Murdoc the Toad hops up and down on the barrel, ribbiting as he spins it directly at Samen!
Fink hits Samen! Samen, please make a DC 25 acrobatics check to stay on the barrel!
Shimmir the Dryad
Hucklepuck
Murdock the toad
Samen
Flink the Faun
Wone the Gerbie
Klaytal
Gate
"Argh! Blasted toad!"
Samen falls! Drona does not create a pillowy bed of moss for him to lay upon.
Fink the faun tap-dances on his barrel, bouncing it up and down as it rollicks towards Gate!
He misses!
Next, the Gerbie scrunches his tail against the earth and uses it like a spring to propel himself forward — straight at Klaytal!
The fairies start to get restless, a few muttering boos, when he also misses.
Kaasta Round 1, score tied
Shimmir the Dryad
Hucklepuck
Murdock the toad
Samen
Flink the Faun
Wone the Gerbie
Klaytal
Gate
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Gate hastily pulls off his boots, untying them with his teeth.
”Not so easy is it, rolling on a barrel. Let me show you how it’s done.”
The fey inside the barrel runs madly like a mouse in a wheel, against the direction Gate is going! It slows him down a bit, but not enough to prevent him from successfully striking [dide]1d3[/dice] Flink the Faun, who slips but plants his sharp toes firmly into the wood!
Kaasta Round 1, score tied
Shimmir the Dryad
Hucklepuck
Murdock the toad
Samen
Flink the Faun
Wone the Gerbie
Klaytal
Gate
Klaytal and Hucklepuck are up!
The doll has a go at Flink, eager to see his hooves flying high in the air.
Hooves fly in the air, and Fink the Faun is out of the game! He lands in a puff of pollen kicked up by the soft alfalfa Drona summons to cushion his fall.
Kaasta Round 2, fey behind by one
Shimmir the Dryad
Hucklepuck
Murdock the toad
Samen
Flink the Faun
Wone the Gerbie
Klaytal
Gate
Klaytal attacks the warty Murdock!
He hits, bur rather gently!
Murcock falls to the ground, into a boggy pond that appears below, thanks to the magic of the fairy queen Drona!
Wone the Gerbie spins his tail in frustration. He aims his barrel at Hucklepuck, the most dangerous opponent on the field!
However, he seems a bit shaken by the sudden turn of events, and rolls wide.
Kaasta Round 2, Fey down by 3
Shimmir the Dryad
Hucklepuck
Murdock the toad
Samen
Flink the Faun
Wone the Gerbie
Klaytal
Gate
Gate rolls a barrel at Wone the Gernie!
The fairy in Gate's barrel tries to stab his feet with a bumblebee stinger, but hits one of the entourage instead!
Wone drops to the ground, landing upon soft bed of cheddar cheese that winks into existence on Drona's whim.
The fairy-glade is silent, as the home team loses. Fey of all kinds begin to sulk away, back to their other games or even into the forest. They look sad, having to play the same games with each other, instead of with you forever.
The fairies in your own barrels fall out, laughing at you.
Drona claps. Well played, fair and true! Now, I believe I have a promise to keep to you.
She smiles benevolently, ready to keep her end of the bargain.
Drona closes her eyes. Long moments pass before she opens them again.
The way to your sleeping lady is yonder.
She gestures, and a path opens where there was none before.
The minitaur's maze lies in that direction, and the sad place, named Pondy Pond. Beyond, is the cabin of the short-folk.
"I see you have an artist's gift for timing, lest we lose the second act of your advice amidst the glory of the first." The doll gives a courtly little bow to show his good humor. "What further wisdom would her majesty proclaim?"
She smiles at Hucklepuck. How sweet this little fey is, to be so courteous even after a decisive victory in the glade! Were that you part of our family, little one! We'd happily welcome such a sweet thing to our table!
For this, my sweetmeat, I give a tuppence: the Pit is searching nearby. I feel him below the glade, wormimg through the ancient roots of oak and fir like a maggot, dreaming of emptiness, his mindless mind half-inside the ghost-world.
More than this, 'twould be unseemly to give away for free.
"Sweet as leadsugar, I'm told. A perfect aperitif for all your kindly guests. I pray we meet again ere summer casts its shadows 'pon my glossy cheeks."
Unwilling to make further deals with the duplicitous creatures, the doll proceeds to his pony. Tarry not, Gateau! Our freedom has a worth beyond whatever ante they may call."
She nods politely at the boy, all benevolence.
She smiles at Gate. 'Tis sad your friend is sweet to strange fairy-queens, and stingy with courtesy to friends. A wise man, with such a courtly entourage in tow, would surely not stint himself on any deal made with simple country folk such as us.
”Him? I don’t understand half the words that come out of his mouth. Means well though, and loves this Lumi.
"Hmf." Samen stifles a chuckle at Gate's proclamation as he brushes grass off his back. "And now, ma'am, we must be on our way." He bows stiffly to the fey and heads off along the path. I'll be glad to see the back of this place.
You make your way through the forest. Snow drips in the distance, and strange creatures patter about in the undergrowth.
It's dusk.
Birne notices leaves rustling off to the South and behind the group. Something is following you, but when you look in that direction you see nothing unusual.
