Lisette looks over to Lurel. "I think you're okay. You'd know if you had the poison in you because you'd be feeling it by now. There is no cure for bird lily poison. It's fatal if ingested. Just to be safe though, wash your hands thoroughly a few times. You don't want to accidently eat some of the sap."

"I'm going to harvest some of this. I know how to brew a very good bug repellent from this stuff." She carefully pulls the plants and wraps them up carefully into a shirt and places it in her pack.

"Just be careful with that stuff, Lisette," Lurel warns. He is rather relieved that he seems to have avoided the poison from the flower, but somewhat disgruntled at the scratches on his hands.

"I suppose we had better move on," he sighs. "We really should have cut some walking sticks, just in case it gets worse than this. Next tree I come to, I think I'll just do that."

He looks at the terrain ahead, to survey its difficulty. If the going gets too bad, he decides, he will use his earth magic to smoothe a path for them - or attempt it, at least.

Ford glances ahead but finds it hard to see far for the stream bed zigzags down.

Another disc is disposed of but in the process you all end up painfully stung by nettles. They are not poisonous but just another niggle on the journey. Lisette stumbles in a fox-hole or something similar but is saved from falling by Ford's quick action. Midge takes a tumble but knows how to protect himself. He gets a bruise on his shin but nothing more.

The terrain is getting more rugged and the rocks hard and sharp. It is hard to find anywhere safe to step and the going slows right down. You are concentrating very hard and having to help each other every step of the way.

The light is beginning to fade. Lurel is at the bottom of a drop twice his height. Midge has just been lowered down to him. Ford is being lowered but Lurel will have to move as the ledge will take no more than two. Lisette being tall will not need assistance. Lurel spots a flat rock level with the ledge and steps across to it.

Midge suddenly shivers and pulls out his spoon. The head of the spoon is shiny.

"I don't like this!" Lurel exclaims. "This place is dangerous - and we don't know how we're going to be attacked next. Ford, Lisette, Midge - don't get caught on the ledge!"


Lurel is concerned that the next attack will somehow use the terrain against them - but stands ready to use his earth magic at the first sign that anything is amiss. He is not sure yet whether it would be better to build steps of earth down to the bottom of the drop, or whether he will need his magic to steady any falling or crumbling rocks - but he is ready to attempt whatever he can to protect the group.

Lisette peers around above the others trying to discern where the possible threat will come from. She concentrates and turns her dagger into a poignard.

"Hey, wait a minute.. something's changed...

it's the spoon, first shiny, when we met that strange creature in the burnt down house, then rusty, as we discovered the discs, now shiny again... this can't be good"

OOC> Switch has no computer at the moment so I am posting for him

Lisette in grabbing for her dagger lets Ford slip. He lands uncomfortably knocking into Midge who has to leap to safety landing on Lurel. As he rights himself he hears a low buzzing. In the evening light a swarm of insects can be seen heading towards you. Ford is sitting on the ledge, the bandage around his wound has loosened and the wound started to bleed. Lisette's poignard is not going to help, nor will levelling the earth. The fact that Midge's spoon is glowing implies that these insects are dangerous. There is perhaps half a minute before the swarm will reach you.

"Lisette!" Lurel yells. "Try using fire against them!"

Meanwhile, Lurel himself is attempting to use his earth magic to open up a cave in the side of the drop they have just climbed down, taking care not to disturb the ledge where Ford is sitting, or the ground where Lisette is standing. If they can get into a defensive position, he reasons, the insects will only be able to attack from one side.

The rock behind Ford parts as Lurel uses his earth magic. It opens onto a previously existing cave that has an exit elsewhere. Ford feels the dank foetid air assail his nostrils. Gnawed bones indicate a flesh eating creature has made the cave its home. Midge's spoon is now bright silver and shining in the dying light of the day. It is like a beacon to the swarm of insects.

Ford hears something moving inside the cave coming to investigate the disturbance.

"Watch out, Ford!" Lurel shouts. He leaps back across on to the ledge, peers into the interior of the cave.

