The Wild Side - A Fodderlocke

[Varethyn]

Whoops I got distracted again.

---
Interlude

Gwen and Pietro's nest hatched! Meet Merrol, Misaki and Myar.

[Varethyn]

Day 23
Failed recruits: 9

Despite his size, Firecam came bounding into the clearing with a wild look in his eyes. No, not the sign of being a wild lycan, the one of fear. Of being hunted. He appealed to Daleth to please let him hide out here until things blow over. When she questioned if the hunters were likely to find them here the Fathom insisted it was unlikely.
She reluctantly allowed it.

Firecam joins!


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12. Grand Hunt! Either a known group of monster hunters has been located or food stocks are low and a herd of animals is migrating through the range. Neither can be ignored, both will be dangerous. Roll 1d12 for every dragon. If you get higher than their level, exalt. Raise all survivors by one level. (Daleth Immune, Piccante 7, Pietro 10, Keen 5, Chindor 1, Tailais 11, Gwen 10, Snakeeyes 8, Sevim 7, Sunshine 3, Gleam 8, Baltic 12, Chorisma 2, Firecam 11)

Either he had lied or the hunters tracking Firecam were able to locate his new hiding spot. And the Pack.
It started with the river suddenly drying up, blocked from somewhere upriver. Without their source Baltic simply collapsed before evapourating before everyone's eyes. This caused Gleam to shoot off in a panic as that meant Blahaj was in trouble. She never returned - hopefully she had taken the shark and fled somewhere they could both survive.
Then there was a shrill cry from the woods where a still wounded Daleth watched in horror as Snakeeyes was bound in chains and dragged away, too young to break free or fight back against so many. The rest of the hunters turned to Daleth.

There was no choice but to fight.

She led them back to the Pack, giving a howl of warning to give everyone time to prepare themselves. As soon as they burst out of the trees there was an explosion of activity as the Pack leapt to action. Someone must have tipped these hunters off, possibly survivors of the ones Daleth had fought with Tyrion previously - there were so many. Too many.
While everyone fought there was a sudden loud, cracking sound causing them to look up in alarm as the inn began to tilt and sway as the ground floor fell in on itself. A group of hunters had split off to attack the building directly and Daleth clicked as to why. First, it was deemed their lair so destroying it would leave them homeless (it wasn't but they were going to have to leave after this) but second, Firecam had tried to hide inside. Cornered and with the lower levels being left unsupported enough to hold up the rest of the floors (Tailais had insisted they were getting around to that once the new salon was installed) it only needed so much before it gave up.
Other screams came from inside, with Pietro carrying out his and Gwen's freshly hatched children, barely getting to hand them over to Chindor when the inn came toppling down. The Aberration didn't stick around and spirited the infants to safety, but a hunter lunged at Pietro and both disappeared under a shower of wood and glass.
Firecam's body, whether dead or paralysed with shock no one could tell, spilled out from the top floor and the hunters changed objective. The remaining pack members could do nothing to rescue the Fathom, either being forced to fight or were blinded by the sawdust or choking on it.

When the dust settled the hunters and Firecam were gone.

Gone, just like their home.

After a long moment of shock the survivors began digging through the wreckage in search of life. Gwen and Tailais' bodies were pulled free, the girls having stayed back to defend their pride and joy. A soft scratching alerted them to Chorisma, the frail Skydancer coughing heavily having been trapped under a fallen beam. As she was escorted away the only thing she could mourn was the state of her beautiful fur. Glad she had her priorities straight.

Chindor emerged from their hiding place, three terrified and mewling cubs in their arms.
Keen, Piccante, Sevim and Sunshine all stood trembling from adrenaline and exertion.
Chorisma was busy preening herself.
Daelth fell to the ground in despair.

But they could only afford so much time to recover. They couldn't stay here any longer. It was too dangerous, the damage too great. These monster hunters were relentless in their task and would no doubt return.
As soon as they had their breath back everyone, save for Chorisma as she refused to perform menial manual labour (so Chindor lumped her with cub-sitting instead), salvaged as much food and as many resources as they could before picking a direction and left it all behind.

