"Although we are far from the Border Woods, the code of the High Sentinels compels me to help you and your man. Let's eat something very quick and move on to find him" Samuel proposes.
If no one is against, he will help Alec find their way towards the area the man was last seen, and find tracks of either the man or the troll in the area of the cave.
Samuel is able to find the cave that the woman told them about with only a little work. he finds tracks, but between the house and cave the only tracks he finds are heavy bootprints of a medium humanoid.
[ooc]make one perception check as you approach the cave, look at both spoilers if you roll high enough
you can see movement of a creature walking inside of the cave
the creature is not big enough to be a troll. it looks like a rather large man, but still human-sized, but covered in moss and fungal growths much like a moss troll should look.
After the group leaves the cottage, on the way to the cave, Letitia casually mentions, "This is likely a trap. As Samuel mentioned, this is not the environment of a moss troll. Also, the woman is not what she appears to be. I saw a tail beneath her cloak." Lazlo hoots in agreement.
"I see something inside moving. I would shoot first, or try to draw it out into the light. Besides, a troll's hunger is legendary. Finngarth is likely kilked and eaten if the wife's story is true."
Samuel arches an eyebrow when Letitia reveals her observations "A tail? Well... that does not discard the woman is telling truth. But it is certainly remarkable. At least for someone coming from the south..."
As the group approaches the cave, Samuel attempts to discern what are the movements he perceives inside and then whisppers the others what he has spotted "Look... it is large and covered in moss and fungal growths... but it is still human-sized and the cover is just that... a cover, not the real skin of a moss troll... I think Letitia is right and this might be a trap... Let me see if I can make it come out of the hiding"
The Taldan steps forward and looks for a cover close to the cave, likely a rock or a tree, from there he tries to call the attention of the creature "Hey! We caught the woman. If you want to see her again alive, you better show off with your hands up. We perfectly know about your trap!"
Callix readies her throwing axe, "At this point, I think Nadya's the only person we've met in the North who hasn't been trying to get us.."
something comes stumbling out of the cave. it is a large human man, fitting the description the woman gave you of Finngarth, except that he is covered in fungal growths. he has an axe in hand and is running towards you!
the fungus on the man looks to be attached to his body, with tendrils digging into his skin. the plants seem to be concentrated in one spot on his back in a large patch of mold and fungus. it definitely doesn't look like a disguise he put on, more like something growing out of his body! roll a knowledge nature check for more information about what this might be.
his actions seems sluggish and he is not focusing on your words. it appears he is under some sort of domination effect
bold may act
Samuel, Letitia, Ashling, Nadya, strange man, Alec, Callix
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 31/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 30/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 34/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 29/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 24/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Strange man HP: | AC ?? |
"That's weird. It seems the moss is not a disguise, but it is growing directly from his back!" Samuel quickly comments his observations before moving forward.
"Ok, you should be Finngarth. What happened to you? What is this moss?" on his advanced position, the Taldan readies to hit the man to the ground with his musket if he approaches aggressively moving through his threatened area.
Samuel instead moves forward next to the man readied to remove the axe from his hands as soon as possible.
I believe there is the possibility he is under the effects of some kind of Domination! The way he moves and appears match up She calls out to the after observing, Draws her Scimitar and shifts her stance to aim for extremities rather than major organs, slowly moving toward the man readying to attack
readied attack, set for him if he enters threatened area
If he doesn't activate the readied attack she continues her movement and moves up to him instead
you quickly recognize the plant that is infesting this man. it is a Mindslaver Mold. this mold is an infestation from the First World, an interconnected hive mind of intelligent plants that seek humanoid hosts to dominate. over time they completely erode the individual's sense of self and replace it with the desire to follow the directives of the mold mind.
the mold can attempt to dominate nearby creatures and can launch pieces of itself at enemies and attempt to attach to begin the process on new hosts. it is aware of its surroundings, and will try to avoid incoming attacks by moving around the hosts body to try to make its host take the brunt of any attack
The man rushes towards Samuel and is met with the butt of a rifle which connects solidly with the man's chest. he does not fall to the ground, however.
the man swings an axe at Samuel
the axe hits samuel and causes significant damage.
Nadya fires her longbow at the man as he moves in to attack, but misses wide
The whole party may now act. Letitia, go ahead and do both an action for round 1 and one for round 2.
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 31/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 30/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 17/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 29/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 24/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Strange man HP: -6 | AC <18 |
Callix rushes around the side, cursing that she can't quite reach the strange creature's back despite her swiftness. She whispers a quick spell as she brings her own smaller axe up to strike at the strange moss-covered man.
