be a good way to explore this land. Even if it means getting up close with the rabble."

As the beings gather it becomes clear that the weather is only going to get worse. Snow is starting to fall and the wind has picked up even more, flinging the tiny flakes of frozen water through the canyon and against the group of four.

Fenris raises a hand in greeting to the others, his oversized ear giving a little twitch at the conversation between the Elephant and Squirrel, but if he actually heard anything, his easy smile does not show it. "Let's get moving, shall we?" he says lightly, tapping his mount into a slow walk, snow crunching beneath the beast's big hooves and steam puffing from its wide nostrils. His brow furrows in concentration for a moment, though it is hard to see what, if anything he might be doing.

Lucas seeing the elephant and squirrel, he double checks his dagger before stowing it and unsheathing his rapier. He nods to the the rabbit and then to the pair. He faintly hears the conversation between the elephant and squirrel, but not enough to gleen any information. "I'm ready if you guys are I suppose. Oh, Lucas Riverkin, by the by. Pleasure to meet you..." He looks to the rabbit and nods. "Though I think I recall briefly meeting you at the training grounds in firmament. Don't think I caught your name I'm afraid."

The squirrel takes off his hat and takes a short bow in front of his two other travel companions, "A pleasure, good sir. You can call me Aloysius, and please do excuse the grumpiness of my companion. I fear that his keen interest in divine maths left little time for him to refine his tongue." With that said, the squirrel puts his hat back on and walks towards Fenris, "An odd creature you have, stranger. How, dare I ask, did you manage to procure such an oddly coloured mount?"

Jugu stays close to his companion for now. The elephant pulls himself forward slowly, moving unhurriedly with the inertia of stone itself. "Let's." He peers over at Lucas as he introduces himself, raising an eyebrow. He looks forward again, not introducing himself. Instead he slams his staff down and closes his eyes, murmuring to himself as he calls upon the moisture that surrounds them and manipulates it with mathemagic, seeking to counter the inclement weather with some of his own power.

While the elephant's magic can do little to keep the wind from whipping at the group, at least the snow is no longer soaking them. As the party presses forward, they pass a couple of curves in the road, but they alway more or less cancel each other out. It is not long into a somewhat straight section of the canyon as suddenly a yell is nearly drowned out by the wind and several boulders fall from the cliffs behind them.

"Tezky's brother, right?" Fenris asks Lucas, as they walk, "I remember. You can call me Fenris. Since that's my name." He turns a smile on Aloysius and his little elephant friend. "Always a pleasure to meet new faces," he says, "And it's sort of a funny story how we met." He pats his lumbering mount on the shaggy shoulder fondly. "See she was-" he is cut off by the cry and the rumble of falling stone. The rabbit stops his story immediately and wheels his buffalo around to scan the clifftops and throws up a hand, willing falling snow and stone away from the group and hoping that a volley of arrows aren't already on their way.

Lucas nods his head at Fenris. "Yep, we're twins, not that you'd notice from looking at him and me." He nods to the elephant too. "Pleasure to meet you-" He looks around at the yell, eyes casting to the boulders falling. He sees Fenris trying to stop the boulders and widens his stance, trying to add to the rabbit's math with his own, throwing his hands out to push them to the side with a gust, hoping to at least throw the boulders out of the way of the four of them.

The squirrel continues walking with the group as he listens to Fenris's quickly interrupted story. The willowy being quirks his brows and turns around to look up, "I see that the bandits around this parts are ever so fond of impractical tricks. I do wonder how long does it take them to clear up the path between each ambush." Aloysius says with a shrug.

Jugu grows alert as the rumbling sound of tumbling earth rains down around and behind them. The elephant's floppy ears twitch as he regards his surroundings and quickly assesses the situation they're in. Frowning he moves close to his squirrel companion and touches his shoulder, calmly visualizing another set of mathemagical phrases in his mind to try and raise a protective coat around him from the very earth itself.

The boulders come crushing behind the group and effectively block the canyon for carts and carriages, but an able bodied being could probably climb the 30 feet high wall of rock. And as luck would have it for the group of beings, it IS climbed. By a group of three rough looking beings, dressed in hardened leather and furs, while on the other side five similarly dressed beings lower themselves quickly on robes from the walls of the canyon, together with a heavy clan mouse with a broken left antler and a heavy looking plate armor.

Fenris turns his buffalo to face the five beings on the open side of the road. "Can you all handle the three on the rocks?" he asks, just loud enough to be heard, "I can handle the big guy and keep the rest busy while you take care of business here." He urges his mount forward a few paces, putting himself between the bandits on the road and the rest of the group. "Trontus, isn't it?" he calls out in a loud voice, "I've seen your portraits! They are much more flattering than the reality!" The burly bunny looses his huge sword from his buffalo's harness.

