The party continues north where the huge screen of trees once again rises out of the snowy street, creating an almost impenetrable barrier of pine.
A solitary building sits partially surrounded by trees here. A few patches of cobblestones still cover the ground outside, while a wooden street sign lies facedown in the snow.
You gingerly approach the small building and push open the door. The coppery smell of blood is strong in the air immediately and it does not take long to locate the source. Inside the house are the bodies of the three human Winter Guards, slain by several puncturing wounds as if made by a slender blade.
Among them they have a few pieces of salvageable equipment:
-A masterwork composite longbow (+2 Str),
-Three potions of lesser restoration,
-An efficient quiver holding 10 +1 cold iron arrows and 30 normal arrows
The path continues west of your position where another building sits beneath the trees. The path looks as though it might begin to turn back toward the south as if skirting something in the centre of this god-forsaken forest. What catches your attention most on that western path though is a single enormous tree, greater even than those that make up the fey wood.
Del barks a warm, jovial laugh at Elleross' remarks and throws one arm around his good shoulder, hooking his elbow around the older man's neck as he walks beside him. "Elleross, truly you are the wisest and most insightful of us all!" His eyes sparkling with the turn of good humor, he gives Elleross an affectionate squeeze before freeing him with another hearty laugh.
As the group comes up to the obscured building within the trees, Del bends down to prop the toppled sign up. "What have we here, I wonder."
Corum retrieves his axe and they continue on their way. When they find the winter guard dead he picks up the quiver and replaces his own with it. "I'm not much of a bowman but these may be useful."
When they find the large tree he glances up at it.
Knowledge nature
The sign is a broken Street sign. It simply says "Market Square" which is where you assume you are standing - at least you would be if this wood hadn't sprung up
Sapphire nods and grins at Del and Elleross' interplay.
It is good our spirits are high, it was a long day yesterday and we have far to go today still, I am glad to be among these folk
As Corum stashes the bow and quiver, she puts the potions in the party's magical bag.
Well onwards towards that hut to the west?
Within a few paces it is clear to see that the second hut is destroyed, as if it were lifted by the sudden appearance of the fey forest only to come crashing down again. It is now little more than a collection of splintered timbers and shattered glass.
As for the tree, you can make out the shapes of three animals stalking around it, the details though are difficult to discern at this distance.
"Let's go check out that tree, there's animals moving about." He points towards the tree.
Now that you are closer you can actually see that the tree is more like a husk of an oak, mighty though it is.
An enormous dead oak tree towers over this clearing, standing apart from the evergreen trees around it. Dead, dry leaves lift from piles around the tree to rustle and dance amid whorls of fine powdery snow.
As you approach, the three animals you spotted earlier turn and snarl menacingly. They look like a cross between wolf and hyena and bare their fangs as you get nearer. A voice calls out from among the branches of the tree then:
Go now mortals. This forest and the Dancing Hut ours ours. I will not yield it.
You look up to see another of the flame-haired fey folk - a Dawn Piper - standing on a thick bough.
Del chuckles and shakes his head. He waves his hands ominously in the air and sarcastically jabs, "Ooooh! That- that's done the trick! Condescendingly calling us 'mortals' and saying 'go away' has convinced me!"
He then slips a treated bolt into Ruby's cradle but keeps her shouldered. "I don't suppose it'd work the other way 'round would it?" He drops his voice a few octaves, "Puny feyling! Leave this place as the hut is ours to claim!"
He shakes he head with a shrug. "No? Didn't think so."
HP: 21/36
AC: 19 (15 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 19
F/R/W: +7/+10/+6
Grit remaining: 1/2
Hero Points remaining: 2
Regular bolts remaining: 65/80
Cold Iron bolts: 36/40
Tanglebolts: 1/5
Ongoing Effects
Vigilant Loading
Gunslinger Initiative
deadly aim: -2/+4
Are you mocking me, mortal? the fey asks, head cocked to one side with genuine interest.
Del flashes a broad grin and an impish shrug. He calls out, his enthusiasm exaggerated for the distance, "I was, feyling! I wasn't too obvious with it, was I? It's hard to tell sometimes with you Firstworlders."
The old elf Shrinks away from Dells good natured embrace, not really comfortable with it.
come on we must make haste, we have loitered here long enough he says a little too gruffly as he walks ahead of the laughing bowman.
Soon they find the grisly remains of the winter guard and he looks at the bodies with interest
we had best we wary, whatever did this to them won't be far away he warns as they move on and soon discover the huge dead oak tree and the fey within it.
