Once the door opens, Olaff opens his arms in a clear sign that he doesn't want to inflict any harm. "My name is Olaff, son of Olaff, frrom the Lands o' the Linnorrm Kings, but I do not come herre in the name o' my people. Ve come to talk to the Varrden o' the svamp, Varrden Valtus... ve come in peace in name o' the town o' Sandpoint."
"Arre ye him?"
"His name is Walthus. It's not that difficult," Relisha repeats again, just a little louder.
The creature inside the door looks Olaff up and down while he talks, trying to understand what he's talking about. When he finishes, he nods "Yes, I'm Varden Valtus. But my place is a mess inside and it's not really a good time for me. Why don't you come back ... tomorrow?" he states as a question.
"We're just trying to find some goblins," Relisha offers, stepping forward. "We don't have to come in. We just were hoping you'd know where they were at."
She seems surprised at her own boldness and quickly looks down at the ground.
The tinny voice inside seem surprised and says "Oh. Oh, yes. Goblins. Terrible things. What you need to do is just follow the trail southwest and you'll find their village. Ok? That's it? Goodbye?" he asks in quickened string of words that nearly blend together.
Shalelu chimes in as the person tries to shoo them away "Wait. Do you have any maps of the swamp or know of any other threats we should be on the look out for?"
"His name is Walthus. It's not that difficult," Relisha repeats again, just a little louder.
Olaff spits on the ground and frowns. "This is vhat I'm saying, Varrden Valtus."
When the warden actually repeats his own name in the way Olaff has said due to his accent, he smiles once again. "See? I sais it correctly, ye little buggerr."
Turning once more to the warden, Olaff was kind of suspicious for the eagerness of the warden to see them gone. "Frrom vherre I come, it is good manners forr one to offer some food and drrink to those trravellin'... ve have been valkin' frrom Sandpoint since the sunrrise. It appears these good mannerrs is something only ve, the barrbarrians frrom the norrth, still have." He then points to Thanara. "Varrden Valtus, ve'll be leavin' soon enough, as ye vish, but could ye at least point the generral locations and landmarrks ye know in the svamp in the map ve arre drravin'?"
"Wait. Do you have any maps of the swamp or know of any other threats we should be on the look out for?"
"Maps? No, no maps. Sorry."
"Varrden Valtus, ve'll be leavin' soon enough, as ye vish, but could ye at least point the generral locations and landmarrks ye know in the svamp in the map ve arre drravin'?"
"What?" he calls out, confused. "I don't understand what you're saying! Can you speak Common please?"
When Olaff points at her, insinuating that she hadn’t been hospitable, she scoffs and says ”Hey! What did I do!?!?”
She brushes past the others, pushing momentarily by Olaff to whisper ”Don’t blame me for my daddies stick up his ass. It’s not my fault he’s a prick.”
She then steps up to the door and said in a sing song voice, ”Wally, honey. My name’s Thanara. This would be so much easier if a discussion if we could come in or if you would come out and say a proper ‘Hello.’ How about it, hun?”
"His name is Walthus. It's not that difficult," Relisha repeats again, just a little louder.Olaff spits on the ground and frowns. "This is vhat I'm saying, Varrden Valtus."
When the warden actually repeats his own name in the way Olaff has said due to his accent, he smiles once again. "See? I sais it correctly, ye little buggerr."
Relisha's face burns hot and her nostrils flare, but she refuses to look up at the large man.
Groaning in discomfort, the creature opens the door and motions inside.
Stepping back from the door for the first time, Thanara and company see a timid male halfling in the doorway. "Come on in. I'll make some tea."
Walking inside, you fist enter the living room of the house which is far from clean. Several damaged potted plants lay on the floor or broken among the homemade furniture that is ripped in several places. Walking past this room he leads you to the dining room which is a a wooden table with a single chair and a simple wood-burning stove.
"I don't entertain guests. I'm sorry I don't have chairs for all."
