One Step Beyond

Game Master Lemmy Z

"I've got rope." Cyrus says after grumbling about being attacked by crazy nature spirits.

He then begins to lower an infinite amount of rope! At a rate of 10 feet per round!

So I guess the vine thing wasn't a good enough idea?

It's actually a pretty good idea... It's just unnecessary, since Ayren does have rope (it's written in his sheet and everything!). And I assume Frederick would have heard Ayren's reply before running into the forest to look for vines.

"I've got rope." Cyrus says after grumbling about being attacked by crazy nature spirits.

He then begins to lower an infinite amount of rope! At a rate of 10 feet per round!

Right... The Robe of Infinite Twine... That thing still annoys me because I keep imagining an universe being slowl but surely devoured by twine. It should have a clause that says something likes "pieces of rope/twine that stay split from the robe for over 48h disappear from existence". But I digress... As long as you don't try to "drown" a dungeon with twine or something, I'll be fine. :P

"Well, priest... It seems you brought more than enough rope for all of us." says Ayren.

The half elf rolls a few meters of Brother Cyrus' ropes and throws it up. (I have no idea if there is a rule for throwing/catching stuff to/from your friends... I suppose we could use some variety of ranged attacks... But it's not worth the headache)

Frederick grabs it.

You can tie it somewhere, hold/pull it yourself or both.

Actually I shouldn't have had to have gone searching (there were vines used to Entangle us, after all), but either way works.

If Skull and Shackles is anything to go by, throwinga rope to an ally requires a Ranged Touch Attack from the thrower.

Frederick begins hauling them up.

Those vines fell down the hole with the others, though...

And a ranged touch attack is weird... It means the more dexterous your ally is, the harder it is for him to catch the object. And that's before counting stuff like Dodge and Rings of Protection. :/

I suppose it would make sense for the thrower to make a ranged attack against the square where the catcher is, followed by the catcher making some sort of Reflex save... But it's just not worth the headache. If it ever comes up in a situation where it matters, we can improvise something viable and relatively simple.

Anyway...

A few minutes pass, but the whole group is eventually pull out of the pit. There is no visible sign of the creature that attacked you, whatever and whoever she may be...

"So..." says Ayren, tired of the rain. "I suppose we keep walking..."

After a collective sigh, the group marches on.

It takes a couple hours, but you finally arrive to a run-down shack. In front of it a middle-aged man with farmer clothes, black hair and a broken nose sits on a rocking chair, carving wooden animals.

"Here we are! Totally worth the travel, isn't it?" says Ayren.

Hearing Ayren's voice, the unknown man spits on the grass and calmly places his half-finished bird on a table next to him, where a dozen other tiny wooden statues stand.

"So... They sent more city-folk..."

"Hello... Uh... Jarred is it?" says Ayren, uncharacteristically timidly. "We've come in Lord Pillowstone's stead. I believe he has made some business with you..."

Eitylen remembers hearing rumors about a certain Matheo Pillowstone looking constantly tired and becoming increasingly reclusive.

"Mah name is Jarken, boy." says the man with a grizzly voice and visible contempt for the group. "And ah'll tell you the same ah told the last mess of people. Y'all won't find no cure 'round here. No matter how much you willing to pay!"

Ayren, tries his best to keep his composure and speak calmly...

"I'm under impression that you did make a deal with Lord Pillowstone, though. And you did accept the money... Isn't that right?"

The man squints his eye, staring directly at the half-elf.

"Ah took the money 'cause Ah did mah job. An' you better not imply otherwise lessen you want me to beat your ass!" he says, angrily. "Ah took yer friend where he wanted to go. Not mah fault he couldn't find his way back!"

Anyone has anything to add to the discussion?

"Where'd you take him?" Cyrus inquires politely.

"And what kind of cure is supposedly here?"

"Where'd you take him?" Cyrus inquires politely.

"To the bug ladies lands, of course! Like Ah was paid to!" he shouts.

"Wait..." Ayren is visibly confused. "To the what, now?"

"The bug-ladies, boy!" replies the man. "Ah didn't promise no healing syrup to no one! They did!"

Ayren looks even more confused. "What the hell?! No one told me anything about bug-ladies!"

Jarken scoffs.

"Course the city-boy dunno nothing... Betcha dunno 'bout mah missing payment either?"

"What?!"

"Of course... Your city-friend was 'upposed to pay the other half of mah payment when he came back, but he did as city-folk do and got lost!"

"And what kind of cure is supposedly here?"

"Hell if Ah know!" he scoffs. "Those bug ladies have sum syrup or something that's supposed to be good for your head or something..."

