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With something of a put-out look on her face, the succubus will alter her form to Bob's demands. DM's Eyes Only:
Things go fairly well, and Bob has a nice night. The succubus does not try anything, but does seem to be in less of a bad mood when she leaves, but you catch her muttering something about being tired of doing demeaning tasks.
With possibly the most displeased look you have ever seen, he speaks, practically spitting the words out. "Your beloved wisps are with the one that calls himself Puck, deeper in the forest. You will find him in his merry court deeper in the woods to the north. It is about a full day's travel from here." He turns to Bob. He snaps his fingers, and a succubus appears in a burst of black flame. He plucks a seed off the ground and holds it for a moment. A dull glow comes from between his fingers, and he hands the seed to Bob. "Plant it in the dirt wherever you like, and you will have your tree within the day. Enjoy your night." He spits on the ground angrily and disappears in a twist of sulfurous yellow smoke.
You read it over. It is a fairly exact transcription of your stated deal earlier, with only pronouns changed as is appropriate.
The Earth Elemental allows its hand to be slammed into the table. Rumpelstiltskin looks around him, makes a resigned sigh, and takes a deep breath. He holds out his hands, a roll of parchment appearing in one, and a quill appearing in the other. He scrawls out the contract (Stein, you can double-check it if you must) and signs at the bottom. He hands the quill and parchment to Stein. The parchment is oddly solid, allowing for it to be easily written on without a surface. He turns to Bob and the Earth Elemental.
He thinks for a moment and makes a very dissatisfied expression. "Fine. I agree to your terms. Return my magic, and we shall confirm this deal."
"Because I don't know it personally. I only know what people ask for me to tell them. Do you really think that if I knew every odd thing I'd be out here, dealing with random passerby at a forest inn?" He spits on the ground again.
He screams shrilly when he's shocked. "I can't tell you what I don't know, you idiot! Without my magic, I can't tell you a thing!"
When you threaten him, he stops struggling. He looks between the two of you for a moment, then spits on the ground. He speaks through his teeth. "Fine. I shall tell you where your wisps are. But there is a necessary condition. You must allow my magic to return to me, or I can tell you nothing."
He turns to Stein, his self-assured smile faded into a neutral grimace when he sees that the match did not end as quickly as he had hoped. Which fades further into a look of surprised pain as the Croc bites into him. The Mudra attempts to grab him as well, but Rumpelstiltskin (surprisingly), manages to shake him off before he can get a good hold. Rumpelstiltskin closes his eyes and concentrates for a moment. When nothing happens, his eyes go wide and his struggling increases. He bares his teeth and begins shouting in a livid voice. "Order your creature to let go of me this instant!"
You place your hand in his massive palm. The two of you push back and forth for around a minute, and he brings your arm close to the table, before letting you gain the advantage, and goes with your lead.
Bob, you can easily tell that he plans to put a show of resistance but ultimately throw the match.
The elemental's expression changes quickly to a look of hesitation. You see its stance waver. It darts its eye to the side towards Rumpelstiltskin, then back to Bob. It shifts its jaw around nervously.
The earth elemental collapses its lower half into a pile of stones and places its elbow on the surface of the table. It eyes Bob confidently, and its face cracks into a self-assured smile. Rumpelstiltskin assumes a similarly confident grin.
He stands and heads outside. "Now that we are outside, shall we meet your opponent?" He snaps his fingers. A small ball of light appears behind him, and quickly expands into a large portal, from which steps a gigantic mass of stone and earth in humanoid form, multiple stories tall. "Stein, could you provide the surface for the match? I agreed not to use any magic, and I would hate to dishonor our agreement. Besides, you can serve as a relatively impartial figure, if I know you druids at all."
Rumpelstiltskin signs beneath Bob. When this is done, the parchment rolls itself up and disappears with a puff of odd-smelling smoke. Rumpelstiltskin smiles widely.
The contract outlines typical arm wrestling rules; 5 seconds down for victory, no physical contact except for the wrestling arms, no magic to enhance either contestant before, no magic during, as well as the other specifics of their deal. It also specifies the location of the contest: in the clearing outside the building. If Stein reads it, he sees nothing suspect; it appears to be a simple, honest contract.
He looks at Stein.
He turns to Bob.
