Rena trills softly to herself as she steps through the mud, carefully ignoring the way the stuff spatters her feathers. She can preen the gunk out later, after she’s returned home. The crow glances to her children, the feathers around her beak ruffling in an avian smile as her silver eyes glint in the light. She chuckles softly, chirping a few notes to signal her intent before she spreads her wings and brings them down hard to launch herself up and into the sky, avian eyes gazing down at the distant ground below, picking out details that one might otherwise miss…such as the band of brigands approaching the trapped caravan. It’s little more than motion under the trees, but from the ground the view was blocked by a hill…the crow dives at an angle, gently tugging on the link to her spectral husband to signal that the others should follow.

Tolling Bell feels the gentle tug on his soul, feels the intent pulsing along the link tethering him to his wife, and knows what it is she’s trying to communicate. He lets out a sharp chirp to signal for the twins to follow before taking off at a dead sprint, leaving not a single crow toed footprint in the mud as he passes over it. His amber eyes burn, smoke trailing and dissipating behind him as the embers flecking his feathers flare to life.

Bell, Whistle, and Loci reach the caravan just after Rena lands in a tree between the caravan and the bandits, bayonets already in hand and crackling with layers of sharpened black ice¹ as she waits for the brigands to pass her hiding place.

While his wife waits in ambush, Bell cracks his neck and lets his aura out, becoming translucent and wispy as a cloud of thin smoke begins to seep from him. Loci and Whistle, meanwhile, get into battle positions as their parents had been drilling into them: Whistle placed behind Loci, ready to go for anyone who isn’t distracted by the horrifying undead abomination that is her brother.

---

1 - Permafrost and sharpening Cold Touch

Griffin knew the swamp had always been a difficult place to navigate, making it harder for large transports and caravans to get through the marshy terrain due to the deep mud and tangled plant life. Travelers often find themselves getting stuck, taking hours if not days getting unstuck.

Now members of the Mud Worms, local bandits, have been targeting these stuck merchants, robbing them of their goods and even sometimes their lives. Griffin was helping with these stuck merchants. Traveling with them trying to get to the next town. helping with getting their supplies and vehicles free from the mud and back on their way before falling prey to an ambush.

[1] something caught Griffin's attention A small Fire Sprite hovers in the air next to Griffin. The tiny ball of fire was moving spatially in the direction of the swamp's deeper and darker part. warning him something was coming. His way he mumbled some words and moved his hand in that direction. [2] Holding out his hand Griffin made three small orbs to form. An orb made of Fire, Water, and Wind. They started to rotate slowly in the air. Giffin waited to see what was coming. a crossbow bolt hit the wagon next to him. The orb of fire shot forward hitting a man that shot the bolt. his chest exploded with fire his clothes on fire the man screamed alerting the others in the caravan of the danger.

The small Fire Sprite shot another ball of fire hitting the man next to him. The light from the fire showed more of them trying to rush the caravan.

[1] Summon Flame Sprite (done earlier that day)
[2] spell Tri-Beam

Rena chirps softly, cracking her neck and flicking her wrists to send two pairs of bayonets lancing out, each ice-coated blade sinking into the back of a different man as black frost spreads through the veins of her victims, killing them almost immediately even as she slips down from her tree to dart forward. She keeps low to the ground, snatching up her thrown blades as she passes the bodies they’ve been driven into, her wings tucked tight to her back to prevent the air from catching them and slowing her down as she rushes the remaining men with bayonets at the ready.

Bell tilts his head, then calmly walks over to stand next to the stranger who’d started hurling spells at the bandits, the smoke of his aura gathering around the stranger and empowering his elemental powers.¹ The ghostly crow watches with burning amber eyes as he stands there, hands flexing in a desire to join the fight himself, despite his inability to do so.

Whistle and Loci both charge, the skeletal crow letting out a shriek as he rushes the incoming men and women, deliberately moving to take their weapons on his unnaturally durable bones even as his sister moves around to hamstring one of the distracted, panicking bandits.

The bandits, meanwhile, are very much panicking, as not only are they down six men - more than half of whom seem to have simply vanished during their charge - but they’re being charged by what seems to them to be a psychotic, bloodthirsty skeleton of a crow and a similarly bloodthirsty living crow who’s more than happy to take advantage of their distraction.

---

1 - Spirit Guardian - Spirit Shroud
When the spirit guardian is summoned it creates a spiritual shroud around it, emanating from its body with the spirit being at its center. The shroud has a ten foot diameter and will move around with the spirit. Any ally inside of the shroud will have their elemental abilities enhanced, increasing the speed and size of an elemental spell that is either ranged or a non controllable summon spell aka a wall. The spell will move twice as fast as it normally would and be twice as big as any spell cast outside of the shroud. This shroud vanishes when the spirit vanishes.

