Along the way, the spirits endeavor to make the trail to the caravan as clear as possible to the Pathfinders, asking them to move aside brush to reveal wagon tracks, and pointing out lost scraps of fabric on trees.
Soon enough, a caravan, stuck in the snow, can be seen ahead. A short, heavyset Tian man with a round, cleanshaven face greets the party, while an athletic woman who stands a few inches taller than him, stands behind him with a stern demeanor.
"Who goes there?" the man asks.
Snarlfist squints and looks and asks his own question back "Lin Po?"
The Tian man is satisfied continuing the verbal duel, although a brief flash of surprise across his face suggests that the answer to Snarlfist's question is a resounding yes.
"Who are you?" he asks, warily.
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With a slight tingle Yanko welcomes the spirit into his body and is surprised by how clear the mental picture he is receiving is. Shortly after he begins to talk to the group: ”I…Oh this is interesting…I’ve seen the fox-like humanoid. Well, I guess the spirits have seen it and shown it to me. Anyways. It escaped from battle with its treasure deeper into these woods, where the creature began to sift through its haul, trying to find the most valuable things.”
Yanko clears his throat and furrows his brows. ”I, I think I know how we could approach this creature.” His voice is questioning, as he is obviously still coming to terms with how he received said knowledge. ”Any one silver-tongued or with experience and knowledge about the criminal underworld, can probably try to deceive the creature by telling it that what it found isn’t so valuable after all or scare it that what it found might be cursed.” He starts looking at his hands ”With quick fingers, I believe it should be possible to steal back what we’re looking for from his sack. I believe my hands are nimble enough for that task, if talking should fail.”
”Good to see you. Both of you.” Yanko says smiling, while keeping a bit of a distance to the two Tien Pathfinders. ”Are you hurt? Can you tell us what happened?”
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Lough is a surprisingly good listener.
Not the kind to interrupt a well shared story with banal comments - he is even comfortable with prolonged silences that punctuate the empty space between thoughts.
He listens as Yanko talks on whether he believed his own condition was a blessing or curse. And like most misleadingly binary questions, was frankly unsurprised that the truth turned out to be somewhat situated between these two extremes.
What did surprise him was the dhampir's sharing about his own father, and too the pain his comrade expressed at (hinting to) feeling like little more than an experimental mistake in the long life of an immortal acting with fleeting conscientiousness relative to those around him. A throughline that Lough sees as connecting his comrade to his sire, and also to an unnamed goddess ("Her/She"). He guesses that this produces within a sort of anger? - but protracted over time: Anger tempered cooly in the ivory tower of reason and logic.
All said, Yanko can easily read the expression on the changeling's face: One of empathy for his story - perhaps closer than Yanko realizes as yet! - and one of inspiration framing his story as such; a call to arms fully seizing a Second Chance.
Causing a single tear to fall from his grey eye!
”Any one silver-tongued or with experience and knowledge about the criminal underworld, can probably try to deceive the creature by telling it that what it found isn’t so valuable after all ”
Lough simply listens here, and takes mental note.
Lough continues to mimic the body language of the woman behind Lin Po, but speaks now "As Snarlfist says, we are here to ensure your safe return to Minkai. Also, to get to Yanko's point, there are those among us that have been in contact with the forest Kami, observing visions of trickery and theft. I am wondering if these supernatural experiences can be corroborated. Has anything gone missing from your charge?"
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Yanko clears his throat and furrows his brows. ”I, I think I know how we could approach this creature.” His voice is questioning, as he is obviously still coming to terms with how he received said knowledge. ”Any one silver-tongued or with experience and knowledge about the criminal underworld, can probably try to deceive the creature by telling it that what it found isn’t so valuable after all or scare it that what it found might be cursed.” He starts looking at his hands ”With quick fingers, I believe it should be possible to steal back what we’re looking for from his sack. I believe my hands are nimble enough for that task, if talking should fail.”
Myra listens thoughtfully to Yanko's story. "I think perhaps I may wish to speak to this fox creature when the time comes. I may be able sweet-talk it into handing over what it has stolen."
Later, Myra is pleased to find the missing Pathfinders, and offers any assistance appropriate.
Lin Po and Ti Lan's faces brighten with the recognition that Venture-Captain Li had not abandoned them.
"Thank you for coming to our rescue. I am Lin Po, and this is Ti Lan," he explains. "I admit that we feared we would be trapped in the forest forever.
We received a message from a kami within the green scarf shortly before reaching the village. The message was vague, but we were able to discern
that the kami was trapped within, and that it was afraid that some sort of nefarious force in the forest would try to capture it. We had a strong sense that the kami’s ward was close by, and we convinced the caravan to take a minor detour to assist a spirit in need.
Unfortunately, the detour ended up being far longer than we expected, and then a thief stole the scarf and disrupted our plans. Plus, we keep getting attacked by ... uh oh."
Po and Lan pull out crossbows and begin climbing on top of the wagons. "We're under attack!"
An eight-legged cat stalks the caravan through the trees.
