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16th of Frostfall, 427 3E
We may have made some progress toward helping Wulfren regain his human form and take his rightful place as the chieftain of Lokken, but not without some aggravation. Just as Stephann had suggested, we began our search for the hunters Gartheim and Ingemar by going to the south eastern side of the mountain where Granny Thorunn's home is located (which is also not far from the Overlook campground).
We had just dismounted to give our horses a break and allow them to drink at the Overlook water troughs when we were approached by a male Nord clad in leather and chain armor. Speaking in a cheerful tone, he said, "Good day, rangers! I would advise you to be careful but I'm sure you already know that the bears are quite dangerous right now as they are looking for food and preparing for hibernation."
I replied, "Good day to you as well. By any chance are you Gartheim or Ingemar?"
Appearing mildly surprised by my question, he answered, "I'm Gartheim. What can I do for you?"
I explained, "We were told that you were the person to speak to about Thorjan's gauntlets."
Gartheim nodded before saying, "Yes, I have heard about Thorjan's gauntlets. Or, rather, my friend Ingemar usually rambles on about them. They are supposed to be in a secret cave, filled with evil creatures. He has often talked about how to overcome the creatures and get those gauntlets of incredible strength. But I'm not sure he has the skills to do so himself."
Neldor inquired, "Is Ingemar around anywhere?"
With a soft laugh, Gartheim answered, "No. He went to the north area of this island in order to investigate a bear cave he had seen there, close to the shore. Actually, I'm started to get quite a bit concerned about him. He has been gone for two days already, and I fear that something has happened to him."
Puzzled, I inquired, "If you are his friend, why don't you go and look for him?"
I was quite taken aback when the burly Nord answered, "Because I'm terrified! I told him that this bear might be a female with cubs. If so, she is extremely dangerous. Frankly, I don't dare to go there. Perhaps you could? With being rangers you might have ways of finding Ingemar that I don't."
Well, he was correct about that. Not only do Neldor and I both have skills as trackers, but we have an assortment of enchantments that can allow us to keep the creatures of the forest calm while we conduct investigations. Seeing that Garland and Gloria had finished drinking from the trough, I said, "We'll go and see if your friend is anywhere to be found."
It was getting late in the afternoon by the time we found the bear cave along the northern shore. As we drew near the entrance we could clearly see an assortment of bear tracks coming and going from the cave. Looking closer we could also see humanoid tracks that were the right size and shape for a grown male Nord.
Drawing a Calm Creature amulet from his pack, Neldor said softly, "We better not have to put the bear down because Ingemar was dumb enough to go into her cave."
The cave itself is not very big and we didn't have to go far before we saw a grizzly bear sow sleeping along the wall. There were no cubs with her, but since the bears have just been through their mating season she was likely in the very early stages of pregnancy. If all goes well for her she will wake up in the spring with a set of cubs.
Unfortunately the bear was not sleeping in the deepest part of the cave, so we used a Calm enchantment on her so that she would not wake as we quietly moved past her and further into the cavern. Several yards past the sleeping bear we found a desperate looking makle Nord who had been hiding near some rocks. Seeing us, he rose to his feet and said in a frantic whisper, "Help! I've been stuck in this place for two days now. That grizzly is extremely dangerous. As long as she is alive, I can't leave this place."
Keeping my voice down, I replied, "We can see to it that she won't hurt you, but first...you're Ingemar, aren't you? When we get you out of here we need to ask you what you know about Thorjan's gauntlets."
He stared at me with a confused expression before saying, "Yes, I'm Ingemar and yes I know where to find Thorjan's gauntlets. I was actually planning to go there myself, but the place is supposed to be filled with undead creatures, and after facing this grizzly, I think I've had enough of evil creatures for quite a while."
Neldor frowned protested softly, "This bear isn't evil. She's just sleeping in her den."
Ingemar responded, "Yes, well...listen to me. You kill that bear and I'll tell you all I know about the gauntlets."
