Famh: " My heart hings heavy in me thinkin' o whit we might find on gaeing oot o' this room. And yet I want justice for the poor crofter girl too... it's juist that -- " A long breath. "Whit do your people believe in the Lyftens, Vardi, ower such things ... supernatural vengeance and the like? Do ye call in the priest and try and find a way tae calm the spirit ; or do ye consider that she has juist claim tae this bluid and it wid be indelicate tae interfere?"
Vardi, half-awake and half-asleep, with her hands full of a fluffy menace to slumber replies "If blood is shed and harm done, then it must be paid for. Be it in blood and harm back, or in wergelt, be it grain or gold. Tha' is tha Law, man, woman or beast harmed, does nae matter. If it be a legal vengeance, then it has gone beyond tha price of one life already, and those were nobility, whose lives command a high price. Her family are nae wealthy. If it is proven ta be her work, fer I am nae sure if tha dead can be summoned to answer for their acts by mortal authority."
She trails off and rubs her temples as the smug feline on her lap purrs loudly, then adds wearily "If they did wrong by her, and it is her work, then she's gone too far fer justice. Spirit won't rest til justice is done and tha dead brought home ta rest any road."
"If it is nae tha lass who was lost, then who else would have tha means and tha motive ta those three, nae, four lads? Tha woods are awhisper, tha Land is uneasy, a giant speaks from a mouth only madness could kiss!" the Lyften lass bemoans, then more alertly offers "If tha Allsister were here, I'd ask her, and tha Velda too. That's ma mam. She listens ta tha Gods, leastways all tha ones we reckon worth paying attention ta. Allsister listens ta yer Gatenades, then speaks fer him. We nae always listen ta what He reckons, but he has a place at tha table in Valhalla just tha same. If yer asking me wha' they'd do? Find out wha's going on, and fix it, sharpish, afore any more harm is done."
Vardi looks desdly serious as she concludes "If yer asking me, here and now, then I reckon we should carry fire wi' us but go check those two still alive are alright afore night is over, and their watcher too. Cold hard light o'dawn might be too late."
"Och, ye'll be the ane wha's anointit a filidh, makin' poetry like thon!," Famh teases. " '... a giant speaks frae a mouth only madness coud kiss' ? Or maybe ye were havin' a nichtmare o' the fachan." Then, seeing Vardi become more serious, she too returns to the grim business at hand.
"Ye're richt on the neit tae check on thae three as soon as possible, thouch. I dinnae suppose I wis really meanin' tae leave thaim tae the chost's vengeance ... thouch having been a lass myself whose life wouldnae ha' outweichit theirs i the scales o' Mammon --- but niver mind thon. Let's see whit we find when we gang oot. Thon will tell us gin we have time for ane o us tae rouse the rest o' the retinue while the other checks the men we fear for; or gin we neit tae split up an ilka of us hasten tae check on ane of them as swiftly as may be." As she speaks, she is drawing on the last of her raiment and pouches; having thus clad herself, she lights a torch before opening the door of the women's quarters quietly and creeping out a pace with all her senses alert.
=========
Stealth 20
Perception 1
[I'm assuming that because of Famh's restless night, she didn't get the benefits of a long rest and therefore her TOC didn't recharge. Should this by some kindly whim of Primroseblossom happen not to be the case LOL, I most CERTAINLY would like to use it on this PER roll to gain advantage between the roll above and this one -->7)]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Thatch tosses and turns on his straw covered pallet. He picks up a boot, tossing it in a poorly aimed attempt at Ori's bunk and sticks his head under his cloak in an attempt to block out the big man's snores.
Famh: "Och, ye'll be the ane wha's anointit a filidh, makin' poetry like thon! '... a giant speaks frae a mouth only madness coud kiss' ? Or maybe ye were havin' a nichtmare o' the fachan."
"Something like tha'..." Vardi admits in some embarrassment then murmurs in uneasy tone "Fachan aye, and tha' lass we sought, clad in a fine white gown of crackling ice, and swine dressed as lordly men squealing in tha' cold slaughterhouse dark o'winter night. Nae ma mam, wi' her knowing o'dreams and seeing ahead, but tha' one makes too much sense and no sense all at once."
Famh: "Ye're richt on the neit tae check on thae three as soon as possible, thouch. I dinnae suppose I wis really meanin' tae leave thaim tae the chost's vengeance ... thouch having been a lass myself whose life wouldnae ha' outweichit theirs i the scales o' Mammon --- but niver mind thon."
Vardi nods in silent sympathy, then makes an odd gesture, as if she were holding up a set of unseen merchant's scales in her right hand. With her left hand, the shieldmaid points to the higher hanging pan and puts a sly finger on it until it settles evenly.
Famh: "Let's see whit we find when we gang oot. Thon will tell us gin we have time for ane o us tae rouse the rest o' the retinue while the other checks the men we fear for; or gin we neit tae split up an ilka of us hasten tae check on ane of them as swiftly as may be."
"I cannae think of anything tha' would rouse Cainneach faster, Famh, than me tellin' him ye'd gone off ta look fer a murderous shade all alone by yerself..."Vardi observes tartly while pulling on her boots with great haste "...Yet if I play tha catfooted scout, whatever is afoot will hear me coming a mile off! So take yer distraction ta slip away quiet while I go wake tha rest swiftly. If it is her, live or dead, by tha toll so far, she may nae stop at four in her vengeance."
Minds made up the two ladies dressed once more and divided.
Famh headed downstairs to the hall where she saw a couple of different groups sleeping on canvas mats, one near the central fire and the other just inside the main doors with a brassiere nearby.
Near the central fire, she quickly noted the snoring form of Dochartaigh and beside him a pale young man with wispy sable hair who she had noted around but had never actually seen with the other three though he was undoubtly the fourth as the only other two were a man seated on a stool nearby with an arming sword across his knees; his grey cropped beard and rough cut hair led her to think he must be Keenlen. A little way off from the trio was a barrel shaped man dressed in a dark woolen tabard and heavy boots, he had a large square headed axe leaning against his side and was heavily bearded with profuse blond hair.
Looking the hall over she noted nothing immediately of concern and no one looked up or appeared to notice her in the shadows of the doorway...
Minds made up the two ladies dressed once more and divided.
Vardi went to the door of the mens room she was about to knock when Salt alerted to her presence with a sudden soft growl from somewhere within.
Cainneach had always been a light sleeper, or at least as far back as he could remember into the days since he'd fled his home. Salt, roused from his slumber and growling was more than enough to wake the forester. Unsure what lay beyond the door, be it friend or foe, he fumbles about to grab a dagger and his pouch while trying to keep the hound calm and quiet. In addition, Cainneach sticks a leg out into the darkness, trying to reach Thatch and quietly wake him. Undoubtedly he cuts a ridiculous figure at this point, but there are only so many limbs to go around.
From his pouch he draws a candle and attempts to light it before the would be interloper enters. Hopefully the dim light will thread the needle of preserving his dark vision and forcing his eyes to adjust to whatever additional light would be shed into the room when the door opens. Or even better, maybe it would be a friendly face, although he thinks that even Famh wouldn't be so bold as to come calling in the middle of the night for no pressing reason.