Round 1
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
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The cat ducks through the woods and tries to circle around.
Round 1
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
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If the attack comes as a surprise to Yanko, he does not show it. Instead he casually adjusts his glasses and spreads both his arms. A bright purple flash of light flares up in his eyes as he begins to mumble. ”Spirits of the forest, bones in the ground, lingering souls; let me be you guide.” Dust particles start to swirl around him and tiny fragments of what looks like bone slowly become unearthed hovering in the air. Yanko continues to raise his arms slowly above his ground, continuing with the ritual in an almost chanting voice – louder now.
”I bestow upon you the gift of a second life. Be born again. Twice-Born.” Towards the end the wind becomes more and more fierce and the pieces of bones become larger as well. With a loud clap Yanko’s hands finally touch above his head and the swirling cloud of dust and bones implodes silently. A heartbeat later a skeleton archer appears next to the Tien pathfinders on top of one of the wagons.
”Don’t worry. It belongs to me.” Yanko says in a matter-of-fact tone, that shifts to a more determined, more commanding speech as he addresses the skeleton. ”Do your worst, child.”
With the clatter of naked bones the skeleton is birthed into existence by Yanko’s magic. With sudden nervous movements the head of the skeleton scans the scene.
Its jaws rattle in excitement as soon as it spots the feline creature on the ground. In quick, and - thanks to not being restricted by muscles and sinews anymore – impossible movements it knocks a first arrow and fires the ashen bow it was summoned with two times in quick succession.
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Holding his steel shield but wearing his weapons, Lough Strides after Snarlfist (and past a "friendly" skeleton!?!) protecting the front of the caravan, and tries to get a close look at the cat along the way.
◆◆) Stride, Stride
◆) Recall Knowledge @ Nature (Trained) +5 or +6 ethereal / fungus
↺) Attack of Opportunity @ Slag Claw +11 @ 1d6+4 Cold Iron
"Let's circle up, stay together!" he suggests as towards coordinating teamwork!
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Erevan jumps up and lets out a soft yelp as skeletons start forming nearby. He takes comfort in Yanko's words but still feels uneasy fighting alongside the undead. "I haven't fought alongside a corpse before. But I guess there's a first time to everything." He takes out his hand crossbow and a bottle of alchemist's fire and strides toward the side of the wagon.
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Lin Po and Ti Lan quickly jump across to the other wagon as a skeleton appears beside them! It takes a few seconds for them to recognize that it's not an enemy. The skeleton fires twice, missing both.
Erevan, Ronnie, and Lough move in.
The Pathfinder allies fire their crossbows at the cat, causing damage.
Round 2
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat (-8 hp)
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
Lin Po / Ti Lan
Octocat is not scared by Snarlfist; hobgoblins are a dime a dozen in the Forest of Spirits. It is also too familiar with hobgoblin longspear attacks to fall for Snarlfist's tactics.
It steps in at Snarlfist, and snaps at him with its jaws.
Snarlfist jumps out of the way just in time!
Then it seems to wink at Snarlfist with a "well played" as it disappears, reappearing behind Erevan!
Round 2
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat (-8 hp)
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
Lin Po / Ti Lan
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Yanko so far has only heard the battle, since his line of sight has been blocked by one of the wagons until now. Out of thin air, this eight-legged feline creature appears just behind Erevan. Yanko begins casting again and with the usual hand gestures – now familiar to his companions – the translucent bat-like wings appear behind him and fold around his torso protectively.
He draws the sickle from the belt at his side and his casual almost elegant posture changes to a more determined one when he plants his feet a bit more thoroughly into the ground ready for combat. ”Come now, child. Slay the beast.” he commands the skeleton.
Hearing Yanko’s words, the skeleton moves in nervous, almost insect-like movements towards the edge of the wagon. Accompanied by the usual bone rattling it draws another arrow and fires it’s ashen bow.
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◆) Stride 20 feet
◆) Snagging Strike cold iron slash
You combine an attack with quick grappling moves to throw an enemy off balance as long as it stays in your reach. Make a Strike while keeping one hand free. If this Strike hits, the target is flat-footed until the start of your next turn or until it’s no longer within the reach of your hand, whichever comes first.
◆) Raise Shield (to AC 23)
↺) Attack of Opportunity (+12 Slag Claw @ 1d6+5 cold iron slash)
or
↺) Shield Block (hard 5, BT 10)
It's been a busy week for me, too, and most of my posts this week have been phone-based.
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Yanko's skeleton drives an arrow into the cat's fur, and Lough scores a hit with his claw. The cold iron doesn't seem to hurt the cat any more than other weapons.
However, Erevan's and Ronnie's Strikes do not connect, not even Ronnie's first Strike, which looked pretty on target until the last second.
Lin Po and Ti Lan fire their crossbows, one striking the cat for
Round 2
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat (-24 hp)
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
Lin Po / Ti Lan
Snarlfist stabs at the cat, distracted by Lough, and manages to spear it in the rump while it's not looking.
The cat lashes out at Lough ...
