Keanan is clearly frustrated by the group's quick move to the hut, standing right next to the straw men. Some strange ideas pop into his head. "Ya know, those straw men might have been living things once, and it's a monument to where they died as they approached the hut. Might want to think about that possibility that anywhere near the hut is a trap that turns you into straw."
Despite these dire thoughts, Keanan tries to be brave and moves to the eastern side of the hut, seeing if there is anything in the area from that vantage point.
"Balazar, you sure you don't smell anything now? I've got a really bad feeling about this place."
Balazar seems a bit annoyed since she didn't smell anything the first time, and snorts in frustration.
"Well, we moved to a different spot and closer to the hut, so maybe here is better." Keanan realizes that Balazar is still a bit shaken up from the wound this morning and she isn't in a good mood. Still, Balazar takes another deep breath in the air.
Well, let's try a little longer to keep this proper and peaceful.
Nebdel goes no further, but calls out in a clear voice, Can you two see in a window from up there? Maybe she is hurt and needs help.
'Bet that head on spear is looking a little better right about now" August says in a hushed voice to Keanan.
'Maybe we should simply knock, then we'll know one way or another"
"I have an idea. What if we simply moved the straw men to the edge of the forest? Should they simply be decorations, we can move them back. If they have evil intent, having them far away from us and the witch might be to our advantage. What do you think? Clearly I think it's a splendid idea, but stoutfolk are known for their splendid ideas."
As you approach the hut you notice that the moldering door has rotted off its hinges but still blocks the way within. You hear no sound from within the cottage and a fine layer of dust and spider webs (small normal) cover everything.
You notice nothing but that the glade is very still.
Balazar still not smelling anything.
"Stay back Serila I'll try to peek in to see if the witch is home." Alperion sneaks to a side window and peers in. After a minute he walks back toward Serila and waves the group forward."There is no one inside that I could see but the window is partially blocked. But from the looks of things no one has lived here for awhile."
"Well, if no one is home, anyone want to help me move these foul creations to the edge of the woods? They'sa givin me the heeby jibies."
Keanan moves toward one and starts to pick it up.
Keanan grabs one of the stick effigy's and pull it out of the ground ... with a little to much enthusiasm and falls backward with the thing resting on his chest. Laying on his back he holds his breathe waiting for something to happen. A few seconds go by and nothing.
.
After 5 minutes Keanan has cleared the glade of the weird stick figures.
"Well, now that makes me feel a bit better. I had to do it you know, Balazar was scared of them." Keanan tries not to giggle, but Balazar is not amused to the extent she understands what Keanan is talking about. Just hearing her name and "scared" in the same phrase is enough to anger the beast!
"Well, I'm not one for entering anyone's house without some kind of invitation from the owner or some kind of legal authority to do so. Private property is private property after all, and if needed I will indeed return those strange straw men back to her yard. Still, we need to find this witch, and if she's not home, perhaps she is watching us from afar or waiting to return later tonight."
"I've knocked, but there was no reply..." Serila hesitates, then gives the door a push to see if it opens. If it opens she'll cautiously step inside the hut.
"Anybody home...?" She looks around when inside the hut, searching for both the witch and the root Laurel needs.
Seeing that Serila is having trouble with the door Alperion step in front of her and tries. "Let me get that for you Serila." Giving her a smile.
The door comes unstuck and falls to the ground outside the hut with a thud that echos through the glade.
.
the cottage is dank, reeking, and filled with shadows. Haphazardly hung shelves line the walls, covered in all manner of clay jugs, clouded bottles, strangely cut rocks, rotted bunches of herbs, and a museum of other crude curios and remnants of a bone grinder’s artifice. A rusted iron cauldron, 5 feet wide and a depth of at least 3 feet, dominates the hut’s single room, its ash-covered surface shaped with a relief of capering fiends and leering devils. Across from the door, against the far walls, stands a high backed chair made of wicker, the gigantic curved tusks of some monstrous beast, and thousands of human teeth. In the chair sits what looks like a corpse wrapped in filthy burial linens, its form padded with pungent herbs and sprouting patches of thick white mold.
Keanan does his best to peer in from the outside. "Well, there something you don't see everyday." Keanan is not sure about entering the hut since he think's it is trespassing. Keanan postulates that if the witch is indeed dead, then the house would technically be abandoned, and thus entering wouldn't really be trespassing. Hmmmmmm
Keanan's face suddenly changes, and a fresh look of absolute horror fills him and his demeanor. "Well, wait a minute. Some walking dead kobolds come into our camp during the night. Maybe this dead witch walks at night as well! We should begin tying her up! Here, take my rope." Keanan tosses his rope inside the hut with a sense of urgency. "Put a thick rag in that body's mouth, to prevent her from casting a spell on us! Tie that witch up very well, for our lives and those in the town may depend upon it!"
With the fear of what he's realizing, he forgets about whether or not anything is trespassing and moves into the hut with a sense of urgency.
"August, maybe you and I can move the cauldron. A witch without her cauldron might be less powerful. Can you and I move it together to push it as far away from this undead witch as we can? Then I suggest getting your spear ready for negotiations, as I fear darkness will awaken this witch to foul intentions."
With a last look around the glade, Nebdel joins the others in the moldering hut. He spends a few minutes searthing for threats.
.
.
Keanan, why don't you let me do that. I can tie a knot, but I can't find the watchacallit that we were supposed to find here.
Careful guys, there is still some magic in the cauldron. There is also a little bit of magic near that crossbeam that has the hanging bones, herbs, roots, and stuff.
"I'm not touching anything, and I'd suggest the same to you Keanan, Lets just look for anything that looks like a rat tail...that hopefully isn't attached to a rat"
August keeps his gaze fixed on the body in the chair, spear at the ready.
