The song drifted into the open night, rising up in slow moments, pulling at the strings of creation, at Harmony itself.  The balance of the world, of the spirits brings a brush of wind spreading Lorelei's hair out behind her, teasing against her as though trying to find what manner of thing this is that would make such a request.  The gust speeds up, whipping around her for a moment, bursting through the trees, rattling equipment in the camp and buffeting the fire, then it stops turns south toward the Endless Sea bringing with it perhaps some scent or some thread, perhaps a single floating blue hair that dances and spins in the night sky ahead of the voice.  Long after the voice has faded into distance, this single floating strand billows and buffets, spins and dances, landing at last in a stream that turns and trickles out into the ocean.<br/><br/>But surely no consequence will come of that.<br/><br/>More presently, the clouds respond.  That dark, foreboding sky that promised a terrible tomorrow opens and the rains begin.  It's not quite a torrent, not enough that it will lead to dangerous flooding or blind anyone outside in it, perhaps in part because the wind has traveled off somewhere else.  However it is enough that the fire immediately hisses and begins to recoil, smoke rising as the conflagration quickly is put out.  Clothes and hair are soaked through in seconds, the ground becoming muddier with trampling footsteps.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The axe strikes home in the bugbear's back.  The clang from axe hitting metal plate is terrible and sudden, followed by a further crunching sound.  Gretru stumbles forward a single step, his teeth baring in anger and pain as the head of the axe pulls back showing an absolutely horrific wound between the bent and split metal.  The dwarf's heavy blow clearly has staggered the beast.  Then he attempts to turn to Hjalmar and shudders to a knee.<br/><br/>"Bloody... shif-" he manages to gasp out, red spittle coming from his open maw.  The hammer drops from his hand, splatting into the ground with a thud as his fingers weaken.  Another cough racks him and he falls to the ground, facedown in the muck.  Rain begins to fall, wetting fur and skin, spattering off of the bugbear's ruined backplate.  Gretru is dead and the last of the bugbears is dealt with.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><em>The form sitting in the darkness doesn't smile, or if it does Sydney can't see it.  Still it is shrouded in darkness, just thin, robed, and dancing fingers that seem to be holding the wizard in it's thrall.  "A terrible time?" it hisses out in a voice that seems to milk and enjoy every word, "No, I believe we will have an excellent time.  Your mind is fascinating... The things I could do in there..."<br/><br/>It pauses for a moment and a feeling of laughter, almost like a chuckle from the back of Sydney's head is felt, just a tickling.  "For tonight, you are free, Sydney Malorne," purrs the shape in the darkness massaging her name in a thrumming, possessive way.  "But you are quite wrong if you think you are coming for Us without Our knowledge.  Return to your compatriots and speak not of our conversation or... there may be consequences."<br/><br/>The feeling that it is smiling comes again and then it's fingers come together and snap.</em><br/><br/>The massive form of the bugbear commander falls dead before Sydney, splashing down into mud and dirt.  Standing behind it slowly appears Hjalmar, naked and wet with the rain falling all around.  His breathing is heavy and he has a growing bruise on one shoulder.<br/><br/>As Nuria bursts through the flames, fires which are beginning to slowly die down, some of the heat moves into her body, enveloping her and becoming her.  Better that, to rejoin with it's mistress, than to be put out entirely by the rain.  Her form, also quite naked with a layering of ash, comes down behind Hjalmar to see the day is won.<br/><br/><strong>Well done, Delvers!  You have defeated the bugbears and prevented a forest fire from spreading!  Now the night is silent.  What do you do?</strong>