DEAD
Pietro (Level 8) (Day 7-23)
Tailais (Level 8) (Day 12-23)
Gwen (Level 7) (Day 15-23)
Snakeeyes (Level 6) (Day 17-23)
Gleam (Level 6) (Day 20-23)
Baltic (Level 6) (Day 21-23)
Firecam (Level 6) (Day 23-23)

Daleth > Level 13
Piccante > Level 10
Keen > Level 8
Chindor > Level 9
Sevim > Level 8
Sunshine > Level 9
Chorisma > Level 7

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Rejected dragon(s):

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The Deceased:


---
Oh no, another group of orphaned hatchlings This story really took a turn for the tragic.
Reminder: Baltic is triple Caribbean.

[Varethyn]

Quick check-in.

I was going to get another round done today but my area is experiencing intermittent power-outages, so sadly I will have to skip.
Hope everyone had a great Easter!

[Ana]

hope you have some nice days too

[Varethyn]

Sorry for for not posting for a few days. My mental health declined and I had no energy to do anything. Might pick back up later today, if not soon

[Ana]

[Varethyn]

Day 24
Failed recruits: 1

The journey to find a new home was long and treacherous and riddled with close calls. Too many close calls. Despite it all the remnants of the Pack stuck together, with the children maturing far faster than they ought to have. But at least they were safe. Once they found safe haven they'll be able to enjoy the cubhood they missed out on.



Sticking to the outskirts of the forest the Pack soon met a sheer cliff. Opting to follow it instead of climb or fly revealed an abandoned dragon lair. What could have caused the clan to leave? Gesturing to Chorisma and Chindor to keep the cubs back Daleth took the others in to investigate. The dens were cold, no supplies or signs of life greeted them. Whoever once lived here was long gone.

They weren't alone however, as a malnourished Skydancer hobbled towards them defensively. A quick exchange smoothed out her feathers as it became clear their goals were the same and the decision was made to stay here. Together.

Constable joins!


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5. Freeloader. Some random dragon has decided to hang out with the pack. Who is this guy???? Grab the cheapest adult off the AH. Leave them at level 1. For bonus points, try sniping an under-priced adult.

Not long after introductions were made and everyone began setting about claiming their spaces did Constable suddenly disappear. Odd, Daleth thought they were on good terms.
But they were. Maybe too good, as later that night she returned with an even scrawnier Tundra in tow. There was no way she'd be strong enough to be of use for some time, but there was no way Daleth was going to deny hospitality either.

Murgen joins!


---
Rejected dragon(s):

[Varethyn]

Day 25
Failed recruits: 9

It appeared this place was a popular spot for scavenging, which is likely why there was nothing when the Pack arrived. Throughout the following day other lycans were spotted snooping around only to dash off once they realised they were being watched. All except one.
A young but burly Guardian approached, revealing himself to actually not be cursed. With head lowered he explained that he was on his Search and was pulled here, unsure as yet what it is, but was willing to be Turned in exchange for free range to find his Charge.

Cobra joins!


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9. Abandoned Cub. A tiny lycan-cursed cub was discovered by a pack member. Grab the cheapest hatchling off the AH. Level it to 5 when it comes of age.

Cobra's Charge it turned out was buried in a collapsed burrow. It was dug out in a group effort, revealing a semi-preserved nesting cave complete with eggs. Many eggs were already broken, but one appeared to be intact. This wasn't Cobra's Charge though so it was quickly picked up to care for while he kept digging.
It didn't take long for the newest member of the Pack to hatch.

Yinei joins!


---
Rejected dragon(s):

[Ana]

Nice to see you at it again
Perfect date for it too

[Varethyn]

Yep, feeling a lot better now The festival starting today and getting currency from levelling recruits is definitely a nice bonus!

Also, a note I forgot to include! I managed to snag two dragons listed for 300 treasure. After checking around I saw one of them had a note in their bio from their old lair, stating that they'd been sold cheap on purpose as a means for new players to afford them. I thought that was really sweet so I set them aside and messaged the player about it.
The dragons in question:

Screenshot 2025-04-27 234925.png (26.61 KiB) Viewed 3087 times

[Ana]

It´s nice when ppl do that but they will be sniped .... anything that low is a 100 % garantie sniped for fodder....was soo nice to contact the owner

[Varethyn]

Sadly so, but I'd like to offer another chance where possible

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Day 26
Failed recruits: 1

Another day, another scavenger. This time possibly the fluffiest lycan possible next to Tundras. Managing to get close enough to ask both why there were so many lycans around here and why they favoured scavenging from this place specifically, the answer given was a simple grunt. Clearly not interested in chatting it was decided to leave her be. However it was noticed that she continued to hang around the new den site.

