Out side of town, safely tucked away into the trees the form of a Gnomeling sat within a small circle of five candles. A little green creature lay before her, quite still, in the circle's center- the heart of a small, well traced pentagram. The Gnomeling reached out and petted the dead froggie's head before starting her little ritual. Her voice was soft as she began to chant quietly and the flames of the candles began to grow. A bit of leaves and dust kicked up in a small swirl around the circle. Bright green eyes seemed to be focused, though a small smile crossed her face when things seemed to be working out correctly. The large witch's hat on her head started to move with the swirl of dust and dead leave, strangely remaining stable on the head clearly too small for it.The circle and pentagram began to glow and the localized swirl of wind intensified and blew out all the candles. The dead amphibian picked up off the ground seeming to hover in the wind and.... BOOM!!! The Gnomeling found herself blasted backwards as, yet again, her experimental spell failed catastrophically. Her circled was decimated, no trace of her pentagram left, all her candles broken and the froggie? Well.... What froggie?
"Aww, BOLTS!" Kollista Nightbane stood up with a wince, brushing off. Her robe glowed softly [heal 4] relieving most of her pain and minor injuries. She sniffled a little, "Why, Mr. Froggie, why? I loveded yeeewww. You seemeded sooo promising..."
"That blasts was me alrights. I was trying to raise Mr. Froggie after he accidentally gotted squished by a falling branch that I knocked down when I was practicing my magics. Yes, yes, yes. It seemed to be going so well too... then boom! A 'splosion and no more mr. Froggie at all. No, no, no." Kollista replied with a shake of her head. "What's you're name, by the way? I don't think I've meeted you before. I'm Kollista Nightbane! Kolli for shorts."
Galdor comes running from the undergrowth, sword and sheild already drawn, to the point where the explosion had came from. Panting heavily, he notices the little gnome Kollista, hair all frazzled and a look of disappointment on her face. Galdor sets hs shield down and sheaths his shield, attempting to contain his flux of emotion from being startled awake from his meditation. Taking a deep breath, "Kollista... Why are you blowing up the forest and is it necessary to throw your candle bits everywhere?" The elf then notices someone else had gtten there first. He looked familir but just couldn't put his finger on it. "Oh, hello there", Galdor says in greeting in a way that he can hide his amost obvious forgetfulness.
"Well I didn't mean to blow ups the forest, no no no. As for the candle bits, they got blowed ups too and I just hasn't gotten to picks them up yet, Galdor." Kollista replied to the elf. She straightened her hat and nodded to him, completely oblivious to the black smudges across her face and clothing.
Galdor shakes his head as a small smile creeped onto his face. He couldn't stay mad at the little gnomeling. "Well... Lets try to pick up the pieces anyway, clean up a little bit. We don't need anything mistaking your candles for food, do we?" Galdor sayed as he stooped over to pick up a piece of wax that slightly resembled a flower. "And you may want to wipe the dirt from your face. It's unbecoming of a little gnomeling like yourself" Galdor said playfully.
The loud sounds of broken twigs, bootfalls falling on dry leaves, and armor clanging can be heard as Taklinn comes crashing through the underbrush quickly, tripping and falling more than a few times in the process. Finally emerging to see the gnomeling surrounded by the Empyrean rogue and Elven fighter, Taklinn draws his axe and rushes protectively to put himself between the Gnome and her adversaries. "Stay behind me lass!" he says with a low growl to Kolli, ready to meet her attackers with axe and shield. "Get back or ye'll be wishin' yer spells had backfired and ye had killed yerselfs." Taklinn shouts as he begins walking menacingly towards the fighter and rogue.
Taklinn, not taking his guard down, looks around to the scene with a different prospective. Gone is the scene of two brigands accosting the little gnome, and her wounds being self-inflicted sheds new light on the subject. Looking at her eyes to see if she is under some sort of enchantment, he sighs and puts his axe back on his belt, turning to the two he has tried to accost and shrugs weakly. "Sorry lads, but ye can see where it looked as if ye had been up to no good. I saw the drawn weapons and the soot and wounds on her and assumed the worse." he says embarrassed.
The Ohren-burr saunters up to the scene looking around dumbly, he sniffs abit, catching the scent of froggie and looks around for the left over pieces. He looks up at Kolli with big hopeful bear eyes.
"Rawrah?"
He tilts his head to the side and his tongue slips out of the side of his mouth, hanging as he pants in the heat.
Kollista looks at the very familiar bear as he sniffs around the site of her exploding frog incident. When he looked up at her with what seemed to be almost a cub-like hopeful look, she couldn't resist the urge to reach up and scratch his ears. Fuzzy things were irresistably cute, after all. It was common knowledge. "Is you hungries Mr. Ohren-bear? I has a brownie, or I'm sure there's a bit of froggie around here somewheres. It may even be cooked a little from the 'splosion if you're interesteds."
She paused a minute, an innocent wondering creeping into her eyes as she reached up to pet his big, fluffy bear shoulder. It didn't take long for the question held there to buccle to the surface, "Can I has a piggy back ride??! Erm... or would that be a bear-y back ride? Or... and Ohren-y ride? Maybe Angori-y?"
