Randal’s hand moves as Avium bats the torch away and he just barely hangs on as the flame flickers. He looks over to Tess in confusion “Are you taking her side now, Tess?”he says with indignation. He looks back at Avium “Are you so quick to resort to violence then? We are not trying to kill anything or anyone. What would you have us do? We will not abandon our task. If this is not behind our dream visions, what is?”
Avium doesn't let her guard down, but she doesn't do anything harmful to either of you, either. "The tree! These lands, the materials to compose the earth here, no plant can normally survive in these conditions. Why else would you see no green right next to a flowing river? The tree, without Sier's magic, is no different. Just because the trees don't make a sound you Humans can hear, don't cry when you cut them nor try to run away, does that mean they're not living things? Is it okay to kill them for your own personal reasons?
"I don't know what are those dreams, visions, nightmares or whatever you'll call them, but I can tell you this tree has nothing to do with them." Avium is breathing heavily. You can tell, she's not used to such strenuous situations, and it is tiring her quickly.
"Now, please," she turns to Tess, fully aware of the effect she now has on the woman. "Will you two reconsider your presence here?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
“Can you help us?”Randal asks “As I said, I don’t wish to kill anything. Can you help us find out what is behind the strange dream visions and the sickness that is spreading among the village? If we leave?” Persuasion: 18.
Avium seems to consider the matter for a moment before replying: "I cannot leave this tree here, so there's little I can help you with. But if you leave... I'll let you borrow some of the tree's power, maybe that could be of help." Now that you seem more cooperative, Avium lowers her guard, a little.
Randal looks over at the clump of hair still held by the roots. It was definitely not the magical artifact he was hoping to find. He glances back to Tess “What do you think? If the tree’s magic can help us find out answers that is good, right? And I would hate to see the tree wither away and die.”
(Tess is still charmed, so maybe not her real opinion!). “It’s something. I don’t want to kill the tree. I wanted to free Sier to get him to help, or see if there was some magic here that could help us. But maybe we should accept this power. Maybe with this, we can set things right? I agree. Give us as much power as you can, and anything else you think will help. We will use it for the greater good. “
(The charmed effect will last for 24 hours, unless otherwise stated.)
Avium asks that you two back away, and promises she'll see you at the upper level, where you first met her. It takes about a minute to reach the rope, and thanks to it, climbing back up isn't too difficult, though it does take a while to do so safely.
Once above - and I suppose, after retrieving the rope - the two walk on for another minute before Avium suddenly steps out of one of the roots around, leaving no signs of her passage on it. "Thank you, for listening. Even if it took some time." She reaches with her hand to one of the nearby roots. Now, you notice, there is no trace of the hardened long root she held before. Avium speaks, something that sounds like words, but if they are, then it's a language neither of you understands. In response, the root rattles and shakes slightly. Slowly, a smaller root grows out of it, into Avium's hands.
After a long minute, the grown root suddenly detaches itself from the larger root. It is about twenty centimetres in length (~9 inches?), and about as thick as a finger. There's hardly any signs of its growth on the other root.
Avium hands the root to Tess, whom she knows will not use it against her, at least right now. "Point it anywhere, and call: 'Hold!'. The magic stored within will grow powerful vines, to restrain anyone in a small area around where you're pointing at. It can only do so a few times before its magic will run out, though. I do not know if it will help you, but if what's causing your problem is a person... maybe that can help you capture them.
"Oh, and one last thing. I do not know if Sier knows of my presence here. He can... feel people around him, but I hope the tree masks my presence. Please, if he doesn't yet know... do not tell him about me."
The item Avium gave you is a wand, capable of casting Entangle with DC 15. It has only two charges, however, and will not recharge.
---
Lyla:
Meanwhile, Lyla and Sier have been staring at each other in silence. A competition of determination or patience, maybe, or just to determine who is greater at being stubborn.
Either way, their silence is suddenly broken, as the inn's door opens. Two Humans walk inside. One man, tall and broad, completely bald. He wears dark, long clothes. Not the kind that scoundrels wear to hide themselves, but something that looks... dignified. They also look far too hot to wear in the middle of this season, especially in the desert, but he does not seem bothered. The second, a young woman, probably a few years younger than Lyla. She wears a long white dress, fitting for the holiday. Her hair is dark and braided in a fancy fashion into a roll. She's pretty, but not outstandingly so.
