Estra carefully picks aside the hard to chew bits.
"Ha! 'Running'. That ain't a word that's been in my vocabulary for some time."
Hakon holds up his hand and points upward. "Not running, exploring. Seeing what new things we may find. Or exciting moments to add to a saga... Story if you will. We heard of interesting things in the forest. Maybe we might come across them in our exploration." Hakon grins wide after finishes speaking. And then digs in to the stew, gobbling it down.
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Kyra digs out another spoonful of potatoes and veg from her stew.
"This stew is just what i needed after our long walk today. Thank you Birdy." she says between mouthfuls.
"My companion here has it right. Explorers like us live for hunting out the strange and interesting on our travels. But your words have truth in them too, my dear. Sometimes the interesting thing can hunt the explorer instead." Kyra eats another mouthful of stew as she watches the lady's reaction to her words.
Then she finally adds. [b"]But do not worry about us. We are cautious and capable in equal measure."[/b]
Mavaro eats his stew and listens. When Birdy mentions things the group might encounter, he says "Isn't Cannibal's Grove close to here? What do you know of that place?"
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I know enough ta not put my own soul in peril, steering youse to such uhallowed spots. 'Twas where the old Famished Shaman worked his blasphemies, and it is bad luck to speak his name. The dead rest ill."
Birdy shakes her head, as if to dislodge bad thoughts.
The legends say he was a druid that spent so much time as a beast, he lost his soul to hungerin' for flesh. Not the best story to share during dinner, I s'pose," she laughs nervously, in self-defense. "They say Erastil made him into a bear- -prey for hunters. My husband usta tell folks the head was the selfsame bear but it were bad for business."
Seems to me like it'd be a funny story to tell, not one that would keep people away, Yoon pipes up, loudly slurping her stew.
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Oloch looks up from his stew long enogh to say,
Giant bear, you say? Sounds a worthy opponent. Where is this Cannibal's Cove?
"We should investigate this," Mavaro agrees after finishing a bite of bread.
Don't worry miss, we're advenurers! Yoon says with a huge grin on her face while brandishing her owlbear doll, and if nothing else, Gom-Gom will protect us!
Hakon grins and laughs when he hears Yoon's comment. "Haha! That is right little one. And we got each other backs as well!" He puts a heavy hand on the girl's hair and rubs back and forth, making it messy. "Right. We should rest to get up early. Time for bed."
Oloch agrees with Hakon.
As much as I would love to get started right away, Cannibal's Cove doesn't sound like the place to wander around in, in the middle of the night.
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Morning comes peacefully (but early, like always), and Birdy sees you off with a breakfast of oatmeal and a few final words of superstitious warning.
Birdy's directions point you about a mile south-by-southwest of the Restless Bear. The Forest of Veils seems to earn it's name by the prevalent mists that choke the forest floor (while in the forest, anything 5-feet away or further has concealment). A nearby stream babbles unsettlingly.
"Oh, heavens. There just comes an' age where no amount of coffee is going to help you out of bed."
Estra takes forever to get ready. After the group departs the inn, Estra summons Honaire back to her side.
"Cannibal's Cove? Ha! I'm in luck. Ain't nobody my age gonna have teeth to chew on me! Heh, heh, heh."
Oloch devours his breakfast and scoffs at Birdy's concern.
Bah! Don't worry about us! , he says as he stands up and readies his gear. Cannibal's Cove! Now this sounds promising, he adds, quite seriously.
As he goes outside to wait for the others, it occurs to him that something is different from the night before. After a moment, he puts his finger on it.
Hold on a minute! That bear's head is gone from the pole. he says to whoever is outside with him.
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Kyra prays alone to Sarenrae in the morning sun.
"As ever, The Dawn Brings New Light" she says to the group as they gather together outside.
Kyra stares towards the morning sun. She seems lost in thought or prayer.
"This morning i prayed for Sarenrae to guide us as we visit the grove. I promised her that this ill named place will either be renewed or it's evil purged in her name.
Mavaro looks curiously at the pole as Oloch points out the missing head.
"Curious," the occultist says. "Perhaps a prank? Still, let us continue on our journey to the cove. We have tarried long enough."