Minds made up the two ladies dressed once more and divided.
Famh headed downstairs to the hall where she saw a couple of different groups sleeping on canvas mats, one near the central fire and the other just inside the main doors with a brassiere nearby.
Near the central fire, she quickly noted the snoring form of Dochartaigh and beside him a pale young man with wispy sable hair who she had noted around but had never actually seen with the other three though he was undoubtly the fourth as the only other two were a man seated on a stool nearby with an arming sword across his knees; his grey cropped beard and rough cut hair led her to think he must be Keenlen. A little way off from the trio was a barrel shaped man dressed in a dark woolen tabard and heavy boots, he had a large square headed axe leaning against his side and was heavily bearded with profuse blond hair.
Looking the hall over she noted nothing immediately of concern and no one looked up or appeared to notice her in the shadows of the doorway...
POST RECREATED ON ACCOUNT OF FUMBLEFINGEREDLY HITTING 'DELETE' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'EDIT'; 'EDIT' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'no, i don't want to delete the b ... oops, that was YES. oH ,,, UM, ANYWAY ITS BEEN A LONG DAY ... FORTUNATELY I PRETTY MUCH REMEMBER WHAT I WROTE ...
After a moment spent alternately blinking and stretching open her e'en to acclimate them to the shadowy firelight of the hall, Famh drifts to a point where she can see out the main doors while still keeping one e'e on the group by the fire. Her steps are still stealthy, but now she affects the manner of one who is simply being polite and doesn't wish to wake the hardworking men-at-arms about her at such an unGatanadeically early hour of the morn.
As she moves, she takes note of whether there are any other routes of ingress or egress the ghost could use to reach those men. If she doesn't see any cause for alarm through the doors or any of the other openings within her view, (Perception 8) she finishes her perambulations by walking quietly back in again towards the fire. If anyone should seem curious what she is about, she will pretend she was thinking about going out to wash her face before deciding the hour was simply too cold. She even gives an artfully timed little shiver as she draws near to the central hearth. Looking about her as if for the first time, she 'notices' that Keenlen is awake and turns towards him. "Och, whit a cauld grey dawn it is risin' oot thare. Sometimes I think instead o' midnicht more chost stories shoud be set i' the early morn." If he does not react badly to her bringing up the topic obliquely in this way, she goes on while keeping the faerie-sharpened part of her senses more aware of her general surroundings than a mortal might expect, "The chat aboot Marrowglen says ye micht ken some such stories o' yer own experience. Ye needna fear tae tell me, I believe aw thae such tales, and I love tae hear thaim." (Persuasion 7 to get Keenlen to open up about what he's seen)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
GM: Vardi went to the door of the mens room she was about to knock when Salt alerted to her presence with a sudden soft growl from somewhere within.
Vardi silently grins to find herself so quickly corrected on just who has the swiftest means to wake Cainnech, reasoning that if the hound is hale enough to growl in warning then likely so are the men within. Realizing that perhaps she is wasting time, the Lyften Lass gently taps the door with a knuckle and offers in gentle reassurance "If yer so alert a faithful hound Salt, then surely ye scent tha difference twixt strange and known folk?"
OOC: Vardi pushes the door, gently. If it doesn't open, or she hears no further response from within, she pushes it less gently.
A tall figure in a grey gambeson and carrying a lit lantern in hand, whispers in inquiry from the doorway "If any of ye be awake, now would be a good time ta get yer dancing gear on quick. Call me over-cautious, but I reckon Famh could use more than just me and her ta keep one eye on three haunted men and tha other out fer trouble if it happens. Be best ta carry fire wit' ye too, for whatever it be at work, they certainly love tha cold..."
Vardi looks to Ori and adds "Where's Ser quartered? Someone should warn him, just in case there is more ta this than we can yet see, aye?"
Thatch turns and grumbles at Cainneach’s kick, but goes silent at the knock on the door. He tumbles out of bed and grabs his blade as the door pushes open. He breathes a quick sigh of relief as he recognizes Vardi and lowers his shortsword and starts pulling on his boots. “What are you going on about? Is something happening, is Famh out hunting trouble? What happened to waiting til morning?” Thatch buckles up his leathers and belts on his sword, ready to follow Vardi out in the hall.
Thatch: “What are you going on about? Is something happening, is Famh out hunting trouble? What happened to waiting til morning?”
Vardi enters, hunches down in an unthreatening stance and replies quietly "If I knew better myself, Thatch, I would tell ye clearer. Nothing yet, if we're lucky. Yes, she is, off ta keep an eye on tha lordlings, but ye can lay tha blame fer that on me fer putting tha thought in her head, nae her..."in rapid succession, then looks both grim yet somehow apologetic as she asks "When did the other two lordly lads meet their untimely ends?" of him. She swiftly answers her own inquiry with a pragmatic but frantic reply of "Nae in tha light o'day, but by night. Morning is when they discover tha bodies, aye?"
The shieldmaid intent on her explanation to Thatch remains unaware as a stealthy Skoggi drifts past Ori's bed, his majestic tail brushing past the sleeping sarge's bootless foot once, then again, as the curious cat pounces repeatedly at a whisp of straw, going round and round the leg of the bed, each circuit bringing a tickling tail with it...
"Wha'ere be behind tha deaths hunts in tha cold and dark hours, so if we're ta hunt them down, so must we. If I'm wrong, ye can yell at me later over it. Just help me now!" the Lyften lass concludes.
GM: Vardi went to the door of the mens room she was about to knock when Salt alerted to her presence with a sudden soft growl from somewhere within.
Vardi silently grins to find herself so quickly corrected on just who has the swiftest means to wake Cainnech, reasoning that if the hound is hale enough to growl in warning then likely so are the men within. Realizing that perhaps she is wasting time, the Lyften Lass gently taps the door with a knuckle and offers in gentle reassurance "If yer so alert a faithful hound Salt, then surely ye scent tha difference twixt strange and known folk?"
OOC: Vardi pushes the door, gently. If it doesn't open, or she hears no further response from within, she pushes it less gently.
A tall figure in a grey gambeson and carrying a lit lantern in hand, whispers in inquiry from the doorway "If any of ye be awake, now would be a good time ta get yer dancing gear on quick. Call me over-cautious, but I reckon Famh could use more than just me and her ta keep one eye on three haunted men and tha other out fer trouble if it happens. Be best ta carry fire wit' ye too, for whatever it be at work, they certainly love tha cold..."
Vardi looks to Ori and adds "Where's Ser quartered? Someone should warn him, just in case there is more ta this than we can yet see, aye?"
Cainneach's keen ears recognize Vardi's voice and he relaxes somewhat, which allows him to more smoothly proceed with the lighting of his little candle. He's glad to have done it as even its dim flame helps to soften the immediate effect of the intrusive blaze of Vardi's lantern. While shielding his eyes for a few moments, the forester grunts in response to Vardi's initial entreaty and then to her response to Thatch's reply, struggling to come up with cogent counter to the warrior woman's plea. He does manage to spit out, "Almeric's just two doors down on the right ...", before his situation devolves into a mess of assembling his absolutely necessary gear while keeping Salt from losing his canine mind while chasing Skoggi about the room.
