The Hollow Man (Inactive)

Game Master trux

Though quiet during the escalating 'discussion' Mikka's mind eagerly processed everything going on around her. There was no doubt the Hollow Man was connected to the blight, perhaps even just a symptom of it. It was important that they find what was directing the creature so that she could destroy it in Freya's name, and restore the natural balance to Tombell and the surrounding area.

Karl Chillstrike wrote:

Karl steps up, holding his hand up.

Rash accusations will help no one, sir. Also, it is unlikely a witch or whatever will simply answer your question. But you have a small point. Who are you, please? And excuse the directness. This is a place under siege.

Aldan. A name to remember

Yes, you found his daughter Karda dead, under a beehive. Remember? the bees almost killed Mak. Use the wiki! It is a tool!

When you can't use the wiki, you can always use the forum tools to search all of your posts for any key word or phrase.

Um...Ok? Not certain what brought this on. I know about the wiki, I was letting karl make a mental note, tis all.

Oh, OK, I think I understand. The "who are you" was directed at the newcomer, not aldan. Bad grammar, due to posting on a phone. Sorry about the confusion

Looking toward Aldan and then the newcomer.

"Aldan, it is wise to be cautious of new comers. But let us try not to be so quick to judge. We could use another able hand. I for one would like to meet this new comer before making an enemy out of a potential ally with rashly spoken judgements."

Okrin can tell that Aldan is just a simple fellow. Scared. Shaken. Tired, too. Just like most of the villagers here, he seems like he's had a more than his fair share of sleepless nights.

Beyond mere caution, the atmosphere in the temple is filled with fear now. It has been, ever since Kakao suggested that the master behind the Hollow Man might be among their number.

Elseera's eyes light up at the mention of money or payment. She seems like she carries herself on an even keel, ready to react to threats, find an opening. When she first walked in, you noticed something, she went through looking at everyone's face... you can easily guess that she is likely here looking for someone.

trux wrote:

Karl Chillstrike wrote:

Oh, OK, I think I understand. The "who are you" was directed at the newcomer, not aldan. Bad grammar, due to posting on a phone. Sorry about the confusion

hah, well no offense meant. I thought you forgot about Aldan, so I wanted to give you the pertinent details.

"Ease your worries, good men! I wish no ill on neither you nor your kin. I am Eliseera, a traveler recent of Endhome. You have nothing to fear of me rest assured!"

Nodding as the crowd digests her words, she continues "Besieged you say? By this Hallow Man I hear you speak of? I can certainly assist you as I have dealt with...similar situations before."

You hear the villagers release a collective sigh of relief.

Kaerl from the village takes the stave from you and says loudly, "We aren't paying any more just for more adventurers to show up. I hope you understand." He wags a thick, rough-hewn finger at you. "The rate I agreed upon with your Endhome Baron was most generous."

He wags a thick, rough-hewn finger at you. "The rate I agreed upon with your Endhome Baron was most generous."

Did this ever happen on-screen? I recall the Baron mentioning a contract (while we were chasing wolves, it looks like), but no details.

Kaerl gestures out the kirk and to the north. "Since we've come here, he's the only real enemy I've known."

I know Mother Molver gave us the old folk / new folk rundown, and there was mention of the hamlet's buildings pre-dating many of the residents. But did we ever get a when/why they came and settled here?

Eliseera Tulman wrote:

"Ease your worries, good men! I wish no ill on neither you nor your kin. I am Eliseera, a traveler recent of Endhome. You have nothing to fear of me rest assured!"

Nodding as the crowd digests her words, she continues "Besieged you say? By this Hallow Man I hear you speak of? I can certainly assist you as I have dealt with...similar situations before."

You hear the villagers release a collective sigh of relief.

Kaerl from the village takes the stave from you and says loudly, "We aren't paying any more just for more adventurers to show up. Ihope you understand." He wags a thick, rough-hewn finger at you. "The rate I agreed upon with your Endhome Baron was most generous."

Eliseera nods briskly in response. "I did not come here demanding additional payment, just to see what the situation is currently. There has been little word from you and the Baron was indeed growing concerned." She smiles reassuringly at him. "Hence, why I am here."

She then turns to the other adventurers. "It seems as if you also have dealings with the Baron. May I ask where has he gone?"

She then turns to the other adventurers. "It seems as if you also have dealings with the Baron. May I ask where has he gone?"

