Quote from Twombley >>

Togar stands there looking back and forth, between Khessa and Kell, hearing the back and forth of their arguments, shying away from the card and the fire blasted in the air.  “Well.”  He makes a hacking sound, like something is in his throat.  “Generally speaking, I’m not one for letting magical items go to waste, when they could help us in our task.  But this is one case where… . Well, where I think we should just leave it alone, letting what lies beneath to stay, as much as it pains me.  Not that I would wield the thing.  Couldn’t.  But to study such items, to learn from them, to use them in our aid.  Seems senseless on the surface to me as well, Khessa.  I’m sorry that I had no spell to pull that thing out of you.  Dusk, you did wonders in helping her.  My only option was to beat the life out of you, Khessa, hope the thing would leave, and then hope that the essence of you could be brought back.  We should just be glad that we have you here, with us, alive - - and move on.  Right?  Khessa, you do feel umm, back to yourself, yes?   No residual feeling of that .. thing… inside you?  Did you sense anything else that it wanted?  Fascinating!”  

Togar begins to walk back toward the wagon and climb in, ready to head along their way.  

Khessa was about to get ready to sleep, but as Togar starts talking to her, obviously she listens to him.

"No problem, Togar," the blonde arcane warrior smiles "I wasn't thinking of you, imagining the usefulness of the sword. And I have no complaints about what you tried to do - when Mr Ectoplasm attacked me, you helped try to actively fight him - I certainly didn't expect more! Indeed, if everyone had done the same," she sighs "Mr Ectoplasm might not have been able to take me hostage - it depends a lot on whether or not it was possible to harm him with non-magical weapons".

Upon hearing the hypothesis of being reduced to unconsciousness, the tall adventurer ponders: "And you think that if I had lost consciousness, Mr. Ectoplasm would have come out of me?" thoughtfully, she takes out her spellbook and begins to note the experience and the unusual proposed solution "And why would he do that? He could just as well have stayed in me - he would still have been in me, once I regained consciousness. For impatience, perhaps? Out of impatience with forcing you to bury his body, could he have come out of me to try to enter another one of us? I don't know… Still, it might have been a valid attempt, in the absence of other options" she pats him on the shoulder. "An original idea - I'll check it out at the first opportunity..." she winks "...when Kell will be possessed, for example!"

"Yes, you can rest assured..." Khessa, already in a good mood again, reassures the interlocutor "I think I have quite a different personality from Mr Ectoplasm's - and that both you and all the others are able to understand if I'm the one in control or not! No, he's gone Togar - and there's no trace of his influence left; quite the contrary, I almost feel more... more hardened towards him, now that I've been under his influence once before. I think if he did it again, maybe things would be different. But, as I told you, I don't feel him anymore. I suppose Mr Ectoplasm is in some outer plane by now, a place of punishment or retribution... and that he is vehemently complaining to whoever he has near now - other souls, fiends or angels - that he no longer has sword or jewels with him - perhaps he is also trying to enter into them and 'possess' them - and probably he is having a bitter disappointment. But, by now, the matter no longer concerns me; it's only his problem".

Having finished taking notes on the exceptional (albeit unpleasant) experience and on the hypotheses of possible limitations and countermeasures, the blue-eyed woman (who in the meantime no longer has any weapons fused to her body - now she is back as always) gets ready for the night's rest. The gates of Wolfwater must be near by now...

In the last 6 weeks a lot has happened to you. Each of you in one way or another found your way to the gates of Whiteridge where you met a tiefling gentleman by the name of Ozemon Bursk. He had asked each of you to visit his estate to send you on a quest for him; however that quest was put on hold for this one you're currently undertaking. You were asked to take a 5 week trip to a village east of Roon Lake by the name of Wolfwater. He has received rumor of a devil being present there, and asked the lot of you to investigate. In return, you would be rewarded with 500 gold to split as desired.

