"I would be happy to tie it in your hair for you, Cachee." Soroza responds.
Accepting the Vial of Pure Water graciously, Soroza smiles and says "Nothing gained, nothing lost. It has been an honor to meet and trade with you, Cachee.", she then gestures to Pudge's unconscious form.
"If you like we can return that awful man to his people for you, and ensure he never returns to bother you again."
Cachee looks at Pudge, thoughtfully. "Awh, Cachee was hoping to keep him as a pet, like her frogs and carp and little salamanders. But funny fat man can't breathe in the water. Cachee already checked." The little fey swims back out into the middle of her pool and waves.
"Bye bye Soroza! Bye bye Davi! Bye bye fat man!" She then vanishes under the surface without a trace.
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"That was awesome. Remind me to never play cards with you." She ambles over to Pudge and pokes him with her boot.
"Poor sod. Not much going on upstairs, low man on the totem pole, and then gets enchanted by the Fey and yeah, I might have stabbed him a bit, but in my defense he was attacking us." After staring at Pudge for a few seconds she throws her hands in the air like she's conceding a point to the unconscious man. "Ok, I might have stabbed him a lot. Not one of my finest moments but there you go. We'll haul him back to civilization and call it even."
Her gaze turns thoughtful. "You know...he's had things rough enough...and we are a pretty persuasive pair...you think we could convince him to flip sides?" She grins at Soroza "Can't hurt to try right?"
Anthony laughs good naturedly when Addrac tells him not to eat the mushrooms. He replies in kind, "Haha! If only the two we were chasing could be so foolish. It might make this course much easier. I've been thinking about what you said, and I think we should do our best to reason with them. If we bring back the panoply as a group, the sheriff would probably have no problem letting us both walk. There is the issue of that dagger though. I don't think that Hammerlock should have it, and he will no doubt fight for it. I'm interested in the dagger, but mostly academically. I don't suppose you are, Sir, what with your journey to meet your son, but maybe you agree with me that it be better for him not to have it?"
Allowing the Shunned to rant and rave all he wished, Tarkus finally pulled the scroll casing open and looked inside it. He had suspected it was another piece of the collection from the way the Shunned pursued it, but there was also the chance the other dwarf was simply trying to see how far he could push Tarkus.
Handing it over to the halfling, Tarkus kept his voice casual, even though he knew the strain was apparent.
"Here is hoping the others have been able to collect the rest of the Druid's possessions with less hassle."
Turning back to glance at the Shunned, Tarkus sighed slightly and hoped they found the others quickly so they could release the dwarf to his friends.
"Baint no arguing from me, Tarkis. He is chatty though, isn't he?"
The halfling turns back to the big Shunned and stares at the loud voice for a moment before coming to a decision.
"You attack us, you didn't get the scroll, tarkis did an' then we knocked you down and healed you frum death. Now shut it or we leave you here bound for them wolves and dogs in this here wood. If'n you come along and want your sword back then you keep the peace so no black bear comes out to slot us all! Cos us'll run an' it'll kill 'ee first."
"'Ere av a chew on this piece of 'ardtack, matee."
Adrac&Anthony
"I don't believe that they have a right to it, no, and I certainly don't want to 'lose' to that bumbling band of nincompoops," Adrac says, cheerfully. "But if we hold up Miss Laurel for much longer I'm afraid she'll grit her teeth down to nothing. I do agree that solving problems with words instead of swords is nearly always the best option. It will take a considerable touch of finesse with that lot, though."
Tarkus&Herral
Derrak stares at Herral and sighs, speaking in between his chewing of the hardtack. "Savage little man, aren't ye? Tarkus could learn a thing or two. ... Ye've beat me fair and square," He mumbles that last bit, begrudgingly.
He smirks. "If you think you two can guard that scroll from the other five Banners you've got a thing coming though. They're probably headed here already."
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"Turning him against the rest of the Banners is an amusing thought, but he doesn't strike me as the 'making his own decisions' type and I loathe the thought of him following us around like some sort of vile puppy. But you're welcome to try."