I replied firmly, "No, we will not kill that bear, not when we can use Calm Creature enchtantments. We can keep her calm and make sure she remains asleep long enough for you to go past her and get out of her den.
He protested, "I don't trust magic. For all I know the spell could suddenly wear off and she'd have my neck in her jaws."
Now visibly annoyed, Neldor stated, "The enchantment will easily give all of us ample time to move past her. Look, few things annoy me more than when an animal, mer or a man ends up dying because of someone else's stupidity. And coming into this bear's den, especially when she might be pregnant and is getting ready to go into hibernation, is stupid!"
Ingemar stubbornly repeated, "Kill the bear and I'll tell you what I know."
Loosely clasping my hands, I stated firmly, "Listen, you don't have much room to negotiate. The island of Lokken is not very big. It might take us a while to discover where the gauntlets are hidden, but sooner or later we will find them even without your help. Furthermore, if we kill this bear we will have to file a report at the castle explaining why. Ragnar won't appreciate us having to put down a perfectly healthy bear which he would have wanted to save for his wealthy paying guests. You would have to pay a heavy fine."
Neldor threw in, "You could even end up in prison for coming in here. However, my partner and I would be willing to let you go with a warning if you accept our offer to keep the bear calm while we escort you back outside."
Ingemar clenched his jaw before agreeing, "Ragnar would indeed have me locked up for this. He cares more about those wealthy Imperials than he does about the people of Lokken." Following a glance in the bear's direction, he continued, "On a mountain on the north-west side of this island, you will find the entrance to the Grundalund Cavern. The entrance should be facing the water and the entrance to the Gyldenhul tomb. It shouldn't be that tricky to find it. And once you are there, be careful. It's said that there are dangerous undead creatures in there. Now...use your damn Calming enchantments and get me out of here."
I replied, "Gladly. I doubt that bear wants you to be in here any more than you do."
Placing his feet carefully so to not making any crunching sounds on the gravel beneath his boots, Neldor approached the sleeping bear and used yet another Calm Creature enchantment on her. The bear's lips and nose twitched a bit and she uttered a soft growl before resuming her slumber.
Motioning toward the cave's exit, Neldor whispered, "All right, let's get out of here and let this lady be."
Ingemar didn't waste any time. After inching past the bear, he broke out into a run toward the cave's exit. As the bear continued to sleep, we quickly and quietly left the den and returned to where our horses were waiting. Glancing at the sky, Neldor said as he pulled himself onto Garland's back, "It's going to be dark in a few hours. We better wait until tomorrow to look for the Grundalund Cavern."
Settling into Gloria's saddle, I replied, "I'm hoping, probably in vain, that there won't be many, or any, undead creatures in there. We're not exactly the most seasoned of adventurers."
From there we started to head for home, but shortly after setting out we heard the sound of distressed chirping from somewhere on the ground. The chirping turned out to be from an injured falcon that was unable to fly and was hobbling around near the base of some shrubs. Using Calm enchantments, we were able to stop and examine the noble bird and found that her wings were not broken, but she had been bleeding just below her left wing.
Neldor stated as he looked at the wound, "I would guess that she was grazed by an arrow." Looking at the falcon ruefully, he asked, "Why would anyone shoot an arrow at a falcon? That's not the sort of bird a person usually eats like a duck or a goose."
I replied grimly, "Probably just for the 'thrill of the hunt'." Taking another look at her, I continued, "She should be all right. She just needs a safe place to sit and recover."
With a nod of agreement, Neldor stated, "There are cages at the ranger station for this sort of situation. We can put her in one, give her some food and water, and just let her relax. Once she's all healed we can set the cage outside, open the door, and let her fly off when she's ready."
And so that is the plan. The falcon is resting and quietly recuperating in a place we're she will be safe from predators. It was nice to have a ranger task that involved helping a creature of the forest instead of having to deal with a person who needlessly got themselves into trouble with the wildlife. This is the sort of thing that makes taking on the responsibilities of a forest ranger worthwhile.
