Vice looks at Emma incredulously, as if he doesn't believe what he's hearing. His grey eyes widen, then he sighs and looks over at Star. "How about you," he asks, "got anything encouraging to say?" He urgently looks towards the wolves that are rapidly approaching, doesn't want to slow down any longer as he picks up speed again.
Juniper is searches for Stanimir but fails to see him with the rest of the Vistani. However, it is clear that she is going to soon lead the wolves to rest of the group.
Then suddenly, moving through the trees is a blur of motion that is heading towards Foxglove. Then the blur veers towards the wolves cutting them off before stopping.
Once the blur stops, everyone can see Stanimir sitting on the back of a horse like creature. The horse is clearly not one of the ones that was pulling the wagons. It moved far quicker than any horse that any one has encountered.
"Just get out of here," Stanimir shouts. "And be quick about it." He shoots a look over at Emma, as the wolves begin to circle Stanimir's steed now looking more uncertain on what to do.
Then Stanimir stares at one of the wolves, meeting it's eyes. The moment is brief and it's unclear if anything actually happened. However, the wolf's demeanor changes. It's body relaxes and it looks almost happy to see Stanimir. The change in attitude of one their own causes confusion for the wolves and look more unsure of what to do.
Meanwhile, Foxglove has made considerable distance from the wolves.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Stanimir's brief stare sends chills down Emma's spine, for multiple reasons, some of which she doesn't even understand yet. She turns around, facing the road. "Let's go. Don't leave me behind, please."
Emma forces her legs to run despite the fatigue, but contrary to what she said, she's not a slow runner. The weight she carries barely bothers her legs, accustomed to carrying much more. And even if not extraordinarily tall, her legs are long, and each step covers ground quickly.
Kal frowns as the wolves' body language changes towards Stanimir, but doesn't make a fuss right now because currently he's just happy to get as far from the wolves as possible. He can figure out who all these newcomers are in time, once they're somewhere safer.
When Juniper reaches the others, she says, “Look what I found,” and keeping pace with everyone, half-turns to Kal “Well, here we are,” looking at the ground then him, then the ground then him again. Subtle. But he didn’t seem injured so, personal space. Keeping a wary eye on the wolves, the young elf has so many questions, especially for Stanimir, that she can hardly put words together. She stares at Kal, then Star, both utter strangers, and simply shakes her head. ‘What am I doing?’ She looks back to Emma, suddenly weary, and tries to read how the guilds woman is dealing with the moment.
Kal takes the hint and climbs down from the horse, keeping one eye on the wolves while he glances around at the rest of the group, taking in the variety of people.
"Thanks for the assist back there," he says to Juniper.
Then, to the group at large, he says, "I've been lost in these woods since sometime last night. I have no idea how I got here, I was on my way to Daggerford when a dense fog came up so I couldn't see where I was going. I stopped walking, but by the time it cleraed up enough to see anything, I was in these woods with no sign of the road I was on before..."
Emma looks terrified and tired, but also, detached from this whole situation. It is all so unusual to her that it might as well be some kind of nightmare. Perhaps a very lucid one, but at the same time, unreal. And every unfamiliar aspect, like the strange people with her, Stanimir, the twisted forest and everything else, just makes it all appear even less real, even if she knows otherwise. Therefore, despite knowing it's not going to happen, she somewhat believes she'll just wake up any moment now, perhaps somewhere on the road between Bowshot and Daggerford, or where the Vistani set their camp outside Daggerford, and thus, sort of ignores the fear while simply running forward with the rest. In other words, Emma looks terrified, but her actions don't appear driven by the fear itself. Rather, she just follows along with everyone else, like a single ant part of a long chain, knowing not where the parade is headed.
Emma barely acknowledges the new addition to the group. She didn't really know any of the others, either. Right now, she runs. Later, if there is a 'later', she'll process the rest of the situation.
As you continue up the road, away from Stanimir, the wolves, and the Vistani, it gets darker. It is uncertain how long Stanimir will be able to keep the wolves preoccupied. It is uncertain if the wolves will continue to pursue you in these woods. So, whilst you have a moment of safety, there is still a sense of urgency and a need for haste. Your destination, you have been told, is the Tser Pool. However, none of you is aware of its location.