Rumpelstiltskin grins widely, and turns to Bob. "I am afraid that Nymphs are exceedingly difficult to obtain quickly. But perhaps I could offer you a succubus wench instead? And I will assume that by 'beer tree', you mean a tree that produces alcohol in some manner?" He turns to Stein. "I have an offer for you, then. I will give you your information in return for your guarantee that no creature under your watch will ever harm me. Does that sound fair?"
His eyes light up. "Of business value, eh? Then what is your job. You look to be a druid. Perhaps a sacrifice of some of your land, or some of the creatures under your watch?" He turns to Bob.
Rumpelstiltskin takes on a look of playful offense.
Rumpelstiltskin's smile fades for a moment. He snaps his fingers, cleaning himself magically.
Rumpelstiltskin tactfully ignores Bob's offer. He looks Stein in the eyes. "Hmm. A more interesting offer. This seems important to you. I will give you the information in exchange for your blood and bone. Specifically, a hand, or something of similar value, perhaps? A few fingers might suffice." He hovers the quill over the parchment eagerly.
Rumpelstiltskin looks mildly peeved, but does not break face. "I see. Then make me an offer. But I warn you: this information could be very difficult to obtain without my help."
Rumpelstiltskin lets out a high pitched laugh. He rubs his fingers together, producing a handful of gold coins. He lets them drop from his hand, and they disappear into gold smoke, which drifts lazily to the ceiling. "Money is of little value to me, typically. As is alcohol. I am much more intrigued by your other offer. But you are a necromancer. I will need something more...concrete. I fancy your name. Would that be a fair trade?"
Rumpelstiltskin raises an interested eyebrow. "Certainly an odd question...but I could give you the information you want. The question is how much it's worth to you, Mr. Biscuit." He snaps his fingers and conjures a quill, ink, and a sheet of parchment.
Rumpelstiltskin maintains his composure well, but his eyes betray a slight bit of fear. He clears his throat before speaking. "I assure you, Mr. Flannigan and Mr. Biscuit, that I have never broken a deal. If you agree to something which you are not later willing to fulfill, then that is your own fault. So, is there anything two travelers like yourselves need? Information? Supplies? A bit of magical assistance? There is little that I cannot offer for the right price." He eyes you both eagerly, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips, before smiling, showing off his full set of brilliantly white razor-sharp teeth.
He nods, and smiles widely. "The first deal of many, I hope. I am, in fact, a Fey creature. From these very woods, actually. I simply have very little love for nature, unlike many of my fellow Fey. Now, your part of the agreement?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Information is a service, too my large friend, and all services have their price. If I told you, would you release your grip on me? I can assure you that I mean you no harm, so long as you do not attempt to swindle me." He stops glancing around, and meets Bob's eyes as he waits for his response.
He becomes obviously uncomfortable when you grab him, but does not pull against you or try to escape in any way. "Rumpelstiltskin, at your service, Mr. Flannigan and Mr. Biscuit. I apologize if I made you wary. Knowing names is simply one of my talents. A useful one, at that. You see, I run a business here, providing services and selling goods to those that travel these woods." He glances about the room somewhat as he speaks, as well as constantly rubbing his hands together in his lap.
He moves into the seat you provide. "Ah, thank you Mr. Flannigan. I haven't seen any other travelers around these parts for a while now. What brings you here?" After he sits, he pulls back his cloak. His features are an unpleasant mixture of goblin and human traits, like a goblin stretched out over a human's body. His limbs are long and gangly, which combined with his green tinted skin, gives him the look of a deathly sick man.
"Alright. So, porridge, mead, and stew. As for 'blowhard wolves', there is a small family of wolf-like creatures that live in this area. No real idea what they are, though. One of our previous guests said he thought they were 'Debased Fey', whatever that means. Nice man, but I think he took his studies too far, because I haven't seem him since." She leaves to the back and returns a little later with your orders. The food and mead is all pretty good, if a bit gamey and simple. While you eat, you are approached by the cloaked man from the back. He clears his throat when he reaches you. He points to a stool next to Stein. "Hello, travelers. Do you mind if I take a seat next to you?"
"I'm afraid no beer. We do carry mead, if that will suffice. It's a bit strong, but you don't look the type for that to be a problem." She turns to Stein. "As for you, what would you like? We have venison steak, venison stew, or hot porridge and berries."
