SPOILER: Click to show

Who's there?- Reward = 1 Renown + 1 Claw and 1 Feather crafting material
As you make your way through a local town, cries of terror ring out as your attention is brought to four large owlbears. These creatures have begun to attack the village, be it a group of wagons, a home or just random travelers. Being the strong adventurer you are you step in to assist the locals.

Quest Name: Head on a swivel
Chapter: One
Description: Another simple quest, fight off the pack of owlbears while protecting the locals. How the fight goes is up to you, be as detailed and creative as you would like.
Requirements:
- Requires at least two people (you and one other, if the other participant does not qualify they will not gain the reward. )
- You must make at least 7 post to complete the mission with each post being at least 200 words
- Must defeat the owlbears and protect the villagers.
- Once you complete this mission you have completed this quest chain and may turn in the mission.

---

The cries of alarm break the usually muffled quiet of the Misty Coast. In a small fishing village on the coast of King's Valley, a few civilians abandon the docks and their beached fishing vessels as the terrible screeching roar of monsters echo through the fog and mist. A pack of four owlbears, hungry and in a frenzy, raid the fisherman's nets for fish, shellfish, and anything else they can get their claws on.

Zarius had stayed the night at a civilian's home while traveling through the region. As the ruckus from the docks spreads panic through the small village, he gets up from having breakfast and grabs his gear.

"Stay inside," he says to the family of four, an elven mother, a human father, and their two young half-elven children.

"I can help." The father reaches for a spear hanging on the wall.

"That will not be necessary, stay here and keep your family safe," the tiefling insists.

The father frowns but sees the look of worry on his wife's face and the wide-eyed fear in his children's eyes. He takes a breath and nods.

Zarius heads out and quickly makes his way towards the sounds of roars and splintering wood, a veil of invisibility falling over his form as he scopes out the situation.^[1]

---

[1] Invisibility

A mixture of screeching, roaring, and screaming reached Xalmann as he was walking through the sparse grass that grew just before the sand took over between it and the ocean. He looked up to see people running toward him. He grabbed his weapons at his waist, his battle axe and kukri dagger, ready to defend himself from this sudden ambush. But, as he was ready to slice down his enemies, he realized these weren't them. These people had no weapons and their eyes were filled with fear. They weren't running at him, they were running from something else. One of the fleeing villagers spotted him with his weapons and stopped before him, out of breath.

"Owl... bears! On the... docks!" he managed to wheeze out between heavy breaths. The other villagers stopped, seeing what was happening and watched with pleading eyes. "You're an adventurer right? Please, help us!" Damnit. The cold-blooded Lizardman had no obligation to help these people. He could just ignore this and leave. He wasn't the most morally upstanding citizen, nor some good Samaritan. But, all these people looked at him now, clearly a warrior and adventurer from his weapons and physique, and begged for help. Damnit.

"Tsk. Fine." Xalmann clicked his tongue in annoyance and started running toward the docks. How did he keep getting stuck helping people for nothing? At least fighting some owlbears sounded somewhat interesting to the warrior in him. He'd never fought an owlbear before.

The pack of owlbears rip and tear through nettings, barrels, and crates in search of food. Three of them are pretty shaggy, having slick black fur that clings to their thick muscular forms. Their claws are long and curved, ideal for ripping and tearing apart as well as digging through rocky coastlines.

The last one, is a behemoth, nearly double in size compared to the other three. It has a massive hulking body with broad shoulders and powerful limbs. It's head bares the scars of previous battles won against its own kind. Each missing patch of fur a testament to its ability to survive in a world filled with all sorts of hungry monsters and skilled hunters. 

Zarius scouts ahead and watches the pack without revealing his presence to the voracious creatures. It would not be easy to drive the creatures away given how food driven they were. He needed a solid plan, otherwise he would likely become their next meal.

Footsteps from behind him draw his attention. He swears on Ginma's fuzzy horse ass that if that father followed him, he would tie him up and lock him in a shed. Glancing back over his shoulder, he does not see the human, but instead sees a lizardfolk. A familiar one at that!

"Xalmann?" He appears next to the lizardman and gives him a curious head tilt. "Are you here to, uh, deal with that mess?" He thumbs over to the docks. 