Soon, a fog begins to spill out of the forest, reducing your line of sight. It swallows up the road behind you as you go. Still, you press on, not wanting to face anything else in the woods. Then you see something in the fog. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming grey in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
With no other way to go, you follow the road to the gates, which swing open as you approach. The gates screech as they move on their hinges. It gives a moment of pause for thought. There is no one in sight. No one to see you approach. No one to move the gates. Passing through the gates, the gates swing shut.
You find yourselves still in the woods on the other side of the gates. Then Vice notices a beam of light breaking through the dark woods. Looking more carefully, he sees that just off the main road is a short path that leads to a cul de sac, and at the end of the cul de sac sits a house. Faintly, Vice hears the frightened cries of a child.
This house could be a place in which to seek shelter. A place to rest and wait for Stanimir and the Vistani.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
The tall gates loom in the mists before them as a huge, eerie and massive thing. As they approach, the gates swing open on its own accord, the screeching sound extraordinarily harsh in the silence of the forest. It was like being opened by an invisible hand... but whose hand was it? Fate? Or someone else’s? Vice feels goosebumps rise on his arms, as if he could feel those cold, clammy fingers’ unseen touch on his skin. He starts when the gates shut behind them, disappeared into the mists. Well, no other way but forward. One thing is that wolves definitely can’t get past those gates, that makes him relax somewhat.
As he pauses, he hears faint sounds of crying coming from the side path off the main road. He furrows his brows and looks towards the sound, and he could see light pouring out of a house at the end of the cul de sac. "Hey," Vice whispers, "Do you guys hear that?" As he listens more closely, the crying sounds like a child. His heart clenches, obviously concerned. "It sounds like a kid." He glances back at the others to see if they've heard it as well, then starts towards the light.
Juniper is in low spirits when they reach the gates. Following the earlier events and her seemingly endless ride through the night, the lithe druid’s body aches with fatigue, both physical and mental. The fog has wrapped her in its ghostly embrace, and she herself feels semi-transparent, incorporeal, like mist floating through the mist. ‘I just need to lie down and trance. Just for a bit,’ she is thinking, as the house comes into view. Her head swivels slowly to Vice when he speaks. Lost in thought and fatigue, she'd heard nothing, and now cocks an ear, hearing the cry, and nods to the half-elf, locking eyes warily before scanning the house more carefully. ‘Wake up, girl,’ she tells herself. ‘Trouble.’
His grey eyes widen, then he sighs and looks over at Star. "How about you," he asks, "got anything encouraging to say?" He urgently looks towards the wolves that are rapidly approaching, doesn't want to slow down any longer as he picks up speed again.
"Yes indeed!" Star enthuses. "I am sure I can outrun the wolves, so even if you are lost to them I will make sure you are remembered forever in song." He smiles, glad to have helped.
After all the excitement with Stanimir, Star introduces himself to the strange looking newcomer. "Greetings. I am Star Setting In The East, though you may call me Star. We also were taken by the fog, but I think on purpose... We were travelling with a group, taking us to the land Barovia, to save the soul of their lord and prince. Where have you come from? I do not recognise your kind."
As Vice points out the noise, Star hears it too. He follows Vice's lead, talking to himself, "At the sound of a child in mortal peril, our brave leader dashed on towards danger most terrible..." Was Vice the leader? Time would tell, but the meter was worth trying on for size.
Emma doesn't hear anything, at first. She just follows the others until the sound gets a bit louder and she can hear it too. "What a place to build a house. Are we sure we want to meet those within? They often say that such secluded houses are those of witches and man-eating monsters. You know, maybe the child is crying for a reason?" Or maybe they were just crying, as all children do, though frightened as it sounds it cannot possibly be considered normal.
Emma wouldn't argue about the matter, though. She was just scared, and if the others knew what they were doing, she'll follow.
‘They seem like ordinary animals to me. Where is Stanimir anyhow?!’ Juniper shoots a glance toward his last torch-waving position.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Vice looks at Emma incredulously, as if he doesn't believe what he's hearing. His grey eyes widen, then he sighs and looks over at Star. "How about you," he asks, "got anything encouraging to say?" He urgently looks towards the wolves that are rapidly approaching, doesn't want to slow down any longer as he picks up speed again.
