Grovel is Mighty!

[lonnarin]

Brother Nonac and I have ventured to the Isle of Mistone.  We sneak aboard boat and hide in crates, eating rats and drinking the booze they shipping.  Nonac get very sick on rum and make mess out the porthole, almsot got us caught.  But we are sneaky and humans are stupid.  We come here to city of Vehl where nobody mind too much that we're goblins.  They all half-something here... lots of seedy sorts.  Love this city!  See a mugging and old lady cry, Nonac and Grovel laugh at her, and gate guard even join in!

We grow in our hunting skills quickle... cougar and bandits were good sport for us.  Nonac very good at gutting dwarves, he know where the soft spots are and hate them extra much.  Dwarfs have big mouths, long beards and stupid stupid faces... they always try to kill us and smash our babies with warhammers!  But we kill them yes, slit the throats witht he sickle and cut them open so they bleed... sitting there tryihg to scream in a gurgle.  We taller than them now, and stupid cougar who wont obey!

Next we kill many skeletons, gather the knuckles and take them to an old magus woman int he swamp.  She real good alchemist, show Grovel a few things, and so pretty with her long nose, warts and wrinkles.  Grovel hope one day to take swamp lady as his mate, but she seem too old for pups.  We make us necklaces from the bones but no work with my barkskin.  Maybe she a druid too?

Tum-Tum follows us into hunt, he is very big now.  He the best hunter of our pack, come with us to know glory and set example to puplings.  We tell them of great tales and he howl victory tot he moon.  She hears us and is happy, we kill many stupid dwarfs and ugly, too tall humans.  When she is full we hear her call, so strong.  She stare into us and we into her, and we know eternity.

We see very powerful gnome woman on road!  Was scary, all gnomes and goblins at war... she killed so many huge ogres like she was swatting flies!  Pow pow came her fists!  and she run so fast was quicker than bird of flight. Nonac scout her out and tell me what he see, so we flee, flee as far as we can go.  We hid in some trash barrels in town as she pass us... we lucky.  She would have made us dead quick!

Then we also meet our first non-goblin-or-wolf friend!  Is big huge giant man, Corvis, cambo, Corgo... hmmm, Grovel not good with names but can remember his scent well enough.  He is mighty warrior, tougher than 20 humans and a million dwarfs.   He good to us like big brother, we make him member of our pack.  We going to hunt well with this one, he have sword bigger than Nonac and me put together!  he hate Hempsteed too, they yell at him and kick him out of town.  One day we pay them back, we pay them ALL back!  we burn rotten hempsteed to the ground!

[lonnarin]

Nonac and me killing amny on hunt.  Today we eat biggest brown bear ever!  That make us taller than bear.  We avoid walking trees and spiders though, they is nasty tough and not good eating anyways.  Is lots more black bears and boars and stuff.  We camp in the gorve where Tum-Tum is most welcome.  They like naturefolk there, we make it our home.  Some elfs glare at us, but Grovel is druid, and they cannot kill me.  Is against the nature code we all in.  Grovel make sure to rub that in and make them extra mad, make other druids dangerously close to fall from grace of order.  Stupid elfs! ha!

Is big manly woman in Haven, calls herself Kit.  She do not like Nonac or Grovel, and she drive Tum-Tum away, even though he eat bandits for her stupid town.  We kill her one day, eat her and set town on fire... well, maybe no fire.  Could spread to woods.  If Grovel could learn to quake and thunder, maybe flood... ho ho, stupid humans all die and forrest take over.  Then there much more to hunt!

Am learning more and more the way of wolf and oak.  Can now turn self into a wolf, and sprint free across the plains!  Is whole new world of smells and chasing rabbits, Grovel feel more like myself in this form.  Bear is big and good too for scaring peoples who stop us in road and demand we die for being goblins.  They think we small, they can push us around,t hen me turn into bear and eat their face! Also learn to make stormclouds and have tempest unleash zapping fury on those who stand in our way.  The earth is with us, and it's fury is a hungry thing.

