The World of Skara Brae

"Uhuh!" Kalan said and nodded as he walked towards the door "Shall be fun to see what we can find!"

Drek said: "Stealing that ring is utter foolishness. Only someone who is worthy could wear it, and thieves are most definitely not worthy." The tied-up woman replied: "And what makes you think we want the dam thing for ourselves? It's worth a bundle, and I know just the buyer." Just then, Sam finished being sneaky and got her wrist-chains around the gnome's neck. Immediately the gnome struggled to break free but Sam was stronger than the little gnome by quite a wide margin, and so there was never really a question of who would win.

Meanwhile, the two washer-women Mellara was talking to looked down at Mellara and one of them said her, in a perplexed way: "You want to borrow the washing tub for a magic ritual? Normally I'd say no... but you seem alright. Not one of those high-and-mighty tower mages. Alright then, you can borrow it, but we expect it back when you're done."

As this was happening, Orren & company were stepping out of the inn, just in time to see Mellara talking to two washer-woman who were up on a rooftop. They couldn't hear what she was saying, but they could see her talking to them. Orren said: "Hrm.. there's that Druid-lady. Look's like she found a bath. Good idea, I could use one myself. Killing bad guys is sweaty work." Mal said: "But why is Claire with her and not Drek & Sam? And why do they have those bundles of arrows?" Orren said: "How should I know? Maybe Claire wanted bath too?" Cecilia said: "Don't be silly. Who takes a bath in a laundry tub on a roof? No, something else is going on here. We should go take a look" Orren said: "Yeah, we should go look at the market square, right Kalan?"

Meanwhile Glennis Vell said to James: "Yes. You can say it too, if it helps you focus."

[GM's EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to have Glennis Vell answer James. Oops. FIXED!]

edited 22nd Dec '12 4:11:52 AM by TheSarge

"Drek, it's alright. There are no thieves standing anymore. Can you get free of the net by yourself?" asks Sam in the darkness after making sure the little gnome would not be in fighting shape any time soon.

"Thank you very much, good women. I assure you, you will get your tub back. I won't even need to move it from here" says Mellara as she falls into her spellcasting. First was a small insignificant spell. One that would clean the water, purify it so that it would be good enough even to drink.

Then the hard part would come. It was a spell on the stronger edge of what she could cast. The Scrying spell would, with some luck, show her where Drek and Sam were, perhaps what they were doing. It helped that she knew the two of them personally, though had she known them for longer than a few hours there would be even more chance to find them.

Problem with the spell was, that it would take quite some while to properly cast it. Time that Drek and Sam might not have. Still, this was the best Mellara could do to help. She could not bet on reaching the mages of the city and them organizing to cast a similar spell to take less time than she would.

With that, the Druid fell into her spellcasting and prayed the two missing adventurers were not in too much trouble.

[GM's merry winter solstice festival note: Happy holidays, everyone! ]

edited 24th Dec '12 7:45:42 PM by TheSarge

<OOC: Sorry for my slowness. Been a bit busy lately with a holiday.>

Thinking of the Drow, James immediately thought about Mal. He doubted just thinking about the lady would suddenly teleport him...

As soon as the image of Mal was in James' mind Glennis Vell uttered a single mystic word and suddenly, in a flash of white light, he and James were standing next to her. Glennis Vell then said "Is this one of the Drow that you seek to serve Tyr's justice upon, ranger James? I do not sense injustice in it."

Meanwhile, Drek was cutting away with his sword, and saying to Sam: "I think can cut my way free, but it's going to take a few minutes. This netting is stronger than it looks. My infravison has adjusted to this darkness, though, so at least I'm not cutting blindly now." The human thief-woman rolled around on the floor, struggling with the ropes she was bound up in, but it was no use; Drek was far too good with knots for her to be able to escape that easily. She finally tired of this struggle and just said: "No! I was so close! Dam it, why did they make me use gnomes for muscle? Now I'll never get paid." Drek said: "Why did "they" indeed? Gnomes make excellent tinkerers and mages, but they're not known for their physical strength. For henchmen I was expecting Orcs, or maybe Dwarves. I only know one Gnome who'd be after Eruantian's ring and also so xenophobic she's insist you use Gnomes for muscle. I'm surprised she'd even to use you, what with you not being a Gnome. You're working for Ananya Rangarajan, aren't you" The thief said: "Go to hell" Drek said: "I'll take that as yes. Sam, see if you can get that belt off her." The theif said: "That won't help you. I'm the only one who can use it." Drek said: "You'll pardon me if I don't take you're word for it." The thief said: "Don't be foolish. If you think I'm working for Ananya Rangarajan, then you must have an idea how far away from Skara Brae you are. Far enough away that without my help you'll never get back to Skara Brae in time to finish that whole saving-the-world-from-the-drow quest of yours." Drek said: "Oh, I don't just have an idea where we are, I know where we are. Amkethran, city of the Gnomes. I've known since I smelled the air. After all, it smells like no other place on Septera. The theif said: "And like I said, that belt only works for me. And that means I'm the only one who can get you home in time. Even a gnomish airship would take weeks to get back to Targos." Drek said: "And like I said, I don't trust you. We'll take our chances, won't we Sam?"

