Zorka nods approvingly as Edward reveals the keys provided by the Black Rider, and is much more friendly now (this is, however, relative to her normal prickly personality).
Davosh begins a long discussion with Zorka, and even Ali finds it difficult to follow after a while. The upshot is, each set of keys to the Hut is associated with a location, and stirring one into the bubbling cauldron should move the Hut to that location.
The warlock is skeptical, but Zorka is insistent. Davosh drops the lock of hair and the piece of plague doctor's mask into the cauldron, where they rapidly sink into the unappetizing stew, and grasps the giant spoon, surprisingly heavy to his touch, to stir it.
The room around them shimmers and a bit, and parts seem to dissolve as other parts fade into and out of focus.
A moment later, the shimmering and fading stops. A sturdy black cauldron sits in the middle of this now-rustic room with timber floors, log walls, and a high ceiling framed by long beams cut from whole trunks. A grand cobblestone hearth fills one corner, its dying embers feeding the room with a dull red glow. Various barrels, farm tools, crates, and other miscellaneous items clutter the remainder of the space, though the familiar handful of them are in a different place than they were before. In the corner opposite the fireplace, a rickety wooden staircase climbs to a small wooden landing. A shallow alcove off the landing holds two thick oaken doors.
We're here! Zorka. Wherever here is...
The Varisian lad stands in the background and watches curiously as Davosh does his strange witchcraft with the black cauldron. When the room begins to change the rogue crouches fearfully, not quite sure what is going on. As the room settles Kappi is surprised to see that things are different. The lad begins quickly exploring the new room, first careful for any dangers and then looking for loot.
perception
Yet even as the lad searches for possible loot, he peeks back at Zorka to see if she will yell at him for messing with things.
[Dice=Level 7 Murder Hobo HPs]1d12+2
We don't roll for HPs. You get half your hit die +1. So Vojtek gets 7 plus Con bonus, level bonus, toughness ect...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How does Kappi know that? And how does Vojtek NOT know that?!?
Zorka goes about chasing cobwebs in the room. You go now, find out where the Hut has taken us. You seek Baba Yaga, will set all right again. She not here, you find where to go from this place. Other keys will move the Hut once more. Now shoo! Zorka has work to do! She says this last as she pulls up a comfy-looking chair to the fireplace and pulls a rumpled sweetmeat out from her dusty robes. Go!
Davosh nods, and looks out of the windows. "No time to lose, the forces of darkness weave themselves into the threads of our bairns!"
Ready.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kappi opens the door a crack and peeks out. He pies around and see what he can.
Is it still cold where we are? Sunshine or starlight? Time of day? And of course any threats?
Perception
If looks remotely clear, the rogue gives a look to make sure the sturdy barbarian is ready. Then in a flash Kappi goes out the door and cuts right. Vojtek goes just a step behind but cuts left...
Kappi opens the door easily, revealing a long corridor that stretches out to both sides, the aged plank floors seeming to continue forever. Solid logs form the passage walls, intricately carved with knotted designs and images of lances, and centaurs, ravens, and female figures. Pale-winged moths and tiny fireflies flutter through the hallway, their flickering glows filling the corridor with dim light. The hallway appears to go on ceaselessly in either direction.
"This is not what I pictured. Still, we can't make history by staying indoors." Davosh dances some lights left and right looking for an indication of which direction is most likely to lead towards something interesting.
The corridor travels on and on, seemingly forever.
"Amazing! The corridor is a loop. A veritable Moebius strip. Amazing! Utterly unhelpful for us, but amazing nonetheless!"
Davosh looks about for a bit before turning to Kappi, "Lad, can you check this for secret exits?"
Davosh will also think about possible ways to work through this conundrum.
Who likes rhymes?
He chuckles a little. Im looking for a SECRET EGRET!
Perception
After a bit more laughter the lad gets down to work.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Davosh lashes out with both hands and grabs Kappi by the face, squeezing it.... He whispers with a sense of urgency akin to the fight against the dragon "That was a good rhyme."
He then returns to the puzzle at hand.
|
The Oradin pauses his contemplation of this amazing hut. It's simply a marvel at how it can change itself on the inside. What's the point of an endless passage? He started to think, but was interrupted by the exchange between Davosh and Kappi,
Ed casts a questioning sideways glance at Ali and Vojtek, then lets out a small chuckle and a smile making sure that no offense was taken from young rogue. Of course Kappi there are no egrets here.
He then stops infront of the hallway and casts out his senses feeling for the presence of evil. If he finds none, he asks Ali and Davosh to have the ancients and Ali's mystical aid to guide them better.
Edward gets no sense of evil in any direction.
After what seems hours of walking, the group finds itself back in front of the same set of double doors they came out of. doubling back, they find themselves there again hours later!
It takes a while, but Davosh's insights lead the party to observe slight, subtle differences in the doors to reveal four distinct sets of them.
Yes, you should try to live your life with no egrets.
Ali snickers a bit at the bizarre exchanges going on, on top of the bizarre engineering that is in front of them.
She then tries to Detect Magic, but is pretty confident she'll get little but a bad headache...
She then tries to Detect Magic, but is pretty confident she'll get little but a bad headache...
Kappi listens at the door
Perception
Stopped in front of one pair of double doors, Kappi inspects them. His sharp eyes spot a symbol carved upon the door — it resembles an upward facing half-circle resting on a horizontal line. Several arrows point outward from the circle. At the center of the half-circle, a single extended arrow points upward.