After he gets the corpse tied up, Nebdel investigates more carefully.
"Well, I've never encountered this Rat Tail herb, and everything is so disorganized like a little child's play area that it would take a long time to find it.
Plus, neither Laurel or Millon said anything about the chance that the witch was dead. I suspect either this witch is an undead abomination or this creature in the chair is just an unlucky soul who fell victim to the witch.
Still, now that we have this creature tied up and gagged, I suppose looking around for it can't hurt."
Keanan turns to his best friend, "Oh, and Balazar, keep a look out front just in case you see something coming, and roar if you see or smell anything."
Balazar moves to the hut's door and looks out.
"All I know is that the root's supposed to look like a rat's tail, hence the name. But finding it in here..."
Is Rat's Tail a magical root maybe?
At the mention of magic near the crossbeam that has hanging bones, herbs, et cetera, Serila's walks up to the beam and inspects each herb hanging from it. She takes anything that looks even remotely like a rat's tail.
.
As you get closer to the corner with the roots, bones and other things hanging you see a faint glow comes from a small grotesque, amulet-like shrunken head, which animates and begins to speak. "You have tresspassed on to Ulizmila’s lair now you shall muhahahahahahahahaha.
Right after the head stops laughing you hear Alperion yell a warning."Keanan watch out!!!
Keanan turns just in time to see the Calduron take a bite at him but miss.
Damage taken by Cauldron = 2
Alperion draws his sword and stabs at the cauldron but glaces off leaving only a small scratch.
With an incredible display of slow reaction time Serila turns around to face the cauldron. If it hasn't been dealt with by the time she finally reacts, she'll cast acid splash on it.
With a shout, Nebdel rushes to the center of the hut and swings a mighty blow at the cauldron.
But the morningstar only slams into the dirt floor.
August moves up to this strange biting cauldron hoping that it can die like anything else.
He takes a stab at it
The cauldron bites at Keanan grapping his arm with it's mouth but Keanan fights off the cauldron's attempt to swallow him.
Damage taken by Cauldron = 4
"By Gozreh's gonads, this foul thing is alive! Balazar come help me!"
Keanan draws his scimitar and swings at the cauldron.
Swinging his blade again at the abomination Alperion's blow sends a ringing through the hut and clips off a small piece of the creature. "My sword is not doing much to this thing, it's skin is as hard as cast iron."
Damage taken by Cauldron = 12
Well, I will try once more before we try deperate measures.
.
Nebdel takes another swing at the cauldron...
.
.
and misses yet again!
Balazar growls loudly at this, well, big round thing. She then proceeds to keep attacking it.
The animated cauldron bares it's sharp teeth once again lunges at Keanan but the dwarf dodges the attack.
"I never liked cooking anyway!" August shouts while bring his shield around to smash into the cauldron, metal on metal, following it with a strong spear thrust.
"I don't like cooking either, just the eating!" Keanan is trying to be amusing, which keeps him calm and focused while he fights.
Serila shoots a ray of heavenly fire at the animated cauldron. "I've never cooked! My... maids usually do that?"
.
Serila’s white fire bolt blasts a hole in the cauldron. Howling in pain and anger the cauldron charges Serila.
Damage taken by Cauldron = 20
Nebdel howls back in frustration and rage at continuing to miss a giant black pot!
Balazar growls some more, as she is growing rather annoyed at this thing.
Alperion stikes the cauldron chipping off another piece and attacking again as the cauldron move to attack Serila but misses.
Damage taken by Cauldron = 27
The cauldron charges across the room to attack Serila. Barreling at Serila with is mouth wide open hoping to swallow her whole.
Serila is able to prevent it from swallowing her but it bit a chunk out of her leg.
Nebdel swings again at the thing as it rushes by...
And pounds another hole into the floor of the hut.
"Aahh!" Screaming in pain when a chunk of her leg is ripped off, Serila tries to keep her balance with her other leg. Her face turns pale, and she starts feeling dizzy with the blood gushing out of the wound.
Even in her current state, balancing on one leg, Serila sees an opening in the cauldron's defenses when it moves. She shoots another ray of heavenly fire at it, but the dizziness she feels causes Serila to miss.
Seeing the cauldron now stand in front of her Serila panics.
Do I heal? No, it won't enough.
Serila raises one arm with her palm facing up, and a white light appears in her hand. "Sarenrea's eagle, I summon you!"
A celestial eagle appears next to the animated cauldron and attacks the evil object.
Keanan moves around Balazar and swings at the cauldron with a swift move of his scimitar.
Looks like I got a critical (18-20), will roll to confirm and roll and just roll damage if it confirms.
"Aahh!" Screaming in pain when a chunk of her leg is ripped off, Serila tries to keep her balance with her other leg. Her face turns pale, and she starts feeling dizzy with the blood gushing out of the wound.
Even in her current state, balancing on one leg, Serila sees an opening in the cauldron's defenses when it moves. In a reflex she hits the cauldron with the palm of her hand.
Seeing the cauldron now stand in front of her Serila panics.
Do I heal? No, it won't enough.
Serila takes a defensive stance and tries to limp out of the hut, hoping the door opening is too small for the cauldron to follow after her.
Keanan strikes the cauldron true, right above the hole that Serila’s spell made, causing it to crack in half. With an ear piercing scream a volatile dark spirit raises from the cauldron’s mouth and dissipates. The broken cauldron lies still near the door.
Keanan's leg is bleeding, but he focuses his fury and points his curved blade at the shrunken head. "August, I know you said you wanted to negotiate with a head on your spear. I think we have a candidate."
After a 15 minute search of the witch's hut the group finds what they believe to be the Rat's Tail root that Laurel is looking for, but nothing else of value.(except a talking shrunken head)