"If you want to get yourself that close, Rupert, that's your decision. If we have time to shoot before the beast charges, then Erastil smiles upon us. Long hunting spears mean more of us can confront the beast at once. A sound strategy. Orin is right; a maneater is a constant threat to any that travel here."
Taerine points distastefully to the contents of Treshiell's belt -- and her other gear -- are in a pile near Thaal ... who seems to have taken it upon himself to eat one of the mice.
Vandar will, when circumstances permit, let Edrukk know that things at the fort have been pretty quiet. Hari continues to go out most days, coming back usually by sunset, but once staying out overnight. The other three Sirens take turns on the wall keeping watch, while Kesten is often training in the courtyard. Trade seems to be picking up now that spring has come, and Stevic has been asking Vandar to help around the fort.
"We have come to and understanding", Treshiell responds to Erdrukk. "Thaal did not join however, he is not fond of pools of water. He likes the rain though." On her shoulder Thaal seems to be enjoying lying covered in her dripping hair. "When are we leaving?" the witch asks changing the subject suddenly.
After finishing your business with Stevic in the morning, you set out with Jhod in tow. Traveling southwest, you enter the woods again after a few hours.
A short time later, you hear what sounds like some massive creature crashing through the woods a short distance away, coming quickly toward you!
The following morning Treshiell seems more alert then she'd been the previous night. Her hair is once again adorned with roots, vines and the occational twig, but her skin is left clean. "Tell me, Jhod. Are you going to accompany us on the boar hunt or are you staying at the temple?" she asks as the party sets off.
Treshiell brings her mount to a halt and looks unconcerned at the direction from which the noise is coming from. Her viper Thaal slithers quickly down her arm as she raises it, fingers clenched into a fist.
If there is time, Agnar will dismount with the longspear, moving to the side of the party the noise is coming from.
Jhod, dressed in leather armor and carrying a spear, shakes his head at Treshiell's question. "My place is in the temple of my master. I must restore his home and make it welcome to the people of the Stolen Lands, but you shall have my blessing for your hunt, girl. Erastil welcomes all who hunt to his faith."
Agnar:
Treshiell:
Orin:
Rupert:
Edrukk:
Jhod:
Rupert quickly draws his bow and aims it into the foliage where the crashing noise is coming from. "This thing sounds like a doozie!" he yells, and prepares to fire the moment it comes into view.
Ready Action Attack Longbow
Damage Longbow
First round:
Second round: Ready an action to set the longspear against a charge.
"Steady now! I'll try to keep its attention. Keep the mounts out of the way if you can."
Jhod dismounts from his horse, and grabs his holy symbol, quickly calling to Erastil for succor.
He then pulls out a bow and notches an arrow, his eyes darting around the area.
Edrukk will dismount Patience, and have his crossbow ready for the thing to appear.
Orin will dismount from Windswift and take up position next to Eddruk, bow in hand.
As you all prepare, the sound continues to grow louder and louder as it approaches but none of you are able to see whatever's making the noise, until finally ... a small rabbit runs out from under the bushes. It looks at you with wide eyes before suddenly darting to the right, continuing to sound like some creature 10 times as large as the little brown creature.
It charges into the underbrush and the noise begins to recede.
"By Erastil, what manner of rabbit was that?!" Jhod exclaims.
A little bit of Retcon:
Orin will spend the remainder (80 gp's) of his money on the shiny trinkets available at the fort as well as picking up a couple of the bottles of wine from the bandit's camp and some sweet candies if Stevic has any.
Orin will laugh and shout to the thin air "All right, you got us good with that one." Turning to Jhod he'll say "Father, we've seemed to have attracted the attention of some mischevious fey creature out here. He'll continue this continuous pranking of us until we are able to bribe him off. Which is why I purchased those baubles from Stevic."
After his initial surprise, Agnar will join Orin in his laughter.
"One can only hope you've enough treasure to secure their goodwill, Orin. I'm not sure my poor human heart can stand too many more such masterful pranks. These fey folk are too clever by half."