Gate looks to the fading sunlight.
”Time to make camp?”
The courtiers yawn. It seems like a great idea to Hesperance and the entourage!
Gate looks for a nice clearing to camp.
Hesperance and the entourage are delighted at the ditch under the steep, muddy hillside that Gate finds, which is also far away from water. It looks like mudslides have happened here on a regular basis.
”Looks like this is the best we’ve got, isn’t it?” Gate motions to the ditch.
”Long as it doesn’t rain, this should keep us sheltered well enough. Have to sleep head to toe, single file like, but it’s not the first time for some of us, I’m sure. Shall I get a fire going as well, or does someone else want to help out here?”
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This ditch is so cozy and sheltered from the wind. xWe can have tea here in quietude, unlike that high ground others would have us camping on.
Who takes which watch?
Birne says, "Perhaps another spot, Gateau. Dear brov, let’s scout ahead for better grounds to rest our heads." He gives a slight glance behind to indicate he has other plans.
Assuming Samen agrees, he uses a wand to give his stride a boost and sings a ditty for a few moments as they walk. Then, he stops singing, letting the effect linger as walks behind a tree and begins to sneak towards the stalker. The underbrush does not impede him.
"Yes, I think we can do better than this."
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”Aren’t they sure of themselves, thinking they can find better.”
He calls after them, ”Sun’s setting lads, not much time to look!”
”Think I didn’t already consider everything? Think I just chose this because there’s nothing else?”
They scout around for a while but don't see anything. Unfortunately, the two parties miss one another and the enemy they were looking for finds the camp.
Back at camp, Gate is driving in a tent stake and a pit opens up beneath his feet. It looks bottomless.
Reflex save, Gate.
Klaytal is hammering in a tent spike, when out of the corner of his eye he sees disappear. There is a gaping maw in the earth where the fighter was standing just seconds ago.
Samen and Birne hear Klaytal shout in alarm from the camp. They are (rounding up) 20 feet away through difficult terrain.
The Hunger!
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
The pit moves under Klaytal.
Caught unaware, Klaytal also falls down the pit!
Klaytal and Gate are now 75' "down" (1/2 the speed of falling as I read the rules on flying and falling). They hit the walls of this creature, which twist and turn — wormlike — but seem to fall endlessly. For bookeeping purposes, we will calculate distance fallen at the beginning of this monster's turn, since that's its jam.
Birne and Samen see nothing but a gaping hole in the ground.
The Hunger!
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
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Gate howls in pain as he touches the incorporeal side of the pit, a howl that becomes increasingly wolf-like as Gate is unable to contain himself any longer and transforms into a wolf!
"Ahwooo!"
He looks very confused and growls incoherently.
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Gate muscles past the worst part of this wraith-like being's attack… by finally indulging in his instincts. Hesperance faints, but unfortunately a dagger cannot lose consciousness. Oh! OH MY! Terrible! What a TERRIBLE man! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The courtiers try to flee, but find their servile lapels tied to the tumbling wolf.
A wolf howls; screams echo from the pit…
The Hunger!
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
The boy rushes to the edge of the clearing but then baulks.
Birne is not sure what this is. It looks incorporeal.
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"My goodness, hunger has consumed our hearty lads." Birne sings a reassuring ditty to himself.
"Said the raven to the fly,
'Come to me, bug, let me eat.'
Said the fly, in retreat,
'Not today, bird, I'll not die.'"
Bold are up!
The Hunger!
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
Klaytal notices something as he's falling — a curved horn nestled inside the worm-like tunnel. It's translucent and may be incorporeal — but he can grab it if he wants.
"What the hell is it?" Samen draws his sword as he moves forward, trying to find a way to help his friends.
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In his confusion Wolf Gate bites himself!
Klaytal grabs the strange horn. It looks like the three-foot long horn of some ancient Ibex; insubstantiel purple fire dances around its mouthpiece.
With no other way to fly out of this creature's maw, and no reliable way to damage it, the elf blows the horn!
A peal, felt in the bones more than heard, pulses into the ethereal plane — the walls of the wormlike creature shudder, but withstand much of the etheric blast!
The walls of the creature lurch out at the source of the damage — at Klaytal! The elf decides to parry.
Klaytal's parry effect has no effect.
Gate and Klaytal seem to be falling endlessly — but then, they reappear 20 feet below the entrance to the pit. They don't see anyone at the lip, and the allies nearby cannot see you either.
The Hunger!
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
Birne moves to the edge of the pit. Looking down, he sings of summer places bereft of death and fey trickery.
The Hunger! -9HP
Birne
Klaytal
Gate
Samen
Hesperance sees Birne and screams: Get me away from this BEAST, young man! This INSTANT!
Gate, gathering his wits, realizes he is a wolf inside a ghostly hole. He sees Birne singing down from the mouth above him, and has never loved the boy more. Hearing Heperance’s shout he instantly surmises what needs to happen.
He shifts back into human form.
And then teleports into the nearest tree that he can see!
”What is that thing?! Get away from it, Birne!”
Seeing Gate blip out of the hole, Samen waits with sword drawn to make sure Klaytal does as well before running to join his friends.