Believing what the others were saying about the man to be true, Alec stepped forward and reversed his grip on his spear, sending the blunt end towards the moss-covered man.
Understanding blooms as Letitia recognizes the man's infestation. "Astute, Ashling. This man is controlled by the very mold that covers him. It will be tricky, but try to strike the moss, not the man! But beware, since it will try to use its host as a shield!"
Letitia casts a spell, designating Lazlo as the one to deliver its negative energy. The owl then flies into the trees nearby to become lost among the ice-covered branches.
Letitia targets the mold, stripping away the strands of good fortune and only leaving bad. Then, Lazlo swoops in from his hiding spot to deploy the spell he'd been holding in his talons.
+
I'll see what i can do, i trust you'll be able to remove it or figure it out She changes her blades grip and goes to strike nonlethal
" The moss eh? Let me do it" Samuel steps back and raises his musket trying to blast only the moss.
The Taldan quickly reloads the musket afterwards.
Alec tries to wack the man with the blunt end of his spear but misses, not used to weilding a spear in that fashion. Callix hits a solid blow, drawing blood from the man. in his dominated state the man doesn't even cry out in pain as the axe injures him.
Letitia hexes the sentient mold on the man's back rather than attacking him. she senses that her hex has taken hold, messing with the thing's ability to react.
Lazlo swoops down, trying to deliver a spell for Letitia. as his talons reach out for the mold, it squirms on Finngarth's back, trying to get out of the way.
Lazlo is too quick for the mold to avoid, and the spell discharges
somehow the mold creature is protected from the spell, which fizzles out to nothing as Lazlo touches the mold.
as Lazlo touches the mold, the spores infect him through his skin, drainign some of his sense of self. Letitia can feel his confusion through their link as his thoughts get fuzzy
Ashling moves to flank, and misses
Samuel shoots the mold on Finngarth's back
his aim is good enough to hit just the mold, avoiding the host!
Nadya takes her cue from the group, trying to hit the mold and not the man. she drops her bow and draws an axe and swings at the mold, but misses.
Finngarth swings his axe at Callix, who was the only one to hit him.
he continues his swing past Callix and into Nadya
Finngarth then steps back out of the flank.
the mold on Finngarth's back flings a spore pod at Letitia, but in doing so provokes from Ashling
the spores hit Letitia, who feels the same sensation she just felt from Lazlo go through her as the spores try to latch on to her skin
to make matter worse, the mold seems to be regrowing itself after being hit by Samuel
the whole party may act
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 16/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: 1 WIS damage
Alec HP: 30/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 17/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 29/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 24/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Finngarth HP: -16 | AC <18 >13 |
Mindslaver Mold HP - 3 | AC ??/<19
Samuel scowls as he sees the spores flying over Lazlo and then Letitia "What's that?"
Despite it, he resolves to continue trying to blast the mold and only the mold "It's wounds are healing, I need to take more risk at damaging Finngarth" the Taldan steps forward and shots over Ashling's shoulder on the spore creature, but this time he does try to shot at the mold vitals with deadly aim.
Lazlo withdraws to join Letitia a short distance away.
Letitia coughs and sputters as the spore pod strikes her. She scowls as her thoughts grow a little foggy, but avoids the worst of the spores for the moment. When she sees the mold's host strike a telling blow against Callix, she decides to try to take him out of the fight. She lays her hex on the victim, hoping to put him to sleep so the only threat is the moss.
Finngarth stops as if running face-first into a wall and falls to the ground asleep, his battleaxe flopping to the ground a foot or two away from him.
the mold shifts over finngarth's body but Samuel's aim is too good, and the mold is hit by a carefully placed bullet.
Alec, Callix, Ashling, Nadya, Finngarth, Letitia, Samuel
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 16/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: 1 WIS damage
Alec HP: 30/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 17/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 29/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 24/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Finngarth HP: -16 | AC <18 >13 | asleep
Mindslaver Mold HP - 19 | AC ??/<19
As the man collapses under Letitia's power, Samuel quickly reloads his musket with his remaining move "Quickly, try to kill the mold now without waking up the man!"
While he readies to make another shot he eyes to Letitia and Lazlo trying to discern how the spores might have affected them.
Nodding at Samuel's instruction, Alec quickly tried to use the trusted end of his spear, this time stabbing for the mold.