Ohren rumbles pleasantly as she scratches his ears, a bearish grin on his face. He sniffs aroud a bit till he finds some of the sploded froggie, which he promptly gobbles up. He then turns his side to the gnome and looks at her expectantly.
"Rawh rawr ruuh"
He licks at her face and nudges her towards his side with one of his large paws.
The Ohren-burr slowly begins to make its way back to town, taking the long way around and walking slowly at his own pace. He looks back at her and mumbles in his bearish nonsense.
"Rah rarwr grrah rawr ruff burr."
Occasionally he lets out some form of bear chuckle as if he had told a joke.
Galdor sighs quietly to himself, "The gnome girl almost blows herself up and yet she still has enough spunk in her to play. Quite the curious one." Galdor looks to the dawf. "It's quite alright. You were just trying to protect Mrs. Kollista there. And here I set down my shield so easily", Galdor chuckled to himself. "I'm Galdor, by the way" the elf says as he offers a handshake.
Kollista's smile widened when Ohren started walking. She giggled at the flying pouch of cookies that landed in front of the great bear, scanning around for signs of Glimmer. She couldn't see her, but was sure she had been there.
In response to some of his bearish rumblings Kollista would laugh along. At one point she grinned and remarked, "My Auntie would never believe I actually got to ride on a bear! Doodad or not!"
I am sorry for my rudeness my friends. My name is Ashe Amari. I came as soon as I heard the explosion. and I must say I am still a little shocked myself.
The gnomeling was performing very strong magics, but the stars are just not aligned for THAT kind of magic.
Ashe looks in the distance to see the giggly Kollista riding away happy as gnomelings can be. He lets out a small chuckle and agrees with galdor. "some spunk indeed"
"And now harm done Mr. Forgesplitter"
And by all means allow me to help as well.
Ashe bends over to pic up the wick and wax that was blown all around in his direction.
"I may consider it, Mr. Taklinn. Trees make for fine sparring partners, but it is nothing compared to a real person." Galdor chuckled as his little joke, even if nobody else found it humorous. "Well, it seems the forest isn't QUITE blown up and there isn't an immediate danger other than that gnomes magics. I believe I'll continue with my meditation. There was quite the interesting ravens nest I was watching. Maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll still be there." And with a tip of his head, Galdor swiftly set off to his small clearing to continue his meditation. Hopefully this time without interuption.
"WHEEEEEEE!!!!!" Kolli squealed excitedly as Ohren began to run through the trees toward town. She held on to his thick fur, making sure not to pull any out. Again, somehow her too-large hat stayed firmly atop her head even as she bounced slightly on the back of a running bear.
When they reached town and Ohren would stop, the Gnomeling would slide off his back and give him a big hug.
Patting Ohren on the head when he licked her face before he left, the Gnomeling turned back in the direction of her backfired spell. Quickly she skipped back to find Ashe picking up the bits of broken wax that remained of her candles. She grins and begins helping with the last of the clean up too, "Thanks, Mr. Ashe!"
It is my pleasure young gnomeling. So tell me, do you delve in the arts of necromancy? I thought that was a wicked dark art and you seem so vibrant a lady to be fiddling with such dark work.
but hey I have been known to stray from the path or norm. So next time if you would like some help let me know. my magics are small but maybe I could be helpful in other ways.
oh and what do you want to do with this wax? you could remake your candles if you don't throw it away.
"Ashe hands the little pieces of wax to the gnomeling and awaits her reply."
"I doooo. Kollista Nightbane, student of Master Newton Bonefinger, given the rank of Journey in the necromantic arts! That's meeees alrighty! Magics are always useful for one things or anothers, yes yes yes. Thanks you for the offers and your helps." The Gnomeling tugged on the brim of her hat as she replied with a wide grin. Picking up more wax, she turned to the Empyrean and accepted the broken bits he passed to her.
"Thanks you. Yes yes yes, I thinks I shall remakes my candles."
Ashe gladly hands over the crumbs of candle wax and looks to the ecentric gnome and asks
"When do you plan on trying this experiment again? and how can I be of assistance"
The Empyrean looks over his shoulder and then back at the hyper little gnomling and says
"I honestly don't know much about Necromancy, so I don't know what I could do for you. I do look forward to being there to help you and watching your success as I am possitive you will be successfull."
Thoughts of this kind of magic made Ashe feel nervous, and excited, and mischievious and he couldn't wait for her answer, and the chance to help.
"Oh, I'll probably tries again soon, yes yes yes. Maybe on another froggie.... They seems to react better to my magic stuffs than squirrelies have been. What kind of magics does you use? Healins magics is always goods with my 'speriments. I'd haves tah think about how tah utilize any wizardries or sorceries..." Kollista responded after a moment, stuffing the bits of candle into her bag.
When she looked back up a strangely creepy, yet adorable smile had settled on her face and her voiced changed a little in pitch, " Of course, then there's always the posiiblity of the magic working and then complications arising with the subject... So a little extra... fire power is always useful."
What seems to be the problem? Are you alright? I felt that blast through the trees young gnomeling. What were you trying to do?
Awe little one, wipe the tear from your eye. Can I help with anything?
Ashe waits for Kollista to gather her wits and answer his barrage of questions.