Hesperus joins! We think.


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9. Abandoned Cub. A tiny lycan-cursed cub was discovered by a pack member. Grab the cheapest hatchling off the AH. Level it to 5 when it comes of age. (Again?)

Turns out the Gaoler was scoping out the Pack to see if it was a safe place to stay. Not so much for herself but a tiny Spiral that had been hidden in her dense white fur. As the evening progressed into night she suddenly appeared in camp, kneeling down to allow the hatchling to slither out onto the ground in front of Daleth. Welp, seems they're both staying.

Tristan joins!


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Rejected dragon(s):

[Varethyn]

Day 27
Failed recruits: 1
Random.org, are you okay? This is why I use physical dice...

It seems word was spreading about the new Pack in town, which could be a good and bad thing. On the good side another wanderer wandered in and asked to hang out. On the bad side, she revealed it's because monster hunters caught her friend while they were out hunting; if word got out too far they might come after them again...

Watcher joins!


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9. Abandoned Cub. A tiny lycan-cursed cub was discovered by a pack member. Grab the cheapest hatchling off the AH. Level it to 5 when it comes of age. (I wish I was joking with this, what the Hells.)

Apparently the Pack and this den site has proven to be so safe that yet another hatchling had been delivered, this time a tiny, fragile Faeling. Daleth isn't sure when the Pack became a nursery but they may as well be now.

Adare joins!


---
Rejected dragon(s):


Interestingly, all three of this day's dragons were underpriced! Not as much as the pink Guardians but still makes me wonder. Watcher and Borealis were 3000t and Adare was 1200t.

[Varethyn]

Day 28
Failed recruits: 3

Cobra is still digging around in the collapsed burrows looking for his Charge. So far it's been a lost cause but he's certain it's down here somewhere.
He's managed to break into what looks to have once been a sleeping den. Complete with sleeping dragon. How she slept through all this, much less survived, is a mystery. As is why she's asleep. Well, no point abandoning her - Daleth instructed the Pack to start reinforcing the tunnels Cobra excavated to prevent them collapsing again. New problem though; how to wake the sleeping Imperial.

Vegasah joins! Sort of.


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18. Leader's Ambition. Pick your leader and then two dragons at random. They have to go on a quest now. Raise them a level. Roll 1d10 for each. If it’s a 1, they they’re exalted as they were lost in the hunt. If your leader is exalted, choose a new leader from the remaining Coli party.
~5~ ~3~ ~6~

Daleth decided enough was enough. She had to find out what was so special about this place and why other lycans were so drawn to it. Adare, having also been forced to grow up fast, offered to show her where he was when Hesperus found him. She was reluctant but it would help, though Chindor was not happy about letting one so young go out on a potentially dangerous task, even with their leader, and decided to tag along for extra protection.

Once they found the spot Hesperus had found Adare they scouted around the general area, discovering other abandoned dens and nest sites. It didn't answer much. Further investigation back into the lair also yielded nothing. It was very peculiar.

It wasn't until they returned to the den that Cobra triumphantly erupted from the earth clasping what seemed to be a wolf idol of some sort. Unveiled as it was they could all feel the energy emanating off of it and realisation struck. This clan was one of, if not the first to succumb to the lycan curse, and all because of this relic! They probably scattered once the curse was unleashed, with the sleeping Imperial likely having been charmed to prevent infection spreading. Clearly that hadn't worked as well as they'd hoped.

Still, answers!

Daleth > level 14
Adare > level 6
Chindor > level 10

---
Rejected dragon(s):

[Varethyn]

We back! As you all might have guessed, I opted to skip a few days due to the gateway issues. Glad to see us up and running smoothly again.
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Day 29
Failed recruits: 7

Screenshot 2025-05-04 124309.png (283.18 KiB) Viewed 2395 times

Skin/Scene: Admiring the scenery led to a fortuitous encounter. You meet another dragon on your current hunt, and speak with them for a while. They wish to join you on your endeavours. Buy the cheapest adult dragon off the auction house and level them to 6; they automatically become part of the pack.

