Woohoo!

The snakeskin is a recent shed of an unusually large specimen of a type of snake common in the area.

[[I owe you some juicy bits from her diary, I'll post again soon with that.]]

Reading into the Diary, you find she is infatuated with someone named Alerion, a young man she met in the forest, who "understands her like nobody else can". She has snuck away for several meetings with him, and Aleena muses that maybe he will take her away on a grand adventure.

Cariadne also checks the wardrobe/drawers etc. Are there conspicuous spaces where clothes might have been taken?

She informs the group. "Looks like she's been meeting with a lad. Alerion? Heard of him?"

Bart shrugs, looking at the very suspect babysitter 

Jenniwyn shrugs and say, "No, I haven't heard the name before, honestly, and I know most of her friends in passing."

There doesn't seem to be signs of someone taken anything significant like clothes for a trip or anything.

Bart grunts. "Perhaps it's time to go for a walk in the woods then." 

"The woods it is."  Cariadne pockets the diary and tears off a small piece of the snakeskin to take with them. 

There is a well worn path to the clearing Aleena was last seen in. It's about a 45 minute walk from the center of town. The clearing is very worn down, clearly indicating a busy history of use.  There is a dug out firepit containing the ashes of many fires. Several lesser trails wind away from the clearing deeper into the woods.

Cariadne looks around. Anything interesting? Evidence that young people had been meeting here? Empty flagons, names carved into trees etc? investigation 4

Or any evidence of snakes? nature 24

Barty looks for signs of freshly disturbed vegetation to give away the most recently traveled paths. 

Survival? 15 -2 from that if perception

Bart, you do find  well worn path to a small nearby clearing.  There is a trail where two people moved off through the vegetation.

Cariadne, you find a few burrows of large snakes.  More than you’d normally expect in this area.

Everyone, roll perception checks.  CAriadne gets advantage.

Bart perception 13 

Perception 20

The three snakes that suddenly burst out of the burrows she is investigating do not surprise Cariadne, nor is Bart caught off guard when a larger snake slides out of the underbrush near him, heading towards the unaware Jenniwyn.

Please roll Initiative!

Bart draws his blade with a flourish as the giant snake appears

Initiative 20 

Initiative 6

Initiative Order:

Jenniwyn - Surprised
Medium Snakes
Cariadne
Bart
Large Snake

Jenniwyn misses her turn due to being surprised, but despite being aware of them, Cariadne is attacked by three snakes with sharp fangs.  (Cariadne's nature roll tells her they are poisonous.)

Cariadne dodges two of the snakes but the third sinks it's fangs into her leg, doing 6 piercing damage and 15 poison damage (or halved to 7 on a DC11 Con Save.)

Cariadne and Bart may act.  Cariadne is surrounded by three snakes, Bart has a clear path to move and attack some of them, or the one moving towards Jenniwyn.

[[Liadyllea may not be participating anymore.]]

Bart moves to the snake approaching Jenniwyn first, both hands raising his sword high above his head and slashing 

(Fighting Spirit, and Attack)

Attack: 26 Damage: 22 

If the snake attempts to attack anyone near him, he can (and will) ntercept, knocking 10 off the damage