Häsmæl was sitting and watching Chester busy himself with the final adjustments to the ballistic trebuchet. A process that was taking a lot longer than expected but he was glad for a little bit of respite. He could still feel the power surging through him, dormant but ready to activate. He noticed that despite his missing left eye, his vision was still good and he did not have a lot of pain.
What concerned him the most was his best friend Bethar's condition. The plucky halfling, usually full of life, spunk, and quips, was not looking great. He had used a great deal of his magic and even though his constitution had been magically reinforced, he was at his limit. Now resting and looking more like an oversized lump of coal with a set of eyes and mouth, he did his best to keep his humour about the situation.
Häsmæl could tell that he was worried about his condition. Häsmæl was worried. Beside them was Kârael, nursing his leg. His ftair wound was growing and increasing in pain. Chester had said something about the dangers of infernal infections but Kârael had dismissed it. Häsmæl could tell that despite his stoicism and attempts to keep himself strong and sentinel, he was losing his battle.
Chester whistled through a breakthrough in his tinkering and announced that he was nearly ready. He glanced up to stretch his neck and give his eyes a break from their micro focus and noticed a strange looking halfling woman standing in the distance. She was wrapped in leaves and vines and other than that was as naked as a dryad. He wasted no time and asked: "Who in the hells are you?"
"Nellnis," Kârael responded, attempting to stand and having to put a lot more effort into the action than he had expected. His wound was on fire and he had to use his bow as support, even when standing. He tried to steady himself, raise his bow and draw but he just ended up having to drop the bow back down to catch himself. He also had no more arrows and had just attempted to draw the bowstring out of reflex.
"I'm not here to fight." She announced. She continued speaking as she approached: "I'm here to help. I know that we've had our differences and I regret the actions I took against you all. I saw everything that has happened here - if it was not for you, we would not be at this impass. Please, I'm not here as an adversary, I really am here to help. If you will let me," She looked directly at Häsmæl. "I can stabilize your friends."
Häsmæl considered her carefully. She was around the size of Bethar when he was healthy. He yawned as he stretched out his mouth and gummed his tusks. "Harm them; you die."
"Of course," She responded, meekly. She had considered place a spell on both Bethar and Kârael to do just that. She still considered them her enemies but she was also a pragmatist and understood that should they fail, all was lost. While they had been distracted during their fight with the Tengu, Granna, and the soldiers, she had been in the feasting grounds and had brought Alan back to life - just enough to get the information that she needed out of him. That was when she realized that Häsmæl had to succeed or she was at risk of losing all opportunities to complete her mission.
She did not want to kill Bethar or Kârael, currently. She was just planning on crafting a spell that would stabilize them for the night but after twenty-four hours, would start to inflict serious wounds. A test of her necromancy spellcraft: creating necrotic wounds.
Häsmæl's 'you die' warning echoed through her mind as she raised her hands in defeat and surrender. "I promise that I will not harm them."
Häsmæl, who was sitting casually, heaved himself up to be balanced on his knees and have his axe available. A threatening posture and Nellnis took the hint. She was being trusted out of necessity but she was not fully trusted. She eyed Häsmæl's axe head and noticed that it was about the same size as she was. His imposing physique, missing eye, and large and heavy axe gleaming in the moonlight, really made Häsmæl an awesomely terrifying sight to behold.
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Iorrjaer
FantasyAlæl once ruled a flourishing Elven kingdom, celebrated for its beauty and wisdom. However, as his ambitions grew, he drew the attention-and ire-of the jealous god Kêdêmel, who saw him as a formidable rival. In a fit of divine rage, Kêdêmel cursed A...