Turning to the cabinet near the stove he gets a kettle begins the process of making tea. While working on the tea he asks "What else do you need? I told you about the goblins? Maybe you should head out after the tea then?"
"Oh," Relisha cries out with dismay at the state of the plants and quickly steps to tend to them. "You poor things," she says before turning to Walthus. "What happened to them? Can I help?"
"What?" he calls out, confused. "I don't understand what you're saying! Can you speak Common please?"
Olaff frowns, menacingly. "Common? Surre...Hvorfor går du ikke i helvede?"
When Olaff points at her, insinuating that she hadn’t been hospitable, she scoffs and says ”Hey! What did I do!?!?”
She brushes past the others, pushing momentarily by Olaff to whisper ”Don’t blame me for my daddies stick up his ass. It’s not my fault he’s a prick.”
"Vhat? I've pointed to ye because ye have the map..." He explains himself, confuse. "But ya, yerr fatherr has a taste forr billy goat milk."
When invited to enter the halfling's house, Olaff looks around, worried about the state of the house. "Thanarra, vould ye be so kind o' askin' the varrden vhat the f&%$ has happened herre? All these brroken pots and rripped furrniturre... it appearrs the signs o' a good fightin'..."
Since there is nowhere for him to sit, Olaff wanders the house.
Looking over his shoulder, Walthus scratches his head and says to Relisha "Uhm. They fell down. Come get some tea?"
Walthus looks over his shoulder and sees Olaff wandering and nearly jumps out of his skin. Eyes wide, he spins and rushes the kettle of water to the table. "TEA'S REAYDY! Come get some!" he says as he moves after Olaff. Walking up to him he places his hand on the large mans' hip and looks up, "Tea's ready. Come to the table please."
Back at the table he pours the tea into the cup and hands it out.
He lifts a cup and says "Ok! Tea and then be on your way! You don't want the light to get away from you now, do you?"
"They did more than fall down," Relisha says, setting one upright and attempting to return another to its pot. She looks over some of the broken ones trying to determine the best way to salvage them. "Let me do this first and then I'll think about tea."
Walthus stares at Relisha with a blank look and reiterates "Forget plants. Come drink tea, then leave to catch goblins! Much hunting ahead! On second thought, maybe you should just take the tea with you? Yes! Yes! Good idea. You take kettle and go now."
Thanara took a sip of the tea, somewhat gagging at the temperature of it. She looks at him quizzically and asks, ”Wally...what’s the rush? You are acting a bit...peculiar?”
Turning to face Thanara now, Walthus says. "No. Everything's fine. I don't like guests. It's time for you to go."
He marches towards the front door and opens it, expecting you to leave.
Relisha looks around the room nervously, knowing something's wrong, but not sure what to do about it. She waits for someone else to do or say something.
Ahreni, who hasn't bothered to enter the dwelling, paces around the outside of the hut slowly watching the swamp and keeping half an ear cocked to the 'conversation' going on inside.
Shalelu still standing near the open door watching the scene unfold shakes her head as the halfling tries to rush them out. Standing their she looks around quickly for any thing out of the ordinary.
Whether she notices something or not she pulls out an arrow holding it in one hand, with her bow in the other. It isn't raised yet but she is ready as she speaks "What are you hiding? You aren't telling us something and it is better you tell us before we assume maybe you are someone using magic trying to imitate the likeness of Walthus and have to forcefully figure out what is going on here..."
When Shalelu draws her bow, and because he shared Thanara's suspicion that the warden was acting strange, he towered over the halfling before addressing him, speaking slowly to make sure the halfling understood what he was saying. "Vhat. Arre. Ye. Hidin'?" He finishes by hammering his fist on the table.
Walthus's arms begin to shake and tremble in fear from Olaff's threat before he finally let's out a scream of frustration. He marches up to the closest party member who is in the living room which happens to be Relisha and changes. He reaches out and grabs a hold of her arms, holding her in place [ooc(grappled)[/ooc].
