"Oh, your welcome!" Lucian says, smiling. "I'm glad I can be useful. It's no trouble, really." He laughs, "Wait? Really? People thought they could make a contract with you?" He shakes his head, then says slowly, "I've never really understood why people are so quick to judge by appearance. Someone could be the most beautiful person in the world and still be a monster on the inside. ...even the most ordinary person could be a monster. It doesn't matter what they look like." He looks down at the ground, and crosses his arms...hugging himself a little. "I don't think you look like a monster. I think Eithne was right, you've got the soul of an Angel."
He goes quiet for a moment, still holding his arms as if sheltering himself from something. Looking up, he stares off into the distance, his white hair blowing gently as he walks. He should tell them... they have a right to know. He should have said something before they left, but how was he supposed to say it? Now that they've left...what will they think if he tells them now? Yet...if he waits... He blinks, an image of bodies flashing before his eyes. No, he can't let that happen... He glances at Chara as if to say something more, but finds he can't muster the courage, and his gaze sinks back towards the ground.
"Well, it only actually happened once," Chara says with a giggle. "I met a bard at a crossroads who tried to sell his soul in order to become the realm's greatest mandolin player... I'll never forget the look on his face when I told him that I don't even know how to play the mandolin. Sometimes I wonder what happened to him; I just hope that what I told him was enough to dissuade him from making the same mistake my father did..."
Chara looks at Lucian and notices the troubled look in his eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asks, putting a hand on the elf's arm gently.
Lucian offers a smile when Chara speaks of this mandolin player, but hesitates before speaking...
"Uh... yeah, I'm alright... I just,"He lets out a long breath, "I should have told you all earlier. I just don't know..." He shakes his head, "I don't want any of you to be afraid of me." His right hand moves to the pocket watch hanging from his neck, he grips it tightly. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." He squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself to continue but still finding himself at a loss for words. Stupid. Now what will she think of him?
Lucian offers a smile when Chara speaks of this mandolin player, but hesitates before speaking...
"Uh... yeah, I'm alright... I just,"He lets out a long breath, "I should have told you all earlier. I just don't know..." He shakes his head, "I don't want any of you to be afraid of me." His right hand moves to the pocket watch hanging from his neck, he grips it tightly. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." He squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself to continue but still finding himself at a loss for words. Stupid. Now what will she think of him?
Chara stops. This elf seriously thinks that she could be scared of him?
"You're talking to a literal demon!" Chara says in surprise. "I... I can't really imagine anything you could tell me that would really scare me. If it helps, I can tell you where I come from... I wasn't born in the Nine Hells; both my father and mother were human. But my father sold his soul and his unborn daughter to one of the princes of the Nine Hells... and here I am now. My mother abandoned me as soon as she saw that she had given birth to a devil, and my father had no idea how to raise a child, devil or otherwise. He spent most of his time bartering with monsters that I still sometimes see in my nightmares for any scrap of arcane knowledge that he could coax out of them."
Chara goes quiet... and her eyes glisten with moisture as painful memories come flooding to the surface.
"And, I miss him," she whispers. "In spite of everything he did... I know how much he loved me, even if he wasn't very good at showing it."
She tries and fails to swallow the lump in her throat.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Onika smiles at Lucian and Chara’s discussion, she herself feeling quite at home amongst these other “monsters.”
She’s content out in this space beyond city walls, but she is alert as it is relatively new territory for her. He eye is quickly drawn to the individual in the bushes. Onika leans over to the others, nudging Eithne and discreetly gesturing to the hidden figure. She then rakes her fingers through her hair, drawing some multi-color light from it, which she fiddles with in her hand for a moment, giving Eithne a moment to grasp the situation and the others a moment to catch on before she flicks the light forward. It lands in the middle of the road where the figure was hidden, ideally reaching both sides of the road (if it can’t reach both sides, then it is centered on the figure that was hiding).
All creatures in the area must succeed on a (DC 14) Dexterity save or be outlined in starlight.
Eithne, busy on her shift pushing the cart, begins to feel a tinge of envy for Chara and Lucian. Memories. They have memories. They have no points in their life before which there is darkness. Some memories are sad, others happy, others funny... but at least they are there.
