You do not know them personally but you do know that there were from Falcon's Hallow. They were hunters that went missing a month or so ago. Clearly they were no match for the tatzylwyrm.
"Well lets give them a proper burial. Not that there is ever a good spot to be buried, but there are certainly lest majestic locals for a final resting place."
"Agreed"
Dug digs a couple shallow graves and inters the remains.
"Anyone know how to pray?"
"I usually leave that sort of thing to priests. I have a hard enough time with people I don't need to be stepping on any gods' toes"
Jonas steps up if no one volunteers themselves to say a few words.
"Umm, I'm not much for pwayers usuawy. Things just come to me I guess."
He clears his throat.
"Umm..." He looks up into the sky but quickly flinches and shields his eyes. "Ow... the suns out." He says in an almost surprised tone.
"Uh, ... um.... er...... oh! Here we go!
Gods watch those who we've inturred,
Pwease don't let them be disturbed!
...
Or tuned to ghouls. Or be eaten by animals. ...... again."
Jonas nods in approval and looks up at his allies.
"Good to go! Where's dis witch?"
the dead now laid to rest, the party moves into the woods again heading toward the witch's hut. a few hours later the sounds of the forest become suddenly distant as the trees part, opening into a small, almost perfectly circular glade. The nearest stands of pine, eyln, and darkwood—all typically sturdy woods—twist away from the clearing, as if bent by some impossibly strong wind or seemingly in an attempt to flee despite their paralyzed roots. At the glade’s center squats an ugly cottage, little more than a pile of twigs, shoots, and ivy stacked upon
mud walls. From the thatched roof dangle bundles of gnarled roots, old dried beast carcasses, and knucklebone bangles, all clattering together like gruesome wind chimes. A dozen small thatched fetishes—each shaped like a tiny man, imp, or rearing serpent—stand propped in the yard, keeping guard before a rickety plank door.
"I usually leave that sort of thing to priests. I have a hard enough time with people I don't need to be stepping on any gods' toes"
Jonas looks to his friends to see if anyone objects.
Jonas closes his eyes briefly. As they open, they appear as dark as the night sky.
He creeps forward toward the hut, attempting to see any magical aura's in the vicinity.
Staying inside the treeline Layf knocks an arrow and watches the glade for anything moving toward Jonas.
Dug follows the gnome, axe in hand, ready to cut down anything that gets in the way.
Edward stays just within the treeline with shield and club at the ready, preparing to charge at anything that tries attacking Jonas.
Jonas looks to his friends to see if anyone objects.
Jonas closes his eyes briefly. As they open, they appear as dark as the night sky.
He creeps forward toward the hut, attempting to see any magical aura's in the vicinity.
You notice no magical auras.
Jonas turns to the party, letting his concentration slip from the spell and returning his eyes to their normal appearance.
"Seems cwear" He attempts to whisper. He then motions towards his ears and shrugs, as if to ask if anyone hears anything.
"I'm all about being cautious, but us strolling up to this woman's door with weapons bared may give the wrong impression," says as he puts his bow and arrow away. "We do need something from her after all. Let's go see if she has any of this 'pickled rat’s tail'".
Layf enters the glade and makes his way slowly toward the cottage making sure not to disturb anything.
Dug follows the gnome, strolling casually with his axe over his shoulder.
As you get to the porch you realize the door has not been opened for quite some time. It is barely hanging from the hinges though shut solidly by mold and plant life.
After motioning for Jonas to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!!! Dug looks around for any open doors or windows, or even just cracks in the building materials he can find to peer inside the hut.
Perception
Jonas looks up at Dug with a hint of pout in his face. He slumps his shoulders and puts his hands in his pockets resignedly. He does however bend over sharply and take a good long close look at one of the fetishes hanging nearby.
Edward puts up his shield and carries his club, following Jonas.
Seeing the state of the cottage, and general lack of evidence of inhabitants Layf begins to search around the cottage for tracks going too or from the cottage.
After motioning for Jonas to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!!! Dug looks around for any open doors or windows, or even just cracks in the building materials he can find to peer inside the hut.
Perception 1d20+7
All you can see through the cracks is darkness
Seeing the state of the cottage, and general lack of evidence of inhabitants Layf begins to search around the cottage for tracks going too or from the cottage.
There are no tacks that you can find.
Jonas looks up at Dug with a hint of pout in his face. He slumps his shoulders and puts his hands in his pockets resignedly. He does however bend over sharply and take a good long close look at one of the fetishes hanging nearby.
The fetishes are look like scarecrows, they are not hanging but propped up around the clearing. The are made of thatching.
Edward says, "You know, sneaking about the outside of someone's home isn't very polite and only increases our chances of offending the Witch."
Edward walks up to the rickety plank door and gives it a gentle knock, not sure of how much such a rickety door can take.
There is no response from within and the door slumps a little almost wanting to give up its constant struggle against gravity.
Edward goes, "Hmmm." and gently opens the door while saying, "Hello? Is anyone home?"
