Red Rose Wanderer

Game Master Bane88

For Solo adventure with Rednal.

Dotting!

Our tale begins in the lush Verduran Forest, a massive region on the eastern border of Andoran with Taldor. The light filters through the underbrush and canopy of tall oaks and fir trees large enough to walk under. Pine needles and dead leaves coat the ground for as far as one might care to walk in the forest, with only deer trails, and a few main roads between forester villages.

Rose finds herself upon one of these roads, running parallel with the Sellen river, and Drumian border. Past midday you notice the trees starting to thin and by early afternoon your approach to the lumber town of Bellis is clear, by the good twenty miles or stumps and felled trees corded lumber sits in mountains scattered across the countryside waiting to be processed.

Rose hummed cheerfully to herself as she proceeded forward at her own pace - she'd always been the sort to enjoy long journeys down the road, spending some time observing nature and generally being self-sufficient. Her pistol - a weapon most people wouldn't even recognize - was strapped to her thigh in an easy-to-reach holster she'd had made for it, high enough to not wobble when she was moving quickly. There was no point in keeping a tool for self-defense where it couldn't be easily accessed, after all.

The closer the town became the more frequent there were groups of men felling trees and using horse to drag logs. The faint sound of sawmills could be heard from the now insight town.

Now at the town, it lacked a gate or any such protection as a wall, the main road was bustling with people coming back and forth. Bellis was exceptionately populated for a frontier town. And folks moved from the various trader stands and shop fronts. Crops appeared imported and the smell of sawdust and cedar mixed with fresh baked bread and molassess was in the air.

To the side of what must be the town square, there was a big patch of semi maintained grass, and a small tent like structure, currently unoccupied, were three men in the stocks. A child sat next to one, and a middle aged woman with wide hips that spoke of an abundance of children brought a bucket of water and ladled some for each of the men.

Two men brought a desk under the tent and another brought a table and sat down. A burly lumberjack set a stack of papers before the man and was dismissed. The man at the desk, stared down a pointed nose at the papers and scribbled on them quickly with a brass tipped quill.

Rose looked over at the area, noting the way that the men in the stocks seemed to be well cared-for. She was quite a free spirit herself, and wouldn't have wanted to be there herself... but she wasn't the kind of vagabond who freed people just because they were locked up. Of course, things were quite different if there was evidence of innocence of governmental abuse... hm.

So, out of curiosity, why is Rose in this area in the first place? I'm not yet sure what's going on or what she's expected to be doing/looking for. XD

Rose notices a bounty board alongside the stocks. There are several listings.

The first reads: WARNING All residents of Bellis are advised to take caution when venturing into the forest. DO NOT go alone or unarmed. The series of deaths and disappearing folks in the woods is well known. Disregard this notice at your own peril.

It is signed. Louis DeMarkus Overseer, ALC

The second reads: BOUNTY The ALC has put out a bounty of 5gp a head on any magical woodland creatures of a Fey nature. Their sabotage is affecting profits and morale.

The third reads: Seeking Professionals. For the capture or killing of specific Fey. Inquire with the Overseer at the ALC Kiosk or at the Mill Headquarters.

Rose perked up slightly. She didn't really hate the fey - they'd never done anything to her - but she did understand that sometimes things couldn't be solved easily. Besides, she'd always liked helping people that were in need... though she would try talking to the fey first, if she could, to try and negotiate a settlement. Just killing things was not the best option, and she hummed to herself as she made her way towards the ALC kiosk to try and find the overseer.

"Hi!" she said brightly as she arrived. "So, I hear you're having trouble with some fey?"

The man with the pointed nose looks up from his paper. He purses his lips in slight distaste. "Yes. Little girl. I'm surprised you still draw breath if you came to our town alone. The damnable fey have been throwing proverbial wrenches into our operations for months now." He seems coldly upset, but not one to get worked up.

He adjusts gold rimmed spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "It's like they're against progress." he mutters under his breath. Hair graying at the temples he pays more attention to you. "Where are your parents?"

Rose didn't miss a beat in answering. "Missing or dead." she said. She'd gotten over that a long time ago - most kids who grew up in the orphanage did. It was hard to really regret losing something you'd never truly had. "What're they upset about, anyway? I don't think the fey are usually too aggressive..."