Without bothering with the staff, Kakao states "The two men that escorted me through the forest had a message for him, he said it was from his family. Last we saw, he was headed home with them."

Pausing a bit, he adds "I don't know who those men were, but the Baron seemed to know and trust them. He seemed in a hurry to get home."

Approaching Eliseera calmly.

"Well met Eliseera, I am Okrin Goodspeed. I hope you found your travel here went well. I for one am surprised to see any traveler move about safely."

Attempting to take advantage of the new face and regain lost ground, Morti offers, "You see, we are not th' Baron's only allies--'e had a'ready sent word to...Eliseera 'ere of th' plight. With 'is family's couriers whiskin' 'im away to Endhome, we can expect more 'elp to arrive in a few days."

He nods hopefully at Eliseera. "You came by land, and 'e left by air; you must 'ave crossed paths without seeing." She seems to know Monti; please let her be the asset we need, and not one of his more questionable associates.

Okrin ...also notices that there is a young man present who seems excited to speak, but nervous.

nudge @ Okrin

"Well met Okrin. My travel here was as pleasant as one might expect." While she does have a smile on her face, the human notices it does not extend to her eyes.

As Kakao and Morti address her she nods to both in reply. "That would explain the urgency of his summons. A pity I was not able to talk with him directly..." Her voice trails off in thought for a moment before she continues, "It seems you are the ones the Baron hired to assist the good people of Levoca...and the investigation is not going well. What have you all learned so far?"

What have you all learned so far?"

Grinning, Kakao quickly replies "That I might actually get paid for something I was doing for other reason." After looking around the crowd, he faces the villager Kaerl and says "I would like to hear more about this payment and what is expected."

Kakao was never part of any such agreement, so regardless of what agreement was in place I believe it is appropriate for him to ask about this.

Almost as an afterthought, he adds "We've also learned that the creature is linked to the animal corpses and they might indicate what man is to be the target of the monster." He then looks towards Kostya's wife and adds "Might even lead us to the killer if we can figure out who is clandestinely placing them."

hmph, I though we were just being nice. Well, I won't say no to payment, but let us worry about the creature first. Our friend ran off in pursuit. We could track him. Hopefully he is alright.

Okrin's surprise is clear to all. He speaks his thoughts aloud, to no one in particular.

"How is is some paths are safe and others are not. What is it that the hand that guides the creature hopes to accomplish?"

Eliseera eyes widen in shock at Karl's pronouncement. "Your friend pursued the Hallow Man? From what I understand, it is nigh unkillable. We must go after him else it be too late for him!"

Preparing to find Caramir and looking with surprise at Eliseera.

"How have you come by such knowledge Eliseera?"

"By asking around the other villagers here, the same as you." Eliseera replied to him. "Also, I wouldn't say there are any safe paths here, but if you are cautious then you should be OK."

Shaking his head in doubt.

"I'm not sure what villagers you've spoken to, but I would be most surprised that you would learn such. How is it that you know what I've asked the villagers?"

someone has been spying on thus meeting, i think.
Karl looks at Eliseera carefully.
Why is that?

Eliseera stares back at the two gentlemen, her eyes unflinching. "I had to determine your true motives here. I make no apologies here for looking out for my employer's interests."

Seems I lost a post...trying again.

While Karl, Okrin and Eliseera are throwing barbed comments back and forth, Kakao watches the villagers and tries to determine their current mood.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 Probably doesn't pick anyone out
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20 but has a fair idea of the general mood.

Smiling, Kakao says to Karl "Karl, wasn't it you who said we should avoid rash accusations?

Let's give this Eliseera the staff and have her share what she knows of the monster with the whole meeting."

Looking towards the woman he says "Rather than incite people to act immediately, please take some time to explain what you know. It has already been about half a day, acting without thought is unlikely to help anyone."

Shrugging his shoulders.

"You must possess great wisdom to believe that you could discover true motives so quickly. Such wisdom will fetch a handsome profit to be sure. Turning to walk away, taking a few steps and then looking back toward Eliseera. What is it you plan to do next?"

ye understand tensions are high, an' we must be careful in acceptin' any we don' ourselves know, offers morti quietly to eliseera. we should appreciate and aid or information you can offer to Levoca, but with montpierre not 'ere 'isself, we've only your word t' take you at.

