Bac puts the jar under one arm and almost scurries out of the building before stopping himself. He turns and inspects the other herbs and roots and things hanging about the witch's hut, checking if among all the strange objects there might be some leftover rat's tail.
He beckons to Kane as well. "What do ye think, any of these herbs the witch has lyin' around the rat tail root we're looking for?"
If there isn't anything rat's tail-like in the hut, Bac heads off with the rest of the group to meet the tatzylwyrm once more.
At Bac's suggestion the group checks for rat's tail--Kane spots a small leather bag suspending up near the ceiling by a thin length of cord. Lowering it down, the bag appears to contain a variety of powered and preserved herbs and poultices--including the coveted rat's tail!
The walk back to the tatzelwurm is uneventful--the dragonlike serpent is dozing is a patch of sunlight high up in its tree but awakens when you draw near. <"Humansss returning, do you have tasssty fingersss for me?"> it hisses down in Draconic.
Theo steps forward and opens the jar holding the fingers.
"Here you are. Now can we collect the moss?"
As they collect the moss, Theo continues to talk to the tatzelwurm.
"What is your name? I am Theodorus Merula. Perhaps once we are done here, I could return and talk to you?"
Ascian keeps her eyes on the tatzlwyrm while the others work, watchful for the creature's sudden yet inevitable betrayal.
Bac pockets the rat's tail and follows along after Theo. Once in front of the annoying tatzylwyrm, he crosses his arms and says "Better be enough, or we're going to have some words with ya. And by words I mean fists."
The tatzelwyrm hisses disdainfully. <"Humansss, alwaysss ssso quick to fight anything that movesss! You don't even eat mossst of it!"> It flicks its tail irritably, but slithers down to collect its jar of fingers. After a few suspicious sniffs, it pops one into its mouth and chews thoughtfully.
<"You kept your word, and Kezillyr will not be shamed by the likesss of you! Take your mosss and begone."> It eyes Theo warily at the wizard's request. <"You will lead the onesss with axesss here, and they will try to kill my tree. Othersss have tried already. I do not wish to sssee any of you ever again!">
Backing off from the tree and its foul-mannered resident, Bac cracks a tired grin. "Then that's all three, ain't it!" He rubs the small of his back with a knuckle "No reason to stay around here any longer. We've got everything Laurel needs, so every second means more people getting sick and dying."
He inspects the rather heavily callused soles of his feet and says "You youngsters ready for a hard march back?"
Kane warily moves towards the tree and starts to collect a generous portion of moss before backing up to join the others.
He nods at Bac. "The sooner that we are back, the better."
Looking a little crest-fallen, Theo turns from the creature with a sigh.
"I suppose I understand...I was just hoping....well never mind. Thank you for keeping your word and best of luck with the lumberjacks!"
Theo rejoins the group as they head out of the grove and back to the town.
"After all that nonsense with the wargs and undead dwarves and zombie kobolds, it's nice to have something go exactly as it's supposed to."
"... exactly as it's supposed to? I got attacked by a damned caldron... exactly as it's supposed to... Pfffff,"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
<"More like...lumber jackasssess!"> Hissing with amusement at its own joke, the tatzelwyrm is quickly left behind as you depart the grove for the long trek back to Falcon's Hollow.
Tense with concern for the fate of your curative ingredients, you start your trek back to Falcon's Hollow. Perhaps fate smiles upon you--or perhaps many of the forest's most dangerous denizens have already fallen to you, because the next day and night pass uneventfully.
You draw nearer and nearer to the town; at this pace you're likely to reach Laurel's cottage by early afternoon. But it seems that trouble has found you after all: as you pass by the Lumber Consortium camp nearest to the town, several of them peel off to block your path. The crew-leader Tahra leads them, her expression hard.
"Well well, if'n it ain't Milon's saviors back from their little trip. You folks have a good time?" Her tone is deceptively light, but her posture is threatening and her crew looks ready for a fight. "Did you find Laurel's potion fixins? Best hand 'em over to us, I'm sure you're tired. We can handle this last bit, aye?"
"Get. Out. Of. Our. Way." the half-orc says in blunt and threatening tone.
"Aye, we're tired. Tired of stuck up little squirts." Bac snorts "Unless you've got a palanquin for takin' me back to Laurel's place, you're not wanted here."
More seriously he adds "You'd really stand in the way of helping heal the town and end a godsdamned plague?"
"Now listen here my kind sir...I did not get bit by wolves and fight dark squid-like beasts and bargain with a tatzelwyrm just to have the likes of you take our hard won prize...not to mention the impact it will have on the sick back in town! Now be off before I truly lose my temper!"
The young man stands just behind Grattfaulk as he delivers this 'blistering' speach.
The party's accusations of thwarting the plague's cure hits the mark--several of the lumberjacks glance uncertainly at Tahra. A muscle twitches in her jaw as she stares at Bac for a several heartbeats.
"Stand in the way? Gods no--even the Consortium is starting to be affected. Since we're the whole damn reason this town even exists, it's only right that the Consortium gets the cure first." Tahra's faux-friendly facade drops and she places her hands on the hatchets at her belt.