Somewhat frustrated with the weapon, he turned and tossed it into the snow behind him before bending down to grab the fallen man's battleaxe. He hefted it up, feeling the weight and menacing the unconscious man, ready to strike again.
understood! She shifts to attacking the mold
Callix nods, "Right, the mold", spinning her axe in her hand to line up a more careful strike.
for
the mold again seems to be able to sense blows coming towards it and tries to squirm out of the way, but both Callix and Ashling are able to carefully cut the mold while leaving the man untouched. as Callix hits it, the plant creature shrivels up, its tendrils pulling free of the man's flesh.
the mold spores seemed to not outwardly harm either LEtitia or her owl, but they both seemed to be acting strangely for a few moments. they seem to be ok now, but prolonged exposure to these pods could have created a new mold colony that could use one of them as a puppet much like Finngarth.
as he was not hit, Finngarth remains asleep in the dirt
End of combat
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 16/31 - AC: 18/13/15 Status:
Letitia: HP: 26/26 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: 1 WIS damage
Alec HP: 30/30 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 17/34 - AC: 19/15/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 29/29 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Nadya HP: 24/24 - AC 15/12/13 Status:Finngarth HP: -16 | AC <18 >13 | asleep
Mindslaver Mold HP - 37 | AC ??/<19 | dead
Samuel nods as if noticing something about Letitia and Lazlo "You should be ok soon enough, although the spores probably leave you a bit dumb until we rest and you have time to recover. Fortunately it had no time to grow a colony on you... we could have lost you as Finngarth"
The Taldan approaches then the man and takes his pulse "He is still alive" then takes some liquids from his healing kit and puts them on his nostrils attempting to wake him up from the mold effects "Hey wake up!"
"I don't know what role the woman plays in all this, but I don't think this man was trying to prepare a trap for us in the end... He was likely only the victim of the mold"
Letitia narrows her eyes at Samuel. "Dumb? I don't feel adversely limited by the mold's attack. I appreciate your concern, but don't think for a moment that my faculties are limited."
She calls Lazlo to her, who alights on her shoulder. She runs her hand along his plumage, cooing to him softly.
Callix winces at Samuel's choice of words, then quickly tries to change the subject, offering, "I could use magic to heal him, if we're sure it's safe. "
Finngarth awakes with a start when Samuel treats him
Hver ertu? hvað er ég að gera úti í skógi? Ég var úti að safna eldiviði fyrir Sylgia og .... það er allt loðið eftir það
Who are you? what am I doing out in the woods? I was out collecting firewood for Sylgia and.... it's all fuzzy after that
the man stays on the ground, and puts a hand to one of the wounds he took during the fight from Callix's axe, but he doesn't seem to be aggressive now
Letitia's attention focuses on the man as he awakes. She takes more of his confusion. "Ráðist var af plöntuveru. Þú átt engar minningar frá nýlegum aðgerðum þínum? Jæja, Sylgia sendi okkur til að finna þig. Hvað geturðu sagt okkur um hana?"
"You were attacked by a plant creature. You don't have any memories of your recent actions? Well, Sylgia sent us to find you. What can you tell us about her?"
It takes a time for Samuel to process, but by now he is starting to understand the local language, as it is close to her mother's one.
"Fyrirgefðu maður. Ég held að þú hafir verið ráðist af mold sem tók stjórn á sjálfum þér. En hver er þessi Sylgia?" the Taldan looks for some bandages in his healing kit that might alleviate the axe cut "Getum við hjálpað þér frekar?"
"Sorry man. I think you were attacked by a mold that took control of yourself. But whom is this Sylgia?" "Can we further help you somehow?"
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the man seems to be coming back to himself, but is clearly fuzzy in the head, and having trouble remembering things or focusing on anything around him. he tries to stand but puts a hand to his head as if in intense pain
mygluvera? Ég hef aldrei heyrt um slíkt ... Sygia er mín ... kona. við búum í skála í þessum skógi. hún sendi þér? svo að hún var ekki líka tekin þá? vinsamlegast, farðu með mig til hennar
a mold creature? I have never heard of such a thing... Sygia is my wo... wife. we live in a cabin in these woods. she sent you? so she was not also taken then? please, bring me to her
"This man seems very confused... we shall bring him to Sygia, whom seems to be his wife" Samuel shrugs and try to help the man up "You only need a couple of days rest with good cares and you will start feeling much better"
Before we leave Samuel will search the cave were the moss was living and its environments.
Then, if everyone is ok, he will help bring back the man to his home.
Letitia nods, not bothering to ask more questions of the addled man. She and Lazlo assist in searching the cave.
"Do I give him back his axe?" Alex hefted the weapon in his hands and felt the weight. It was a good weapon. He knew it would serve the man well, and that's what he was concerned about.