As Dell begins to bandy words with the fey he moves closer to the half Orc and says quietly
maybe we can reason with it, We dont want to have to fight our way through this whole forest.
Coeum listens to the banter but readies his axe to charge into the beasts. His patience begins to wear thin and he snarls. "Listen you fey @$&#. Your friend with the stone friends is dead back there. You lot don't realise when you're starting a fight you can't win. You get one chance. Go away or I rip your heart out."
Intimidate
Sapphire draws her cold-iron sword once more, glancing down the scarred and stained blade.
You need a good tending to, I promise an hour's worth of polish and whetstone this evening if you continue to perform as well for me as you have been
She adopts ready stance and simply waits for Corum's signal.
The Dawn Piper seems unfazed by Corum's growling threat.
I give you the chance to leave here with your fleeting lives and you return that with insults? And they call us fickle.
I felt the loss of my sister but no matter, whilst at least one of us draw breath the Barrier will remain intact and you will never reach the Hut!
15.3 +1 for Nasrin improved init
17.75
Destroy them.... the Piper says to her animal followers, raising he pipe to her lips and blowing a long, mournful note.
Sapphire suddenly feels overwhelmed with grief and guilt. The feeling wells up within her and threatens to take over completely.
Fail
The three hyena-like animals rush forward snapping and snarling as if in a rabid rage!
Hit
Confirmed
Hit
The first seizes upon Sapphre's sudden hesitation and rips a huge chunk of flesh from her thigh!
Hit
Miss
The others snap at Corum with lesser success but already the snow is stained red with Sapphire's blood.
Greyston shouts as the Fey attacks them, pulling out a vial and lobbing it at the hyena. "I'll try and clear a way!"
Success
Success
The creature in the centre of the group howls in burning agony as it's fur suddenly catches light.
Corum ignores the bite of the animal as it is little more than a scratch. He howls in the deilght of battle and hammers his ace repeatedly into the torso of the beast.
Pa rage
Dam
Dam
Nasrin loops around through the dense woods and stabs Manhunter into the hyaena that did such a grievous wound to Sapphire. Her spear is pushed through the beast by her powerful arms and she lets out a howl. Turning at the hips she all but snatches the spear back out of the thing's ribs, blood spraying in a crimson arc across the snow covered trees behind her.
Jagar tears past Sapphire and around behind the last of the beasts. He lunges for the soft belly between the hyaena's ribs and back legs.
for and
Elleross sighs as Corum once again chooses violence over any kind of diplomacy and he watches the confrontation descend into brutal Combat.
his temper will get himself or one of us killed one day, he needs to control his rage and not let his rage control him. he thinks as he watches the battle before him.
Holding back his powers he knows they are no closer to finding the hut and he cannot waste what spells he has, they may need them.
Nasrin and Corum demolish the already burning creatures before them and though Jagar rushes around to get in a better position, he is unable to get any purchase with his bite.
Del tries to thread the eye of a needle with his shot and remarkably even through the jostle of bodies send a bolt slamming into the beast's shoulder.
The single remaining animal, howling in pain and rage flies at Corum.
Hit
Hit
Hit
The Dawn Piper launches herself from her perch in the tree, lifted somehow on gusts of strong air that she rides like a bird.
She soars over the battle field until she is directly atop the heroes. There, she lifts the flute to her lips and blasts a note of pure sonic energy whose intense vibrations rip through you.
Success
Success
Fail
Fail
Though her wound is grievous, torn flesh hanging and blood drips to the frozen earth, her very bones cracked from the waves of noise, Sapphire simply stands there and weeps. Tears stream from her face as her mind is filled with the pain of abandonment, of her parents sending her away, casting her out of their lives, her mentor dying and leaving her alone in the world, her failure to find anything to explain why she was outcast, becoming wrapped up in a quest that was sure to take her further away from the answers she so desperately seeks...
Greyston shouts out. "Come for me or I'll burn you down!" Hoping to distrack the piper and with that he lets loose another vial aimed for her.
Corum grunts as first claw and fang tear his flesh and then the terrible sound hammers his head.
He shakes the hyena creature from him and swings his axe in two deadly chopping arcs that leave the beast broken an bloodied.
Pa rage
Dam
Dam
With the hounds down, Del slips a cold-iron bolt into Ruby's cradle and brings the weapon up again. "Last chance, you fiery haired fey! Leave now and let us reclaim the Hut or you're about to join your dearly departed sister!" The crossbowman sends one bolt wide, in his stories he'll later explain that one was a warning shot, before sending a second bolt slamming home into the floating fey.
