The party catches their breath, and notice a path in the woods. Strange that no one has noticed it before now, but the path leads southwest...
...was that there when we set up the tents? Chark asks, looking back at the Circus. Seems the sort of thing someone should've noticed.
Once everyone is ready Charlie lets Goliath loose onto the path, the bears nose leaving a small furrow in the soft dirt. "Let's see where this goes." He follows the bear down the path.
Dendillion keeps to the back of the pack, letting Charlie, Goliath, and the others search the trail. He keeps Chark by his side though. "Stay with me, my good lady. No need to let another snake sink its fangs in that artfully tattooed skin of yours."
The other members of the circus all shrug. no one seems to have taken note of the path. The party ends their way through...
(Scout)
(Seek)
(Avoid Notice)
(Detect Magic)
(Seek)
Tiny stops the party just a few yards into the woods along the path. The observant dwarf points out a trap! At eye level is a super thin line of what might actually be spider silk. It's clearly a trap though. Looking around the path is surrounded by wicked looking nettles. The wife itself will release a thorn covered branch bent back...
"Good eyes, Tiny! I'd never have noticed that. Here, let me see if I can sever that without the branch swatting folks."
Dendillion urges the group to step back a good distance. Once he's comfortable that no one else will get hurt if he makes a mistake, he pulls several odd tools from his backpack. "A gift from an estranged cousin," he says by way of explanation. "They had a knack for getting into trouble, if you believe it. Never realized it until the day he gave these to me. He didn't want to be seen with them, though honestly I can't see what the big deal is."
The bard continues to chatter away as he works to disable the trap.
Dendillion takes a bit of time, but eventually disables the trap without setting it off.
The party continues onward to a clearing at the end of the path. This small clearing—no more than a widening in the path through the thick woods—contains a small pile of leaves a few feet in diameter with a thin blanket. Next to the leaves rests a small backpack emblazoned with a green patch. The stream burbles merrily nearby.
(Scout)
(Search)
(Avoid Notice)
(Detect Magic)
(Search)
A strange creature, winged, blue and ugly dives away from the bag. A second creature of the same type pups up from the water. Tehy both gargle sounds that might be language, but no one seems able to understand it.
Round 1:
Charlie: Go
Tiny: Go
Dendillion: Go + Free Stealth
Haldan: Go
Chark: Go
Hostiles: TBD
"Deadly vipers, fiendish traps, now this!"
Not wanting to wait and find out how this next threat is going to try and kill him Tiny steps forward, crouching into his cat like stance once again and swipes twice at the strange blue faerie like creature.
Action 1: Interact (Draw Lute)
Action 2: Inspire Courage + Lingering Composition
Action 3: Recall Knowledge (Nature, Untrained)
"Why must we be beset by constant danger?" Dendillion remarks with a hint of annoyance. "Come now, show these creatures your mettle!"
He then takes out his lute and plucks the strings. He works through a couple power chords, weaving a bit of inspirational magic into each note. After a few seconds he adds a flourish to let the music play on in the minds of its listeners.
Sadly, he hits a dead note and quickly adjusts a tuning peg. "Why won't you keep in tune?"
Finally, he takes a moment to examine the strange creatures.
"Are those... flying mermen?"
"W..w..what if they had killed some of the audience." Charlie points to the northern one, but Goliath already seems on it. Goliath roars and pounces at the creature.
... ◆⃟ Hunt Prey (Blue Batman)
... ◆⃟ Command Goliath
... ◆⃟ Goliath Move
... ◆⃟ Goliath Attack
... ◆⃟ Charlie Step
HP 19/19
AC 18 (20 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield [AC Bonus +2] [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Hero Points 2/3
Goliath
HP 16/16
AC 15
Haldan launch a a flaming card at the closest creature (Produce Flame).
Dendillion is at a loss while Tiny strikes with a leopard's paw, but misses. He follows up with a rake across the face, causing but a scratch.
Goliath's attacks on Charlie's bidding miss. The creature gives a wicked laugh
Haldan strikes with his gambit, but the creature seems to mute the flames with its watery form.
Round 1:
Charlie: Miss
Tiny: hit
Dendillion: Bard
Haldan: Hit
Chark: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 3
Blue: 4
Chark moves forward and, remembering the vipers, casts shield as she tries to determine what she knows about the flying things.