"I'll ask you one more time to hand over whatever ingredients you got. I don't want to have to tell Laurel that you all got mauled by wolves." This draws a few chuckles from her crew, but they sound more nervous than threatening.
■■ Sudden Charge
■ Strike
Grattfaulk rushes forward when Tahra's hand goes to her axe, she had been warned.
Bac, having underestimated how quickly Gratt would turn to violence, only manages to shout out "They're not magicked cauldrons, kid! Hold back a little!" as the half-orc starts swinging.
As Grattfaulk hefts his hammer and starts forward, Tahra clenches her jaw and shakes her head slightly. "Hard way it is, then." The Consortium men and women around you grip their axes and mallets tighter
-ROUND ONE-
Kane
Ascian
LJ Purple
LJ Red
Tahra
Grattfaulk
Bac Dao
Theo
LJ Blue
LJ Green
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tahra's words are a signal to Ascian as much as to her own men. The tiefling, her body suddenly wreathed in electricity, slams into the closest lumberjack before he's even finished readying his weapon.
Ascian darts forward, her tail jabbing the bearded human in the sternum and sending lightning crackling over his torso. Wheezing and smoking, the man lashes out with his hatchet and scores a glancing blow on the tiefling's shoulder before staggering away from the fight. Kane is less than a heartbeat behind, rushing forward with spear raise. The missile sails through the air towards Tahra, whose eyes go wide as she twists out of the way--the spear only grazes her side instead of impaling her.
"You little bastard," the crewleader hisses at Kane, as she and her team lunge into action. Crossing the ground between them in a few long strides, Tahra sinks her hatchet into the elf's shoulder--only his stagger back keeps his throat from being opened by the follow-up swing. The burly woman to Tahra's right advances with her, bulling up to Bac and cracking him across the jaw with the haft of her axe.
-ROUND ONE-
Kane (-10hp)
Ascian (-5hp)
LJ Purple
LJ Red (-9hp, Fleeing)
Tahra (-3hp)
Grattfaulk
Bac Dao (-8hp)
Theo
LJ Blue
LJ Green
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
■■ Sudden Charge
Strike: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12■ Strike
Strike: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8Grattfaulk rushes forward when Tahra's hand goes to her axe, she had been warned.
Climbing up a slight rise, Theo looks over to the leader of the foresters and while making the proper gestures and muttering the magical phrase, 3 bright red darts spring from the wizard's hand.
Magic Missile to Tahra:
"Looks like Kezillyr was right about these people!" he mutters
Bac rubs at his jaw "You'd hit an old man just trying to help people? What kind a' heartless scoundrel are you!?" He draws his warhammer and takes a couple of swings at his attacker .
Ascian sniffs in disdain as the human flees her wrath, turning her attention back to Tahra. She draws her rapier and quickly casts another spell into it, causing the weapon to glow faintly.
Tahra's eyes go wide as the massive half-orc closes with her. Grattfaulk's swing of his sledge packs a serious punch, but the Consortium flunky ducks the blow, barely, and manages to sidestep the second. Her counterattack is interrupted by a trio of stinging bolts from Theo! Her breath coming in hard, Tahra white-knuckles her hatchets and grimaces through the pain.
Bac recovers from his blow, drawing his hammer and feinting once before cracking the lumberjack in the temple with a crunch. She grunts once and then topples bonelessly.
"Miryam! You f@!%ing killed her!" Another lumberjack rushes out of the camp, eyes wild as he swings his axe at Bac. The older man twists away, but not quite far enough as the axe rakes across his shoulder!
His companion zeroes in on Theo, skirting the melee to get right in the wizard's face!
Ascian turns about towards the main knot of fighting, imbuing her rapier with arcane might as she goes.
-ROUND ONE-
Kane (-10hp)
Ascian (-5hp)
LJ Purple
LJ Red (-9hp, Fleeing)
Tahra (-14hp)
Grattfaulk
Bac Dao (-14hp)
Theo
LJ Blue
LJ Green
Grattfaulk lashes out as the vengeful logger rushes past him to get to Bac. The half-orc's mallet connects and he feels a rib crack.
Kane stumbles away from Tahra as he draws another spear. "All yours, big guy," he reassures Grattfaulk. Seeing Bac is injured, the elf moves to support the gunslinger, though his spear-jab is off the mark in the press of bodies.
When she sees one of her loggers go down Tahra's expression twists into a mask of contemptuous fury. "Blood for blood, half-orc!" she hisses, her hatchet flashing. The first blow goes low, cracking into the side of Grattfaulk's knee, and the second narrowly misses his neck. She stares hatefully at Grattfaulk. "Damn shame, with an arm like that you'd have made a good crewman. Now you're just going to be one more corpse in the forest."
-ROUND TWO-
Kane (-10hp)
Ascian (-5hp)
LJ Purple
LJ Red (-9hp, Off Map)
Tahra (-14hp)
Grattfaulk (-12hp, Frightened 2)
Bac Dao (-14hp)
Theo
LJ Blue (-6hp, Flanked)
LJ Green
"Are you sure?"
