A feral smile crept onto Kage's lips, "The foll moon, yes. I like the way you think!"
Mother Hagcrow listens to the various ideas, nodding in approval to most of them. "Splitting them apart and striking them when they are vulnerable or heart broken would be delicious," she says after some thought. "Perhaps your Eris has learned more than she could share. Has the Angry Hag blessed you with another sending, Sister Harpy?"
The younger woman scowls. "No. We will have to wait until after midnight."
"Then wait we shall. And in the meantime, plot. This is not the time of the month for a werewolf. When it's time, though, we could be ready if we know when and where she would change. I doubt they would let her run loose in their towns. Perhaps they chain her in a basement?"
"Perhaps we can get our allies, the tiger lords, to take care of Alicia and her guards."
A look of realization strikes Alenaya. ”Oh...oh...oh how marvelous!” Alenaya mutters to herself before falling into a giggling fit that grows into maniacal laughter.
Once she recovers, she clarifies, ”Oh...hehehe...I know where they keep her. The fools keep her in an outdoor enclosure. I didn’t realize it’s purpose before when I saw it, but it is fairly evident now looking back. Releasing her should be a simple matter!”
"This is not the time of the month for a werewolf. When it's time, though, we could be ready if we know when and where she would change. I doubt they would let her run loose in their towns. Perhaps they chain her in a basement?"
Kage thought for a moment, "Mmm I got the impression she goes off into the wilds, but this is unconfirmed. If we act during the full moon, it hardly matters she'll be indisposed. They have everything to loose should this become widely known."
"Oh...hehehe...I know where they keep her. The fools keep her in an outdoor enclosure. I didn’t realize it’s purpose before when I saw it, but it is fairly evident now looking back. Releasing her should be a simple matter!"
The feral smile returned to Kage's lips, "Oh very good, we must make our way there and let Eris know by sending. If anyone can whisper whisper honeyed poison into Copeprhorn's ear so he will in turn entice Maxwell for a tryst, it's her. Of course we shall be there to ensure Maxwell will get rather more than he bargained for! I dare say you ladies could teach him a thing or three before he shuffles off this mortal coil."
Mother Hagcrow nods approvingly. She gives an imperious look to Sister Harpy, who scowls once more, then goes off by herself to sulk/pray.
The evening descends upon the conspirators as they wait for the time where an additional sending or more can be prepared.
The Gyronnan witch muses aloud while everyone waits. "Do you know about northern werewolves?" she asks. "Powerful. Infectious bite. Doesn't spread too often, since so few actually survive encountering one. Either this Alicia is tough, or her friends saved her before she was eviscerated. If you're brave, and armed with silver, you could try to kill her while she's a beast, but that's easier said than done. At least, you know she'll be alone. No one else in their right mind would be nearby."
"Someone will be there with her. They are too.... good not to. Her watcher will be there to keep her imprisoned yet sworn to kill her if needed to keep her from hurting others. That is how they think."
Sister Harpy lets out a low cackle. "If it's just one or two of them that watch her, then that's one or two without the others."
Kage nods, "Well it seems we have the beginnings of a plan, good. Lets not get ahead of ourselves. On the morrow need to send a message to Eris and begin our journey to the Narlmarches. There will be plenty of time for scheming once we know the lay of the land..."
A few more hours pass as the night falls and the stars circle overhead. Sister Harpy finishes her prayers at midnight and reports that she is ready with a pair of sending spells.
"What shall I send this time?" she asks.
Kage nodded at Mother Hagcrow. "Alenaya how long do you think it will take us to get there?" asked Kage.
A little after midnight, Eris receives another sending from the Gyronnan.
Tell us your location. Have Copperhorn lure Maxwell for tryst. Do so before full moon. Your companions will be waiting for him.
Eris responds to the Sending spell.
"Narlmarches. Impossible. Copperhorn and Maxwell actively try and resist each other to prove devotion. Have tried. Copperhorn refused to relent. Some sort of pathetic endurance."
Nonplussed at hearing the response, Kage frowned, "Well there goes a perfectly fine plan. I guess we'd better go and retrieve her. I wonder what would happen if we let Maxwell know Assassins are going to nail Copperhorn to a tree? Would he do something desperate and heroic?"
Mother Hagcrow grins evilly at Kage. "I suppose there's only one way to find out, then?"
The Gyronnans state that the closest settlement to the Narlmarches is Tatzlford. They also recall that that was where Eris was headed on her trip to meet with the fey.
In a day's journey, they arrive. Tatzlford is a small town but enjoying a fair amount of growth, based on the number of new houses and shops. There's a road that leads south towards the other River Kingdoms that avoids Pitax, which is advantageous due to the continued tense relationship between the two nations. It also appears that there is a fair amount of logging being done, and wagons of cut timber are hauled out of Tatzlford on a regular basis.
A lone woman traveler stopped by here about two weeks ago and stayed the night at the inn. Initially taken to be a traveler headed south, she said she wanted to go see the fey forests. She left the next morning and hasn't been seen since.
Jon goes about trying to find information for the group.
"Sounds like she could be our sister."
When they set out, Kage walked alongside Alenaya for a while in companionable silence. After several hours of hiking he asked, "You're probably way ahead of me, but I think it would be worthwhile preparing some of that cold iron alchemical wash..."
