The young man stares fixated at the slime dissolving into the water, his mind distant for a moment. "Magical. We fought a magical creature... and killed it. It attacked, but who knows what horrible things had been done to it beforehand... by her." A shiver shoots up his spine as a thought creeps into focus. "What if... what if she can turn people into things... like in stories about witches. What if that thing was someone she took... What if she used us to hurt an innocent?" He stares a moment longer, then looks away, fists clenched. "I'm tired of this game. She's evil and there's no question about that. She's evil, and either we saved her from a lesser evil or something, or someone else, entirely. Either way, we served her... we served evil. I say we don't play anymore. She wants to go around beheading frog kings and stealing people, or parts of them, then we need to end her tyranny. That balloon lady plays a part in all of this. Look around, what could the Bavlorna trade in that's of any value.. except what she takes from others? All of this is wrong." He walks out of the pool, water pouring down from him as he does.
"What do you all want to do? How far do you want to take this game that almost killed two of us?"
Titaani's pointed ears droop sadly. "What choice do we have, Horatio? We aren't powerful enough to take her on, especially not immediately after a fight like this one."
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Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Matilda looked over, " I'm happy to stab her in her stupid face but I know that I won't be around after that if I do....I KNOW my brother is here! But I'm too weak to rescue him....."
Wearily, Ben says, “If we were going to attack her, we should have done it before taking on her tasks…for the grand promise of her CONSIDERING our issue.”
The stonecutter adds, “Matilda is right, we must finish Bavlorna’s tasks and see what her response is, for we are in no shape to face her directly right now.”
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Well, I'm not fetching any skins," Titaani grumbles. "I'd rather see what I can find upstairs. Anybody willing to distract Bavlorna while I do some snooping?"
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Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Ben recalls Bavlorna's final chore: she asked that you bring her a "package" of "the carcasses" that some "bullywug baron promised" (It's a crate, she later explained, that's in a bullywug dwelling due south of Bavlorna's cottage, on the far side of the river in which you arrived.)
Titaani recalls the dark unexplored hallway upstairs, and the staircase leading up from Bavlorna's study, as well as its other exits to rooms unknown.
Cad recalls the aura of transmutation magic around something in the upstairs hallway, the magical pings coming from Bavlorna's study, and the clusters of arcane signatures near the very top of the building, presumably on the third floor.
Horatio remembers his idea to scale the outside of the building onto the roof, and also recalls the droning mass at the top of the broken exterior stairwell, and the hanging cage nearby.
Matilda recalls the footfalls above the cupboard room, and the nagging sense that her brother might be somewhere close.
(( In the room with the hides, weren't there metal hooks or something akin to? Is there a way to fashion gaffing and climbing equipment from what is there and what is in my Carpenter's kit? ))
"Yes!! Matilda, will you distract Bavlorna? Me and Tiny are going to try and sneak around a bit," Titaani says excitedly, ascending the staircase again. "Let's see what we can find!"
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Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
(( In the room with the hides, weren't there metal hooks or something akin to? Is there a way to fashion gaffing and climbing equipment from what is there and what is in my Carpenter's kit? ))
Horatio recalls that the taxidermy workshop room had a lot of tools and some wire. (Saws, knives, scrapers, a hand-cranked drill, sewing thread and needles, and awls.) There's definitely something here that could be used as a makeshift hook. On the other hand, Ben recalls a spot on the balcony where, standing on the flimsy railing or with some help, somebody could get onto the sloped, thatched roof without too much equipment. However, that area seems to be inhabited by a lot of loud frogs.
Titaani creeps up the stairs. It is nearly pitch dark – just a little ambient light leaks up from the dim pool room below. (Fortunately, Titaani has gnomish darkvision.) The door to Bavlorna's study is closed again, and she hears no voices or noises within.
The walls of this dank hallway are covered with scores of portraits depicting grumpy, sad, frightened, and angry people. The figures include humans, elves, halflings, bullywugs, and goblins, among others. The portraits are rendered in a variety of mediums, including paintings, etchings, and sketches. All are displayed in gaudy, gilded frames. A framed oval mirror two feet wide and five feet tall hangs in the middle of one wall.