[lonnarin]

We meet new gobbo!  Is War Singer of the Red Light tribe.  He say he leave them because they all crazy.  He fights longside us and sings tales of our deeds, even singing dread songs mocking enemy so they all flustered.  Is pretty good with the flail and he learn fast how to survive.

Nonac me and War Singer declared war on the kobolds! Tricky, nasty kobolds... they are followers of the red dragon who burn down woods... a beast so stupid it would spread fire to eat one cow it could simply whack with its tail.  The storm's fury rages down on them!  I run up to their masses and rain forth lightning on them all, and their wee scaley heads EXPLODE!  I even come up with new storm, one of fire and a strange, glowing energy... but have to be extra careful when I use it for fire is dengerous.  Can spread and hurt my packmates, so I try to warn them to wait for me to cast, then we charge, then me rain down storms to zap lizards and rain to put out fires.  Is many little charred blackened husks in kobold lands now.

We go into silkwood caves for mining lots, Nonac must train before he can grind the topaz for me.  Malachite is held by kobolds, so was very fun getting it and killing them all, but me wasn't ready for what we saw.  Goblins and kobolds living together, in same cave!  It make me so angry we slay them all, scale and greenskin alike.  Only a stupid traitor would side with kobolds!

Am learning even more of way of oak and wolf.  Realize now that pack isnt just for worg, but can include all animals.  SKunk, bear, cow, chicken have all fought by our side, killing kobolds and bandits.  We all in this together... and whatever animals don't submit get beaten like griffon!  Now can even turn into bird or snake, feel so good to slither fast with grass tickling belly... not so good when Nonac try and tie me into knot.  Big cheetah sprint across the fields!  Claw and fury eat the kobolds alive as they scream, screaming is Grovel's second favorite flavor, right after stinky!

Best of all is teeny tiny cat form...  me sneak anywhere me want as cat.  Quick enough to find small hole and scurry, climb tree and leap from branch to branch or even climb on backs of enemy as they look for me.  Even better is that stupid humans don't even worry about the cat, me can walk right up to them, meow them that they stupid and they feed me fish!  Need to watch out when they pet me though, feels too good.  Elf lady pick me up and start petting me on bench and me fall asleep in her lap.  Me wake up when shifting wear off and she screaming with fingers in me matted hair.  Good thing screaming is me favorite flavor.  *burps*

[lonnarin]

Am really enjoying new forms so very well.  Usually I like turning into a cheetah for the battle, since he is quick and hard to hit.  But then War Singer tells me he has learned new spell for making faster and hard to hit, so me try being big freakin snake!  Snake is even quicker than cheetah reflexes, and while it not run so fast, War Singer's spell make me way quicker than any cheetah!  Bite them I do!  Bite them in the eyes and squirt poison into their brains as they scream!  Even ogres feel effects of Grovel's mighty venoms!  Feel so much more alive in animal form... me not even sure if me a gobbo any more.  Walking less and less, is so much more fun to fly or to sprint or to slither!  

Me try concentrating and making new forms too.  Once made jackrabbit/antelope thingy called jackalope, but it was not natural enough and couldnt breathe and kept trying to run from myself... so me turn back into wolf.  Wolf is most comfortable form, like tiny worg.  Was fish for short while, but other fish kept trying to nip at me, so turned back into gobbo and bit their head off!  hahah!  Is also fun turning into cat, having city dogs chase me to woods, then turn into bear and eat dogs.  Me not care bout them, they live in city, is traitor. Man's best friend is druid's disappointment.

Me gobbo friends is changing too it seems.  Nonac keep sneaking off to go work for some orc shaman in the gold mines.  Me will not go near him, he is using skeletons!  Me maybe not be nicest gobbo in the world, but me am a druid, and skeletons make me so angry!  They kill well enough, but they not do so with passion of a hunter, they no smell the fear of the prey or the taste of the blood dripping from teeth.  No, they just sit there, dumb and unfeeling and stupid, grinning with no reason to kill but that they are commanded to do so.  Is not way of nature.