The two regard Sier briefly, silently. The man nods to Sier, then proceeds towards the inn's rooms. The woman looks at Lyla - sitting on the floor like that - curiously. Once their eyes meet, she smiles politely. She doesn't linger though, and soom follow the tall man towards the rooms. They don't look like a pair though, and if nothing else, the great gap between their ages hints at that. The man might as well have been her father, but they share no similarities.
Tess thanks her for the wand, being a bit enthusiastic about it, and also saying her secret is safe with her. Eagerly she returns back to the inn’s common room, wand tucked carefully into her belt pouch.
Randal looks at the wand and frowns slightly, it was not quite what he had expected and he had hoped to get some more information about the strange illness sweeping the town. Still he would not turn down a gift. “Thank you, Avium, and don’t worry, we will tell no one of your presence.” He follows Tess back into the common room, running through what they would tell Sier in his mind. He whispers to Tess “Should we tell him we fell asleep like the others, or just that nothing was there?”
((If Randal and Tess still wish to decide on a certain story to tell Sier, feel free to do so.))
Sier's lips curl slightly into a playful smile. "I keep my tenants privacy, you know? Besides, they didn't talk with me much either. Quiet people, they are."
Sier then turns away, facing the door through which Randal and Tess went earlier. His back turned to Lyla. "They're back," he states. "But I don't feel my shackles broken, yet." He doesn't sound very surprised, but rather disappointed.
It takes about a minute until Tess' golden hair emerges from the hatch, climbing up the ladder, soon followed by Randal. "Well, did you find anything out?"
(Sorry I missed this update!). Tess is lost in thought and confusion as she leaves the hole, she tells Randall she wants to mention the bugs, and the bones, and the tuft of hair. . Still, she is unprepared for Sier’s question, but she keeps her word to Avium.
”there’s a long tunnel, deeper than we could have imagined, and we followed it into a place with living roots which moved. We found bones down there, of people. The tree seemed infested with some form of rot, unnatural insects which we had to fight, and then finally it blocked our passage. At the end of the tunnel, the roots were wrapped around a tuft of hair, like that of a person. We couldn’t get any further, nor separate the hair from the roots. “. She says, her voice flat. She’s covered in grime, insect bites over her arms and face.
Randal pulls himself up out of the trapdoor behind Tess, bloody, dirty and exhausted. “That is the long and short of it” he nods as Tess finishes her story. “We can only assume the bones are from the other poor souls you sent down there, although there was no sign of what did them in, unless it was the bugs” he shoots Sier a dirty look “and no magical artifact or key either.” He turns and looks at Lyla “What did we miss up here?”
(OOC: Sorry, out of town for a few days, but I am back and ready to go now)
Sier shrugs, sitting back in his chair, disappointed. "I've been here for a long time. Surely, you don't believe you're the first people I asked to help me break free? I always assumed there is some other way out, and that they all took it and decided not to show their face around me again. Who would have known they all died in there? But to think, after so many that went it, that you're the first ones who got so far and came back. You even found my hairs down there. The cursed things that keep me bound. But you couldn't separate them? How about setting them alight? The tree can regenerate itself, but it can't save the hairs.
"Still, thank you for telling me all this. Even if you couldn't free me yourself, the information might help me think of a way to finally break free." He leans back on his chair, staring at the ceiling but not with intent. "The others that returned all told me they suddenly fell asleep mid-way. Did nothing as such occur to you?"
(OOC: Wow I was just looking back at earlier posts to check some info and noticed that somehow it's been about 6 months IRL since we entered the inn?! Not sure whether to be impressed or disappointed lol)
Lyla turns to Randal, relieved to see him and Tess back at this point. "Didn't miss much. A couple of people came through, returning to the rooms they're staying in, but other than that, Sier and I were just having a conversation - if you would be generous enough to call it that, when herefuses to share details about why he was imprisoned in the first place."
(Lol.. slow pace. Fits a busy life!). “Well, Sier. What do we do now? We still need help with the strange happenings of the village.” (Tess didn’t address his question about the sleep, as she’s still charmed and can’t reveal what happened).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
(Too low for that to help!). Tess blinks and pauses. “Maybe she’s right..” she says quietly. “We just want to help the villagers, Avium”.
Randal strength: 10.
.
