Piper nods at Walthus before going to stoke the fire. He continues to get a vibe on both the place and Walthus.
Smiling softly, he nods and takes a good look at the wounds, he does everything he can to tend to the venom and see how bad the rest of the wounds are.
{assuming he can try again since he is actually being allowed to check the wounds this time}
"Here, hopefully this will help" He says as he puts his seemingly wounded hands on Walthus's wounds to heal what he can after having treated him for venom.
Sharrd leaps off the wall and goes over to examine the fight. That's interesting, I wouldn't think snake bites would leave so much blood he muses. He pokes the dead snakes with his spear and then looks around the fight, trying to put together what happened.
Walthus's wounds appear to be pretty serious, definitely bitten by snakes - of a variety of sizes, you would estimate. They are all several hours old, perhaps not a full day, and Ash estimates that whatever damage the snake venom has done is done, leaving Walthus with the aftermath of recovery. Ash's use of magic does relatively little to heal Walthus further, though it brings him some small amount of relief.
Otherwise, the kitchen and dining area is quite simple. There is little of comfort here, though the place is warming nicely with a bit of fresh wood in the stove.
Walthus takes the lid off the ceramic jar, which appears to be full of flour. "Oops. Wrong jar. I'll be right back," he says as he goes back to the pantry and rummages about.
Meanwhile, upstairs Alara quietly opens the door (to G8) and finds a bedroom. It appears to be quite well lived-in. There's a messy bed that appears to be slept in regularly and just as regularly not straightened up and made. There's a faint scent of body odor and an odor that's more... reptilian as well. A chest sits open, additional clothing draped partially across it. And a small table sits by the window with a small mirror, a razor, and a few other bits of personal grooming apparatus. It appears Walthus isn't a complete slob but is a bit indifferent to keeping a tidy bedroom.
Masamune and William, going to continue to wait outside or step into the house?
Sharrd leaps off the wall and goes over to examine the fight. That's interesting, I wouldn't think snake bites would leave so much blood he muses. He pokes the dead snakes with his spear and then looks around the fight, trying to put together what happened.
It's difficult to piece together much other than something lost a lot of blood. The snakes appear to have been savagely beaten to death by something that doesn't appear to have been sharp since they are not cut up. Clubbed, perhaps, maybe even swung and smashed on the ground. There are a trio of carcasses, all local swamp vipers.
Alara's eyes light up upon seeing the bedroom. She wrinkles her nose from the odor, but steps in anyway.
Ooh... wonder what he's hiding here? She looks all around the room, still trying to be quiet. She decides to poke around in the chest.
Masamune goes inside with the others trying to not knock anything over while he is there.
Sharrd rumages through his pack until he finds a sack. He gingerly uses his spear point to put all three dead snakes into the pack. I bet Alara could find some ninja-y thing to do with these.
William will follow inside and stay on alert for any funny business.
Masamune and William join Piper and Ash in the kitchen area as Walthus continues to forage for herbal tea. In fact, he seems to be checking in each and every container in the pantry in his search.
Alara's search of the chest brings up nothing of significant value and little of interest. The clothing in it (and partly out of it) is mundane and sturdy, though apparently infrequently laundered judging by the smell. The arrangement of the clothing when first examined suggests that it was arranged that way deliberately - almost like a small nest.
Sharrd now has a sack of quite dead snakes. He also notices another viper, this one alive, in the thick grass several feet away. It doesn't seem to be making any offensive moves. It just seems to be regarding Sharrd warily.
"The tea is not necessary. We were only sent after information about the goblins and the area about...I just could not bare to not and try and help you when I saw your injuries."
Alara pauses in her search. Just a bunch of clothes in dire need of washing. Maybe it's for those snakes he's so fond of?
She takes a step back and takes a breath. Okay, if I were a hermit who keeps snakes for pets, where would I hide something cool? She closes her eyes, then opens them again. The first time around, she was in a hurry. This time, certain that the rest of the team were keeping Walthus distracted, she decides to take her time searching the room.
It takes a few minutes but Alara's diligence is rewarded as she finds a movable panel in the corner of Walthus's bedroom. She even finds the latching mechanism that opens it - it seems to be locked in some manner, however.
See the map links at the head of the game description for a complete map.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Walthus stops his rummage.
