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As the party heads out of the inn and begins the journey towards Cannibal's Grove, Palomia simply shrugs when several of the group point out the missing bear head.
"Well if your slug did eat it, then good riddance. Thing looked like it had the mange or something!"
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Once they arrive at the grove she folds her arms and sighs. "Great, should've known the visibility would go to crap. Anyone got a...oh okay, just wander off then, that's smart..." she mutters as Mishka seems intent on wandering off. When he suddenly turns around moments later, her jaw drops.
"Uh...wait, what?" is all she manages to get out, though her tone seems to have lost some of its bite. Maybe it has something to do with the look in The Foreigner's eyes?
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As they stand around talking, Palomia suddenly stops and stares at her hands with a hungry look...before shaking her head and looking up.
"That was weird...I had the strangest craving for-HOLY HELL!" she shrieks as she watches the rest of the group suddenly start trying to eat themselves.
"STOP STOP STOP! What are you doing!?"
Just as quick as the strange urges caught you they also disappear. After a minute you feel not so weak anymore and are ready to find that darn lantern.
Going by the journal you decide you have the best chance to locate the lantern if you go nearer to the stream. There you discover a small island.
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Once the frenzy for auto cannibalism kicks in Hanlin flicks his wrist and a gnarled little tree branch appears in his hand, applewood perhaps... "I've got this healy wand here if anyone is needy. Lyn, you don't look so good there, why don't I give you a snort or two of this thing hrm?"
He also gives himself a hit and offers it around before they continue the search.
Hanlin leads Sunny down towards the stream searching when he stops and points over to the island "There's something out there under a rock, its a got a purplish looking glow to it? Must be where all them lady gnomes get their hair done."
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The Foreigner looks down at the gnawed flesh on his arm, bewildered for a moment, but as the queasiness wears off, he performs a rapid visual triage of the wounded, all bearing marks similar to his own.
The Foreigner nods with approval at the gnome, as Hanlin quickly heals himself and the witch Linria.
When the swamp druid calls attention to the small island, mid-stream, his gaze takes it in , but from his current position, he can't make out the rock Hanlin spotted.
He ignores his own minor flesh wound, assessing it will heal well enough on its own. He moves to the stream, and crouches down warily, cleaning the bite before infection can set in.
He steps across the downed tree and leaps to the island, taking a closer look.
The Foreigner calls out to the group, "This light source may be magical. A caster should examine its aura, before I attempt to move it."
He grips his greatsword, in case the object is merely bait for an ambush or trap.
This team has useful skills. They are worthy companions.
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"Okay...so what just happened? Is no one else concerned about what just happened? Anyone?" Palomia asks as her companion's urges for human flesh seem to subside. "Like, is that going to happen again? What was that?"
She draws her longspear and looks around nervously, lest they fall under the sway of another strange effect. As they begin making their way towards the stream and the small island, she continues to glance nervously over her shoulder. "Relas, keep an eye out behind us alright? I don't trust anything about this place now."
When Hanlin points out the small glow on the island, she squints into the mists until she manages to spot what he's talking about. "Hold up, the uh...'Foreigner' is right. Let me check and make sure there aren't any other strange magics floating around besides the lantern, which is probably what that is," she cautions as she begins casting a simple cantrip.
"You have some sense," she adds, nodding at the Foreigner. "Good to know."
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"I'm on it Palo!"
As the group advances forward, Relas falls back a few paces and brings up the rear. His eyes roam this way and that, trying to make sure to do a good job and not let anything nasty sneak up on them.
"I'm glad no one ended up really eating each other," he whispers to Sayra. "But I have to ask - how did it taste? I've never actually had to bite a person before so I wouldn't know..." he continues, either unaware of or ignoring the fact that Sayra isn't able to give a verbal reply.
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Linria snaps out of her stupor and watches as the wound on her forearm closes up, Hanlin's magical energy stitching the fibers back together. "Thank you. I don't know what got over me. I .. can't believe Sayra would think about eating me!" She scowls at the fox. "Unacceptable!"
Dear diary: Today, my mother ate a chunk of my leg.
Sayra does the animal equivalent of pouting and moseys far from Linria, finding a spot next to Relas out of Lyn's nasty glare. She hears his whisper, but doesn't really understand him, she just appreciates his optimism and interest.
"I don't see it, Hanlin. Sir Foreigner, what's over there?" Lyn calls out.
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The Foreigner holds up a hand, indicating he thinks Lyn should stay back.
"The summoner speaks sense. The fell magicks that overcame us once might return."
To Lyn and the others, the Foreigner says, "We may have located the lantern the half-orc scholar Ulisha mentioned in her journal. Once Palomia Kasich has completed her arcane examination, I will extract the artifact. We should exercise caution, until it seems safe. It were better only one of us be exposed to any immediate danger the thing might pose."
"Perhaps then, one of you casters could identify its particular properties."
May it be so, and not worse.
The foreigner wades through the stream while his companions stay on the bank of the small stream. There he overturns a few big rocks and reaches down between them. Triumphantly he holds a glowing humanoid skull high in the sky. Could this be the lantern?
It seems that investigation needs to wait for a bit, out of the mists looms a majestic beast. It stands the height of a man at its shoulders, a many-tipped rack of proud antlers crowning its head. Between those antlers a sparkling figure is slowly turning the head of a bear....
