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Caught between the bafflingly duplicitous ritual banter of a Varisian sorcerer from behind and potential tiefling-on-ranger friction towards the front, Jokhas - despite being masked - shares a rare look discomforted sympathy with Oggie before taking off after the others. Relaxing his shoulders from their shrug of "what can you do?," the priest catches up to Asharii and gently guides her hand away from Valorian's beard. "It is said that Gozreh's beard scratches the clouds and throws off sparks - sparks that coalesce into the lightning that Razmir so easily bends to His will. Take care that your own touch ignites no fires among us, as Valorian has already noted the curious circumstances and precarious position call for our full attention," he cautions. inclining his mask briefly towards the treant, Jokhas adds, "There have been enough fires set tonight."
The next day and a half pass by without much incident, despite Vinroot's frequent draws from the gourds at his side. For the most part the trek is simply the constant crunch of movement through the forest, but he banters occasionally with the party.
"If'n the faenguard be broken, we all be in a heap o' trouble. After we get to the hill, I be off to find and gather the folks round here."
"Argh! Squirrels! Be off from my head yuh pesky blighters, don have any acorns." (This is accompanied by some gentle flailing at hard-to-reach places)
"This grove 'o oaks bin here longer than I remember, and I'm no spring sapling, hoho! If'n yuh stand real still you can hear them swappin' tales bout the world gone by." Vinroot stands really still for a moment, listening. The sounds of wind in the leaves of the trees sounds almost deliberate for just a moment...and then you realize it's nothing. Vinroot looks a little crestfallen. "They lost lots o' friends to axe and flame. As have I. Not much to talk 'bout now, I guess." He looks at you for a long moment, and then continues moving. He is silent for a long time after.
On the afternoon of the second day, you reachable break in the woods. Sunlight filters into this clearing, burning away the mist to illuminate a perfectly round hill dotted with fairy-cap mushrooms. Nearby, a small creek slowly trickles through a pond buffered by outcroppings of large black rock. The air hangs still, and even the sounds of forest animals seem absent.
"This is where I leave yuh, manlings. Need all of us to fight 'gainst the comin storm. 'Fore I leave, anythin else I can do fer yuh?"
Vinroot scratches his head a little at Asharii's question, and thinks for a bit. "I don' remember much o' the tales, my noggin's full of birds' nests today. An evil and pow'rful sorceress she be, full o' spite an' twisted ambition. I'm looking to search fer the fey circles when I leave yuh, find someone who could know the answers."
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"I can imagine no better way to summon a mad hermit than to shake a flower over a field of mushrooms," remarks Jokhas. In a voice only a touch lower than his earlier remark, he adds, "I have witnessed and read about more preposterous rituals to call upon the divine, and many of those did not even result in successfully summoning so much as a warm feeling."
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Asharii draws her scimitar. " Jokhas. Will you please do us the honor. I think you are the only one with plant savvy who can perform this ritual with any semblance of composure. To be honest, I do not believe I can look on without bursting into teary-laughter!"
Asharii shows her pointed teeth unabæe to hold back a very wide grin.
Vinroot watches the exchange between the party with considerable confusion, and then waves his farewells. After but a moment, he disappears into the thick trees.
As the party looks on, Jokhas steps forth and raises his arms dramatically, gently shaking the delicate lily over the mushrooms. The minute specks of pollen drift down, and the change to the hilltop is almost imperceptible. It's as if you had always been standing next to the three massive monoliths of eldritch stone that rise from the circular hill, but only now realized it. Each is etched in ancient runes glittering with powerful magic. Down the hill, a solidly built cabin stands among the forest trees next to a small garden of herbs, just a few feet from the trail leading to its door.
<<Map: Devarre's Retreat>>
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"Spells and magic and nature. I'm amazed it surprises you all so much. Give me a moment of preparation however. I don't expect anything, but the past few days have been interesting... to say the least."
Swift Wind then squats, picks up a bit of dirt and smears it on his legs, all the while speaking an incantation.
"If everyone else is ready? Let us meet this hermit and hope he isn't drunk, not well in the head, or some other thing that I can't imagine right now."
The path leads to the small cabin. To the right of the cabin, a layer of pine boughs woven through a wooden frame covers a deep hole in the ground here. To the left, there is a small vegetable and herb garden. You can spot some bright red tomatoes, yellow squash, and orange peppers in the mix.
Oggie steps up to the cabin and knocks. The party waits a few moments, but no one comes to the door.
*crickets*
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Valorian pushes forward and slams his meaty fist into the door, repeatedly, and in his typical loud and gruff voice, "DeVarre! We ain't got de time nor de patience to play ye games a Hides 'n Seek. The fey ar' running amok and we's need information. Get yer arse out 'ere so we can dispense wit dis bi'ness and be on 'ar way!"
Shanks recognizes his master's impatience and sniffs for scent of anyone inside.