"Urgh! Whatever is in there?" Lurel casts a low level light spell to see what new danger they are facing. Caught between the insects and the carnivore in the cave they have to decide quickly what to do.

"Midge!" Lurel shouts back to the boy. "Don't get caught on that rock - we need to stay close together. Lisette - we have a bit more space down here now, but there's something inside the cave. I don't know what it is yet."

But, Lurel reasons, if the carnivorous cave-dweller appear to be the lesser threat, they would be better off inside the cave, sealing out the insects. And if the beast is too dangerous for them to tackle - well, Lurel hopes that his earth magic can take care of it.

"We need to stay together!" he yells at the others.

OOC> Switch is off for the moment owing to computer melt down. Also Emry is still waiting internet access after the move. I'll post for Switch but we'll need to be patient with Emry.

Lurel's spell reveals only that the cave is a small part of a bigger system. The creature cannot yet be seen only heard. The insect swarm if flying straight at Midge. Ford being at the edge of the cave enters awkwardly and clearly in some pain. He holds his sword ready.

OOC - I finally have internet access! Whoopie!

"Guys! I'll be right down! Then maybe I can seal the opening with a wall of fire after I get down there"

Hoping to give the party a few more seconds to prepare, Lisette concentrates and flings a fireball into the oncoming swarm. After that, she jumps down to the ledge and scrambles into the cave opening. If there is still time, she's going to try to create a wall of flame over the mouth of the cave. She'll stay closest to the wall to protect the others from the heat and flames.

"MIDGE!!" Lurel shouts. "Get over here, now!! Get into the cave!!"

Anxiously Lurel looks at Midge, hoping that he will not delay.

"Lisette, I can seal the cave again once Midge is in here, if you think the fire will be too dangerous. I don't think the insects would find it easy to make their way through solid rock. But there's something else in here, too - and I don't know what it is yet."

Again he yells: "Midge! NOW!"

Lisette's fireball fries a good third of the swarm. It seems to hesitste between Lisette and Midge. But the spoon is brightest. And now Midge is between Lisette and the swarm.

The creature in the cave is close though moving slowly. You can hear it dragging itself over the rough floor. It sounds big but that could as easily be a trick of the acoustics.

"MIDGE!" Lurel yells again. "Put the spoon in your pocket - it's so bright it attracts them! And get in here!"

Anxiously he looks over to Midge - why is the boy not responding? Why isn't he leaping back on to the ledge, at least, so they can pull him into the cave?

But this is not his only worry - what is that creature which is making its slow way towards them?

"We need some light in here," he mutters. He glances at Ford - if the creature proves too much for them will Ford be able to make a run for it? Lurel doubts it.

"We have to deal with whatever it is," he says with a grim determination. "We're in no state to run - who knows how many more insect swarms there are. Lisette, it looks like your magic can take care of the insects, but we need to get Midge in here before those insects get to him. Ford, if it comes to a fight, try to hang back - you're in no state to attack monsters. I'll try to take care of the creature in here - if only I could see it, I could try to decide what to do!"


Lurel attempts to cast another light spell, to get a glimpse of the creature.

OOC> pardon the lateness

Midge looks quickly arround to see everyone in his group cramped in a smelly cave of some beast and realises that the swarm is attracted by the bright light being omitted from the spoon.

"Get out of the CAVE!" screams Midge as he throws the spoon in the direction of the cave,

"when they're in there, fry them all Lisette!" Midge yells as he rolls behind a rock.

*OOC - where did the spoon land, and has Lurel's spell shed any light on the beast inside the cave yet?*

Lurel can only stare at the spoon flying in their direction, and curses softly. Well, at least Midge is no longer between Lisette and the swarm of insects.... He looks at the injured Ford, wondering whether Ford would actually be able to get out of the cave in time.

And yet, because Midge is still outside Lurel cannot seal the entrance - they are, in effect, trapped.

"You deal with the insects, I'll see what I can do againt the beast in here," Lurel suggests to Lisette, hoping for the best. He peers in the direction the animal noises are coming from.