'Chara remembers her father. She misses it. I don't know if I would miss a father like that... but that's not the point. The point is, I don't even remember my father. Or I remember too many fathers at times. Too many, too different and they don't call me by my name. It must be the memories of the voices. They have memories. And they are almost all horrible, by the way. Perhaps, on second thought' concludes the last of the dusk elf maidens 'I should be grateful that the oldest clear memory I have is simply me standing in a deserted clearing, finding that I have pigeon shit on my head and a hundred thousand voices inside'.
Onika nudging her and discreetly gesturing to the hidden figure brings the savage stranger back to the present. A hidden dude aiming a crossbow usually has no good intentions.
In a flash Eithne stops pushing the cart, sprints at the lurking figure, performing a fluid somersault to make herself a more difficult target (she expects to have to dodge a crossbow bolt at any moment!) and grabs her greataxe as it reaches him.
Towering over him, with the heavy blade raised menacingly and ready to drop it on the victim, the savage stranger says to him: "Hi mate! Sorry, forgive the curiosity... But who are you? And with which of us you wanted to practice shooting target? Now... since, as you can see, I refrained from taking your head off your neck... why don't you lower the crossbow and tell us what you are doing here?"
Lenn helps getting the load up the cart and takes the first shift pulling it. When Eithne takes it from him he walks a little bit upfront of her. He has sensed that she is not quite comfortable around him and tries to give her space so she felt better.
He overhears the chat between Chara and Lucian and ponders if he should tell them. He fears, not only that they were afraid of what he is, but he fears that they think his... connection to the monster make doubt his resolution to kill it. Perhaps reveal his nature but not his origin? No way. Everyone in Barovia capable of see the tip of their nose would add up things.
Then Onika nudges Eithne and she stops the cart. He carefully draws his greatsword and looks around. Eithne jump caught him by surprise and he cannot help but jump a little bit on his feet, but he is ready to backup her.
Before finding a corner to meditate in, he hesitantly approaches Nicolai, "Um... If you don't mind, I wanted to ask... you're half dusk elf right? I hope that doesn't sound rude...sorry. I just... well, I was wondering if you are from Vallaki? If not...or even if you are... uh..." He hesitates, "Well, I was wondering if you have met any of the dusk elves outside of Vallaki? I've tried to contact them but...they've made it pretty clear that they don't want anything to do with me and I don't know why." He sighs, hoping he isn't intruding, but also hoping he can get some answers. Even here in town he'd had little contact with other dusk elves, and Nicolai is the first half-elf he's ever had the opportunity to speak to.
(Before the long rest...)
Nikolai smiles warmly at Lucian. "Yes, my father was a dusk elf, although I never knew him. My mother was human, a Vistani. Strahd killed or imprisoned my father when I was very young, and I mostly grew up around humans, but I have been among the elves as well. As to why you are not welcomed, I have no idea. I will say that the elves have mostly lost any joy or hope in life, much like the rest of Barovia. Their race is diminishing through attrition, they cannot have children, and they tend to regard outsiders with suspicion. I am not particularly welcome among them, as my father obviously did have a child, albeit a forbidden one."
Before finding a corner to meditate in, he hesitantly approaches Nicolai, "Um... If you don't mind, I wanted to ask... you're half dusk elf right? I hope that doesn't sound rude...sorry. I just... well, I was wondering if you are from Vallaki? If not...or even if you are... uh..." He hesitates, "Well, I was wondering if you have met any of the dusk elves outside of Vallaki? I've tried to contact them but...they've made it pretty clear that they don't want anything to do with me and I don't know why." He sighs, hoping he isn't intruding, but also hoping he can get some answers. Even here in town he'd had little contact with other dusk elves, and Nicolai is the first half-elf he's ever had the opportunity to speak to.
(Before the long rest...)
Nikolai smiles warmly at Lucian. "Yes, my father was a dusk elf, although I never knew him. My mother was human, a Vistani. Strahd killed or imprisoned my father when I was very young, and I mostly grew up around humans, but I have been among the elves as well. As to why you are not welcomed, I have no idea. I will say that the elves have mostly lost any joy or hope in life, much like the rest of Barovia. Their race is diminishing through attrition, they cannot have children, and they tend to regard outsiders with suspicion. I am not particularly welcome among them, as my father obviously did have a child, albeit a forbidden one."