I'm starting to feel like I'm talking to myself. :(

Ayren shakes his head and questions the odd man again...

"So... Would be so kind as to take us to these bug ladies?"

The man stares at him once again.

"Ah am still owed for mah last service! An' you asking if Ah want to do more for you?"

"I suppose I could pay you (and then request a refund from Lord Pillowstone)... How much are you owned?"

"A whole grand!" he says, emphatically.

"A GRAND?!" Ayren gasps in horror and awe.

"You think it's easy taking city-folk through the woods? Y'all get lost easier than a headless chicken!"

"I don't have a thousand coins with me! Who would carry that amount of money on an expedition to the woods?!"

"Your boss did!" Jarken answers with indifference.

"... - I still don't have it." Ayren replies calmly after a brief silence.

"Ah'm not taking you anywhere without mah money, boy!"

"Be reasonable, mister Jarken... Surely we can reach a compromise... How about we give you some guarantee?"

"Guarantee?" replies Jarken, perplexed.

"Of course. Maybe a receipt or promissory note. A contract, perhaps..."

"A guarantee, huh..." whispers the man... "Yeah... A guarantee might do."

"Thank you, Mr. Jarken. If you want, we can sign a contract."

"Nah, boy, you in the woods now! We do it the way of the woods!"

"Huh?! What does that meAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!!!"

Ayren's voice turns to a scream when he is suddenly grabbed and lifted by a 30 ft-tall tree-like creature.

"Ah'll take your friends there, if they want, boy... But you'll stay here an' wait. When Ah get mah money, you'll be free as bird!"

I'm starting to feel like I'm talking to myself. :(

Well, it's like, how am I supposed to react to any of this? We've had no earthly clue what's been going on this entire time, so each new wrinkle that pops up isn't even surprising any more.

"Oh yeah, crazy man in the woods talking about bugs. Okay then. Lay on, Macduff."

"Can you at least put him down? I wouldn't want his screams to attract something dangerous."

I see... I take that in consideration.

"All the dangerous things have better places to be... But Ah don't mind letting the elfy boy touch the ground..." he says. "Carth... Put the boy down..."

The tree-creature tilts its head slightly to its right, as if questioning if it heard correctly what Jarken asked. The man rolls his eyes and speaks again.

"Don't worry... He won't run... Will you, boy?"

Ayren frantically nods negatively. The tree creature slowly places him on the ground, but doesn't let him stray more than a few feet away from it.

"Ah suppose you are hungry... Here... Ah have some rabbit soup on the fire... You can have some, if you want... Then we can find those pestering bug-ladies so you can claim whatever it is you paid for... Maybe you can even find your boss too!"

Ayren stutters...

"D-Do you think it's possible these bug-ladies killed or imprisoned him?"

"Possible? Yeah." says the man as he slowly stands from his rocking chair. "But they don't go round causing trouble. Never seen them kill anyone. On occasion, some folk do enter their houses and never return, though. They don't seem unhappy about it, so Ah never thought much of it..."

"I-I see..."

Anyone has any question or comment? Want me to skip ahead and/or explain anything? Other than the name of Ayren's patron, Jarken knows much more about the situation than the half-elf.

"What are these bug ladies like?" Frederick asks as he gratefully takes a bowl of stew.

"Do they get mad if people pop in unannounced?"

"Is there anything the Bug-ladies cherish? Perhaps an offering might appease them." Cyrus asks as he also gratefully takes a bowl of stew.

"What are these bug ladies like?" Frederick asks as he gratefully takes a bowl of stew.

"Do they get mad if people pop in unannounced?"

"They are purple... And they have wings on their back and stings on their asses." he says as he serves rabbit stew to the group. "They don't usually attack without asking you to leave first, but they do like to be left alone. Your boss didn't wanna hear any of that, though. He said he had made a deal with them and paid me to get him there... Well... Half-paid me, anyway. Ah took him to them and waited. He never came back. Ah figure he had the same end as the others who enter the bug ladies' domains."

"Is there anything the Bug-ladies cherish? Perhaps an offering might appease them." Cyrus asks as he also gratefully takes a bowl of stew.

"Like Ah said, they like to be left alone, but they do trade with nearby folk... On occasion. They like gold an'silver, but Ah think they like it only because it's rare an' shiny. Ah never seen them spend any of it, but Ah seen them use all sorts of pretty tiaras an' shiny jewelry." Jarken adds some pepper to the boiling cauldron. "They like books too... But not any book! Only the rare ones. Specially the ones 'bout magic."