The insects veer away from Midge following the brilliant spoon. Midge suddenly notices the plants he has rolled onto are full of insects of a different kind.

Could these be the 'ticks' everyone was so scared about?

The beast has still not appeared although Lurel can hear it breathing. The breathing sounds laboured. And there is something about the slowness of the dragging...

"There's something not right about this," Lurel mutters, more to himself than to the others. "Any predator would have attacked us by now, either to defend its territory, or for its next meal."

He uses his gift of lycanthropy just enough to enhance his senses, not enough to lose his human form. If he cannot see the beast, then perhaps he will be able to smell it. He cannot afford to lose his human shape - not when he might have to use his earth magic at a moment's notice.

He hopes that Lisette's fire magic will suffice to deal with the insects - and hopes that Midge isn't injured. Lurel remembers only too well his narrow escape with the venomous plant...

Realizing that Ford and Lurel and trapped, Lisette tries to throw another flaming mass at the insects before they enter the cave mouth. Instead of throwing a ball however, she concentrates on a cone effect radiating from her hand - trying to maximize the amount flames coming in contact with the insects. Once she has the cone established, she move her arm laterally to sweep the flames over the insects.

"Ford! I think I have this covered. I can't help you with that animal yet though. As soon as I know we are safe from these bugs, I'll be right there!." she yells.

Lisette's tactic works. The fire causes a few of the drier shrubs to burn but the vegetation is too scrubby to cause a serious problem here. Lisette is pleased to feel that she is gaining some control over the elemental magic, certainly in terms of its direction though not its intensity yet.

Lurel can sense little more about the beast other than it is coming relentlessly but he does pinpoint the direction from which it will arrive.

The floor of the cave is dry and relatively flat. Stench apart, it gives the appearance of being a safer place to stay than anywhere you could see outside in the now rapidly gathering gloom.

Ford grunts. "I'm not dead, you know." He brandishes his sword. "Tell me where you want me to stand."

"It's coming from over there." Lurel points in the appropriate direction. "I wish we could see it, though - it would be a help to know what we're dealing with. And we need to see what happened to Midge - I hope he didn't have any unpleasant encounters with the vegetation or the wildlife out there."

Anxiously, Lurel looks out of the cave, over to the rock Midge is sheltering behind.

"Midge!" he shouts again. "Midge, where are you? All you all right? You need to get in here - can you walk?"

Worriedly, Lurel gnaws his lip - what should he do first? Look after Midge, or secure the cave for all of them? The boy might be injured and need his help - but then dealing with the beast might require his earth magic...

He takes a deep breath.

"Lisette, Ford," he begins. "Do you think you can deal with the creature for now? I need to go and see what happened to Midge - he might need help. Who knows what else is lurking out there... and it's getting dark. And we need to retrieve his spoon - wherever that landed."

He looks at the others, waiting for their reply.

Lisette, seeing that the bugs are toast, jumps down to the ledge and looks towards the plants where Midge jumped.

"Lurel, I'm out here, I'll check on Midge. You stay with Ford and watch out for that other creature. " Turning back to the plants, "Midge?.... you okay?" She goes over to the plants, ready to give him a helping hand.

"Lisette," Lurel calls after her, "let us know if you need help." Quietly, he adds: "I hope Midge is all right."

Glancing in the direction where Midge vanished Lurel takes in the effects Lisette's fire magic had on the vegetation, and snaps his fingers.

"Fire! That's it! Most animals are afraid of fire! Lisette! Is there any wood, or maybe some branches, out there we could us as torches in here? It might even scare off that creature...or at least let us see it!"

He grimaces at Ford. "Should have thought of that before, shouldn't I?"

"Lurel, I'll get torch materials in a moment. " she responds to his call.

Looking back to the vegetation, Lisette heads toward the bushes where Midge jumped. "Midge! You okay?" she calls out. Upons seeing the bugs in the bushes, she cries out louder, "MIDGE!"

Midge looks at the ticks ands ees a few land on himself.. to run towards the others would have them infected too, instead, Midge cries out for Emry to stop coming towards him and asks if any body brought some tick reppelant?