Moving to join Matilda and Horatio, Ben prepares to move up the steps towards Bavlorna’s lair once Titaani has made herself scarce up there. Calling on his growing connection to the divine, he casts Light on his shield as he goes into the darkened stairwell.
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Matilda grabbed Horatio by the arm, " Lets go tell the loony old bat that her pool is cleared."
She whispered to Titaani, " I think my brother is upstairs...please look for him..."
"Don't worry," Titaani replies, squeezing Matilda's hand. "If he's up there, I promise that I'll let him know that his sister is here."
With that she creeps up the stairs, avoiding the door leading to where Bavlorna is, and trying to be as quiet as possible. Stealth: 17
At the same time, Titaani's ears flick up, trying to listen for movement other than that of Bavlorna and her companions. She intends to make good on her promise to Matilda. Investigation: 8
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Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
These stairs seem to be solid, but the floors are soft. The mossy wooden planks creak, groan, and bend underfoot, and even Titaani's carefully-placed, lightweight footsteps manage to render a sharp squeak as she steps delicately across it.
Nevertheless, the hall seems to be unoccupied. She hears nothing from the adjoining rooms. In addition to the multitude of unsettling portraits and large oval mirror, there are two doors off the hallway together with the one leading into Bavlorna's study.
(Are Ben, Matilda, and Horatio intending on re-entering the study, next?)
Seeing no point in complaining further, and the sense in everyone else's notion of just moving forward, Horatio allows himself to be led. As they ascend to the second floor, a heightened tension comes over him. A sense of imminent danger. Of course, he just watched two friends almost die...
Holding Matilda's hand as they go to confront the hag once more, Ben is unsure if he is trying to comfort her, or if she is reassuring him. Regardless, he is still somewhat shaken by the fight and his envelopment by the ooze, so he goes along meekly.
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
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Horatio:
The young man stares fixated at the slime dissolving into the water, his mind distant for a moment. "Magical. We fought a magical creature... and killed it. It attacked, but who knows what horrible things had been done to it beforehand... by her." A shiver shoots up his spine as a thought creeps into focus. "What if... what if she can turn people into things... like in stories about witches. What if that thing was someone she took... What if she used us to hurt an innocent?" He stares a moment longer, then looks away, fists clenched. "I'm tired of this game. She's evil and there's no question about that. She's evil, and either we saved her from a lesser evil or something, or someone else, entirely. Either way, we served her... we served evil. I say we don't play anymore. She wants to go around beheading frog kings and stealing people, or parts of them, then we need to end her tyranny. That balloon lady plays a part in all of this. Look around, what could the Bavlorna trade in that's of any value.. except what she takes from others? All of this is wrong." He walks out of the pool, water pouring down from him as he does.
"What do you all want to do? How far do you want to take this game that almost killed two of us?"
Titaani's pointed ears droop sadly. "What choice do we have, Horatio? We aren't powerful enough to take her on, especially not immediately after a fight like this one."
Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Matilda looked over, " I'm happy to stab her in her stupid face but I know that I won't be around after that if I do....I KNOW my brother is here! But I'm too weak to rescue him....."
Ben:
Wearily, Ben says, “If we were going to attack her, we should have done it before taking on her tasks…for the grand promise of her CONSIDERING our issue.”
The stonecutter adds, “Matilda is right, we must finish Bavlorna’s tasks and see what her response is, for we are in no shape to face her directly right now.”
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Well, I'm not fetching any skins," Titaani grumbles. "I'd rather see what I can find upstairs. Anybody willing to distract Bavlorna while I do some snooping?"
Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Ben recalls Bavlorna's final chore: she asked that you bring her a "package" of "the carcasses" that some "bullywug baron promised" (It's a crate, she later explained, that's in a bullywug dwelling due south of Bavlorna's cottage, on the far side of the river in which you arrived.)
Titaani recalls the dark unexplored hallway upstairs, and the staircase leading up from Bavlorna's study, as well as its other exits to rooms unknown.