Daleth was beginning to finally enjoy this new place. At first the comings and goings of scavengers was cause for concern, now provided a source of comfort knowing so many of their kind were nearby. Even if this old lair was the source of their curse, it was a strangely familiar and soothing feeling rather than one of detest.
While she patrolled the perimeter of their new range Daleth encountered a pair of dragons doing the same. She hailed them warmly, only to be greeted with silence as they regarded her only briefly before directing their gaze towards the main den.
Perplexed at first Daleth quickly realised that the were probably drawn here by the idol. As soon as it was mentioned the pair snapped their full attention to the Imperial and half begged half demanded to see it.

Rosen and Sorrowrunner join!


When they got to the clan they were quickly welcomed by the youngest pack members, now fully grown but still plenty playful as encouraged by their peers after the harrowing events prior.



...

That was when all hell broke loose once again.

Pack Limits. When the pack reaches or exceeds 20 adult members, or you run out of lair space, it becomes too much to manage. Roll 1d12 for each non-leader dragon. If it's higher than their level, exalt them. Raise all survivors by one level. Repeat if desired.
(Daleth IMMUNE, Piccante 5, Keen 11, Chindor 11, Sevim 11, Sunshine 11, Chorisma 3, Merrol 5, Miskai 6, Myar 7, Constable 12, Murgen 3, Cobra 4, Yinei 5, Hesperus 12, Tristan 8, Watcher 3, Adare 3, Vegasah 4, Rosen 5, Sorrowrunner 7)

The ground practically shook under the thunder of many feet as lycans, faoladh, werewolves of all shapes and sizes stampeded into the lair, all attracted by the freshly excavated idol. Chaos reigned as each individual clamoured to see it, touch it. Some screamed to rebury or even destroy it. Voices intertwined into a cacophony of unintelligible noise. Fear, joy, anger, excitement. The Pack was smothered and separated in the mayhem. Several managed to claw their way out of the throng but so many failed to surface, calls of encouragement lost in the crowd.

DEAD(?)
Keen (Level 8) (Day 11-29)
Chindor (Level 10) (Day 12-29)
Sevim (Level 8) (Day 17-29)
Sunshine (Level 9) (Day 18 -29)
Misaki (Level 5) (Day 23-29)
Myar (Level 5) (Day 23-29)
Constable (Level 6) (Day 24-29)
Murgen (Level 1) (Day 24-29)
Hesperus (Level 6) (Day 26-29)
Tristan (Level 5) (Day 26-29)
Sorrowrunner (Level 6) (Day 29-29)

Daleth > level 15
Piccante > level 10
Chorisma > level 8
Merrol > level 6
Cobra > level 7
Yinei > level 6
Watcher > level 7
Adare > level 7
Vegasah > level 7
Rosen > level 7

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20. Festival! The pack celebrates their continued survival, or the moon etc, with a festival! Roll a 4 sided dice for a blessing.
1. Your dragons are filled with vigour while celebrating! Randomize 5 dragons, they gain an extra life!
2. Other lycans are attracted to the festival! Roll 1d6 and buy that number of the cheapest dragons from the auction house for your pack, training them to lv6.
3. Your dragons wrestle each other in celebration! Level up all dragons lower than level 5 until they reach level 5. Dragons are invincible in Coli and cannot die while you level.
4. Your leader is filled with pride in seeing the pack thrive. They gain an extra life.

Daleth and Piccante shouted, pleaded and howled at the invading dragons as loudly as they could. Some of the closest heard and turned to listen, but it wasn't until the clouds parted to reveal a beautiful full moon that finally managed to get everyone to calm down. As they did they revealed a very panicked Cobra standing on tip-toe and grasping the idol overhead in attempt to keep hold of his Charge.
Finally peace as all heads stared in reverence at the silver disc. The idol was found, and the moon is full. This had to be a sign.

With everyone settled Daleth seized the moment to declare a festival for what has turned into a very special night. Food was gathered, instruments were brought out, song and revelry began to fill the air and everyone was happy. Even those thought trampled underfoot emerged from their hiding spots to join in.

Daleth took a place on the edge of the party to catch her breath and watch, the adrenaline of the shock giving way to pride. How spectacular! A group of her Pack broke away to join her, all sitting and watching. Some started shifting awkwardly. Someone coughed. It was young Tristan who broke the silence.

"I found my parents." he squeaked timidly, wringing his spindly fingers together. That caught Daleth off-guard. "And um. I-I'd like to go with them. I mean I like it here! B-but they're my family, so..."

"I understand." Daleth bowed her head. "What better time for this to happen after all?"