Xalmann stopped in his tracks as he came close to the familiar Tiefling who suddenly appeared from nowhere. So Zarius was also here. He hadn't seen the man since they'd taken a boat together to rescue some fisherman from a storm. Weird that they only ever seem to meet in coastal villages. He didn't really have much of an opinion of him yet since he hadn't gotten much of a look at Zarius's fighting abilities at the time, even with the sudden appearance of an angry Dragonturtle. Maybe this time would be different, fighting on solid land. He might actually get to see what the Tiefling could do. At least now he already knew he could turn invisible, apparently. Something he hadn't done the last time they'd met.

Xalmann glanced toward where Zarius pointed to the four owlbears were ripping apart the docks before looking back to him with a nod. He supposed he was here to deal with that mess now. He hadn't planned on it this morning, but now he was caught up in this mess and Zarius looked to be too. A competent ally should definitely make the battle easier, so this surprise wasn't unwelcome. Now they just needed a plan of attack.

He considered their abilities and thought out a strategy. They were outnumbered, but with some stealth and ranged capabilities they might be able to take one owlbear out quickly and even the numbers a bit. One was much larger than the others. It would be more of a fight. Ideally, they could take that one out first with a sneak attack, but he doubted it would fall that easily. It would be better to eliminate the relatively small fry first and save the main threat for last.

"Kill the small ones first, together." he said simply, pointing his axe at the owlbears in the distance.

The lizardman was still one of few words it seemed. That was fair, they did not know each other particularly well. Though he would have to admit that the lizardman's plan was a little...simplistic. He wasn't exactly expecting some elaborate strategy from the lizardman given they didn't know much of each other's abilities aside from what they did on their last excursion.

To be fair, Zarius had not done much then, hindered by his lack of options for ranged combat or defense against the natural elements. Things would likely be different this time. For one, the ground was more solid and he could definitely get in close to these beasts.

He looks over at the owlbears still ravaging the nets and fishing boats. At the very least he can agree that taking out the small ones first would be ideal. They needed to wittle down the numbers quickly and the smaller ones would be easier to take out fast rather than the big brutish one. 

"Alright," he nods and looks back at the lizardman. "If you wait behind a corner out of sight, I can lure the small ones over."

Stepping away from the lizardman, he turns invisible again and silently creeps over to the owlbears.^[1,2] He focuses on a spot near one of the smaller owlbears and causes a noise that sounds like a mewling kitten to form there.^[3] The owlbear lifts its head and listens to the sound, drawn to it curiously.

The tiefling keeps moving the sound along, drawing the owlbear further from the docks until it picks up on the invisible trickster's scent. It screeches and starts charging forward as Zarius turns away and makes a break back towards Xalmann. The other owlbears perk up to the disturbance and another small one abandons its feast to investigate.

---

[1] Invisibility
[2] Silent Step
[3] Minor Trickery

Xalmann nodded and waited out of side for his chance to strike. The plan was solid enough, and he wasn't able to turn invisible like the Tiefling could. After a moment, he heard the screech and the sound of the owlbear thundering across the sand, right toward his hiding spot, lead by Zarius no doubt.

As soon as the owlbear was within sight, barreling past the corner of the wooden hut he was hiding behind, he stabbed forward with his kukri dagger. The owlbear's hide was tough and it's fur was thick. The dagger barely managed to penetrate at all, but the small scratch was enough. The beast stopped in confusion as its vision of the beach in front of it was suddenly replaced with burning tents and screaming Lizardfolk. The horror of the scene was lost on the beast, but the momentary confusion gave Xalmann the chance to pull back his dagger and chop down at the side of the owlbear's neck with his battle axe, the blade glowing red hot and laced with another magic to help weaken the beast.

The owlbear's thick hide and fur helped to protect it once again from the Lizardman's attacks, but the damage was much more significant this time. The blade buried itself in the back of its neck. The fur and feathers around the blade sizzled and smoldered from the heat and were stained red from the flowing blood. Disappointingly, the strike wasn't enough to kill it even directed at a vulnerable spot. The sturdy muscle and hide managed to prevent a deep enough wound to kill it immediately, but the bleeding was severe. On top of that, the owlbear was affected by the magic that Xalmann had cast through the axe. It stumbled on its feet as it was hit with sudden a wave of fatigue.