*~*~*
We may have made some progress toward helping Wulfren regain his human form and take his rightful place as the chieftain of Lokken, but not without some aggravation. Just as Stephann had suggested, we began our search for the hunters Gartheim and Ingemar by going to the south eastern side of the mountain where Granny Thorunn's home is located (which is also not far from the Overlook campground).
We had just dismounted to give our horses a break and allow them to drink at the Overlook water troughs when we were approached by a male Nord clad in leather and chain armor. Speaking in a cheerful tone, he said, "Good day, rangers! I would advise you to be careful but I'm sure you already know that the bears are quite dangerous right now as they are looking for food and preparing for hibernation."
I replied, "Good day to you as well. By any chance are you Gartheim or Ingemar?"
Appearing mildly surprised by my question, he answered, "I'm Gartheim. What can I do for you?"
I explained, "We were told that you were the person to speak to about Thorjan's gauntlets."
Gartheim nodded before saying, "Yes, I have heard about Thorjan's gauntlets. Or, rather, my friend Ingemar usually rambles on about them. They are supposed to be in a secret cave, filled with evil creatures. He has often talked about how to overcome the creatures and get those gauntlets of incredible strength. But I'm not sure he has the skills to do so himself."
Neldor inquired, "Is Ingemar around anywhere?"
With a soft laugh, Gartheim answered, "No. He went to the north area of this island in order to investigate a bear cave he had seen there, close to the shore. Actually, I'm started to get quite a bit concerned about him. He has been gone for two days already, and I fear that something has happened to him."
Puzzled, I inquired, "If you are his friend, why don't you go and look for him?"
I was quite taken aback when the burly Nord answered, "Because I'm terrified! I told him that this bear might be a female with cubs. If so, she is extremely dangerous. Frankly, I don't dare to go there. Perhaps you could? With being rangers you might have ways of finding Ingemar that I don't."
Well, he was correct about that. Not only do Neldor and I both have skills as trackers, but we have an assortment of enchantments that can allow us to keep the creatures of the forest calm while we conduct investigations. Seeing that Garland and Gloria had finished drinking from the trough, I said, "We'll go and see if your friend is anywhere to be found."
It was getting late in the afternoon by the time we found the bear cave along the northern shore. As we drew near the entrance we could clearly see an assortment of bear tracks coming and going from the cave. Looking closer we could also see humanoid tracks that were the right size and shape for a grown male Nord.
Drawing a Calm Creature amulet from his pack, Neldor said softly, "We better not have to put the bear down because Ingemar was dumb enough to go into her cave."
The cave itself is not very big and we didn't have to go far before we saw a grizzly bear sow sleeping along the wall. There were no cubs with her, but since the bears have just been through their mating season she was likely in the very early stages of pregnancy. If all goes well for her she will wake up in the spring with a set of cubs.
Unfortunately the bear was not sleeping in the deepest part of the cave, so we used a Calm enchantment on her so that she would not wake as we quietly moved past her and further into the cavern. Several yards past the sleeping bear we found a desperate looking makle Nord who had been hiding near some rocks. Seeing us, he rose to his feet and said in a frantic whisper, "Help! I've been stuck in this place for two days now. That grizzly is extremely dangerous. As long as she is alive, I can't leave this place."
Keeping my voice down, I replied, "We can see to it that she won't hurt you, but first...you're Ingemar, aren't you? When we get you out of here we need to ask you what you know about Thorjan's gauntlets."
He stared at me with a confused expression before saying, "Yes, I'm Ingemar and yes I know where to find Thorjan's gauntlets. I was actually planning to go there myself, but the place is supposed to be filled with undead creatures, and after facing this grizzly, I think I've had enough of evil creatures for quite a while."
Neldor frowned protested softly, "This bear isn't evil. She's just sleeping in her den."
Ingemar responded, "Yes, well...listen to me. You kill that bear and I'll tell you all I know about the gauntlets."