Ori's foot twitches at the touch of the tail brushing past. After the 3rd pass of the cat Ori half giggles in his sleep and rolls over, picking the leg up over the onto the bed, almost rolling himself off the other side. As he rolls over he mumbles, "Stop it Griss, you know what that leads too...zzZZzz." He continues snoring, slightly less loud now. (Ori is out pretty hard, he can be brought to but someone will have to purposely disturb him). As he rolls over it can be seen that he is sleeping with some sort of pouch and a hand axe strapped on his back. His armor and spike greatclub are hap hazzardly place acrossed the room but clearly he isn't as unprepared sleeping as he makes it appear.
Minds made up the two ladies dressed once more and divided.
Famh headed downstairs to the hall where she saw a couple of different groups sleeping on canvas mats, one near the central fire and the other just inside the main doors with a brassiere nearby.
Near the central fire, she quickly noted the snoring form of Dochartaigh and beside him a pale young man with wispy sable hair who she had noted around but had never actually seen with the other three though he was undoubtly the fourth as the only other two were a man seated on a stool nearby with an arming sword across his knees; his grey cropped beard and rough cut hair led her to think he must be Keenlen. A little way off from the trio was a barrel shaped man dressed in a dark woolen tabard and heavy boots, he had a large square headed axe leaning against his side and was heavily bearded with profuse blond hair.
Looking the hall over she noted nothing immediately of concern and no one looked up or appeared to notice her in the shadows of the doorway...
POST RECREATED ON ACCOUNT OF FUMBLEFINGEREDLY HITTING 'DELETE' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'EDIT'; 'EDIT' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'no, i don't want to delete the b ... oops, that was YES. oH ,,, UM, ANYWAY ITS BEEN A LONG DAY ... FORTUNATELY I PRETTY MUCH REMEMBER WHAT I WROTE ...
After a moment spent alternately blinking and stretching open her e'en to acclimate them to the shadowy firelight of the hall, Famh drifts to a point where she can see out the main doors while still keeping one e'e on the group by the fire. Her steps are still stealthy, but now she affects the manner of one who is simply being polite and doesn't wish to wake the hardworking men-at-arms about her at such an unGatanadeically early hour of the morn.
As she moves, she takes note of whether there are any other routes of ingress or egress the ghost could use to reach those men. If she doesn't see any cause for alarm through the doors or any of the other openings within her view, (Perception 7) she finishes her perambulations by walking quietly back in again towards the fire. If anyone should seem curious what she is about, she will pretend she was thinking about going out to wash her face before deciding the hour was simply too cold. She even gives an artfully timed little shiver as she draws near to the central hearth. Looking about her as if for the first time, she 'notices' that Keenlen is awake and turns towards him. "Och, whit a cauld grey dawn it is risin' oot thare. Sometimes I think instead o' midnicht more chost stories shoud be set i' the early morn." If he does not react badly to her bringing up the topic obliquely in this way, she goes on while keeping the faerie-sharpened part of her senses more aware of her general surroundings than a mortal might expect, "The chat aboot Marrowglen says ye micht ken some such stories o' yer own experience. Ye needna fear tae tell me, I believe aw thae such tales, and I love tae hear thaim." (Persuasion 15 to get Keenlen to open up about what he's seen)
Keenlen took a long time watching Famh and she could almost feel him turning her words about in his crop like some gaunt, gray owl before he spat the bones of them out into the air, " Aye, I bet ye would at that."
His eyes ran over the sleeping lads and the snoring form further along, " You were gone when tuthers died. I'd like your thoughts on them.......good riddance or a terrible tragedy?", his eyes narrowed and met hers....then he nodded seemingly satisfied. ( 10)
" This is not what you seek.....but you know the Feolagan? A small mouse-like fairy that can paralyse sheep by walking across the animal's back? Tis said the sheep would die unless the Feolagan was forced retrace its steps, or, if many sheep were affected, by capturing the Feolagan in a jar filled with salt and using the grains to cure the sheep."
" But ye wanted ghaist, no? Not far from here, cross the moors is an abandoned broch....tumbled long ago....a family lived there once. A husband, a wife and three sons......now one day when the husband returned home from cutting peat he saw his wife standing at the door looking out at the old standing stones upon the ridge and he asked her what she was about and she said she'd not meant to come here. He thought her strange but she seemed to snap out of it and come good almost immediately so he thought nothing more on it. The next day he returned and she told him one of their sons had fallen into a deep hole, the man was distraught and she comforted him telling him the lad was in a better place."
" The next day he returned and she was again staring at the hill wistfully, he asked where the other sons were and she said inside....but only one was there and he was struck dumb with fear. He asked her again where their son was and she said inside......the man was deeply troubled and thought her mad with grief. He did not go peat cutting the next day but stayed at his remaining sons side, his wife confined herself to her cot and didn't move."
" The man saw a sudden wan light appear on the hill, he ran outside to see what it was and saw a large dark shape stepping about the standing stones upon the hill.....he ran inside to tell his wife but was left aghast when he opened the door, his wife was upright and her body was stretched and too-long in limb and neck to be anything human. Above her dangled his remaining son, her mouth distended incredibly wide and the boy was gulped down in a moment....."
" The wife turned towards the man and smiled too wide a smile, " Now they are all inside. I did not mean to come here......Thankyou for your hospitality." Then she stretched all the way up to the ceiling and crawled out onto the roof of the broch.......legs and arms stretched to impossible lengths and in a moment she was atop the hill dancing about the standing stone with the other figure....and then the light vanished and they were gone."
" All alone the man went a bawled himself to sleep."
" When he woke in the morning there was a knock at the door and when he opened it his wife and three sons stood there looking hale and hearty. They smiled at him, with rosy cheeks and shining teeth and flat black eyes......and he loved them.....he knew they were not his but one makes do..."
Cainneach: "Almeric's just two doors down on the right ..."
Vardi nods in thanks to Cainneach, but is distracted by Ori's murmuring in slumber and turns around as he rolls over, and as Skoggi flicks the straw out from under the bed towards the door.
"My daft lad, this is nae time ta be clutchin' at straws!"she sighs as Skoggi pursues it swiftly up to the exit, then rather more respectfully "Indeed, a dangerous man ta wake, but that's nae ill thing in man nor beast..." as she reaches cautiously, ready to snatch back her hand as if from a grumpy feline's claws, to shake Ori gently by the uppermost shoulder.
"Ori, wake up!" Vardi whispers urgently "Need ta head trouble off afore it happens, aye? Need yer head fer seeing it off afore it starts too, Sarge!"
