Heavy is the Head - Campaign thread

Lam had been watching Hemlock to see if what Rhys said was real Druidic, and if it was safe to talk about Esmerelda, before he tried to say anything. His mind wanders to hs friends who have left- he wishes he could do more for Saoirse, but he’s pretty sure it’s best to leave her alone now. He’s grateful for Sha’s ability to communicate and get right to the heart of what people need, and he’s really glad Sha was there to help out Frederico’s father in a way he couldn’t. And Saffron… Lam didn’t mean to upset her further with his idea, but he hasn’t thought of a better way to confirm a doppelgänger. He looks between Hemlock, Tesfaye, and Rhys- three people whose intelligence far surpass his own- and wants to be helpful but feels very outclassed in this area. He asks in a low voice, mostly to Hemlock but also to the other two, “If we find impostor, do we know what it will look like? Will it look like other monsters from before?”

The more she steps away from the group, the more ashamed Saoirse is by her outburst. She had been so unfair to all of them, specially to Hemlock and Tesfaye. Even to Rhys, who she still couldn't be 100% sure that he was a traitor. And the fear she saw in Federico's father's eyes ... that was going to be hard to forget. 

When she finally finds the quiet spot she had so desperately been searching for, she sits stares at the forest below. Everything seemed so calmed from that distant point of view. And everything was so easy before ever reaching Village Tree for the first time, that she almost wishes she could turn back time to return to that point in her life when she was at the Order and her only real worry is that she couldn't leave that place as freely as she wished to.

The genasi began to take a look at her wounds, but when she hears the steps and realizes that Filipe is behind her, she quickly covers them so as not to scare the child.

- Filipe? Sí ... sí, estoy bien. Tan solo cansada. Pero te agradezco la pregunta - she added with a smile. Filipe was truly a kind soul - De hecho, me has ayudado sólo con preguntarla. Dime, ¿sabe tu padre que estás aquí? Quizás esté preocupado preguntándose donde estás.  

...he pulls Sha-Gravis into a tight hug, and his cheeks are wet with tears. when he steps back. -

Once the explanations have been made and the moment passes, Sha-gravis returns to find Lam, Saffi, or Hemlock.  It is unlikely Saoirse will be approachable so soon after her emotional venting (which Sha understands and respects).  If the others are pursuing some plan to find any imposters Sha wants to be close by as well.  When he catches up with Lam, „Vielen Dank, dass du für die Sicherheit von Fredrico gesorgt hast, und auch dafür, dass du so solide und zuverlässig bist. Ich bewundere dich wirklich, Freund. Möglicherweise brauche ich deine Hilfe, damit ich in Kürze einen klaren Kopf behalten kann.“ in goblin

For a moment, when Sha returns to where Hemlock, Rhys, Tesfaye and him are discussing, Lam is worried about what Rhys said about the doppelgängers potentially changing disguises, and he is unsure if he can trust Sha. But both the language Sha chooses to speak to him in and the words he chooses to say put Lam’s mind at ease. This has to be Sha. Lam responds in Goblin: “Du hast einen klarer Kopf als ich. Danke, dass du Fredericos Vater geholfen hast- und danke, dass du immer weißt was du sagen sollst. Ich bin froh, dass ich Frederico beschützen konnte… aber ich habe für uns alle Angst. Ich weiß nicht wie ich hier helfen kann. Wir werden deinen Zauber und deinen Herz auch brauchen, das zu herausfinden.“

Rhys' eyebrow shoots up in curiosity at Hemlock's last comment, but he gives a slight nod to indicate that he'll be happy to talk with you when the time comes. "She went with most everybody else up to North Branch. We can begin our search there. Oh, Esmerelda... She is such a kind spirit, it aches to know that they have hurt her. As for the look of the imposters, the people in this village know each other. If anyone is revealed to be a doppelganger, changeling, or similar, we will see it."

"Wait... should I go ahead and prepare my Thief's Downfall potion? I'll just need my tools on the west branch - I've set up a small workshop there - and about an hour. When It's ready, we can get one of you to use a moonbeam to activate it with the necessary magical energy. Or should I hold off on that? I don't want to upset Saffron any more than I have. From what I've seen in books, doppelgängers in their natural form look like humanoids with grey, sallow skin, and very large eyes with no discernable iris. Is that what you saw in the woods? The book also said that they can hear thoughts, so if we even just think about something secret, they'll know it - and as soon as we suspect them they'll know that too."