"We'd like to stay with him." Chi piped up. "Not that we don't trust his parents." Dor chimed in. "We're just really fond of him and they seem nice."

A few other voices agreed to wanting to join them, or another pack. Even Sunshine, the inadvertently-Turned had discovered that he enjoyed life as a lycan. The news was saddening, but with the moon and the idol and generally everything happening, it had to be. Once the festivities ended it was with complete pride that Daleth and her Pack waved the others off on their new journeys.

Daleth gains an extra life!

---
Rejected dragon(s):


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The Deceased:

[Ana]

Yay welcome back
Nice to stalk this again

[Varethyn]

I'm glad you're still enjoying it Hoping to get back to more silly after all the drama we've had lately D:

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Day 30
Failed recruits: 1

Even after a grand festival to celebrate the unearthing of a powerful artefact lycans from all over continued to visit the Pack to see it. Honestly it was starting to get a bit overwhelming.
Today a fuzzy Nocturne calmly approached but only regarded the idol for a moment. He then introduced himself as a druid who used to live here before the clan scattered and that he knew about Vegasah's condition, offering to attempt to rouse her now that it was very much unnecessary to leave her that way now.

Alun joins!


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4. Nature's Gambit. Take two dragons into the coliseum and level them up once under Hunt rules. Flip a coin.
Heads - You find wandering dragons on your hunt. Purchase two dragons from the auction house and train them to level 6 to join your pack.
Tails - These two dragons are killed and must be exalted.


With all the visiting dragons coming to see his Charge Cobra decided he needed a break and went for a walk. Adare decided to join him as all the activity and almost getting squashed had knocked his confidence a fair bit. As they found themselves getting further and further away from the den they looked at each other, looked back once, then disappeared into the brush never to be heard from again.

DEAD:
Adare (Level 8) (Day 27-30)
Cobra (Level 8) (Day 25-30)

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Rejected dragon(s):


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The Deceased:


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NOTE: Alun is G1.

[Varethyn]

Day 31
Failed recruits: 5

While looking into the sudden disappearance of Cobra and Adare the Pack ran into a very purple Tundra. She didn't know anything about the pair, but was looking for a new home. So a new home she got.

Luxuria joins!


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16. Risky Situation. A monster hunter has been spotted skulking nearby. The two highest-level dragons take on the task of getting rid of them. Flip a coin. If heads, they both survive and gain a level from the daring endeavour. If tails, take both of them into a venue matching their level and exalt whichever one faints first as they were lost in the attempt.

You'd think that the sacred idol changing places would be a good thing for the Pack. You'd be wrong.
Rather than track it and its Guardian down pilgrims continued to visit the den to see the wolf statue, only to find it missing. Rumours started flying about the Pack hiding it and hoarding it for themselves. For every one that was placated three more would turn up to complain.

Soon enough another huge gathering congregated on the edge of the lair, chanting and demanding for the idol to be returned. No festival would solve this one. Daleth had no choice to confront the rowdy rabble, flanked by second-in-command Piccante, in hopes of breaking up the protests. This much noise and activity was bound to draw attention.

As the two large Imperials took turns explaining the situation, behind the scenes things were moving. Even before Cobra had left there was talk of moving on away from this place, comfortable as they'd become, and supplies had already begun being packed up for travel. The thing holding them back was Alun and Vagaseh. The Nocturne had been successful in rousing the sleeping giant, but it would take time for the spell to wear off completely and for her to adjust and regain her strength. Seems that had to be encouraged a lot sooner than hoped.

Against all odds however, the Pack managed to pack up and pick up what they could and slip out while the crowd was distracted. Once the signal was given, Daleth and Piccante relented to join the others, leaving the angry mob extremely confused when they found an empty lair.

Daleth > level 16
Piccante > level 12

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Rejected dragon(s):


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Ngl I'm incredibly proud of how far Daleth has come. Even though she has two extra lives right now I find myself holding my breath while determining the outcome

[Ana]

If you find yourself bond to a dragon does it gets to stay?

[Varethyn]

There's no rule to say you can't keep a dragon! I've seen a couple of "fodder fails" in other Fodderlockes I've read where the player liked the dragon too much. If Daleth dies I might be tempted to hold onto her.
Likewise, if a reader likes a currently active dragon they're welcome to ask about them! Doesn't have to be one who got rejected or died.