The Warband Earns a new Name
by Greywolf-ELMGliding low over the trees Ringscale looked over at his mate and hunting partner. A look is exchanged, as if to say, "I told you the goblin and Orcs would bring us a bigger meal."
Elfblood returns the look with one of her own. She is slightly larger than the male, and brooks little backtalk from him. They will have Orc meat today, with a little goblin and Ogre thrown in. Using the tree line for cover, the pair of Wyverns swoops in for the kill.
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Moving along at an easy pace, the warband is alert in lands so near the Elven forests to the south and kobold tribes to the north. Darkhunt, Hobna, and Sharraxtharkul all notice the Wyverns flying in over the trees.
Hobna calls out "Dragons!" as Darkhunt begins to growl. The warband is alert for trouble as the Wyverns dive in to attack.
Rhgls' yell is lost in the sound of spells, Wyvern roars, and battle preparations.
" Not me, me small, get him (points to Iirkh) he big!"
Iirkh readies his greatclub as Hobna manages to release an arrow. Sharraxtharkul quickly casts a spell, causing a misty vapour to rise up for 4 shins around the goblin, obscuring sight for Margrax, Rhgl, Gilnak, Gorga, and Snig.
Ringscale flies in, thinking to take out the biggest threat, Iirkh. He is sorely surprised when he receives a crushing blow from the Half Ogre's greatclub. He barely manages to rake a claw over Iirkh and stay aloft long enough to continue flying past.
Gorga steps out of the mist and releases two arrows at Elfblood eliciting a shriek of rage from her as they bite deeply. Swooping in with rage, the Orc easily avoids the grasping claws. Snig runs wildly off to a nearby hill, and Rhgl, obscured by the mist, begins digging a hole.
Gilnak steps from the mist into the path of Ringscale, and suffers a vicious bite as he leaps up to deliver a deeply cutting strike to a wing, nearly severing it from the Wyverns' body. Ringscale manages to land on his feet, and avoid an attack from the goblin Snig.
Elfblood flies on and turns to attack again, not realising the danger she is in. Gorga and Hobna plant three more arrows in her in the blink of an eye. When she falls to the ground, Iirkh is waiting for her, putting an end to her hunting days with a quick powerful finality.
"Who's your Ogre? Who's your Ogre?"
Meanwhile, Rhgl continues to dig.
Gorga announces that the battle is over, and Sharraxtharkul ends the mist spell, as everyone turns to see Rhgl rapidly digging a hole. Rather convincingly, he tells the warband without shame.
"I knew we would win, this is a fire pit. Rhgl was not hiding. Let's roast some dragon."
The warband begins chanting "Eagles, Eagles, Eagles..." in celebration of the victory over the Wyverns. Gorga decides that they will make use of the fire pit, and the warband makes camp. Drigka begins playing a victory chant accompanied by his battle drums. Sharraxtharkul and Gorga oversee the grisly job of cutting up the Wyvern bodies for meat and trophies. The warband feasts into the night, with a large fire in the pit. If any eyes are watchful from the Elven forest or the kobold lands to the north, they know well enough not to mess with a warband that has just taken down two Wyverns on the hunt. In the morning the remainder of the meat and trophies is packed up in the skins for transport back to the Home Tribe.
The remainder of the trek home is uneventful for the warband. Cutting across a few miles of kobold lands, and the Fat Lip Orc territory the Eagles are back in Vile Rune tribe lands within a few more days of hustling.
The Eagles come back to the Vile Runes tribe home with their chests puffed up; bearing gifts for the tribe. The whole tribe turns out for the presentation of the Wyvern hides and meat. At the direction of the tribe shaman, Hargul Wolf-tongue, the women take the meat for preparation, and two of his apprentices take up the remaining claws, horns, skulls skins and various viscera that won't be eaten. As Garnash One-Tusk exits the main tribal cave, Drigka is asked to give a tale of the Eagles' adventures.
Taking the high ground near the tribe cooking pit, Drigka tells a stirring tale of the defeat of the two Wyverns at the hands of the Eagles warband. Pounding his drums to set up the feeling of the battle, he weaves a masterful tale of the warband setting up the Wyverns for a quick downfall by pretending to be unaware of their approach, and springing a trap of magic and arrows upon them, chopping them from the sky with axes when they came further into the trap. A point is made in the story to describe Rhgls' masterful preparation of a feasting pit for the cooking of the dragon meat after the battle was sure to end in a glorious vanquishing of the two Wyverns.
