Ain't that right? - Timm chuckles back at Samuel.
As the group walks, the gnome seems distracted humming a song, until they finally get to the unstable house. He then crosses his arms in the back and looks up, apparently unworried about anything.
"I've no intentions of going inside," Letitia assures Samuel.
Letitia takes to the air, flying up to the house to get a better look. it is about 20 feet off the ground.
as she gets close, she sees a face in the window. a young child (maybe 8 or 9 years old) sees you flying outside and waves, yelling at you
"Help us, please! we're stuck up here! my dad is hurt, he can't help us climb down!
Samuel eyes the situation to see just how precarious the house is. it moves with any movement above, and looks like it wouldn't take much to dislodge it. anyone going into our out of the house will have to take care not to make sudden moves or they will risk knocking the house down.
Timm looks to Samuel with curiosity, but doesn't say anything - waiting patiently for Letitia to fly back down.
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Letitia floats closer to the window and peers inside. "Come around to the front door, carefully," she instructs.
She then rips off a patch from the robe of useful items and lets it float down to the ground below. The moment it hits, a 24-foot ladder springs from the patch.
"There! Hold that steady; there are people injured inside," She calls down to the group below.
"Child! Open the door and climb down the ladder! I'll heal your father."
Callix calls up, "Careful, Letitia, we can't get up there to help in the house," even as she does her best to hold the ladder... leaving room for Samuel to join her.
Oh, I can fly up there to help if needed! - says Timm - But I guess the least people there, the best at this point.
"Careful, do not touch the house, it will fall at the minimum knock" Samuel observes, and moves to the base of the ladder to help hold it with Callix "At least the ground is full of snow, it will not be like falling on a big stone"
And nodding to Timm "Ok, fly there to help Letitia if you think you can help, but make sure not to touch the house or it can fall"
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the first child comes out timidly, but bravely steps on to the ladder. she is small enough that the ladder is not hard to hold at all and she makes her way down safely. the second child, a boy of about 11 years, is eyeing the ladder with a scared look on his face. he stands by the prone figure of an adult man who raies his head to look at you
Take the children first. my leg is broken, I am going to have trouble getting down gently. Hans, you have to go. it'll be all right my boy, I'll be right behind you. your sister did it just fine, you'll be ok
the boy still looks hesitant, but moves slowly and shakily towards the ladder.
Help my dad, please? he got hurt when our house got shoved up inot the air. he can't climb. can you get him?
"I will see what I can do," Letitia tells the boy. "Now, go," she instructs, gesturing to the ladder. Once he is clear of the doorway and climbing down, she floats through the entrance and avoids touching the floor until she is next to the injured man.
She lands gently and looks over the man's leg. Her appearance as Jadwiga was not lost on her, and she took a moment to wonder what the man was thinking. Likely, that his brief hope of salvation was dashed.
"It was good of you to send your children on ahead. They will not have to see this next part. I can make it quick. Or, if you wish to live, there will be a price. You know what I am, do you not?"
Samuel helps the girl out of the ladder and puts her with care over the snow. She likely reminds him of his own sister "You are safe now. Wait here until we safe your brother and father"
"Do not worry, we have done this many times and know how to hold you if you fall" the Taldan encourages them to try descend the ladder.
"Besides, what happened to your house? Where is the Dancing Hut of the witches?"
While Timm is ready to go help Letitia if she needs, he just stays floored for now, helping with the kids. He truly, deeply cares for children, and genuinely looks after them to make sure they're safe.
the child comes down, encouraged by Samuel's words and his father's nod to continue. once down he hugs Samuel.
"that big chicken hut? it's over that way. i think... i can't see anything with all these trees. they just sprouted up all at once! They weren't even little baby trees before.
the child points roughly north, maybe a little north west of your current spot.
the man's face grows white, but there is a hardness beneath it.
"don't you have anything better to do than extort one of your own subjects? I hear the warning bells. something big is going down out there. he sighs "name your price, witch. but know i do not have much to offer that hasn't already been taken from me.