He snorts "Fey are aggressive and cruel!" he nearly shouts. "They're lucky the consortium wants the wood or I'd be of a mind to burn them out!"

He is shaking a little.

He visibly calms himself. "I am Overseer Louis Demarkus of the Andoran Lumber Consortium. See the board if you're looking for skilled work, or fill out a form if you want manual labor." he glances at Rose again. "Though I'm not sure you could handle the mill." he mutters under his breath. "There is a small tavern and hostel in between the mill and Consortium headquarters if you're looking for room and board." he pushes his glasses up again.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

Angry, check. Personal goals involved, check. Probably not thinking clearly and fairly about the situation... check. "I'm stronger than I look." she answered - which was quite true. Her heritage had made her rather more physically powerful than most people would ever have expected from looking at her. She was at least as strong as the average hired muscleman. "Still, it's true that I'd rather not do too much of the sweaty stuff." She was a girl, and a day of heavy lifting and such - while not totally out of the question, especially if it would help kids - was not usually how she spent her time. Instead, she gave the overseer a simple wave and wandered over to the board to see what had been posted.

The overseer followed her, as it seemed she might be for hire. "Ah yes, the specific Fey, I don't have names, but frightened employees tell tales of whispers in the forest, some sort of ruler, a woodland king and queen, nonsense." Demarkus shook his head at the idea.

"Anyways, since you claim you're capable, perhaps you could find out some information, I'd be willing to pay, as my own sources are wanting in this matter. And remember the bounty if you're looking for coin. The forest gets dangerous the further east you go, so that's where I'd begin if you're so inclined."

"Any information in particular you're looking for?" Rose asked. The more details she could narrow down here, the better - especially because her actual goal was quickly becoming "settle things peacefully on both sides", not simply killing everything in sight. Her god wasn't terribly keen on oppressing others - he was far more likely to encourage everyone to have a good time and get along with each other.

"Specific names and locations of these supposed rulers. We can't send demands or offers if we don't know where to find these, people." he says people because he doesn't want to be rude, but it sounds rude anyways.

"Perhaps, what they want in return for cooperation, or even what their goal is in attack us."

"That would be good to know." Rose said agreeably. "You should probably try to focus more on offers than demands, though. If they've done whatever they wanted for months, they're probably not going to be too impressed by sudden demands for them to change. Besides, you might even be able to talk them into helping you if your offer is good enough. Be pretty neat to be known as the man who negotiated an agreement bringing in huge profits, right?" With that food for thought tossed out, Rose hopped away from the board and started strolling through the forest and towards the east. The sooner she got started, the safer everyone would be, right?

As Rose travels east, the signs of logging grow more infrequent. Now here and there, a group of trees is marked with a splash of red paint, forresters marking future clear cuts. The forest isn't very dense and sunlight spools in through the tree canopy.

Birds chirp and squirrels chitter. In the shade of the trees, the cool fall air hangs light and crisp. Your every step sounds a light crunch of newly fallen leaves, and the firs are broken up with greens becoming yellows, red, and oranges.

The path here is barely blazed and and sometimes runs in junction with deer paths.

Coming to a small clearing, Rose is startled by a pair of Grizzly bears, foraging behind a patch of bushes.

The closest bear lets out a low growl. Its mate, several yards past it, stands on its hind legs and roars.

Rose is up first, but failed to avoid detection. The clearing is 80ftx80ft of normal terrain, outside the clearing becomes difficult terrain for Rose. The first bear is 40 ft in front of you(East) The second is a bit further and to the side(50 ft ExSE)
Rose is up

Rose blinked at the bears... then held out her hands and snapped her fingers, chanting quickly. As she did so, an illusion of invisibility settled over her, and she promptly started running to the side and away from the bears. She'd come here to talk to the fey and hopefully try to negotiate a peace - attacking animals that were simply living their lives was probably a bad way to do that, and she was far from cornered.

Invisibility Recharge: 5 minutes.

Rose, a quick thinker, avoids disturbing the bears and skirts around the edge of the clearing, her boots barely rustling the tall grass. Back into the forest she goes.