The inside of the Inn is warm and well-lit, if not bright, both in part to the large fireplace burning on the far side of the room. The room seems almost entirely empty, save for the full-grown brown bear at the counter cleaning dishes (which it seems to do just fine, despite not having proper hands) and a cloaked man sitting at the rear of the room, mumbling quietly to himself and working on some sort of paperwork. When you enter, both look up from their work. The bear gives a short wave, and then speaks in nearly perfect (if a bit gruff) common. The voice sounds distinctly feminine despite the rather low, roaring tone. "Customers at this hour? Well, come on in and take a seat. Could I get you something to eat or drink?"
You head back towards where you came (I assume), and you can immediately tell that the path itself has changed, and become much longer than it was previously. However, it still provides little challenge to Stein's incredible survival skills, and he successfully guides through the woods, ignoring inconsistent details and noting those that are the same. The trip takes longer than it did the first time, but you eventually arrive safely at the clearing around the Three Bears Inn. The lights inside are dimmer than when you first arrived. However, the Inn is still open and operating.
Looking at the wolf creature, you see that it didn't seem to be carrying anything on it; though its now-decomposed stomach holds a ring, a crushed pair of spectacles, and a few metal buttons, along with some partially digested pieces of meat and bone. When you move into the woods, roll a Survival check.
No. 3 moves in and attacks the wolf. It lands a solid blow on the side of the wolf, tearing it wide open and burning the wound. The animal dies instantly, and its innards slowly slide onto the ground, with the occasional popping of a bubble from the heat of its burning corpse. The clearing is silent, save for the receding sounds of the wolves running away. A few moments later, the sounds of normal wildlife begin to return; the chirping of birds and crickets, the squeaking of small rodents, etc.
DM's Eyes Only:
Seeing their friends easily dispatched by Bob, all but one wolf scatter into the woods (provoking 3 attacks of opportunity for Bob). The remaining wolf, still snarling and baring its teeth, lunges for Bob again.
Bob, caught off guard by its ferocity, gets bitten.
It clamps its jaw down with full force, and attempts to pull Bob down, but to no avail. The creature releases its grip, leaving a deep bite mark. Suddenly, from the woods you all hear graceless movement. A moment later, Stein's undead army march into the clearing, covered in dirt, leaves, and other evidence of their difficulties getting through the woods.
Seeing the Alpha Wolf trying to flee, Bob hammers his keg into the animal's neck with a loud crack. The wolf stumbles a bit and a fair bit of dark blood leaks from the wound, but it manages to dart off into the woods. Bob turns to the wolf that bit him and beats it into the ground with a single strike. He doesn't let up, and caves in another wolf's skull with ease.
DM's Eyes Only:
Bob smashes the alpha wolf over the head with his keg, generating a solid crack, and some teeth fly out of its mouth with the powerful blow. A moment after, Stein raises his hands and fire descends from the sky upon Bob and the nearby wolves. One wolf is instantly killed, charred to a crisp, but the others manage to somehow avoid total annihilation. The alpha wolf, frightened by the display it has just been witness to, and injured from Bob's assault, turns and darts off into the forest (provoking an attack of opportunity). Seeing their alpha run, the nearby injured ones scatter as well. The other wolves tentatively continue into the clearing and surround Bob, hoping to bring him down through numbers.
Bob easily dodges the wolves' attempts to bite him, but one still manages to catch him.
However, the wound is barely a scrape to Bob.
A moment after you shout into the woods, a jet black wolf the size of a horse steps into the clearing near Bob (about 15 feet out), teeth bared and its hair raised. Shortly behind it you see four more similarly aggressive dire wolves, as well as three more from each the left and right sides of the clearing. Eleven dire wolves in total. Stein, seeing that the animals are hostile, casts Entangle on the largest group, the ones near Bob. DM's Eyes Only:
Three of the wolves in that group are caught in the vines that shoot from the ground to entwine them. The first wolf easily avoids entanglement, as does one of its companions. DM's Eyes Only:
Round 3/10 for River of Wind Begins! Alright, roll for initiative again! (And hope that your luck is a bit better this time in that regard) Also, Bob, you need to roll a reflex save against being entangled as well.
Bob retaliates to the creature's attacks with two mighty blows. He swings his fist in a herculean arc, and catches the creature alongside the head, spraying blood and bits of bone onto the ground and nearby trees, and with a sickening ripping noise, the creature's head completely separates from its body, still bearing its enraged face. A moment later, its body slumps to the ground, lifeless, dark red blood gushing from its neck, wilting the grass and undergrowth where it flows. A heavy stench seems to emanate from the fresh corpse like one that has been left to rot for days. DM's Eyes Only:
You hear the sounds of approaching animals from outside the clearing. Judging by the noise they're making, it's around a dozen large animals, which have surrounded the clearing and are moving in.