Callix says, in Taldan, "Are we sure that the woman we met is actually his wife?"
"We are not," Letitia answers over her shoulder.
"I think he is in no condition to use the axe for now Alec. You better safe it for him" Samuel tries to help move the man "I guess Sygia must be the woman that sent us here. Why otherwise she will send us to help this poor man? But let's stay alert, in case she is not whom she says to be..."
An idea crosses the Taldan's mind "Fyrir nokkru tækifæri ... á konan þín hala?"
Letitia checks out the cave and sees that there are several more less-developed colonies of mold forming. unless they are destroyed, anyone going into this cave is at risk of becoming a new host for the mold.
Alec hefts the battleaxe that Finngarth dropped. it is a sturdy but simple thing. (mundane non-mwk battleaxe.)
at Samuel's words, Finngarth's face pales
hvernig veistu um það? af hverju er það svona stórmál? af hverju getur fólk ekki bara látið okkur lifa í friði! Ég elska hana, er það ekki það sem skiptir öllu ?! Ég hata að þurfa að fela hana en ég myndi gera allt fyrir hana.
how do you know about that? why is it such a big deal? why can't people just let us live in peace! I love her, isn't that all that matters?! I hate having to hide her, but I would do anything for her.
Samuel tries to ease the man, and stares at Letitia with a look of complicity "Don't worry Finngarth, we just wanted to make sure we were not tricked again"
Before they leave, Samuel will help to ignite a torch and burn down the mold in the cave.
Then, he will help take the man to Sygia.
Letitia frowns as she considers the growing patches of mold in the cave. "This could be a problem in the future," she muses, mostly to herself.
Her attention is drawn to Finngarth as he speaks of the love between him and the woman with a tail. She notes Samuel's look to her. "Hve lengi hefur þú verið saman?" she asks Finngarth as they all begin to walk back to the woodsman's home.
"How long have you been together?"
if we take the time to set a fire, we could smoke the mold out and kill the spores. If your concerned
Callix says, "Ást er ást, vinur. Við höfum bara séð of marga hluti sem reyna að plata fólk upp á síðkastið og vildum ganga úr skugga um það."
She taps the man on the back, carefully to avoid the damage.
Turning her head to Letitia, she nods, "I agree. We should do something. Ashling's likely right that we could set a fire. The snow and cave would contain it."
"Ok. Let's set a camp for the night. It will also help Finngarth to recover which will make moving him around much easier" Samuel helps to set camp and burn down the moss.
During the night he tries to administer help to further heal Finngarth.
The next day he will help to move the man to his home.
camp is set and the night goes by quietly. the group sets fires in the cave and burns out the remaining mold. checking it in the morning it is clear that this colony is done for.
Finngarth avoids questions about his relationship with the woman, he seems to think he has said too much already. from the little that he tells you you learn that the people in his hometown did not approve of his marriage to the woman with a tail, and the two of them chose to move to a much more remote location so they could be together without being harassed. he doesn't fill in many details about when and how they met, but you get the idea that it has been at least a few years.
Letitia remains quiet and reflective the rest of the night. She doesn't voice her concerns that Sygia may yet be a threat of some kind. This was Irrisen, and such happy endings are few and far between.
But, if this man was yelling the truth, then they had done her a great service reuniting them. How she reacts to their reunion would be most telling.
Glad that the mold was dealt with, she joins the others in the morning as they return to Finngarth's homestead.
Samuel will go hunting for something to eat that night.
At the cavern he sits with heavily in the ground and removes his armor to see the large gash Finngarth's axe has opened in his chest "That's going to leave an ugly mark" the Taldan looks at the man and breaths deeply "I believed the lands of Irrisen would be less judgmental to marriages with less humanoid beings... But I do understand. Back in Heldren people will point at you for how you dress, how you look, or the size of your parent's house."
The man tries to sew his own wounds, but he is eager to accept the help from anyone else.
Letitia notices Samuel trying to tend to his wound. "We can't have ugly marks, now, can we? Here." Rather than use one of the charges on their wands, Letitia uses one of her spells she'd memorized.
Samuel attempts to place his hand over Letitia's as she places her hand on her chest and the gash starts to magically close "Are you getting softer witch?" the man gives Callix a wry smile "You see, it seems she is starting to care about us. What do you say now to that Callix?"
i... do not know why but i am glad we assisted these people She sounds contemplative at the moment, speaking to no one imparticular just out loud
Callix chuckles, "Depends if you think we're her allies, her companions, or her entourage."
She casts quick healing spells on herself and Samuel.