Lucian frowns, a little confused, "They...can't have children... Oh, sometimes I forget that all the women were..." He shakes his head, "I honestly have no idea who my parents are...or were... I've always thought of myself as a Dusk Elf, but...unless my mother somehow survived the slaughter, I don't know how I can be." He sighs, "I'm, sorry they don't welcome you either. I guess we're in the same boat there..." He offers a smile, at least he knows he's not the only one. "Thanks anyways."He leaves, wondering if the elves might have known who his parents were...was that why they didn't want anything to do with him?
Chara stops. This elf seriously thinks that she could be scared of him?
"You're talking to a literal demon!" Chara says in surprise. "I... I can't really imagine anything you could tell me that would really scare me. If it helps, I can tell you where I come from... I wasn't born in the Nine Hells; both my father and mother were human. But my father sold his soul and his unborn daughter to one of the princes of the Nine Hells... and here I am now. My mother abandoned me as soon as she saw that she had given birth to a devil, and my father had no idea how to raise a child, devil or otherwise. He spent most of his time bartering with monsters that I still sometimes see in my nightmares for any scrap of arcane knowledge that he could coax out of them."
Chara goes quiet... and her eyes glisten with moisture as painful memories come flooding to the surface.
"And, I miss him," she whispers. "In spite of everything he did... I know how much he loved me, even if he wasn't very good at showing it."
She tries and fails to swallow the lump in her throat.
He listens quietly as she tells him of her childhood. He smiles just a little at her confusion as to why she would be afraid of him...she has no idea...
She is lucky, to remember her parents. If only he could remember the faces of his own.
"I'm sorry about your father," he says slowly, hesitantly moving his hand to where her's is resting on his arm. "And your mother too... I understand that pain. I was left alone as soon as I could take care of myself. You'd think I would remember my parents, but I don't. All I have left of them is this watch and a note..."
He grits his teeth, knowing he needs to just get the blasted truth out. Why is it so difficult? Perhaps it is because the last person who knew about it was his mentor, Vilmar. And...Vilmar is dead. Still, he needs to tell her, all of his companions have a right to know just what kind of monster they are traveling with.
His green eyes show a glint of fear and self loathing as he looks at Chara, "You might look like a devil Chara, but you are no monster. As for me... I... you should know that... well... I'm a... I'm a were..." His words are cut short as Eithne and Onika reveal the man with the crossbow. Lucian's first instinct is to duck behind one of the bushes...find cover somewhere...but Eithne was already blocking the crossbow, so he didn't really need to get clear of it.
He finds himself shaking, not from the thought that he could have been shot if Onika and Eithne hadn't acted quickly, but because he had almost revealed his worst secret...and it very well could have been given away for him, had the crossbow bolt found him as its target.
Hesitantly, he glances back at Chara. His voice is so low it is almost inaudible, as if the words don't want to leave his mouth, as if they were being sucked away by the wind as he spoke. "I'm a werewolf."
There, the secret was out. Now he'd have to see that look of terror he knows all to well. Yet part of him feels better, at least if the beast comes out it won't come as a surprise.
Chara spins to face the crossbow-wielding assassin, hand out ready to deliver an Eldritch Blast to defend herself and her party... but Eithne seems to have the situation covered. Chara lets the magic fade... though she does prepare to use Healing Light should the assassin be bold (and foolish) enough to shoot Eithne at point-blank range.
As she does all that, Lucian's words reach her ear, and she freezes. She looks... confused. A werewolf? The revelation raises a million questions. Can he control the beast within? Will the party have to lock him up or bind him every time the moon is full? She's not exactly afraid, per se... after all, her father regularly summoned things much worse than that into their living room. But she immediately realizes that this could make things a LOT more complicated.
"Thank you for telling me," she says gently, trying to process the new turn of events while keeping a wary eye on the would-be assailant. "Lucian, you're a good man, no matter the hand you've been dealt... I think we have a lot we're going to need to talk about, though. But for right now, let's go meet our new 'friend' in the bushes."
