Thought we were heading to Sedgemoor. Is that another part of the school grounds, or somewhere further afield. Robin would not wish to leave school grounds...
"It 'builds character', apparently," Canon replies to Jedavii, without much conviction. "But then, if this isn't something the faculty arranges, then they must not know about it, or they'd prevent it. We should take a look at this swamp."
You all get together and hop a horse automaton-pulled trolley to Witherbloom Campus. You appear to be the only first years aboard; the rest of the passengers are upper classmen Witherbloom students, bedecked in black and green uniforms embroidered with skeletal motifs like ribcages and skulls. Some look at all of you a little oddly, but no one mentions anything. The journey takes about fifteen minutes. Central Campus gets further and further away as you get closer and closer to the hazy, shadowy bog that Witherbloom College calls home. The air gets noticeably more humid, gnarled trees choked with thick vegetation surround you, and the carriage comes to a stop. You look out over Witherbloom campus and see the entire place is built up on natural wooden platforms above the brackish bayou water. Students walk into and out of trees that have been converted into academic buildings, offices, and dormitories, complete with doors, chimneys, and windows aglow with light. In the center of campus is a massive tree surrounded by a network of wooden pods. This is Widdershins Hall, a legendary bog mansion and workplace for Witherbloom students to study and experiment in the field of essence studies. Sedgemoor, however, lies beyond it.
You all make your way around Widdershins Hall via a series of branch-bridges and stand on the edge of the swamp of Sedgemoor. The buzzing of insects, the calling of birds, and the croaking of frogs all greet your ears. This place is absolutely teeming with life. You all spot a band of frogs similar to the ones that you faced in the Firejolt, resting on lily pads and snatching insects out of the air with their tongues.
"Well, there you go." Robin says with a wave to the frogs. "Seems like we found where the frogs came from. Now the question is how did they get from here to central campus..."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Canon's training included some survival and tracking, so he examines the area for signs of someone having been here and taken away any frogs, while also keeping an eye on the ones that are still here for any sign that they're going to become aggressive.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Maybe we can ask one of the students or professors who frequent this area if they've seen someone tampering with the frogs and taking them from campus?" Jedavii replies. He asks around the entrance to Sedgemoor, especially people who seem to be important or who watch the area a lot, if they've seen anyone suspicious casting magic on the frogs and stealing them. Persuasion + Guidance: 16
He especially emphasizes that whoever stole the frogs used them in attacks on the campus and that it's important for the students' safety to find the culprit.
Looking around, you all spot a large tree with gnarled branches and roots that is walking on two trunk-like legs towards the group. As it gets closer, you see it is wearing pieces of a Witherbloom uniform and that it has a humanoid form, complete with a head at the top with its branches pressed together into a face and glowing green points of energy for eyes. When she arrives at your group's location, she gets down on one knee to get closer to all of you.
"Well, this is a rare sight in the Sedgemoor - first years! My name is Yedora, I am the head groundskeeper. What are all of you doing here? Admiring the swampy atmosphere?" She asks, then hears out Jedavii's statement. "Hmmmm, trouble with the frogs, you say? That's strange, I haven't seen anything suspicious. But, I tell you what, Mister Fairblossom, I'll gather some of my fellow faculty and groundskeepers and we'll make a sweep of the Sedgemoor. Keep an eye out for any weird things going on with the frogs or any of the other fauna. I swear by my branches and boughs. Rest assured, there's no one that knows this swamp better than the Witherbloom staff. If something's out there, we'll find it!"
Jedavii cranes his neck up for the first time in a while, smiling to the groundskeeper. "Thanks, it means a lot! The frogs should be the tiny ones, like Kiwi here." He gestures to the frog in his pocket, who pokes his head out and gives a happy croak.
(I assume the search takes a while and they'll get back to us later?)
"Alright guys; Rosie found the frogs in the central campus pond; maybe we can ask the groundskeeper there next?"
"Why didn't we check with the central groundskeepers first?" Robin comments as they start the long hike back to the main campus. "I mean, that could have saved us time..." She doesn't seem too upset though, clearly liking the fresh air, getting less swampy as they head back towards the center of campus.
"I thought we'd be able to find out something here," Canon says, slightly disappointed. "But at least someone who knows this place is looking into it now."
