Outside the window Fin sees a bone fence fallen into disrepair and overgrown with thorny vines, a rusting hulk of a metal wagon of some kind, and beyond the tall, dark trees of an ancient forest.
Most of the bearded men make no response. Indeed, they seem to be dead on closer inspection. Only a few of them show any signs of life, and they pay Fin no heed, muttering softly in a language he does not know.
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Fin shakes his head as he turns from the window, checking briefly if the window will open. ”Well, wherever we are, there are vines and a forest…and what appears to be a large, rusted metal wagon…not anywhere I recognize…”
He frowns at the shriveled men’s mutterings, looking to his friends. ”Can any of you understand what they’re saying? Or does anyone have a spell that can help us understand them?”
Fin then tries to see if he can make out any patterns of speech or determine what language it might be related to…
…and since some seem to be dead, he looks closer to see if they might be some sorta undead creatures…
Maka peaked and poked at the cages with the little men, wary that they may pose some threat. "Ugh why can't things be spooky instead of creepy?"
He frowns at the shriveled men’s mutterings, looking to his friends. ”Can any of you understand what they’re saying? Or does anyone have a spell that can help us understand them?”
Maka paid special attention to the muttering, seeing if she could find any recognizable pattern.
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”Please tell me it’s not winter out there.” says Quasit wearily.
Fin shrugs. ”I didn’t notice any snow, Q…but couldn’t tell how cold it might be…then again, no telling if that window view is revealing our actual location or just another area within the hut. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the fence outside is made of bone…which seems another odd thing to me, along with that weird-looking metal wagon…”
Selena looks around and then focuses on the men. She casts a spell of understanding and listens to the mutterings.
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Sakitu holds her arms out to keep herself steady while the room swirls around her. Once it stops she looks around. The cages draw her attention and as her vision resolves and she realizes that there are little men in each one, she gasps and covers her mouth.
"Little people. In the cages... that's... we need to let them out." She moves to the first cage and her horror increases when she discovers that the little person is dead. She moves from cage to cage until she finds one with a living person in it. The miniature man tries to say something but she can't understand.
"Does anyone know what they're saying?"
Her focus is so much on the people in the cages that she takes no notice of the others' discussion about what is outside the hut.
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Fin, thinking these creatures may not be undead after all, tries to recall anything he might’ve heard or read about such in the past…
"Like canaries..." she says to herself. "I wonder if we're about to go into a coal mine."
”Let’s hope not…quite a few of those appear to be dead…bad omen, if that’s their purpose…”
"Come on, let's check out this ladder."
She climbs the ladder and attempts to open the trap door.
”Q, if you can wait a sec, I’ll go with you…I’d like to see if Selena or Maka can make out what these tiny men are muttering…might be a clue?”
Seeing Sakitu move close to a cage to observe, he defensively fingers his bow, ready to fire if it strikes at her…
Fin thinks it likely that these are Domovoi--small fey that often inhabit a house and invisibly help those living in it as long as they are left some morsels of food in thanks.
Selena casts her spell and listens to the caged fey for a while. Most of what they mutter seems to be meaningless, but a few things are repeated:
"“From distant world to distant world, at last now we
come home.”
“Many huts for many tales, but all begin here. Vasilisa
and her little doll. Hungry children and a house of
gingerbread. Little Otik. The forsaken son, come to claim
his birthright.”
“Grandmother’s breadcrumbs, all snatched up. What
little birds pecked them up?”
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Fin recalls something, a long while back, when they were in Waldsby, not long after they entered the Black Rider’s portal…
”They’re called Domovoi…remember Nadya? When I snuck back to her house to get her after we were ‘persuaded’ to leave the White Weasel, I thought something was watching us, and mentioned it to her; she chuckled and said it was her volunteer housekeeper, a domovoi. She was describing him just before Nazhena’s secret police came to arrest her and took her to the Pale Tower…I had almost forgotten…has it been that long ago?”