War singer is seeing crazy human in horned helm who blow things up with his voice.  Is scary man, all drunk and crazy.  Me not go near dreaded skald... seen him blow up hundreds of gobbos with just a shout in the red lights!  He was invisible cursed winds they all fear, sneak in, gobbo heads pop and we all dead without even seeing him!  War Singer learning some of his ways though... would be good if he learn way of skald and help bring to us gobbos.  Fear is the way to deal with humans and dwarfs... smash open their skulls and stir around the bitty pieces of goo what once was brains!

[lonnarin]

Me and brother Nonac meet two new friends tonight, Skullcracker Headbang mighty dwarf and Nathan.  Headcracker me like, even though he is a dwarf, he is into hunt and heart full of rage to kill!  He wanted help in killing the "evil" which pretty funny... wonder how he feel if he knew he was hunting with gobbos?  He drinking raw blood and eat hearts with us, so maybe we teach him truth of good and evil yet...  Nathan is much like my brother, sneaky and smart, good with the bow and aware of world around him.  He balk when we eat the hearts of our prey raw, but maybe we wean him onto it.  He eat lots of the big bird later.

Tonight we go on big hunt to Rilara island, many huge beasts we slay!  Toughest of all was mighty river dog, so thick was it that took many strikes and claws and axes to beat, at least 30 or 40!  We ate of its heart and flesh and its spirit now travels with us.  We took mighty step in foodchain!  Other was the fat birdlion, Griffon it called.  When we ate of it, we could feel its spirit make us strong, no longer fear in hearts at all, but wild, untamed fury!  The water buffalos there helped us fight back, always it swoops down to take their calfs, but buffalo are strong.  We convince them to protect their young against the lions nearby, they beat them with little of our help!  Then, we took one buffalo back to his tribe, the chief bull, to teach them of the ways of war, fed them the flesh of lions, those that ate them.  Herbivores they be, but they can eat of rage.  We too the buffalo cow to Borden, the bovine slaver, he who with cold hands tugs at the teat and makes the mothers sore.  She will breed with his bulls, produce milk to their calfs and teach them the ways of the hunt as we have taught her.  She has eaten lion now, and the power of the hunter is with her and her line.  Soon there will be a generation of cowffalos, strong of the wild and masked of the city, who shall rise and end the bovine oppresion.  Me cannot wait until mighty hooves crush the skull of Borden, and the horned herd rides free into the lands to strike fear into the hearts of the slavers!

[lonnarin]

*Grovel finds a news posting and keeps a copy in his journal*

Guardsmen and townsfolk are scratching their heads in Mariner's Hold over recent developments in which the dreaded warlord of the bugbear island was apparantly killed by a team of drunken goblins and their massively huge giantkin champion. Upon returning his head for the sizeable sum of 600 true each, they did a happy dance and stormed the local tavern to throw a 20 keg party to brag and boast of their accomplishments.

When reached for comment, the large one was mostly incoherent, speaking between huge chugs of ale from a cask held high above his head, laughing hysterically and describing the many ways he smashed the bugbear skulls, making beautiful abstract art on the walls of the dungeon. One of the wee ones appeared to have some talent in showmanship, as he spun the tales and played the harpsichord fluently for the crowd, rousing them to sing along. "We show bugbears they not gonna push us around no more!" said another, "Taller than them now we cut off legs, haha!"

Crowd reactions were mixed, varying between awe, revelry, caution and hysterical laughter as the 4 proceeded to dish out enough ale to quench an army. "I always knew this place was goin crazy when I saw that orc fellah in the crafthall, but now goblin hoardes? Think its time to invest in that farmland near Thalos, this can't be good for property taxes!" said one bystander, a dwarven craftsman. "Thems just havin ah good time, real good folk." said another, a tavern local huntsman. "It ain't every day somebody even buy ye ah beer, and these uns treat the whole town, with a dead warlord to boot! Ah reckon they better folk than most of us"

In light of their contribution to the bounty commision, the local guards chose not to interfere with the revelry, ignoring more than a few noise ordinances for the night. "I have to admit, I was alarmed when I first saw them, but a head is a head... and these four seemed to accomplish by themselves what regiments of over a dozen bounty hunters often die attempting. We look forward to any further help they may offer in the region." stated a local clerk. "It's very rare that people accept those higher risk missions... and these boys deliver."