Yedora chuckles. "Yes, I'm quite familiar with these types of frogs. Kiwi is a good name for one, though, I like it. You all take care now!"
Satisfied with Yedora's promise to look into the Sedgemoor, you all hop another trolley back to the Central Campus and head over to the pond where Rosie said she had found the frogs. Multicolored koi fish swim around lazily, then snap to the surface anytime a bug lands on the water's surface. Lily pads float on the surface, providing some shady spots beneath the water's surface and a safe perch for dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects. A sign near the pool reads, "Please do not feed the fish!"
A dwarf groundskeeper appears to be pruning some flowers near the pond, humming a song as he snips.
"It's the best name!" Jedavii giggles, waving as they depart. He takes the time on the trolley ride to glance out the window, humming a halfling tune to himself.
He gazes into the pond, eyes following the fish that swim below him. Kiwi blinks and croaks loudly.
With a wave, the gith calls to the groundskeeper. "Hello Mister, you tend the pond here? We're looking for something and we think you might have seen it. Someone might've come here and put a few frogs here. One of them was this lil' guy here." He points to Kiwi. "They attacked some students and so we're looking for who made them do it. It's the same guy who probably snuck here and put the frogs in, hoping someone would find them! Have you seen anyone like that? Or maybe one of your colleagues might have?"
The dwarf looks at all of you with a smile. "Oh, hello kids! Got some ornery frogs attacking folks? That's not good. I can't say I know that anyone brought any to this particular pond, but sometimes we do switch out the critters in the ponds when some of them get sick or need treatment... Maybe some frogs got shuffled up in the mix. I'll be sure to check the reports and talk to my supervisor, but other than that, there's not much I can do. I'm sorry, buddy!"
"Sure, why not." Robin says with a shrug. "Even if we don't find anything, we can at least have a look around."
"I'm up for it," Marius says, "as long as I'm back in time for rehearsal. I don't want to face the wrath of the director and SM."
(OOC: So are you all off to Sedgemoor, or are you going to find one of the central campus groundskeepers?)
Thought we were heading to Sedgemoor. Is that another part of the school grounds, or somewhere further afield. Robin would not wish to leave school grounds...
(Sedgemoor is on Witherbloom's campus. Let's head there.)
"It 'builds character', apparently," Canon replies to Jedavii, without much conviction. "But then, if this isn't something the faculty arranges, then they must not know about it, or they'd prevent it. We should take a look at this swamp."
You all get together and hop a horse automaton-pulled trolley to Witherbloom Campus. You appear to be the only first years aboard; the rest of the passengers are upper classmen Witherbloom students, bedecked in black and green uniforms embroidered with skeletal motifs like ribcages and skulls. Some look at all of you a little oddly, but no one mentions anything. The journey takes about fifteen minutes. Central Campus gets further and further away as you get closer and closer to the hazy, shadowy bog that Witherbloom College calls home. The air gets noticeably more humid, gnarled trees choked with thick vegetation surround you, and the carriage comes to a stop. You look out over Witherbloom campus and see the entire place is built up on natural wooden platforms above the brackish bayou water. Students walk into and out of trees that have been converted into academic buildings, offices, and dormitories, complete with doors, chimneys, and windows aglow with light. In the center of campus is a massive tree surrounded by a network of wooden pods. This is Widdershins Hall, a legendary bog mansion and workplace for Witherbloom students to study and experiment in the field of essence studies. Sedgemoor, however, lies beyond it.
You all make your way around Widdershins Hall via a series of branch-bridges and stand on the edge of the swamp of Sedgemoor. The buzzing of insects, the calling of birds, and the croaking of frogs all greet your ears. This place is absolutely teeming with life. You all spot a band of frogs similar to the ones that you faced in the Firejolt, resting on lily pads and snatching insects out of the air with their tongues.
"Well, there you go." Robin says with a wave to the frogs. "Seems like we found where the frogs came from. Now the question is how did they get from here to central campus..."
"Probably, someone carried them," Marius says, carefully walking a bit closer, "but why did they grow to the size they did and become hostile?"
Canon's training included some survival and tracking, so he examines the area for signs of someone having been here and taken away any frogs, while also keeping an eye on the ones that are still here for any sign that they're going to become aggressive.