Shanks spends a couple minutes sniffing at the door, and then begins to whine and paw at it. After a few seconds of looking earnestly at Valorian, he continues sniffing around,and heads towards the pit to the right of the path. He sniffs all the way to the edge of the pit, looks down into it, and then growls slightly.
Asharii: there are several windows around the cabin, but they are all tightly shuttered. (No glass panes) There is not a back door.
Valorian and Swift Wind: The pit is about 30 feet deep, and inside of it is a very clearly dead dire wolf.
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Swifty, cover me. I'm going down there to check it out. Shanks, stay!
Valorian ties a rope to the nearby tree stump and climbs down.
At the bottom, he carefully searches the pit around the wolf body and then examines the body itself.
I'll take 10 on climb to get an 18 if allowable, otherwise...
If I can take my time and thoroughly search, take 20 for a 32, otherwise...
What caused it's death? Are there any unusual markings or wounds?
Valorian clambers down the sides of the pit, an easy affair with the rope to assist him. He roots around down at the bottom of the pit, carefully poking the leaf litter at the bottom and examining the dead wolf. He finds a little bit of blood at the bottom, mostly minor amounts, as if from the deadly falls of small animals. The wolf has a broken ankle, likely from the fall into the pit, but it is clearly not the cause of death. It is very obvious from the state of the wolf's body that it died from thirst and starvation, despite the gnawed remains of a few hapless rabbits. You are under the impression from it's size and musculature that prior to falling in the pit, this was an extremely healthy and robust dire wolf. From the state of decay, you guess that it died no more than a few days ago. Finally, you note that the pit would be fairly well camouflaged when covered with the woven line boughs, but except for a few rabbit sized holes, the cover is not disrupted or broken.
Asharii cracks open the door to the cabin, and a stream of light breaks into the otherwise dim interior. A large bearskin rug covers the cabin's floor before a stone fireplace along the far wall. A handcrafted table sits in the southwest corner next to a cabinet cluttered with empty cookware. To the north, there is a stout wooden bedframe with a goose down mattress covered in heavy furs. As the door opens, a voice calls out from inside.
"Eh? Who's there?"
K1 E1 J2
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Yells up to Swiftwind, "I'm not sure what happened here, but the beast is dead. Not from the fall, but from starvation. It does have a leg injury, likely from the fall. If this DeVarre is supposed to live here, strange he'd leave this magnificent beast to die. I would expect him to have more respect for the forest. It's also strange that the cover from the pit is not disturbed. I would have expected if this wolf had stumbled over it, the cover would be crushed, cracked, and generally broken up. It lays here, undisturbed, as if it was intentionally placed at the bottom."
Valorian's attitude darkens and he clenches his hands, "I fear fey trickery is involved. Careful wit de shack o'r there. Fey is known to set 'em traps for 'dos snooping 'round their bi'ness." Shanks growls deeply at the mention of fey.
Unless anyone asks for further actions in the pit, Valorian will climb out and recover his rope.
I'll call the DC10, but Nani is free to adjust it.
You have been traveling with Valorian long enough to notice that he is relatively well-spoken when he is calm and concentrating on a task. However, when he gets angry, especially when he suspects fey (which is most of the time) his language becomes broken and he sounds more like a rural "hick" with lazy enunciation and using slang.
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Oggie thinks to himself, "I wonder if I should try telling Jokhas that he don't really worship Razmiran?"
He grins and scratches under his hat.
"Probably wouldn't do any good. He is crazier than a sack of rabid weasels. He sure seems helpful and harmless like.
Turning towards the house Oggie shouts
"Yea we are all lookin' to speak with a fella named Devarre. The unicorn Palombier and the dryad Fira sent us this way since we was on the trail of some nasty spriggans that the treant Vinroot said had broke the faenguard."
Oggie turns to Jokhas and give him a grin before hooking his thumbs in his belt and turning back to the house to wait.
"Eh? What's that about the Faenguard? If you're looking for Devarre then you've found me. Friends of the forest and emissaries of Bellis you say? An unlikely pairing, that one. And enemies of the spriggans too? You carry many of titles for such a strange lot."
The speaker slowly emerges from the cabin, standing in the doorway and blinking his eyes owlishly. It is a tall man bent from age, with a hair and beard the color of the leaves despite his obvious human heritage. He is barefoot, but is covered in an armor of bark and cloth. He looks at each of you with a penetrating gaze, studying you carefully.
You immediately get the sense that something is amiss with this man's behavior, as if he is under some sort of mental control or possession. His eyes roll disconcertingly and unnaturally as he speaks, and a host of small twitches betray the influence.
An invisible creature immediately begins to poke you insistently, accompanied by a feeling of deep suspicion. There is something not at all right about this man's behavior.
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Oggie's grin slips away at the emergence of Devarre.
His hands slip free of his belt as he waves including all of the party,
"Well I am sure we got a few more titles if you be wantin' to hear 'em. I know myself I got a couple more from all this time knockin' around as a Pathfinder."
The concern is evident in Oggie's voice "You feelin' all right there sir? You seem a mite twitchy. Like maybe you ain't quite yourself today."