Ori doesn't jump at being disturbed or really move much at all outside of his hand stealthfully moving behind him where the handaxe was kept. "What in bloody hell are you going on about? Why the hell are you all dressed for battle? Are they frozen already." Becoming more aware of and shaking off the sleepy feeling. "Awe hell, when we are all awake and I suggest we get started you all said you want rest first, I go to sleep now you you want to get going. Sir Almeric said get your rest and be 100% in the morning, by the groups recommendation, fully aware of risks to these fellas and such. Short of someone's life in confirmed danger or already dead I suggest all of you park your backsides back in your beds and be bright eyed and bushy tailed when I come calling in the morning. Based on Sir Almeric's willingness to go off on his own, he doesn't require a standing guard to his door but that would be about the only excuse he might except to not being at peak performance by morning. Am I clear?"
Ori rolles over in his bed, yanking up the blanket up to shoulder as he faced away the others. Ori wasn't necessarily against getting started investing had it been the plan but he was a bit annoyed that his suggestion was shot down earlier and now changing plans on the fly. He did leave the door open if the rest wanted to continue on and have a reasonable reasoning if givin' to Almeric. Ori had the feeling Almeric would pass this on to the group as he does his own work again and Ori wanted to be on his top game for that, expecally if others are not. Of course how could Ori watch out for the those wandering off out there on thier own, he can't protect their backs from bed and they are essentially going out looking for trouble. Ori sighs, knowing he couldn't live with himself if something happened to his team while he slept. He throws his blankets back down as he says forcefully, "Well bring me my damned club, and Vardi, help me with getting that tin chest protector back on."
Keenlen took a long time watching Famh and she could almost feel him turning her words about in his crop like some gaunt, gray owl before he spat the bones of them out into the air, " Aye, I bet ye would at that."
His eyes ran over the sleeping lads and the snoring form further along, " You were gone when tuthers died. I'd like your thoughts on them.......good riddance or a terrible tragedy?", his eyes narrowed and met hers....then he nodded seemingly satisfied. ( 10)...
Famh looks carefully at the man she is speaking with, wondering what his feelings on the subject are. (Insight roll in log = 17). This Keenlen was clearly sharper than the men she'd met out on the road, as befitted his age and experience; she'd seen that appraising look in Sir Almeric's eyes often enough to have some idea of the wheels turning silently behind its expressionless grey surface. After taking a moment to consider, she replies in a lowered voice, "'I'm no sure its as simple as thon. I suspect they're guilty o' an ill deit the law canna touch thaim for; an as far as thon gaes I suppose its strict justice." She glances over at the sleeping lads to make sure none of them overheard her in their sleep. "But I also know some of thaim were beginnin' tae repent; an as a guid friend o; mine pointit oot a little bit ago, the Guid Book says ane e'e for an e'e, no twa or three. And na ane deserves such a terrible death as thon."
..., his eyes narrowed and met hers....then he nodded seemingly satisfied. ( 10)
" This is not what you seek.....but you know the Feolagan? A small mouse-like fairy that can paralyse sheep by walking across the animal's back? Tis said the sheep would die unless the Feolagan was forced retrace its steps, or, if many sheep were affected, by capturing the Feolagan in a jar filled with salt and using the grains to cure the sheep."
" But ye wanted ghaist, no? Not far from here, cross the moors is an abandoned broch....tumbled long ago....a family lived there once. A husband, a wife and three sons......now one day when the husband returned home from cutting peat he saw his wife standing at the door looking out at the old standing stones upon the ridge and he asked her what she was about and she said she'd not meant to come here. He thought her strange but she seemed to snap out of it and come good almost immediately so he thought nothing more on it. The next day he returned and she told him one of their sons had fallen into a deep hole, the man was distraught and she comforted him telling him the lad was in a better place."
" The next day he returned and she was again staring at the hill wistfully, he asked where the other sons were and she said inside....but only one was there and he was struck dumb with fear. He asked her again where their son was and she said inside......the man was deeply troubled and thought her mad with grief. He did not go peat cutting the next day but stayed at his remaining sons side, his wife confined herself to her cot and didn't move."
" The man saw a sudden wan light appear on the hill, he ran outside to see what it was and saw a large dark shape stepping about the standing stones upon the hill.....he ran inside to tell his wife but was left aghast when he opened the door, his wife was upright and her body was stretched and too-long in limb and neck to be anything human. Above her dangled his remaining son, her mouth distended incredibly wide and the boy was gulped down in a moment....."
" The wife turned towards the man and smiled too wide a smile, " Now they are all inside. I did not mean to come here......Thankyou for your hospitality." Then she stretched all the way up to the ceiling and crawled out onto the roof of the broch.......legs and arms stretched to impossible lengths and in a moment she was atop the hill dancing about the standing stone with the other figure....and then the light vanished and they were gone."
" All alone the man went a bawled himself to sleep."
" Whan en he woke in the morning there was a knock at the door and when he opened it his wife and three sons stood there looking hale and hearty. They smiled at him, with rosy cheeks and shining teeth and flat black eyes......and he loved them.....he knew they were not his but one makes do..."
A seasoned Thulish shepherdess like Famh hasn't known the story of the Feolagan for more than eighteen or nineteen centuries, of course (Arcana roll in log - nat 20!), but she smiles and nods with polite interest in any case as a train of thought is triggered in her mind by Keenlen's retelling of the reputed cure for that faerie's curse. She wonders if something about the present ghaist's touch could be somehow "retraced" to save one of its victims if one were quick enough.
The story of the serpent woman in the broch, on the other hand, is entirely new to Famh; though some of its elements are similar to tales of water serpents and kelpies that she is familiar with. And the ending certainly is a surprise that leaves her almost speechless for a moment. After exclaiming in admiration at the tale, she thinks it over briefly before nodding and saying, "I suppose thare wis naucht else for him tae dae" . She sighs, then looks about her once more while adding in a quieter voice, "And I dinnae suppose the chaist hauntin' us now will brin the ones she's taken back..."
=========
Perception for any signs of approaching trouble, looking first at the young men and then around the perimeter of the hall 1
( Famh sees nothing whatsoever.........she does get the distinct impression Keenlen would as soon drown the remaining two youngsters as watch them.....he seems very much over watching conscripts as a duty.)
Ori: "What in bloody hell are you going on about? Why the hell are you all dressed for battle? Are they frozen already."
"Heading off trouble afore it happens..." Vardi says rapidly "Expecting a lethal outbreak o'frostbite afore dawn, that's why." then shrugs as she confesses in honesty "Nae idea fer sure, Famh went ta check on tha lads still left after asking me wha ta do bout it." then shuts up, aware she's already said too much for comfort.
Ori: "Awe hell, when we are all awake and I suggest we get started you all said you want rest first, I go to sleep now you you want to get going. Sir Almeric said get your rest and be 100% in the morning, by the groups recommendation, fully aware of risks to these fellas and such. Short of someone's life in confirmed danger or already dead I suggest all of you park your backsides back in your beds and be bright eyed and bushy tailed when I come calling in the morning. Based on Sir Almeric's willingness to go off on his own, he doesn't require a standing guard to his door but that would be about the only excuse he might except to not being at peak performance by morning. Am I clear?"