As soon as Selena translates what the domovoi are muttering, Fin ponders. ”The first sounds like it describes our journey, from world to world…but who’s home are they talking of, their own or Baba Yaga’s? No idea ‘bout the second one. The third one, I’m guessing Grandmother is Baba Yaga and we’re the little birds following her breadcrumbs/clues from place to place…what it all means, no clue. Any ideas?”
Finally he looks back to Quasit. ”Thanks for waiting, Q…ready to head up the ladder when you are…why don’t I go up first?” he smiles as he shrugs. ”It’s what I do…”
”They’re called Domovoi…remember Nadya? When I snuck back to her house to get her after we were ‘persuaded’ to leave the White Weasel, I thought something was watching us, and mentioned it to her; she chuckled and said it was her volunteer housekeeper, a domovoi. She was describing him just before Nazhena’s secret police came to arrest her and took her to the Pale Tower…I had almost forgotten…has it been that long ago?”
"So should we let them out of the cages then?" Maka didn't like leaving people in cages, but she also wasn't too keen on letting anything out of a cage in the hut after all that they have faced inside.
”The first sounds like it describes our journey, from world to world…but who’s home are they talking of, their own or Baba Yaga’s? No idea ‘bout the second one.
"Well if the hut and tales begin here, then I guess that means we're at whatever planet Baba Yaga is from..." Maka suddenly seemed very nervous. Her imagination began to run wild on what kind of witch world they would find themselves on.
I’m guessing Grandmother is Baba Yaga and we’re the little birds following her breadcrumbs/clues from place to place…what it all means, no clue. Any ideas?”
"Well if we're the birds, does that mean there aren't any more keys to find? And if we aren't the birds, does that mean someone else already found the keys?" Maka's frustration with riddles and tricks was already beginning to build.
"Hungry children in a gingerbread house, sounds like it could be referring to people whose desires have led them to destroy their own home in search of satiation. The sort of situation that is perfect for a new leader to arise and take command to put a stop to the destruction. Could easily be referring to the events in Irrisen except that it wouldn't be a man coming to reclaim anything, unless perhaps the ulfen are the son but that doesn't sound right to me." Selena remarks as she puzzles over the info.
"Baba Yaga came from another world, established Irrisen, appointed a daughter as queen, then left. She comes back every so often to leave a new queen on the throne and take the last. Grandmother's familiar Syvet said Baba Yaga takes their souls. For what purpose I wonder, and why not just the soul of an enemy or criminal, why use a soul of one that served loyally for so long? In any case, I think this is the world she comes from."
Turning to fey master Fin, "These are normally helpful fey, would freeing them hurt us or help us or neither, do you think?"
Turning to the walls, "Any words to share Zorka?"
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"“From distant world to distant world, at last now we
come home.”
"My guess is that they're speaking literally. This Hut can obviously travel between actual different worlds. Wherever we are now, this might actually be the little guys' home world. Not that that tells us too much. But since this Hut is in a configuration different from what we've seen before, my guess is this is a new place we haven't been before -- maybe a different part of Golarian, maybe another planet, maybe another reality altogether."
“Many huts for many tales, but all begin here. Vasilisa
and her little doll. Hungry children and a house of
gingerbread. Little Otik. The forsaken son, come to claim
his birthright.”
"That might suggest that whatever this world is, it might be Baba Yaga's original world. I don't know who Vasilisa or Otik are, but no doubt they are creatures who had dealings with Baba Yaga and there are now legends about that. Eating children seems to be a Baba Yaga staple, so the gingerbread house probably isn't a nice story. And again, they may be speaking literally about a Forsaken Son -- Baba Yaga may have sons as well as daughters. Perhaps he's here causing trouble the way Elvanna is back home, trying to grab power. Taking advantage of her absence."
“Grandmother’s breadcrumbs, all snatched up. What
little birds pecked them up?”