It's sundown. The temperature is dropping and visibility is failing. There is a copse of small pines that sit on a slight ridge that could give decent protection from the wind. There is plenty of tinder everywhere. Unless Rose wanted to walk through the night, or look for something more secure, this would do fine.

What do you do? Also 2400xp :) I give normal xp for non combat solutions as it encourages RP(Not that I'm worried about it at all with you)

I usually go for story-based levelups - but it's true that similar rewards for NOT killing everything in sight can be a good thing for encouraging people to not be murderhobos. XD

Rose quietly poked around the area, trying to make sure it didn't belong to anyone else and would otherwise be an appropriate place to rest.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

If - and only if - it was truly safe did she set about building a small shelter for her bedroll. Fires were nice, but far from necessary, and she didn't want to have one of those going without someone to keep an eye on it. She was no druid, but she still tried to be respectful of the natural world.

This did not stop her from keeping her pistol close at hand, though. She'd long since learned how to safely sleep with it, but this was a foreign place, and she had no intention of allowing herself to be totally defenseless.

Sufficiently reassured that the little hollow was not a den of some sort, Rose slept in her little lean to without much issue, the cold only waking her once in the night.

In the morning, dew covers everything and the forest seems very still. From inside the makeshift shelter Rose hears the sound of a sad pipe drifting from some distance away.

Rose stretched widely as she woke up, loosening her muscles and the like before quickly dismantling her little shelter and generally working to leave the area the same as she'd found it. After her usual morning rituals - preparing magic, checking over her weapon, all that good stuff - she carefully began making her way towards the sound while keeping an eye on the forest around her.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

As she approaches she sees a man with the lower half of a goat sitting on a log.

He plays a pan flute and hums a bit.

Know Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

"Greetings, good faun!" Rose said, waving cheerfully and making no effort at all to hide herself. "I come here in peace. Do you have a few minutes to speak with me, or would you prefer that I go on my way?" Her goal right now was to be as non-threatening as possible. She wasn't here to slaughter fey for no good reason, after all - making friends was generally a better solution than making enemies.

The Faun hopped from his log is surprise. Looking the girl over he says "Why yes. Of course. My apologies, I was lost in thought and song there when you walked up." He gave a low bow. "My name is Shaun." he stated. He careful placed his flute in his belt pouch and hopped back up to sit on the log.

"I'm Rose." the girl said, bowing slightly (and politely!) to Shaun. "It was a very nice song, by the way." Compliments generally helped. "Anyway, I heard about the troubles this area has been having, particularly between your people and my own. I'd like to hear more about what's going on, and if possible, help everyone come to a mutually acceptable settlement. Is there anything you can tell me, or failing that, do you know who I should talk to?" The entire time, she maintained a respectful distance, keeping her hands away from her weapon. She wasn't hiding her possession of the gun, but she wasn't brandishing it, either.

Shaun tutted. "My people is a stretch. If anything I am theirs. The lord and lady of the moonlit court are furious the brownies tell me. The Dryads shudder in their trees at night." he picks at some moss on the log. "The humans are logging. Killing the tree children. Several dryads have been cut down. The Lady Nomonae is in grieving and her brother Naven has always been cruel and vindictive, now he has cause and her leave." Shaun let out a long sigh.

Rose nodded thoughtfully. "And the locals - who I have little affiliation with, actually, other than species - are primarily interested in obtaining wood for various projects of their own. I don't think any solution which results in further harm to any of the Lady's people is an acceptable result, but they won't agree to anything that doesn't involve wood somehow... do you think we could redirect the loggers to another area? One that isn't inhabited by your Lady's people, and perhaps with restitution of some kind for the slain to assuage your Lord's anger?"

Diplomacy - Trying to improve Shaun's general disposition and willingness to cooperate: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Shaun seems to generally like Rose, buy is also emotionally despondent, as fauns tend to be. "Rose, I'm no diplomat." he says in a frightened tone, as if the idea of even speaking to these powerful fey scares him silly.

He looks thoughtfully and taps a horn. "Since you're good company. I suppose I could at least should you the way." He picks up a heavy moss cloak from near his feet and motions Rose further into the Forest.