Feeling the power surge around Griffin he watched his wind and water orbs grow in size and intensity. He moved his hands as the wind orb came forth Griffin sent it out. More bandits were attacking a few wagons down. the Lady screamed as her husband was shoved aside by the bandit. The Bandit was about to hit her with a club.

The orb of wind hit him. you could feel the impact as the wind hurled him into the air flying wildly. The bandit hit a tree with a loud thud falling to the ground blood running from his mouth as he lay there crying in pain.

Griffin moved his hands more as the orb of water flew and drilled a bandit the water splashed and the man went flying to the side hitting the ground hard and rolling to a stop. The rest of the bandits ran back into the marsh Griffin knew they would be back and with more bandits with them.

Griffin turned to Rena realizing she was the one that helped with the bust the Fire Sprite hovered next to Griffin. "She is not a threat," said Griffin to the fire sprite. With a slight bow, Griffin smiles "I thank you for your help, I am Griffin of clan Konell." said Griffin introducing him self to her. Griffin normally did not use the clan title unless he knew the people used a clan name.

Rena trills softly, the feathers around her beak ruffling in a small avian smile as she nods to the stranger before pivoting to hurl the four blades in her hands into the fray of her children and the remaining bandits, four more brigands falling as the ice coated blades drive into their necks, leaving only one wide eyed, panicking survivor.

The surviving bandit turns to flee, only to cry out in pain as Whistle’s twin bayonets slash through the back of each ankle, leaving her crippled and unable to stand, let alone walk or run.

Rena nods in satisfaction, quick little pulses of power teleporting her thrown blades back to her hands one at a time¹, each being cleaned of both blood and ice with a quick pass of the crow’s other hand before being slid back up one or the other of her sleeves before the next bayonet is summoned to undergo the same treatment. As she summons and cleans and sheathes her blades, the crow glances back to Griffin with faintly luminous eyes, each the pale white of frozen bone. She speaks only after flicking those cold, calculating eyes over the stranger’s form a few times, seeming to pierce through to his very soul, picking him apart and taking in every detail with neither judgment nor opinion, “...and I am Rena, head of clan Brighteyes and Queen of the Valley of Crows, for all that myself and my family are the only survivors”

Bell trills softly, cracking his knuckles and stepping over to his wife even as he reels his aura back, regaining his solidity in the process as he directs a rapid series of soft whistles and chirps to the twins.

Loci lets out a bright chirp, hefting the hamstrung brigand over his shoulder as though she were half his size rather than twice the same. The little skeleton trots over with a skip in his step, uncaring of the now ragged state of his clothes as he lays the bandit woman against the base of a nearby stone with surprising gentleness.

Distant Whistle hums softly to herself, driving one bayonet a few inches into the ground before taking a cloth out so she can clean her twin blades of blood and mud before sliding them up her sleeves.

---

1 - Summon: Possession

Rena was roughly four feet tall just taller than Griffin. Covered largely in iridescent ebony feathers with black scales on her forelimbs, her sharp silver eyes stood out as Griffin looked at her. She was wearing a short dress. Rena's talons were neatly trimmed and filed what Griffin could see through the mud. She had a somewhat curvy body. Her feathers were soft-looking. Each of her large wings off to her sides

Griffin cracked a smile. it was nice to see someone about his height who was not a human child. "Rena, head of clan Brighteyes is it? I am glad you came. I am sure I could not take all of the Mud worms bandits down by myself," replied Griffin helping a little girl from under the wagon and then her mother. "I was not planning to be security on this trip but I was just getting a ride to the next town." explained Griffin now turning back to Rena.

Griffin turned and looked over the wagon. "Rena any good ideas on how to get a wagon unstuck? We need to get this convoy moving again or we we might be in trouble next time," asked Griffin with a charming smile.

The crow chuckles, trilling softly to herself as she considers, then snaps her fingers and lets out a sharp whistle followed by a flurry of chirps, trills and other bird calls.

The whistle grabs Loci and Whistle’s attention immediately, the twin’s emerald and ruby gazes snapping up to their mother as they listen intently to the instructions, nodding and letting out affirmative chirps of their own after it’s over.

With the task established, the murder of four circle around the caravan, examining each wagon closely, Loci giving each one a few experimental tugs before mumbling to himself, emerald eyelights fuzzy with thought.

The crows reconvene at the head of the caravan, taking a few minutes to discuss possible strategies, before Loci gets fed up and moves to begin pulling at the first wagon, the emerald eyed skeleton’s bones creaking and groaning under the strain, but refusing to break or even crack as the first wagon is slowly, slowly pulled free of the muck.

So it is that three crows watch on in bemusement as the skeleton among them proceeds to brute force the problem, though Rena does begin nervously rubbing at her neck as she watches her son, understanding all too well the sort of cost putting out that sort of force could have on him. He's providing most of the animating force powering his shell of bones, and increasing the output means in reasing the input to match...sure enough, the little skeleton all but collapses once the final wagon is freed, the emerald rings in his shadowed sockets flickering with exhaustion as he stumbles back to his family.