Soroza begins to heft the bulbous man up on her shoulder. "Could you take his other arm?". She wrinkles her nose as she asks the questions. "Gods, forget saving his life. He'll mostly owe us for hauling his wretched self back to civilization."
Soroza looks south, thinking, then to Davi says, "According to the words Anthony translated, the last treasure is farther South. I say we haul this poor sod back to the stones, meet up with everyone else, and then head for the last item together. Even if Nirashi's gotten to it, she'll be hopelessly outnumbered by that point."
Adrac&Anthony
"I don't believe that they have a right to it, no, and I certainly don't want to 'lose' to that bumbling band of nincompoops," Adrac says, cheerfully. "But if we hold up Miss Laurel for much longer I'm afraid she'll grit her teeth down to nothing. I do agree that solving problems with words instead of swords is nearly always the best option. It will take a considerable touch of finesse with that lot, though."
Anthony nods in agreement as they head through the mushrooms. Recalling that Laurel had sent other adventurers for mushrooms a while back, he bent down and plucked a handful and put in his pack. "For Laurel," he grunted, as if that were enough explanation. After which they would head towards wherever Grelm and Knu were leading them.
"Sounds good. Back to the stones we go!" Davi throws Pudge's other arm around her shoulder. His weight makes her stagger forward two steps before stopping. "Aww geeze, this guy weighs a ton. Hey, big guy, wake up!" Davi shakes his arm. When that doesn't get a response she starts smacking him on the cheek. "Good morning sunshine! Wakey wakey eggs and bacey!"
Anthony and Adrac
Anthony is clumsy with the rather delicate mushrooms and they crumble into mush in his hands. Adrac smiles and shakes his head, and when the young magus is done, the two head off in Grelm and Knu's direction.
....
The pair presses on for a good hour longer. The rain, which for the past few hour now had slowed to a sporadic sprinkle, intensifies to a heavy downpour, soaking you to the bone. It is now late in the afternoon. You stumble upon a beaten path, that has largely been overtaken by nature and plants, though you can tell that it was once heavily used.
"Hmmm. Grelm and Knu's path vanishes into the brush here. I'm afraid the rain is too heavy for us to follow them any further. What's this?"
Adrac points ahead at an old ramshackle building. It is so overgrown and encrusted with moss and ferns among its shingles as to almost seem to be part of the forest itself, a fey hillock here at the heart of the primeval wood. Closer examination reveals gaping windows and an open doorway, the door hanging by the remains of one leather hinge.
Davi& Soroza
Pudge stirs ever so slightly before waking up with a start. He flails his arms around and falls onto the mud. He sits there pathetically, the rain pouring down hard around him. "Hnnngggggg Nirashi? What, wait! Oh no! What do you want?! Where am I?! Where is Nirashi??? Please don't kill me!"
Anthony looks up from the rainsoaked path and at the building Adrac points to. The building looked spooky, even to Anthony. But it was more likely that it had simply been abandoned. "Do you think they could be hiding out in there?" Anthony half-ponders aloud, half asks the monk. He sniffles and continues, "We're liable to catch a cold out here at any rate, we ought to head inside. Wait out the rain."
The halfling turns to Tarkus for a quick conflab. He discusses going back the way they came, the only route he definitely knows. But finding the rest would mean luck or even going after the last item possibly.
But the Shunned can walk, just not run or hustle in Herral's attempted hobble.
"Hi there!" Davi smiles at Pudge. The rain pouring down does nothing to dampen the brightness of her expression. "Don't be silly, we're not going to kill you! Do you remember anything about what just happened? We found you here all brainwashed by a water fey. I guess you tried to steal from her?" She shakes her head and lowers her head.
"Tsk tsk. Bad form. Being nice pays off in the long run. Soroza and I were nice to the water fey and look, we're all free to go. We're even going to make sure you get back somewhere safe because we're good people." She holds her hand out to Pudge. "Here, I'll help you up."