The beast finally appears. It is nothing more frightening than a bear, albeit a large one. But it is painfully thin and in a miserable state. You see how it drags its feet, both legs broken. It is starving and you might be a meal.

Ford says somberly. "That was caused by a trap. It's something else we'd better beware of."

Lurel looks at the bear with tears in his eyes, his innate empathy making him almost feel the creature's misery and pain.

"I wish there was something we could do for it," he says, quietly, "but I don't have the power to heal it. And even if I could - I would only enable it to attack us. It is starving. No creature should have to suffer like this."


He looks at Ford.

"We have to kill it. I wish I had a spell to kill it swiftly - and one to allow it to die free of pain."


Lurel draws his sword, but knows that this it not good enough to kill a bear swiftly.

Lurel, still using his heightened 'wolf sense' hears a whimper from elsewhere in the cave. There are cubs.

"Did you hear that?" Lurel asks Ford. "It has cubs. We can't kill it - and we can't just leave it like that either."

He drops his sword, and rummages in his pack, looking for food items. The first thing he finds is an apple, and he rolls it towards the starving bear.

"Maybe there is something we can do for it," he mutters.

Lisette seeing Midge in the bushes halts in her tracks. Knowing that flailing about can disturb more of the insects, she says very calmly to the boy, "Midge, get out of the bushes and we'll get those ticks off you. The guys have got the repellent. We can burn the ticks off if we have to. I need you to get out of there now though, before any other ticks attach."

Lurel waits anxiously to see if the bear will eat the apple. He keeps looking in his pack for anything else to feed to the starving bear.

He looks up at Ford. "What do bears eat?"

Midge rolls out of the bushes scratching madly

"Nasssty Ticks"

In fact they are not ticks but they do bite and have given Midge a lot of small lumps and bumps all over his skin. Ford throws over the insect repellent muttering that they should all have used it already.

The bear is distracted by the apple. It eats it but is clearly unsatisfied. Ford says "It looks pretty weak to me. Maybe if we can catch it we can get that trap off its legs and splint them. Lisette knows about first aid she says. You don't know any spells to help Lurel?"

Lurel sighs. "I don't have a lot of power to cast spells - that's why I didn't heal your wound. What I have I need to conserve for emergencies - but there must be something we can do for the bear."

He uses his elemental magic, attempting to raise a wall between them and the bear.

"That way it can't attack us, and we won't have to kill it," he mumbles, "and we can feed it some more. If we have enough to spare. But if there's enough food here to feed a bear...well, there should be something we can hunt too. And we need to watch out for those traps."

He fishes more food out of his pack, and lobs it on the ground in front of the bear.

"We'll help you," he says softly. "You and your cubs."

He turns to Ford. "Yes, let's see what Lisette says when she and Midge get back in here. This looks like the safest place to spend the night we've come across today - might as well stay here. Even with a lame, starving bear for company."

The wall appears as Lurel called for it.

Ford says "If the bear is starving, won't the cubs be in trouble, too? Should we go and find them?"

He calls over to Lisette to bring some branches to be used as torches.

"Midge, if we are going into a cave we need someone who won't get lost. Do you think you'll be able to remember the way back?"

"I'm sure the cubs will be starving too," Lurel says, "but if you get between the mother and her cubs she'll muster what strength she has to defend them. She'll only worsen her injuries - and she would certainly try to attack us. The best thing we can do is to get her fit to look after her cubs again."

He thinks for a minute. "Maybe we can get some food to the cubs too. I suppose the bear isn't going to let us walk up to it to splint its legs - we'll have to knock it out somehow. We could use that time to feed the cubs. What do you think...do bear cubs like porridge?"

He sighs. "Let's see what Lisette says - I think she's the one most likely to be able to help the bear. And I suppose, if we do help the bear, we also need to check for more traps - we don't want it to get caught in another one once we're gone."