Loci shudders, letting out a sleepy, exhausted chirp as he practically collapses against his mother, flickering emerald eyelights gazing up into Rena's own silver orbs as he mumbles, "...i-is...is th-this what be-being ti-tired is l-li-like?" before the remaining reserves animating his bones gives out, and those bones crumble to less than dust, leaving only a pile of ragged, muddy clothes...

...and a small, blue egg with brown spots, which Rena gently plucks from the mess of cloth, unbothered by the icy chill emanating from the shell. She chuckles softly, gently rubbing over her son's frozen egg with her thumb before tucking his...his corpse into the satchel holding the eggs of her two other deceased children, "...sleep well, lort'yrlr 'no. you've earned a nap, I think..."

Griffin was feeling the gratitude that the caravan was giving to Griffin and Rena. "That was extraordinary Rena, I thank you for your assistance," said Griffin to Rena with a smile. Griffin turned to look at one of the bandits still alive barely. "Come with me Rena let's see if we can get any information out of the bandit," suggested Griffin.

Walking over to the mud worm bandit Griffin smiled at the man. "I see you are still living. It might have been better for you if you died with your friends." Griffin informed the bandit. The little fire sprite that had been following Griffin was getting closer to the bandit face. The bandit's beard started to burn the man gritted his teeth and was about to yell in pain but the fire sprite backed away some.

Looking into the man's eyes. "Now I will know if you lie to me and I will burn you slowly," warned Griffin. That was not a true statement but the effect might get what Griffin wanted to know. "Where is your camp? how many people came with you? asked Griffin. The bandit spit on the ground next to Griffin. "I see we will have to let my Sprite friend here get to know you better. So you need to talk," ordered Griffin.

Rena tilts her head, eyes burning with a cold, bone white light as she watches the bandit struggle before letting out a sharp whistle like cold wind through frozen bones, a subtle shift of her arm sending a long, slender bayonet sliding from her sleeve to rest with its hilt in her grasp. A dual flutter of ice¹ from her core sends black frost racing up the length of the blade, thickening until the blade is coated in a sharpened sheath of dark ice. The crow steps forward, the feathers around her beak ruffling in an avian smile as she presses the flat of the icy blade against the base of the bandit’s left pinky finger…and he begins to scream as the black taint of frostbite begins to spread from the line of contact, eating at his nerves and killing his flesh. She pulls the blade away a few seconds later, then slams the butt of the bayonet’s hilt against a point just above the base of the finger…and it breaks away, leaving a perfect, frostbitten stump. ”...I would advise that ye start talkin’, before we leave ye in the nearest town with nary a single finger te work with,” her voice is calm and cold and hard, lacking any inflection beyond her accent and the sharpness of her voice.

---

1 - Permafrost, Cold Touch

Seeing what Rena did Griffin winced. Others in the caravan turned their heads or walked away. The bandit was horrified by just just happened. Screamed holding his hand. Crying out, begging for his life. The man had lost his mind urinating in his pants. he was not going to answer anything in this state.

Griffin shook his head "Rena, a bit much," commented Griffin. He was thinking good guy bad guy game? he was not versed in interrogations Griffin was a scholar, not a fighter. With this attack on the caravan, Griffin wondered if he would have to become a worrier and a scholar of the elemental arcane. Griffin covered his hand with a rag and calmed the man. He took a map and showed him the map to the Bandit. "If you want to live show me where the bandit hideout is." said Griffin in a calm voice.

The bandit pointed to a spot on the map "I... I... Thin... There...." the Bandit replied." Griffin smiled at him. "Good see was that hard?" Griffin did not wait for a reply. "Rena, we will take him with us and turn him over in town," said Griffin tying him up and gagging him. "Rena, without your help today we would have not had a good turn of events," said Griffin his tone appreciative and humble. "Let us get going!" shouted Griffin.

Rena trills softly, tilting her head and spinning the blade through her fingers as she examines the map with bone white eyes, taking a moment to place where she is on it, then tracing a path along the paper from her location to the rough area where the bandit pointed to. Then she nods and trills again, “...my family and I will take out the camp, I think. This incident has been taken care of, but…I rather think it would be best to prevent any future attacks between now and when the gang recovers…” with that, she turns to her family, letting out a flurry of chirps, trills and croaks even as she checks over her daughter.

Whistle is doing fine, just trying to clean the mud from her feathers as best she can without a bath. Loci, on the other hand…well, he’s trapped in his egg once again, recovering his energy while he waits for his mother to conjure his shell of bones once more.

Bell chirps softly, stretching a little and stepping over and up into the air to wrap his arms around his wife’s shoulders from behind, gently hugging her and nuzzling into her feathers, clicking his beak a little as the feathers around it ruffle in an avian smile before he reluctantly releases her, pulling away and following close behind her and Whistle as they move off in the direction of the bandit camp, heedless of the mud and filthy water staining their feathers.