Farros Galdor Reporting

[lonnarin]

Stories is all true!  Me, Nonac, War Singer and Cam Cutter all beat down bugbear island and ate of their chieftain's heart!  We would have brought Mangle-Or, but he was crushed by some rock-people in the cave near the gnolls and needed mending.  We was real tricky about it, make all gobbos proud how we fought.  Me would turn into some tiny prey animal and hop around to where the bugbear scouts could see us, then scurry round corner pretending to be afraid.  Hungry bugbears follow... then WHAM!  Big Cam Cutter squish them as Nonac cut out their eyes and War Singer scream!

We always hated the bugbears, even though they our close cousins.  They always treat us gobbos like dirt, kick us, hunt us for sport, eat us when food already there.  They always boss us around, tell us what to do when tribes meet.  Now, we feast of their flesh, chew on their eyes popping juicy in our jaws, feast of the heart!  Bugbears learn now that taller not matter... a gobbo is always taller than the contents of his own stomach!

Nonac tell me of other like me who turn into animals, was on hunt with them for big golden bear for some old, crippled man who make leathers.  They killed lots of hunters on same hunt, must have been very fun!  Even tells me that when they found the bear, Nonac and Cam and the others try to protect it from own group of hunters, and that many dwarves die!  Grovel always feel warm fuzzy feeling deep down inside when dwarf dies, Nonac must have been really happy!  Guess they lost though, for even though dwarves died by Cam and Nonac, they took the bear down with them.  Woodsman Nonac met wasn't happy, when they go to turn pelt in to the tanner, he turn into giant bear and eat him.  People of towns all angy, me not know why.  Thought was really funny!  maybe city people not understand concept of irony?

Now they hunting the one of the oak, Kuhren he named.  Angry postings about how the city people going to hunt all druids too, me better get ready.  Grovel must find this one, he is much more nature than any other druid me hear of... those stupid city-druids who sit on the benches, eat no meat and beg people to spare the animals that bite them.  Hopefully he eat Johan's heart and make good leather from human!

Me wonder if he kill Johan for same reason Grovel would, and not just because he think hunting wrong like the city-druids.  Is no crime to hunt, as long as one hunts for self and isn't just skinning animals to sell to other... if people no can hunt for the skins they need, then they shouldnt have them in first place.  Me am so sickened by the bear traps too, these gnomish machines of metal that sit there, do no work and kill from afar.  What is glory of bloodlust in that?  where is squirting blood, screams of dying and writhing flesh in jaws struggling until life drip out and flopping limp?  Is no way to hunt, these traps.  Real hunter must catch scent, follow trail, patience to wait and spring out to kill... real tanner should go out and hunt own, tan own, live by own hands.  Johan was old, weak, crippled with age in last seasons of winter... it was good for Kuhren to kill him so.  The place of the old is the jaws of the young and strong.  Stupid cities coddle their old, weaken themselves in wasting time caring for them.  When Grovel is old, will wander into woods to be eaten by Wargs so that the pups will gain my power.

Me thinks is days of reckoning near, where cities will march into wilds and seek us all for trophy.  Me need train for when time comes, learn to sprint faster, hide smarter, bite harder.  Cities will crumble, buildings will burn!  Time is now for nature's wrath.

[lonnarin]

More and more come to rally under our banner!  New gobbo brother Mangle-Or fast becoming indespensible.  Nonac and War Singer found him, exhiled from tribe and wandering aimlessly.  He is gobbo who fight big, think he size of cam cutter, and charge forth frothing into fray!  He gatheres up the beasties so that me can zap them to oblivion, and keeps them from hitting us.  He gets beaten down sometimes cause he charge ahead without spells, but is funny.  Me like seeing people get hurt, so me laugh a lot when he around.  And most of time he live, he like hurting others.

