Cerian finds himself falling into it's gaze, to a place of paralyzing fear.
It seems to recoil at Nedyrs Gaze.
Wolf takes a good bite out of the creature but it keeps it's feet. Aluxion's arrow lodges itself in the pumpkin head.
It raises it's arms and brings them down on wolf.
Wolf cowers and whines ready to flee.
Hella seeing this let's out a growl of anger and pulls out another spear and throws it towards the pumpkin.
The blow cows the canine causing him to cringe away. Hella's spear strikes true going right through the torso.
Aluxion fires off another arrow at the pumpkin headed monstrosity.
Nedyr backs up, and fires, hoping the evil eye will give him a better chance to strike their amazing and deadly foe
The arrow strikes true sticking in the exterior of this monstrosity. It reaches the base of the tree and glares upwards. With the ladder retracted it attempts to climb the tree.
It's claws leave deep furrows in the wood but it makes no progress.
Hella pulls her last short spear and would throw it down at the creature as her wolf cowers
Aluxion takes a moment to wave his hands at Cerian between shots. "Hey there, sleep-fightin?"
"Allow me..." Nedyr attempts to slap Screamingtrees upside the back of the head "Snap out of it, we bright folk are supposed to resist charming magics and you're endangering our reputation."
The smack brings Cerian back to the real world as it distracts him and breaks the creatures hold.
The creature claws at the tree, trying to climb up to get you.
but it can't seem to make any headway.
Down to her last spear she would glare down at the thing before looking around. "Alright those of you with ranged focus on it. If it makes it up here I will shove it back down with this spear."
Readied action to attack
It glares up at Hella, balefully, as if it understood what she said, but continues to fail to climb
The young elf rummages through his things until he finds one of his alchemists fires....
Go away strange thing before we burn you!
He called moving into position.
The witch fires his own bow again when he can.
Her laughter at the creature's failed attempts to climb the tree sounds almost like the braying yips of a very small fox.
She wipes a tear from her eyes merrily and levels her crossbow at the thing.
Hella would hold her spear and be ready.
The creature claws at the tree, trying to make it's way to you, a single burning purpose in its hate filled eyes.
It makes it about a quarter of the way up.
The young elf moves to the edge of the treehut and takes careful aim with the alchemists fire.
Aluxion takes aim and shoot another arrow at the strange monster. "Reckon it'll give up soon?" he asks no one in particular.
Her laughter halts abruptly as her face draws into a frustrated pout. "You vile creature! Get back down here and die like you're supposed to!" Her voice is stern, reprimanding as she loads her crossbow again.
"We are part of the River Kingdoms Frontier Restoration Movement, and we will not be waylaid by some insolent--"
She wrenches the crossbow lever into position. "brainless--"
She lifts the weapon's sights to her eye. "spook!" She fires!
From Miri's crit.
Miri's last shot hits the pumpkin headed man and he loses his grip and falls to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Wolf would move over cautiously snifling it before tearing it to pieces grabbing a stick and looking up at them wagging his tail.
"Amazing thing, wasn't it? Wasn't that thing amazing?" He inquires
He raised an eyebrow at his fellow elf and frowned in thought.
"It was something, I wouldnt call it amazing more like bizarre... dangerous... frightening.
He said lowly still a bit shaken a bit from the creatures supernatural gaze.
Good boy Wolf. He said with a hint of the usual smile finally att he wolfs wagging tail.
"Well, those would apply too," He admits, and searches through the remnants of the thing
Hella would climb down and would stroke wolf's head. His bloody fur is matted but the wounds seem to close up
"It we definitely interesting. Good boy Wolf. Well, we will have to keep an eye out for things like that in the future. I can finish my watch as you guys nap and the next can take over."
Nedry does find some thing amongst the remains. It seemed in its chest was a grouping of what could only be described as some kind of wrapped hard crystalline substance. It radiates faint magic.
"I found something magical... NO idea what it is," He picks up the crystalline substance carefully, with gloved hands or a cloth "Anyone else want to take a look at it?"
Hella would look at the strange wrapped things and would stare at it her eyes taking on a golden glow.
She chuckled lightly. "Well, these look like pieces of rock candy an old dwarf I knew made. But they have the glow about them as if they are a long lasting goodberry."
"Goodberry eh? Sounds delicious. Save it for later I suppose," He says
"Goodberry..." Aluxion squints as he thinks about the edible rocks. "Oh! I know that one!" His face brightens with recognition as he remembers which spell Hella is referring to. He walks around the body slowly, poking it a couple times with his bow to make it's not moving anymore. "Things like that just ain't right, y'know? At least it's dead now, and I reckon it probably scared off anythin' else that might want ta eat us. Now what? I say we finish sleepin'."