Cad recalls the aura of transmutation magic around something in the upstairs hallway, the magical pings coming from Bavlorna's study, and the clusters of arcane signatures near the very top of the building, presumably on the third floor.
Horatio remembers his idea to scale the outside of the building onto the roof, and also recalls the droning mass at the top of the broken exterior stairwell, and the hanging cage nearby.
Matilda recalls the footfalls above the cupboard room, and the nagging sense that her brother might be somewhere close.
(( In the room with the hides, weren't there metal hooks or something akin to? Is there a way to fashion gaffing and climbing equipment from what is there and what is in my Carpenter's kit? ))
" Can we go upstairs more, please?", Matilda ventured quietly.
"Yes!! Matilda, will you distract Bavlorna? Me and Tiny are going to try and sneak around a bit," Titaani says excitedly, ascending the staircase again. "Let's see what we can find!"
Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Horatio:
"If that's what you all want to do..." A look of defeat crosses his face. "I... I get it. We're too weak."
Matilda grabbed Horatio by the arm, " Lets go tell the loony old bat that her pool is cleared."
She whispered to Titaani, " I think my brother is upstairs...please look for him..."
Horatio recalls that the taxidermy workshop room had a lot of tools and some wire. (Saws, knives, scrapers, a hand-cranked drill, sewing thread and needles, and awls.) There's definitely something here that could be used as a makeshift hook. On the other hand, Ben recalls a spot on the balcony where, standing on the flimsy railing or with some help, somebody could get onto the sloped, thatched roof without too much equipment. However, that area seems to be inhabited by a lot of loud frogs.
Titaani creeps up the stairs. It is nearly pitch dark – just a little ambient light leaks up from the dim pool room below. (Fortunately, Titaani has gnomish darkvision.) The door to Bavlorna's study is closed again, and she hears no voices or noises within.
The walls of this dank hallway are covered with scores of portraits depicting grumpy, sad, frightened, and angry people. The figures include humans, elves, halflings, bullywugs, and goblins, among others. The portraits are rendered in a variety of mediums, including paintings, etchings, and sketches. All are displayed in gaudy, gilded frames. A framed oval mirror two feet wide and five feet tall hangs in the middle of one wall.

Ben:
Moving to join Matilda and Horatio, Ben prepares to move up the steps towards Bavlorna’s lair once Titaani has made herself scarce up there. Calling on his growing connection to the divine, he casts Light on his shield as he goes into the darkened stairwell.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
"Don't worry," Titaani replies, squeezing Matilda's hand. "If he's up there, I promise that I'll let him know that his sister is here."
With that she creeps up the stairs, avoiding the door leading to where Bavlorna is, and trying to be as quiet as possible. Stealth: 17
At the same time, Titaani's ears flick up, trying to listen for movement other than that of Bavlorna and her companions. She intends to make good on her promise to Matilda. Investigation: 8
Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
These stairs seem to be solid, but the floors are soft. The mossy wooden planks creak, groan, and bend underfoot, and even Titaani's carefully-placed, lightweight footsteps manage to render a sharp squeak as she steps delicately across it.
Nevertheless, the hall seems to be unoccupied. She hears nothing from the adjoining rooms. In addition to the multitude of unsettling portraits and large oval mirror, there are two doors off the hallway together with the one leading into Bavlorna's study.
(Are Ben, Matilda, and Horatio intending on re-entering the study, next?)
Titaani flinches as the floor boards creak below her, before ducking into the door that doesn't lead to Bavlorna's study.
Pronouns: She/her/her's
Currently playing as Titaani Leelathae in The Wild beyond the Witchlight
Matilda grabs the two men by the hands and marches towards the ' study' Bavlorna was in, she doesn't knock.
Horatio:
Seeing no point in complaining further, and the sense in everyone else's notion of just moving forward, Horatio allows himself to be led. As they ascend to the second floor, a heightened tension comes over him. A sense of imminent danger. Of course, he just watched two friends almost die...
Ben:
Holding Matilda's hand as they go to confront the hag once more, Ben is unsure if he is trying to comfort her, or if she is reassuring him. Regardless, he is still somewhat shaken by the fight and his envelopment by the ooze, so he goes along meekly.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"