"Filípe" walks to the edge of the lookout, and leans on the branch that wraps around the lookout and acts as a balustrade, looking out away from Saoirse. When he speaks, you can almost hear his lip quivering with the fear and worry of a child bravely holding back tears (it's a very good performance). "Nnn-no, papá está demasiado preocupado por Frederico, ni siquiera escuchó cuando le dije que iba a dar un paseo. Los adultos hablan de que estamos en peligro, pero no me dicen por qué. ¿Por qué hay todos estos hombres malos en nuestro valle ahora?" He then starts to cry into his hands. It would be the most natural thing to join him at the edge of the platform, and to comfort the child. 

“We should definitely buddy up, I’ll go with Tesfaye, Lam see if you can either stay with Hemlock or find Saoirse please.”  Then Sha will turn to Tesfaye, “Dear friend I can only imagine the possibilities you have in mind for our Goddess’ blessed moonbeams.  Could we have Fitwhiste join us too?”

When Sha takes Tesfaye aside, Lam looks over to Hemlock. “Should I stay with you? Or find Saoirse and you talk to Rhys?” He doesn’t really like the idea of leaving everyone at once, and is concerned about the idea that the doppelgängers can read all their thoughts- that makes things so much worse than he thought. But he is worried about Saoirse, and he knows Hemlock wanted to talk to Rhys about something and is willing to leave them alone to do that.

"We should stay together", Hemlock replies to Lam. "My conversation with Rhys can wait until this is all resolved".

He turns to Rhys, "Please do not be offended if I ask you to turn into a cat when next we meet, just to prove who you are. We will go and get Saoirse and meet you at the North Branch".

With that he motions for Lam to accompany him, telepathically telling the bugbear, "I can reach out to Saffi and Saoirse over Saffi's mental link, assuming she was not so angry she stopped it. There is a lot to say, so please be patient I might be quiet a while".

He then concentrates on the mental link of Saffi's.

"Is this still on? Saoirse, Safii, where did you both go? Tesfaye is with Sha and I am with Lam, that should help you identify which of us is real. We need to get back together so we can't be used by the dopplegangers. Remember they could be anyone, and that they could change at any time. Rhys has proven himself true, at least the one we were just with. If you are unsure, ask him to change into the form Hemlock suggested, it will be a four legged animal. Check with me it the right one. Everyone needs to meet at North Branch. Oh, and apparently they can read minds, which means as soon as you suspect someone, if they are the doppleganger, they will know you are on to them. Please be careful and don't leave yourselves exposed".

If Filipe's presence had already calmed Saoirse down and turned her mind a little bit away from her worries, his words and tears just finish the job. Having spent so much time at the Order training kids from a wide variety of ages, she is very empathic to their feelings. Be that their frustration when a particular exercise is hard for them to achieve, the natural envy when another kid succeeds at something and other doesn't, or the pain when they have a pyshical wound... Concern, sadness and rage, even feeling displaced, when someone else got hurt (or worse) is not alien to her, either. She had been there herself. At an older age than Filipe, but still as a young teenager. For example, when she learned about Sebastian not making it through the Hunter's Bane. 

So she approaches Filipe, feeling the urge to comfort the child, but also concern because he's too near the edge of the lookout. 

- Filipe, cariño, entiendo como te sientes, pero seguro que si hablas con tu padre verás que no se ha olvidado de tí. Es sólo que Federico necesita mucha ayuda ahora. Y aunque seas pequeño aún, si cuentan contigo, todo saldrá bien. - She approaches the boy from behind him and places an arm on his shoulders, softly motioning him away from the ledge - Ven. Vamos con ellos y por el camino te lo iré explicando todo, ¿vale? 

Hemlock's telepathic message reaches her when she's trying to move the kid away from the ledge, and as she's focused on this, her answer is short:

"West Lookout, with Filipe. Will be there asap". 

Lam obeys Hemlock and stays right by his side. He is grateful for the presence of mind his Firbolg friend has in this situation, to come up with the best ways to tell their friends from foes. As Lam watches Hemlock’s face in silence during the telepathic message, he remembers something that had happened earlier- Hemlock had gotten more agitated fighting those nothics than Lam had ever seen him get before, and had even shouted. Lam briefly considers asking Hemlock about what happened in that fight when he’s finished, but decides against it- the idea of the doppelgängers has Lam slightly afraid to speak or even think about anything at all right now. He does watch Hemlock’s face the whole time he sends the message, though, to see when he’s done. Whenever it looks like he is, Lam asks in a curious manner, still attempting to grapple with the nature of these enemies, “If they can read our minds, can they read messages you send to our minds?”