Lucian swallows, nodding at Chara's words...at least she didn't seem angry. Hopefully the rest of the party would be willing to hear him out too.
"Yeah," he nearly chokes on the word, but forces it out anyways. Still quivering, he readies himself for a fight. Doing his best to breath deeply, to calm himself, now wasn't the time to worry. He wasn't about to lose control. He doesn't need to worry unless fighting breaks out. For now he just needs to focus on the situation at hand.
Letting out a breath, he prepares to dash around Eithne to block off the crossbowman's retreat.
(If we don't need initiative yet, Lucian will run around to block off the guy's retreat, coming up behind him. If you wan't initiative before that I'll wait.)
Chara cautiously approaches the crossbowman as well, staying a little bit behind Eithne and ready to provide either firepower or healing, as the situation warrants.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
The crossbowman sighs. He says, "I am Pietrovich, scout for Vallaki guard. I am with Hornbuckle, my partner, in woods over there." He points and you can now make out a second crossbowman well concealed in the woods across the road. "We have not shot you either, so no need for threats, yes? We are in woods today looking for remains of missing girl. You want to help? Great. If not, you are welcome to continue journey."
"A child is lost in these woods?" Chara gasps, her demeanor immediately changing form suspicious to horrified.
The thought of a little girl, scared and alone in the forest full of ravenous wolves and possibly even worse horrors makes the she-devil physically ill. She looks around at her companions, her expression pleading silently. Her new companions wouldn't turn their backs on a lost child in mortal danger, would they?
There's a part of her that knows she's being irrational. This man could still be an assassin, lying through his teeth to save his own skin because he was caught... but the chance that a child could actually be stranded out there completely overshadows the potential danger, at least in her mind.
"The first threat seems to me to have come from someone who was pointing a crossbow at us while he was hidden..." Eithne points out "but okay, no more threats is fine by me. What's the girl's name? What does she look like? Where was she seen last (or where she was headed) before disappearing? I can hanlde myself a bit at looking for tracks..."
While still waiting for answers, the savage stranger has put back her weapon already and has already bent over the ground, her azure eyes examining it for traces of recent passage.
Pietrovich says, "Family is chopping wood, back there," he gestures behind himself with his neck, "yesterday. Girl disappears, but there is blood, understand? Probably wolf took her. So, we track wolf. It comes to road around here, leaves road over there, " he nods toward Hornbuckle, who waves, "We were going to follow when we heard you coming. You can come, but don't spook the wolf. We must put it down."With this, he finally lowers his weapon, a little bit.
Eithne:
Looking, you can easily find the tracks of a few wolves (3 or 4) crossing the road in the last day. Looking closer, you see a few drops of blood.
Eithen shows Pietrovich, Hornbuckle and anyone of her companions who are interested what she has discovered.
Noticing how much the she-devil is worried, the last of the dusk elf maidens tries to reassure her: "We will do everything we can, Chara. Nobody could ask for more".
Pietrovich's voice that recommends 'don't spook the wolf. We must put it down' mixes in her mind with many others: 'A little girl ... I also had one! Find her Eithne! ' 'So we delay the end of the devil Stradh! There is blood! The baby is already dead! The book is more important! ' 'No! A little girl doesn't deserve to lie rotting like a carrion ... Find her Eithne! It will not take long!'
The savage stranger gives a single nod, which is meant for Pietrovich as well as for the Voices, then she tries to follow the trail, weapon ready again, cautious and silent.
"Oh, your welcome!" Lucian says, smiling. "I'm glad I can be useful. It's no trouble, really." He laughs, "Wait? Really? People thought they could make a contract with you?" He shakes his head, then says slowly, "I've never really understood why people are so quick to judge by appearance. Someone could be the most beautiful person in the world and still be a monster on the inside. ...even the most ordinary person could be a monster. It doesn't matter what they look like." He looks down at the ground, and crosses his arms...hugging himself a little. "I don't think you look like a monster. I think Eithne was right, you've got the soul of an Angel."