The entire tribe hoots and yells at the story. Gorga is summoned before Gynk Lip-biter, and Sharraxtharkul is invited to participate in a ritual with the Shaman. Hobna presents a scroll case with scrolls to the Shaman and requests some form of magical protection. After studying the magic within, Hargul nods to Hobna.
"I will use the ritual tomorrow to create a protective token for you."
There is a celebration and the tribe eats heartily of dragon meat. Drigka tells tales of the Eagles conquering the kobold tribe in the stronghold to the East, and the death of his former warband the Owls. During the gathering of the tribe, Garnash One-tusk calls for silence.
"We have Wyvern killers in our tribe now, and tribe killers."
A cheer goes up from the tribe.
"This calls for a new name straight from the tribe chief. I give the Eagles a new name. One that will be feared throughout King Thar's lands. I give you the Wyverns."
Uproar unlike many the tribe has seen begins in the tribe, most are cheering for the new name, and the power it holds. The newly named Wyverns puff up their chests with pride, and endure many back slaps and similar congratulations for some time. Garnash calls out to the tribe again,
"This feast is in honour of the Wyverns, they will bring glory to the Vile Runes."
A few within the tribe are not so happy about this turn of events. The Wyverns have been elevated to the top of the pecking order, from near the bottom, in the hierarchy of warbands. The Wolves warband takes umbrage at this, and a look and nod is exchanged between all of the members. The wolves are lead by Droom Stomp-Foot and the rest are: Akrum, Billet Weird-O, Fibern Bug-stomp, Gunduk Hammer-Head, Igniss Arrow-Kill, Kleenk Squint-eye, Krinzt Orc-Blood, Mustuk Red-eye, and Skeebs Trip-Trap. The time has come to put these punks in their place.
A sucker punch from Akrum the Ogre goes awry and Iirkh is nonplussed. Who is this, and why is he trying so poorly to hit Iirkh while Iirkh is trying to get food?
Gorga is soon set upon by Droom, "You Eagles have been strutting about like pea*****s!'"
With a fist back at Droom, Gorga yells "And now you will see why!"
Two others gang up on Sharraxtharkul. A hand-to-hand unarmed melee ensues, with the Ogre barely able to land a fist on Iirkh. Shglsnor, Hobna, Drigka, and Gilnak take down Gunduk and Igniss, and Drigka comes to Rhgls' defence. Rhgl looking for a chance to avoid the brawl mistakenly runs by the Ogre within reach, and is knocked unconscious by a back-handed blow from the brute. Seeing this, Iirkh redoubles his efforts at the Ogre and knocks him to the ground in a daze. Proud of his showing in the fight with the Ogre, Iirkh announces his skills, "Dodge like a puny Goblin, smash like an Ogre."
Garnash's Ogre guards laugh at Akrum's inability to take out the Half-Ogre, regardless of how his mixed heritage has somehow enhanced his strength.
Meanwhile, Sharraxtharkul has taken offence at a figure in control of magic being grappled by unclean hands. He brings fire into the fight, and burns the hapless goblin in multiple places. Margrax gets into the act and the Goblin is soon unconscious and dying. The Tribe members witnessing this call out for a fair fight, no magic. Gorga calls out from his battle with Droom,
"Leave it to the Wyverns to bring magic to a fist fight."
Iirkh moves on to a new foe, and Igniss is not too happy about it. After a huge fist catches him in the temple, he yells out in frustration.
"CRAP! Where's Akrum?!? "
Fibern Bug-stomp is unable to effectively engage with Margrax biting and growling at him. All Vile Runes respect and will not try to hurt ally wolves of any sort. The tribe shaman moves over to heal the injured Goblin smiling wickedly.
Seeing a chance to enhance the mystic reverence of a shaman of the tribe, Hargul calls out to the tribe,
"See what happens when you lay hands upon a Shaman?"
Soon after this, Gorga takes out the wolves' leader without a minute to spare. His strength was beginning to ebb with each blow from the raging Droom. At this the Wolves throw up their hands in defeat and the tribe cheers for the new top warband, "The Wyverns".
[OOC:
"My rolling is just atrocious." The DM in rolling frustration.
"Thank you." Gorga's player
I couldn't roll a too-hit for the NPC's to save my life. I tried to make the combat one that could have gone either way, and the Wyverns win or lose prestige in the tribe. They won.]
Next Up: A Wyvern is lost in battle