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The journey leads to a clearing, where crimson thistles have overtaken a ring of mossy standing stones. In the center, a neglected stone slab bears ancient stains and gouges.
The stone circle shows no sign of the Famished Shaman, or anything really, beyond a chill foreboding and a vague sense of dread.
PC Status:
NPC Status:
Active Global Conditions: None.
Surprise Round:
Mavaro <= !
Kyra <= !
Estra <= !
.....
Hakon
Estra casts Shield on Honaire.
"Be alert, my husband... Something foul is afoot."
"The smell of rotten meat...this is a haunt. Be alert! Positive energy can hurt them, too!" Mavoro says.
He takes a moment to cast lead blades to prepare himself for what might come.
Yoon blinks as she looks about and replies with a simple, Huh?
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"I think you're right Mavaro. I will try to channel Sarenrae's holy light to disrupt the energy of this tainted area."
Kyra steps nearer and holds her holy symbol out.
she says loudly.
Her voice has much more volume than her normal speaking voice and seems to echo strangely around the clearing. When she finished her sentance a wave of positive energy flows out from her holy symbol.
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Kyra fills the area with the divine might of Sarenrae, but the profane will of the Famished Shaman persists. The smell of rotting food morphs into the smell of delectable meat and the urge to consume builds up inside the party.
The urge hits Kyra and Hakon the hardest, and when the urge to feed passes, the two of them have gnawed at their own forearms.
damage and sickened for 1 minute.
damage and sickened for 1 minute.
When the two victims of the haunt come back to their senses, the smell (rotten meat or otherwise) is gone completely.
"You... You umm... You alright there, dearies?"
"Ha... Um... What...? Hakon spits to the ground and wipes his face with the back of his other hand. "Alright! I am ticked off. Lets find what is here and leave. Maybe even destroy the place so no one else comes! Damn evil cursed place."
Umm... I think something is over there, Yoon says, pointing trying her best to not dwell on the fact that her companions just tried eater their arms off while she hold Gom-Gom by the hand, the owlbear swinging perilously close to the ground.
"Honaire... would you be so kind?"
Honaire floats over to where Yoon was pointing, his coloration drifting to a stark grey.
"I am familiar with the occult," Mavaro says. "Even so...that was bizarre," he adds.
He begins looking around for anything that might have been the source of the haunt.
What happened? What made them attack their own arms like drumsticks?
Hakon exclaims as he stomps over to the stone table, looking for anything interesting in his anger.
Oloch also looks around for some clue as to what is going on.
Oh, I'm not scared Miss Kyra. Not of the light, anyway. I was just trying to point it out to you, she says with a big grin on her face that wavers slightly when she looks back to Hakon's and Kyra's bite marks.
Oloch, seeing something in the mist, seeks to draw the group's attention.
He says, Over there, to the right, in the mist. What is that dark floating shape? Hey, is that the bear's head from the inn?
"What? Where?" Mavaro says as he draws his blade.
He turns toward where Oloch is pointing.
Over there by that small island in the stream Oloch says as he moves in the direction of where he thinks he saw the bear head.
Follow me!
Yoon skips along behind Oloch as he moves toward the island, humming and wondering what the light is.
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Yoon leads the group to where the glimpses of orange light snuck through the mists. Oloch's claims of a floating bear's head cannot be verified by anyone else's eyes.
At the small island, the orange light is a bit clearer to see, and a bit of digging over the course of a minute frees Ulisha's damaged grim lantern.
Upon freeing it from the soil, a cacophony of animal barks and hisses and growls emanate from seemingly all sides of the islet. Mixed in the noise is a bit of chanting in a language no one understands.
Hakon grumpily follows everyone over to the little islet. When he gets there, Hakon finally notices the glowing light of a lantern. He tilts his head and smirks slightly. "Oh? What do we have here." He moves over next to it and uncovers it.
Picking it up, Hakon looks towards the rest of the group. "Hey! Look at w-" Hearing the sudden activity of the woods around them, Hakon pulls out an hand axe and looks around. "What in the world!?"
Oloch howls in delight at the sudden chorus of animal sounds and chanting, taking it all as a sign of impending combat.
Thank you, My Lord in Iron, for the challenge you are about to send us! Now I call upon you to bestow your blessing on those about to face physical violence!