Pallenia is me first druid friend.  She agree with me on lots of stuff, on merciless nature and of how more druids should be like raging bear.  She call herself druid of the storm, and like me being druid of wolf, she seem to have kinship with the wind.  She call down lots of lightning, and fry things like I do, angry at them and watching them dance in fire-light.  We hunt for long time until we tired, she very useful.  While me favor the wolf, she seem to be born of panther, take panther form and bring panther to hunt.  Is always good to have more animals in hunt, eat the corpses which leave a trail.

Then there is crazy guy who take lots of notes and box things with bare fists.  We make him goblin brother because he seem to know what we is, but not care and even like it.  We take he and druid lady into deep woods and hunt the werewolves.  Wretched are they, the wolves who take the worm of man... should be other way around!  Wolf is ultimate being, leader of hunt and eater of corpses.  Why ur-wolf weakens self to be man unknown to me, we slay them because they a plague.  not part of nature.  Vendar know much of Ur-wolf, his knowledge good use in hunting.  What would city druids say me wonder, if me showed him to them?  According to oaths of anti-city, he would be most natural hunter... stays in own form, fights with no weapon, no armor tainting his honor.  Is strange thing, this "monk"... but me think they part of balance maybe as much as any druid.

We also meet Shalar, is priest of Aeriden.  Me respect them, those that follow life-giver.  It was they that saw beyond city rage and let Corash the Dwarfslayer to live.... hopefully to one day rise and slay again.  They hold many groves with us, and oddly Mangle-Or likes their symbol of the leaf.  Me think he just stupid and think was a pipeweed leaf, but maybe was some omen.  In any case, Aeriden is only one who hate undeath more than me... nasty breaks in nature, things living beyond their time and hunting for thirst they never quench.  We will take this Shalar into battle one day, delve into crypts and pummel the beloved remains of cityfolk into accursed dust.  SOMEBODY has to clean up the filthy mess the necromongers bring!

[lonnarin]

Me am studying the gods, the mightiest of hunters.  They were mortal once, but grew so powerful that they no longer savored the taste of blood and the stink of corpses.  Now they fest upon souls of the mortals, ensnare them with their faith and command legions to their pack.  Me know not much of what they are, but me know what they like from they followers.  is as follows...

Vorax is god of war, his people hunt without rage or hunger, just love of killing.  They claim to be good, be luckily their bloodlust makes them act as any other orc marauding party.  While we hate dwarves usually, dwarves follow Vorax most... and in understanding him me am learning of dwarves, and other way around.  Is good to see one have such hate for everything and hunt all they see.  Means that despite their pretending of being good, they can be saved.

Aeriden is god of healing, and hunter of undeath.  At first, me think he was weak, one of those stupid city people talking of "love"...  but then me hear of his hunting.  Even though he harm no thing living, strange as that be, he truly HATED the undeath, even more than me!  Sure, maybe its for different reasons, but such a tool as they, so ready to battle any blight on nature is one that cannot possibly be left unexploited.

Branderback is one I like the most, he is cunning, and cruel like gobbo.  He lurks in shadow and stalks his prey and in one blink he takes your life and that which he wants.  Strange woman Veeto teach me of him and show me his stars.  He is like me, wolf in the dark full of hunger and need for power.  Me liking him.

Aragen is odd one, and he is one who Vendar follow.  He take notes on things he kills, people he meets, things we see.  Always studying!  He not show fear when find out what we are, which good, that fearlessness is strength, he is not blustered.  He studies all opponents and then runs up to them with no weapon, no armor, and kicks them in the butt!  Me think if study hard enough, then see all gaps in enemies defenses, strike like snake and coil back....  Me learn more about all things to keep them off balance and to find their weaknesses.

[lonnarin]

I have been mastering this human tongue... now infiltrating and walking among them, they cannot tell the difference from me and any other gnome.  Stupid humans, sometimes I just walk around unmasked and if they try to do anything against me, hunt them for sport.  Stupid humans, as I grow in power, I wane in patience for your insolence!