Meanwhile, Mellara was conducting her Druidic ritual on the tub of water. On it's surface, the image of an oak tree, a storm cloud, and a blank space appeared. The tree and the cloud were two of the three most prominent icons of the the Druidic pantheon of the natural world; These two icons represented two of the elder gods Mellara worshipped as the personifications of the natural world. To Mellara the clouds represented the non-biological world; Earth, water, and air. To Mellara, the personification of this was the elder-goddess called Gaia, also known as Mother Earth. To the Elves of Suldenesealar she is known as Chauntea, and to many other people's and times by many other names. The Oak tree represented living things like plants and animals; To Mellara this was the elder-god that Mellara's druids call "The Oak-Father". He is known to the Suldeneselarian Elves as "Silvanus", to the northern barbarians as "The All-Father", and to the Lizzardmen as "Sucellos." Immediately, Mellara knew that this arrangement of two icons with a blank means something: Mystra is the elder-goddess of magic, and though she most commonly associated with mages, Magic is as much a part of the natural world and rocks and trees are: Moreover, ultimately it is Mystra that powers all magic in the world, though for Druids it is Gaia and The Oak-Father that channel that power to them. That Mystra's icon was prominently absent from the usual triad-arrangement told Mellara that the place she was seeking was a place where magic is not in as much use as most other places. But Mellara felt the ritual drawing her in more, as there was more information to be imparted. Mellara felt the ritual to be calling her to call out to the air and the earth to mingle with the water and thus tell her more. She could see grains of sand on the rooftop, and knew they wold suffice. Caling on the power of nature, Mellara mingled the sand, the air, and the water together by rubbing the sand in her hands and then letting it fall into the water. When the sand hit the water's surface, a clear image of an island formed upon it. The image zoomed in, showing a massive city on the island with many hundreds of gnomish airships in the air above it, and uncounted thousands of gnomes in the streets and in the buildings. This city was like nothing she had seen before. It was so huge, so exotic, so sophisticated. The buildings were absolutely amazing, all gleaming metal and glass and steel and bronze. Even the fabled tales of the now-ruined Suldeneselar City at the height of it's power and glory didn't compare to this. This could only be one place, the fabled island-city of the Gnomes called Amkethran, spoken of in legend and bard's tales as a place of splendor beyond compare.

edited 2nd Jan '13 12:25:03 PM by TheSarge

"Lets go get my pants." Kalain said and continued towards the marketplace "I'm sorry master Drek. I'll be back soon."

"Yeah, Drek!" says Sam, grasping only half of the conversation, but quite on the same page with Drek when it came to what to do next. The woman smelled like fear to Sam and with good reason. If only her hands were not bound, she was more than tempted to be rid of the troublesome woman once and for all. So, she was trying to pass herself as useful to Drek as she possibly could. Thankfully, Drek would not fall for that.

Sam was a bit wary of grabbing onto the belt once again after what happened last time, but for now it seemed like the wisest course of action. She only tarried on going about that task by looking onto the first opponent she felled to try and find the key to her bindings.

"Amkethran, by the Oak-Father... of all possible places..." says Mellara, shaking her head at the vision in the washing pot. After that, she nodded her head to the two washer women to indicate that she was done with their pot... that now held water a lot more clean than that they were working with after washing their clothes for a while. And that's after throwing a bit of sand at it.

"Little child, I have learned what I could learn. Now we must find Drek's friends" says the druid.