The trip has been packed full with adventure in its own right. You all encountered a well dressed, but dirty young girl playing with a ring that turned her invisible. Togar managed to strike a deal with her and made off with the ring. You encountered a group of Orange Knights carrying prisoners. You found a wagon stuck in the canopy of some trees. You ran across a group of adventurers and learned of a nearby kobold warren. You came across a giant that was chasing its next meal. You met an apprentice cartographer by the name of Junior. You made battle with a group of massive spiders, and saved a wood elf. After much discussion and convincing, you managed to convince Ileah, the wood elf, to travel with you away from her destination so she could be protected, earning yourself a new friend / temporary ally. And finally, the group learned about angering spirits, while Khessa, first hand, learned what it's like to be unable to control your own body.

All of that, however, has led up to this moment. "What's that?!" Ileah shouts softly and points ahead of the wagon and horses. The sun has completely set for the evening, but you've pressed on further than you normally would since you're so close. As you crest over the hill, the sky begins to light up with a crimson hue. From here you can see the palisade gate and walls of Wolfwater. Beyond the palisade into the village itself, you see the crimson light getting brighter. There's no dead between you and the village. You hear no sounds coming from within the palisades, nor do you see any movement. The only thing you can see is this bright orb floating about 10, maybe 15 feet above the rooftops of houses inside the village.

"I do not know," Dusk replies, adding, "But I am sure that it is not the way things are supposed to be. I wonder how long it has been there... has this something to do with the 'demon'? Either way, let us approach and see if there is any life."

((Clicked on animal handling instead of arcana))

Togar looks at the bright orb floating above the rooftops of the town and considers, recalls any spells that he has heard of, trying to decide if this is magical, an object for scrying, or what?  “Let’s get in closer to look, yes.”

Arcana check re: bright orb : 16 +6 = 22.  

"Yes, but better to be careful..." Khessa observes "That light is absolutely unnatural, whether it is related to our 'devil' or not - and it may not have good effects, since there are no signs of life coming from Wolfwater!"

"Ileah," the blonde arcane warrior addresses her traveling companion "it's probably best that you and Amelia stay here in the wagon for now...while we approach on foot and try to figure out if there's danger or not".

The tall adventurer also tries to make sense of her scattered knowledge of the supernatural, to understand, remember or guess something about the effects of that orb or its light. She also tries to summon Avimm, to ask him for advice too 'You must have seen a lot of things... Ever seen anything like this? Do you have any idea what it could be?'

Khessa's Arcana check (rolling with advantage, because I hope Avimm helps): 22

Looking over the floating orb of light from this distance, neither of you, Khessa nor Togar, are able to match it to anything of an arcane nature that you're familiar with. It doesn't match any sort of object of scrying that you know of Togar, but it does very much seem arcane in nature. Khessa, Avimm does not have anything to add on this orb. "Besides your sun, this is foreign to me" you hear in your head. "OK. We will watch the wagon" Ileah pauses "you stay safe"

(OOC: with that you all leave the wagon and approach the palisades of Wolfwater on foot?)

Quote from Jusblazm >>

...(OOC: with that you all leave the wagon and approach the palisades of Wolfwater on foot?)

(OOC: That's what Khessa would advise to do... If we all agree, let's go)

"That thing and it's light are both strange and unnatural... but, sadly, I don't have the slightest idea of what they can do. Let's start approaching, with caution and eyes wide open..." advises Khessa "When we're closer, I'll ask Avimm for the favor of scout inside. At least, in case of problems, he can disappear and come back to me instantly..."

Erlang leisurely steps off the wagon, his eyes squinting against the radiant brilliance of the orb that's casting an otherworldly glow over the village. He lifts a hand above his eyes for shading the light to get a better look, a small smile on his lips betraying a tinge of curiosity. Casting a quick glance at Khessa, Erlang shrugs his broad shoulders, agreeing. "Yeah, let's get a closer look."

((I would guess that we are at least a days travel from the ghost and had a long rest in between, with loss of temp hp.))

Togar cannot make out anything further at this distance, so he swings down off the wagon alongside Erlang and he activates his mage armor.  “Something is definitely wrong here.  Everyone on their toes…  I could scout from the air… but let’s just walk in cautiously and see what is going on.”  He straightens his cloak and checks his pack, rearranging things, then walks in with everyone else, curiosity spurring him on.