The gnome bounces up and down merrily as the spook falls to her bolt. "Lookit that, Darbi! I can hit things sometimes!"
The thylacine simply levels an amused glance at giddy Miri before sniffing at the Wolf-dissected remains.
Miri squeezes past Nedyr and Cerian's legs to inspect the corpse. Her pink eyes squint in focus as she tries to figure out what magic could animate a gourd-headed man.
Shrugging at long last, she lifts a piece of the dismembered head. "D'ya think this pumpkin's edible?"
"Maybe, but it might also be rotten ...or at the least, it might taste bad. I wouldn't try it myself," Nedyr suggests
"That gourd ain't natural. Y'all are just as like to come down with a curse as a bellyache from that, I'd betcha." Aluxion crinkles his nose at the suggestion of eating the creature's head.
The next morning is a nice bright day. Everyone is able to get their rest and you can continue on to explore or plan as you wish.
More of a nightowl himself, Nedyr is slow to stir but when he does awake, he stretches, "Morning all," And puts a smile on his face.
Perhaps it was that...thing that made the bandits leave? Everyone take care and watch your step still, The bandits might have left some of those bear traps about still wouldnt do to get a broken leg from carelessness. He added steering clear of the pumpkin headed monster, still slightly embaressed that he had been so frightened of it.
"Good advice," Nedyr says, deciding to step where Cerian steps as they look around for clues on bandits and the like.
"Ahh, what a beautiful day for glorious conquest!" Madame Pindles chitters merrily in bird-like pitches as she places the finishing touches on her hair and primly straightens her cuffs.
"Those bandits are sure missing out on this gorgeous weather. Lead on, fair Hella!"
The 'young' elf with his wits gathered about and no strange pumpkin monsters certainly begins to rescout the area, looking to see if there are any signs the bandits have returned.
Hella would also check the area looking for evidence of anything else that might have been left behind. Smiling at Miri she would walk around checking various trees and the deadfalls and such.
You are able to tell that they left in a manner of organization. Cerian is able to spot where the scarecrow had been hiding up in the trees some distance from camp. My the look of things it was probably deliberately left there for them.
Exploring the entire area and mapping it in detail requires a survival check and a full day. They would finish again as the sun is setting.
Exploring the hex yields what you might expect. It was a forested area with a river running through the middle of it. This camp could still be of use maybe later on.
It has now been two days since Cerian has seen his lady love. Shrieker is again sent with a note that they are alive as they make camp again that night. Just as they settle down Shrieker comes back and lands near Hella. She would chuckle lightly taking a note off of him and the small package from him.
Walking to Cerian she would move to him and hands him a tiny scrawled note and a small box.
The note said. From Neila To Cerian.
Opening the box revealed three tiny chocolates and another note from Neila. "When you need to disappear eat one of these. I hope you enjoy them."
The moment miss Hella handed him the little package he blushed. He had no doubts who it was from, though he was curious what it was. He opened it slowly and quietly reading the note and coloring slightly more. He was puzzled for just a moment, the little chocolates would make him disapear? Was she some sort of mage or magic concoction making alchemist? Not that he cared he just... He shook it off. He could ask later, it was just awesome she sent him something and was thinking of him.
He needed to get to that bandit fort and rescue her child, and the other children as well if possible. He found himself looking loosely in the direction they loosely knew the bandit redoubt was at and frowned.
"It is a beautiful day miss Miri, lets not waste it siting around, though a picnic would be... nice." he said for a moment his eyes getting just a bit distant and wistful. It was obvious where his thoughts were. But these lands wont explore themselves will they? we need to find a good sight for the ...the... What is the name of your orginization miss Miri? Im sorry i can never remember it properly im afraid.
"This is a pretty area, I wonder how navigable the river is? Not that we have a proper boat to test it, but still. If we are to nurture this land, it's worth noting," And indeed, he jots down a few notes and observations of the areas in a slim book.
When Hella delivers a package to Cerian, Nedyr smiles but otherwise doesn't comment.
"So which area next, my friends? Mooneye is sleepy, but I'm game," He assures.
Are you all okay with me pushing through some of the explorations if there is no encounters and such?
Hella would chuckle.
"I can't remember the name either but Den is a simple good word to use for now. People understand it. To many words can confuse." She says winking at Miri. "But first we rest for the night and then continue on in the morning." She pulls out the map showing them and would look it over.
"To the north west and then north east over Oleg's and then east securing the road we came in on?"