The Joturn-kin's face falls faster than night as she murmurs "As crystal, Ser." to Ori's back, and turns away herself to go find Famh before any further scorched ears or frozen bodies occur.
Ori: "Well bring me my damned club, and Vardi, help me with getting that tin chest protector back on."
Having already reached the door, a slightly surprised Vardi blinks, then crosses the room in but two strides as she grins and replies "Tha' I will, and gladly. Tha quicker yer ready, tha faster we can help Famh..."
She corrects herself as she adds in fairness while assisting him into his armour "...If she needs our help, tha' is. Still, I'd rather look daft fer being wrong than daft and downcast fer being right and nae doing something about it. Can nae go rushing in wi'out a swift scout on tha' quiet first, aye?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As Keenlen does not seem to react to her feeler about Morag in any way her admittedly sleepy e'en can perceive, Famh continues on as if the subject hadn't been of any particular interest to her. "Well, they say ane guid chaist story is best repaid wi' another. I remember ane we telt i' the pasturelands around Brymstone whan I were a lass... aboot a sea cave juist north o 'the Nine Barrows Downs, betwixt thaim an the Laird's city proper.
" 'Twas aye said among us thon this cave ha' been a resort o the Aos Sidhe syne ancient days. An' the tunnels are known tae wind for miles inland: gin ye put yer ear tae a stone i' the ground juist bi the crossroads near Scalcombe, sometimes ye can hear the most lovely music. But its' the eeriest ye iver heard, an' sae it wis aye said thon these were the pipers o' the faerie host. None darit tae inquire any further, or tae challenge their power, until the times o' Laird Erek's grandsire. Thare were a piper o' Galburn bi the name o' Iain MacGraw, an he wis held tae be the best piper i the north o' Thuland. He wis e'en callit once tae pipe at a feast yer Duke's grandsire held, an thon provit tae be his downfall.
"No at the feast, na. Thare, he playit tae the utmost o his soul, an he pleasit the Duke sae... a hearty an generous man like his grandson after him... thon he wis rewardit wi' aw thon he coud hold o meat an drink, an' a firkin o the Duke's best mead tae tak wi' him on the road. Well, he saw the bottom o' thon firkin barrel aboot the time he reachit hame an wis hailit as a hero once mair in all the taverns. It wis juist at the openin' blink o' midnicht thon the piper rose, fou o pride an usquebauch, an declarit he wis the best piper thon haed iver been upon heaven or in yird (he wis gettin' a wee bit mixit i his metaphors aboot then, ye see... ) "and e'en the pipers o' the faerie queen must give me place, for niver have they heard a braver tune than this!"an while his neichbors stood achast at his bold boast he strode forth for the cave mouth bi the shore, his wee broon spaniel dug wha haed been the faithful companion o aw his days at his heels; an he plungit intae the darkness wi his pipes boldly skirlin forth, 'The Nameless Tune'.
"The neichbors stood on the shore i' dismay as the west darkenit an the brave music slowly recedit intae the echoin' depths. It wis no long before the notes stoppit on a sudden, wi' a terrible eldritch screech thon drove aw the watchers tae flicht but ane. He tremblingly remainit where he coud juist see the dark cave mouth, hopin' against hope the piper micht emerge, but aw thon came slinkin forth, after whit seemit eternities o waiting, wis a lank whimperin four-leggit scarecrow. It wis the poor spaniel, but ivery hair on its body wis gone.
"An yet thon is no quite the last thon wis heard o' Iain MacGraw. A year later, on the eve o' Samhaintide, twa boumen from Scalcombe were returnin from market late ane evenin whan ane pausit bi the old crossroads i' amaze. 'Listen!', he cried, an pointit towards the piercit stone. An' as his partner stood wi' the chill mists o' the Cailleach turnin' his bluid tae ice, he heard the skirlin' rin o 'The Nameless Tune' playit frantic an wild, an the voice o the piper chantin i' a dull tone as o' ane nine parts asleep,
A dout, A dout
A'll niver win oot;
ochone, for ma endless sorrow."
As she ends her tale, the willowy Thulish sorceress artfully stretches and yawns. "I wonder whit time it is bi the moon. The licht's sae dim oot thare, it feels like thare's hours yet till dawn. I'll be richt back." Walking quickly the outer doors, she peers out, wondering privately whether she's following a corbie or a wild goose. She takes a route that keeps her as close to the suspects as possible, and returns promptly to rejoin Keenlen in his vigil over them if she doesn't see anything to be alarmed at in the courtyard. As she passes by the young men again on her way back, she glances them over to make sure they are all right.
=========
Performance (how enthralling a teller of chaist stories is our Famh?) 8
Perception (after rubbing the sleep out of her e'en, does she spot any signs of danger?) 9
Medicine (any obvious signs of death by freezing, lack of breath, etc etc?) 6
( Ok, if the two ladies in question are doing something during the wee hours lets hear what it is. ;) )
"Och, ye'll be the ane wha's anointit a filidh, makin' poetry like thon!," Famh teases. " '... a giant speaks frae a mouth only madness coud kiss' ? Or maybe ye were havin' a nichtmare o' the fachan." Then, seeing Vardi become more serious, she too returns to the grim business at hand.
"Ye're richt on the neit tae check on thae three as soon as possible, thouch. I dinnae suppose I wis really meanin' tae leave thaim tae the chost's vengeance ... thouch having been a lass myself whose life wouldnae ha' outweichit theirs i the scales o' Mammon --- but niver mind thon. Let's see whit we find when we gang oot. Thon will tell us gin we have time for ane o us tae rouse the rest o' the retinue while the other checks the men we fear for; or gin we neit tae split up an ilka of us hasten tae check on ane of them as swiftly as may be." As she speaks, she is drawing on the last of her raiment and pouches; having thus clad herself, she lights a torch before opening the door of the women's quarters quietly and creeping out a pace with all her senses alert.
=========
Stealth 20
Perception 1
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Thatch tosses and turns on his straw covered pallet. He picks up a boot, tossing it in a poorly aimed attempt at Ori's bunk and sticks his head under his cloak in an attempt to block out the big man's snores.
Famh: "Och, ye'll be the ane wha's anointit a filidh, makin' poetry like thon! '... a giant speaks frae a mouth only madness coud kiss' ? Or maybe ye were havin' a nichtmare o' the fachan."
"Something like tha'..." Vardi admits in some embarrassment then murmurs in uneasy tone "Fachan aye, and tha' lass we sought, clad in a fine white gown of crackling ice, and swine dressed as lordly men squealing in tha' cold slaughterhouse dark o'winter night. Nae ma mam, wi' her knowing o'dreams and seeing ahead, but tha' one makes too much sense and no sense all at once."
Famh: "Ye're richt on the neit tae check on thae three as soon as possible, thouch. I dinnae suppose I wis really meanin' tae leave thaim tae the chost's vengeance ... thouch having been a lass myself whose life wouldnae ha' outweichit theirs i the scales o' Mammon --- but niver mind thon."
Vardi nods in silent sympathy, then makes an odd gesture, as if she were holding up a set of unseen merchant's scales in her right hand. With her left hand, the shieldmaid points to the higher hanging pan and puts a sly finger on it until it settles evenly.
