Round 1
Action 1: Stride.
Action 2: Ready.
Action 3: Ready part 2.
"Yeah, we don't want to fight...but I have to believe that you're probably not friendly, are you?" Mukluk moves and readies for flank or if they attack.
to hit;
lethal damage
[ dice=hammer]1d20+9[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=B]1d6+4[/dice] damage
AC: 18 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 7/7/5
HP: 22/22
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 1
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
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Niksi draws a complete blank on the creatures, so she falls back to the usual methods. She runs the edge of her dagger along the tines of her waterphone with the passion of a violinist on the stage.
Prism moves in with Mukluk, slashing at the creature with her sickle. She stops as they snarl menacingly at her. "Nasty..littlething."
HP 12/18
AC 18
Hero Points 2/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Niksi begins her haunting tune once again as everyone tries to remember what these things are, but comes up short. Rova gets Thkrull ready for action, Mukluk prepares for an attack, and Prism slices one of them twice.
The one flanked by Prism and Mukluk tries to claw at Prism, but Mukluk's readied attack critically hits, bring it down. The other climbs out of the water and exhales an acidic mist at Prism.
Initiative!
Niksi
Mukluk
Prism
Rova
Mephit 1
Round 2
Action 1: Stride.
Action 2: Stride.
Action 3: Strike.
"Alright, keep your breath down. We didn’t want to fight you and but we also didn’t want your rats eating our circus," Mukluk grunts moving up to attack.
to hit; (+bard)
lethal damage
[ dice=hammer]1d20+9[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=B]1d6+4[/dice] damage
AC: 18 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 7/7/5
HP: 22/22
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 1
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
Niksi briefly pauses from her performance to focus a mental attack upon the last creature.
She then resumes her song. "Carry on, my friends. All goes well."
Rova shifts her attention to the other creature and loads her sling, her guess of where it was going perfect as the rock slams home into its head with a sickening crunch.
The mist burns away at prism's skin and she screams. "Aaarrfgh." She pats the acidic water away. "What..isthat, ithurts?"
Bursting through the mist she tries to bring the creature down quickly to make the hurting stop.
HP 6/18
AC 18
Hero Points 2/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
The creatures laughs at Niksi's attempts to daze it! Mukluk moves in and lands a solid thwack with his hammer. Prism's aim is off, possibly due to the acid residue still on her skin.
Rova's perfect aim lands another powerful blow.
The creature crumples from the hit.
Assuming you investigate, the backpack contains 2 Bulk of wet river rocks on top of a highly detailed map of Abberton and its surrounding environment. There are scribbled notes about different locations all over the map, most notably on the Circus of Wayward Wonders, and the detail on the movements of the circus members, including the four of you, is disturbingly accurate. Oldlin’s Orchard and the Hawfton Mill are both marked on the map. The backpack also contains a few handfuls of tasty nuts and a holly bush feather token.
"Why would the Rough Beast care about these places? Or our circus?" Rova wonders to herself. "And why would her herald need river rocks?"
Out loud, she suggests they return to the circus for the funeral and to talk to the halfling woman. She could surely shed some light on what was going on and why she would have attacked the Thunder.
”Why would herpies care about these itches? Or the citrus?” Mukluk looks at Rova with confusion. ”What you talkin’ about? If you need to see a doctor, let’s do that. Wait, aren’t *you* the doctor?” Mukluk looks down at where Rova might be having the ‘down there’ itches. ”Uh, yeah, I can’t help with that. Not sure the citrus will either, but probably won’t hurt.”
”More importantly, why are these rocks here? Why would they be collecting rocks? I dun’t make no sense.” Mukluk tastes a few nuts to be sure they are not poisonous and offers them around.
”And where are the rats? Where I’d they come from?” Mukluk seems to have more questions than answers.
Prism looks over the map. "Whois..tracking us? And why?" She grabs one of the tasty nuts from Mukluk and cracks it open, She struggles at first as her skin blisters from the acid.
Rova looks askance at Mukluk, but her attention is distracted by Prism's struggles.
Here, let me help.
Prism waits patiently as Rova gives her a salve to rub onto the affected areas before bandaging it up. "Thankyou!" She beams back up at her and gives her a hug. "See, not the end of the world. We canalways..headin..totown, and look at these places." Prism points to the pair of locales marked on the map.
HP 15/18
AC 18
Hero Points 2/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
"We canal a ways heading to ToeTown, and look at these places."
”ToeTown, huh? I don’t see it on the map, must be a subsection then,” Mukluk agrees with the general plan, but not necessarily the specifics.
Mukluk passes the holly bush feather token to Niksi. ”Maybe you’ll hold this. Might be useful. Might be that we plant it in a pot atop a wagon. Might be nice, right?”
Mukluk grabs the 2 bulk of stones and is ready to return to the circus. He wants to explore the other rat location as well as interrogate the rat lady again. ”We need to decide what to do with her. She murdered one of our kin.”