Randal’s hand moves as Avium bats the torch away and he just barely hangs on as the flame flickers. He looks over to Tess in confusion “Are you taking her side now, Tess?” he says with indignation. He looks back at Avium “Are you so quick to resort to violence then? We are not trying to kill anything or anyone. What would you have us do? We will not abandon our task. If this is not behind our dream visions, what is?”
“I’m not sure what to do. I agree we must do something to save the village- end the nightmares.” She looks worriedly at Avium.
Avium doesn't let her guard down, but she doesn't do anything harmful to either of you, either. "The tree! These lands, the materials to compose the earth here, no plant can normally survive in these conditions. Why else would you see no green right next to a flowing river? The tree, without Sier's magic, is no different. Just because the trees don't make a sound you Humans can hear, don't cry when you cut them nor try to run away, does that mean they're not living things? Is it okay to kill them for your own personal reasons?
"I don't know what are those dreams, visions, nightmares or whatever you'll call them, but I can tell you this tree has nothing to do with them." Avium is breathing heavily. You can tell, she's not used to such strenuous situations, and it is tiring her quickly.
"Now, please," she turns to Tess, fully aware of the effect she now has on the woman. "Will you two reconsider your presence here?"
Varielky
“Can you help us?” Randal asks “As I said, I don’t wish to kill anything. Can you help us find out what is behind the strange dream visions and the sickness that is spreading among the village? If we leave?” Persuasion: 18.
.
Avium seems to consider the matter for a moment before replying: "I cannot leave this tree here, so there's little I can help you with. But if you leave... I'll let you borrow some of the tree's power, maybe that could be of help." Now that you seem more cooperative, Avium lowers her guard, a little.
Varielky
Randal looks over at the clump of hair still held by the roots. It was definitely not the magical artifact he was hoping to find. He glances back to Tess “What do you think? If the tree’s magic can help us find out answers that is good, right? And I would hate to see the tree wither away and die.”
(Tess is still charmed, so maybe not her real opinion!).
“It’s something. I don’t want to kill the tree. I wanted to free Sier to get him to help, or see if there was some magic here that could help us. But maybe we should accept this power. Maybe with this, we can set things right? I agree. Give us as much power as you can, and anything else you think will help. We will use it for the greater good. “
“Lets go then.” Tess looks one last time at the curious tuft of hair. “Disturbing. And did we help the tree by killing that infestation? I hope so.”
(The charmed effect will last for 24 hours, unless otherwise stated.)
Avium asks that you two back away, and promises she'll see you at the upper level, where you first met her. It takes about a minute to reach the rope, and thanks to it, climbing back up isn't too difficult, though it does take a while to do so safely.
Once above - and I suppose, after retrieving the rope - the two walk on for another minute before Avium suddenly steps out of one of the roots around, leaving no signs of her passage on it. "Thank you, for listening. Even if it took some time." She reaches with her hand to one of the nearby roots. Now, you notice, there is no trace of the hardened long root she held before. Avium speaks, something that sounds like words, but if they are, then it's a language neither of you understands. In response, the root rattles and shakes slightly. Slowly, a smaller root grows out of it, into Avium's hands.
After a long minute, the grown root suddenly detaches itself from the larger root. It is about twenty centimetres in length (~9 inches?), and about as thick as a finger. There's hardly any signs of its growth on the other root.
Avium hands the root to Tess, whom she knows will not use it against her, at least right now. "Point it anywhere, and call: 'Hold!'. The magic stored within will grow powerful vines, to restrain anyone in a small area around where you're pointing at. It can only do so a few times before its magic will run out, though. I do not know if it will help you, but if what's causing your problem is a person... maybe that can help you capture them.
"Oh, and one last thing. I do not know if Sier knows of my presence here. He can... feel people around him, but I hope the tree masks my presence. Please, if he doesn't yet know... do not tell him about me."
The item Avium gave you is a wand, capable of casting Entangle with DC 15. It has only two charges, however, and will not recharge.
---
Lyla:
Meanwhile, Lyla and Sier have been staring at each other in silence. A competition of determination or patience, maybe, or just to determine who is greater at being stubborn.
Either way, their silence is suddenly broken, as the inn's door opens. Two Humans walk inside. One man, tall and broad, completely bald. He wears dark, long clothes. Not the kind that scoundrels wear to hide themselves, but something that looks... dignified. They also look far too hot to wear in the middle of this season, especially in the desert, but he does not seem bothered. The second, a young woman, probably a few years younger than Lyla. She wears a long white dress, fitting for the holiday. Her hair is dark and braided in a fancy fashion into a roll. She's pretty, but not outstandingly so.