"Hm. I don't think we have any jewelry or magic books."

"Hope you got a silver tongue, then..." says Jarken, before he adds with a malicious tone. "Or maybe you can give them someone from your group... Join the others who never left."

You do have some jewelry, BTW. At least one bracer and two magical rings with the symbol of Erastil.

That reminds me... Are you still carrying the corpse of the dead woman you found next to the Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing?

Iunno. Cyrus probably has her slung over his shoulder.

Well... Let's assume Jarken isn't bothered because he thinks she is someone from your group who died on your way here.

"So..." inquires Jarken. "Do you want me to take you to the bugs before or after you bury your friend? Or are you hoping to bring 'er back? Ah tell you... Ah don't have that kind of juice."

"Do you have any suitable place we could bury her?"

The man laughs softly at Frederick's words.

"You won't find no cemetery 'round these parts!" he says with a joyful tone. "These are wild lands... Here, those who die simply lay dead and feed the living. If you want to bury her, just find 'nywhere where you can dig and do it." he scratches his chin for a moment and then thoughtfully adds "Well... Just not by the water stream. Ah don't wanna no bits of dead city-folk in mah water."

As he speaks, he extends his arm and makes a circling motion with it, as if to point out the whole region around you.

"There's a pretty little hill half a mile from here, if you care that much... Ah can't guarantee the wolves won't find 'er, though... They can be very persistent when hunger strikes..."

"My thanks Jarken. Could I trouble you for a shovel? I'll return in about an hour."

"I'll come with you. It's not a good idea to go anywhere alone, what with the angry spirits and things."

[b]"Plus I can help you dig."{/b]

"A shovel, eh..." Jarken scratches his head. "Ah think Ah have one sumwhere 'round here.... Ah! There it is!"

He handles you an old rusty shovel. It seems like it hasn't been used in years.

"Here... Have a blast."

It takes a while, but you finish digging a reasonable grave for the unknown woman. You do so in the flowery hill indicated by Jarken. Hopefully the lady can rest in peace now.

You return to Jarken's cabin.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready."

"Then follow mah lead... Carth will take good care of your friend... Won't you, Carth?"

The giant tree-like creature growls in satisfaction as it places a huge wooden hand over Ayren's shoulder.

Jarken leads your journey for two days. He moves with extraordinary skill through the vines and undergrowth. Nothing short of an actual tree or boulder seems to bother his stride. You too seem to move uncharacteristically well this time. Whether this is because you have a competent guide, because you learned to move better in the wilds or because of something else entirely isn't clear.

By the second nightfall, you find your selves at the edge of a enormous valley. You can see the forest becomes denser and hotter as it goes deeper into it. It gradually becomes almost like a full-fledged jungle. The two most notorious things about the valley are the wide snaking river going through it and a relatively small but incredibly beautiful gold-colored oval palace surrounded by a number of similarly elegant buildings forming a perfect circle near the center of the valley.

It's a small settlement, but it brims with life. Hundreds of humanoid bee-like women fly gracefully around the buildings, often going in and out of multiple entrances and tunnels that connect the buildings, turning them into what looks like a giant hive.

"Ah hope none of you ain't allergic to bees..." says Jarken with a smile on his face. "Those ladies aren't the violent type, but they are no pushovers either. WE aren't in the best of terms..."

The man grabs a small vial containing a few dry leaves and handles it to you.

"Take this" he says. "If y'all need to call me, just break this thang and Ah'll come as soon as possible." he points towards a barely visible track down the valley. "All you have to do is follow that path. Ah'm gonna take care of mah duties now. Don't worry 'bout your friend. Ah wouldn't hurt a guest."

He starts turning back towards the way whence you came... "Anything else before Ah go?"

"No, thank you. You've done more than enough."

"Yes, Ah did..." he says, before seemingly vanishing into the dense vegetation ahead of him...

You're about half a day's journey from the city of the insect-like creatures. The sky is growing dark and the moon is already clearly visible. Camping and resting for the night seems like the obvious decision, though you might want to take precautions against animals and/or crazed forest spirits...

Finding your way to the hive-like settlement should be easy, even if if you don't follow the trail pointed out by Jarken. All that remains is deciding how and when you want to approach its inhabitants.

How would you like to proceed?

Ideas, anyone?

I prefer the peaceful approach.

I think that's a given, but more should we wait until morning or what?

Oh, right... I forgot to mention, but you can roll Kn(Nature) to try and learn more about the creatures.

You could try sneaking around to observe the city... Or maybe try to find something to sue as an offering or gift. Maybe look for nearby communities that trade with them.

