Never has there been a new creature discovered without subtle, sometime unsubtle lies being its unwanted companion. The platypus was thought to be a hoax when first discovered and rumours of other sea-serpents and other monstrous creatures have been included in all histories. But for the Tritnol the lies go much further than just something that is cosmetic, their very existence is based on a singular lie.
Before before we spill the tea, let’s grab a coffee sit down and roll into tonight’s adventure.
Unsubtle Lies
407WeUnLi
Together the party climbed the mountains, avoided the creatures the elf El’thirnol had warned them about and with some luck they were making good progress. As part of the wager Callum had told them all roughly where the nest was. However, instead of waiting until dawn like the others, Callum and his sellsword were gone by the morning and were likely ahead of the party.
The village they had come from lived amongst the mountains and was largely left alone by the hostile creatures that lived nearby. It was probably the seasoned hunters that were stationed on the walls and towers around the village. The trek into the mountains didn’t take long and even as they marched onwards shouts could be heard from other parties who were attempting the same climb. It sounded as if the other people racing the climb were finding the paths just as difficult or running into trouble.
As the party ascended they became more acutely aware of the large creatures flying above them, griffons. They were the least of their worries as they moved stealthily but alerting the real monsters of these cliffs would only bode poorly. The Griffons and Tritnol’s weren’t the only master of the cliffs here. Wyverns had been known to live in this area – preying on griffons and their chicks as well as taking down the Tritnol when they were feeling particularly bold. But the elven huntmaster had told the party how to overcome the difficulties of the terrain and how to hide from the predators and so far it was working.
As the chosen adventures climbed El’thirnol watched with spyglass in hand. They were nearing the nest that he had sought and with any luck the parents were not around. But something was troubling him. The Tritnol’s were flying overhead as normal, large lumbering creatures that appeared to defy gravity as they flew. But the volume of them looked suspicious. When they gathered like this they normally found dead griffons and even wyverns the following days.
He watched the creatures in the area from his perch. His trained eye picked out where they all lived and he watched them. A few griffons lay still as they watched the Tritnol’s closely like the alpha predators they were. Despite being the huntmaster of the village, and widely known as being a master at his craft he had yet to take down a Tritnol. Their thick hide seemed to evade all arrows, bolts and even a ballistae had no effect. They were truly a strange creature.
But as he watched the creatures below he noticed that a group of hunters approached one of the nests. As the parent rose from the nest he glanced away towards his vigil on the flying giants and something odd occurred. A flickering, like the disruption of a spell, was coming over one of the Tritnol’s. As he watched he heard a shriek of pain as the Tritnol disappeared completely. Looking at the source, a wounded griffon with an arrow shaft in its leg. A moment later the sharp talons separated foolish hunters heads and limbs from bodies as the griffon’s partner swooped the hunters.
The titan in the sky, the Tritnol’s form wavered from that moment onwards, as if injured itself. El’thirnol mused. Something was odd here and the injured and odd acting Tritnol and corresponding with a Griffon being wounded was not something he would write off as coincidence.
The revelation here isn’t soo much a revelation as it is twist. What if the mightiest beast in the sky wasn’t real and was a lie that wasn’t spun by the hunters of creatures, but from the creatures themselves. Something interesting to explore this week as we continue to expand the adventure. So don’t forget to come back each day and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 