While the lumberjack had been so focused on Grattfaulk, Ascian had slipped around the pair, and the tiefling now stands behind Tahra, angry electrical energy arcing off of her blade and scorching the grass around her.
Without waiting for an answer, Ascian strikes.
Gripped by fear but undeterred strikes back at Tahra.
Theo is slightly alarmed at seeing the burly lumberjack coming right at him.
"Oh my!! Perhaps you should take a nap!" he says as his hands make mystical gestures and fine sand is thrown into the brute's face.
◆◆: Cast Sleep Spell (DC-17)
Spell 1
Enchantment, Incapacitation, Mental, Sleep
Traditions: Arcane, Occult
Cast: somatic, verbal
Range: 30 feet
Area: 5-foot burst
Saving Throw: Will Save
DC: 17
Description
Each creature in the area becomes drowsy and might fall asleep. A creature that falls unconscious from this spell doesn’t fall prone or release what it’s holding. This spell doesn’t prevent creatures from waking up due to a successful Perception check, limiting its utility in combat.
Heightened (4th) The creatures fall unconscious for 1 round on a failure or 1 minute on a critical failure. They fall prone and release what they’re holding, and they can’t attempt Perception checks to wake up. When the duration ends, the creature is sleeping normally instead of automatically waking up.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes a –1 status penalty to Perception checks for 1 round.
Failure The creature falls unconscious. If it’s still unconscious after 1 minute, it wakes up automatically.
Critical Failure The creature falls unconscious. If it’s still unconscious after 1 hour, it wakes up automatically.
Bac scowls at the persistence and vitriol from the loggers "Yer digging deeper 'ere. Ye can give up at any time." He fires his flintlock into blue point blank and then swings in with his warhammer.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, WIza--uh, uhhhhh..." the lumberjack confronting Theo slows, his furious expression melting into muddled confusion before he topples over, snoring thunderously before he even hits the ground. Meanwhile, Bac raises his pistol and fires, but in his care to avoid aiming the barrel at Kane the shot goes wide. The Consortium thug is sufficiently startled by the report that he's completely caught by surprise by the older man's next hammer-blow! His jaw shattered, the burly man goes down without a sound.
Grattfaulk's hammer swing is shaky and too high, and the crew leader ducks the maul and winds back to finish him off. Before she can do so, Ascian is there, her rapier crackling with lighting as she drives the point home into the larger woman's back. Arcs of electricity cause her muscles to jerk and spasm as she twists and cries out--then falls to the ground in a smoking heap.
The final member of Tahra's crew has fled down the road and is lost to sight...no one still stands to oppose you. The ingredients to Laurel's cure are safe.
"Let's search em quickly and then hightail it out of here, we need to get the ingredients to Laurel before their friends come looking." With that Grattfaulk checks the smoking heap that was Tahra.
"Let's search em quickly and then hightail it out of here, we need to get the ingredients to Laurel before their friends come looking." With that Grattfaulk checks the smoking heap that was Tahra.
"Search them?" Bac shakes his head in sad disbelief at Gratt's callous looting "Ye'd put some scoundrels I knew to shame."
Not wanting to waste any more time, Bac heads right for Laurel's place to deliver the ingredients.
"The old man is right," Ascian says, resheathing her rapier. "That one who fled will bring reinforcements, anyway. We'd best be gone before they arrive."
The former mercenary was in the middle of examining a pair of boots for size and condition. Then unceremoniously dropped the legs with a huff and set off after Bak towards Laurel's place.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The tension is palpable as you complete the trek to Laurel's cottage. While word couldn't have spread so quickly about your fight with Tahra's crew, the illness appears to have spread--you spy several doors marked with an 'X' in black paint as you move into the town itself. Not many, but enough to make you uneasy.
Laurel answers your knocks looking weary, though a hopeful gleam enters her eyes the moment she recognizes you. "You've returned! I'd begun to worry, the forest is a dangerous place at times," she motions you all inside and kicks out a few chairs, asking as excitedly as her fatigue will allow about the ingredients you've brought. Her eyebrows go up in alarm if you tell her about Tahra's attempt to intercept you.
"The Consortium was trying to get the cure for themselves? Why those, those unspeakable monsters!" The apothecary unwraps the bundle of rat's tail and gives a satisfied nod. "Yes, very good, we've had another eleven take sick since you left--but you're just in time, with this we can save them! But the Consortium, they won't take the death of one of their crew leaders well." She holds up a hand to forestall any objections. "Ah ah! I know you did what you thought you must, I pass no judgement. But I think it's best if you all make yourselves scarce for a time..."
+ + + + +
Within 24 hours of returning the ingredients to Laurel, she has cooked up a thick and bitter-smelling paste--and word of a cure has gotten out. A crowd of hopeful residents crowds at the apothecary's door, holding out cups to receive a ladle-full to take home to loved ones fallen ill. Within another three days, the blackscour outbreak has been contained. Word spreads quickly of the little band of heroes who let this happen--the praise often coupled with dark mutterings about the Consortium, who have offered a bounty for those heroes. Only Pharasma knows what the future may hold, but now the threat to Falcon's Hollow has been met, lives have been saved, and world still turns.