The Nature of the Beasts

Wonderbringer International Division

Katashaka Mission Report XLII

On the zoological expedition with the intent for identification then subsequent mimication of various fauna to provide ally support or opponent frustration including acquaintance with gigas aquila chrysaetos culminating in a chance meeting with homo sapiens homovorus; and other encounters.

Prepared by: Cober Snek, Seeker of the Eleventh Order

Prepared for: High Holy Crafthouse of Inspiration Record Keeping Department

Prepared on: The Ninth Day of Hammer in the Year of our Lord 1496

On a clear sunny day, a group assembled to assist Gau and I engage with various manner of beasts to improve our own abilities for future missions. Starting out from Ruined Oak, we quickly interacted with frogs, snapping turtles, constrictor snakes, and a giant crocodile. Perhaps most interestingly, Tenfoll’at was able to convince a duck she named Psy to come with her on forthcoming adventures. Stopping the night at the outpost we noticed an empty funeral pyre set alight and came to find Bobson the guard had been carried off by a large bird so lacking a body they lit the pyre in his memory regardless.

The following day it was some time in the afternoon after interacting with some stegosauri that we came across some an unfortunate eagle beset by some young rocs. Before we could even contemplate whether to assist or not, a full-grown roc appeared and decided our party looked more filling. As it turned so too the young rocs left the unconscious eagle and joined the fray. These rocs unfortunately were monstrosities and as such they were not useful to us form seekers. However, once the young rocs were downed it did provide me with an opportunity to put the first form I ever learned to use…that of a fish. The last thing on the roc’s mind was likely how everything else had grown so large and why it could not breathe.

After Bardy healed the assaulted eagle a host of other eagles including those of the giant variety descended and the most majestic of their number with a golden head landed and to our surprise began conversing in common asking our business here. After assuring Aquilius of our aid rendered the bedraggled eagle (who turned out to be Edgeworth his grandson) he requested we complete one more task for him as AFK adventurers had, in times past, neglected to locate and return a stolen egg of his. Now another egg had gone missing and he intimated to us were his egg returned we would be friends of the Shade Gouger Flock henceforth.

Setting out from the mountains we pushed along and came upon an allosaurus and polar bear locked in a struggle to the death. However, Gau persuaded them to set aside their differences and provided them some food before sending them on their way and finding there was yet a larger dinosaur in the region all predators avoided. These words in mind we some hours later came upon a herd of wild horses streaking away from a lion and then as the very puddles in the ground began to vibrate like a small earthquake the lion itself seemed to be fleeing more than pursuing. Hoping to obscure ourselves, we sank into the waist high grass of the plains and before long the largest theropod I have ever seen came to us through the light drizzle smelling for the prey that had fled. Likely it would have ended poorly for one or more of our number, but again Gau’s way with beasts proved quite useful. Thus, with a much friendlier tyrannosaurus rex than I have ever heard tale of we were soon able to master the beasts construction for our own uses later and bid him happy hunting.

After settling in for the night there was a giant badger that appeared and allowed us to learn his form, which Gau assured us was the most dangerous of beasts we had yet encountered. Having an understanding of the form myself I cannot fathom precisely why this might be the case in actuality so I can only assume it was an attempt at what some might call humor. After this rather benign encounter we were awakened in the night by a vampire spawn, a wight, and a gorgon. After a struggle, we were able to down all the creatures before they caused us any long term setback though the gorgon in particular only failed to catch us in its petrifying breath thanks to Tenfoll’at and Bardy repeatedly hampering its movement. During the post-battle investigation, we found on the spawn the very egg Aquilius tasked us to find, Gond be praised!

Sleeping in a bit after the busy night, we spied being Earl Sitaris driven by his man Blueford in a carriage pulled by nightmares and hailed him. Seeming a bit disdainful of the interruption, but showing some small interest in the vampire spawn corpse he informed us it was the work of his rival Count Brandino who undoubtedly wanted the egg for some nefarious purpose. He also mentioned in a sidelong manner that this Brandino had also stolen his lakehouse on the opposite side of Ruined Oak and he would consider it a favor if some adventurers were to take care of the matter for him.

After returning the egg to Aquilius we made our way back toward Ruined Oak and studied one last form of a mammoth before making it back to civilization and awaiting the next chance to better our knowledge of the island and all the goings on.

Ever a Seeker of The Holy Maker of All Things

Amen