Letitia's eyes flash coldly. "I have far better things to do than waste time saving a man whose family is stuck in a tree," she snaps. "You know as well as I that most Jadwiga would pass you by, or perhaps stop to watch in amusement as your house crashes to the ground."
She pauses to let that sink in. "My price is this: For your children's lives, I will have your silence. You will speak to no one about how you were saved until I give you leave to do so, and you will instruct your children to do the same. This is for your protection.
"For your life, I will have your daughter. She showed bravery calling out to me, and did not fear climbing down the ladder. She will make a strong captain when she comes of age, and she will prosper greatly in my service."
If he agrees, Letitia tries to set the bone in the man's leg, and then follows up with her Healing Hex.
Samuel offers a warm smile to the kid "You did great. You are going to become a brave man. Thanks for the information. Now join your sister, we are going to save your father, but it can get messy"
"Is everything ok there Letitia? Can we help you somehow?" the Taldan looks up and addresses the witch.
Ashling lets the group do as they will, uncaring about the distress and more interested in "The chicken hut". She moves onward to scout ahead in the direction the child pointed out
Callix watches Ashling go and winces mentally, If she triggers an alert while we're holding a ladder, we're in trouble... She whispers, "Let's hurry, kids."
The man sighs "Very well. we will tell no one about this. can i ask why? why is your reputation for cruelty so dear to you that you don't want anyone to know of the good things you do?
As for my daughter, I will not force her to do anything she will not accept. I will do my best to prepare her for service to you when she is old enough. it is still several years before she will be of age. but when the time comes i will make sure she is reminded of your actions towards us and encourage her to work for you. is that sufficient?
the others are waiting for some minutes below. whatever Letitia is doing in there is taking some time, but luckily it is not causing the house to shift. the children are getting a bit restless waiting to see what happens to their father.
Ashling is also restless. she wanders away from the group, looking for the way forward.
Dark forested paths lead north, east, and south out of this large clearing, but the way to the north is blocked by a rippling hemisphere of churning darkness and twisted shadows.
The surrounding trees seem to lean 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 a dilapidated wooden hut perched atop two giant chicken’s legs, surrounded by a picket fence of bleached bones.
Letitia's eyes narrow. "My reasons are my own. You will either do as I say or you will face the consequences. As for your daughter, she can do the same. I expect you will make that clear to her. Are we in agreement?"
"I do not know... it seems Letitia might be in trouble..." Samuel looks at Callix and then the others "Shall we go?"
The Taldan puts his musket back to his back and holds the ladder with both hands, proving it to ready himself to climb, although still a bit hesitant looking up.
Ok... I will go there take a look! - says Timm, looking up without much confidence - a little confessedly coward to go up.
He focus for a moment, flames coming of his hands - and suddenly he propels up, towards Letitia.
Callix watches the gnome burn his way into the air, then shakes her head, "Well, that's... faster... "
Samuel prepares to climb the ladder if needed. it doesn't feel super stable, but if someone else was holding the ladder it would probably be ok.
Very well witch. we have an agreement.
the house rocks just slightly (but noticeably) as Samuel tests the ladder down below. the man raises an eyebrow
Shall we?
Timm flies up into the air on a stream of flame. he can see Letitia speaking to someone, but can't make out details without getting closer (and risking dislodging the house!)
"Yes, do take care climbing down."
Letitia doesn't risk moving through the house on foot, so she again activates her Flight hex and floats through the air to the door.
Letitia appears at the door, still flying. Her eyes go wide at the rocketing gnome and reacts by flying some distance away from the house in case he crashes into it and sends it falling.
Once well clear, she descends gently to the ground. She doesn't bother to watch the father try to climb down the ladder. Instead, she lands next to the young girl. "I saw much bravery in you," she tells her. "You will have to continue to be brave in the years ahead. But if you do, great things will be in your future. What is your name, young one?"
Timm gets up, looks around, but 6 seconds later jets back down again to the ground.
Don't do it at home, kids! - he says, shaking his head a little dizzy - Well, at least I guess it works for emergencies!