Juniper is searches for Stanimir but fails to see him with the rest of the Vistani. However, it is clear that she is going to soon lead the wolves to rest of the group.
Then suddenly, moving through the trees is a blur of motion that is heading towards Foxglove. Then the blur veers towards the wolves cutting them off before stopping.
Once the blur stops, everyone can see Stanimir sitting on the back of a horse like creature. The horse is clearly not one of the ones that was pulling the wagons. It moved far quicker than any horse that any one has encountered.
"Just get out of here," Stanimir shouts. "And be quick about it." He shoots a look over at Emma, as the wolves begin to circle Stanimir's steed now looking more uncertain on what to do.
Then Stanimir stares at one of the wolves, meeting it's eyes. The moment is brief and it's unclear if anything actually happened. However, the wolf's demeanor changes. It's body relaxes and it looks almost happy to see Stanimir. The change in attitude of one their own causes confusion for the wolves and look more unsure of what to do.
Meanwhile, Foxglove has made considerable distance from the wolves.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Stanimir's brief stare sends chills down Emma's spine, for multiple reasons, some of which she doesn't even understand yet. She turns around, facing the road. "Let's go. Don't leave me behind, please."
Emma forces her legs to run despite the fatigue, but contrary to what she said, she's not a slow runner. The weight she carries barely bothers her legs, accustomed to carrying much more. And even if not extraordinarily tall, her legs are long, and each step covers ground quickly.
Varielky
Kal frowns as the wolves' body language changes towards Stanimir, but doesn't make a fuss right now because currently he's just happy to get as far from the wolves as possible. He can figure out who all these newcomers are in time, once they're somewhere safer.
When Juniper reaches the others, she says, “Look what I found,” and keeping pace with everyone, half-turns to Kal “Well, here we are,” looking at the ground then him, then the ground then him again. Subtle. But he didn’t seem injured so, personal space. Keeping a wary eye on the wolves, the young elf has so many questions, especially for Stanimir, that she can hardly put words together. She stares at Kal, then Star, both utter strangers, and simply shakes her head. ‘What am I doing?’ She looks back to Emma, suddenly weary, and tries to read how the guilds woman is dealing with the moment.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Kal takes the hint and climbs down from the horse, keeping one eye on the wolves while he glances around at the rest of the group, taking in the variety of people.
"Thanks for the assist back there," he says to Juniper.
Then, to the group at large, he says, "I've been lost in these woods since sometime last night. I have no idea how I got here, I was on my way to Daggerford when a dense fog came up so I couldn't see where I was going. I stopped walking, but by the time it cleraed up enough to see anything, I was in these woods with no sign of the road I was on before..."
Emma looks terrified and tired, but also, detached from this whole situation. It is all so unusual to her that it might as well be some kind of nightmare. Perhaps a very lucid one, but at the same time, unreal. And every unfamiliar aspect, like the strange people with her, Stanimir, the twisted forest and everything else, just makes it all appear even less real, even if she knows otherwise. Therefore, despite knowing it's not going to happen, she somewhat believes she'll just wake up any moment now, perhaps somewhere on the road between Bowshot and Daggerford, or where the Vistani set their camp outside Daggerford, and thus, sort of ignores the fear while simply running forward with the rest. In other words, Emma looks terrified, but her actions don't appear driven by the fear itself. Rather, she just follows along with everyone else, like a single ant part of a long chain, knowing not where the parade is headed.
Emma barely acknowledges the new addition to the group. She didn't really know any of the others, either. Right now, she runs. Later, if there is a 'later', she'll process the rest of the situation.
Varielky
(Someone make a perception check for me.)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
(OOC: Juniper perception: 22)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Emma's Perception: 8.
Varielky
Vice perception: 17
As you continue up the road, away from Stanimir, the wolves, and the Vistani, it gets darker. It is uncertain how long Stanimir will be able to keep the wolves preoccupied. It is uncertain if the wolves will continue to pursue you in these woods. So, whilst you have a moment of safety, there is still a sense of urgency and a need for haste. Your destination, you have been told, is the Tser Pool. However, none of you is aware of its location.
