"You can travel between planes, can't you?" his tone is measured, but there's an edge of urgency "That alone makes you worth speaking to. We need to discover where the Hut has brought us and why. If you have that knowledge, then there's reason to talk with words rather than powder"
He glances at the others, then back at the creature "What do you know?"
The Denizen of Leng looks at the invisible Letitia, as she speaks forcefully, "Ah, there you are, I was wondering where you were! yes, yes, yes...." it says, holding it's hands up as if to mollify the invisible woman. Then it tilts its head sharply, lowers it's hands and intones, "The Master speaks..."
A voice enters each of your minds, cold, calculating.... alien, "Mm, Mm, Mm you've successfully cowed my weak minded minon...but not I. He told me that you would be too difficult to take under my control. And I agree with his assessment. I agree to your terms, however rudely declared. Hostilities would be injurious to each of our parties. That we have entered the demesne of the Old Crone is now evident. No trespass was intended. In fact, once our energies have replenished, we will depart to more...fruitful environs."
[dice=K. planes]1d20+3
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+12"You can travel between planes, can't you?" his tone is measured, but there's an edge of urgency "That alone makes you worth speaking to. We need to discover where the Hut has brought us and why. If you have that knowledge, then there's reason to talk with words rather than powder"
He glances at the others, then back at the creature "What do you know?"
The voice in your mind continues in response to Samuel's query, "Indeed...we walk the Planes with impunity. As to where the Hut may currently reside physically...that I cannot tell. The Old Crone's magics obfuscate that information. My minion and I have, as you most likely have as well, explored the totality of this localized demi-plane...finding not exit. Except, in the other room my minion has found a ladder located in the fireplace. He was returning to inform me of his discovery when he met you outside. Perhaps, that way may lie the answers you seek. Either way, leave us in peace and we will do the same. In some hours we will cease to be here...."
Not liking this thing talking directly into his mind, Llewellyn tries to consider whether he should believe it what it says, especially considering the weird emphasis about joining.
"A hidden ladder?" Samuel looks at Letitia confused, then he looks back at the two creatures and tries to determine if they have maybe taken something, something like the traveling keys the group seeks "You have not taken anything from the hut, have you?"
Despite the alien nature of the mind talking to you, you find no reason to not believe what it is saying.
you see nothing obvious that may be something from the hut. The floating creature has not clothes to speak of, but the Denizen of Leng has many pieces of cloth in which to hide a knick-knack or two.
"There is nothing here for us. We have taken nothing. We leave here at our earliest opportunity. " the strange 'voice' intones into your minds.
Not seeing the point in picking a fight Llewellyn muttered, "Yeah... OK lets go?"
Letitia glares at the two alien beings, still distrustful but seeing no reason to initiate hostilities. She slowly lets out a breath she'd been holding, then nods. "Very well."
Her mind turns to busying herself while waiting out the extraplanar beings. She had intended to rest, restore her spells, and make another attempt to fix Syvet. The gardens were full of valuable plants to be harvested, as well. Then there was the issue of finding the exit for the treant... except the large tree would never fit up a chimney, if that's truly the means of escape. Without a physical means of egress, leaving the Hut would require powerful magic.
She tilts her head at the aliens, beings who explore the planes. "Can you carry living beings with you? Make no mistake, I've no wish to join you, but an intelligent plant is trapped here in the Hut. If the next leg of your journey includes sunshine, water, and soil, and if you can take it with you, you may be the answer to its prayers."
Samuel narrows his eyes at the creatures, but after a moment, he exhales sharply and nods "Fine. If you haven't taken anything, then you're not my problem, for now" his gaze lingers on the Denizen of Leng "But if we don't find another way out, we'll be back. And then we'll be asking a lot more questions"
Turning to the others, he gestures toward the hidden ladder "Let's move. If there's something down there, it might be what we're looking for"
Without waiting, he moves towards it, and tries to find and check if it is safe and where it is leading.
"Ah yes....the mad tree. Quite an interesting mind...but no. We journey back to our home, a realm quite inimical to the the individual you seek to help. " it's voice in your mind responds to Letitia's request.
Then they both go quiet , the denizen of Leng ignoring Samuel's pointed stare, to return to his genuflection before it's Master.
Retreating, the party crosses the hall to the other store room where it said the ladder was hidden.