"Oh, yes. The goblins. The Licktoads have been very noisy lately, very active. I think they're mustering for an attack - probably on your town or some farms. They really should be dealt with, indeed. I can direct you to the right trail to get you to them in short order. You'll have to backtrack the trail that brought you here a way, the one the Licktoads live on enters the marsh a bit farther south, but it's a safe one... as far as staying out of the deep muck."
Alara's face brightens as she finds the secret panel.
That's more like it. Walthus, you're a clever man.
She digs around in her satchel, producing her masterwork set of lockpicks. Praying that Walthus is still distracted downstairs, she begins to work on the locking mechanism, trying to open it.
"Do you have any sort of map of the area that we might be able to acquire?"
Noticing Walthus continually opening jars, Piper stops stoking the fire and makes his way to Walthus. Piper writes: 'Let me help.' He then proceeds to open some of the jars, searching.
Sharrd backs away from the snake, slowly, trying not to startle it. He then goes to the lake to find a frog or toad to feed the snake. Once he finds one he sets it near the snake and tries to prod it in the snake's direction with his spear, then sits back and watches nature take it's course.
Masamune walks up next to Piper, and looks around the kitchen.
"So is there anything more you can tell us of these Licktoads? Like, how many of them are there? What do they have in the way of supplies? Who rules them, and how?"
Walthus tells you, "Give you a map? I can draw you one if you've got parchment." And a moment later he's sketching out a general map of the Brinestump Marsh.
Play map version of Walthus's Brinestump Marsh map
"You must have come down this trail to get here." He indicates the trail marked A on the player map. "But to get to the Licktoads, you need to take this one here." He indicates the one marked B. "And the village is about here." He points to the spot marked LT (for LickToads).
"There must be about 40 or 50 goblins live there. They've got a wooden palisade around the village as some protection. Their chief goes by the name of Gutwad. They've also got a pig monster they seem proud of called Squeally Nord. At least I've heard them call it a pig monster, but I think it's just a pig."
Out in the garden, the snake doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with Sharrd's frog for now. It shyly retires deeper into the tall grass leaving one relieved frog to ponder his lowly existence.
Alara, facing the secret door, spends a minute or so working on the locking mechanism and is rewarded with a satisfying click. The door slides open quietly.
The *clicking* of the locking mechanism as it opens the door puts a smile on Alara's face. She puts her lockpicks back in her satchel.
Now, Walthus... what would you be hiding in here?
As the door slides open, Alara sees the bloodied, bundled-up halfling on the floor. Her eyes widen, and she recoils in horror.
"Oh my heavens!"
She leans in closer, trying to ignore the smell of dried blood in the air. She gives him a look over, trying to determine how badly hurt he is.
Wasn't he talking with Piper downstairs? Wait... if he's here, who's... oh no.
She leans in to whisper in the halfling's ear. "Walthus... I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, please, stay here. I'll be back with help soon."
She readies her nunchaku and sprints out of the room, all pretense of stealth abandoned.
Well that sounds like initiative time again!
Initiative
Results:
Sharrd, Ash, William
Walthus
Piper, Masamune, Alara
Suddenly, the sound of pounding footsteps comes from the second floor. Something is up and a dangerous look crosses Walthus's face in the kitchen as he tenses up.
To Alara's eye, unconscious Walthus seems to be stable. He just seems to be pretty much exhausted.
And this link may work better:
Walthus Shack battle map
What is Alara doing now?
"Perhaps that was an animal getting in through the window and crashing on the floor, would you like me to check it out?"
Taking a quick step back, Ash casts a quick spell to protect his brother.
Just as Piper was reaching for another jar, he hears the fast paced footsteps from above him. 'Alara?' He then draws his flute, a song already running through his mind and waiting on his lips.
Msamune looks at Walthus with some concern in his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Masamune steps a bit closer to Walthus.
Not realizing a fight is eminent. Sharrd climbs back over the northwest wall looking for 'Ash' to show the snakes to. "Hey Jacen, I found some snakes." Then he stops as he hears his brother casting a spell.
Somethings up he thinks as he readies his spear.
Walthus's skin suddenly ripples and roils as his body… transforms… from a halfling to another creature. He's still small and roughly humanoid, but his features lose most of their definition and he appears as a hairless shape with leathery skin puckered and wrinkled in whorls and slits rather than facial features. The whole appearance, much less the transformation, is extremely unsettling.