"I think the breadcrumbs probably refer to the Keys to this Hut. That's the trail we've been following to find Baba Yaga. To say they've been snatched up may mean that they are no longer where Baba Yaga left them. Which might make our job harder. Still, usually we've been given some kind of oracular raven vision about *what* the keys are at least, so we know what to search for. Hopefully the Hut will divulge that to us somehow."
"So should we let them out of the cages then?"
"If Fin is right about what they are, they probably aren't dangerous, and the cages don't seem to be doing them any good, since most of them are dead."
She thinks a moment. "Let's free one and see what happens. Maybe offer it some food. Got any little pancakes left, Maka?"
”Thanks for waiting, Q…ready to head up the ladder when you are…why don’t I go up first?” he smiles as he shrugs. ”It’s what I do…”
Quasit shrugs and steps away from the ladder. "Be my guest." she says insouciantly. As Findurél climbs the ladder, she goes to take a closer look at the fireplace, peering into its back wall and up its flue.
Maka took a pancake wrapped sausage out of her back. Opening one of the cages, she offered it to the Domovoi inside. "You want it?"
"Can't we just go out the...door?" Kalchine begins to ask his question before realizing how significant the changes are.
His ears go up and his small eyes widen as he looks at the four walls with a lack of exits to outside.
He follows after Fin to look out the window but then examines the cages and their contents.
"Do we have to answer the riddle to find the exit? What's gingerbread? Why can't we just go out this window?"
He looks from the window to Maka and the cage she's opening quickly again and again.
It's a good thing Chest Thumper is currently made out of stone because he's squeezing the little statuette noticeably hard.
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”Gingerbread is a sort of spicy-sweet cake or cookie. I think. To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever had it. I do know that any structure made of it wouldn’t be up to code. Not a load-bearing cookie.”
She stands upright and looks back over at Kalchine. ”We’ll check the door too, we’re just being thorough. Open it if you like, but Fin might yell at you.”. She winks at the Druid and goes back to checking out the chimney.
Zorka does not make an appearance at Selena's call.
Fin opens the hatch and climbs up into a loft. The center is open to the floor below, while the rest is caked in dust and cluttered with assorted detritus--old cauldrons, broken wooden beams, moth-eaten clothing, and the like. A single dirty window sits in one wall.
The domovoi makes no sign he notices Maka opening his cage, continuing his dry, quiet murmur. He doesn't even blink when she waves the food in his face.
"Mmm I don't think these little guys are okay." Maka went ahead and opened the rest of the cages, though there seemed little point.
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Findurel leans over, peering down at his friends below, ”Just a loft, nothing significant up here as far I can tell…”
”Open it if you like, but Fin might yell at you.”
Fin smirks lightheartedly. ”I heard that, Q…guess that’s what I get for trying to keep you alive…coming back down…”
After climbing down the ladder, he looks to Quasit and Kalchine. ”How do the chimney and door look?”
"Mmm I don't think these little guys are okay." Maka went ahead and opened the rest of the cages, though there seemed little point.
”You’re right, Maka…doubt it’ll help but I try to see if I can see if they’re sick or something…”
He tries to see what might be wrong with them…
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”How do the chimney and door look?”
"I don't see anything unusual about the chimney."
”You’re right, Maka…doubt it’ll help but I try to see if I can see if they’re sick or something…”
Quasit come over and peers at the little fey, and exhales with a bit of pity.
"Well, it's like that old saying I guess, you can lead a domovoi to pancakes, but you can't make him eat. Maybe it's more of Baba Yaga's nasty magic -- you know, like that poor guy who had to perpetually guard this place. Probably nothing we can do for them."
Her lips tighten suddenly. She looks pissed.
"Come on, let's try the door."
Quasit *does* actually notice something strange with the fireplace. Behind the stacked wood, the back of the fireplace doesn't seem to be solid, but rather a passageway filled with an impenetrable darkness.
Fin doesn't see anything physically wrong with the Domovoi beyond malnutrition. He'd guess whatever is wrong with them is either magic or something wrong with their minds.