Initiative
Lyn
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Elk
- - -
Ashwell
Hanlin
Foreigner
Palomia
Relas
The beast is an elk and Lyn knows everything there is to know about it. The elk thunders towards the foreigner and the sparkling being between it's antlers throws the bear's head in the general direction of the foreigner! A small fey becomes visible between the antlers. It shrieks "Give it to me!"
Initiative
Ashwell
Hanlin
Foreigner
Palomia
Relas
Lyn
- - -
Elk + Fey (Knowledge Nature to identify)
- - -
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The Foreigner eyes the hostile fey and its animal companion , and determines the wiser course of action would be to avoid unnecessary combat.
He slowly and carefully steps back across the stream.
The Foreigner addresses the fey and his companions, "Perhaps we can diffuse the situation without bloodshed. Let us discuss the possibility of an exchange. We seek a magical lantern. We found this skull. Permit my colleagues to first examine it. If it's not the item we seek, we have no interest in keeping it from you."
"It is mine! Give it to me!"
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Hanlin studies the now visible fey creature. "How could this be yours? We just found it fair and square. Calm yourself, we aren't here to start a fight."
Hanlin casts a spell as well
Hanlin whispers to his companions "Do not antagonize the beast unless he gets aggressive."
"It is in the forest and the forest belongs to the fey, so that skull belongs to me!"
Hanlin recognizes the miniscule, green-skinned humanoid with dragonfly wings as an Atomie. Like most fey it has some resistance against weapons that are not made of cold iron. Like pups standing up to a full-grown cur, atomies never back down from aggression, and take tremendous pride in defeating and humiliating foes larger than themselves. They can reduce humanoids to their own size and can speak with all animals.
Initiative
Ashwell
Palomia
Relas
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Elk + Fey (Knowledge Nature to identify)
- - -
Hanlin
Lyn
Foreigner
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Hanlin rolls his eyes at the Atomie and his posturing. "Look, there's no need to puff your chest out at us. Everything in the forest doesn't belong to the Fey, the forest belongs to us all and to no one at all. This was left here long ago by someone and we found it first, making it ours. You're just being greedy. And don't you dare get that fine Elk involved in your bluster!"
"You can have what's under that rock, I'll take that skull!"
The tiny fey is intensely staring at the Foreigner while the elk has found a nice waterplant to chew on.
Initiative
Ashwell
Palomia
Relas
Hanlin
Lyn
Foreigner
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Elk + Fey
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The Foreigner tosses the skull to Lyn for closer inspection.
Why is this creature so obstinate?
"The forest lays no claims on what lies within it. Perhaps it is the evil of this place twisting your words and the beauty of the forest."
He sheaths his blade. "We mean you know harm." Most of us, anyway.
"My colleagues are examining the skull. Do not risk your life over this bauble. If you will stand down, I will take another look beneath the rock."
"See, the others will honor this agreement."
The Foreigner moves cautiously back to the small island to look under the rock, keeping a wary eye on the fey and a firm grip on his sword in its sheath.
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Hanlin continues to stand down until things get ugly. He doesn't see the Atomie as a real threat, just the Elk, who seems content at the moment.
He does look at Lyn and her ways of reading people's magic with interest. I really should learn how she does that, it could really be helpful some day I bet.
The little fey does not listen to the foreigner's attempt to solve the situation without violence. She continues to stare at him but suddenly grasps her head. Looking at the other pathfinders she yells "Who did this! I will get you for that!".
While she is doing that her eyes meet Lyn's eyes. A short contest of wills later her wings stop fluttering and she crashes down into the stream, to be carried away by the current...
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Hanlin watches the Atomie fall off and float away "I'm not sure who did what there... but good job. Those things just don't give up, its a surprise they haven't gone extinct yet. They must be prolific breeders I guess."
Hanlin waves goodbye to the Elk then does his best to coerce Sunny into another sweet ride through the forest back the way they came. "Oh look at you! Yes we'll stop at the first cabbage farm we find I promise!" He hops up and slides along through the forest with a beaming smile.
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"I like the way you think," Palomia nods at Ashwell. "Trying to talk wasn't getting us anywhere. Sometimes you have get a little rough with people...or other creatures...whether you want to or not."
"Care if I take a closer look at that thing?" she asks, beckoning the skull be passed to her.
"Ooh...it's a Grim Lantern," Palo whistles after a few minutes of studying the skull. "It captures pieces of souls and stores them inside; that's what gives off the light. You can make it burn the soul pieces to conjure up a blast of flame, but that extinguishes the lantern until something is slain in close proximity - then the lantern absorbs a piece of the soul and gives off light again," she explains.
"Nasty piece of work, really. This one's power seems really weak though, maybe because it's been buried here in the glade for so long. It could still be useful but it's not the sort of thing I'd want to carry around in public, you know?" Her examinations finished, she offers to hand the lantern off to whoever might want to carry it.
"Anyway, that actually went better than I thought it would - weird bout of attempted cannibalism notwithstanding. You two say you want to go have a look at the webs next?" she indicates Krieger and Hanlin. "Sure, why not?"
You might remember some things about Daggermark.
You might also know some things about giant spiders.
stabilizer in volatile poisons. This adhesive is most valuable when it
is fresh; the silk glands of a freshly killed spider are the best source.