Soon, a fog begins to spill out of the forest, reducing your line of sight. It swallows up the road behind you as you go. Still, you press on, not wanting to face anything else in the woods. Then you see something in the fog. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming grey in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
With no other way to go, you follow the road to the gates, which swing open as you approach. The gates screech as they move on their hinges. It gives a moment of pause for thought. There is no one in sight. No one to see you approach. No one to move the gates. Passing through the gates, the gates swing shut.
You find yourselves still in the woods on the other side of the gates. Then Vice notices a beam of light breaking through the dark woods. Looking more carefully, he sees that just off the main road is a short path that leads to a cul de sac, and at the end of the cul de sac sits a house. Faintly, Vice hears the frightened cries of a child.
This house could be a place in which to seek shelter. A place to rest and wait for Stanimir and the Vistani.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
The tall gates loom in the mists before them as a huge, eerie and massive thing. As they approach, the gates swing open on its own accord, the screeching sound extraordinarily harsh in the silence of the forest. It was like being opened by an invisible hand... but whose hand was it? Fate? Or someone else’s? Vice feels goosebumps rise on his arms, as if he could feel those cold, clammy fingers’ unseen touch on his skin. He starts when the gates shut behind them, disappeared into the mists. Well, no other way but forward. One thing is that wolves definitely can’t get past those gates, that makes him relax somewhat.
As he pauses, he hears faint sounds of crying coming from the side path off the main road. He furrows his brows and looks towards the sound, and he could see light pouring out of a house at the end of the cul de sac. "Hey," Vice whispers, "Do you guys hear that?" As he listens more closely, the crying sounds like a child. His heart clenches, obviously concerned. "It sounds like a kid." He glances back at the others to see if they've heard it as well, then starts towards the light.
Juniper is in low spirits when they reach the gates. Following the earlier events and her seemingly endless ride through the night, the lithe druid’s body aches with fatigue, both physical and mental. The fog has wrapped her in its ghostly embrace, and she herself feels semi-transparent, incorporeal, like mist floating through the mist. ‘I just need to lie down and trance. Just for a bit,’ she is thinking, as the house comes into view. Her head swivels slowly to Vice when he speaks. Lost in thought and fatigue, she'd heard nothing, and now cocks an ear, hearing the cry, and nods to the half-elf, locking eyes warily before scanning the house more carefully. ‘Wake up, girl,’ she tells herself. ‘Trouble.’
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Yes indeed!" Star enthuses. "I am sure I can outrun the wolves, so even if you are lost to them I will make sure you are remembered forever in song." He smiles, glad to have helped.
After all the excitement with Stanimir, Star introduces himself to the strange looking newcomer. "Greetings. I am Star Setting In The East, though you may call me Star. We also were taken by the fog, but I think on purpose... We were travelling with a group, taking us to the land Barovia, to save the soul of their lord and prince. Where have you come from? I do not recognise your kind."
As Vice points out the noise, Star hears it too. He follows Vice's lead, talking to himself, "At the sound of a child in mortal peril, our brave leader dashed on towards danger most terrible..." Was Vice the leader? Time would tell, but the meter was worth trying on for size.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Emma doesn't hear anything, at first. She just follows the others until the sound gets a bit louder and she can hear it too. "What a place to build a house. Are we sure we want to meet those within? They often say that such secluded houses are those of witches and man-eating monsters. You know, maybe the child is crying for a reason?" Or maybe they were just crying, as all children do, though frightened as it sounds it cannot possibly be considered normal.
Emma wouldn't argue about the matter, though. She was just scared, and if the others knew what they were doing, she'll follow.
Varielky
"Creepy house in the woods? Check." Kal says. "Crying child? Check."
he looks around at the others.
"No way this doesn't end poorly. But on the other hand, it's possible shelter, so...I guess we just keep our eyes open and ready for traps?"
Vice leads the way as you follow the cul de sac to the house.
The gravel road leads to the house's front door. It is tall and dark as a tombstone. Just outside the house are a pair of children.
The young boy is crying as he clutches a stuffed doll. His older sister tries to comfort him. When you draw near, the two children turn to face you.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
“Are your parents here?,” Juniper shouts from the road. She tries to smile warmly. “We could use some directions!”
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer