The maiden ignores the unnecessary comment from Nicolai, that knocking was no dream.
Then Pharris stands four square before the door, her sword half hidden behind her back in a two-handed grip ready to strike forwards horizontally. She nods at Nicolai, "open it."
Nicholai tucks his own weapon over his shoulder, ready to swing down onto,... whatever awaits them, and quickly yanks open the door. He blinks in surprise at the burst of cold air that rushes into the tiny cabin, then peeks around his temporary door/shield,...
Snow swirls outside in the darkness, and lies in low drifts at the threshold. But there does not appear to be anyone or anything at the door.
"Well, That's odd." Nicholai says, giving a single swift shiver in the sudden chill.
"What's going on?" mumbles Keildrithe, still half asleep, as he sinks deeper into his bedroll to ward off the cold. Seeing Pharris poised for trouble with her great sword in hand out of the corner of his eye rouses him from sleep with heart beating fast. He reaches for his sword...
Kajetan is cocooned in his bed roll and winter blanket, it is going to take a lot more than some cold air to wake him up from his dreams of running bare footed through enchanted forests under a strangely pinkish sky.
Alton groans as the cold air hits him, and slowly opens his eyes, squinting at the scene before him. He takes a few moments for his mind to catch up to his eyes before he starts to rise, reaching for his weapons, and casting a look in Anas direction
As Nicolai cracks open the door, a gust of cold winter wind hits Ana, blowing across her face and causing her to stir. Seeing the others rising and going for their weapons she reaches for her own blade, blearily blinking the sleep from her eyes as she tries to see what everyone else is preparing for.
Catching Alton's glance, she sighs slightly as she rises from her bedroll, a faint crease of determination crossing her brow.
As the gust of cold air starts to wake his companions, it also seems to wake Nicholai. With a shudder, he seems suddenly alert. Then he stops. His eyes widen in fear.
"Oh. Sh!t!"
The dandy slams the door shut and throws himself against it. He braces his back against the door as he looks around the room, almost in a panic.
"Wij'Kan! Zzicnag-nug lah! Iz laud!" He shouts, his panicked tone unable to hide the musical sound of the language.
"Wij'Kan! The Demon-Spawn! Find it!"
From his warm perch atop the shacks lone shelf, his eagle friend shakes himself awake, and also begins to look around.
[ooc]Add another +3 to the first roll if the room counts as 'bright light', (I didn't think it would though.)
Pharris stays poised throughout all this and then raises an eyebrow at the sorcerer.
"Well?"
The dandy yelling wakes Kajetan up, but he is too confused and bleary eyed to comprehend what is going on.
As the gust of cold air starts to wake his companions, it also seems to wake Nicholai. With a shudder, he seems suddenly alert. Then he stops. His eyes widen in fear.
"Oh. Sh!t!"
The dandy slams the door shut and throws himself against it. He braces his back against the door as he looks around the room, almost in a panic.
"What? WHAT???!!!!" responds a disheveled Keildrithe as he rises from the floor with sword in hand, the dandy's panic threatening to frazzle the Karand's own nerves.
Nicholai's eyes continue to dart around the cabin. But while still wide-eyed, he seems to have regained his composure. Mostly.
"We heard a scratch at the door. When we opened it, there was no one there."
"Anyone care to lay odds on whether or not our invisible, shape-shifting little friend is back?"
Pharris and Nicolai see nothing outside the door – but after a moment, Nicolai suddenly slams it shut, a look of panic on his face.
Many of those in the cottage begin looking around, or listening, but it is difficult to see in the dim environs – the fire casts only a dull glow around the room – if anything is amiss.
Keildrithe gasps. "You're right!" he hisses back at Nicolai. "Look! There! Small puddles of rapidly melting snow near the door, as if some small creature had slipped inside, bringing a bit of snow with it."
The bard pulls from his pocket the pierced stone that he had picked up from the threshold of the cabin earlier that day, and scans the interior of the cabin while looking through the hole in the stone, keeping his sword firmly gripped in his other hand.
Alton also notices the trail of wet footprints, and crouchs in the corner where he slpet, straining eyes and ears for some other sign of the intruder, both weapons held before him
Nicholai's eyes track across the room, trying to follow his familiar's directions. He furrows his forehead in concentration.
'Yes! The Small demon-prey! Kill it!'
"Welcome back my diminutive demon." Nicholai says with a smile that has all the warmth of the snowstorm outside.
"You must have missed us so to have returned so soon! Either that, or you really miss us handing you your scrawny @$$ every time we meet! What plans can we ruin for you today?" The dandy laughs mockingly, (hoping to anger the demon enough to reveal himself).
Pharris picks up a large blanket off one of the beds and waits by the door, after sheathing her greatsword. The blanket is spread in front of both hands ready for a view of the imp.
"Welcome back my diminutive demon." Nicholai says with a smile that has all the warmth of the snowstorm outside."You must have missed us so to have returned so soon! Either that, or you really miss us handing you your scrawny @$$ every time we meet! What plans can we ruin for you today?" The dandy laughs mockingly, (hoping to anger the demon enough to reveal himself).
