Animals

Like most adventuring bands in fantasy fiction, 1st Group has been accompanied throughout its existence by a variety of nonhuman companions. These creatures, ranging from pets to mounts to familiars, have provided companionship, help with adventures, comic relief, and frustration to the campaign from its beginning. Here is a brief summary of the animals which have accompanied the party. If any important creatures have inadvetently been left off, let me know. Unnamed animals with no distinct personality, such as draft horses, have not been included; at any given time, the group is accompanied by at least four such beasts of burden.

Abu:

Alidin purchased this Ar'Balic monkey in the Great Bazaar in Highmoon after it tried to pick his pocket. The two get along famously, sharing a desire for mischief and shiny things. Alidin frequently sends Abu into the streets of cities, and it invariably returns with its tiny pouch filled with trinkets and coins. The monkey teases Derrick in the same manner as its master, frequently stealing his holy symbols, and will harass anyone Alidin does. Brick cared for the creature while Alidin was dead, and Abu's acceptance of the returned Alidin was seen by the group as the acid test of his veracity.

Achilles:

This war dog belonged to and was trained by Denzinger Wolfe, the druid who became the Starlord. Achilles, a mastiff, was a loyal, strong hound and a vicious fighter. He escaped from the clutches of Buppo's men when 1st Group was captured by them, and led Oster and Randamis to the site of captivity. He was later fed Buppo's heart by his master. Achilles was last seen in the infamous battle with the Markirans in Highmoon where Denzinger lost control of the Star of the Sabaists, and his fate is unknown.

Azimuth:

Azimuth, Tone's familiar, is a large, fat gray cat with a white belly. Tone summoned the cat three years ago using a find familiar spell; at first, due to a trick played by a polymorphed Oster, Tone believed that his familiar was a cow, but the cat arrrived shortly therafter. The cat has remained at Tone's side in spite of the many difficulties the group has faced. He occasionally serves Tone as a spy and guard, if well paid in fish. The use of familiar enhancer spells has made the cat highly intelligent and capable of speech, and has also granted him the power to summon an unseen servant , greatly improving his ability to function in a world designed for those with hands. He clearly beleives himself to be the leader of the party, and orders around everyone in the group, especially Tone. Azimuth has the aloof, willful nature of his species, has the eccentric habit of sleeping in his master's spellbooks, and frequently resists his orders, but the two seem to get along overall. The cat claims he'll assume power in the pairing once he's been made strong enough by further enhancers . Whether or not Tone believes him is uncertain, but's he's already raising money to cast the next one.

The Batcat:

When a strange kitten with odd buds on its back appeared in Silvercloud, Derrick adopted the lonely creature and took it with him to Highmoon. He learned, after consulting with sages there, that what he had was an infant flap cat, a magical creature which would eventually grow wings and become highly intelligent when it matured. Derrick raised the kitten, hoping it would become a felineagle, bird-winged flap cats which served Ceridwah. Sadly, however, the kitten matured into a batcat– the bat-winged variety of flap cat with the blessing of Markira. The creature laughed at and taunted its former master, fully aware of the irony of the situation. Derrick was unable to bring himself to kill it, however, and let the batcat fly away.

Elvis :

The Edge's hunting dog was a strong, fast hound in his youth, capable of tracking any animal. But Elvis is past his prime now, and spends most of his time lying near the fire. He is loyal to his master and folows him on his travels, but does not hunt or track for him any more. The dog anachronistically responds to any order given him in the form of Elvis Presley lyrics or a convincing Elvis impression.

Eumaeus:

This chipmunk was a pet of Denzinger Wolfe. Bound to him via animal friendship , he had trained the chipmunk to carry a single item up to the size of a coin. Eumaues had little impact on the group's adventures, however, and vanished with Denzinger when he lost control of the Starforce.

Hazelwood:

This snake was the familiar of Emerson Thoreau, the kenku mage who accomapnied 1st Group under the name “Millard Fillmore” yes, another Steve original. The snake was a benign creature which had little impact on the group's travels, and it left with Emerson when he left to preach the word of Alidin.

The Lynx :

This creature was a gift from Sycron the Collector to Brick Aurthor as payment for helping capture a mated pair of winter wolves for his menagerie. Never named by Brick, the lynx did not accompany the party for long; during the Twilight Times, it went feral and ran off into the woods, never to return.