The two regard Sier briefly, silently. The man nods to Sier, then proceeds towards the inn's rooms. The woman looks at Lyla - sitting on the floor like that - curiously. Once their eyes meet, she smiles politely. She doesn't linger though, and soom follow the tall man towards the rooms. They don't look like a pair though, and if nothing else, the great gap between their ages hints at that. The man might as well have been her father, but they share no similarities.
Varielky
Lyla had just about forgotten that Sier's prison doubled as an inn.
Once the people shut the doors of the rooms they were entering, she spoke up. "More out-of-towners?"
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Tess thanks her for the wand, being a bit enthusiastic about it, and also saying her secret is safe with her. Eagerly she returns back to the inn’s common room, wand tucked carefully into her belt pouch.
Randal looks at the wand and frowns slightly, it was not quite what he had expected and he had hoped to get some more information about the strange illness sweeping the town. Still he would not turn down a gift. “Thank you, Avium, and don’t worry, we will tell no one of your presence.” He follows Tess back into the common room, running through what they would tell Sier in his mind. He whispers to Tess “Should we tell him we fell asleep like the others, or just that nothing was there?”
((If Randal and Tess still wish to decide on a certain story to tell Sier, feel free to do so.))
Sier's lips curl slightly into a playful smile. "I keep my tenants privacy, you know? Besides, they didn't talk with me much either. Quiet people, they are."
Sier then turns away, facing the door through which Randal and Tess went earlier. His back turned to Lyla. "They're back," he states. "But I don't feel my shackles broken, yet." He doesn't sound very surprised, but rather disappointed.
It takes about a minute until Tess' golden hair emerges from the hatch, climbing up the ladder, soon followed by Randal. "Well, did you find anything out?"
Varielky
(Sorry I missed this update!). Tess is lost in thought and confusion as she leaves the hole, she tells Randall she wants to mention the bugs, and the bones, and the tuft of hair. . Still, she is unprepared for Sier’s question, but she keeps her word to Avium.
”there’s a long tunnel, deeper than we could have imagined, and we followed it into a place with living roots which moved. We found bones down there, of people. The tree seemed infested with some form of rot, unnatural insects which we had to fight, and then finally it blocked our passage. At the end of the tunnel, the roots were wrapped around a tuft of hair, like that of a person. We couldn’t get any further, nor separate the hair from the roots. “. She says, her voice flat. She’s covered in grime, insect bites over her arms and face.
Randal pulls himself up out of the trapdoor behind Tess, bloody, dirty and exhausted. “That is the long and short of it” he nods as Tess finishes her story. “We can only assume the bones are from the other poor souls you sent down there, although there was no sign of what did them in, unless it was the bugs” he shoots Sier a dirty look “and no magical artifact or key either.” He turns and looks at Lyla “What did we miss up here?”
(OOC: Sorry, out of town for a few days, but I am back and ready to go now)
Sier shrugs, sitting back in his chair, disappointed. "I've been here for a long time. Surely, you don't believe you're the first people I asked to help me break free? I always assumed there is some other way out, and that they all took it and decided not to show their face around me again. Who would have known they all died in there? But to think, after so many that went it, that you're the first ones who got so far and came back. You even found my hairs down there. The cursed things that keep me bound. But you couldn't separate them? How about setting them alight? The tree can regenerate itself, but it can't save the hairs.
"Still, thank you for telling me all this. Even if you couldn't free me yourself, the information might help me think of a way to finally break free." He leans back on his chair, staring at the ceiling but not with intent. "The others that returned all told me they suddenly fell asleep mid-way. Did nothing as such occur to you?"
Varielky
(OOC: Wow I was just looking back at earlier posts to check some info and noticed that somehow it's been about 6 months IRL since we entered the inn?! Not sure whether to be impressed or disappointed lol)
Lyla turns to Randal, relieved to see him and Tess back at this point. "Didn't miss much. A couple of people came through, returning to the rooms they're staying in, but other than that, Sier and I were just having a conversation - if you would be generous enough to call it that, when he refuses to share details about why he was imprisoned in the first place."
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
(Lol.. slow pace. Fits a busy life!). “Well, Sier. What do we do now? We still need help with the strange happenings of the village.” (Tess didn’t address his question about the sleep, as she’s still charmed and can’t reveal what happened).