Seeing Letitia flying down and the father starting to descend, Samuel relaxes and changes his stance to holding firmly the ladder for the man to do his descend "Well Timm, I am just happy none of you became a human rocket against the house. The collapse would had made my bullets look like mere children fireworks" the Taldan chuckles, happy to see people landing around controlled.
"So, what happened there up?" rising an eyebrow at the way the witch addresses the small girl and ignores the boy Samuel asks "Where next? North?"
ash doesnt really have those knowledges so instead she'll keep hidden and watching for hostiles
Callix happily pulls the ladder away from the house, "Well, that was... exciting. Kids, take your father into town, that way. It's the safest place at the moment."
She sighs at Samuel's question, "I don't think we have a choice, given Ashling's wandering off."
Samuel looks around realizing Ashling is gone "That impetuous woman... Yes let's join with her before she gets into trouble"
With that, the Taldan moves north after Ashling, trying to be as stealthy as possible.
Letitia's aide makes the man able to climb down on his own. he is shaky and hesitant, having more trouble coming down than his children, but now that his leg is healed he is able to manage it.
Letitia pulls to the side and speaks to the girl
My name is Crina. thank you for helping my father! I didn't know how to help his leg... you healed him! and you can fly! you're amazing
The man finally reaches the ground, and his face looks close to tears.
"Thank you so much. all of you. you saved me and my children. we will not forget this he looks straight at Letitia as he says this We are in your debt. I have but a token to offer in thanks. it belonged to my wife, Pharasma watch over her soul. it will do more good in your care, and will be a token of the words spoken this day
he pulls out a chain with a small pendant shaped like a heart. it is magical and easily recognized by Letitia as a Amulet of Natural Armor +1.
at that, the man walks with his two children towards the entrance to the market square.
The group moves to the north, following where Ashling headed. they find her quickly, taking cover behind some of the bushes making up the maze-like walls of the market square forest. Ashling has not seen any movement in the area, but is watching for any changes until her party arrives.
ahead, you see another opening in the trees.
Dark forested paths lead north, east, and south out of this large clearing, but the way to the north is blocked by a rippling hemisphere of churning darkness and twisted shadows.
The surrounding trees seem to lean 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 a dilapidated wooden hut perched atop two giant chicken’s legs, surrounded by a picket fence of bleached bones.
"Indeed," she says when Letitia accepts the token, then watches the family exit the woods.
Her eyes go wide when she sees the swirling vortex and the hut just beyond.
Samuel nods and sees the family go peacefully. The tough man observes them for a second, cleaning his face with the elbow, before turning and continuing to the north.
Joining Ashling at the forest border, he offers her the natural armor amulet "If you do not want it, I will take it"
"Have you spot any movement?" then, noticing the strange swirling, he turns to Letitia "It seems your family is again trying to suck the Winter into another lands..."
Noticing the chicken legs a bit further away, Samuel gets altered "The Dancing Hut! Baba Yaga's house! We found it!"
You can have it, It was from that situation back there. I have not seen anything, but if i am correct that is the Hut... i expected it to be better guarded
Callix shakes her head, "I'm way more worried about guardians we can't see than those we can."
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What do you guys mean by... Dancing hut? - says Timm, visibly confused - I met a dancing mutt once. His name was Toto! He was trained by my cousin Narolio Neturo, and I must tell you how talented he was. He would wig his tail and jump back and forth to the rhythm of the ukulele! If you clap your hands, he would do a spin. Oh, that was great! These people from the Minatan islands are quite something. His sister, my cousin Nawelia Neturo, was an accomplished tailor. I'm not kidding, she could sew socks with her feet while talking to you! I remember she had even a nice trick to have the socks in place, on her feet, by the time she finished doing the job. Neat! Oh, neat reminds me of their mother, dear aunt Noselle Neturo. Already deceased, mind you. Such a sweet person, but a neat freak. Would you believe she liked to swab every single door knob after someone touched it? She would walk around with a piece of cloth!
The group rallies back together in front of the swirling anomaly. it doesn't look like the portal that you took to arrive in this land, but something different.