Famh: "Let's see whit we find when we gang oot. Thon will tell us gin we have time for ane o us tae rouse the rest o' the retinue while the other checks the men we fear for; or gin we neit tae split up an ilka of us hasten tae check on ane of them as swiftly as may be."
"I cannae think of anything tha' would rouse Cainneach faster, Famh, than me tellin' him ye'd gone off ta look fer a murderous shade all alone by yerself..." Vardi observes tartly while pulling on her boots with great haste "...Yet if I play tha catfooted scout, whatever is afoot will hear me coming a mile off! So take yer distraction ta slip away quiet while I go wake tha rest swiftly. If it is her, live or dead, by tha toll so far, she may nae stop at four in her vengeance."
Minds made up the two ladies dressed once more and divided.
Famh headed downstairs to the hall where she saw a couple of different groups sleeping on canvas mats, one near the central fire and the other just inside the main doors with a brassiere nearby.
Near the central fire, she quickly noted the snoring form of Dochartaigh and beside him a pale young man with wispy sable hair who she had noted around but had never actually seen with the other three though he was undoubtly the fourth as the only other two were a man seated on a stool nearby with an arming sword across his knees; his grey cropped beard and rough cut hair led her to think he must be Keenlen. A little way off from the trio was a barrel shaped man dressed in a dark woolen tabard and heavy boots, he had a large square headed axe leaning against his side and was heavily bearded with profuse blond hair.
Looking the hall over she noted nothing immediately of concern and no one looked up or appeared to notice her in the shadows of the doorway...
..................................................
Vardi went to the door of the mens room she was about to knock when Salt alerted to her presence with a sudden soft growl from somewhere within.
Cainneach had always been a light sleeper, or at least as far back as he could remember into the days since he'd fled his home. Salt, roused from his slumber and growling was more than enough to wake the forester. Unsure what lay beyond the door, be it friend or foe, he fumbles about to grab a dagger and his pouch while trying to keep the hound calm and quiet. In addition, Cainneach sticks a leg out into the darkness, trying to reach Thatch and quietly wake him. Undoubtedly he cuts a ridiculous figure at this point, but there are only so many limbs to go around.
From his pouch he draws a candle and attempts to light it before the would be interloper enters. Hopefully the dim light will thread the needle of preserving his dark vision and forcing his eyes to adjust to whatever additional light would be shed into the room when the door opens. Or even better, maybe it would be a friendly face, although he thinks that even Famh wouldn't be so bold as to come calling in the middle of the night for no pressing reason.
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POST RECREATED ON ACCOUNT OF FUMBLEFINGEREDLY HITTING 'DELETE' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'EDIT'; 'EDIT' WHEN I MEANT TO HIT 'no, i don't want to delete the b ... oops, that was YES. oH ,,, UM, ANYWAY ITS BEEN A LONG DAY ... FORTUNATELY I PRETTY MUCH REMEMBER WHAT I WROTE ...
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After a moment spent alternately blinking and stretching open her e'en to acclimate them to the shadowy firelight of the hall, Famh drifts to a point where she can see out the main doors while still keeping one e'e on the group by the fire. Her steps are still stealthy, but now she affects the manner of one who is simply being polite and doesn't wish to wake the hardworking men-at-arms about her at such an unGatanadeically early hour of the morn.
As she moves, she takes note of whether there are any other routes of ingress or egress the ghost could use to reach those men. If she doesn't see any cause for alarm through the doors or any of the other openings within her view, (Perception 8) she finishes her perambulations by walking quietly back in again towards the fire. If anyone should seem curious what she is about, she will pretend she was thinking about going out to wash her face before deciding the hour was simply too cold. She even gives an artfully timed little shiver as she draws near to the central hearth. Looking about her as if for the first time, she 'notices' that Keenlen is awake and turns towards him. "Och, whit a cauld grey dawn it is risin' oot thare. Sometimes I think instead o' midnicht more chost stories shoud be set i' the early morn." If he does not react badly to her bringing up the topic obliquely in this way, she goes on while keeping the faerie-sharpened part of her senses more aware of her general surroundings than a mortal might expect, "The chat aboot Marrowglen says ye micht ken some such stories o' yer own experience. Ye needna fear tae tell me, I believe aw thae such tales, and I love tae hear thaim." (Persuasion 7 to get Keenlen to open up about what he's seen)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
GM: Vardi went to the door of the mens room she was about to knock when Salt alerted to her presence with a sudden soft growl from somewhere within.
Vardi silently grins to find herself so quickly corrected on just who has the swiftest means to wake Cainnech, reasoning that if the hound is hale enough to growl in warning then likely so are the men within. Realizing that perhaps she is wasting time, the Lyften Lass gently taps the door with a knuckle and offers in gentle reassurance "If yer so alert a faithful hound Salt, then surely ye scent tha difference twixt strange and known folk?"
OOC: Vardi pushes the door, gently. If it doesn't open, or she hears no further response from within, she pushes it less gently.
A tall figure in a grey gambeson and carrying a lit lantern in hand, whispers in inquiry from the doorway "If any of ye be awake, now would be a good time ta get yer dancing gear on quick. Call me over-cautious, but I reckon Famh could use more than just me and her ta keep one eye on three haunted men and tha other out fer trouble if it happens. Be best ta carry fire wit' ye too, for whatever it be at work, they certainly love tha cold..."
Vardi looks to Ori and adds "Where's Ser quartered? Someone should warn him, just in case there is more ta this than we can yet see, aye?"
Thatch turns and grumbles at Cainneach’s kick, but goes silent at the knock on the door. He tumbles out of bed and grabs his blade as the door pushes open. He breathes a quick sigh of relief as he recognizes Vardi and lowers his shortsword and starts pulling on his boots. “What are you going on about? Is something happening, is Famh out hunting trouble? What happened to waiting til morning?” Thatch buckles up his leathers and belts on his sword, ready to follow Vardi out in the hall.
(Ori continues to saw logs from his bed with a arm hanging off one side and a leg from the other)
Thatch: “What are you going on about? Is something happening, is Famh out hunting trouble? What happened to waiting til morning?”
Vardi enters, hunches down in an unthreatening stance and replies quietly "If I knew better myself, Thatch, I would tell ye clearer. Nothing yet, if we're lucky. Yes, she is, off ta keep an eye on tha lordlings, but ye can lay tha blame fer that on me fer putting tha thought in her head, nae her..." in rapid succession, then looks both grim yet somehow apologetic as she asks "When did the other two lordly lads meet their untimely ends?" of him. She swiftly answers her own inquiry with a pragmatic but frantic reply of "Nae in tha light o'day, but by night. Morning is when they discover tha bodies, aye?"
The shieldmaid intent on her explanation to Thatch remains unaware as a stealthy Skoggi drifts past Ori's bed, his majestic tail brushing past the sleeping sarge's bootless foot once, then again, as the curious cat pounces repeatedly at a whisp of straw, going round and round the leg of the bed, each circuit bringing a tickling tail with it...