I replied firmly, "No, we will not kill that bear, not when we can use Calm Creature enchtantments. We can keep her calm and make sure she remains asleep long enough for you to go past her and get out of her den.
He protested, "I don't trust magic. For all I know the spell could suddenly wear off and she'd have my neck in her jaws."
Now visibly annoyed, Neldor stated, "The enchantment will easily give all of us ample time to move past her. Look, few things annoy me more than when an animal, mer or a man ends up dying because of someone else's stupidity. And coming into this bear's den, especially when she might be pregnant and is getting ready to go into hibernation, is stupid!"
Ingemar stubbornly repeated, "Kill the bear and I'll tell you what I know."
Loosely clasping my hands, I stated firmly, "Listen, you don't have much room to negotiate. The island of Lokken is not very big. It might take us a while to discover where the gauntlets are hidden, but sooner or later we will find them even without your help. Furthermore, if we kill this bear we will have to file a report at the castle explaining why. Ragnar won't appreciate us having to put down a perfectly healthy bear which he would have wanted to save for his wealthy paying guests. You would have to pay a heavy fine."
Neldor threw in, "You could even end up in prison for coming in here. However, my partner and I would be willing to let you go with a warning if you accept our offer to keep the bear calm while we escort you back outside."
Ingemar clenched his jaw before agreeing, "Ragnar would indeed have me locked up for this. He cares more about those wealthy Imperials than he does about the people of Lokken." Following a glance in the bear's direction, he continued, "On a mountain on the north-west side of this island, you will find the entrance to the Grundalund Cavern. The entrance should be facing the water and the entrance to the Gyldenhul tomb. It shouldn't be that tricky to find it. And once you are there, be careful. It's said that there are dangerous undead creatures in there. Now...use your damn Calming enchantments and get me out of here."
I replied, "Gladly. I doubt that bear wants you to be in here any more than you do."
Placing his feet carefully so to not making any crunching sounds on the gravel beneath his boots, Neldor approached the sleeping bear and used yet another Calm Creature enchantment on her. The bear's lips and nose twitched a bit and she uttered a soft growl before resuming her slumber.
Motioning toward the cave's exit, Neldor whispered, "All right, let's get out of here and let this lady be."
Ingemar didn't waste any time. After inching past the bear, he broke out into a run toward the cave's exit. As the bear continued to sleep, we quickly and quietly left the den and returned to where our horses were waiting. Glancing at the sky, Neldor said as he pulled himself onto Garland's back, "It's going to be dark in a few hours. We better wait until tomorrow to look for the Grundalund Cavern."
Settling into Gloria's saddle, I replied, "I'm hoping, probably in vain, that there won't be many, or any, undead creatures in there. We're not exactly the most seasoned of adventurers."
From there we started to head for home, but shortly after setting out we heard the sound of distressed chirping from somewhere on the ground. The chirping turned out to be from an injured falcon that was unable to fly and was hobbling around near the base of some shrubs. Using Calm enchantments, we were able to stop and examine the noble bird and found that her wings were not broken, but she had been bleeding just below her left wing.
Neldor stated as he looked at the wound, "I would guess that she was grazed by an arrow." Looking at the falcon ruefully, he asked, "Why would anyone shoot an arrow at a falcon? That's not the sort of bird a person usually eats like a duck or a goose."
I replied grimly, "Probably just for the 'thrill of the hunt'." Taking another look at her, I continued, "She should be all right. She just needs a safe place to sit and recover."
With a nod of agreement, Neldor stated, "There are cages at the ranger station for this sort of situation. We can put her in one, give her some food and water, and just let her relax. Once she's all healed we can set the cage outside, open the door, and let her fly off when she's ready."
And so that is the plan. The falcon is resting and quietly recuperating in a place we're she will be safe from predators. It was nice to have a ranger task that involved helping a creature of the forest instead of having to deal with a person who needlessly got themselves into trouble with the wildlife. This is the sort of thing that makes taking on the responsibilities of a forest ranger worthwhile.