As Rupert's arrow flies off into the forest, he curses and cries, "Mah' poor heart! Ah' can't take much more o'this!" Then, after a dramatic pause, he begins to laugh. "Ahaha, that was a good one. Well played, strange friend, well played!" he calls in the direction of the departing rabbit.
Treshiell's arm relaxes as the rabbit emerges. Her eyes fall between her laughing companions and then back again to where the rabbit disappeared. "We don't think we share the same kind of humor", she says and motions her mount back into a trott. "It is hard to bribe them when they keep disappearing. Or maybe we're growing on them. This one didn't fling acorns."
"These fey should not mess with the chosen of Erastil," Jhod intones. "Ill ends come to those who cross Old Deadeye! Let's continue to the temple, my friends."
He seems little amused by the prank as he remounts on his horse.
A few hours later, the group dismounts for lunch. After he's finished eating, Jhod heads into the woods to take care of business. A minute or two later, you hear a cry of surprise coming from the direction he went. "By Erastil's remaining eye, what madness is this?! Help!"
Perception
"Ill ends comes to those who cross the wee folk, we've heard", Treshiell muses as a responds to Jhod's comment. She watches her companions from her horse should anyone linger, but the witch doesn't make any move to interfer or aid, unless specificly asked to.
Back at the clearing:
Once the "Dire" rabbit disappears into the underbrush, and everyone has a chance to recover Orin will look around to see if he can spot the elusive prankster.
Perception check:
Failing to spot the creature, Orin will open his saddlebags and remove some of the items he purchased at Stevic's place. Placing them on the ground in the clearing he will walk over to Treshiell and extend a hand, as if to help her down from her horse, as he whispers to her "It would probably help if the offer came from someone other than a gruff old woodsman. Someone who can also speak their language." He smiles up at her "Just tell them there's no hard feelings and to accept these "gifts" in the spirit of friendship." still smiling he continues "I have faith in you."
"Thank you, Orin. That is kind of you" Treshiell says and accepts Orin's hand and dismounts. She walks up to the offerings and starts to speak in a singing tone, melodic and gay. "Rydych chi gruead fodau. Rydym yn gadael hyn i chi fel anrheg yn yr ysbryd o gyfeillgarwch. Rydym yn symud ymlaen yn awr, rydych yn rhydd i ddilyn. Byddem wrth ein bodd i siarad â chi." As she finishes she nods to Orin and mounts.
You are intrigueing beings. We leave this to you as a gift in the spirit of friendship. We are moving on now, you are free to follow. We would love to speak with you.
Treshiell rises to her feet whispers something to her viper. "Have you found the wee folk?" she calls out to Jhod in a calm tone.
There's no immediate reaction at the site of the great rabbit attack as Treshiell leaves the gifts.
At Treshiell's question, Jhod yells back "No, the plants are attacking me!"
As Rupert and Agnar rush in, they find the cleric -- with his pants around his ankles -- fighting off vines, branches and even grass that seems to be trying to grab him. His face is turning red as he struggles to free himself while also pulling up his pants.
Edrukk just sighs quietly at the continued pranks and as much as he normally doesn't mind fey, he is really wishing this particular one would go away.
Treshiell follows the others and finds Jhod struggeling with nature and his clothes. She runs her hand before her eyes and they turn white as her finger passes .
The area is definitely enchanted, Treshiell. A few moments of study reveal a faint transmutation aura on the plants surrounding Jhod.
Orin will rush to Father Jhod's aid with his greatsword drawn. When he reaches the good father in obvious distress he will look around the woods, searching for a sign of the fey that cast the spell.
Perception check:
Saying, somewhat exasperatedly, to no one in particular, "Enough already! I think he's learned his lesson." Turning to the entangled priest he shrugs his shoulders "After all, Father, you did kind of threaten the little folk back in the clearing and I think he overheard you. This is just his way of evening the score. After all the fey are creatures of Erastil as much as any other in the forest."
Rupert, with a only a slight chuckle, approaches the priest and attempts to give him a hand heaving him out of the engulfing underbrush. "This friend of ours is rather crafty, eh?" he says, trying to keep the poor man in high spirits.