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"Devarre, we are here to help... We want to close the Faengard to prevent the Fey Queen from escaping. But we cannot do it without your help. We need information!" says Asharii matter of factly while sheathing her weapon.
"Maybe we can even do something for you... to make it worth your while", Asharii licks her lips seductively emphasizing her willingness to be flexible.
GM Chaos Roll:
Devarre's eyes shift back and forth throughout the party, as if trying to decide on a course of action. He watches Asharii sheathe her weapon. "Well, I suppose if you're here to prevent Rhoswen from escaping..."He turns as if you lead you inside of his cabin, but then swiftly turns back with his scimitar drawn, hoarfrost spreading across its blade.. "...Then I'll have to stop you first!" His face contorts in a strange expression, and an eerie purplish glow emanates from his eyes and mouth.
Valorian (+2 Terrain)
Shanks (+2 Terrain)
Eagle (+2 Terrain)
Swift Wind (+2 Terrain)
Jokhas
Oggie
Drezi
Asharii
Enemies
Initiative:
14 Shanks
14 Asharii
9 Jokhas
8 Valorian
8 Eagle
8 Swift Wind
8 Drezi
8 Oggie
4 Enemy
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Valorian climbs out of the pit, stows his rope, and kneels down to ruffle Shanks muzzle.
"Well, Swifty, it appears there are strange happenings here, moreso than we originally thought. I wonder what, if anything, the others discovered at the hut? Is you feathered-friend seeing anything from his over-flight?"
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As soon as it is evident that Deverre really means to attack Oggie yells,
"He's magically control or possessed! This ain't him. We don't need to be killin' here but a beatin' sure might be in order if what I'm fixin' to try don't work"
As Oggie's words echo his hands begin to trace arcane gestures leaving trails of color through the air.
"Hey whoever you are that's controllin' this man let me show you a little something I learned last time I was in Andor."
With a final flourish Oggie releases his spell yelling,
"Efrir ep bered!"
Inspire Courage [move action]
Cast Suppress Charms and Compulsions on Deverre (will save DC 15 - harmless)
Oggie targets himself and Deverre with this spell.
Efrir ep bered is the motto of Andor. It is ancient Taldan and translates to "Free and ready"
Edit: Included spell targets
Asharii, you fail to tumble safely through his square. Devarre slashes with an attack of opportunity, and strikes the tiefling, dealing 7 damage. Frost snakes out from the wound, but Asharii's otherworldly resistances shake it off. Asharii, please give me another acrobatics check.
AoO
Weapon damage
Frost Damage
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Asharii, you fail to tumble safely through his square. Devarre slashes with an attack of opportunity, and strikes the tiefling, dealing 7 damage. Frost snakes out from the wound, but Asharii's otherworldly resistances shake it off. Asharii, please give me another acrobatics check.
AoO 1d20+10
Weapon damage 1d6+2
Frost Damage 1d6
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"Nice move Swifty, but I'an got no skill at wrestlin' an' ain't a gonna let no crazy hermit hurt me new friends. If'n he ain't surrenderin' like a good boy, I'll put me arrow in 'is eye. Shanks, guard Swifty"
Valorian draws his bow and readies to fire if DeVarre escapes Swiftwind's grapple and attacks him.
I'm not completely sure where everyone is at this point, but Shanks will move up behind Swiftwind and will ready to attack if DeVarre escapes the grapple and attacks Swiftwind.
14 Shanks
14 Asharii
9 Jokhas
8 Valorian
8 Eagle
8 Swift Wind
8 Drezi (Delay)
8 Oggie
4 Enemy
Asharii attempts to dart into the cabin, but Devarre blocks her way and slashes at her with his scimitar. She stumbles from the blow and swings back...only to have her rapier scrape off the surface of his armor. Jokhas invokes his words of power while Valorian clambers to his feet. The Eagle dives into the doorway, fluttering wildly around Asharii's head. Despite her impeding its way, it manages to strike out at Devarre, its wings in his eyes. Swift Wind moves in and reaches around the doorway, grabbing the man tight. Thoroughly disoriented, ill omened, and grappled, Oggie's words seem to strike a decisive , almost physical blow. Devarre's head jerks backward, his eyes rolling wildly in his head. Almost as if in slow motion, Devarre collapses to the ground, leaving a glowing violet ghost in his place. The apparition, complete with a leering face in the glow, bobs in the air for a second, and then winks out. Devarre, it seems, is out cold.
D: -9
G: -4
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"That was a will-o-wisp. I've only seen one once before, but this one seems different. It's invisible and must have some ability to posses or control the weak-willed, especially when they are helpless. Let's bring this druid back up and perhaps he'll help us." While speaking, Swift Wind quickly lets go of Devarre, flicks his wrist, and touches the druid with the magical wand that appeared in his hand. After this he picks up his katana from the ground and whistles to Eagle.
Eagle
Eagle flies back up into the sky, keeping watch for the will-o-wisp to appear again.