The door falls from the hinges as you open it. Inside, the cottage is dank, reeking, and filled with shadows. Haphazardly hung shelves line the walls, covered in all manner of clay jugs, clouded bottles, strangely cut rocks, rotted bunches of herbs, and a museum of other crude curios and remnants of a bone grinder’s artifice. A rusted iron cauldron, with a mouth nearly 5 feet wide and a depth of at least 3 feet, dominates the hut’s single room, its ash-covered surface shaped with a relief of capering fiends and leering devils. Across from the door, against the far walls, stands a highbacked chair made of wicker, the gigantic curved tusks of some monstrous beast, and thousands of human teeth. In the chair sits what looks like a corpse wrapped in filthy burial linens, its form padded with pungent herbs and sprouting patches of thick white mold
Jonas gingerly steps up to the hut's doorway careful not to cross the threshold just yet and peers inside.
the hut is 20x20. There is stuff of interest everywhere.
Jonas' face beams at the hut loaded with goodies to inspect! He turns at looks expectingly to the rest of the party, a smile from ear to ear, eagerly waiting permission to go investigate.
.... He appears to be on his tiptoes.....and dancing.... kinda.
All you can see through the cracks is darkness
Dug hears the door crash tot he ground, and runs back tot he front of the structure
"Jonash!! I Shaid don;t touch anyshing! Oh, it wash Edward?"
Dug takes a looks around inside, especially @ the corpse like bundle.
Perception
Edward nods to Jonas to start looking around, and commands Charcoal to Guard the front door while he goes inside to investigate.
you notice nothing more beyond what was described. The mold is a common variety that grows on old straw. There are no recent tracks and lots of dust.
Giddy with anticipation, Jonas barely allows the dust to settle and steps forth across the threshold of the hut. Standing in place in the doorway he looks about intently.
He begins to approach the cauldron in the center of the room. Being a tad vertically challenged, he grasps the edge of the cauldron and lifts himself up to peer inside.
Dug lifts Jonas up so he can see, after scanning for anything obviously damgerous.
Perception
the cauldron is larger than usual though it is just a plain somewhat rusty, empty cauldron
"Ooooooh! I always wanted one of dese!"
Jonas hops down from the edge of the cauldron. "Sanks Dug!"
He begins to investigate the room just within and to the right on the door. He works his way counter clockwise for anything he recognizes. He does not get too close to the corpse just yet.
the shelves are lined with interesting trinkets as well as herbs. They are stacked haphazardly and covered in dust so without moving them around it is very hard to tell what is what.
Jonas focuses mainly on items in the knick knack, trinket, and chochkey category and eyes them intently. He reaches out on his tiptoes to pick one up, but hesitates an instant before grasping it to look back at Dug and Edward for approval.
Edward just nods, "Knock yourself out, little buddy."
Jonas' eyes light up! He begins to grab items from the shelves at random, quickly examining them and accompanying each with its respective "Ooo" or "Aah". He places these items in his pack as he progresses along the wall. Anything that doesn't seem of much interest, he tosses over his shoulders, seemingly playing a game with himself to see if he can get it in the cauldron.
Jonas works his way quickly along the wall towards the opposite side of the room. As he gets close enough to touch the massive ..... tooth throne, he stops. He looks intently at the feet of the chair and sloooooowly works his gaze towards the top and of course the corpse.
Just as Jonas begins grabbing the stuff on the shelf, the cauldron comes to life with a creak. It lunges at Jonas and bites him . It then pulls the small gnome into it's mouth
to Stinky:
to Edward:
|
Across the clearing comes a small figure striding with purpose towards the witch's hut. He wears rather scruffy leather clothing, which is battered and a little torn. The leather has several black marks on it, and other scorch marks, but no signs that the leather has ever seen a fight. In one hand he has a notebook which he keeps looking at intently, lifting his glasses and shaking his head. On his head is a black cap, holding his untidy shoulder length lilac hair in place. If you had exceptional sight, you would notice that the hair hass recently been singed from a fire or something.
His mind intent on the writings, gets quite close to those outside the hut before it registers that he is not the only one on his way to be visiting Ulizmila. In fact a large bear is looking directly at him, when he hears a sound of someone being hurt in the hut. Before he can stop himself he is starting to shout out and run towards the hut, "Ulizmila, are you alright, What are these scallywags doing to you? Ulizmila, can you hear? Please are you alright?"
Then realizing that he is running into more trouble than he can handle, he stops running forward and a confused look takes his facial expression. "Oh no! What should I do, there's too many of them, how can I help Ulizmila? Prhaps I'd better retreat. Prhaps I should see if Ulizmila is OK." He is probably 30ft away from the hut, when he slowly takes his crossbow off his back holds it defensively, a bolt ready to fire and gradually very slowly walks backwards away from the hut. Gathering his thoughts he says "All right you wait here til I bring the guard, drop your weapons and tell me what you're doing here? And don't let that bear near me."
"Hey guysh!!! Get in here, JOnash ish getting eaten by the cauldron!!!"
Dug tries to free his friend
Aid another to help him break the grapple? CMC
Jonas' muffled yelps can be heard with a slight echo emanating from the belly of the cauldron! One small gnomish arm jabs from the maw of the cauldron, gripping desperately to whatever knick knack he had his hands on.
Edward points at the dirty bedraggled looking gnome pointing a crossbow in his direction, "Stay where you are, Ulizmila was dead when we arrived and my friend is currently being devoured by her blasted infernal cauldron. You move any closer or shoot and my bear, Charcoal, will attack you." Edward draws his club and turns his attentions back to the inside of the hut.