... but only manages to get a mouthful of Lough's shield! Frustrated, it stalks easier prey, unaware that Lough will swing as it moves.
Round 3 (typo in last post)
Myra
Snarlfist
Eight-legged cat (-36 hp)
Yanko
Ronnie
Lough
Erevan
Lin Po / Ti Lan
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Cancel request to re-roll Recall check...
Lough wades through the bushes in his heavy armor, just managing to keep up with the cat.
◆◆) Stride x2
◆) Snagging Strike
slashing cold iron
↺) Attack of Opportunity (+12 Slag Claw @ 1d6+5 cold iron slash)
Grabbing it by one of it's eight legs, Lough grips hold, lowering it's defenses for the party to hack it away "Hold still there now - less you'd like to surrender!"
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Lough snags the cat, and keeps it from squirming just long enough for Ronnie to smack it on the head with a flickmace.
The cat goes limp.
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"Thank you for coming to our aid!" declare Po and Lan. They note the Pathfinders' impressive capabilities, and propose a plan: they can't abandon the caravan to chase the thief, but the PCs can. The caravan can
stop and camp, awaiting the PCs’ safe return.
"What do you think?"
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Perhaps a day or two after Yanko shared his story, Lough reciprocates, when the opportunity to do so feels natural.
"My uncle raised me, I know not of my father, nor my True Mother, but do know the warmth of my good uncle, and my childhood was normal. I was raised with the skills of a blacksmith - forged this ol' sword meself" indicating the blade strapped to his back "And this hammer" lifting it aloft "My hands are strong, and the work is easy"
"My Curse came as to me when I was getting to that independent age. A voice in the night. Well, not really a voice at first, more a series of visions. I didn't know what to do - I had never seen such gruesome things. I imagined these bloody scenes as stories, and began to share them, but never as dreams I had had, just simple "ghost stories" to scare my coworkers or other pubgoers. And all was fine until some of the stories I shared began to actually happen. The first time, the town let it slip - "coincidence" they said. After all, my work spoke for itself, and that carried me until a second, third time. I did not understand my compulsion to continue to tell stories - stories with horrible endings - until much later. My tongue simply got the better of me."
"Eventually, yes, I was asked to leave. And I decided to for my uncles's sake. His only sin, which is a secret I have come to know, was keeping the details of my birth from me. But honestly, I probably would have done the same thing, in his shoes. I was happy for a long time. And I will return to Otari some day. But not until I am ready."
"And only now is the Calling a Voice. There are visions too, but not nearly as clear to me as they used to be. I could not predict your (second) death, for example. Instead, a second Mind lives within me. Shalinnis - my familiar, whom I named after my uncle - he helps me to understand my second Mind, to understand things I cannot understand - and so, my own Curse, you see, the Calling, sets me apart from others, usually by fear, a curling of their neck hairs, sensing something about me is "off" - indeed it is! - but it is also who I am, and I am proud of that. Perhaps if circumstances were different, I would be unable to retain my own Free Will amidst the noise - but here I am!"
His story drifts away here, and Lough awaits the judgement of his strange friend Yanko!
Lough nods to Ronnie "We don't make a bad team, yeah?" then looks towards Myra and Erevan "Ready when you are" finally around at his team, ready to share his gifted Elixir of Life with any who need it, seeing his own body undamaged...
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It is Yanko’s time to listen at this point when Lough begins to share his story. An empathetic soft smile is Yanko’s first reaction and after both have walked a couple dozen feet down the Spirit Road in silence Yanko replies.
”So you’ve experienced ostracism after all. And arguably worse than I did; it was your own village turning against you and yet you still have the wish to return one day. Admirable.” There is no sarcasm in Yanko’s voice. It is obvious that he has burned all bridges to his past in Ustalav and is honestly impressed by Lough’s altruism and willingness to forgive.
“I’ve only ever read about ‘The Calling’ in books. People like you and me aren’t really numerous and tend to stay secluded. Even in a city like Kaer Maga. But tell me, if you will, how is it? ‘The Call’ I mean. Is it manageable? Does it come in waves or is it an ever-accelerating maelstrom? And how does your work and place with the Society play into all of this? Say, what made you pick up the Wayfinder?”
In a characteristic fashion, Yanko adjusts his glasses without the need for it. ”Only if you’re willing to share of course.” he says and turns to Lough with a smile.
Yanko turns to the skeletal guard lurking atop one of the wagons, obediently awaiting another command while its head is twitching in a nervous fashion in all directions. ”You’ve done well, my child. Rest.” Yanko says and lifts raises his arm, the elbow in a square angle. With a sudden movement he clenches his fist.
In an instant, the head of the skeleton crumbles and collapses as if it was made out of paper. The skeleton itself tumbles like a puppet who’s strings have been cut. Before hitting the ground though, the bones of skeleton turn to ash and black dust that only lingers in the air for another heartbeat or two, before it dissipates.
Yanko does not watch the process but instead turns to the group. ”I’m ready. Let’s find this thief and return that scarf. Do we have a lead, other than ‘deeper into the forest’?”