"Relax and let me do the talking." she said breezily. "If you want to hang out of sight just to be safe, that's fine too. I know I get a couple butterflies when talking to powerful people." With that, she followed the fey into the forest, apparently not at all concerned about doing so despite her words. (Rose had been accused of many things, but lacking in self-confidence was not one of them. She believed in herself and in the things she did, and approached almost everything with vigor and pep.)

The bright and cheerful forest the faun had been in grew dark and malevolent the further in they went.

The trees seemed to bend into claustrophobic tunnels, shutting out the light of the sun.

The air was quite, still, almost predatory. Rose could feel a pain, like mourning and anger. The faun softly played the flute as you traveled. But after an hour of the oppressive forest he has fallen into a glum silence.

He abruptly stops and says. "It's night time. The camp is here."

In the underbrush he points to a small hole that you probably wouldn't have noticed had it not been pointed out.

"I'm sorry if you must get a little dirty but it will be safer in here." The roots of the trees are interwoven with clay and vines so thick that you may as well be crawling on hands and knees right through a hill side.

The small tunnel goes about ten yards and then turns to the right. Ten more yards and a small clearing opens up. There are stumps around a river rock fireplace and an ancient lean to. The sky here is visible like a sky light in the canopy of the trees.

Shaun rummages in his belt pouch for some flint and tinder.

As he moved around, Rose quietly stood on guard, her fingers lightly resting on her gone in case she needed to snap it up and start shooting something. She didn't want to shoot anything by accident, but it never hurt to be prepared - and the faun would probably feel better about the support, too.

Perception (On Guard): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Shaun looked at Rose quizzically. "Oh gracious me!" he exclaims. "I forgot to mention. While I appreciate your vigilance, this is a forest sanctuary. We are quite safe. Warded even."

The fire springs to life with a few more strikes.

"Would you like some tea?" the faun asks sitting cross legged and rummaging in his pouch a bit more.

"Well, there are stories about sanctuaries not being safe when the forest's rulers are upset." Rose noted - obliquely but clearly acknowledging the fey's authority in case anyone was listening in. In a forest belonging to the spirits, assuming they were was usually the best course of action. "And you seem innocent in all this, so I don't want someone lashing out at you by mistake. I would appreciate the drink, though - thank you."

Shaun looks around warily. "Oh yes. They are watching us." he says quietly.

The wind whistles through the trees for a moment. Bows shake. No animal life is heard. Erie it seemed.

He brews the tea silently. Producing two earthenware cups from a cubby hole in the side of the tree stump, he pours and offers the glass of warm liquid.

"Where are you from Rose?" he asks in a pleasant tone.

"Almas, the capital of Andoran." she answered, taking a small sip of the drink. After a moment, she added, "Which probably doesn't mean a whole lot to the forest - I mean, one group of humans saying they own land is a lot like any other, and Andoran's still pretty new, so it's not like they have ancient agreements or anything to fall back on. That's part of what I'd like to start here, actually - if we can resolve any problems and get off on the right foot, I think it will make both of our people much happier in the long term." That was the only reason she needed to help - she had limited willingness to bargain with anything infernal, but most fey weren't outright malicious - and if they could be friends with Andoran, she wanted to help arrange that.

(Besides, trying to fight the fey was a losing proposition. Rose was enormously self-confident - and with good reason, given her nature - but she was far from perfect or all-powerful. She was perfectly aware that she probably couldn't force the fey to do anything - and even if she were capable of that, it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Making friends - and perhaps sharing drinks - was far more in line with her philosophy.)

You sip the tea. It is oily and acidic almost coffee like.

The fire crackles and is warm. The tea seems to make Rose very sleepy. In fact, you have trouble keeping your eyes open. So you close them. A deep and pleasant blackness greets you.

Rose awoke on a bed of moss. Shaun sat next to her. They were not in the hollow where she had fallen asleep. A tall fey with the upper body of a man but the legs and body of a horse stands near holding a spear.

Another being much like Shaun but with more muscle and ram horns stand near the centaur.

Shaun whispers "I am so sorry. I was ordered to bring you here." he looks apologetic and worried.