While holding her, his body begins to contort and his appendages move in unnatural directions while simultaneously changing color. After a few seconds all that is left is a hairless, leathery biped that has a face dominated by grotesque and unsettling whorls and slits instead of actual features.
The creature holds Relisha's arms with a powerful grip on her forearms, holding her in place. The blood in her body begins to drain out through her skin, the faceless creature seemingly absorbing it into its body.
Relisha's eyes go wide and she begins struggling in an attempt to break free from the faceless creature. "L-let go of me! she cries out.
”Hey, what’s going o-“ she asks at the sound of a fist pounding something, stepping to see what was happening. She is cut off when she sees the new monstrosity attacking Rel.
”Ugh! Gross!” she exclaims as she sends a bolt of lightning at the thing!
While she had seen a lot of things she hadn't seen something like this before. With her arrow already in hand she nocks it, steps back away from the creature and takes aim.
Try as she may, Relisha can't seem to break free of the creatures grasp.
Shalelu steps back and buries her arrow at near point blank range directly into the back of the creature. Black blood burst out all around it, some spraying onto Relisha as the arrow pokes through the creatures chest.
Relisha raises her hand and tries to fire a blast of electricity, preparing to strike.
Hearing Relisha's scream, Olaff quickly steps forward while drawing his longsword. Seeing the monster, he slashes it with all his might.
"Come on, ye covarrd, I'm the one ye should be fightin'! Let the girrl frree!"
________________________________________
Draw sword
Attack
Ahreni looks in the open door and snarls, hand and mouth lengthening into dangerous weapons as she closes with the creature.
Olaf bursts forward and buries his blade into the back of the creature holding Relisha. More black ichor bursts from its body and it screeches loudly in pain, but doesn’t let go of the girl.
Thanara is just about to unleash her electrical blast when the large Ulfen steps directly in her path and she is forced to redirect into the ceiling to avoid hitting him.
Ahreni rushes into the room to find a creature dripping a dark black liquid holding tightly onto Relisha, an arrow protruding from its chest and a hole in its back from where Olaff cut it. She pushes past Shalelu and buries her teeth into the creature, ripping away a tough, course flesh from the body of the beast. More black blood flies across the room, but as she pulls back she notices that she didn’t do as much damage as she thought she did.
Grabbing the oracle and pulling her into a chokehold, the creature maintains its grip on her and drains even more of her blood. In addition, it punches her in her stomach with its free hand to loosen her resistance and ability to fight back.
S*$@! Die, ye f@@%in' monsterr! Olaff curses and attacks again before sidestepping to allow Thanara to bolt the creature.
________________________________________
Attack
5 ft. step
The tiefling struggles pathetically in the creatures embrace. Almost as if she's accepting her fate.
Olaff's second strike does the trick. With a powerful downward swing aimed at what he thinks is the creatures shoulder, he slices the appendage holding Relisha clean off. Relisha staggers forward now that the pressure holding her against the beast was released, but the arm is still clutched tightly around her shoulders and neck, pouring endless amounts of thick black blood down her white blouse.
The creature formally known as Walthus collapses to the floor, bleeding out. A moment later the arm around Relisha's neck collapses and falls to the floor as well with a loud and squishy thunk.
Relisha shudders with horror as she finally divests herself of the remaining components of the faceless creature. She takes a few steps away from the thing and then finally looks down at her clothes. Even with hide armor over the top of them, plenty of dark blood has soaked through to her blouse.
"Ungghh..." she groans, closing her eyes. "I'll never get that clean."
Shalelu puts away the arrow she was about to fire as Olaff finishes off the fight. She looks to Rel and simply asks ”You alright?”
”Uhm...EW! What IS that thing?” Thanara asks with disgust painted all across her face.
Relisha looks back at the elf. She seems to be about to say something, but closes her eyes and just nods.
Ahreni ends up spitting black blood all over the floor again... "This tastes bad too." She growls, words still distorted by her muzzle. "Why do swamp things taste so bad?"