"Mal is an ally. I need her as a witness in a trial that will start soon."

James turned to the Drow lady and said "Sorry this is so sudden, but I'm trying to get werewolves to help us with the drow and there is going to be a trial to prove a threat is underway. I need you as a witness for it Mal."

Mal said to James: "Werewolves, eh? Hey, good idea! They'll make excellent fighters. Ok, let's go. Who's the blind old man?"

Glennis Vell said: "I am Glennis Vell, High Archon of the temple of Tyr of Skara Brae City. And I am not blind, for Tyr gives me his sight."

Mal raised and eyebrow and said: "An "Archon", aye? that some sort of high priest?" Glennis said: "Something like that, yes. I serve Tyr by guiding my fellow priests as we strive to see that justice is done everywhere. In return for my service, Tyr grants me his blessings, and his sight. That is how I sense no injustice in you. In fact, I see that you strive for justice for your people, for you seek to liberate them from the oppression of a false god and it's worshippers."

Mal said: "Huh...nice to have you with us, mister Archon. OK James, where's these werewolves of yours?"

Tagana interrupted and said: "Uh, well, since Glennis Vell here can teleport you where you need to go now, I shall take my leave. Fair journey, James, and good luck with the werewolves." Tagana then walked off, heading back to Micheal's mage tower.

Before James could answer, Claire ran up and said: "James! James! Drek and Sam were kidnapped by a thief, and they got teleported away. Mellara's used her druid magic to try and find them. We have to go rescue them!"

Meanwhile, Drek was saying to Sam: "On second thought, we'll just cut the belt off. After what happened last time you touched it, we don't want to do that again." Drek had cut enough of the net free that he could get out through the hole he'd cut. He then crawled out, but got snagged on it a few times. Meanwhile, Sam had found the body of the first Gnome she'd tangled with, and found a keys ring in a pouch on it's belt. There were seven keys on the ring, though, so figuring out which one opened her shackles would take a while.

"They have been taken to Amkethran of all places. The Oak-Father showed it to me clearly" says Mellara as she walks with Claire up to the group.

Sam groaned in frustration at the numerous keys in the belt Wish it was only one key... thinks the young Huntress as she starts going through them... though after every key she looks around to make sure their hard fought peace is not disturbed. They were on enemy territory after all.

"Wow, that's really great timing..."

James let out a sigh. Well it was clear that his master and comrade are going to be needed to be rescued. The werewolf knew there would be a scolding for the elders about being tardy.

The ranger went up and patted Claire on the head, with a smile saying "Don't worry, I'll make sure we'll find those two."

As Sam tried the keys, Drek finally managed to get completely free of the netting. After the fifth try, Sam found the right key and opened the locks on the shackles, which immediately fell away from her wrists. Drek said: "From the looks of it, we're in a basement or a cellar of some sort. Has to be a way out of here... a door or a ladder or... ah-ha, there, do you see it? A trap door in the ceiling. Not very well hidden, either. No ladder in sight, but I'm already hitting my head on the ceiling here, so it will be a simple matter to just reach up and pull my self up out of the trap door...and.....grrrr... it's locked. I can't see a bolt anywhere, so the bolt is either on the other side or built into the door itself. These gnomes are a clever bunch, I'll give them that." Drek looked at the thief and said: "But I'll bet our new best friend here knows how to open it, don't you new best friend? Oh, I know, you're all tied up right now, but it's been a long day and I'm not in the mood for any more games, so guess what? You've got ten seconds to tell me how to open the door or I start cutting off fingers. Your fingers. One....Two..."

Meanwhile, Claire just cried and smiled at James and said: "I knew you would help!" Mal looked puzzled and said: "What is this Amkethran? I have never heard of it." Orren said: "Not surprised, what with you spending most of your life in The Underdark and all. The bards say that it is the home island of the Gnomes, a land where the gods do not hold sway and the gnomes make their own magic instead of drawing upon the strength of the gods, but... I never put too much stock in what Bards have to say. A fine tale to entertain with bardsong and merriment and so forth, but so are a thousand other fanciful tales of a thousand unbelievable things. But then... we did see a dead god die today, so... I suppose anything is possible."

