Kalev slowly regains consciousness, sitting up with a groan. Despite the powerful healing magic of Fenna, he still feels the pain and ache. Looking about, he asks, Is it over? Anyone hurt? Casimir, where is he?
He sees the grim look on Malthir's face and raises, worried.
The spell will wear off in five hours. No more dictating your actions from me- but RP bearing in mind that your friend was just killed by your other friends...
Ricter nods in approval at Malthir's outbust before addressing Kalev
"He wandered off north, Kalev, perhaps still under the Fey's spell. Thanks to the Baron's efforts, though, I doubt she'll be giving him any more instructions. Gods, I didn't know ordinary woodland creatures had so much fight in them."
Slighty embarressed by Kips jibs (but definately not showing it) Ricter goes back to his tent and dons his undershirt and trousers.
"No point in the armour now. We've probably already killed or broken every carnivor within a five mile radius."
As the fog dissipates, Casimir gives a cry of dismay at the sight of Malthir standing over the headless body of the nixie. He rushes to her side, and falls to his knees, reaching out a shaky hand to stroke her slight form. With tear filled eyes, he looks up at Malthir.
"Malthir....did you really need to do this?...she was such a frail and delicate creature, and she was only protecting her lands...we should have kept her safe, not slain her...."
He then gathers up the dead fey and carries her over to bury her besides the dryad and satyr.
Don't blame Malthir, Casimir, Kalev says, perhaps a little harsh, then adding more softly, while I feel no joy at the events this night, Malthir did what he had to, and you would see it, if it weren't for the fey's enchantment. Let not this do harm to the Guardians when the monsters we've previously faced together weren't able to do so.
With that, Kalev sits heavily on a fallen log, starting to tend his remaining wounds.
To Casimir, frustrated that he is still under the enchantment, but in a soothing voice,
While she lived we were all in danger, I didn't want to kill her, but she gave me no choice. You will understand in time my friend. Bury her and the old man, it will keep your mind off the tragedy of the day. I will help you.
Malthir goes about helping with the burial of both beings.
Kip rejoins the others after having completed his scan for magical auras within the glade and upon those that have fallen. He shares whatever he has learned with the rest of the Guardians.
Realizing that many of the Guardians are still wounded, Kip reaches inside his magical pack and produces the balance of his healing stores. He holds out his four healing potions, offering them to whoever needs them.
He also retrieves the wand of lightning bolt, looks it over a few times and then returns it to his spring loaded wrist sheathe.
Only the nixie and the old man had any possessions of value. Kip gathers and identifies-
A +1 whip
A masterworked short sword
+1 Leather Armour
Ring of Protection +1 x2
A wand of grease (27 charges)
While she lived we were all in danger, I didn't want to kill her, but she gave me no choice. You will understand in time...
Kip can't help but reflect upon Malthir's words... thinking that the Nixie probably felt the exact same way about us. He does not share his thoughts... silently cursing the fates.
After burying the dead , Casimir administers healing to the injured Guardians.
Kalev -
Fenna -
Ricter -
"I too would have preferred that outcome, Casimir," Fenna says softly, looking down at the fallen form of the nixie, "but we had already done all we could to bring that about... the hatred she held for us was too strong so soften, and her actions left us will no other choice."
Kip raises no objection to spending the rest of the night in the glade. He does however expresses his desire to not spend anymore time than that here. He would suggest moving the camp to a new location, come morning, if another day of rest is the decision.
Around the old mans neck, he wore another item in addition to the ring- a non-magical, tarnished silver locket holding a faded portrait of a young woman. She bears a striking resemblance to both the hermit and Bokken himself.
We should stay here and rest. It wouldn't be wise to run into the trolls or the dragon they say is out here without our magics. We can also finish burying the bodies so the area doesn't attract predators.
Kip looks around, before softly adding, Do we have to stay right here? What about a few hundred yards that way? waving his hand in some random direction.
"It may not have helped us much last time, but the open lines of sight here are still an advantage."
Ricter looks over the dozen or so dead carnivors
"I don't think there are any predators left to attract, Baron"
All of that might be true... but I prefer to do my relaxing somewhere there aren't pools of blood, piles of entrails and freshly dug graves. When the sun gets on this glade tomorrow, the smell is going to be positively nasty. Flies everywhere... Kip wrinkles up his nose thinking about it all. He sniffs the air. Correction. Nastier!
It doesn't matter much, we have fresh water and we already know this immediate area is crear for the moment, lets just move over to the other end.
"Agreed. Before we do, though, I would appreciate healing of some kind. It's hard to get a good night's sleep with this many open wounds"
You spend the next day in the glade, recovering from the past few battles. Casimir's sense of loss fades from him abruptly five hours after the battle and Kalev is able to easily provide and cook meat and vegetables for the group, apparently his skills in the forest are even greater than elsewhere. After weapons are sharpened, armour is donned, spells are prepared and camp is broken up on the morning of the 18th of Calistril, Kalev takes the lead and youyou begin to head south-west, on the edge of your assigned area of the Greenbelt. Any further west than this would fall into the territory of one of the other groups the Swordlords sent- a group that has apparently been successful to some extent in forming a stronghold in the region.
You set about exploring and fairly early into the day notice a ruined keep roughly in the centre of the area your exploring. You keep your distance and use it as a landmark to navigate and explore the area, finishing your mapping duties before you take any action to explore it. The area is still dense forest, with little sign of any unnatural inhabitants except the keep. Its late evening when you finish mapping and return to it.