We are closer to finding the root of the infection.  After hunting routinely around mistone and telling the hunters Clarissa and Storold what we know, they told us of a great ur wolf who even almost slew her, mighty in power she is.  Not even her mithral blade could pierce its hide, simple silver shunned... the leader must be the one, the chosen of the ur.  The prophecy will be fulfilled when both moons are full and he manages to sail across the stars to them, I feel the time is close.  They do not know where the lair is, and we must search for it.

Later in Rilara, we encountered more ur-beasts than ever before!  Waves and waves of them, seeming to hunt a druid known as Malkor who says he was... bitten.  If he is infected, then his fate is sealed, but what do the urs want with him, so willing to send legions of their numbers to their deaths to try and kill him? It was for that reason that we spared him, he may be the key to uprooting the source and wiping out the infestation for good.  If these urs continually hunt him, then it stands to reason that each wave must be creating a new set of tracks from their lair, every attack a new opportunity to find where they are located.  And when we find them, we will destroy them!  Further... it is odd that they would be so obsessed with one infected vagabond such as malkor.  What makes him so damned important that they would all die just to slay him?  He must pose great danger to them and their leader, I conclude... he must be the key to slaying him where Clarissa failed.  We will use this one, stupid and pitifully frightened as he is, and when we are done, then there will be but one more step to finish the cleansing... his head on a silver pike!  Soon, it is difficult to stay my hand for this long...

If those weren't enough troubles, it seems that one of our race has tricked the stupid human "Sall Tempest" by switching bodies and minds with him via some spell.  He must have been an incredibly stupid human, as he was talking like the most primative of our tribal kin after the change... goblins are not inherently stupid, we are cunning as any human, smarter than any orc.  Yet this one blusters and squeals like some feeble mouse being gutted by a cats claws.  A poor excuse for a goblin he is, and an insult to me.  We must change him back and find the one who did this, I am interested in the magic that could bestow such a transformation.  We must apparantly find the Sall human body with the goblin mind who is attacking caravans.... what a stupid goblin... how he got ahold of this magic with such a simple mind is the real mystery.  Were I in human form, I would walk into the heart of the cities, slay their kings and queens and poison their wells and slaughter their children in the night... but this one settles on simple banditry!  He could have done that just as easily as a goblin... so the point of his transformation seems moot to me.  We must get them reappropriated or slay them both... we have worked long and hard establishing our reputations of terror, and I will not have some blustering human in goblin's skin goodening our bad names!

[lonnarin]

Many foes lay dead before us.  Me and Nonac and mangle and Warsinger now add new gobbos to the pack.  Zod of Shadon and Tuk, another druid of the oak.  But then stupid knight lady mess things up and scare them off!  Daniella Stormhaven... oh how me hates her!  She yell and yell and yell and tell grovel and all gobbos to go away, but we stand out ground!  All the while she bark at us, Nonac stand behind her with both blades drawn, nobody even sees him!  Eventually me call upon natures WRATH and big big big worm come up!  Ate two of her friends, and almost at her, but Grovel summon four strong lightning strikes to bring it down.

Grovel does this not of pity no, but to spite her.  I pointed out how this "eeevil" gobbo saved her life, and had she just been nicer, her firends would not be there to be eaten by big worm.  Dig in the clutches I did.  Is so fun using their own code against them, paladins.  Maybe I get her to snap and murder Grovel in cold blood?  Then her power gone.  Grovel likes this!  Evil evil, wicked lady.  Always telling gobbos what to do!

[lonnarin]

Me am Missing Warsinger and Mangle.  Has been long lon time since Nonac or me see them around.  Also Cam Cutter and Volga gone too.  Me hoping to find them soo.  The Warg pack is growing stronger than ever, and Grovel now finally going toe to toe with GIANTS!  makes him much much taller on food chain.

Me heard that big big druid Trouble Tempest dies.  While is bad to lose an ally in the killing of undead, is still good cause that means one less challenge in the path to Hierophant.  Me got Legodia all sized up, and day now me gonna face her down and eat her in combat, as is nature's way.  Maybe the other druids not like that, so I better grow strong fast, and make alliances.  In numbers and power, might is the only thing that matters.  Talk talk all you want pinkies, you taste good with butter!