Glennis Vell said: "Oh, it is real. I was there many years ago, before the end of the Drow war, when I was just a young acolyte. Back then my order had established a small temple there, little more that a brick house to be sure, but never the less I was sent there to study how justice may be applied in a far-off land, as part of my training. Of course, the Gnomes had not yet cut off relations with the outside world back then, and so I was able to book passage there and back on a Gnomish airship. I was not there long, only a month, but I remember it was a strange and glorious place. The gnomes are a very... shall we say... different culture than what you are used to. For one thing, all of them, even the poorest commoner, bathes daily. Even twice a day, or more. Can you imagine such a thing? There are pipes everywhere, just under the streets, I was told, and these pipes feed each home with it's own fountain of water. Where all that water comes from, I never asked... but it was there. I saw it. Oh, but that was more than sixty years ago..... ah, I suppose it has changed a lot since then. The temple is gone, for one thing. Shortly before the gnomes cut off relations with the outside world, all non-gnomes as well as all those gnomes who believed in the gods were banished from the island. What happened to the place after that... well, It would seem that Tyr has decided I must go and see for myself. I take it you wish me to provide transport there, young Ranger James."

Orren interjected, saying: "Wait a minute, wait a minute... from what you say, these Gnomes won't take kindly to us just popping in to this little nobody-but-us-Gnomes city, am I right?"

Glennis Vell replied: "Very likely, yes."

Orren then said: "So if we show up unannounced I say we are just asking for trouble. From an entire city of Gnomes. That nobody has seen or heard from in sixty years. No offence, James, but that sounds like a bad idea to me. We need more information and a plan."

Cecelia, who had kept quiet up until now said: "But it is not true that nobody has seen one for sixty years. I saw a Gnome today, back in the market square. Well, not a Gnome per se, but a Gnomish airship. I did not get a chance to look inside. It was parked at the far end of the market square before that dragon showed up.

Orren looked as if he had just remembered he had lit his tail on fire and said: "By the gods, yes! Yes, I remember now! I saw it when we descended on the backs on those dragons... it was hard to miss. Why, that could mean that there are gnomes, here, in Targos right now!"

Mal said: "But.. so what? The airship was probably wrecked, and the crew all killed. I mean, don't see it flying around in the sky now, do you?"

Cecelia said: "No, but if it is not in the sky, then it.. or at least its remains... must still be in the square. If we could find and rescue one of the gnomes, he or she might be willing to help us. Put in a good word for us, so to speak."

Mal shook her head and retorted: "That is a lot might-bes and perhapses for not a lot of advantage; The longer we tarry here, the longer it will take to find Drek and Sam. I say we go now, and dam the risks. I am not afraid of tiny little gnomes. They may be clever, but we are strong. What can they do to us, bite at our shins?"

Glennis Vell looked stern and annoyed and said: "Enough of this! I go to take James where he wills. If you will come with him then I will take you as well. Come or do not come, as your heart dictates. What sayest thou, Ranger James? Where does our journey take us?"

edited 11th Jan '13 10:52:59 AM by TheSarge

"Drek is being way too nice. Given all the trouble you've given us I would just slit your throat and avoid any future ones" says Sam as she walks around the room, easily picking up her dagger and sword in the darkness due to help of the ring. Whenever she was following along with what Drek said or if those were her honest feelings, was up to anyone to guess.

Meanwhile Mellara simply said "A split in our forces then? I think it is the most efficient way to go about this. We need to inform the mages in the tower... from what I have seen, Drek has friends there. And mages are always useful when traveling long distances quickly... at least in big groups. Then again, having a gnome give us information about our destination seems most advantageous. Thus, we split up"

"I agree with the druid, splitting up would be a good course of action" said James, "By the way, how is Aaron holding up. Did anyone check on him recently?"

edited 12th Jan '13 11:21:30 PM by JustaUsername

[GM's Note: Looks like I have the flu, so I need to take some time off. I'll try and post again when the room stops spinning and I can eat solid food again. Until then, this game is on hiatus. :( ]

edited 14th Jan '13 10:15:29 AM by TheSarge

[Awww, hope you get better soon Sarge.]

<OOC: Gah, the flu is not fun at all! I was getting some energy drained from me recently after lacking my computer and having to share with my brother for over two and a half months, so maybe my energy will return and my posts will get more detailed when you return>

[GM's note: I'm back. And I brought my lungs. My glorious, almost-pneumonia-free lungs. Let's see what sort of oxygen they can provide for my brain, shall we? Ahem...]