He goes quiet for a moment, still holding his arms as if sheltering himself from something. Looking up, he stares off into the distance, his white hair blowing gently as he walks. He should tell them... they have a right to know. He should have said something before they left, but how was he supposed to say it? Now that they've left...what will they think if he tells them now? Yet...if he waits... He blinks, an image of bodies flashing before his eyes. No, he can't let that happen... He glances at Chara as if to say something more, but finds he can't muster the courage, and his gaze sinks back towards the ground.
"Well, it only actually happened once," Chara says with a giggle. "I met a bard at a crossroads who tried to sell his soul in order to become the realm's greatest mandolin player... I'll never forget the look on his face when I told him that I don't even know how to play the mandolin. Sometimes I wonder what happened to him; I just hope that what I told him was enough to dissuade him from making the same mistake my father did..."
Chara looks at Lucian and notices the troubled look in his eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asks, putting a hand on the elf's arm gently.
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Lucian offers a smile when Chara speaks of this mandolin player, but hesitates before speaking...
"Uh... yeah, I'm alright... I just," He lets out a long breath, "I should have told you all earlier. I just don't know..." He shakes his head, "I don't want any of you to be afraid of me." His right hand moves to the pocket watch hanging from his neck, he grips it tightly. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." He squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself to continue but still finding himself at a loss for words. Stupid. Now what will she think of him?
Lucian offers a smile when Chara speaks of this mandolin player, but hesitates before speaking...
"Uh... yeah, I'm alright... I just," He lets out a long breath, "I should have told you all earlier. I just don't know..." He shakes his head, "I don't want any of you to be afraid of me." His right hand moves to the pocket watch hanging from his neck, he grips it tightly. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." He squeezes his eyes shut, willing himself to continue but still finding himself at a loss for words. Stupid. Now what will she think of him?
Chara stops. This elf seriously thinks that she could be scared of him?
"You're talking to a literal demon!" Chara says in surprise. "I... I can't really imagine anything you could tell me that would really scare me. If it helps, I can tell you where I come from... I wasn't born in the Nine Hells; both my father and mother were human. But my father sold his soul and his unborn daughter to one of the princes of the Nine Hells... and here I am now. My mother abandoned me as soon as she saw that she had given birth to a devil, and my father had no idea how to raise a child, devil or otherwise. He spent most of his time bartering with monsters that I still sometimes see in my nightmares for any scrap of arcane knowledge that he could coax out of them."
Chara goes quiet... and her eyes glisten with moisture as painful memories come flooding to the surface.
"And, I miss him," she whispers. "In spite of everything he did... I know how much he loved me, even if he wasn't very good at showing it."
She tries and fails to swallow the lump in her throat.
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Onika smiles at Lucian and Chara’s discussion, she herself feeling quite at home amongst these other “monsters.”
She’s content out in this space beyond city walls, but she is alert as it is relatively new territory for her. He eye is quickly drawn to the individual in the bushes. Onika leans over to the others, nudging Eithne and discreetly gesturing to the hidden figure. She then rakes her fingers through her hair, drawing some multi-color light from it, which she fiddles with in her hand for a moment, giving Eithne a moment to grasp the situation and the others a moment to catch on before she flicks the light forward. It lands in the middle of the road where the figure was hidden, ideally reaching both sides of the road (if it can’t reach both sides, then it is centered on the figure that was hiding).
All creatures in the area must succeed on a (DC 14) Dexterity save or be outlined in starlight.
Eithne, busy on her shift pushing the cart, begins to feel a tinge of envy for Chara and Lucian. Memories. They have memories. They have no points in their life before which there is darkness. Some memories are sad, others happy, others funny... but at least they are there.
'Chara remembers her father. She misses it. I don't know if I would miss a father like that... but that's not the point. The point is, I don't even remember my father. Or I remember too many fathers at times. Too many, too different and they don't call me by my name. It must be the memories of the voices. They have memories. And they are almost all horrible, by the way. Perhaps, on second thought' concludes the last of the dusk elf maidens 'I should be grateful that the oldest clear memory I have is simply me standing in a deserted clearing, finding that I have pigeon shit on my head and a hundred thousand voices inside'.
Onika nudging her and discreetly gesturing to the hidden figure brings the savage stranger back to the present. A hidden dude aiming a crossbow usually has no good intentions.