[Investigation, Survival or Nature, whichever seems appropriate, they're all +1: 10]
There isn't a lot of swampy terrain in the northern mountains, though, so he's a bit out of his element…
"Maybe we can ask one of the students or professors who frequent this area if they've seen someone tampering with the frogs and taking them from campus?" Jedavii replies. He asks around the entrance to Sedgemoor, especially people who seem to be important or who watch the area a lot, if they've seen anyone suspicious casting magic on the frogs and stealing them. Persuasion + Guidance: 16
He especially emphasizes that whoever stole the frogs used them in attacks on the campus and that it's important for the students' safety to find the culprit.
Looking around, you all spot a large tree with gnarled branches and roots that is walking on two trunk-like legs towards the group. As it gets closer, you see it is wearing pieces of a Witherbloom uniform and that it has a humanoid form, complete with a head at the top with its branches pressed together into a face and glowing green points of energy for eyes. When she arrives at your group's location, she gets down on one knee to get closer to all of you.
"Well, this is a rare sight in the Sedgemoor - first years! My name is Yedora, I am the head groundskeeper. What are all of you doing here? Admiring the swampy atmosphere?" She asks, then hears out Jedavii's statement. "Hmmmm, trouble with the frogs, you say? That's strange, I haven't seen anything suspicious. But, I tell you what, Mister Fairblossom, I'll gather some of my fellow faculty and groundskeepers and we'll make a sweep of the Sedgemoor. Keep an eye out for any weird things going on with the frogs or any of the other fauna. I swear by my branches and boughs. Rest assured, there's no one that knows this swamp better than the Witherbloom staff. If something's out there, we'll find it!"
Jedavii cranes his neck up for the first time in a while, smiling to the groundskeeper. "Thanks, it means a lot! The frogs should be the tiny ones, like Kiwi here." He gestures to the frog in his pocket, who pokes his head out and gives a happy croak.
(I assume the search takes a while and they'll get back to us later?)
"Alright guys; Rosie found the frogs in the central campus pond; maybe we can ask the groundskeeper there next?"
"Why didn't we check with the central groundskeepers first?" Robin comments as they start the long hike back to the main campus. "I mean, that could have saved us time..." She doesn't seem too upset though, clearly liking the fresh air, getting less swampy as they head back towards the center of campus.
"I thought we'd be able to find out something here," Canon says, slightly disappointed. "But at least someone who knows this place is looking into it now."
Yedora chuckles. "Yes, I'm quite familiar with these types of frogs. Kiwi is a good name for one, though, I like it. You all take care now!"
Satisfied with Yedora's promise to look into the Sedgemoor, you all hop another trolley back to the Central Campus and head over to the pond where Rosie said she had found the frogs. Multicolored koi fish swim around lazily, then snap to the surface anytime a bug lands on the water's surface. Lily pads float on the surface, providing some shady spots beneath the water's surface and a safe perch for dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects. A sign near the pool reads, "Please do not feed the fish!"
A dwarf groundskeeper appears to be pruning some flowers near the pond, humming a song as he snips.
"It's the best name!" Jedavii giggles, waving as they depart. He takes the time on the trolley ride to glance out the window, humming a halfling tune to himself.
He gazes into the pond, eyes following the fish that swim below him. Kiwi blinks and croaks loudly.
With a wave, the gith calls to the groundskeeper. "Hello Mister, you tend the pond here? We're looking for something and we think you might have seen it. Someone might've come here and put a few frogs here. One of them was this lil' guy here." He points to Kiwi. "They attacked some students and so we're looking for who made them do it. It's the same guy who probably snuck here and put the frogs in, hoping someone would find them! Have you seen anyone like that? Or maybe one of your colleagues might have?"
Robin follows along to the pond and the colorful fish. She glances to the groundskeeper, waiting for any response to the questions already asked.
The dwarf looks at all of you with a smile. "Oh, hello kids! Got some ornery frogs attacking folks? That's not good. I can't say I know that anyone brought any to this particular pond, but sometimes we do switch out the critters in the ponds when some of them get sick or need treatment... Maybe some frogs got shuffled up in the mix. I'll be sure to check the reports and talk to my supervisor, but other than that, there's not much I can do. I'm sorry, buddy!"
"Thanks a bunch, mister! That helps a lot!" The githyanki gives a thumbs up to the dwarf.
As they turn away, a frown comes over Jedavii's face. "So what now? Guess we just wait for them to finish their searches?"