Kage nods to Jon, "Yes... Looking around I think we can guess what Eris tried, this logging must anger the Fae. Too bad it would have been good to have them on outside. We're heading into their lands, we mustn't underestimate them.
Keep your eyes peeled for watchers."
As they travel towards the Fae's domain, Kage follows his own advice and keeps a sharp lookout.
Venturing into the woods, there are tell-tale tracks of logging carts that have been hauling away timber from the various sections of forest around Tatzlford. Clear signs denote which logging companies have claims to which sections of forest. As they go deeper, they begin to see markers stating that by order of the Council of Five, no logging is to be conducted past their borders. Almost instantly as they cross the threshold, the Mantises can sense the difference in the forest. Where the logging companies had domain, the forests were mundane. Beyond those borders, the forests were primeval, full of mystery and power.
Kage instantly feels watched the moment they pass into the fae realm. Whatever is seeing them always remains just out of sight, on the edge of his perception.
"We're going to get lost here," mutters Sister Harpy.
Mother Hagcrow shushes her. "How about another sending? See if there's a way to locate the lost Mantis, or meet her halfway. Then we can be out of this place."
Harpy scowls, but assents. "What do you want me to say?"
Alenaya nods to Kage. "Yeah, yeah. I've made some of that goo for you boys. Have fun with it."
"What do you want me to say?"
Kage considers for a moment before replying, "Tell her we're in the Fae Woods looking for her. Tell her to make some noise, singing or whatever to help us find her. Also ask her if she can see any landmarks."
The Gyronnan looks irked about being given instructions from Kage, but she complies.
Eris gets another sending the following day.
We have entered the fae forest. Need landmarks, directions, to find you. Or make noise, send signals, something to lead us to you.
Eris's response to the sending is a garbled mess of what she thought was landmarks, but ultimately more confusing than anything.
With a combination of sendings, landmarks, and ghost sound clues, the Mantises are finally reunited after a couple days more searching through the faerie woods.
Copperhorn's pointed ears prick up as he hears the approach of several figures. "Intruders. The forest has been talking about them for days, my pet," he says to Eris. He pulls out his pipes. "Something to do with your nighttime whispering?"
"Why don't you taste this?" Eris snarls, unleashing a blast of negative energy from her hand, trying to crush the creatures vitality.
The satyr reels as his life force is sapped by Eris' spell. Then he puts his pan flute to his lips and starts playing aggressively. Everyone who hears it suddenly feels the urge to go to the nearby spring and drink deeply.
Alenaya was a finger at the satyr, ”Nuh, uh, uh. It’s rude to ensorcel a girl on the first date!” she says before heaving a pair of explosive vials at the satyr’s face!
__________
Am I part of everyone?
Jon casts Invisibility and moves to flank the satyr.
Kage was creeping forwards through the undergrowth when the strains of flute music met his eager ears. It was strange the melody reminded him vividly of a time in his childhood when he had punished and had been denied water for several days. Feeling parched he drifted back into the shadows and crept towards the creek.
Mother Hagcrow also seems captivated by the music and starts to go in the direction of the nearby stream. Sister Harpy resists it easily.
The Gyronnan cleric gestures with her knobby fingers and points to Copperhorn.
The satyr's eyes grow milky white as he is afflicted with blindness.
He cries out for help in Sylvan, clearly terrified. He draws a slender sword out and holds it up in a protective manner.
Jon stalks up to Copperhorn opposite Kage, as is his norm, and slices him with his cold iron kukri.
Kukri, mw, cold iron: arcane strike
Sneak Attack: dagger, bleed 2
After Jon-Wyn's brutal stab and Alenaya's bomb, the blinded and weakened satyr is nearly dead. Blood is spilling from his wound as he staggers under the assault.
Meanwhile, Kage and the Gyronnan keep going to the cool and enticing water of the nearby stream.
”Don’t kill him yet, he can still be of SOME use. Besides, he needs to undo his little trick there,” Alenaya says with a gesture to the spring.
At Alenaya's request, Jon halts his blade.
Instead Jon casts Invisibility again and goes down by the lake.
With their head start, Kage and Mother Hagcrow reach the nearby stream. It's a crystal-clear series of rapids and eddys splashing across moss-covered stones with water-loving trees leaning over the tumbling waters.
The two are compelled to drink deep from one of the pools, and find the water to be cool and refreshing. Their compulsion concluded, they begin to think that the magical effect was simply designed to separate the attackers. But then a lovely, nearly nude woman with pearlescent skin and long, dark hair rises from the waters. A diaphanous shawl barely conceals her.
Her radiant beauty is incredible to behold.
Despite her beauty, her face is contorted in anger. "What have you done to Co'pair-huron?"
Still bleeding, the fey drops to his knees, trying to staunch his wound with his hand.
There's a distinct shift in the forest, which now feels looming and dangerous. Harpy hisses to Alenaya, "I don't think we have time."
Alenaya retrieves an opaque vial from her hip and steps to the satyr. She grips a tuft of his hair in one hand and holds the other menacingly above him. ”Unless you are eager to find out what it’s like to take a bath in acid, I suggest you have your other Fey friends back off. Otherwise, you’ll find out real quick, and then we will just have to kill all of them too!”
Here is where I go on a 5 minutes rant. Please excuse me.