"Wha'ere be behind tha deaths hunts in tha cold and dark hours, so if we're ta hunt them down, so must we. If I'm wrong, ye can yell at me later over it. Just help me now!" the Lyften lass concludes.
Cainneach's keen ears recognize Vardi's voice and he relaxes somewhat, which allows him to more smoothly proceed with the lighting of his little candle. He's glad to have done it as even its dim flame helps to soften the immediate effect of the intrusive blaze of Vardi's lantern. While shielding his eyes for a few moments, the forester grunts in response to Vardi's initial entreaty and then to her response to Thatch's reply, struggling to come up with cogent counter to the warrior woman's plea. He does manage to spit out, "Almeric's just two doors down on the right ...", before his situation devolves into a mess of assembling his absolutely necessary gear while keeping Salt from losing his canine mind while chasing Skoggi about the room.
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Ori's foot twitches at the touch of the tail brushing past. After the 3rd pass of the cat Ori half giggles in his sleep and rolls over, picking the leg up over the onto the bed, almost rolling himself off the other side. As he rolls over he mumbles, "Stop it Griss, you know what that leads too...zzZZzz." He continues snoring, slightly less loud now. (Ori is out pretty hard, he can be brought to but someone will have to purposely disturb him). As he rolls over it can be seen that he is sleeping with some sort of pouch and a hand axe strapped on his back. His armor and spike greatclub are hap hazzardly place acrossed the room but clearly he isn't as unprepared sleeping as he makes it appear.
Keenlen took a long time watching Famh and she could almost feel him turning her words about in his crop like some gaunt, gray owl before he spat the bones of them out into the air, " Aye, I bet ye would at that."
His eyes ran over the sleeping lads and the snoring form further along, " You were gone when tuthers died. I'd like your thoughts on them.......good riddance or a terrible tragedy?", his eyes narrowed and met hers....then he nodded seemingly satisfied. ( 10)
" This is not what you seek.....but you know the Feolagan? A small mouse-like fairy that can paralyse sheep by walking across the animal's back? Tis said the sheep would die unless the Feolagan was forced retrace its steps, or, if many sheep were affected, by capturing the Feolagan in a jar filled with salt and using the grains to cure the sheep."
" But ye wanted ghaist, no? Not far from here, cross the moors is an abandoned broch....tumbled long ago....a family lived there once. A husband, a wife and three sons......now one day when the husband returned home from cutting peat he saw his wife standing at the door looking out at the old standing stones upon the ridge and he asked her what she was about and she said she'd not meant to come here. He thought her strange but she seemed to snap out of it and come good almost immediately so he thought nothing more on it. The next day he returned and she told him one of their sons had fallen into a deep hole, the man was distraught and she comforted him telling him the lad was in a better place."
" The next day he returned and she was again staring at the hill wistfully, he asked where the other sons were and she said inside....but only one was there and he was struck dumb with fear. He asked her again where their son was and she said inside......the man was deeply troubled and thought her mad with grief. He did not go peat cutting the next day but stayed at his remaining sons side, his wife confined herself to her cot and didn't move."
" The man saw a sudden wan light appear on the hill, he ran outside to see what it was and saw a large dark shape stepping about the standing stones upon the hill.....he ran inside to tell his wife but was left aghast when he opened the door, his wife was upright and her body was stretched and too-long in limb and neck to be anything human. Above her dangled his remaining son, her mouth distended incredibly wide and the boy was gulped down in a moment....."
" The wife turned towards the man and smiled too wide a smile, " Now they are all inside. I did not mean to come here......Thankyou for your hospitality." Then she stretched all the way up to the ceiling and crawled out onto the roof of the broch.......legs and arms stretched to impossible lengths and in a moment she was atop the hill dancing about the standing stone with the other figure....and then the light vanished and they were gone."
" All alone the man went a bawled himself to sleep."
" When he woke in the morning there was a knock at the door and when he opened it his wife and three sons stood there looking hale and hearty. They smiled at him, with rosy cheeks and shining teeth and flat black eyes......and he loved them.....he knew they were not his but one makes do..."
Cainneach: "Almeric's just two doors down on the right ..."
Vardi nods in thanks to Cainneach, but is distracted by Ori's murmuring in slumber and turns around as he rolls over, and as Skoggi flicks the straw out from under the bed towards the door.
"My daft lad, this is nae time ta be clutchin' at straws!" she sighs as Skoggi pursues it swiftly up to the exit, then rather more respectfully "Indeed, a dangerous man ta wake, but that's nae ill thing in man nor beast..." as she reaches cautiously, ready to snatch back her hand as if from a grumpy feline's claws, to shake Ori gently by the uppermost shoulder.
"Ori, wake up!" Vardi whispers urgently "Need ta head trouble off afore it happens, aye? Need yer head fer seeing it off afore it starts too, Sarge!"
Ori doesn't jump at being disturbed or really move much at all outside of his hand stealthfully moving behind him where the handaxe was kept. "What in bloody hell are you going on about? Why the hell are you all dressed for battle? Are they frozen already." Becoming more aware of and shaking off the sleepy feeling. "Awe hell, when we are all awake and I suggest we get started you all said you want rest first, I go to sleep now you you want to get going. Sir Almeric said get your rest and be 100% in the morning, by the groups recommendation, fully aware of risks to these fellas and such. Short of someone's life in confirmed danger or already dead I suggest all of you park your backsides back in your beds and be bright eyed and bushy tailed when I come calling in the morning. Based on Sir Almeric's willingness to go off on his own, he doesn't require a standing guard to his door but that would be about the only excuse he might except to not being at peak performance by morning. Am I clear?"
Ori rolles over in his bed, yanking up the blanket up to shoulder as he faced away the others. Ori wasn't necessarily against getting started investing had it been the plan but he was a bit annoyed that his suggestion was shot down earlier and now changing plans on the fly. He did leave the door open if the rest wanted to continue on and have a reasonable reasoning if givin' to Almeric. Ori had the feeling Almeric would pass this on to the group as he does his own work again and Ori wanted to be on his top game for that, expecally if others are not. Of course how could Ori watch out for the those wandering off out there on thier own, he can't protect their backs from bed and they are essentially going out looking for trouble. Ori sighs, knowing he couldn't live with himself if something happened to his team while he slept. He throws his blankets back down as he says forcefully, "Well bring me my damned club, and Vardi, help me with getting that tin chest protector back on."
Famh looks carefully at the man she is speaking with, wondering what his feelings on the subject are. (Insight roll in log = 17). This Keenlen was clearly sharper than the men she'd met out on the road, as befitted his age and experience; she'd seen that appraising look in Sir Almeric's eyes often enough to have some idea of the wheels turning silently behind its expressionless grey surface. After taking a moment to consider, she replies in a lowered voice, "'I'm no sure its as simple as thon. I suspect they're guilty o' an ill deit the law canna touch thaim for; an as far as thon gaes I suppose its strict justice." She glances over at the sleeping lads to make sure none of them overheard her in their sleep. "But I also know some of thaim were beginnin' tae repent; an as a guid friend o; mine pointit oot a little bit ago, the Guid Book says ane e'e for an e'e, no twa or three. And na ane deserves such a terrible death as thon."
