The party prepares to head northwest. That evening, unfortunately, you don't quite make it out of the swamp, and as a result you don't sleep that well. At least the weather is reasonable.
Vasily sleeps badly and wakes tired and cranky the next day. "Let's get out of this damn swamp and into some decent land."
Despite the uncomfortable surroundings, Beatrix falls into a deep sleep, for the first time since coming to the Stolen Lands her dreams surprisingly free of any of the past horrors that haunted her. The image of a stag gazing at her from the distance lingers in her mind as she greets the new day with a feeling of confidence and purpose.
Katya tosses and turns restlessly for the entire night, her body dripping a cold sweat as she wakes up the next morning, her hair a disheveled mess and her eyes half-closed with exhaustion, "Agreed... some place its actually possible to get a good nights sleep would be nice."
With half the party having trouble keeping from yawning, you head into uncharted territory. It's a fine stretch of forest, and mapping is proceeding apace when everyone except Katya hears something moving off the path.
Bea pulls the reins to stop her horse, holds up a hand, and slides as quietly as she can from her horse. Despite her attempts, she lands on the ground with a symphony of clangs and rings from her armor. She tries to hold still, standing at the ready, her hand on her sword as her eyes dart back and forth, wondering if anyone heard that.
Vasily hops down off Sev's back as well, not as quietly as he might have liked. He walks over next to Bea to whisper his observations. "Sounds like one man with something big with him, a cat or maybe a wolf. Let me and Strelka circle around and see if we can find out anything."
The Fitcher dismounts as well, following the lead of the others. He takes just a few slinking steps off the path.
Fitcher, the wind shifts and you can smell a human and a large feline--probably a puma.
The noise made by the party draws a cry from the direction of the movement. An old man's voice calls out, "What's that? Who's there?"
Relaxing her grip, Bea calls out in response, "Beatrix of Nadezhda, and company. Have any trouble, friend?"
An old man, accompanied by a grizzled-looking puma, slowly picks his way through the foliage. "Hello, Beatrix. What brings you and your friends to this fine wilderness?"
"Surveying the land. These parts never been properly mapped - what can you tell us about the forest here?"
Vasily looks over the man and his cat, trying to remember if he has heard anything about woodsmen with pet pumas.
Vasily, you've not heard anything about him. He's pretty old, definitely human, wearing stained but well-made leather armor, and carrying a whip and shortsword (neither out at the moment).
Katya stays near her horse after dismounting, put off by the condition of the old man initially she doesn't speak, choosing instead to listen carefully.
The man nods at Bea. "Oh, I know a lot about what's around. Or at least I used to...don't remember things so good any more. 'Least the forest still talks to me."
"What's the forest say of late? Anything round here to look out for?"
The Fitcher seems tense, and a bit agitated around the puma, but keeps it under control. He nods jerkily at Bea's suggestion.
We should eat some food and share stories of this area, maybe. We have much to learn.
Vasily nods and smiles at the old man. "I'm always happy to meet another woodsman who knows how to make friends." He puts out a hand to shake with the stranger. "Vasily. Pleased to meet you. Strelka is around here somewhere. I'm sure your buddy there has smelled her already."
The old man takes Vasily's hand tentatively and releases it quickly. "Ah, that's why Cat was so tense. Yes, let's eat something and talk."
A faint smile plays across her face as Bea follows her companions, allowing Vasily to take the lead.
The Fitcher helps to clear a small camp and build a fire, though he isn't much for cooking. He chats of man-eating plant monsters and witches with creepy scarecrows, hoping to draw the man into conversation about areas of interest and what we might run into hereabouts.
Vasily works with the Fitcher to clear a spot and start a fire. He, being the civilized sort of young man he is, has a coffee pot and coffee in one of Strelka's saddlebags and starts some coffee going. The young man doesn't mention anything they'd run into, but does talk about the plant and animal life of the region, hoping to get more information out of a man who clearly lived his life out in the wild.
Enjoying the conversation, Bea mostly listens, injecting minor corrections or additions to stories as needed.
The man has a tendency to talk to things that aren't there, or perhaps he's addressing his cat. He also talks about things as they have been, once referring to the Stag Lord as a newcomer to the area.
Vasily and The Fitcher are working around the fire while Bea chats with the old man. He grows quiet, looking off past the paladin and nodding slightly as she talks. Suddenly and without warning he draws his shortsword and stabs her . At a curt gesture the cat moves around Bea, preparing to attack her next round.
Round 1:
Initiative order
Katya
Old man
The Fitcher
Bea
Vasily
Katya jumps up in surprise at the suddenly violent actions of the Old Man, her hands jumping up with a spell coming to her lips immediately, her reaction honed from months spent in dangerous lands.
"Kax dout laraek!"
Round 1 (ongoing; rearranged):
Initiative order
Old man-acted
The Fitcher
Bea
Vasily
Katya
The hermit cackles as he snatches his hand out of the way of the spell. "Have to be quicker than that to catch old--old--me!" He stabs Bea again, and his cat attempts to savage the paladin. Bea's armor saves her from the bite and one claw, but the other claw draws blood.
Strelka leaps out of the brush to jump on the old man's back as he faces down Bea and the Fitcher, while Vasily starts pumping arrows out at the man. "What are you doing!?"
The Fitcher rolls from his position at the campfire, letting out a surprised growling sound from deep in his throat. He darts a few steps, then strikes at the old man.
The old man manages to dodge The Fitcher's blow, but the two arrows and the cat's claws all hit.
Completely taken by surprise, Bea recoils at the sudden action and pain. Drawing her greatsword, she stands and swings back at the old man.
The old man misses Bea as she stands and strikes. An expression of vast surprise on his face, the old man expires.
Round 2 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Cat-acted
The Fitcher
Bea
Vasily
Katya
As the old man collapses, the cat continues to attack Bea. Its claws fail to find purchase on her armor, but its fangs find a weak spot.
The Fitcher steps over the corpse of the old man, kicking the shortsword away from his lifeless hand, just in case. He reaches out and touches Bea's shoulder, casting a quick spell.
Bea takes up a defensive posture, facing the big cat. "Vasily, if you can't calm it down I'm gonna have to put it down."
[/ooc]Total Defense[ooc]
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Vasily stows his bow and takes a treat out of his pouch, trying to look and sound as unthreatening to the big cat as possible. "Hey, big guy, calm down. Shhhh... Don't follow your buddy into the big sleep."
Vasily, as an experienced animal handler you recognize that the old man has trained the cat as a killer. He could have gotten it to back down, but you had only a tiny chance of managing it. And now you've gotten its attention. With a snarl that echoes across the clearing, it leaps at you.
Beatrix swings her sword hard as the animal moves past her to attack Vasily.