Post by Andre on Jul 30, 2010 13:08:08 GMT -5
Weight - 50 pounds
Grass-Sniffer (dog, small animal), including adjustments for animal companion class ability, ranger : 3d8+4 hit dice (24 hit points), +2 initiative, speed 50 feet, AC 17 (touch 14, flat footed 14), attack and full attack bite +4 melee (1d6+1/20) and can trip as +5 total on attack roll without need for melee touch attack or provoking attack of opportunity , special qualities : low light vision, scent (detect others solely by sense of smell), saves (zero damage on successful reflex save) fort +5, reflex +5, will +1, Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 feats: weapon focus (bite), track
One year prior to the start of the campaign...
STUPID...
Nine eventually ran out of the litany of names to call himself... he gritted his teeth against the agony in his leg, the bones grinding against each other... the forest was his first home, he should have heard the splintering crack, should have dodged to the side as the decrepit old tree fell .... but he hadn't... and now he was trapped underneath it...
The lone surviving warrior of his tribe, the one who'd been spared for his battle prowess.. killed by a TREE ... the knowledge was a bitter taste in Nine's mouth.. he was all the way out here in the forest, no one would find him...
The bark brought his fevered attention back to the present... it was... a dog... he looked half-wolf actually, black and white fur... Nine tensed, wondering if the animal would take advantage of the situation... then gave a surprised weak chuckle as the dog licked his cheek and whined, trying to push the tree off him...
"Good boy..." whispered Nine... well at least he wouldn't be alone when he died.
The dog gave an urgent bark and bent it's nose to the grass, sniffing loudly as it trotted away from him.... Well, so much for that, Nine sighed to himself.
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The sound of urgent male voices woke him... speaking in a tongue he didn't understand... he had to be hallucinating, surely these weren't the barbarian plainsmen he'd met before... surely they weren't tying ropes to the tree... the twenty or so men grunting and sweating as they dragged the tree off his leg must be his imagination... then he felt something lick his face again.
"Good boy" said an amazed Nine, unconsiously repeating what he'd said first meeting the animal. " Good dog" The dog barked a response and almost seemed to grin at him, it's long pink tongue lolling out of it's mouth for a moment. One of the men lifted him, gave him a sip of water... then pushed herbs into his mouth. " Chew wild elf" he said in heavily accented Common... not in a position to resist, Nine did as he was told... and fell into a deep sleep.
He awoke, uncertain of how many days had passed... the dog barked a greeting, wagging it's tail when it saw he was conscious again. The plainsmen were gone but there was a rude cast of animal hide and vines tied around the break in his leg, an equally rude crutch of freshly carved wood... and a cooked rabbit and a waterskin... Nine hungrily devoured the food.. then pulled the crutch to him and grunted with pain and exertion as he pushed himself to his feet.... the dog helped, it's fur warm against his side as it shoved him upwards.
The dog... he must have followed the scent of the barbarians through the grass, brought them back to help... did he belong to them? Nine waited for the dog to return to his masters... it didn't, staying to gaze curiously at him instead. "Fine, stay with me until I recover" chuckled Nine, "But we'll need a name for you meanwhile... " Nine paused, considering the dog then decided. "Grass-sniffer". The dog barked it's approval.
Nine chuckled... then froze looking at the tree that had trapped him underneath it.. the FACES in the tree... the smiling faces of his murdered tribe, seeming to nod in approval... Nine blinked, looked again.. and saw nothing. Perhaps it was hallucinations from the herbs?
Or perhaps not... the wild elves had never been so quick to abandon their ancient beliefs as the rest of the gods... Nine had always felt... SOMETHING.. watching over him.. he felt that same presence now... something about that tree... a blessing in disguise? If so a rather painful one.
Slowly, Nine set off for the return trip to Solace the dog at his side.
(Nine's leg heals clean , good as new... but even now a year later the dog refuses to leave , staying at Nine's side.... unfortunately the dog does have a tendency to find and chew "medicinal" herbs that leave him feeling RATHER happy )