A seasoned Thulish shepherdess like Famh hasn't known the story of the Feolagan for more than eighteen or nineteen centuries, of course (Arcana roll in log - nat 20!), but she smiles and nods with polite interest in any case as a train of thought is triggered in her mind by Keenlen's retelling of the reputed cure for that faerie's curse. She wonders if something about the present ghaist's touch could be somehow "retraced" to save one of its victims if one were quick enough.
The story of the serpent woman in the broch, on the other hand, is entirely new to Famh; though some of its elements are similar to tales of water serpents and kelpies that she is familiar with. And the ending certainly is a surprise that leaves her almost speechless for a moment. After exclaiming in admiration at the tale, she thinks it over briefly before nodding and saying, "I suppose thare wis naucht else for him tae dae" . She sighs, then looks about her once more while adding in a quieter voice, "And I dinnae suppose the chaist hauntin' us now will brin the ones she's taken back..."
=========
Perception for any signs of approaching trouble, looking first at the young men and then around the perimeter of the hall 1
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
( Famh sees nothing whatsoever.........she does get the distinct impression Keenlen would as soon drown the remaining two youngsters as watch them.....he seems very much over watching conscripts as a duty.)
Ori: "What in bloody hell are you going on about? Why the hell are you all dressed for battle? Are they frozen already."
"Heading off trouble afore it happens..." Vardi says rapidly "Expecting a lethal outbreak o'frostbite afore dawn, that's why." then shrugs as she confesses in honesty "Nae idea fer sure, Famh went ta check on tha lads still left after asking me wha ta do bout it." then shuts up, aware she's already said too much for comfort.
Ori: "Awe hell, when we are all awake and I suggest we get started you all said you want rest first, I go to sleep now you you want to get going. Sir Almeric said get your rest and be 100% in the morning, by the groups recommendation, fully aware of risks to these fellas and such. Short of someone's life in confirmed danger or already dead I suggest all of you park your backsides back in your beds and be bright eyed and bushy tailed when I come calling in the morning. Based on Sir Almeric's willingness to go off on his own, he doesn't require a standing guard to his door but that would be about the only excuse he might except to not being at peak performance by morning. Am I clear?"
The Joturn-kin's face falls faster than night as she murmurs "As crystal, Ser." to Ori's back, and turns away herself to go find Famh before any further scorched ears or frozen bodies occur.
Ori: "Well bring me my damned club, and Vardi, help me with getting that tin chest protector back on."
Having already reached the door, a slightly surprised Vardi blinks, then crosses the room in but two strides as she grins and replies "Tha' I will, and gladly. Tha quicker yer ready, tha faster we can help Famh..."
She corrects herself as she adds in fairness while assisting him into his armour "...If she needs our help, tha' is. Still, I'd rather look daft fer being wrong than daft and downcast fer being right and nae doing something about it. Can nae go rushing in wi'out a swift scout on tha' quiet first, aye?"
As Keenlen does not seem to react to her feeler about Morag in any way her admittedly sleepy e'en can perceive, Famh continues on as if the subject hadn't been of any particular interest to her. "Well, they say ane guid chaist story is best repaid wi' another. I remember ane we telt i' the pasturelands around Brymstone whan I were a lass... aboot a sea cave juist north o 'the Nine Barrows Downs, betwixt thaim an the Laird's city proper.
" 'Twas aye said among us thon this cave ha' been a resort o the Aos Sidhe syne ancient days. An' the tunnels are known tae wind for miles inland: gin ye put yer ear tae a stone i' the ground juist bi the crossroads near Scalcombe, sometimes ye can hear the most lovely music. But its' the eeriest ye iver heard, an' sae it wis aye said thon these were the pipers o' the faerie host. None darit tae inquire any further, or tae challenge their power, until the times o' Laird Erek's grandsire. Thare were a piper o' Galburn bi the name o' Iain MacGraw, an he wis held tae be the best piper i the north o' Thuland. He wis e'en callit once tae pipe at a feast yer Duke's grandsire held, an thon provit tae be his downfall.
"No at the feast, na. Thare, he playit tae the utmost o his soul, an he pleasit the Duke sae... a hearty an generous man like his grandson after him... thon he wis rewardit wi' aw thon he coud hold o meat an drink, an' a firkin o the Duke's best mead tae tak wi' him on the road. Well, he saw the bottom o' thon firkin barrel aboot the time he reachit hame an wis hailit as a hero once mair in all the taverns. It wis juist at the openin' blink o' midnicht thon the piper rose, fou o pride an usquebauch, an declarit he wis the best piper thon haed iver been upon heaven or in yird (he wis gettin' a wee bit mixit i his metaphors aboot then, ye see... ) "and e'en the pipers o' the faerie queen must give me place, for niver have they heard a braver tune than this!" an while his neichbors stood achast at his bold boast he strode forth for the cave mouth bi the shore, his wee broon spaniel dug wha haed been the faithful companion o aw his days at his heels; an he plungit intae the darkness wi his pipes boldly skirlin forth, 'The Nameless Tune'.
"The neichbors stood on the shore i' dismay as the west darkenit an the brave music slowly recedit intae the echoin' depths. It wis no long before the notes stoppit on a sudden, wi' a terrible eldritch screech thon drove aw the watchers tae flicht but ane. He tremblingly remainit where he coud juist see the dark cave mouth, hopin' against hope the piper micht emerge, but aw thon came slinkin forth, after whit seemit eternities o waiting, wis a lank whimperin four-leggit scarecrow. It wis the poor spaniel, but ivery hair on its body wis gone.
"An yet thon is no quite the last thon wis heard o' Iain MacGraw. A year later, on the eve o' Samhaintide, twa boumen from Scalcombe were returnin from market late ane evenin whan ane pausit bi the old crossroads i' amaze. 'Listen!', he cried, an pointit towards the piercit stone. An' as his partner stood wi' the chill mists o' the Cailleach turnin' his bluid tae ice, he heard the skirlin' rin o 'The Nameless Tune' playit frantic an wild, an the voice o the piper chantin i' a dull tone as o' ane nine parts asleep,
As she ends her tale, the willowy Thulish sorceress artfully stretches and yawns. "I wonder whit time it is bi the moon. The licht's sae dim oot thare, it feels like thare's hours yet till dawn. I'll be richt back." Walking quickly the outer doors, she peers out, wondering privately whether she's following a corbie or a wild goose. She takes a route that keeps her as close to the suspects as possible, and returns promptly to rejoin Keenlen in his vigil over them if she doesn't see anything to be alarmed at in the courtyard. As she passes by the young men again on her way back, she glances them over to make sure they are all right.
=========
Performance (how enthralling a teller of chaist stories is our Famh?) 8
Perception (after rubbing the sleep out of her e'en, does she spot any signs of danger?) 9
Medicine (any obvious signs of death by freezing, lack of breath, etc etc?) 6
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1