Back at the Inn, Arron was feeling much better now. He didn't understand why he was able to recover from spellcaster's fatigue so fast, especially after the extreme exertion he'd been through a scan few hours ago, but he was feeling awake and alert now. Just then, Gerard noticed that Aron was coming around. He got a cup of water from the bartender and gave it to Arron, saying: "Ah, good. I see you're awake, Arron. You must be exhausted. You should probably eat something... but I think the looters took most of the food." Gerrard fished around in his coin purse and said to Arron: "The others went with Kalan to shop for pants... all this time that kid was walking around with no pants on, can you believe it? Oh and that druid-lady went somewhere else, I know not where. I stayed here to drink beer and see after you and Edvin... he's upstairs sleeping."

Gerard turned to the back of the bar and yelled: "Hey, you got any food in that secret cellar of yours?" The barkeeper, who was in the basement cellar (the access door was a trap-door located behind the bar), yelled back: "How did you know I have a secret cellar... oh nevermind. Yeah, the looters didn't discover this part of my inn. All my sacks of rice and beans are all in here, and there's some barrels of potatoes and a rack of smoked bacon left. Let's see... carrots... cabbage... pickled turnips... a jar of thyme.... two dozen eggs...salted walnuts... bag of peppercorns... no butter left... and no milk... but there's lard, and olive oil... and I've got a bushel of dried apples. Hey, I could boil up some rice & carrots, that wouldn't take long to make. Or I could fry up some bacon and eggs. Or soup, I can make some soup... even cream of potato soup if I can find some milk. Or baked beans; Looks like I've got some salted tomato paste in a jar here, so I could do a nice batch of baked beans in tomato sauce. And there should be some onions in the other room... now where did I hang up the garlic?" The laundry list of various food items faded away as the bartender went deeper into the bowels of the cellar, but Gerard wasn't paying attention anymore. He mumbled to Arron: "Well, we won't starve at least. You want a beer?"

"I'm probably still a little drunk from the spell fatigue." While Aaron wasn't tired anymore, he had a lingering feeling he wasn't completely awake. "I might have some rice and carrots. I just need something filling, not fancy."

While usually James would try to find any excuse to eat, there was something more urgent than filling his stomach. "So, as for teams, what do you think we should split up as?"

Meanwhile, back in Amkethran the thief was saying: "If I tell you, my employer will try and have me killed!" Drek stopped counting and said: "But if you don't tell me you most certainly will be killed. By me. So tell me how to open that door and you might just be able to escape with your life.... three.... four... five..."

The theif said: "Alright fine, you win, but on one condition. Promise you'll untie me after I tell you. Don't leave me here tied up."

Drek shook his head: "You're not exactly in a position to bargain. Actually I believe the position you're in is known as "Hog-Tied". However, if you insist on bargaining, we can go back to cutting your fingers off."

The thief looked very sour but she grumbled and said: "Alright, fine. One of my companions you killed has the key, but it's not on that key-ring Sam used to unlock her shackles. It's on a chain around one of their necks. Looks like a piece of gold jewellery, but it's not really gold. It's really bronze, but it's got a thin layer of gold on the surface. Just enough so it looks like real gold. It's not gold paint or gold leaf, it's fused to the bronze somehow; I don't know how the Gnomes manage do that, but I know that's what it is. Anyways, that key fits into a depression in the centre of the trap door, and if you put it in there and twist, the lock will open."

Drek said: "You made a wise choice, unless you're lying. In that case, you made a very bad choice you won't regret very long because you'll be very dead very fast. Sam, cut that magic belt of her's off with your knife, and make sure not to touch it with your hands." Drek paused to snicker a bit, as if he found the situation funny somehow, and then continued: "I'll search these gnomes for this gold jewellery-key little miss suddenly-cooperative here has told us oh so much about that I suspect is another trap, trick, ruse, contrivance, misdirection, etc." he sighed a bit and said, as if a bit exasperated: "It's been just that kind of day."

Meanwhile, Gerrard was saying to Aaron: "Ok, rice and carrots it is. I'll go ask for some from that innkeeper, you wait here." Gerrard left his beer on the table, stood up, and went behind the bar, and then down into the cellar.