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"Get up, Pudge. I'm not going to have the death of someone as worthless as you on my hands. You're coming with us back to civilization so your wounds can be treated and then, if you're smart, we will never see each other again."
Soroza gestures with extremely mock politeness for Pudge to stand, and then begins attempting to find their way back to Willowroot's Grove. She attempts to do this by following her and Davi's tracks back the way they came.
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"She's a little brash but she means well!" Davi keeps smiling brightly. "Now why don't we head back and you can tell us all about yourself and your friends..." Davi takes a look around.
"Err...you know which way we're going right Soroza?"
Soroza&Davi
He sighs. "You were lucky. Fey kill people in the Woods all the time."
Pudge takes Davi's hand and stares around morosely. "Oh no. Oh no. Grelm's gonna kill me. And if he doesn't, Knu will. But.... I don't know where I am so I guess I'll take you on your offer."
----------
The group walks for a little under an hour. Soroza is having difficulty discerning the difference between their footprints and the naturally textured mud and loam of the forest floor. The rainclouds hang heavy and dark, obscuring the sun, so she can't tell which way she is going. After awhile, they come upon a beaten, overgrown path. There is a signpost on the path pointing to the group's left, its wood moldy and rotten. It has the words crudely inscribed into its surface: "Forest's Heart"
Tarkus&Herral
Herral and Tarkus head back through the forest, northeast for an hour and twenty minutes, towards Willowroot's Grove. Derrak walks silently between them, feeling Tarkus' eyes upon him the whole way. He occasionally glances around furtively, as if trying to think of a way to escape, but seems resigned to the fact that there's nowhere for him to escape to anyway.
You eventually return to Willowroot's Grove, where the horrible vines are still active and moving. They are currently twisting their vines about the monuments and altar.
From the underbrush, you hear a woman's voice murmuring words in a language you do not understand. Tarkus suddenly perks up.
Suddenly, Aliciette appears, standing on top of a branch in a nearby tree. She is 10 feet from the ground. She smiles wickedly at Tarkus, whip in hand. "Tarkus, what are you doing? Is that dwarf not your kin? Be a dear and cut those ropes for me."
Tarkus, who suddenly believes that Aliciette is a friendly woman who only knows whats best for him, draws his axe and obliges. Derrak cackles as his bonds are cut free.
Initiative Order
1. Tarkus
2. Herral
3. Derrak
4. Aliciette
5. Elsie
Anthony&Adrac
Adrac opens the door to the dilapidated shelter. Next to the door, covered in moss and grime, is a sign.
Inside appears to be a dilapidated, abandoned inn. The area is dark and empty, save for the rotting remains of rough tables and chairs. In the room, a ghostly, colorless fire burns in the fire pit, creating weird shadows around the room, but also filling the area with warmth. Despite the sad state of the roof, no water leaks into the building. Scattered about are the skeletal remains of many, many creatures, at least 10 different skeletons. The room is also filled with detritus and filth, making the air musty.
"Forest's Heart. Oh!" Davi gives Soroza a respectful look. "I don't know how you got us here but this is great! Two birds with one stone and all that mess right? Come along Sir Pudge, we've got a quick stop to make"
Davi&Soroza
You walk on for another 10 minutes in the direction of the sign post along the overgrown path. The rain continues to pour down with no relief. Finally, you come upon a ramshackle old building. It is so overgrown and encrusted with moss and ferns among its shingles as to almost seem to be part of the forest itself, a fey hillock here at the heart of the primeval wood. Closer examination reveals gaping windows and an open doorway, the door hanging by the remains of one leather hinge.
Pudge fidgets and looks around warily. "This place is scary! Let's go back to the Inn, please."
Herral waits with a loaded crossbow. If attacked by Alicette or The Shunned he will fire on them.
"Tarkis, shake free of her charms and delusions."
|
Anthony inspects the sign before they enter, curious of the nature of the abandoned establishment.