That said, as far as your characters know, a direct peaceful approach is probably the simplest solution.

Or you can rush on a front assault and kill every humanoid bee in sight! XD

grumble grumble...

I'd be really upset if today were not my live RPG day anyway... -.-'

Well since nobody else cares:

Frederick walks up and introduces himself.

He's a straight forward fellow... Cyrus thinks to himself as he watches Frederick.

Frederick walks forward and waves and calls for one of the bee-like women flying around. Two of them approach the group with the swiftness and discipline of a military patrol.

Both of them take care to hover about 15 ft from the ground. One of them speaks, while the other keeps her bow in hands. She doesn't aim at the group but does keep her weapon ready.

"Hello... Travelers..." she says, seemingly unsure of how to call you. "What brings you here. Are you lost? There are no human, elven or orc settlements this way. Only Thriae."

Isn't it Thriae?

"We're looking for someone. He came to bargain with you for a cure of some kind, but never returned with it."

Isn't it Thriae?

And that's exactly what I typed... No EDIT. No sir. I'd never let a typo like that slip past my defenses... Nope. Not at all.

"We're looking for someone. He came to bargain with you for a cure of some kind, but never returned with it."

The two creatures quickly glance at each other. The one with the bow shrugs, uncertain of how to proceed.

"That doesn't help much. Could you be more specific? What else can you tell of this person or the cure they were looking for?"

Well we don't know the guy's name, what he looks like, or any other distinguishing features that I know of, and we know nothing of the disease he's supposed to be curing, so...no.

You know whoever came here is either a member of the Pillowstone family or worked for them. That's a very wealthy family. Not many nobles or rich people come here, so you could use that. You know it hasn't been long since they disappeared and you know who was their guide.

Okay then. I wouldn't think they would care about human wealth and nobility, but it's worth a shot.

"He was an emissary from the Pillowstone family. He came here recently."

They may not care much about it, but the appearance and gear of a wealthy person are clearly different from those of the average person living in the woods or nearby villages, so that's a good way to differentiate them. Specially since the Thriae do have a taste for gold and other precious metals, according to Jarken.

Pillowstone?" says the one in the front with a frown. "That sounds made up..."

Her bow-wielding friends speaks up, though.

"Wasn't there a human caravan a few days ago? Maybe he's talking about that?"

"I suppose that is possible..." replies the first one. "We better check this. Call a messenger."

The one with the bow gives a quick nod to her partner and with a quick movement, switches the arrow in her hand for one from her quiver. She shoots it towards the sky, and the arrow rises with a loud whistling sound before safely falling on a nearby tree.

"Now we wait." she says.

It takes no more than 3 minutes for a third thriae to show up. She too has a bow and a short sword, but is thinner than the first two and barely has any armor on her.

They chat amicably in alien words, but you recognize the name Pillowstone. Their language and accent reminds you of the accent of yellow-eyed creature who ambushed you. Maybe their languages share a common ancestry.

After the quick conversation. The third thriae leaves in a hurry...

The other two look back at you.

"If what you told us is true, we know someone who might be able to help you."

"Great!"

You know, my main grumble about languages is that it's a crapshoot which ones ever actually come into play. I almost always learn Sylvan, and it's never been relevant. Now I don't know it.

I think Eitylen can speak Sylvan... But I can't be sure because I couldn't find his languages known in his character profile... That said, Sylvan is often a very useful language to know. In fact, the only reason I didn't pick it for Donovan is because you said most magical creatures either died or left that plane of existence. And I did mention Fey would be common in this campaign since so much of the island is uncharted wilds. ;)

About fifteen minutes later, that same thriae returns, this time accompanied by two more of her kin, both of which don very luxurious light armor with silver carvings and wear a multitude of rings, necklaces, bracers and tiaras made of silver and gemstones. She quickly speaks to her kin before once again departing at full speed, leaving behind the couple that came with her.

One of the two newcomers softly lands a couple feet ahead of you.

"We are apprentices of Lady Qirra, whose brilliance knows no equal. She asks that you come with us."

One of the two scouts who first greeted you turns to speak but is interrupted before any word can leave her mouth.

"Of course... Our sisters and protectors of our peace have a duty to perform and laws to uphold. If you want to be allowed within our borders, we must ask that you deposit your weapons in this bag." she says as her friend opens a large bag designed to carry all sorts of weapons. "They'll be returned to you once you're officially recognized as a non-hostile presence by our master."

There's no hint of malice or deception in her voice.

Frederick hands over his Falcata without complaint.