Charu-ka! I think they're vulnerable to ice magic! she shouts.
Chark's insight isn't very helpful, but she still preps herself for incoming attacks.
The attacks come quickly. The first creature flits back away from Goliath. It opens wide and vomits out a spray of acid! Goliath, Charlie, and Tiny are covered!
The other flits back and conjures an arrow of acid and it streaks towards Chark: . The arrow splashes onto her shield without harming her.
Round 2:
Charlie: Go
Tiny: Go
Dendillion: Go
Haldan: Go
Chark: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 3
Blue: 4
The acid coats the pair as the enraged bear stays on the creature, snapping at it's wings.
Charlie tries to remember if he has heard of them before.
"C..c..Chark is right, use ice!"
... ◆⃟ Command Goliath
... ◆⃟ Goliath Move
... ◆⃟ Goliath Attack
... ◆⃟ ID Creature
... ◆⃟ Charlie Move
HP 13/19
AC 18 (20 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield [AC Bonus +2] [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Hero Points 2/3
Goliath
HP 13/16
AC 15
Golaith's teeth chomp down on squishy water, clearly injuring the creature. Unfortunately Charlie doesn't recall WHAT these are...
Round 2:
Charlie: Hit
Tiny: Go
Dendillion: Go
Haldan: Go
Chark: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 3
Blue: 13 (Breath on Round 5)
Chark knows by her cannot-possibly-be-wrong knowledge check that her spells are useless here, so she draws her hand crossbow, loads it, and lets a bolt fly at the flying thing on Goliath.
The bolt flips over her head behind her. Whoops!
Tiny dodges the worst of the sudden acid spray, but still sizzles a bit.
Tiny then leaps across the river and flurries the darker monster.
Tiny then draws his clan knife to help fend off any counter attacks.
Chark's attack is less than a center ring performance. Tiny directs Goliath, but both claws miss, albeit the second one by a hair's breadth! Tiny moves into a better position.
Round 2:
Charlie: Hit
Tiny: Miss and move
Dendillion: Go
Haldan: Go
Chark: Whoops
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 3
Blue: 13 (Breath on Round 5)
Seeing his spell not work, Haldan casts Guidance on himself and moves forward with his dagger.
Inspired by the tune, Goliath bites down hard! Just as the creature starts to squirm away to the safety of the river, Haldan stabs it with his dagger. The creature bursts into a splash of water!
The other one screams a bit.
Round 2:
Charlie: Hit
Tiny: Miss and move
Dendillion: Go
Haldan: Crit kill
Chark: Whoops
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 3
Action 1: Stride
Action 2-3: Telekinetic Projectile
Quickly finding that the combat is drifting away from him, Dendillion strides forward. He spies a large-ish stone in the water and strums several familiar notes in a Dorian scale. The musical magic takes hold, flinging the stone with force!
Dendillion's stone skips across the water and then slams into the belly of the monster, who promptly pukes a fair bit of water. Snarling it flits forth towards the clumped party and violently pukes out some acid.
Round 2:
Charlie: Go
Tiny: Go
Dendillion: Go
Haldan: Go
Chark: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Black: 10
Dendillion is ready for the attack, avoiding the worst of the acid. He quickly shows what most worries him though. "These are my good breeches!"
Action 1: Inspire Courage (w/Lingering Composition)
Action 2-3: Telekinetic Projectile
In response, he hammers on the strings of his lute to produce a series of power chords, ending with a flourish. The music once more inspires the group.
He them returns to the Dorian riff from before, sending another stone hurtling towards the acidic creature.
Goliath leaps into the air as he swipes with his paws at the acid spewing batman. Stepping back from the acid, Charlie rolls to the side and cracks his whip at the creature.
... ◆⃟ Command Goliath
... ◆⃟ Goliath Move
... ◆⃟ Goliath (Support)
... ◆⃟ Charlie Step
... ◆⃟ Charlie Attack
HP 10/19
AC 18 (20 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield [AC Bonus +2] [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 13/16
AC 15
Tiny moves to the edge of the river and flurries the remaining creature.
Tiny then raises his dagger in defense.
Charlie's whip cracks with a lucky hit, eliciting a yelp. The creature spins around, but spins right into Tiny's claw strike! This one too bursts into a small flood of water.
The only remaining sound is the far less violent brook.