Morti asks: Why did they settle here? You might not have picked up on this by now, but let’s say you asked and Mak replied during one of the walks through the woods. “These are merchants and like we deal with. Used to run caravans, but their pockets got too heavy and they hated the nobility and kings. Settled out here instead, hicksam fools, the lot of them”

Kakao asks: mood of the villagers? The overall mood is tired and strained. The meeting recesses for a quick minute while you all talk with Eliseera. You see Aldan and Kaerl talking with Anna and a large group of other homesteaders, just a quick huddle while you talk with Eliseera Tulman. Everyone who leaves this quick huddle seems more reassured and calm than the others in the room.

Eliseera carries a signed letter from Montepierre’s mother’s office to prove her purposes for being here.

When offered it, Kakao reads the letter of introduction with mild interest. "This certainly looks legitimate." Smiling, he hands the letter off and asks "So are you only here to observe, or do you have some knowledge or skills that will aid us in this endeavor?"

Eliseera takes the letter from Kakao and stores it away in her pack. "I was told to assess the situation and also render any assistance should it be required. Which it obviously is. As you may have noticed, little escapes my eyes and I feel I can help you investigate further the motives of this Hallow Man." She smiles thinly. "Now you said you sent someone to track it? When do you expect him to return?"

Pretentious. I hope she is at least half as good as she claims.

Shrugging slightly, the gnome quietly replies "Actually, what caught my attention is how confrontational your manner is. I think it would be much easier to work together if you refrained from disparaging our efforts repeatedly, especially when the local folk are already so nervous about the situation."

Smiling brightly, Kakao switches back to his normal speaking voice and states "We do not know precisely when Caramir will return. He may have decided to find refuge and sleep before returning."

"[smaller]Actually, what caught my attention is how confrontational your manner is. "

though, to be sure, tha' in itself is somethin' of a bona fide for bein' an associate of the baron's! grumbles morti good-naturedly, relieved at the letter. aye, caramir will return when he's got somethin' on the monster's whereabouts to return with. We jus' need to know what to do with it when he does.

I am very glad to say that Caramir summons up the last reserves of his strength, forcing himself through the pains of exhaustion and wear.

catterpillar: 5d20 ⇒ (12, 19, 10, 19, 1) = 61

He manages to stealthily slip away up into the branches of the trees, where I presume he spends the rest of the night. Perhaps he is almost too tired to be scared anymore of the things lurking beneath his head.

.... Later, In Levoca
The meeting is called back to order by Kaerl. His thick fingers wrap tightly around the speaking staff as he raps it against the ground loudly. "Enough speculation! We will not allow this village to turn to small name-calling and distrust over some dark monster!"

He begins pacing up and down the aisles. "If we leave, it will find us. If we stay here, it may come again. Some of you, I hear you whisper, that this Hollow Man has only taken those from the old ways. You think perhaps you and yours are safe. We are many of us newbloods, but I warn yer! If it took the heads off those pineys, who mark this place with all of their respects and rituals, surely it will take us too. We ought send help now. We ought be ready for the thing. Perhaps then this madness among the beasts will end. End with the Hollow Man when we slay him!"
*questioning murmurs wash through the crowd*

The hunter who met Kakao earlier takes the staff and asks, "If we send for help, how will we know to trust the messenger? How can we trust any one of us with that?"

Looking toward the hunter.

"Perhaps more than one messenger should be sent? Would you be willing to be among those sent?"

Okrin would volunteer, but don't want to miss out as a player. Happy to play an NPC in the mean time if something like this fits.

Eliseera glides to the front of the meeting area and holds her hands out. "May I?" Once the staff has been relinquished to her she announces to the villagers, "If you need a message sent I can ensure it will be heard by the Baron without delay. As for sending more than one person, it would be wise to consider such. Talk of the roads being safe is but talk, as I am sure you know well."

Kakao nods his head at several points as Kaerl is speaking. He gets a quizzical expression at mention of sending for help.

Once Eliseera is done speaking, he raises his hand before speaking.

Looking directly at Eliseera, he says "I've a question. Since the Baron already knows of the problem and you have been sent here, is it likely that the Baron would send any more help?"

A good question. I for one would not say no to more aid. As long as it is timely

Surprised, Kakao glances over at Karl and then quickly focuses again on Eliseera. I don't know if he is serious or not, but now isn't the time to say anything. Besides, I expect it will be quite illuminating seeing how the woman responds.