Other druid Aerimor not like me because me brother Mangle was standing beside a dwarf who kicked his butt.  Me not get what his problem is, wasnt even me or me brother who did it!  And even better, according to Mangle, this elf was asking for buttkicking by taunting that crazy dwarf Skullcracker.  Pffft, me not see cats taking swipes at dobermans or minks biting lions... what he expect?  Dwarf is simply stronger and eats more meat than elf, is fast fight every time.  Axe go up, elf come down, fat dwarf laughs and drinks.  And then Nonac stabs the dwarf and me zap him with lightning.  See?  gobbos is smart... let elfs and dwarfs fight eachother.  Then when one gone and the other wounded, we swarm on them and eat their meats!

[lonnarin]

There is a new plague to be thwarted; devil puking rats of Broken Halls!  Some adventurers have been digging deep in there... sadly I was off training the wargs for the saddle and feeding them dwarf to attune their hunger.  But they delve there yes, and they are dealing with some big necromancy.  The gobbo tribe and wargpack will sit back for now and watch.  Maybe they win?  good for nature!  Maybe they lose?  then we will make a second wave and hopefully pick the flesh and gear from their bones when we go in and do it right!  Pinkies dont have the stomach for what needs to be done! always balk and wretch and gasp in the face of zombie, its a distraction and they get bit.

These puking rats are different from undead though.  They live, and they carry the plague.  While we gobbos dont mind plagues in general, hey they're great ways to wear down the enemy before a war, and we breed quick enough to never get wiped out, as a druid I am sworn to oppose all diseases that get out of hand.  Deep in the Broken Halls is the place for such things, but Legodia's scouts say that its not the case now.  They are coming out, following some unknown force and spreading their disease to the groves, the woods, the wargs...

I must do now what no other druid would do.  For the sake of my brothers and nature, I must hunt the white stag, holy beast of good.  Many of my order will be enraged by this, but they are all stupid and racist.  They NEVER blink twice when killing wargs or wearing wolfskin, so us wearing white stag is just a drop in the pond compared to the gushing waterfall of wolfsbane they support every year.  The skin from this beast is pure, second only to the horn of a unicorn or maybe the feather of a pheonix.... both long extinct now.  The soul of this beast will tap the weave if sewn properly, and its power will protect us from all diseases.  Perhaps I shall send Mangle in first, for he is thick and gullible and much more expendable than myself or Nonac... not to mention tastier.

[lonnarin]

*Grovel puts together a letter for Legodia and the Druid Network*

Hello friends of the Oak!

Grovel here, reporting on me latest mission.  We heard word of farmhands missing and some kind of chicken-flu out on a farm on the northern end of Hempstead fields.  It seemed that the eggs they were making were very "like rocks" and the cattle and horses were acting strangely.  Two allies of nature joined me in the investigation, Maran and Feral Wolf... along with some other people whose names me forget because they all silly civies anyhow.

The farm grew apples and mushrooms, with horses, cows and chickens.  We first examined the livestock and found them acting strangely, as if sickened.  Immediately I began to sift through the grain fed to them and the poop they left behind.  The grain was fine, but in the poop we found strange specks of red which seemed to match mushrooms that grew in the fields there, especially in the flooded corner of the pasture.  Me took samples of each, poop, grain, marsh-water and mushroom, milk from the cow, and we looked some more.  We also found some farm hands who were turned to stone, a big man and a little girl.  The Toranite chopped the girl in half, which was pretty funny, but it not really help find clues much, so then all the civies yell at eachother for a bit and they bury their crime by the northmost tree.  Me and Maran too busy researching the animals to care, so back to us!