Lam is ready to follow Hemlock absolutely anywhere, including the North Branch.

Hemlock turns to regard Lam, "I really don't know, possibly. We should expect the worst I suppose. No word from Saffi yet, but Saoirse is with Felipe at the West Lookout".

He looks across in the direction of the West lookout, and then to the North Branch.

"I guess we should go and meet up with everyone. Shall we go to the North Branch?", he says and motions for Lam to lead the way.

Lam nods and begins to head to the North Branch, making sure Hemlock stays by him the whole way.

Rhys walks ahead towards the North branch, though you follow close wbough that he does not leave your sight. When you arrived there are dozens of people, eating and talking, or preparing more food. A large variety of dishes are laid out on a long table, with plates and cutlery to match. Most of it is either salad or porridge, stews, and curries of locally harvested vegetables, fruit, and fungi; but there are also some plates of venison and rabbit at the far end of the table. People don't sit around the buffet table, rather people sit in smaller circles, always with at least one extra mossy cushion to invite others to join. Tecelao-Raiz and Fitzwhistle are in one of these circles, and you hear his mechanical laughter as Hemlock and Lam enter the area.

The bugbear teens and the fairy twins are in a larger circle, seaming to hold all of the village's adolescents (about 15 people), and the twins are telling the tale of your rescue of them, as the others sit, enraptured. Every now and then Kurt cuts in to stifle a particularly egregious exaggeration. Lichen is among them, listening with a focused gaze - like he's trying to memorize every detail.

Semmer is talking with a centaur couple, as well as a few other adults, all of them sitting around a large bowl of dried moss and eating it like we eat potato chips. You don't see Esmerelda.

It would be idyllic if you did not know that there was at least one murderous imposter among them.

Sha-Gravis and Tesfaye turn left instead of continuing to the North Branch, and head up among the varied stalls and crafters workplaces, mostly empty right now. There is one elf knitting, and sitting near his other projects, but he seems engrossed in his craft. Tesfaye has indeed set up a small workshop here, there is a stand with various liquids and tinctures, and beside that a meticulously sorted collection of small gears and mechanical parts, ready to be combined into a solution for any number of occasions.

Tesfaye immediately gets to work creating a potion, muttering bits of theory as they work. They will also happily talk to Sha-Gravis about other things if he is so inclined. "Well I figure we need to isolate and enforce the anti-shapechange aspects of your moonbeam... correcting for radiant damage ... should be able to stretch the effect... By the way, do you think the divine source of your magic will make it work differently than a moonbeam powered by a druid's natural affinity?"

The moment that Saoirse receives a telepathic message and responds in kind, Filìpe's face betrays a small sense of surprise. Make an insight roll for why she thinks that might be.

12 or lower:

13 or higher:

As they follow behind Rhys and survey the groups of villagers enjoying the feast, Hemlock cannot help but wish he was as blissfully unaware of the threat of the doppelganger as they are.

"I don't see Esmerelada", he telepathically sends to Lam.

He then touches his star map and channels his magic through it, enhancing his senses, before taking another look around. He takes in every detail, from the clothes each person is wearing to their mannerisms.

(OOC: enhance ability Owl's Wisdom to give advantage to wisdom checks. Advantage should confer +5 to passive traits which would give him 21 passive perception and insight)

As Tesfaye is working and expounding on the process, Sha will be giving them guidance and use mending if needed to help.  He nods to Tesfaye and encourages them not wanting to distract.  Sha for the life of himself cannot remember what Tesfaye was put in the HMC prison for, and cannot imaging them doing anything to end up there…. When the time comes Sha will use moonbeam as instructed by Tesfaye.

It all happens too fast. Even for someone as fast as Saoirse.

She realizes this is the doppelganger they were looking for. He realizes he's been discovered at the exact same time she unmasks him. He pushes, fast as lightning though soft as thunder. The fire genasi has never felt that cold that quickly, as adrenaline compells her to fight for her life. She's lucky and dodges, preventing the plummeting that would put her fire out forever. But, as they both know, the fight is not over...

Her years of training pay off once again when she gets to be the first to strike. And then, when she realizes that she's about to attack what will look to everyone else as a small child - a child of the Tree - she feels a pain in her heart. She knows she has to do it, this is what they have been tasked to do, isn't it? At that precise moment she remembers them, her friends, and calls for help.

"HELP!! Filipe's ...!! It's him!!!"

Then, close to the monster as she is, she has but to extend her hands to try to envelop him with her very essence. She is fire, and she is blood, after all. 