More boxes and shelves of various supplies fill the room. In one corner , a large stone fireplace sits, within can be seen the metal rungs of the ladder in question, rising up into the chimney.
Taking a quick peek reveals that the chimney is quite spacious, and seems to rise about 25 feet before ending in a wooden trapdoor.
Llewellyn hums a simple tune that attunens his senses to any magics that might be in the area, and then he has a good look around being careful not to touch anything.
Letitia is observant as she explores the storage room. She eyes the fireplace once she's given the room a thorough inspection.
"Strange place to hide a ladder, if that is our way out. Inconvenient, as well."
She considers the way they came, and the fact that Ariadna and Ratibor were waiting on them. "If we confirm that is our exit, we should then return to the gazebo, I think. Ariadna amd Ratibor should know what we have found so far. There also are valuable resources to be harvested before we press on. Then we can rest and give me another attempt to restore Syvet."
Llewellyn nodded, "I agree. Still got to be careful collecting anything from the alchemy garden, could easily be more moonflowers about."
While the number of magical aura permeating this current orientation of the interior of the Hut is almost overwhelming, you do manage to pick out a more localized magical aura in a nearby box....it's top having been pried open recently.
Joining Samuel in looking at the fireplace reveals that the chimney is quite spacious, and seems to rise about 25 feet before ending in a wooden trapdoor.
Samuel eyes the chimney again, then looks to Letitia and Llewellyn "Fair. But let me check the exit first, then return to regroup and harvest what we can, if the trapdoor I am seeing in the chimney even leads anywhere"
He slings his musket, grabs the first rung, and begins to climb "It should be possible to easily brace to both walls to make it up. I will check the trapdoor. If it's safe and opens to the outside, we have a path. If not, we keep digging"
Eyes narrowing, Llewellyn told the others, "Take a look at this magical box. It has been pried open and recently if I'm not mistaken, perhaps by our 'friends' in the other room..."
He tried to identify what ennchantment the box might have.
It's not the box, its something inside the box....conjuration(summoning) is the aura you detect.
No climb check needed, there's plenty of space to climb up.
You climb easily and are able to push the trapdoor open...revealing a cozy wooden cabin. Shelves are packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients. You can see a stone fireplace with a large mantel and opposite the room's only door stands a simple wooden table on which rests a cracked clay bowl. A large blackened cauldron sits in the center of the room.
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Noticing that Llewellyn has located something magical, Letitia tears her attention from the fireplace. "Callix or Ashling, could you make sure our gunman hasn't recklessly gotten himself swallowed by another plant?"
She then focuses on what Llewellyn found. "Be wary for traps or other unpleasant surprises," she advises. If it doesn't blow up in the half-orc's face, she casts detect magic and studies it to figure out its use.
I forgot to mention that from your perspective you can see a window on each wall, letting in dim sunlight.
Investigating the box, you find a pouch, cleverly woven together with what looks like the same wraps of fabric that was worn by the Denizen of Leng.
The Magical aura comes from within that pouch. Even without seeing the source of the magical aura, Conguration (Summoning), you can feel the strength of the enchantment.
Looking in the pouch, you find a number of small rubies, 15 in total, and one single larger ruby. It is this , that is the source of the magical aura.
You can see a small, moving humanoid figure within the large ruby, as if it were trapped inside the gem.
This ruby appears to be the material component for a trap the soul spell
Llewellyn let out a low whistle, "That sure is one big ruby!"
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Letitia narrows her eyes at Llewellyn for his uninformed comment. "Quite so." She places a finger at her lips and makes a pointed glance at the direction of the Denizen of Leng. Gesturing to the fabric that matches the same wrappings around the outsider, she lowers her voice to barely a whisper. "That being must have dropped this pouch, unless it put it here on purpose. And before you consider altruistically returning it, know that there is a soul trapped within this large gem."
Samuel climbs back down the chimney and lands with a soft grunt, brushing ash from his hands.
"The trapdoor leads to a cabin. One room, from what I could see. Wooden interior, shelves packed with strange knickknacks; alchemical or arcane, probably. There is a cauldron in the center, and a cracked bowl on a table. Four windows, one per wall, letting in some gray daylight. No sign of hostiles, no immediate traps either. Ample space for an easy climb. Might be a safe exit... or just the eye of the storm"
The Taldan steps over to the others, eyes drawn to the ruby that's been carefully laid out. The glint of it, makes him raise a questioning eyebrow "...Is there something in there?" he asks quietly, gaze narrowing "A soul? How is that possible? Mmm... and do you know how to get it out?"