"This is rather ominous, that is for sure," Dusk says, looking up at the orb, adding, "Let us approach with caution and see if there are any signs of life. Please [Tooltip Not Found] me observe." With the others' assistance, Dusk opens its senses for any signs of life ((perception with adv 28))

Quote from kevtr0n >>

"This is rather ominous, that is for sure," Dusk says, looking up at the orb, adding, "Let us approach with caution and see if there are any signs of life. Please [Tooltip Not Found] me observe." With the others' assistance, Dusk opens its senses for any signs of life ((perception with adv 25))

Ok, Khessa 'tooltip-not-found's 😉 Dusk, granting him advantage.

When Kell notices he orb he gapes at it, mouth open. He doesn't squint, but he does have to glance away a couple of times. "What in my Ancestor's name is that? And why is it just hangin' there?" He pulls a paintbrush out of one of his many pockets in his duster, as well as what appears to be a blank card. He quickly starts to paint. The remarkable thing isn't the level of detail he achieves while in the relative darkness, but the fact that he doesn't glance at the card a single time. 

He does dismount the cart with the rest of the group, continuing to paint as he does so. "If I was a betting man, which I am, I would guess we found what we're lookin' for."

If Khessa and the companions manage to arrive near the entrance to Wolfwater without problems, she, as she had in mind, tries to ask Avimm telepathically: 'Do you feel like entering and scout ahead? If you realize you're in danger, in an instant you can disappear and come back to me... And an eventual 'danger' wouldn't even be able to figure out where you went after disappearing - so we would have time to organize. What do you say, Avimm? Will you try this?'

You all leave behind the wagon and approach the town itself. Stopping at the palisade gate, Khessa summons her shadowy goblinoid friend and asks it to scout the village. After about 5 minutes or so of eerily quietness there is no sign of Avimm. After another 10 minutes roughly, Khessa, you hear in the back of your head "there is someone here" followed by silence "just kneeling in the middle of the path under the light staring at me"

"Avimm has found someone..." the blonde arcane warrior shares "Kneeling in the middle of the path under the light - and this 'someone' is staring at him".

Khessa can see with Avimm's senses, if she focuses on them? (Wiith a familiar you csn do this if they are near enough...) If she can, she does,  taking a look at this 'someone'.

"Unfortunately," Khessa reveals to her companions "Avimm is too far away from me to allow me to see this Mr Lonely directly, with his senses... however, I could have him explain the path he took to find him - and we could go too, with someone who approaches openly and, if Mr Lonely allows, speaks to him... and someone else who can take sideways and intervene by surprise if things go badly. What do you think?"

"If you like this approach," the blonde arcane warrior adds, "I can be among those who approach openly... You know, I suck at sneaking..."

Togar holds up his hand, saying “My feathers are exceedingly quiet.  Let me go, you wait here, I will look from above.”  Togar takes flight, climbing and getting into position to see who Mr. Lonely is and spot any other movement or hiding creatures from the air.  He keeps hidden behind buildings, moving from cover to cover until he can have a look at what is going on.  

Stealth : 23

Perception : 16

As you stealthily fly, staying low enough to not break above the roof of the nearby buildings, Togar, you don't notice any movement within the village walls. You continue moving around the buildings until you come to the village square, where you physically see the orb once again with nothing blocking your line of sight. Below the orb is a robed figure. With the only light in the sky being the crimson from this orb, it's difficult to tell the color of this figures robes. Though you do see long dark hair flowing out from beneath the hood and faintly glowing red markings on the figures exposed hands and feet. As you get a look at the figure, the orb pulses brightly for a split second before the figure's gaze shifts and it locks eyes with you. You see a set of glowing red eyes focus in on you.

Kell starts to creep forward, putting away his painting supplies and pulling his deck of razor sharp steel cards from his pocket. "C'mon, lets not leave Togar in there alone. Keep the noise down, for now." When he reaches the palisade gate, he gently and slowly eases it open, so as not to cause creaking. 

Stealth: 24