He walks to the cave entrance to see how Lisette and Midge are faring. Remembering the spoon he starts looking for it - it has proven very useful so far. And, he thinks, it might be useful to collect some firewood too.

The spoon is less shiny than it was but has not returned to a rusty state either.

As Lurel searches for the spoon, there is a sound from behind the wall holding the bear. The creature has collapsed.

Ford peers at it. "I think its leg joints have been dislocated. I can probably fix it. I used to have to on the farm sometimes. But it's very weak. Lurel can you channel a bit of my strength into it? After I've tried to fix the legs, not before."

"I'll do what I can," Lurel promises Ford.

He carefully picks up some dry vegetation, mindful of the thorns he encountered earlier...and of the hideous poisonous plant he escaped so narrowly. He keeps on looking for the spoon, uncomfortably aware of the gathering dusk.

"Lisette! Midge!" he calls to the other two. "Hurry up and get into the cave, will you? We need your help in there, and it's getting dark!"

Lisette, hearing the yells from the cave, gathered the requested branches and ignites some as torches.

As she enters the cave, she pales when she sees the mutilated bear. "Greats gods above! Who would do that to such an animal?" Her eyes flash an angry red at the sight of the poor beast. "And it's in such a state.... starving too. Has it eaten anything? Bears will eat almost anything put in front of them."

She looks at the bear again and sighs debating internally as to what they should do. "Here is our dilemma. Bears eat a lot. If we feed the bear and the cubs then it will deplete most, if not all, of our travelling rations. That will affect our journey. We have options. First, we could leave and let nature take its course. I would be uncomfortable leaving this creature like this to suffer and die. The bears will not be able to survive very long without our aid. Secondly, we could kill the bear and the cubs and move on. I know that is a callous suggestion but a mercy killing is better than a lingering death. The other option is to try to heal them. If you think you can heal it Ford, that is your decision and I will support it. However, realize this - we may have to confront a now healthy bear who is willing to defend its cubs in its den from intruders. Although we have aided it, the bear might then see us as a threat and we would have to kill it."

"What do you others think?"

"Lisette, would you say such things if this bear were a man? as if someone broke thier leg, you help them, but they are of different nature to you and treat it as a threat, would you have the nerve to kill that person, another human being as it were... if not, then why do the same to a creature with offspring to look after?"
Midge asks Lisette

"Hey wait a minute, it's nearing night time, and you expect me to find my way in the dark... how can i remember anything if i dont even hear or see it?.... Who's got that rope again?"

Lisette looks exasperated at Midge. "I am not condoning killing the bear. I was laying out the options. And while some of those option were not pleasant, they are things we should at least consider." she says angrily. She paces around the cave floor in frustration.

"Furthermore, it's an animal not a human. It does not think and reason as a human would. It survives by instinct. And if we heal it and it instinctively feels threatened by us being here in its den with the cubs it will attack. So after feeding it and diminishing our supplies and then healing it, we may have to wind up killing it anyway. I was merely wanted to point out that possibility. Personally, I love it if we could save the bears. But is it really feasible considering what our mission is?"

At this point you can tell that Lisette is furious about the situation. "If you really what to know how I feel about the bear's treatment, I think that we should use the god forsaken traps on the people who set them and leave them to die!" She storms to the front of the cave practically shaking from the anger within her.

"Lisette," Lurel calls to her. "Those thoughts went through my mind too. And we won't kill the bear - whatever it takes. I can use earth magic to separate it from us. I should also be able to stop time for it so we can get near it and the cubs - not for long, but long enough I hope. And as for food - well, there must have been enough here to feed the bear before it became trapped."

He climbs back up to the cave with the firewood he has gathered. If he has found the spoon, he brings it with him to give back to Midge. If not they will have to look for it again in the morning.


"But there is something else about this," Lurel says thoughtfully. "I can't help thinking that we're being tested. Perhaps how we deal with the bear is going to influence the outcome of our mission here. I have stopped believing in coincidences."