His voice is low, uncertain "Maybe breaking it?"
Giving the grand daughter a worried look, Llewellyn replied, "There could be anything in there. Do you think this was left as a kind of trap for us?"
Llewellyn thinks back to the conversation they had with the Denizen and it's master and considers if that might be the case.
Letitia nods at Samuel. "Breaking the gem would most certainly free the soul trapped within. If it is mortal, the soul would be able to go on to its judgment and final reward. If it's an outsider, however..."
She meets Llewellyn's eyes and his mention of a trap. She hadn't considered that, but why stash it away for them to find? "If it's an outsider, it would return to its full corporeality. Whatever it is. And it could be anything. A demon, a devil, an angel, or even another Denizen of Leng. Or a denizen of one of the infinite outer planes. The possibilities are staggering."
"Hum. You say an angel might be trapped there?" Samuel looks down into the gem trying to see what is inside "How does it breath?"
"Maybe we just ask the ruby who is it?"
"I don't believe it works that way," Letitia says when Samuel suggests asking the gem what it contains. Still, maybe he is right that the figure trapped inside can be identified. She also looks closely at the being within the gemstone.
Unfortunately, though the figure can be seen in the facets of the gem, it is too indistinct to determine its nature.
Letitia shakes her head in frustration when she can't identify the creature within the gem. "No way to tell from out here. Let's keep this from our 'friends' and see if they stay true to their word about leaving. Then we can break the gem, or not. Souls trapped thusly are quite valuable even unidentified."
"Without knowing what's in there, it's hard to say what to do for the best. Perhaps we don't need to decide now. Let's check out that chimney?" suggested Llewellyn who wandered over to take a look.
One by one, the group ascends the chimney ladder, arriving in the quaint cottage 'above'.
As Samuel had related, the room has shelves packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients line the walls. A stone fireplace with a large mantel takes up the room's northwest corner, while opposite the room's only door stands a simple wooden table on which rests a cracked clay bowl. A large blackened cauldron sits in the center of the room. Faint sunlight pours in from four windows. A single door leads to the outside
You notice that the knicknacks include a number that you've used in the past to 'move' the Hut to new locations, the frost giant's beard, plague doctor's mask, dragon scale and gold nugget
As soon as Ashling emerges from the fireplace ladder, three ravens appear from the shadows near the roof, cawing loudly as the fly about the room.
The crows whirl about cawing, then speak in unison "Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!"
When they finish, they pluck knickknacks from the shelves and deposit them in front of Ashling.
First a stuffed two-headed eagle. Beside that they lay an iron spur and a drinking horn.
Then an bearskin rug is laid at Ashling's feet, atop which is laid a small hand mirror and an elephant tusk.
They wheel about cawing loudly, before they return to the shadows from whence they came.
Letitia is silent for a time as she considers the revelations given to them by the crows. She takes in the curios and knickknacks around the cabin, then studies the specific items set down by the ravens before Ashling. But more than those items, her mind spun at the information about where their breadcrumb trail will lead them next, and to whom.
"Baba Yaga had a son?!?" Letitia finally gasps.
She thinks on if she'd ever heard stories of a son of the Mother of Witches.
As they explored the room, Llewellyn noticed the bowl, "Hey look! There's things in here used to navigate the hut. Maybe this is out way out after all."
When the crows came, Llewellyn shivered not for the first time about the thought of Baba Yaga having children, UGH! When they left he muttered "Talk about creepy, and a Son, that's news to me too."
"Only the gods know then what damned soul might be inside" the Taldan comments before the group proceeds up.
"I thought the crone only had girls. What is this about a son?" Samuel looks around a bit surprised and stares at the bowl "Maybe we are supposed to place the knickknacks into the bowl to proceed to the next destination"
None of the stories or histories about or including Baba Yaga has mentioned a son.
Not recalling any tales or documentation of a son of Baba Yaga, Letitia shrugs. "She must have kept him a secret from Irrisen. I wonder why, but speculation is pointless at this point."
Letitita sighs a breath of relief at the presence of the keys from the prior uses of the Hut. "With the plague mask and lock of hair, we can return to Artrosia, and with the nugget and dragon scale, we can return here. However, I don't expect that we'll be so lucky as to find more keys within the Dancing Hut. The kikimora explained that Queen Elvanna depowered all the keys within the Hut, hence our tasks of following Baba Yaga's breadcrumbs. And we've been given six items, when only two have been needed."