In a flash Eithne stops pushing the cart, sprints at the lurking figure, performing a fluid somersault to make herself a more difficult target (she expects to have to dodge a crossbow bolt at any moment!) and grabs her greataxe as it reaches him.
Towering over him, with the heavy blade raised menacingly and ready to drop it on the victim, the savage stranger says to him: "Hi mate! Sorry, forgive the curiosity... But who are you? And with which of us you wanted to practice shooting target? Now... since, as you can see, I refrained from taking your head off your neck... why don't you lower the crossbow and tell us what you are doing here?"
Lenn helps getting the load up the cart and takes the first shift pulling it. When Eithne takes it from him he walks a little bit upfront of her. He has sensed that she is not quite comfortable around him and tries to give her space so she felt better.
He overhears the chat between Chara and Lucian and ponders if he should tell them. He fears, not only that they were afraid of what he is, but he fears that they think his... connection to the monster make doubt his resolution to kill it. Perhaps reveal his nature but not his origin? No way. Everyone in Barovia capable of see the tip of their nose would add up things.
Then Onika nudges Eithne and she stops the cart. He carefully draws his greatsword and looks around. Eithne jump caught him by surprise and he cannot help but jump a little bit on his feet, but he is ready to backup her.
PbP Character: A few ;)
(Before the long rest...)
Nikolai smiles warmly at Lucian. "Yes, my father was a dusk elf, although I never knew him. My mother was human, a Vistani. Strahd killed or imprisoned my father when I was very young, and I mostly grew up around humans, but I have been among the elves as well. As to why you are not welcomed, I have no idea. I will say that the elves have mostly lost any joy or hope in life, much like the rest of Barovia. Their race is diminishing through attrition, they cannot have children, and they tend to regard outsiders with suspicion. I am not particularly welcome among them, as my father obviously did have a child, albeit a forbidden one."
(would you like us to roll initiative?)
Lucian frowns, a little confused, "They...can't have children... Oh, sometimes I forget that all the women were..." He shakes his head, "I honestly have no idea who my parents are...or were... I've always thought of myself as a Dusk Elf, but...unless my mother somehow survived the slaughter, I don't know how I can be." He sighs, "I'm, sorry they don't welcome you either. I guess we're in the same boat there..." He offers a smile, at least he knows he's not the only one. "Thanks anyways." He leaves, wondering if the elves might have known who his parents were...was that why they didn't want anything to do with him?
He listens quietly as she tells him of her childhood. He smiles just a little at her confusion as to why she would be afraid of him...she has no idea...
She is lucky, to remember her parents. If only he could remember the faces of his own.
"I'm sorry about your father," he says slowly, hesitantly moving his hand to where her's is resting on his arm. "And your mother too... I understand that pain. I was left alone as soon as I could take care of myself. You'd think I would remember my parents, but I don't. All I have left of them is this watch and a note..."
He grits his teeth, knowing he needs to just get the blasted truth out. Why is it so difficult? Perhaps it is because the last person who knew about it was his mentor, Vilmar. And...Vilmar is dead. Still, he needs to tell her, all of his companions have a right to know just what kind of monster they are traveling with.
His green eyes show a glint of fear and self loathing as he looks at Chara, "You might look like a devil Chara, but you are no monster. As for me... I... you should know that... well... I'm a... I'm a were..." His words are cut short as Eithne and Onika reveal the man with the crossbow. Lucian's first instinct is to duck behind one of the bushes...find cover somewhere...but Eithne was already blocking the crossbow, so he didn't really need to get clear of it.
He finds himself shaking, not from the thought that he could have been shot if Onika and Eithne hadn't acted quickly, but because he had almost revealed his worst secret...and it very well could have been given away for him, had the crossbow bolt found him as its target.
Hesitantly, he glances back at Chara. His voice is so low it is almost inaudible, as if the words don't want to leave his mouth, as if they were being sucked away by the wind as he spoke. "I'm a werewolf."
There, the secret was out. Now he'd have to see that look of terror he knows all to well. Yet part of him feels better, at least if the beast comes out it won't come as a surprise.
Chara spins to face the crossbow-wielding assassin, hand out ready to deliver an Eldritch Blast to defend herself and her party... but Eithne seems to have the situation covered. Chara lets the magic fade... though she does prepare to use Healing Light should the assassin be bold (and foolish) enough to shoot Eithne at point-blank range.