It was vulnerable.

---

Dagger of Torment
Arcane Focus- Battle Axe
Vampiric Touch

Well, Xalmann at least knows how to hack and slash when it counts. Zarius isn't about to let the lizardman do all the hard work like last time though.

As Xalmann creates an opening, the tiefling closes the gap after slipping his fingers into the rings of his knuckles knives.^[1] His invisibility breaks as he sends a sharp right hook into the side of the owlbear's skull. The beast's brain is rattled and skull fractured from the impact of the hit. It slumps to the ground just as the second one approaches and rises on its back legs, screeching in anger. 

Zarius glances at it then back at the lizardman. "I will set this one up for you."

He sprints at the building and runs up the wall up onto the roof.^[2] Once up there, he jumps off the edge at the rearing owlbear. He lands against its muscular form while driving a punch downwards at it, using his momentum to knock it off balance and backwards onto the ground.^[3]

The owlbear slams back and is temporarily dazed as it lays there. Zarius lands next to it, unharmed from the fall.^[4] He looks over at the docks and sees that the other owlbears have taken notice of the screeching of their pack mates. The large one starts to thunder over with the two smaller ones barreling through the water after it. 

"Shit. Well, two down is a good start."

---

[1] Dashing
[2] Spider Silk Boots
[3] Grounding Strike (1/topic)
[4] Cats Grace

With the owlbear stunned and on its back thanks to Zarius, Xalmann immediately took advantage of the opportunity and leapt up to drive his axe down into its throat. The throat was almost always a weak spot on any enemy, and it was one Xalmann was very familiar with exploiting. Two of the owlbears lie dead, but the other three, including the larger of them, were now on their way.

While they still had some distance, now was a good a time as he would get to launch a preemptive strike on the approaching owlbears. Xalmann glanced at Zarius and held a claw up to signal him to stay back for a moment. With his axe still in the owlbear's throat, Xalmann raised his empty hand and a ball of flame sparked to life above it, the heat intense enough for Zarius to feel from where he stood. Xalmann reeled his arm back and lobbed the ball of fire at the owlbears. It left a streak of orange in the air as if arced directly into the middle of the running creatures and detonated between them all. A wave of heat washed over Xalmann and Zarius as fire spread, engulfing the owlbears for a moment. A mist of evaporated seawater rose up from the heat.

After a moment, from the cloud of smoke and mist, the larger owlbear emerged with an enraged gleam in its eyes. The other two followed suit, but unlike the larger one, they staggered slightly. Some flames still smoldered in patches of their fur and feathers. The fireball had clearly injured them, but it hadn't been enough to finish off any of them. They were truly tough creatures. Still, the spell had done its job. Xalmann hadn't expected them to fall so easily, but they were weakened and should be easier to kill.

The battle axe stuck in the dead owlbear's throat suddenly vanished and reappeared in Xalmann's hand again, ready for the approaching fight.

---

Massive Fireball
Extended Conflagration
Becoming the Inferno
Always There

Xalmann continues to be a reliable ally in combat, easily finishing off the owlbear he had knocked down for him. If they could keep this up, then perhaps they would survive this encounter with minimal wounds. The collateral damage though...well that was hard to avoid as the lizardman releases a massive fireball onto the shore. 

Zarius does as the lizardman instructs, happy to step back and let him sling as much fire as he wants at the charging owlbears. The fireball does a fair amount of damage, but hardly slows down the largest of the owlbears. 

"Here they come."

The tiefling takes inspiration from Xalmann and lights his fists on fire.^[1] He dashes to the side and draws the attention of one of the smaller owlbears. Once its headed his way, he stops and digs his heels into the sand. As the creature barrels towards him, he sends a punch of fire flying at it, scorching its feathers and face before it lashes out with its sharp claws.

Zarius pulls back quickly, but his arms gets slashed by the owlbear's curved nails. He winces and curses a bit under his breath. 

The owlbear takes another lunge forward at him and swipes with its paws. The tiefling dodges under the swipe then makes a jab into the creature's front leg, crippling the limb.^[2] Screeching in pain, the owlbear limps to the side, unable to put any weight on the leg that was struck. 