Rose looked around and saw that she was in a great glade. Ancient towering oaks and pale white beech trees were everywhere. The ground was covered in soft green moss, and smooth river stones formed paths. She could hear a waterfall nearby.

Know Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Know Nature (Centaur): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Know Nature (Ramtaur): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

"That's quite all right. I know you have to listen to the Fey Lords, and I wouldn't blame you for that." Rose said kindly, not especially surprised by this turn of events. She had, after all, taken the drink knowing that fey occasionally did things to food before messing with mortals. She did, however, discreetly check for her weapon.

...Also, one of these days, she really needed to learn how to speak Sylvan. It seemed like a fun tongue to know, and she'd always had a bit of a knack for languages.

"Actually, I should probably be thanking you - this looks like exactly the sort of place I wanted to be." she added a moment later, eyeing the trees. It probably meant she was much closer to speaking with the forest's rulers and resolving this situation properly, and her generally optimistic outlook meant she could only see this as a good thing. (It... took quite a lot to genuinely bother Rose. She'd deliberately made herself cheerful as a way of putting others at ease, and she couldn't simply 'turn it off' to become serious and grim.)

Rose felt for her gun and came up empty handed. The Centaur gestures to the goat man, who Rose had correctly identified as a Satyr, the more malicious and troublesome cousin of the Faun.

The barrel chested horseman then leveled his spear at Rose and barked, "Այս կերպ բանտարկյալ! Տիկինը փայտի զանգերի:"

Shaun glanced at Rose and whispered. "He says the Lady has summoned you and wants you to go with him."

The Faun looks away from the centaur obviously frightened.

"Oh, good." Rose said, wondering if she should just call her weapon or not. Well, they were probably pretty jumpy, and she could always do it later. (And it's not like she absolutely needed it - it just helped.)

With that, she hopped forward like she was going for a stroll - mostly an act, of course. She wouldn't be human if she wasn't nervous, more than anything, she wanted them to think she was confident. One thing you didn't do was show weakness to predators - many of them considered such an act a perfectly good justification for attacking, and her goal was to end this without anyone else getting hurt.

Bluff (Hide Emotions): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

The centaur guided her down a river stone path in the center of the glade. His hooves making a clacking sound behind her.

There were many fey here, as well as different animals, deer, foxes and the like.

It was night, and the moon shown through the trees, The Moonlit Court seemed an appropriate name.

There were other light sources, some of the river stones that they walked on had crystal deposits that glowed, in hues of soft viridian, cyan, and pink. A glowing blue algae seemed to cling to some of the structures and logs. And torches marked the path though they burned not with fire but were blown glass baubles overflowing with fireflies the the size of Rose's thumb.

They approached a wide opening in the glade. The path led to a very large beech tree that sat just on the edge of a large pool. A radiant crystal clear waterfall poured into the pool and the full moon was reflected in its shimmering surface.

Upon a root of the tree, in a seemingly naturally occurring chair sat a gorgeous and regal woman, with green hair and skin that matched the paleness of the beech tree quite closely.

She leaned forward.

"Are you frightened girl?" she asked in a prideful and commanding tone, but not one that was unkind.

"I'm frightened of failure, Your Majesty." Rose answered promptly. With a bit of a flourish, she put one hand by her waist and bowed about forty degrees - enough to convey clear respect to the fey monarch, but not to the point of groveling. "Please accept my apologies for needing to take your valued time today, but I thought it would be better for you if I did. My name is Rose, and I've come here in the hopes of arranging for a mutually-satisfactory resolution to the problem plaguing both our peoples."

She looks at you with piercing blue eyes and a scrutinizing glare.

"Oh,' she adds absentmindedly adding the formality to the real meat of what she had to say. "I am of course, Queen Myrawnia of the Moonlit Court, First of the Dryads, and Lady of the Forest. And it surprises me that these destroyers, send a lone girl here, into our realm, a realm they fear, to what Parley? With me." she looks far away.

Seemingly lost in thought, this seems like a decent chance for Rose to interject as none in the court seem to be willing to get involved.