Niksi sighs as she realizes that the trail has ended. "Well, unless there is something else you all think we can find, I think there is nothing else to be done here." She has always found forests disconcerting and grows increasingly uncomfortable the longer she is in one. Something about the constant movements and all the little noises wrecked havoc on her anxious senses. That she has had to put up with people dismissing the vibrant life of the world underground in order to praise all of this green may have something to do with it, too.
Rova looks over the backpack, and shrugs. No indication of the Rough Beast or Groetus, or even Zyphus, Zon-Kuthon or other world-enders that she recognizes.
Religion
”Gawhz-reh,” Mukluk says, pointing to the pack. ”I see it now. That rat lady sure do love her rats. It’s clear. I ain’t got nothing against rats, but not sure I’m going to want to sleep with them...anymore...” Mukluk remembers the cots he had slept on in the past, hoping the rats would leave him alone as he’s slept.
”If there ain’t anything else, let’s get these precious rocks back to the circus.”
Lifting herself from the ground Prism trudges her way back to the camp. "Thunder's wagon isthe..last placethat..had tracks..allaround it. I hate to go through his things butseems..we have to." She says solemnly as her hair dulls a bit in color.
The group trudges back to the circus, checking carefully to make sure that the rat tracks don't veer off anywhere else.
As you get close, you hear music. 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 hard to see what's going on in the center with all the whirling dancers. To make your way in, you'll need to use brute force (Athletics check), use finesse (Acrobatics check), or join the dance and work through it to the center (Performance, Society, or a relevant Lore check).
Mukluk looks on with horror, barely hearing the music, but seeing the need immediately.
"I'll go look inside," Mukluk grunts preparing his shield as if that might help him get by the dancers.
He tries to push his way through.
"Uh, pardon me!"
"Ah, Blabber John, doing the fox trot, I see!"
"Excuse me, Miss!"
"Watch your toes now! Make way!"
Athletics
Niksi does little dancing in her act, but she has trained in it just as well. This style is not quite her general forté—she prefers the intense physical control and robotic movements of animating—but she could hardly be a good performer without knowing how to go “yes, and” once in a while.
As she joins the dance in an attempt to move through it, she actually gets so engrossed with learning the pace and steps that she momentarily forgets that the dance is merely an obstacle to be overcome.
Prism follows behind Mukluk as he shoves some of the crowd aside. She ducks, weaves and dodges as the dancers swirl about her. "Whatis..happening? Thisis..astrange..funeral."
"Maybe you should stay here," Rova tells Thkrull, not wanting to see what Rovagugian type damage a dancing pachyderm could do.
Being little, she's easily able to duck through her dancing friends to see what's going on.
Mukluk, Prism, and Rova all work their their way to the middle of the circle. Niksi copies the dance perfectly, but so perfectly that she is still stuck in the whirling ring of people, joining in their dance.
There are two small creatures sitting on a dinner plate next to the fire. They have human-shaped torsoes and heads, but cricket-like lower bodies, and each is playing music with their legs.
"Yay! More circus performers! We're your biggest fans! Look, it's Mukluk, the dwarven cannonball! And Rova, the elephant tamer! And Prism! You were the big act! We loved it! Is that Niksi? Niksi! Join the music!"
DC 15
They have a fiddle ability. A grig can rub its legs together to create a catchy fiddling tune that compels others within 30 feet to dance about, with varying effects depending on a Will save. A listener is temporarily immune for 10 minutes on a success, but otherwise, if the grig continues to Fiddle each round, the creature receives no additional saves.
Also, can I please get a Will save from everyone, now that you've had a chance to listen to the music?
Will -
Will
”Nope, we’re done dancing here! We’ve had trouble and just need some silence. Please stop the music,” Mukluk asks ~politely~. Mukluk gives them half a chance to stop the music.
And if they don’t stop, hammer in hand, Mukluk will *make* them stop.
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Strange music and strange dances are too tempting for Niksi, and she begins to think, Well, it's certainly fine if I just indulge a bit. Everyone else can take care of things.
Rova looks quizzically at the little cricket things, not quite sure what they are, but she's pretty sure she doesn't want to dance.
"How do you know who we are?" she asks. "I haven't even performed yet!"
Prism weaves back and forth to the music, soaking it all in, her hair flows colors like a wave in the ocean as she smiles. "But, Muk! It sounds so nice."
HP 15/18
AC 18
Hero Points 1/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Prism and Niksi join the dance!
"Come on, Mukluk, have fun! Join the dance! Rova, you're on all the signs! We want to see the elephant routine! Will you perform at the next show?"
"People don't want to dance!" Rova retorts. "You can't just make them if they don't want to! If you stop, Thkrull and I will show you our trick ... and we haven't shown anyone yet!"