Chark moves over to the pack and sees that the patch is the holy symbol of Gozreh. Looking inside there is:
Charlie picks up the maps and shows it to the others. "Why are we being t..t..targeted?"
”It’s not paranoia if they’s actually out to get ya, in’it?”
”Agreed... dibs on the almonds...” He says, half joking.
Tiny wonders "what went wrong that made them leave their bag here though? wonders Tiny aloud.
"It is strange that we seem to have enemies already. Seems hardly warranted," Dendillion muses aloud, pointedly ignoring his somewhat checkered past. "These don't strike me as our culprits either. Perhaps accomplices?"
"Either way, we are at a d..d..dead end here, we should head back." Charlie looks for any additional tracks or signs as to how the snakes and acid spewing bats made there way here.
”The thing you have the understand about The 52, Dendillion, is just how competitive it is to get in there. Clearly my performances have taken notice.”
”Moron...”
”But I agree, I believe these creatures to be mere accomplices. Can we find any trace of where they were going? If not, we probably should head back.”
Charlie doesn't find any other tracks, so the party takes his advice and they head back to the grounds.
The sound of pipes, fiddles, and horns echoes across the camp from the meeting fire, where members of the Circus of Wayward Wonders have been waiting for a proclamation that it is safe for them to return to their wagons. But now, everyone has formed two concentric rings, with the musicians on the inside, and everyone else dancing on the outside. Their energetic prancing seems incongruous with the weariness on their faces.
“Help us!” the Professor pants, sweat pouring down his frail face as his limbs jerk in time to the lively jig.
It's tough to see, but in the very center are a pair of strange creatures each a cross between a grasshopper and a human, though the size of the grasshopper. They're hooting and hollering, having a good time.
Lute in hand, Dendillion quickly reacts and begins playing an equally lively jig at top volume, attempting to drown out the music from the grasshopper men!
At first it sounds like the bard is matching the notes perfectly, but with a deft change he adds notes that draw the ears of listeners away from the other instruments and towards his own playing. A musical duel has begun!
Dendillion immediately catches the tune and rhythm. His song eventually pulls the tired circus team out of their compulsion, and into a normal dance, and then finally after the coda, rest.
The two tiny creatures are absolutely ecstatic! "Huzzah! and well met! What a great accompaniment! I am Tarisia!"
The male chirps in, "And I am Cannano! We are grigs extraordinaire, and your new friends... for the night at least! What colors you all have. That was some vigorous dancing. Is it time for a meal?"
"N.n.nnice to meet you." Charlie stares on in wonderment as his own stomach rumbles. "We could eat I suppose." He glances around to make sure the rest of his circus family is alright first.
Sitting down for a meal Charlie tosses a few scrapes to Goliath and explains what they have found. "We followed tracks into the woods and were attacked by snakes and acid bats. They had a mm.mm.Map on them. Someone sent them." His voice sombers a bit more as he looks down at the fire. The chill night air hitting his face. "We should bury Thunder in the morning. He deserves a good farewell."
Tiny sits by the fire absentmindedly roasting his questionable meat on a stick, trying to take in the days events but not really engaging with his surroundings.
The Professor chimes in, still sweating, "We should check his cabin. Perhaps we'll find a clue. You're right though, we should give him a proper burial. Honestly, I have no idea what a map tells us, though it does feel like something."
"Does anyone know what kind of send off Thunder would have wanted? I feel like our last performance in his honor was a good start. We should also carve a sign we hang at every performance going forward. DIFT: Do it for Thunder. I could try to magic one up but it won't be as good as one someone would make themselves. Does anyone have the talent? Or really the arm strength."
The professor speaks up, "I think we nailed the send off thanks to you lot. I think we give him a funeral pyre with fireworks."
"We could check his cabin tonight b..b..b.before it gets too late." Charlie surmises as he listens to anyone able to help create a sign for Thunder.
A couple of the riggers and workers volunteer to make the sign. They seem appreciative to have a task that "helps."
Myron’s personal wagon is parked very near the pond, right in front of the meeting fire. A colorful banner on each side of the wagon advertises the Circus of Wayward Wonders in large capital letters, surrounded by images that depict some of the most famous acts in the show. Three steps affixed to the wagon’s rear lead up to a red door with a golden knob. The door is locked.
Tiny looks nervously to his companions "What if ther are more deadly traps or creatures inside?"