Next we checked on the chickens, me giving my bestest sexy sexy rooster call to bring them to me for close up inspection.  Me and Maran and Floo-Lady all used our powers of magic to look for anything odd, and indeed we find it.  The chickens seemed unnatural somehow, like transformation magic in them.  Examining their poop, me find even more of the red specks of the mushrooms.  Then it dawn on me that red mushrooms might not be turning animals to stone, but when the animals ate the mushrooms, their milk and eggs might be processed somehow inside them, turn into potion of petrification.  Me not very skilled in alchemy, but me took samples to study nonetheless, poop, eggs, milk, feathers.  When studying the egg, me cracked one open to find normal egg whites, but stoneyolk inside.  That support me theory!  Yolk is the baby chicken and eggwhite is the food for him before he hatch, so if yolk eating eggwhite turns to stone, then the farmers must have eaten the eggwhites.  None of the civies could possibly comprehend such things, so naturally, me and Maran had to talk extra extra slow as if to ox to explain it all.  Big heads, small brains, like render.

While we explaining, then the animals finally started to change from the magic mushrooms.  Unnatural forms they was!  The cows hide become tougher and thicker like rock or metal, and they breathe noxious fumes like gorgons.  The chickens all become cockatrice-like, trying to peck and shrieking in madness.  Unlike the others, the horses seemed to favor fire instead of earth, their fur charring black with fiery hooves and snorting smoke.  Immediately we knew what to do, we mustn't let these mutants breed, else they take over the whole ecosystem!  So we blow em up!  The fire-horses were toughest of all, our iron weapons bounce off them and even the lightning of nature's fury seemed not to work very well.  Feral Wolf smart though, and his doubleblade aim right for the horses' knobby knees, felling them down, as me turn into bear and maul them.  Got set on fire lots, but me used to it.

Once the unnatural animals bodies all accounted for, we set a controlled burn in the fields, destroying any of the mushrooms we found and much of the farmlands around it.  Me had to explain to them that mushrooms tricky, the spores are very small so we can't let the grass around them for at least many meters go unpurged, else the same thing happen again soon.  Floo-Lady very useful in this, she seem very happy somebody finally wants here to use fireballs.

Then for some reason, we all go an investigate caves nearby for more mushrooms, only to get attacked by tough tough orcs.  This very dumb of us, since me prolly could have talked peace to them being a gobbo and all, or at very least could have scouted, but no no, civies silly.  Grovel sneak in and they all rush in right behind making big ruckus and orcs beat us up!  They kill most of us and stack us by cave entrance for food later, wanting us to ripen a bit in the sun maybe.  Then Floo-Lady and Knee-Hair use their magic to sneak us out while hidden invisible, and take us out to fields to be healed back up.  Me told the farmer what happened to his fields and cattle, and how this all his fault for growing strange mushrooms without first asking us what they were or if they good to eat.  He said the farmhand standing out there was dead anyhow, nothing to do for him once he a statue.  Lucky for the civies, he never did see the chopped-in-half girl, though if he does any digging nearby, he in for big suprise.  

Anyhow, then we had the orcs to deal with.  Me convince the civies that we stop trying to fight them and instead try to trick them, so me made an egg basket out of tall grass and twigs that look very much like a nest and stick it in their cave entrance.  So if any of you scouts out there wondering why there is now a cave full of orc statues, that is why.  Weep not for them, for they are too stupid to talk and assaulted two druids of the oak.  Besides, stupid orcs make best test subjects.  Check cave north of northmost farm to see if they turn into stone, test theory further of the eggs.  

Me have left samples of everything gathered in this mission with Legodia for future study by druids, the only ones wise enough to be entrusted with these dangerous items.  She should now have samples of the mushroom, its spores, swampwater it grew in, poop of chickens, cows and horses that ate them, milk of tainted cow, eggs of tainted chicken with stoney yolk inside, corpse of chicken for dissecting and pieces of fur and meats from the tainted cows and horses, and chippings of a stoney girl me dig up since she already dead.  Other stoney farmhand is still intact and at the fields.  Perhaps the druid circle can study all of these to find a cure or vaccine for the magic in the eggs, and study this new species of mushroom and find out where it come from, and send warning to all not to eat any they find.  If allowed to spread, these mushrooms would be plague on nature, all mushrooms and tainted animals by them  MUST be purged, else cockatrice, gorgon and fire-horse-like monsters take over and destroy ecosystem.  Me also leaving a copy of this report on the Hierophant's door in Dregar.  You know what to do!

-Grovel Foaming Wolf, Wargpack