The creature, battered by Bob's assault, retaliates with two mighty swings of its claws and a vicious bite.
The creature's first strike slashes across Bob's chest, leaving a line of bloody cuts. The second strike is easily dodged by Bob, but the creature seemingly predicts Bob's movements and bites deep into Bob's shoulder, tearing off a small chunk of flesh. The wounds burn with an unnatural putrid feeling.
Just to clarify, this would count as weather with dust and debris for the concentration check.
The boundaries of the AOE seem to be a 5 ft tunnel that projects a good distance into the forest. DM's Eyes Only:
rounds. rounds. HP: 60/95 And yes you can cast while prone.
You move forward through the wind easily and smash the creature across the face with your keg of ale. Blood and a couple teeth spray out. You feel the rush of wind continue to rage around you; it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
First off, Stein, you have no idea what the creature may be. As soon as Bob drops Stein, the creature takes its action. It takes in a gigantic breath, and releases a mighty blast of wind that strikes both of you, tearing up the earth and undergrowth. Roll a fort save each. If you fail: nonlethal damage, and get knocked prone. If you succeed, take half damage, and don't fall prone. Additionally, roll another save at the beginning of your turns, DC 20. If you fail, take , get pushed back 20 ft, and fall prone. If you succeed, take half damage, don't get knocked prone, and don't get pushed back.
You take off in pursuit of the fleeing figure. Past the treeline, you soon encounter thick undergrowth. You bound over as much of it as you can, but its presence still slows your movement slightly. You catch occasional glimpses of the creature from through the trees. You seem to be gaining on it, and you emerge into a clearing to see the in creature full. It stands hunched, but tall enough to tower over even Bob, easily over 10 feet tall. It's form is a horrible mixture of human and wolf, covered in thick, jet-black fur, with long arms that hang almost to its feet, ending in massive clawed hands. It turns when it hears you enter the clearing, and you see its face: a warped, sinister wolf head, its mouth overflowing with yellow, razor-sharp teeth. It raises its head and lets loose an overpowering howl. Everybody, roll for initiative! You are about 30 feet from the creature. The clearing is good, even terrain with no major obstructions, but the trees surrounding it can provide cover. It is a full moon, so the lighting condition is low-light. DM's Eyes Only:
You head down the marked path, little more than a dirt road, and into the Woods. As you pass through the tree line, you notice that the cloying smell of the Mire disappears immediately, and the air feels cooler and fresher. The trees also seem far more plentiful, and even taller than they looked from the outside. You hear animal noises from the forest around you, but they are mostly distant. The path winds around in a haphazard manner, but always moves deeper into the Woods. After about half an hour of walking, the Inn comes into sight. The Inn is in two parts: a log cabin, which appears to be of a decent age, about 50 feet tall, and a much newer-looking building protruding from one side, about 20 feet tall. A large sign hangs over the entrance to log cabin stating "Employees Only - Customers Use Other Door", and another sign hangs over the entrance to the smaller building that reads "Three Bears Inn" with a carving of a family of three bears of increasing size. DM's Eyes Only:
As you approach the entrance to the Inn, you hear the snapping of a twig from the nearby trees, and catch a glimpse of a large, hairy figure bounding off into the woods.
Then, without much ado, the boat arrives at its destination. You see the island the Woods are located on from a distance away. It's a fairly small island, but compared to the others in the Mire, its size is impressive. The entire island is covered in tall trees, and very little is visible beyond the shore, even as you get closer. By the time you arrive, the sun is sinking below the horizon, and the moon shines brightly in the dark sky. The boat pulls up to a small pier, and Fink ties the boat to one of the beams. "Final stop. If either of you lost your nerve on the way here, now's the time to tell me. No idea when I'll be getting back here, but lately I haven't had to come across very often, so don't be surprised if you want to leave and I'm not here." He points at a sign post at the edge of the woods. "That sign should tell you the right direction to go to find the Three Bears Inn. It's also the last proper sign you'll see for a while; the Woods are dangerous, so ya better have your senses all in order or you'll get lost pretty quick." |