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Quasit come over and peers at the little fey, and exhales with a bit of pity.
"Well, it's like that old saying I guess, you can lead a domovoi to pancakes, but you can't make him eat. Maybe it's more of Baba Yaga's nasty magic -- you know, like that poor guy who had to perpetually guard this place. Probably nothing we can do for them."
Her lips tighten suddenly. She looks pissed.
Fin nods. ”Aye, nothing we can do that I know of; nothing physically wrong aside from malnutrition…and they don’t appear interested in food…Kal, is there anything you can do for ‘em?”
"Hey, I found something! This fireplace is actually some sort of tunnel!"
Fin rushes over to the fireplace and peers into the dark tunnel Quasit has discovered. ”Nice find, Q…looks black as pitch in there…think we should explore to see where it leads? Or try the door first?”
"Secret passages first." Maka nodded in agreement with the wisdom.
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Nodding in agreement with Quasit and Maka, Fin replies, ”Aye, Q, let’s do it then…keep alert, especially your ears as not sure we’ll be able to see so well, at least to begin with. I’ll give a heads up if I find something or if we need to stop quickly…are we all coming?”
Fin moves down the tunnel quietly and slowly, keeping his senses alert for any signs of danger, particularly his sense of hearing and smell until he can see…
Selena uses Dispel Magic on the little fey man.
Assuming that does nothing, she'll try to dispel the darkness.
Selena feels like there's nothing to dispel on the fey. She feels her attempt to affect the darkness slide off of it without effect.
The darkness swallows Fin up as he crouches and steps into the fireplace. Soon enough he cannot be seen by those in the room.
Giving Fin a few seconds to yell out or return with a warning, and when neither happens, Selena walks into the darkness herself, with Winter and Syvet bundled in her clothes as usual.
"Annnd he's gone. Alright well see you on the other side." Maka gave Bulvi a quick kiss then followed into the darkness herself.
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Quasit freezes solid as the large plant creature comes into view.
"Whoa...that is one BIG rutabaga. And I don't like the look of all these vines."
She chews her lips and thinks. "Well, it's probably pointless, but I guess we should try talking to it. It's either that or turn around and go back, I don't think there's any chance we can just sneak past it to that other opening, especially if we want to look in that trunk."
"So, does anyone here speak Potatohead?"
Selena drops a comprehend spell on Quasit, with pat on the back and a whisper "Here, now you will know what he says."
"Well all the plants I've ever talked to spoke Sylvan so let's start with that." Maka eyed the large plant creature warily. If ever there was a potato that she would have to fight, this was it.
Before they leave, Kalchine will check the domovoi.
"So...we're just going into the magically dark tunnel and hoping everything will be ok?" Kalchine asks, beginning to question the wisdom of joining these crazy aliens on their crazy quest.
He takes a deep breath before plunging into the blackness as though needing to hold his breath but is careful to keep a tight grip on Sakitu's arm and his wrist out for Bulvi to grasp.
Just in case Sylvan or spells don't work, Kalchine will try to communicate in the secret language known only to his sect.
He also tries to figure out what the thing is and if it is intelligent and/or dangerous.
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Sakitu takes Quasit's hand and follows into the dark tunnel. As she emerges into the bright room, she blinks a couple times to adjust to the light level. A giant vegetable creature? That's a new one for her.
She steps to right behind Fin and whispers. "If you have to start shooting, I'll put some magic on your bow."
Those holding hands in the darkness notice that shortly after they step into it, they can no longer feel the hand of the one behind them, finding they suddenly lose their grip in the darkness.
Fin notices that there are four vines that are more mobile than the others, slowly working their way along the walls towards the group as they come through. The big plant-creature in the center looks towards those entering sharply once it notices them.
"Ooooo... are these treats for little Otik? Or did you bring treats?" it burbles, in the same language as the Domovoi . It doesn't respond to the Sylvan Quasit speaks.