Kappi finds no trace of a trap on the doors.
Davosh eyes the markings: "It's the symbol for dawn... Hmmm Kappi, can we check another door before opening this one?
Kappi studies the strange symbol a few moments longer. hmm, dawn... he thinks to himself.
At Davosh's suggestion the Varisian lad agrees. He honestly isnt sure why but since this seems to be in the Speaker's wheelhouse he figures they should take his advice.
Kappi leads to the next door and gives his inspection
Kappi finds similar carvings on the other doors, equally difficult to see. One is a symbol that resembles a downward facing crescent resting on a horizontal line with arrows pointing outward. A vertical bisecting line with arrows pointing both directions runs from top to bottom. The other resembles an inverted half-circle with a horizontal line across the top and several lines exiting the circle. A single extended arrow points downward in the center. Davosh recognizes one as night and the other as twilight.
"Days start in the morning. It's also the age of the Maiden. Let us go there first." With a guidance spell on Kappi, and a Mage Armor upon himself, he nods for the lad to open the door.
"Days start in the morning. It's also the age of the Maiden. Let us go there first." With a guidance spell on Kappi, and a Mage Armor upon himself, he nods for the lad to open the door.
Magic blade in hand, the lad opens the door
Perception
Kappi is comfortable that there are no traps, and opens the doors.
Flowering vines drape the walls of this chamber. Winding, pebble-strewn pathways weave through a magnificent garden of honeysuckle and lilac. A pale, warm light fills the room, emanating from a stone-lined pool of water in the center. The purple and orange reflection of an early morning sky glitters upon the pool's surface.
Davosh looks inside, scanning with his trained mind and a spell of magical detection....
Davosh looks inside, scanning with his trained mind and a spell of magical detection....
Unless Davosh stops him, the rogue will lead the way through the door.
Davosh looks inside, scanning with his trained mind and a spell of magical detection...
Davosh gets a splitting headache when he tries to detect magic. Almost as though the whole Hut is a mighty artifact or something...
As the party enters, a large black bird flutters down, staring intently at Kappi.
It stares for what seems an interminable amount of time, then speaks in a surprisingly clear voice. Explain your presence here, please. It continues to stare at Kappi.
"Kappi! This bird is known to me. Baba Yaga herself has intelligent raven allies who sometimes serve as her prophets. Three in all, they are said to guard the mysteries of the auspicious times of Twilight, Night, and Dawn, when the boundaries between the worlds blur. Legends often call the birds "The Liar Seers," for they shroud their wisdom in tangled riddles and rarely offer any insight without demanding some sort of favor or task in return. Ware my friend, and answer not duplicitously, for it'll backfire like an elf eating Kelish curry."
The Varisian lad is clearly unnerved by the strange talking raven. He just stands there dumbly for a moment. Then internally cursing himself Desna's teats Kappi! You faced down a DRAGON and slew it. This is just a bird...
After a moment of psyching himself up, the lad grips his sword (though keeps it pointed downward at the moment) and responds. We are uhhh... exploring... and we seek the downfall of the daughter of Baba Yaga.
He glances back at his comrades hoping one of them will take over this conversation.
|
|
Ed can see Kappi tense up under the scrutiny, and he pauses to let him answer. With Kappi's reply, Ed takes a few steps forward, and lats his hand on the Varisian's shoulder, and continues after a head bow to the talking raven.
..and find Baba Yaga as it is time for her return. We have been led to believe that her daughter has had a hand in stopping the return. Our original task is now a by-product. We also seek to stop the winter portals from bringing eternal winter to all of Golarion. So I swear on my honor that these words are true.
The bird seems to nod, or what a raven would approximate as a nod.
I am Tryva, one of three,
Who guards the roots of Fate's tree.
Before I aid you, prove to me
You have resolve to gain what you seek.
To convince me of your strength of thought,
you must face what I, the herald of dawn, cannot.
Each night it visits—
Sometimes horror,
Sometimes wonder,
Sometimes prophet,
When dawn wakes, it flees.
When you face this thing, you shall know its desire. In its desire, you shall find your own. Only by sharing this desire with me can I bind your fates. Once they are bound, I will be able to see your destiny.
It falls silent and stares at Kappi expectantly.
it sounds like you're talking about dreams to me...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Indeed! Are you saying that's what we'll find beyond the door?"
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ed considers what's behind Davosh's door... I never knew my father but he has to be better than that.... he says with a muted mumble.
I haven't considered my dreams Tryva, but if facing my dreams, your dreams, our dreams will help return Baba Yaga, and end the winter portals then I'm all in no matter what the cost. A scholar once told me that "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one"
Kappi is clearly unsure what this raven speaks of. He only recognizes it as a test or challenge.
He looks to the raven and speaks respectfully. We will face this thing... Raven of Dawn.
"Indeed! Are you saying that's what we'll find beyond the door?"
Davosh winks at the Raven, then Kappi, then holds his hand out like a halfling butler. "After you."
Kap starts to walk away, then pauses. Then gives an awkward bow to the raven.
Though he figures the pretty garden room is "clear", on general principle he gives a swift search of the room. Though with the eerie raven watching, Kappi is careful not to damage any pretty flowers there. Always suspicious of pools of water he peers in w/ sword in hand.
Perception
Once satisfied he leads the party through the door in the south wall.