Niksi follows the movements of the dance quite smoothly. A bit too smoothly for her taste, to be honest. There was something safe and expected about the endless monotony of the movement, the people turning numb to the exhaustion.
So she scrapes a long drag of her dagger across her
Mukluk grips his hammer, partially wishing he could hear the music better, but also knowing it might be better that he does not.
Niksi's music is louder and more compelling than the grigs' chirping. She starts at the same tempo, but gradually makes it slower and slower until finally, the dancing stops.
The grigs cheer. "Yay! What a beautiful performance from Niksi! Oh! We should give you something." One of them flies over to Niksi and offers her a shimmering crystal.
The rest of the circus collapses wherever they stand, panting. "Thank...you..."
Niksi pauses her playing, lowering her waterphone. Beautiful? She certainly was not going for beautiful, but that these fey perceived it within the waterphone's haunting notes is a delightful subversion of expectations, the exact kind of reality tilt that she so enjoys. She bows, then graciously accepts the crystal.
"You are strange little fey." She says "strange" the way most people say "astounding" or "wonderful. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and thank you for your compliments and gifts. I would suggest patience in the future between our performances. The circus folk lack your boundless energy and require rest between them."
Mukluk listens in, super pleased with Niksi performance and solution. It would have been a shame to spill fey blood to stop the music. He looks at the hammer in his hand, thinking that the fey do look like nails, but he was glad not to have to use it.
You done good.
Mukluk moves to help the circus folk who might need help finding a quiet and cool place to rest.
Prism continues to dance, not because she is being forced to but because it is fun. She grabs ahold of Mukluk's hand, pulling and prodding, but it is like pulling on a branch of an unmoving tree that doesn't even realize you are there. "Thatwas..adelight!"
She comes to rest as she notices the rest of the camp sitting down. Giving a deep bow to no applause she flops down on a stump next to them. She looks to the fey. Areyou..stayingfor..dinner?"
Mukluk still looks upon the benign/malign musicians with some mistrust, his hammer ready. He stands down a bit, but will make his own music if things get out of hand again.
When he finally notes the tugging on his arm, he startles at Prism.
"What are you doing, Little Rainbow? This isn't a time for dancing...I'm not drunk and there are no victories to sing of," Mukluk would never tear his arm away, but certainly won't be dancing.
"Youareright!"
"Of course I am, think nothing of it, lass," Mukluk shows no anger, just a bit worry over what has happened over the last day or so.
They grigs gasp in delight. "We would love to have dinner with you! By the way, I'm Tarisia and this is Cannono."
The Professor, once he's caught his breath, asks, "Well, did you anything out there in the woods?"
They grigs gasp in delight. "We would love to have dinner with you! By the way, I'm Tarisia and this is Cannono."
The Professor, once he's caught his breath asks, "Well, did you find anything out there in the woods? I asked a few of the Sideshow folks to do a little snooping around town this evening, so they might have some news by tomorrow morning, too."
Rova looks a little dubious at the creatures' plans to join them for dinner, but decides to let it go. What's the worst thing that could happen besides the world ending (and since that's definitely going to happen...)? There's no harm in being nice until that happens, no matter what her parents always said.
"Dinner will be nice, and I'm glad you can join us. Just no more dancing unless people want to," she reminds them.
She thinks for a few moments.
"If you were watching us last night, did you see what happened to the Thunder? Did you see anything else about the halfling?"
They look at each other, kind of confused. "No, we were watching the show the whole time. The Thunder didn't go on at all."
Prism claps and smiles. "Yay! Dinner guests." She gets very excited as she sees little wrong with the fey. What they did was quite normal to her.
"Stayhere, we aregoing..togo..gather supplies andwill..beback for dinner."
She bounds to the Professor and whips the map out in a quick fluid motion. "We..foundthis! And winged creatures that spit acid." She cowers briefly to show her blisters and reddened skin.
The Professor looks at the map with grave concern. "Look at all these details...how long was she watching the circus? Everyone's routine is on here!"
Niksi switches out her faceplate for the "Happy" one, then boops both Tarisia and Cannono on the head with a finger. "A pleasure to meet both of you. Please, enjoy your dinner."
Niksi idly snaps out the tempo to one of her favorite songs by her favorite band--"Killer Contessa" by Contessa--with one hand while her other flutters about, riding the waves of the song's highs and lows. "Considering her skill with commanding animals, especially little rats, she probably had them spying around for her. I also have other suspicions that I would like to test when we speak with her. It seems odd to me for an anti-civilization person with such strong ties to the local area to so obsessively target the performers in a traveling circus of all things. I wonder if someone found this fragile mind and gave it a bit of a nudge. She is easily written off as mad, a strange one touched in the head who we can never understand. Trust me when I say that the addled are more often than not victims, used by the powerful and cunning and discarded for the slightest expedience."
Her hands play out the final notes of the song and she sighs. "But--as always--I may be wrong. We will not know until we talk to her."