HP: 21/36
AC: 19 (15 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 19
F/R/W: +7/+10/+6
Grit remaining: 1/2
Hero Points remaining: 2
Regular bolts remaining: 65/80
Cold Iron bolts: 34/40
Tanglebolts: 1/5
Ongoing Effects
Vigilant Loading
Gunslinger Initiative
deadly aim: -2/+4
Elleross watches the fey take to the air and blast his friends with sonic energy and he knows he must bring an end to this confrontation before one of them is seriously hurt
crit confirm
...Calor,ardescit,ignis
Unleashing his spell Elleross opens his hand and releases two scorching beams of fire that race toward the fey above him.
First the Dawn Piper is scorched by Greyston's alchemist fire only then to be spun like a top by a precise bolt from Ruby's cradle that bites deep in her shoulder. As she recovers from that Elleros levels his hand and releases a pair of twin fiery blasts that quite simply burn her from the air.
Masterwork rapier
Masterwork flute
Bracers of armor +2
Buried in the roots of the tree is also an Air Elemental Gem blue and white in colour
The screen of trees rises beyond the mighty oak, there does not appear to be any way south from here.
Nasrin calls Jagar to her and gives his ear scratch. "We need to pause to care four our wounds. But, then we move."
Closing his hand he looks briefly at the tendrils of steam that drift out of his clenched fist and then glances across at the smouldering corpse, wondering if this could have been avoided.
no use wondering about what ifs. This is the situation we are in and we will have to make do he thinks to himself
How much healing do we have left? I have no more potions. I could replicate a healing spell should the need become dire but it will use up much of my power he says in reply to Nasrin how badly hurt are you all?
As the dawnpiper vanishes in a lashing tongue of flame, Del shoulders Ruby and shrugs. Looking up at the spot where she had been a moment before, he remarks, "Told you so," before turning to the others as they regroup.
As the fey falls Corum comes out of his rage. Only then does he become aware of the pain from his wounds. Most are minor cuts, slowly weeping blood. But the pain in his ears from the sound attacks remains. He reaches for his pack and fishes around inside. He is sure he has a potion left but is mistaken.
"Well, Old Wolf, I'm still standing but I could do with a healing potion or something if there's one going spare. If we keep meeting these damned fey on the road then..."
He shrugs "They are wearing us down."
Sapphire shakes her head savagely
That was horrible, I couldn't move, even when the dogs attacked me...
she shudders
As for healing, I think no matter what we brought with us, it wouldn't have been enough. Let's try and press on for now
She points at the wall of trees.
Where now then? Circle back towards the lake we saw at the start?
Greyston takes a breath as he tries to control his breathing, putting a vial away. "I have nothing left, But if you lot can last a little longer we should try and see if we're near the hut." He then nods. "Lets head back towards the lake, if there's no way past here."
The party doubles back, wary that they are low on supplies but knowing that somewhere in this maze-like forest the Shackled Hut must reside.
Returning to the entrance to the forest they head north toward the centre.
The way north is blocked by a rippling hemisphere of churning darkness and twisted shadows. The surrounding trees seem to be leaning toward the area, as swirls of nearby snow and forest debris are sucked into the vortex, accompanied by a distant roar of wind.
On the other side of the dark phenomenon, the path leads to a forest clearing containing an extraordinary sight, one in fact that you are most unprepared for.
A dilapidated wooden hut perched atop two giant chicken legs squats in the middle of a white picket fence. Enormous chains attached to manacles secure it to the ground and a massive, sharp beak protrudes out of what can only be described as the porch, emitting a low, sad keening noise.
Looking off into the churning darkness he is shocked when looking past it to find what they're looking for. "The hut!" He shouts, surprised to finally find it. "This vortex is blocking us, do you think it has to do with those pipers?" He attempts to study the vortex, casting detect magic on it.
"We have to get past! If it is those fey, maybe we need to find them all in this forest and put them down? We still had to explore past the lake."
to think such a thing actually exists.... he says in wonder as he gazed upon the witches hut.
there is our goal , our route to Baba Yaga. This barrier must be the work of the fey.
I believe in that you are correct Greyston, the fey we just encountered mentioned a barrier. It said something like... "as long as one of us draws breath the barrier will remain"
he says thinking to himself
the first fey was tied to Earth, the second employed the powers of Air elementals. It stands to reason there is one keyed to water and fire.
The four elements. We need to find them all and destroy them, I guess the lake we saw is the obvious choice for one of them. with a dose of Caydens luck the barrier will fall with them
"If we lack more healing, we need to be more cautious when we kill the Pipers. Maybe, I could scout for us?"