He has slowed it down for a moment. Glancing past it, he scans the area to see how Xalmann if faring. With any luck the lizardman could hold off the other two on his own for just a few more seconds while he wrapped up dealing with the one in front of him. 

---

[1] Art of the Burning Fists (1/3 post duration; 1/2 mini fireballs)
[2] Stunning Strike

With two of the owlbears drawn away by Zarius, Xalmann took his two opponents a bit farther away from the Tiefling. He ran to the side, his scales beginning to glow a bright orange as if they were metal fresh out of a forge waiting to be quenched. The air around him rippled from the heat. The formerly pleasant, save for the owlbears perhaps, beach felt more like a scorching desert. He drew the owlbears farther up the beach, not wanting the wave of heat to affect Zarius, but he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could fight the larger owlbear plus one of the others while holding himself back from using his fiery magic to the fullest.

The large, furry beasts clearly weren't happy with such a hot environment. Their thick pelts and large size lent themself far better to more tepid climates and the heat made them slow down some from fatigue.

Xalmann stopped running and turned to face the pursuing owlbears that, even with the heat, still barreled toward him like two out of control wagons. They could easily trample him to death, but just before they got the chance, he dove to the side and out of their path, swinging his axe forward. He managed to clip the smaller one in the face, leaving a burning gash across its eyes. He tucked into a roll across the sand before quickly getting back to his feet and running, placing the smaller owlbear that was now blinded and reeling from the pain between him and the larger one.

With an angry, roaring hoot, the larger beast gave chase.

---

Heat Cloak
Heat Wave
Arcane Soul- Battle Axe, Fire Damage

Shit. Xalmann was good but being outnumbered wasn't ideal, even for a warrior like him. He'd have to get over there and help him as soon as possible. 

The owlbear in front of him shakes its head and screeches, hobbling over to make a swipe with its uninjured limb or gore the tiefling with its sharp beak. 

"Oh, please." Zarius sighs exasperated and turns invisible again.^[1] It gives him just a moment to dive out of the way of the swipe and recover in time to slam his flaming knuckles into the creature's head.^[2]

The owlbear screeches and scrambles back as the feathers in his face burn from the blue fire wreathing the tiefling's fists. It rubs its face in the sand to try and stop the burning sensation.

Zarius uses the opening to beat its skull in until it finally collapses in the sand. Down was good enough, it would either die or limp off to dies somewhere else from all the internal bleeding from the bludgeoning it got. 

He starts making his way over to assist Xalmann though winces as he enters the area effected by the intense heat radiating off the lizardman. He was no stranger to heat, but this was intense enough to even make him second guess running forward.

If he couldn't help up close and personal, he could at least be annoying from the periphery. He picks up some broken boards and other debris that are lying around the buildings and starts hurling them at the owlbears, pelting them and distracting them to create openings for Xalmann to exploit.^[3]

---

[1] Invisibility
[2] Art of the Burning Fists (2/3 post duration; 1/2 mini fireballs)
[3] Improvised Weapons

The blinded owlbear hooted in annoyance as a piece of driftwood bounced off of its beak and looked in the direction it had come from. As Xalmann ran, the area of intense heat moved with him, away from Zarius and the comparatively smaller beast. The owlbear could no longer see, but it charged recklessly through the sand toward Zarius.

With the massive owlbear bearing down on him, Xalmann only had time to continue running. He couldn't check to see how Zarius was doing with his opponent. As he ran, another Lizardfolk suddenly appeared and began to run beside him. On closer inspection, this Lizardfolk was no duplicate of Xalmann. They were a bit shorter, but bulkier than Xalmann, their face a bit different, and their entire form semitransparent and covered in horrible burns. Also extremely unlike Xalmann, this Lizardman had an excited smile as he ran across the sand.

With his new backup, Xalmann turned to face the Owlbear, his axe already mid swing, but was stunned as the beast was already right on top of him. It's huge claw swung and slammed into the Lizardman, sending him flying several through the air. Xalmann impacted the sand with a thud and rolled several more feet before coming to a stop, surely dead. The huge Owlbear must have assumed the Lizardman was finished and turned to face the one pestering it with thrown rocks and debris.