She gives Relisha a searching look but doesn't say anything, before taking the creature by one leg and dragging it outside. She searches the corpse briefly before pushing it into one of the stagnant pools and letting it sink out of sight.
"So? Track warden?" She asks, "I might find him by smell."
Shalelu seeing Rel note she is ok nods to Ahreni "Yes, let's search his place first make sure that thing didn't stash his body here... see if there are any maps or the like as well."
If she doesn't find anything inside she will take a look around the outside next and keep an eye out for any tracks.
Ahreni drags the dead shapeshifter outside and disposes of it in the swamp. Before doing so however, she removes leather armor, handaxe, masterwork longbow with 20 arrows, cloak of resistance +1 and 43 gp from its body.
Shalelu goes through the pantry and finds nothing but food and water. Opening up another room that looks like it is used for storage, she finds wicker cages containing sparrows, mice and other small food. Searching another room contains she finds tools, hunting supplies, and spare weapons, including three handaxes, a longbow, 40 arrows, and two Small suits of leather armor.
Heading upstairs she finds an empty bedroom that looks well lived in and an empty guest room and a bedroom that looks well lived in. She's about to head back downstairs and declare the house empty when she gets a strange feeling about a wooden panel section of wall in the bedroom. Feeling around it and examining the edges, she's fairly certain that this is a secret door to a safe room of some sort. It's currently locked though and she's unable to push it open.
”Uhm...EW! What IS that thing?” Thanara asks with disgust painted all across her face.
"Some kind o' shapeshifterr, but I guess ye all know alrready. No idea o' vhat kind though." He then shrugs. "I don't rememberr any tale of such crreature..."
As Shalelu searches the place, Olaff remains around Relisha and Thanara, still ready as if another of those things could spring from a hidden place and attack the girls.
While the others search the house, Relisha spends the time righting the plants and doing what she can to find pots for the ones that have a broken one. Anyone nearby can hear her speaking softly to the greenery as she goes about her work.
Shalelu heads back downstairs to inform the others of what she has found "I don't think that thing was actually Walthus. I found a secret door upstairs, I think it might lead to a safe room. Are any of you skill with trying to open such things?" She turns her attention to Olaff as she continues "Othewise, we might need to break it down."
"I can try." Ahreni offers, heading upstairs to have a go. For some reason she has a set of lockpicks secreted in a pocket...
"Umm ... have you tried ... um ... knocking?" Relisha asks, but immediately blushes and looks away.
Shalelu shakes her head obviously much more task oriented and less concerned about the diplomacy of things as she simply replies "No."
She turns to Thanara "You want to try talking to the door, see if Walthus is hiding on the other side and maybe convince him we aren't a threat?"
Olaff rests his shield against the wall and sheathes his sword, readying himself if brute force is indeed needed. To Relisha, Olaff offers some encouragement. "Good idea..."
He then heads to the room with the secret door and gives it two hard knocks. "IS ANYONE IN THERRE? VE ARRE FRRIENDS, VE COME FRROM SANDPOINT... YE CAN COME OUT! VE KILLED THE SHAPESHIFTERR..."
The tiefling's eyes briefly look up at the large man and a ghost of a smile sneaks across her face before she returns to tending the injured plants.
From the other side of the door there is a pause and then very distinct sobbing. After a few more seconds pass by, the door slides open and for the second time today you meet the halfing Walthus. Tears streaming from his eyes, he looks around nervously and only peeks out from behind the door. Not seeing the creature or signs of trouble he opens the door the rest of the way and crawls out on all fours.
Once outside of the room, Walthus's injuries are quite noticeable. He's bruised, bleeding and looks extremely pale like he's lost a lot of blood. He's shaking and barely has the strength to make it out of his hidey hole before collapsing on the floor in front of you, still sobbing.
Seeing the state of the halfling, Olaff quickly moves towards him and carries him to Relisha. "Girrl! The varrden is palerr than Queen Ivanna's ass... can ye do somethin' forr him?"