Agnar will do his best to help the others extract Jhod from the grasping plants, and help the cleric preserve what little dignity he may have left. He avoids a position that allows Jhod to look directly at him, as he's having to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
"We'd like to know how they did this", Treshiell says to nobody in perticular and looks around as if searching for something. "Did you have time to finish?" she asks Jhod as she watches the trees.
As Orin, Rupert and Agnar rush to help, the grass, shrubs and trees reach for them as well, twining around arms and legs, making it hard to move, but all three are able to jump back.
Treshiell, seeing the plants react, you're fairly certain something has cast entangle on the area.
Jhod eventually manages to fight his way free, pulling up his pants, his face crimson with anger or embarrassment. "Erastil damn those foul creatures," he declares. "Nuisances, and I imagine I'm not the first to say so!"
"Perhaps, good priest, but that doesn't change the fact they seem to be the masters of the this part of the wild, and deserve to treated accordingly." Edrukk tries to calm down their companion before he causes even more trouble for himself or the party.
"We imagine you're not the first repeatetly scold them", Treshiell responds to Jhod. "We wonder what they will think of on your next stop. We will watch to see if your pride will bend before your will breaks."
"These priests may also wish to think twice before angering a priest of the hunter god," Jhod responds. "We shall see who laughs last."
The rest of the journey south to the temple is quiet, however, despite grumbling from Jhod. You reach the temple around nightfall and Jhod welcomes you to spend the night in the courtyard, as the interior is still clearly unfit for human habitation.
"What a familiar-looking structure!" Rupert jokes as they arrive at the courtyard, then sets up his bedding to rest for the night.
Agnar is happy to spend the night here near the pool, but is clearly uncomfortable with Jhod's antagonistic attitude towards the fey pranksters.
"The wee folk seem to have plenty to laugh at, from what we have seen. We have only recently been introduced to Erastil. Does he have a sense of humour?" Treshiell turns and asks Agnar, her prime source of everything Erastil.
Agnar can't help but smile and shake his head. "You certainly don't ask easy questions. But I'll answer as best as I'm able. Erastil is an old god, and like many old folks can be gruff, reserved, and set in his ways. He is a stern but loving father figure. There are parables of his that contain some humor though. And he is the god of family and community; a community that cannot share laughter is not one worth living in, by my judgment at least. A god that embodies the ideals of community cannot fully do so without embodying humor in some sense."
At this point, Agnar looks around to ensure Jhod is not within earshot, then leans in to Treshiell and lowers his voice. "Of course, the important question is not whether Erastil has a sense of humor, but whether Jhod does."
Rupert, who has his hat pulled down over his face in an effort to shut out the last light of the day, says to the chatting pair, "Ah, the poor guy's just a little simpleminded an' more'n a little embarrassed. Ah' think he'll get over it," he chuckles, remembering the priest's mishap fondly.
11 Pharast 4708
The night has almost passed when suddenly your small campfire suddenly bursts into a raucous, bright display of fireworks, flashing into the sky for a few moments before dying down again and extinguishing what remained of the source of warmth.
Will Save
Perception
Agnar will save:
Agnar perception:
Both of you quickly blink back the stars that filled your sight after the fireworks. All else seems calm in the clearing despite your now-racing pulses after the momentary excitement.
After the dazzling display is over and Agnar sees nothing lurking in the darkness, he'll move to the edge of the encampment and speak out to the night:
"I do not speak your tongue, wood-folk, and no doubt it would trip clumsily off my fat tongue. If you can understand me, hear me now. A fair display of power, tricksie ones, but we're on to your game. You'll get no more pleasure from us with all this silliness. However, if you are willing to come out and speak with us, and let us pass through your realm unmolested, then the next time I come through this way I promise to bring you a pile of sweets as high as my knee. What say you?"
Agnar will wait several long moments for a response and if there isn't one, he'll simply shrug and head back to help Rupert rekindle the fire.
After his initial surprise, Rupert is quick to calm down and resettle around the scattered fire with a groan. "An' ah' thought we might've gotten a peaceful rest," he says.
You've just started getting your bearings back, when you both hear something moving in the woods, sounding like it's coming toward you.