Now, your a good distance away from the ruined building, observing it. The building is a mostly intact circular keep, made up of strong stone walls and surrounded by the encroaching forest; many of the trees growing just outside the walls are some of the oldest and largest you have seen in the Narlmarches. A verdant green coating of moss and vines cover the walls, helping the entire keep to blend in to the forest; its likely many travellers have stumbled across this keep without even noticing it. The main building of the keep itself rises above the forest, to a height of seventy feet, while the walls surrounding it are twenty feet high and look like they could be climbed by anyone competent in the skill.
This main building is inside the walls, while the four towers to the north-east, south-east, north-west and south-west are all built as part of the wall; each about forty feet tall and in varying states of decay- the north-east and south-east towers appear to be lacking roofs, while the south-west tower seems to be in ruins, like it collapsed in on itself. The north-west tower seems to have stood the test of time best; but now that you are closer you notice it has a flag sticking out of an arrow slit- a simple white sheet blowing in the wind, with a crude image of a incredibly muscular troll destroying a gatehouse with a massive morningstar.
The overgrown remains of a path lead to an open, arched gateway gaping in the keep’s eastern wall, its doors long since rotted away. A sweep around the keep has also rewarded you with an additional entrance- a rubble-choked opening on the south side where the wall has crumbled away.
The keep is definitely of Elven make, likely abandoned many centuries ago.
This keep is in very good overall condition. It would take minimal work to make it fully functional as a castle- founding a city here and clearing the forest for it would let this building count as a free castle.
You have heard of an outpost like this rumoured to be somewhere within the northern Stolen Lands, but its never been found according to history. The Elves who once inhabited it fled Golarion at the onset of the Age of Darkness and by the time they returned they were moved by the wilderness and quiet grace of nature in the Stolen Lands compared to the humans that had infested Avistan, deciding to abandon the fort permanently.
In some of the darkest of tomes you have read in your studies, you've heard another reference to this place, although it only makes sense now you've seen the 'living walls' referenced in the book. The place is apparently a haven for the darker Fey in the Narlmarches. The book was deliberately obscure and often spoke in riddles and prose, but you gathered that the main inhabitant of the 'living castle' was a beaing mentioned ominously as 'The Dancing Lady', specified by the author as a "Baobhan Sith".
If this is the trolls stronghold, we should be well prepared before we go in.
Maybe someone should get a closer look invisible or at least get to the walls invisible so they can peer in for guards. As soon as we move forward as a group all will know we are attacking. Casimir, can you manage it if Kip casts his invisble spell on you? Although Kip is the quietest amongst us.
As the group circle cautiously around the ruined structure, Fenna considers it thoughtfully, idly resting a hand on the symbol hanging around her neck.
"I recall reading that there was an elven outpost in this region, abandoned long ago... it may have remained uninhabited by civilised folk since the fall of Azlant, and the time when the elven people retreated to their distant ancestral homeland. We could well be the first people to lay eyes upon it since that time."
You would also have had a +2 favourable circumstances bonus on this check and may thus read the DC30 spoiler.
I believe Cas has also mastered the ability to make himself invisible... but it is true, I am the quietest and can move at full speed when doing so, even through the undergrowth. We could both go... either together or one to the gate and one to the breach?
As Kip speaks he removes his wand of lighting bolt and places it in his pack. He then removes his wand of expeditious retreat from his pack and loads it into his wrist sheathe.
Gripping his walking stick tightly in his hand he awaits the groups decision.
You don't see any figures on the walls but theres no guarantee that someone isn't watching from an arrow slit on one of the five towers (including the middle keep).
As the pale skinned gnome speaks, a beam of the fading sunlight glints against the smooth surface of the winged eye, giving the impression of a rather lifelike twinkle. She frowns as she listens to the others, staring at the moss covered walls for several seconds before speaking again.
"Whoever goes should be very cautious, if they are to venture in alone at all; there may be something far more dangerous than trolls within those walls. If this is indeed the place I think it is, then it is said to be home to numerous wicked fey, the worst of all a Baobhan Sith, whose name it might be best not to speak so close to her domain."
Kip scans the structure looking for signs anyone is watching from the slits or windows.
At Fenna's mention of the wicked fey, Kip tries to recall anything he may have heard about Baobhan Sith.
You have heard rumours of the rare, chaotic evil fey known as the Baobhan Sith. They are always female and resemble beautiful elves with golden hair, pearl-white skin and emerald green eyes. They have few real weaknesses and their most deadly ability is their captivating dance; rythmic swaying and movements infused with magic that dazes their foes even as the Sith slaughters their companions, still dancing. They are sometimes mistaken for vampires, for reasons which you cannot quite recall.
"Baobhan Sith, you say...I believe I heard one of the trappers at Olegs tell a story about such a creature back when we first came to the Stolen Lands. It may be just myth, but there could be some truth in it."
Once Casimir is done retelling the tale, he muses.
"Hmm, with a number of evil fey inside, perhaps sending scouts in alone would not be wise. The fey are better at hiding and ambushes than we are, and we would likely be spotted. Best to go in force, I think. I also don't like the sight of that banner. This place looks to be in too much disrepair to be their stronghold, but they have probably made allies of whomever lurks within."
Okay, then lets prepare ourselves and rush the place. Should we go ahead and enlarge Kalev now? Of course if we have to fight our way in some of those buildings it might be very hard to fight in them at his size, maybe not...okay lets get some spells going and go in.
Evil Fey huh, looks like I will finally get to test Liberator's mettle.
We should start with protections from evil on everyone to help with spells and defenses. I can drink my potion of expeditious retreat to boost my speed. You and Cas might as well turn invisible just before we head in for a tactical advantage. I can cast bless just before we rush them as well. Any other spells we should consider?