Just then, Edvin came down the stairs. Edvin looked like a normal human, not the spectre he formerly was. He was stumbling, but was steadying himself on the handrail. He walked over to Aaron and said: "Hello... Aaron? Yes, yes, it is you. I remember you... I think...but you seem... different somehow. Everything seems different. What happened to me? Where are the others?"

Cecelia said to James: "He's still in a chair in the Inn. He's much like you saw him last time you saw him; Very tired, but very mush alive. I dare say he had a great will and a stout constitution. Gerrard is there, looking after him. And as to spitting up... well.. my wings aren't just for show, you know. I can fly, so I can scout from the air. And my eyes are very keen. Shall I try now, James?"

Mal said: "I still say we should all go to Amkethran immediately... but I shall defer to your judgment, James."

edited 27th Jan '13 1:30:54 PM by TheSarge

Aaron looked at Edvin, his wound had disappeared. He actually jolted a bit back from his comrade's change in appearance. He took a deep breath to calm himself and started talking.

"You were unconscious, just like I was. Edvin, I need to confirm something, I'm planning giving you a little positive energy because something tells me it won't be harmful to you. If it isn't than I can explain why you're feeling weird."

"And my judgement is to split up" James said.

"Good choice. Then, I shall go to the mages. Given that I was primary witness to the events which took those two away and divined their current location, I might be a better fit to answer the flurry of questions they will surely throw my way" says Mellara.

Sam nodded her head wordlessly and then knelt by the side of the tied up woman. Holding her dagger in a reverse grip she tried to cut the belt... though given that her blade while sharp was as mundane as they came, it might take her a couple tries before it got cut.

In the inn, Edvin said to Aaron: "If you say so. I would sure like to know why I feel like this."

Meanwhile, out in the street Mal was saying: "And where do you think you should go, James?"

And in Amkethran, Sam was finding that the belt she was trying to cut through was actually rather difficult to cut. She wasn't sure if it was simply that it was thick leather, or perhaps if there was some sort of magic involved. Never the less, she was making progress, slow as it was. She estimated that it might take a minute or so to cut through it. As she cut, Drek was searching the bodies of the Gnomes for the jewellery-key. As he searched he said: "How did you track me to Targos, thief-girl? I was in a whole other province earlier today, miles and miles and miles away from Targos. I didn't know... why I couldn't have known... that I'd be going there today." The thief said: "I wasn't after you, Elf. I was after the ring. I was told only that it had been seen in Targos, and I was sent to grab it." Drek raised an eyebrow and said: "The ring had been seen? Seen by whom?" The thief said: "By my employer's spies, of course. They told her, and she told me. And before you ask, no: I don't know who her spies are. I didn't ask. In fact, I made a point of not asking." Drek said: "And why would that be?" The theif replied: "Because they are her spies, not mine. If I knew who they were and they found out, I'd be a dead woman. so, I didn't know you were going to be in Targos until I spotted you, and what with you being a famous friend of Eruantian and all, I shadowed you hoping you would lead me to the ring. And it did... though not how I had hoped." Drek said: "Wait, your employer's spies told you the ring was in Targos, but not that I was there? How is that possible?" The thief said: "Ask the spies. Or better yet, ask my employer." Drek said: "Aye, I might just have to do that. But anyways, you and some other fellows were hired to burn down The Gold Lion Inn in Glenarbour yes? Hired by whom?" The thief replied: "Ah, that. Yes, I was hired by a red-skinned elf that called himself The Great Garm. Your girlfriend here killed him when we tried, shot him with arrows she did... As to why he wanted to burn the place down, well... all I know is he was working for a woman, but I don't know the who or the why of it. He paid me in gold, and I didn't ask any questions. I only know he was working for a woman becasue he said his "mistress" commanded him."

edited 6th Feb '13 10:48:09 PM by TheSarge

Thus, Mellara made her ways towards the tower were surely, Drek's magically inclined friends dwelt. She looked at little Claire for a moment and smiled, letting the girl decided if she would follow her or go with the others.

Sam for her part kept as it, cutting at the knife with renewed vigor borne out of frustration with how tough the material was shaping up to be. She listened in silence to the conversation, knowing that Drek could handle it a lot better than her. Though after all was said, there was a single thought that danced in her head "The woman that employed her and the woman that employed the ugly red elf might be the same or else they might have already clashed with one another. Two foxes don't chase the same rabbit without bumping noses and both incidents seem to be aimed at our group"