As they wander into the building, Anthony doesn't even notice the lack of dripping and sets his pack down. His eyes stray to the grey fire in the fire pit and he finds himself utterly fascinated. He knows it isn't real fire, or at least that its not normal fire, but can't help feeling comforted by its warmth. Still, he only inches towards it cautiously. "You know what this is, sir?" He mutters a bit of elven under his breath and examines the fire with his "sixth sense".
Herral & Tarkus
Aliciette smiles broadly. "Charms? How silly! Tarkus is my good friend! See, I'm not hurting anyone am I?"
Derrak ambles over to Elsie and takes his sword first, his banded armor second. "Aliciette. They have that scrollcase you said we needed."
"Oh? Is that so? Tarkus, be a love and toss that over to me. As long as Professor Krane gets it in the end, what does it matter who hands it over, hmmm?"
Tarkus looks conflicted.... Herral is his friend, that is true! But isn't Aliciette? Wasn't she always? Tarkus can't remember, it is all muddled and hazy. Why are his friends fighting?
But Aliciette is so convincing! Tarkus pulls out the bone scroll case from his pack...
Derrak moves so that he is under the tree Aliciette is in, sword ready.
Anthony&Adrac
The sign states: "Forest's Heart". Anthony has to scrub some of the moss aside to read it, though.
Adrac shakes his head, tense and ready. "This place has a sad story, I can tell."
"The skeletons here...most of them seem to be goblins. This man had horns....I'm not sure what he was. A tiefling like yourself, perhaps? This person... a centaur. And there in the back...a human. Some sort of massive battle happened here. If only the dead could speak..."
Adrac sighs. "At least it is warm in here, unlike outside."
"You baint got it Tarkus and it don't belong to you or her. I be given it to the Prof. You got your friend back and we is leaving, come on Tarkus. You bring Elsie."
Herral pulls the dwarf with him and starts away.
"Oh don't be such a worrywart" Davi dismisses Pudge's concerns with a wave of her wrist. "Besides, that place means shelter from the rain. I'm a little sick of my 'drowned rat' impression"
Davi heads for the entrance. In spite of her words to Pudge she draws her rapier. It traces small figure eights through the air as she warms up. Once she's close to the door she calls out. "HEY. There better not be anything nasty in there! I've already killed a legion of monsters today and I just don't want to clean my clothes again!"
Herral&Tarkus
Aliciette sighs. "Tarkus, grab him, and help us retrieve the case. We're all friends here, and don't want to hurt anyone, but clearly the little halfling thief just wants it for himself, hmm?"
Tarkus breaks free of the charm! Aliciette glares, then smirks. "I was really hoping to solve this without blood. You only have yourself to blame."
Derrak drops his banded mail to the ground and raises his curved blade.
Initiative Order
1. Tarkus
2. Herral
3. Derrak
4. Aliciette
5. Elsie
Tarkus draws his axe and raises his shield.
Herral is up.
Davi/Soroza
Pudge trembles slightly. "Oh this is scary! This is scary and I don't have any spells prepared!" he whines.
Next to the door is a sign. The moss has been pushed away to reveal the words, "Forest's Heart"
Adrac/Anthony/Davi/Soroza
Adrac perks up, hearing Davi's voice from outside.
"Davi? Is that you?" He calls out.
He opens the door for her, revealing the warm, lit interior. Inside are Adrac, and Anthony. The building appears to be a dilapidated, abandoned inn. The area is dark and empty, save for the rotting remains of rough tables and chairs. In the room, a ghostly, colorless fire burns in the fire pit, creating weird shadows around the room, but also filling the area with warmth. Despite the sad state of the roof, no water leaks into the building. Scattered about are the skeletal remains of many, many creatures, at least 10 different skeletons. The room is also filled with detritus and filth, making the air musty.
Outside are Davi, Flower, Soroza, and Pudge, all soaking wet.
Soroza grins when she sees Adrac open the door to the run-down building.
"Finally, some luck on this gods-abandoned evening! Adrac, Anthony, I could kiss you both, but I won't. For one, Anthony would never stop stammering and I imagine we'll need his spells."