Laithe takes longer than the others to awaken, lost in the memories of a dream. It is not until Nicolai speaks that he comes fully awake and begins to understand what has happened. He stays as still as possible where he lies, taking stock of the spot where the snow lies melting on the ground but mostly listening for any signs of movement. As he does so, he calls ready a spell in his mind, hoping to reveal the invisible creature.
Kajetan opens one eye and lies motionless on his back, he tries to picture the room in his head, working out where any intruder could be. He briefly wonders why the imp would not fly into the room, use the broken cloth covered window or even test its fire resistance against the chimney and fireplace.
He finally speaks, "Pharris, speak the tongue of your home land, the language of the fey. Our demon friend would have no need to enter so clumsily"
Kajetan opens one eye and lies motionless on his back, he tries to picture the room in his head, working out where any intruder could be. He briefly wonders why the imp would not fly into the room, use the broken cloth covered window or even test its fire resistance against the chimney and fireplace.
He finally speaks, "Pharris, speak the tongue of your home land, the language of the fey. Our demon friend would have no need to enter so clumsily"
Nicholai blinks in surprise, and looks at Kajetan with wide eyes. He swiftly holds up one hand towards Wij'kan and thinks 'hold!'. He takes a deep breath and sends calm thoughts towards his familiar.
'Wait, Calm, Find. No Attack,...'
Keildrithe:
Then, following Nicolai’s challenge, you spot through the hole some movement from a dark corner near the door. Standing there, apparently unnoticed by your companions, is not an imp, but a tiny, wrinkled old man, barely a foot and a half tall, with a prodigious nose, squinty eyes, long wrinkled fingers and pointed ears. He wears tiny drab pants and shoes and a ragged grey coat, and a bright red pointy cap … and holds a knife or small sword that looks somewhat too large for him. He pulls faces and rolls his eyes at Nicolai, holding the knife menacingly, close to and yet unnoticed by the mage.
There is no answer to Nicolai’s challenge. Wijk’An, the golden eagle familiar, tilts his head and flexes his wings and claws.
Laithe:
Pointing to the area underneath the table, and calls out "Be bathed in the light of the Ehlonna!"
A soft, warm yellow glow eminates from the objects around the spot. As it does, Laithe rises to his feet and points towards the corner of the room near the door. "Pharris, use your blanket there!"
"It's not an imp, but some little faery," hisses Keildrithe as he continues to peer through the pierced stone. "There, in the corner, by the door! It looks like a tiny, wrinkled old man, barely a foot and a half tall, with a huge nose and pointed ears... and a red cap... and it doesn't seem to think much of Nicolai's threats, judging by the faces it's pulling... and by the big knife it's pointing at him! I'd move away from the door if I were you, Nicolai..."
Kajetan now has an area to target and furtively rifles through his near by clothing until he finds the small pouch of crushed quartz. He tries to judge how many of his companions would be caught in a 10 foot radius if it was centered right into the corner.
Multitasking, as only an egg-head like him can, he tries to recall all he can about learing, wrinkly, knife weilding, red cap wearing fey:
Nicholai does a hasty side-step away from the door as if Keildrithe just told him he had a spider on his leg. He tries to pull it off as if he meant to do that.
"Yes, well, I confess that I'd probably make faces at me too, if no one could see me!" He says with a sniff, unconsciously straightening his shirt front. He continues to search in vain for the visitor(s), noting from the corner of his eye that Kajetan is pulling out spell components.
He blinks in surprise, and at the flash, as Laithe suddenly calls on his goddess' blessings to cast a bright light into the room.
Ana, having risen warily to her feet and grabbed her sword, looks about trying to spot the danger. Not immediately seeing anything, she settles into a defensive stance and briefly closes her eyes, murmuring a brief prayer. "May Your light reveal the wicked.". When she opens her eyes once more to gaze around the room, there's a subtle difference in her posture and face. She seems stronger and more confident, rather than the shy young girl.
Know, nature 11+
Know, nature 12+
Know, nature 13+
Know, nature 18+
Know, nature 23+
Ana:
"Careful!" hisses Keildrithe as Nicolai moves away from the invisible redcap, still keeping an eye on the diminutive fey through the seeing stone. "They're known to coat their knives with poison. And I've also heard tell that they can only be harmed by weapons forged of cold iron..."
The bard assumes a defensive stance, the point of his sword pointed in the general direction of the creature.
"Pharris... might you speak its tongue?"
Kajetan slowly springs into life, unaware of the one under the table
"Everyone fall back, I can try and make him visible, they are evil and we best make sure we can fight him on equal terms,"
I will cast Glitter Dust on the one in the corner (e5) if Nicolai moves out of the way, UNLESS I am aware of the one under the table, then I will cast Glitter dust to catch him as well in (d5), but only if the others move to safety, otherwise I will still target just the one.
How is that? Just need the last two positions, I will not add the red caps until we know where they are or can see them.
How is that? Just need the last two positions, I will not add the red caps until we know where they are or can see them.
I have kept the base map with no characters so we can update it each round. No idea why Nicolai can not see it. I wil upload a different format when I get it off the netbook I had borrowed.
"Wait!" calls out Keildrithe before Pharris has a chance to respond. "I can probably speak to them, using those words of power that grandfather taught me recently in a dream!" The rude awakening still seems to cloud the bard's mind somewhat.