Samuel looks for a way to push through the vegetation. it is incredibly thick, and vines and thorns seems to move in the way every time a branch is moved out of the way. the hedge is definitely enchanted.
the vegetation around this clearing that holds the hut is a version of a wall of thorns. it is more deadly than a standard wall of thorns and appears to be drawing power from somewhere to keep itself active.
you rolled high enough to get 4 pieces of information:
The vortex is some sort of extraplanar portal or gateway that seems to be siphoning away reality itself. As such, it cannot be passed through.
The vortex is not a spell effect, but rather a form of ritual magic. It is unlikely that the Dancing Hut created it—something else surely did.
The vortex will take some time before it completely drains reality away from this area, taking everything nearby with it, but no more than a week at most.
Multiple external power sources sustain the vortex. If they are all destroyed, the backlash should disrupt the vortex as well.
the others watch for danger, but so far no guardians can be seen. the view through the anomaly is quite distorted, so it is possible there are creatures in the clearing you can't get a good look at.
Letitia studies the vortex, her brow furrowed in concentration. Lazlo swoops down and lands on her shoulder. The two confer for a moment in their secret language.
She ignores the gnome's babbling.
"I believe I-- Samuel!" she is interrupted by the gunman's attempt to move through the thorny hedge. She watches as the vines grow and shift to thwart any attempt to push through them. "Well, that's... unsurprising, I must say. The hedge is enchanted, and will probably impale anyone trying to hack their way through. If it doesn't kill you, you'll probably be easy fodder for whatever lies on the other side."
She points to the swirling vortex. "I'm afraid that's no simple winter gate. The winter gate we went through had a single external power source, remember? When we shut that down in Nazhena's sanctum, it closed the gate. This phenomenon has multiple power sources.
"What's more, it's disrupting reality itself. We have less than a week to stop it, or this vortex will drain all reality away from this area. And while I'd like to see what shows up in its place for curiosity's sake, our goal lies beyond it."
Callix is too mesmerized by the swirling pattern of the vortex to realize what is blocking her way.
Samuel halts just in time when he sees the vines react and Letitia calls him back.
Trying to hold his powder horns in place as the whirl sucks the reality around, he rises his voice to be heard by the group "Ok, this is going to suck everything, and there are multiple power sources. How we find those power sources and disable them?"
Callix blinks at Letitia's observations, then nods at Samuel's questions, sighing, "I guess the bigger question is, do we know that they're out here with us, rather than in there where we can't get them?"
"We don't," Letitia says, frowning at the idea that the keys to the impenetrable barrier are behind the vortex.
"We've a lot of paths to explore, perhaps we might find--" Her eyes go wide as she remembers the strange pool guarded by the dawn piper. "The dawn piper's elemental font. I wonder if that might be one of the power sources."
She turns to Timm. "The object of your fascination may be a hindrance to our goals, if I'm right. She may not like us turning off her water fountain."
"Ah, you think the font is one of the sources? Do you have any idea if they need to be close to here?" Samuel comments looking at the vortex.
"Mmm... you might be right and we need to deal with that piper. But let's see if there are more of those power sources. Let's check east of here" seeing the overall disposition of the woods, Samuel directs himself to the east trying to see if they found the sources.
Callix asks, "Would there be some sort of magical signature, a connection we could follow using Detect Magic, for instance?" She shrugs, "Just seems it would be a better idea than randomly smashing things and hoping we were right.... not that we're above that tactic."
Letitia casts detect magic and studies the energy signatures around them.
"I've no solid answers. But we should explore this strange forest regardless, since there are no more clues here. Maybe what we come across will enlighten us."
She'll follow Samuel as he explores to the east.
Honestly, I have no idea why you would imagine a water fountain is a... Power source for something. I guess witches are really creative! - says the gnome, genuinely confused with the association, but going along as he doesn't really know better.
Letitia's eye twitches. With an air of exasperation, she says, "I couldn't have been the only one to have noticed the water was flowing upwards?"
Callix shakes her head, "You weren't, though I was more likely attributing it to the water-spirit than the witches. Of course, now that we know what's here, it makes any strange and seemingly random magical effect instantly suspect."