Lam sees his companion's pupils dilate extremely wide, and Hemlock can feel the magic flowing through him. Every person's features are more clear, and it feels as though he can watch every face and body almost in slow motion. There are undercurrents of emotion in every conversation, and he see them playing out in plain sight, and hears slight moderation of voices. Still, he doesn't know these people well enough that that in itself makes it obvious who does not belong.

Certainly the Firbolg child, Lichen, is paying attention to the other teenagers in a way that makes it clear he is trying to learn all the details of the story he can from them, and he is not actively participating in conversation. There is a focus in his face that could be listening to thoughts, or it could just be him composing his own storytelling. Another of the adolescents - a halfling girl - is participating perhaps too much as a listener who wasn't there. She is very focused on João, and clearly laughing and gasping at his jokes in a way that makes it clear that she wants him to notice and trust her - a clever tactic for either an imposter or an infatuated youngster.

Semmer is with the adults, and you can see that cocksure yet upbeat attitude that met you a few days ago is less present now. She seems a little subdued, her laugh a second too late in conversation, her eyes not quite meeting those of her companions. She is most at attention when a centaur beside her talks about threats to the tree and the community. Is she nervous about being discovered? Is she distracted by something else?

Tecelão-Raiz is surprisingly close to Fitzwhistle, and though her eyes look blank - blinded by the divine magic that coursed through her when she combined Sha-Gravis' vestments - you notice that she has no issue reaching to her cup of water, or to her spoon to eat her porridge. She moves in reaction to Fitzwhistle's arm before it is close enough to touch her. She can see in some way, despite being supposedly blind. Fitzwhistle is more comfortable in his movements now than even just a few hours ago - though it is a subtle difference, and the slight awkwardness of his mechanical body and its metallic textures would probably be impossible for a Doppel to fake.

A young firbolg woman in another circle is looking back at Hemlock, and looks away when his gaze passes over her - a hint of a blush barely visible near her eyes. It could be coincidence, or attraction, or a good performance of either from a Doppel reading Hemlock's thoughts. She was here when they came through a couple days ago, he remembers. She was very thankful for the pancakes Hemlock made then.

"This is going to take me a little while, friend. You're welcome to take a seat and rest while I work, if you need. Or you can help the others look for the imposters, if that would be more useful!" Tesfaye quickly clears some assorted pieces of what looks to Sha-Gravis like junk, but must be potential crafting pieces in the tortle's eyes, from a comfortable seeming solid wooden chair. If you stay with Tesfaye until they're finished, you can take a short rest. But if you leave to help Saoirse or join the meal, no short rest yet.

"Filípe's" hair burns and melts away, and his skin cracks and oozes and boils as he is engulfed in a cone of fire. He looks like an adorable little boy who has just barely been pulled from a house fire - the sort of photograph that wins pulitzers and puts pressure on countries to end wars. Had Saoirse's realization that she was talking to a doppelganger been any less certain, had she been any less well-trained to destroy monstrosities and aberrations, her will to fight would probably have faltered. Certainly anyone else approaching the scene would find it difficult to hold their resolve and see the child as a monster. And yet, he is a monster. There is a wicked smile on the burned, childish face, and it shows sharp teeth that belong in no elven child's mouth. It punches twice at her, its child-sized fists hiding the strength and dexterity of a creature larger than a man. (19 and 10 to hit, 10 and 8 bludg. damage).

Hemlock watches everything closely, seeing everything and having to parse it all in his mind almost simultaneously. Even with his heightened sense it is difficult.

What isn’t difficult is reading the intent behind Saoirse’s message.

Lam likely sees his eyes widen and his face go a little paler.

”Saoirse is in trouble at the West Lookout”, he whispers urgently to Lam. “It’s Filipe”, he adds inflecting the word it’s so there is no doubt what he means. “We have to run!”.

As he starts to move, he looks for Rhys, hoping he is in range of his telepathy. “The doppleganger is Filipe, at the West Lookout. Saoirse is in trouble”.

With his enhanced senses, he has the presence of mind to scan the crowd for a reaction to all this before he dashes off.

The sight in front of her will haunt Saoirse forever. But as she reaches for Swordbreaker to parry the blows she finds that, this time, she is too slow and the creature strikes true to her stomach. As she feels the familiar taste of her own blood in her mouth, she thinks that forever may not last that long after all. 

With her remaining energy, she focuses on dodging the next attacks.

After Hemlock whispers to him, Lam takes off running towards the West Lookout without a second of hesitation.