It didn't notice at all as Xalmann stood up, completely unharmed. The ghostly Lizardman beside him, however, now had claw marks across their chest. Xalmann spat some sand out of his mouth and looked at the owlbear angrily, the heat around him flaring up even hotter. The huge beast noticed, turning its head back to the Lizardman angrily.

---

Guardian Spirit
Spirit Shroud
Guardian Hit Preventions- 1/4

As Xalmann kept running, the two fighters managed to separate the big owlbear from the regular sized one. Zarius stares down the blinded owlbear which opts to recklessly charge towards him. He just needed to fell this beast before he could run over to help Xalmann put down the big one. 

He digs his heels into the sand and waits for it to get right in close. As it swipes wildly, he catches one of its paws and steps into it, digging his shoulder in under its arm.^[1] The creature was heavy, but all he needed to do was pull down sharply on its arm to send it rolling over his back and slamming it on its back on the ground.^[2]

Gritting his teeth, he throws his weight into the movement and just manages to slam the owlbear's face into the sand. He couldn't quite get it flipped all the way over, but it was enough to put him in position to strike its more vulnerable underbelly. Pulling back a fist, he drives a punch into its guts. Using the pointed end of his knuckle knives, he puncture its flesh and start ripping open a gaping wound.^[3] 

The creature screeches in pain and scrambles to try and free itself from his grip. Zarius tightens his hold and punches again.^[4] He's clipped by the sharp claws on the creature's hind legs, but he doesn't give up until the creature's fighting instincts switch into prioritizing running away. 

He finally lets it go as it struggles across the sand, staining the sands with the blood trail from its wound. Figuring that one was not long for this world, the tiefling rushes to help Xalmann with the final remaining beast. 

---

[1] Hands are weapons
[2] Reverse of Momentum (1 per topic)
[3] Knuckle Knives
[4] Iron Grip

Xalmann ran towards the owlbear, the Lizardman ghost right behind him. The owlbear was the outnumbered one now, the others all dead or dying. This was the last opponent they had to face, but it was also the strongest. The heat emanating from Xalmann didn't have as much of an effect on the beast as he would have liked, and was hindering Zarius from helping him. Making a quick decision, he let the magic fade, the heat immediately fading as well. Zarius's help would be much more beneficial than the slight fatigue of the owlbear that the heat had provided.

As the two clashed, the owlbear swiped a heavy paw sideways at Xalmann, but Xalmann swung his axe at the same time. The force of the two colliding drove the red-hot blade deep into the owlbear's paw, burning it and nearly severing it entirely, but it also ripped the axe from Xalmann's grasp.

The Lizardman dove to the side as another paw slammed down at where he had just been, sending sand into the air. He held his hand out to his side, and the axe dutifully reappeared in his grasp. The injured paw, now with nothing staunching the wound, splattered less blood across the sand than might have been expected. The wound had been cauterized slightly by the burning axe.

No longer able to support its weight with the partially flapping paw, the owlbear's speed and agility were greatly diminished. It glared furiously at Xalmann.

---

Heat Cloak (ended)
Heat Wave (ended)
Arcane Focus- Battle Axe, Fire
Always There

Feeling the heat subside, Zarius races forward with a burst of adrenaline.^[1] He closes in on the owlbear from behind and slides under its back legs. He slams his fist into the shin of the giant sized owlbear. The owlbear roars as the hind leg seizes up and locks in place.^[2]

Down two legs, the owlbear thrashes about and manages to knock Zarius clean off his feet as its elbow comes back quickly and slams into his side. The tiefling grimaces and rolls across the sand, recovering onto his feet as he rubs his ribs. It wasn't a fatal hit, but it would certainly leave a bruise or two. 

"Damn beast," he says under his breath. 

He turns invisible and skirts around the creature as it rages.^[3]

Getting over to Xalmann, he takes a moment to catch his breath. "Do you have a plan to finish it off?" 

The lizardman was a capable fighter and seemed to have all sorts of magical tricks. If he had some plan, the tiefling would do whatever was needed to ensure they both survive this encounter. They had already let this beast get pretty far into town. They had to put it down quickly before it started causing some severe damage or even hurt any civilians dumb enough to leave their homes. 

---

[1] Adrenaline Rush (1/2 per topic)
[2] Stunning Blows
[3] Invisibility