Sorry, I mistyped. I meant I would not say no to more aid. oops

Eiseera looks over the gnome a calculating look in her eye. Is he insulting me here? Well no matter. I can handle him...and his friends.

"Of course, I can arrange for additional help from the Baron." She replies to the gnome, a glint in her eye. "The problem we have is time...it would take time for a well armed patrol to first be assembled from Endhome then to travel here. It would take quite a long time...I fear much longer than the good villagers of Levoca may have here, knowing what we know of this 'Hallow Man'."

As she faces Karl she adds with a trace of a smirk on her face, "Not to mention the expense that would be incurred in outfitting such a patrol. Say what you will of me, I can travel much faster than a squad of knights!"

It's hollow man by the way. Why do you keep saying hallow?

Eliseera looks back to Karl, the confident look on her face shaken briefly by his words. "HOllow Man? Not HAllow Man? That is quite odd. I must have received a bad translation from the scribe who composed the report." Her cultured accent indicates however it is more likely she misheard whoever told her about the Hollow Man initially.

Mikka shakes her head in silence as she studies the newcomer.

'She plays at superior knowledge but understands as much or less than we do about what is really going on. Yet she seeks to win the people's trust bandying about names and titles as if she speaks for greater powers.'

Trying to seem more hopeful than he is.

"So it seems we may be back where we started. The good news is our number has increased and it seems others know of the danger faced by those here."

She certainly is evasive. I suppose that comes from dealing too much with nobility.

At Okrin's comment, Kakao shakes his head and says "No, not where we started. We do know more about the monster..." and then he gestures towards Eliseera "...and have someone who received a scribe's report likely containing even more information."

Looking towards Eliseera, he asks "What else was in the scribe's report? Any weaknesses other than fire? Hints as to what is required to animate such a monster? Please, you have the staff, so share what you know."

Trux, when and if things settle down around him, Caramir will try to return to Levoca, and take Shade with him.

At Kaerl's mention of the hollow man targeting the "old ones", morti raises an eyebrow and glances around to see where Brother Arkadius has gotten to, and what his reaction to this observation might be -- as well as trying to note whether any other villagers are eyeing the priest. sense motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

mother molvor listed him among the "old folk" of Levoca -- and now th' only head o' house left alive among those? Poor soul must be thinkin' 'e's the next target, if Kaerl's right. Must be scared witless -- er, if 'e weren't there arready. Unless...no, ridiculous. 's can't possibly be the one commanding this fiend: doesn't have enough straight between th' ears to be responsible.

Eliseera grips the speaking staff tightly while giving the gnome a warning look. "Unfortunately, from what I understand about this Hollow Man fire does appear to be its only weakness." She replies calmly

I dare not say the truth to these villagers...that these golems are usually under the control of their creator, someone who wished them harm. What panic that would cause here!

we believe this golem is guided, by someone who has a grudge of some sort. It follows a trail of dead animals to its target. Golems are mindless, in general, so need something like that, a simple instruction, such as follow this trail, kill any who oppose you, kill any at the destination.

"What is more is that it is someone capable of controlling a twisted nature spirit that grants it's power and some degree of awareness. There is definitely an individual of malicious will in control." Mikka adds.

While Karl and Mikka talk of golems and nature spirits, Kakao watches the crowd. He expects most of the villagers to be unsettled by the discussion. If there is anyone here connected to the monster attacks, they probably are not surprised by this information. They might even be amused by all our speculation.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 If we ever level, I'll have to put a rank in this skill...

Trux, when and if things settle down around him, Caramir will try to return to Levoca, and take Shade with him.

You're sure you don't want to rest up a bit?

Looking hopefully at Kakao.

"Knowledge is something. If only there were some way to put what we know to use in combating this creature."

The villagers seem unsettled by all this talk of one of them being in control. Families begin separating themselves from one-another and the rafters bounce back suspicious whispers from all sides.

Kaerl steps in, "You're more daft than I thought if you think one of us is going to run all the way to Endhome!" there is a grand round of agreements from all the men present.

Anna takes the staff away from him and stands to say, "What Kaerl means is it will be two weeks across the forest to reach endhome. Why bother when Bard's Gate is only a day west of here?! If this menace isn't ended, we could all be dead by the time any of you reaches endhome!"