She picks up the stuffed two-headed eagle and turns it over in her hands. "I would not risk blindly tossing items into the cauldron, at least not until we've checked what lay beyond that door." Letitia nods toward the single door leading outside.
"They kept him secret... or maybe the voices are trying to mislead us, or talking again riddles" Samuel ponders, nodding in agreement as Letitia points the path to follow.
The High Sentinel strides towards the door, and after checking it carefully, listening at what might be outside, he just tries to open it.
Hand on the pommel of his sword, Llewellyn stood by Mr Samuel as he made to open the door. Llewellyn remarked, "Well let's see what's out there."
Nothing untoward is found with the quite ordinary door, that opens out onto the familiar quaint porch that adorns the front of the Hut.
Cold air strikes your faces as you look out upon a narrow snow covered valley, high icy mountains rising on all sides. The light is dim, provided by the sun high in the sky, which is very much diminished in size. Stars are visible, though it is near midday.
The few trees that are nearby, though trees, have oddly different looking foliage that those you are used to seeing.
From the clues in the sky, you are positive that you are no longer on Golarion...in fact you are on a different planet!
A different planet indeed! From your observation and your learning you are sure that you are on the planet Triaxus, the seventh planet in Golarion's solar system. It has a very eccentric orbit of over 300 years, where summer and winter last decades. You have obviously arrived during one of it's long winters.
Letitia grabs the cracked bowl, expecting it to be the control mechanism for the Dancing Hut, before stepping out onto the porch in case there are threats surrounding them like the frost giants from Iobaria.
She squints at the pale sun and the visible stars in the sky. "Odd sky," she observes, then looks at the strange trees. "Odd... everything."
Since your nature knowledge is constrained to that of Golarion, you can say with certainty that the trees you see do not exist on Golarion.
Letitia presses her lips together tightly as she tries and fails to place the trees into any recognizable phylum. "We are someplace very far from where we started. The winter gate we passed through transported us leagues. The Hut took us to another continent the first time. Now? We must be someplace so far that even the sun and sky look different. I have my doubts that we are even on Golarion."
Llewellyn nodded to the granddaughter and started humming a calming mantra that focused his mind.
Llewellyn thought about the strange sky and chewed his lip for a moment before commenting casually, "I don't mean to alarm anyone, but I don't think we're on Golorion anymore... " With a sudden grin he exclaimed "Well what are we waiting for? There's a world to explore!"
Letitia's eye twitches. "What are we waiting for? How about Samuel's sister? Ratibor? We have valuable herbs yet to harvest, a tormented familiar to save, and a pair of outsiders that still lurk just downstairs. Not to mention a gemstone holding a trapped soul."
She waves at the surrounding alien landscape. "Wander far field if you wish, but I recommend caution."
Samuel stares out over the frozen valley, jaw tight. He squints up at the distant, diminished sun, then across the alien trees "Far from home..." he murmurs, voice low, almost lost in the cold wind.
"Best to move quick, but careful. We ain't got the luxury to lose ourselves out there" his gaze lingers a moment longer on the horizon, then he steps forward into this strange world, ready to press on, but keeping the hut as a point of reference to avoid getting lost.
Leaving the other items in Letita's to-do list for now, the group steps out of the Hut to reconnoiter , a glance backward reveals the Hut's outside remains the same as before. The snow crunches beneath their boots as they venture forth.
About halfway to the nearest copse of 'tree', there is whooshing sound as a red dragon flies by about 50ft overhead. It's being ridden by a rider clutching a long lance. The rider turns in it's saddle, as if trying to get a good look at you. The dragon banks in a slow turn, allowing the rider a good vantage point. They do not seem to be intent on attacking.
"Samuel!" Letitia hisses urgently as the gunman scouts away from the Hut while she remains on the front porch while holding the control mechanism at the ready.
"Why are we scouting on foot on a strange world when we have the Hut!?! Better to go forth from a position of strength, yes?"
Grumbling to herself at the man's impetuousness, she watches with her heart in her throat and repeatedly tells herself that if he is swallowed by another giant plant he has only himself to blame.
When the dragon and its rider begin circling she tries to activate the Hut and have it move up to defend their scout.