She gestures to Pudge, "I hope you don't mind we brought some unwelcome company. Don't worry, he'll behave."
Without hesitation or particular appraisal of her surroundings, she steps past Adrac into the ramshackle structure. "I swear, I'm going to be wringing out my damn bones it's so wet out there."
Herral raises his crossbow at Derrak and smiles, "Taint got healing, matey. I see'd yum wounds. You get shot, you be dyin'. Sorry but I will end your life my friend. Leave now." The accent disappears as he gradually speaks.
Herral and Tarkus
Derrak grunts. "We'll see about that." He swings at Tarkus, as Herral fires on him. He ducks, and the bolt whizzes over his head to land in a tree. Derrak slashes at Tarkus, cleanly cleaving through a gap in his armor.
Aliciette shakes her head. "Derrak you oaf, forget your stupid feud and focus on the halfling. He's clearly smarter than he's letting on." Afterwards she begins singing, a strange lilting song in elven.
Tarkus turns to her enchanting voice, awe-struck.
Herral steps close and grabs Tarkus by the wrist, twisting and then flipping his arm until the dwarf returns to his senses. Then he swiftly loads another bolt and waits for Derrak's attack.
"Bury you or burn you?"
Herral and Tarkus
Derrak glances back and forth between Tarkus and Herral then grumbles under his breath, "Kaznam siki kâki."
He moves slowly towards Herral and swings but Herral desperately bashes it away as hard as he can with his shield. The force of his swing passes down through the shield and Herral can feel it in the bones of his arm. Derrak grunts.
Aliciette begins singing a different tune, a rousing ballad in elven.
Tarkus nods his thanks at Herral. He circles around to behind Derrak, and slices towards him an overhead chop, but Derrak whips around, pulling his blade from Herral's shield and deflects Tarkus' axe to the side at the last moment with the curve of his blade. Derrak shoves his axe away and grins triumphantly.
Davi grabs Flower's lead and heads inside. "I'm glad it's you guys!" She takes a moment to survey the interior. "What a lovely, creepy place you'd discovered. I like the weird fire, it really ups the 'horrible ghost story' vibe this place has."
"Hey, Pudge!" She hollers at the sad figure outside. "You going to stand out there all night?"
Davi/Soroza/Anthony/Adrac
Pudge follows Davi inside warily. He jumps a little when he notices the skeletons. Adrac smiles at him warmly and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Shush now. The dead won't hurt you. At least these ones won't, or else they'd have tried by now haha! I speak from experience," he winks at the portly wizard who is too timid to smile back. "Pudge, is it? That can't be what your mother named you. Come now, what's your name, son?"
Pudge gulps. "B-byron. Byron Whartley. C-can I sit down? My feet hurt. We've been walking...all day long." He waddles over to a chair laying on the ground, sets it upright, and sits down.
Now that Derrak is between them, Herral nimbly dodges left and right then the morningstar goes for his face in a high swing.
Herral&Tarkus
Herral's swing butts Derrak over, smacking him in the back of the head, and he falls to the ground.
Aliciette grimaces, not a fan of the odds.
She attempts to jump off the tree, but she ends up falling.
She gets up, turns around, and drops her whip.
"Okay, okay. You got us. Please don't kill me." Her eyes water up and tears stream down her face as she raises her hands in the air. "I'm covered in mud and I'm lost and I just want to get out of this wretched forest. I don't even want that stupid dagger, Grelm does!"
Tarkus defers his turn to after Herral, looking at the halfling for guidance.
Derrak is dying. Aliciette sniffles. "D-do you want money? I have plenty of money."
"'Ees had his second chance far as young master 'Erral 'ere is thinking. He cun die far as I be thinking since 'eel juss keep tryin' to kill us an' 'ee be bloody rubbish at it."
The halfling has lost his fresh faced look, his goodness is hidden by a matter-of-fact sadness. If Tarkus wants him to live, he can look after the thug. He is already dead to the inquisitor.