"If our peoples are unwilling to talk, Your Majesty, there can never be peace - only violence that goes on until one of our groups is destroyed." Rose continued speaking, keeping her tone calm and even. "I have no doubt that your people would fight with the utmost gallantry and ferocity, but my own would not hesitate to bring tools of coldest iron and blazing flames in whatever numbers were necessary. Even in victory, the forest would pay a terrible price. I don't ask you to consider peace for our sake, but for your own - avoiding a war and coming to an agreement is the best way to protect the woods not just now, but far into the future as well. You can always take up arms again if attempts at a peaceful resolution fail."

Queen Myrawnia smiled a sad smile at Rose. The silvery trickle of the waterfall in the spring behind the tree was all that filled the silence.

She spoke. "Oh child. There already was a pact of peace. You are being puppeted. They sent you here with hopes that you would be forced to kill me. With this I presume." she pulls Rose's gun from the folds of her robe.

"A beautiful weapon, and appropriately representing the struggle in which you find yourself. A tool of fire and steel against the wind and wood of the forest. Fortunately for you and perhaps for me, one who would force a confrontation like that is not here at the moment and hasn't been for over a month. It is my brother, I know not what troubles him, but the birds and beasts of the forest tell me to safeguard and keep closed our borders. It is he who kills the insurgents in the wood. He went to visit the druid enclave to the north of here and soon after, the forest grew dark. An reflection of his rage and pain."

She extends the gun to Rose. "I don't think you are a threat, but a naive girl who wanted to help, and for that I thank you. But I will follow the warnings of the Erlking, and listen to the omens in the stars. Return to your masters or seek out my brother in the ancient hollow of the druids to the north. Know this, your path from this glade will be made safe, but the further north you travel the more dangerous it will become, as my influence wanes and his waxes. Tell those who have taken over that little town that the forest is closed to them."

Rose took the weapon - by hand, rather than calling it to her grasp. No need to reveal everything she was capable of. She thought over the queen's words carefully. "So something happened with the druids..." she mused. That might be the key to unraveling this whole mess. "Thank you for your wisdom, my lady, and I think I shall take the northern road. I came here to create peace between our peoples, and I will not give up simply because there is danger along the way." she bowed slightly and moved towards the edge of the clearing, then paused.

"Ah, one more thing. Should my efforts be successful, you may wish to send emissaries to human lands to represent your interests. Our lives are much shorter than your own, I'm afraid, so we can seem forgetful, but Andoran believes in doing what's right. Constant reminders of your presence would help discourage misbehavior from individuals, and those who would threaten the forests do not represent what my nation as a whole desires... and I intend to prove it." She wasn't going to ask the (somewhat hostile) fey to believe her words, not when she intended to give them deeds to judge her by instead.

The lady nods. "Brave of you child. Go from here in peace, the forest shan't bother you for at least a day's march north of here."

Departing the Moonlit court, Rose follows the path north.

Shaun is waiting for her by the exit of the glade. He looks embarrassed, "I don't suppose you'd want any company on the journey?"

"I'm going to see the Lord of the forest." Rose explained, sliding her weapon into its holster. "Whether I want the company or not doesn't matter, though." she paused for just a moment, then resumed walking. "My own lord, Cayden Cailean, teaches us that it's important to be brave and do what's right. He also thinks we should know when to cut our losses. I'm not that worried yet, but on the other hand, this isn't my home and I'm not effectively immortal. You'll have to live with the result of whatever happens, and if you think it's a genuinely bad move to come with me and be seen as a supporter, I'll understand." On the other hand, if he decided that he was going to be brave, she wouldn't turn him down. The freedom to make one's own choices was one of the most important things in life, after all.

The faun looks undecided, then he musters his resolve and says, "At least I can accompany you to the edge of the lady's realm." he lowers his voice. "I'm not so brave as you Rose, the lord of the forest frightens me a great deal, and I shan't stand before him unless absolutely necessary."

With that he sets off down the trail to the north. It seems that after a few steps, Rose couldn't find her way back to the glade.

"He frightens me, too." Rose said, patting him sympathetically as they left. "Besides, fear is healthy. Even among my faith, 'fearless' isn't exactly a compliment..." Because, among other things, it was usually the sign of someone too stupid to know when they should be running. Understanding your limits was important...