Dushara

Happy New Year everybody! As mentioned previously, I won't be around for 2024, so I wish you all the best of luck in avenging our beloved witch!

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 2 | Make book read itself out loud Bernie revels excitedly in the dirt bath kicked up by the horse. For a moment he lays down, ready to roll over onto his back and get every square inch of his fur nice and dirty, but he valiantly resists the temptation—Asteroth might not like being at the bottom of a literal dog pile. Instead, he woofs up eagerly at the horses. “Have you seen the witch killer at all? The one who took her eyes? Can you show us where he is? Here, I’ll try to help free you from these pesky humans.” So saying, the big dog barrels in and eagerly bounds up high at another rider, slamming into him with full force and knocking him clean off his mount.

I'm cool with all animals being able to understand each other. My impression was just based off of in the OOC thread, "How does this work?", end of 2nd paragraph.

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 2 | Make book read itself out loud “What are those humans doing?” Bernie wonders aloud as he peers at the oddly tiptoeing farmhands. He turns his head, looking to Asteroth for instruction—which, given that the rodent sits astride his back, makes for a curious sight—then nods once he understands his passenger’s intent. “Hold on tight Asteroth … I’ll try my best to knock them off to free the horses.” The hefty dog dashes in towards the nearest rider and leaps up as high as he can. With teeth bared, he tries to clamp onto a sleeve or shirt or pants, or an arm or a leg, using his weight to drag the human down off his horse.

Because there isn't a clear action for him to take, I'm going to wait for Asteroth to post first and tell Bernie what to do.

I would like to finish the story, but I will also be extremely busy once the new year begins (I actually applied to this game with the understanding that it would conclude by year's end), so I will need to drop out if the game continues past Dec 31 (of course everyone else can continue without me, but I'll need to withdraw).

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 2 | Make book read itself out loud “There they are!” Bernie woofs proudly as the riders come into view. “Hopefully one of them can tell us where the witch killer is!” The large dog charges in excitedly at full speed, darting under and around the horses in his unbridled enthusiasm. For a human not expecting such a welcome, the onrushing Saint Bernard might well be a terrifying sight—perhaps terrifying enough for one to run away to find the witch killer for help?

I believe we can only talk to each other and to our own ‘kind’ (e.g. Bernie can talk to any sort of dog), so horse whispering is probably out. But we might be able to use Clever to understand the humans somewhat—that is part of the description. Anyway, since there don’t seem to be any objections thus far, in the interest of moving on, Bernie is going to charge in!

Assuming Broom is picking up Elora (and maybe Elora could cast her spell to distract/confuse the boy while they fly overhead?) my thought is to just have Bernie charge in excitedly, scaring the humans into some kind of mistake? I know it's a dumb plan, but that's all I can really think of for Bernie to do, so I'm just checking first with the other players to see if they're okay with this, or if they want me to hold off to try something else instead. Just let me know either way.

Not really sure what to post at this point. Bernie is still headed towards the fields and looking/sniffing for any sign of the deputies.

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 1 | Make book read itself out loud At Asteroth’s command, Bernie instantly dashes off towards the fields, sniffing every now and then to try to catch scent of their quarry.

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 1 | Make book read itself out loud For a moment, Bernie looks around confused as doors start opening of their own accord, but he quickly realizes that it must be Dash, especially once he spies the trademark twitch of the rabbit’s nose. Though not the brightest of beasts, the Saint Bernard recognizes a distraction when he sees one. Dashing back to the others, he urgently woofs at the rat for direction. “Which way do we go Asteroth?” Once he hears that the deputies have gone out to the fields, he shepherds his friends out the door, offering a ride to those who need one and acting as a protective bulwark for the others.

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 1 | Make book read itself out loud Upon spying the groom’s reaction, Bernie woofs a warning to Asteroth and the others. “Have you learned where the witch killer is? Better do it quick—that person doesn’t look happy. We might have a whole bunch of unhappy people here soon.” In an effort to protect the group, he heads to the doorway, both to block any reinforcements from entering and to secure an exit out. For the moment the large dog simply sits in the way, not necessarily threatening but alert to escalate to hostilities if needed.

Bernie Cleverinteract with humans, understand them: 1 | Fiercescare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch: 3 | Slysneak, steal, hide: 0 | Quickoutpace, climb, evade: 1 | Danger: 1 | Make book read itself out loud With a rapt countenance of uncomprehending awe, Bernie listens to Asteroth’s mastery of the human tongue. Of course, none of the words make any sense to him, but it’s clear that the children understand, and he can’t help but be amazed by such an incredible linguistic feat, especially when he himself has trouble understanding his own kind at times—why can’t wolves howl more like dogs? Wait … the blonde-haired child is talking to him with an outstretched hand. He focuses intently, but everything is gibberish. She seems to want something though? And Asteroth is mentioning him by name. Suddenly a candle lights in his small canine brain. Lying down, the Saint Bernard carefully tilts and slides the rodent and toad off his back. Thus relieved, he quickly pads over to where the dark-haired boy was, fetches the dropped broom, and gently places it at the girl’s feet. For good measure, he retrieves the other broom as well. Then he looks up, panting proudly as he awaits his reward.

Civit, you have my deepest condolences. Thanks for letting us know. My thoughts are with you and your family.