"As for you, Mistress. You be a lyin' snake so cut the tears. They be fake as a gnomish fortune teller. Empty your pockets and we will learn you that you cun keep your charms an' lies. They jess make you look as ugly as a toad on the inside. Empty um then you cun have your life."
He keeps his crossbow levelled until she empties her pockets then tells Tarkus to gag her before she can stand. The armour and sword goes back on Elsie.
Herral&Tarkus
Aliciette glares at Herral as Tarkus gags her. She whines, but it is muffled.
Aliciette has the following:
- 10 crossbow bolts
- Light crossbow
- Whip
- Quilted cloth armor
- 3 scrolls
- 5 days of rations
- A length of hemp rope
- A backpack
- Spell component pouch
- 25 gold pieces
When the newcomers arrive, and Soroza makes her quip, Anthony stares at a spot on the floor rather abashedly. After people start to settle in, Anthony remembers their purpose with a start. He addresses his companions, "Friends..." tilting his head towards the large man, "Byron? This is Forrest's Heart before we kick our feet up, we should find the Spirit-Staff. It's very likely in this building, we should get to work."
Anthony starts to look around, starting with the fire pit. If it's not around there, he starts looking around the building for compartments the staff could be hiding in.
Adrac/Anthony/Davi/Soroza
There is nothing in the fire pit. There are no cabinets in the common room, only skeletons, tables, chairs, and fur rugs. Before Anthony can move into the back room, which is a large dining area, Grelm Hammerlock kicks the door open, bow drawn. Knu and Nirashi sidle into the room beside him. Knu is brandishing a wand crafted of red clay with a handle that appears like an eruption of lava before tapering roughly to a rounded point at the tip, along with his rapier. It matches the description of the Wand of Earth's Ire from Professor Krane's drawing. Nirashi has her scythe drawn, her beautiful features set into grim determination.
"Alright. Drop your weapons and hand over whatever pieces of the Panooply you've picked up, and we won't hurt ya featherless bastards." Grelm sneers. "Nice and easy."
Pudge falls off his chair with a start. Grelm snorts. "Sweet Gozreh, Pudge. Did you seriously get yourself captured by this lot? Get your fat ass over here."
"Byron, you don't have to go with him. The man treats you like s%#&. What kind of loyalty can that inspire? You only follow him because you're afraid of him."
There is a flash of steel and suddenly Davi's sword is in her hand. "Is being scary what it takes to get respect around here?" she muses, not asking anyone in particular. Her blade starts to swing back and forth faster and faster. "I mean, I can be scary. Poor Byron got enchanted by the water fey and then he was too much for Nirashi to handle, and yet here he is, safe and sound and the water fey isn't a problem for anyone anymore. At a guess, that makes me scarier than the fey, right?"
Davi is starting to look a little manic. Her eyes are wide and there's a big false grin plastered to her face. She starts speaking to Pudge in a stage whisper "And since we all know that Grelm, King of the Bunny Killers, got his rear handed to him by our friendly monk over there, you should really consider if helping him is in your best interest."
Adrac/Anthony/Davi/Soroza
Pudge gets back to his feet, trembling all over. "s-she is pretty scary you guys." he murmurs, almost inaudible.
Grelm scoffs. "Fine. Go down with them if you want, Pudge. Just don't come crawling back to us after we win."
The Company of the Black Banner is moving to attack!
Initiative
1. Grelm
2. Davi
3. Anthony
4. Knu
5. Adrac
6. Pudge
7. Soroza
8. Nirashi
"You don't have the sheriff watching out for you this time, old man." Grelm sneers, and fires at Adrac, who twists at the last moment, dodging it. Adrac faces Grelm, adopting an offensive stance.
"Try that again." There is no humor in his voice now.
"Good man" Davi nods at Pudge. She steps forward and slices at Nirashi.
In one concentrated thrust, Davi pierces through Nirashi's defenses, scoring a blow to her chest.