He frowns. "And of course, there is the question who set the traps. I doubt that a bear would wander as far back as Konnell's farm when she has cubs to look after. Or that the bear could have made it back here with its legs in that state. No, the traps must have been closer than that. But with none of the Levdians able to come this far - except, you said, for Malika and her friends... and I can't imagine them setting bear traps - who could have set them? Maybe people live here who are immune to the hostile influence. Maybe the people who set the traps are responsible for this influence. Either way, we should find out."

He looks at Lisette. "I don't want to kill the bear. It's suffering offends me - it hurts me to see it like that. We can survive without food if we have to. I'm prepared to give it my share. We can forage for food - or we can go back for extra supplies. What do you say - shall we do our best to save it?"

Ford has been examining the bear. "I'm sure I can fix the legs. It is very weak. even when they are fixed and we feed it it's not going to be capable of breaking through Lurel's wall. Could someone keep an eye on the creature while I relocate the bones. I don't want it swiping me."

He looks at the others. "I don't think we should use all our food but I'm happy to share some."

He pauses. "Shall I do it now while the bear is asleep or in the morning just before we move on?"

Lurel has found the spoon still shiny in the bowl but returning to its rusty state. He returns it to Midge.

"This seems like as good an opportunity as any," Lurel says to Ford. "I should be able to use a spell on it to keep it still at least once - enough to give you time to get away if it wakes up. And maybe I can help it some more after I've slept."

He turns to Midge. "Are you all right, Midge? I thought my heart was going to stop when you jumped off the rock rather than into the cave! At least it looks like you were lucky and didn't encounter anything poisonous out there. Now, do you think you could prepare some food for the cubs while we try to help the mother bear?"

He climbs over the wall to join Ford beside the bear, and looks back at Lisette.

"Lisette, can you have a look at the bear too? You know a bit about first aid, don't you?"

Lisette returns to the others back by the bear. "I'm sorry for ranting before. It's just that when I was younger, this is what the gangs used to do back home - torment someone and injure them - all for "fun" - and then just leave them. Sometimes we couldn't save them and we had to administer a mercy stroke. It just got to me. I'm sorry." You can tell by the way she is speaking that she is remembering something personal.

Going over to the bear, she looks at it. "Putting it into the deepest sleep you can will probably be the best before you try to heal it. Sleep is a natural healing agent. I'd suggest getting it drunk and using that as an anesthesia if it were an option, but I doubt we have enough alcohol to get something that big drunk. (She smiles at that thought) Anyway, once we know it's asleep, we can bind the legs to keep it from thrashing about and then heal it."

Looking around the cave, she continues. " We can make a fire and make up some porridge - a large batch. We can eat and leave the rest for them. We can also portion out some of the dried meats and fruits. The bears will eat anything and the cubs might be drawn here by the smell of the food. However, once we get the bears fed and healed, I'd like to check out this cave and destroy any other traps which might be lying around."

Ford pulls out a large pan from his pack and empties water into it. He sets about making a large tub of porridge.

"While it's doing lets sort out the bear!"

"If you help it sleep, Lurel. I'll fix the bones and wash and clean the wounds. I don't know if a bear will wear bandages but if you can try Lisette, that's the best we can do."

He throws the rope to Midge. "As soon as we've eaten will do as Lisette suggests. Can you keep an eye on the spoon, see if it starts to glow again."

Lurel attempts to cast a spell on the bear which will make it sleep, or at least render it unconscious in some fashion. He sighs, and wishes he could do more.

"How about that salve we bought from Konnell?" Lurel asks. "Maybe we could spare some of the wound salve for the bear?"

He thinks for a moment.

"Another thing we should do is see how far this cave goes. It must have another entrance somewhere - maybe this will be an easier way to get to the sea. And as Lisette said, we need to search for more traps anyway, to make the cave safe for the bears.

Lurel looks at the others.

"The bear seems out cold. Now, I think, would be the best time to help it. Maybe Midge can keep an eye on the porridge while we deal with the bear's injuries?"

Lisette crouches down and looks sadly at the bear. " We'll need to clean out these wounds. We also should see if the cubs are wounded or just hungry." She ruffles the fur at its shoulder.