"He's here! Him and those snakes! Get out of my way!" he shouts.
He aims a nobbly arm at William as he presses forward toward the door.
His attack slips past William's guard (barely) for a fairly solid chop. But his haste to get out of the room opens him up to attack from both Ash and William (since they had higher initiative). I don't believe either has a weapon out, but since William took no major actions, I'd allow him to get one since he has quick draw and we could consider that free action to be part of his already passed turn.
His faceless form is now reflected in his token and a larger example is available to see on the map page as well.
Walthus Shack battle map
"He's here! Him and those snakes! Get out of my way!"
The sound of 'Walthus' yelling is enough to spur Alara into moving faster. "GUYS! THAT'S NOT WALTHUS! THAT'S NOT WALTHUS!"
Well, sounds like they've figured it out already...
Reaching the landing of the stairs, Alara skids to a stop, horrified at the... thing in the front hall. A roiling mass of formless flesh in the shape of a man.
She narrows her eyes and brandishes her nunchaku with a flourish. She adopts a purely defensive posture.
The sound of 'Walthus' yelling is enough to spur Alara into moving faster. "GUYS! THAT'S NOT WALTHUS! THAT'S NOT WALTHUS!"
Hearing Alara's yell, Sharrd continues to move towards the eastern door of the house.
Free Action: Draw Scythe
Standard Action/Aoo (whatever you want to call it):
Free Action: Speak after Trip Attempt "Now that wasn't very nice."
Seeing the halfling formerly known as Walthus change into something horrifying shocks Piper. He racks his brain for any idea on what it could be.
No matter what it may be, it proves to be a threat. He runs to where the creature was standing. He then places his flute and begins a tune. To everyone who can hear the music, they feel as if the music flowing into their bodies, empowering them.
William easily arrests the fake Walthus's flight with a well-timed trip. He sprawls at the feet of Masamune, William, and Ash.
Up next: Masamune and then back to the initial initiatives of Sharrd, William, and Ash.
Masamune pulls out his sword, and brings it down in a deadly chop down on the creature in front of him.
Masamune strikes both true and hard. The creature writhes and hisses in pain. You can tell it has been badly hurt.
William pierces his scythe down upon the fake Walthus.
William's scythe takes whatever remains of the fight out of Fake Walthus. His body lies there, bleeding, though it's a bit more difficult to tell if he is breathing or not.
Barely a moment has passed before you hear a weak and plaintive voice call out from above, "Who's there? Who's playing the music?".
Alara relaxes from her defensive stance, then practically runs into the kitchen where Ash is. She winces at the sight of William's injury before turning to Ash.
"Ash, I need you to come quick. Walthus is upstairs, and he's in a really bad way. Come on!" She says, gesturing to Ash.
She looks over her shoulder and calls back upstairs.
Piper stops after hearing the voice. You all feel the power of the music leaving you. He gives the faceless stalker a few (admittedly weak) kicks just to be sure it's dead. He then writes to the group: 'That was faceless stalker. It's a good thing it was weak and that you used slashing weapons, otherwise we would have been in trouble. Now the one of the problems we have is that all the information that it told us could be false.'
He turns to Alara and writes: 'Alara, are you sure that's the real Walthus?' At her answer, he runs upstairs with Ash and anyone else, to make sure Walthus is okay.
Alara turns to Piper as she begins to go back upstairs.
"Positive. I don't think that thing knew Walthus was upstairs. Also, he mentioned 'him and those snakes'. I think Walthus would be more appreciative of his pets. In fact, he had the equipment needed for snake-handling in his storeroom over there." Alara waves her hand in the direction of the first floor storeroom. "Did the impostor say anything about getting bit by snakes? Because if he was the real Walthus, I think he'd have known about the crook, at least." She takes a quick breath.
Masamune looks at the downed creature with disgust.
"Well we had best see if the real Walthus has any information that contradicts this thing's information. After we help him of course."
Piper nods at his girlfriend. He then writes on his board. He walks up to you and plants a kiss on your cheek before handing you the board and going upstairs. It reads: 'Clever girl. Sorry but I just had to make sure. You did a good job, love. I'm proud of you.'
Piper nods and writes: 'Right. But a question: what do we do with the stalker's body? We can't just leave it outside, for fear of attracting other creatures in the swamp. And we can't burn it. Could cause too much attention.'