As she does all that, Lucian's words reach her ear, and she freezes. She looks... confused. A werewolf? The revelation raises a million questions. Can he control the beast within? Will the party have to lock him up or bind him every time the moon is full? She's not exactly afraid, per se... after all, her father regularly summoned things much worse than that into their living room. But she immediately realizes that this could make things a LOT more complicated.
"Thank you for telling me," she says gently, trying to process the new turn of events while keeping a wary eye on the would-be assailant. "Lucian, you're a good man, no matter the hand you've been dealt... I think we have a lot we're going to need to talk about, though. But for right now, let's go meet our new 'friend' in the bushes."
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Lucian swallows, nodding at Chara's words...at least she didn't seem angry. Hopefully the rest of the party would be willing to hear him out too.
"Yeah," he nearly chokes on the word, but forces it out anyways. Still quivering, he readies himself for a fight. Doing his best to breath deeply, to calm himself, now wasn't the time to worry. He wasn't about to lose control. He doesn't need to worry unless fighting breaks out. For now he just needs to focus on the situation at hand.
Letting out a breath, he prepares to dash around Eithne to block off the crossbowman's retreat.
(If we don't need initiative yet, Lucian will run around to block off the guy's retreat, coming up behind him. If you wan't initiative before that I'll wait.)
Chara cautiously approaches the crossbowman as well, staying a little bit behind Eithne and ready to provide either firepower or healing, as the situation warrants.
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The crossbowman sighs. He says, "I am Pietrovich, scout for Vallaki guard. I am with Hornbuckle, my partner, in woods over there." He points and you can now make out a second crossbowman well concealed in the woods across the road. "We have not shot you either, so no need for threats, yes? We are in woods today looking for remains of missing girl. You want to help? Great. If not, you are welcome to continue journey."
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
"A child is lost in these woods?" Chara gasps, her demeanor immediately changing form suspicious to horrified.
The thought of a little girl, scared and alone in the forest full of ravenous wolves and possibly even worse horrors makes the she-devil physically ill. She looks around at her companions, her expression pleading silently. Her new companions wouldn't turn their backs on a lost child in mortal danger, would they?
There's a part of her that knows she's being irrational. This man could still be an assassin, lying through his teeth to save his own skin because he was caught... but the chance that a child could actually be stranded out there completely overshadows the potential danger, at least in her mind.
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"The first threat seems to me to have come from someone who was pointing a crossbow at us while he was hidden..." Eithne points out "but okay, no more threats is fine by me. What's the girl's name? What does she look like? Where was she seen last (or where she was headed) before disappearing? I can hanlde myself a bit at looking for tracks..."
While still waiting for answers, the savage stranger has put back her weapon already and has already bent over the ground, her azure eyes examining it for traces of recent passage.
Survival: 21
Pietrovich says, "Family is chopping wood, back there," he gestures behind himself with his neck, "yesterday. Girl disappears, but there is blood, understand? Probably wolf took her. So, we track wolf. It comes to road around here, leaves road over there, " he nods toward Hornbuckle, who waves, "We were going to follow when we heard you coming. You can come, but don't spook the wolf. We must put it down." With this, he finally lowers his weapon, a little bit.
Eithne:
Looking, you can easily find the tracks of a few wolves (3 or 4) crossing the road in the last day. Looking closer, you see a few drops of blood.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
Eithen shows Pietrovich, Hornbuckle and anyone of her companions who are interested what she has discovered.
Noticing how much the she-devil is worried, the last of the dusk elf maidens tries to reassure her: "We will do everything we can, Chara. Nobody could ask for more".
Pietrovich's voice that recommends 'don't spook the wolf. We must put it down' mixes in her mind with many others:
'A little girl ... I also had one! Find her Eithne! '
'So we delay the end of the devil Stradh! There is blood! The baby is already dead! The book is more important! '
'No! A little girl doesn't deserve to lie rotting like a carrion ... Find her Eithne! It will not take long!'
The savage stranger gives a single nod, which is meant for Pietrovich as well as for the Voices, then she tries to follow the trail, weapon ready again, cautious and silent.