Lucas yelps as the boulder crashes down, jumping away in surprise from it's impact. He turns back around and looks, sighing in relief. "At least it didn't land on us..." he muttered and looked at his hand. "I really need to work on my air magic more." His eyes look up at the beings as Fenris speaks. He sighs and draws his sword with his right hand, his left pulling out his pistol and drawing back the hammer. "I... I might be able to deal with a few." He aims the pistol at one of the three beings, eye closing as he directs it center mass at the being in the center.

Aloysius shakes is head as the layer of earthen armour begins to cover him, "Pity, I did not want to ruin my clothes so soon." the squirrel says as he turns around towards the five other bandits, "Do help our otter friend. I think I will deal with the other five, can't let the rabbit hog all the glory."

Jugu raises his staff in a defensive posture, looking up at the squirrel and smirking. "Can always clean them later. Don't get killed." He twirls the staff as he dashes forward next to Lucas, and with one mighty heave he slams his foot down on the ground next to him. As the impact ripples out away from the the very earth itself begins to churn and crack, becoming a mire that may take some effort to cross. "That might buy you time to fire again." He holds his staff with both hands in the stick fighting 'cat' stance

The cat Lucas aimed at takes a shot to the chest, screams, and falls backwards down the boulders, while the other two take cover behind some of the rocks and draw their weapons, a rifle and a crossbow. They both aim, shoot and miss. On the other side of the road, Trontus rolls his shoulder, "And? What is it to you?" He draws a nearly comically large warhammer from his back and marches towards Fenris while three of the lightly armored ones swarm out towards Aloysius. The other two stay behind, one of them with his axe and shield ready, the other appearantly unarmed and focused.

"Mage!" Fenris shouts, pointing his own ridiculously large weapon at the focused being, then charges toward Trontus, huge sword out to the side, swinging at the combined speed of burly bunny and charging buffalo!

Lucas barks out a laugh as his shot hits, looking at his smoking pistol with pride. "Hah! I hit him! I can't believe I act-" He squeaks in surprise and launches himself back with the two shots fired at him. He sighs as they impact the ground then looks to the elephant. He grins and nods his head, not wasting the breath to speak as he quickly stabs the tip of his sword into the ground and begins reloading his pistol, focusing his attention on the gunpowder and the ammunition. "Feel free to let them come after I fire off another shot. I'm better with my sword than I am my pistol," he mutters, packing the round into the barrel.

Shakes his head as three bandits rush towards him. "Hark, villains. Put down your arms lest you suffer the wrath of justice at my hand." the squirrel says as he idly claps a couple of times, the innocent movement causing the elements surrounding the bandits to explode.

The elephant frowns as the two bandits take cover, and flinches to the side as they open fire. He leaves his fighting stance now that it's clear they're not going to be attacking them directly. "Alright.. let's see if we can force them to come to us, or stall them out." He twirls his staff and slams it onto the ground, channeling his divine maths to try and change the very balance of this battleground. He imposes his will over the very earth beneath their feet, and attempts to raise a protective wall between themselves and the two bandits, something they can duck behind and use as a bracing platform for returning fire.

Cover raises around elephant and otter, and just in time too, as it is quickly adorned with a bolt right in the middle of it. Fenris' opponent takes a mighty blow that rips off part of the armor on his right arm and goes for a counter, missing the bunny with his huge weapon. Jugu feels even colder as before as the mage focuses her wrath upon him, but thanks to the magic of elephant and his own fortitude the icy spell does no harm to the squirrel.

:does not slow his charge to turn toward the moose. Instead he carries on toward the frowning bandit, intending to disrupt whatever magic they might be wielding. He whips his monstrous sword around his head, using the recoil from his prior strike to add speed and power to his next attack.

Fenris does not slow his charge to turn toward the moose. Instead he carries on toward the frowning bandit, intending to disrupt whatever magic they might be wielding. He whips his monstrous sword around his head, using the recoil from his prior strike to add speed and power to his next attack.

Lucas primes the hammer on his pistol, kissing at the bridge of the barrel. He nods to Zuri in thanks, then squeaks as he hears the bolt impact. "Oof, quick thinking," he said to the elephant, leaning towards the edge of the wall. He takes a deep breath and leans out, taking aim at one of the two bandits. Holding his breath, he close an eye, slowly pulling the trigger until the round escapes the end of the barrel in a puff of smoke and fire.

Rokarion shakes himself off after that cold assault before eyeing the injured beings and preparing his rapier. "Surrender villains!" the squirrel shouts before attacking one of them, aiming to knock them down with a pommel to the face.

Jugu huffs and smirks at Lucas as they both hide behind the rock wall. His trunk warbles as he nods. "Don't mention it." He takes a deep breath, pulling from the last vestiges of his magical might as he reaches over to touch Lucas' sleeve for one last spell. "It's all on you now. Go get 'em." From where he touched three layers begin to spread: The first one soothing water, the second protective earth, the third flaking metal. The layers criss-cross, forming a protective sheen. The tuckered-out hearth mage stays behind the wall, his job done.