Dev, who had thought the bones were not bones but rather, whitewashed twigs, and whom the dolls at first glance had reminded of his own playthings as a child of humble poverty, has his eye on one of the little artifacts or craft objects, from the head of which project two sharp bone ends. Perhaps meant as ears, the tiefling sees his own horned reflection in the macabre construction.
“You can’t help what you’re made of,” he says to the doll quietly.
The teenager then heeds Lokilia and Normont’s instructions and clears up his things and gets ready for the day ahead.
During the day, the sun is bright and the air is brisk. Small game is everywhere as if sensing that spring approaches. At night, the you light shielded fires to stay warm and safe, as the temperature plummets and sometimes yellow and red eyes can be spied, stalking around the edges of the camp though nothing troubles you over the next few days
Checking the map indicates that the path to your destination should take less than a week to travel.
On the third day you come upon a large, reinforced wooden door built into the side of one of the hillocks that are becoming more present the closer you draw to the mountains. The front of the winter storehouse is built strong out of solid timbers and daubed with mud and stone.....but that seems not to have stopped at least one hungry individual, contents have been scattered far from the sundered door on the path by animal action. Casks of preserved foodstuffs have been smashed and split, pieces of dried meat and half-eaten preserved fruit are scattered, and sections of timber have been broken and dragged away. As you approach, birds scatter from their feast....
"Ummm...," Dev says, his pace slowing and his mouth falling open in astonishment and curiosity as the group nears the plundered storehouse, "whooaa. Did a bear do this?" The tiefling tries to imagine any creature he's familiar with being able to break and drag away pieces of timber. He thinks it more likely that this was done by the previous owner of the enormous tooth Lokilia found in the clearing a few days ago than by even the hungriest grizzly.
The teen turns and looks over his shoulder. He's been checking from time to time behind the party. His overactive imagination had gotten into his dreaming, and he awoke with a start this morning picturing a hundred little stick dolls chasing them. Is there anything in the woods nearby watching the group as they approach the ransacked provisions? (Perception: 21)
"Who do you suppose would have left these storehouses?" Lokilia wonders. "But yea, probably more important to think about what was able to break in like this." She considers whether a bear - even a large bear - would have been able to break through the strong structure. Or if she knew of creatures that might have been responsible. (Nature: 17)
"Ummm...," Dev says, his pace slowing and his mouth falling open in astonishment and curiosity as the group nears the plundered storehouse, "whooaa. Did a bear do this?" The tiefling tries to imagine any creature he's familiar with being able to break and drag away pieces of timber. He thinks it more likely that this was done by the previous owner of the enormous tooth Lokilia found in the clearing a few days ago than by even the hungriest grizzly.
The teen turns and looks over his shoulder. He's been checking from time to time behind the party. His overactive imagination had gotten into his dreaming, and he awoke with a start this morning picturing a hundred little stick dolls chasing them. Is there anything in the woods nearby watching the group as they approach the ransacked provisions? (Perception: 21)
Dev peers into the woods imagining dark eyes among the pine boughs, clawed feet padding over the carpet of pine needles, heavy breath panting in the.......heavy breath.....wait....thats not his imagination....something is breathing inside the sundered storehouse....something very large.....its.....snoring?....
"Who do you suppose would have left these storehouses?" Lokilia wonders. "But yea, probably more important to think about what was able to break in like this." She considers whether a bear - even a large bear - would have been able to break through the strong structure. Or if she knew of creatures that might have been responsible. (Nature: 17)
Looking at the damage closer Lokilia begins to make out slash marks and grip points where claws dug in to pull at the wood, holding up her hand she notes she can fit two of her hands side by side between each claw mark......this is big.....but what?....likely not a cat as there is vegetable matter that has been consumed as well.....she thinks Dev is probably right....a bear.....but larger than any bear she has ever seen in her mountain home....then she notices Dev has frozen.....
Dev’s eyes are wide circles now. He suddenly stops in his track and flaps his arms like a flightless bird, motioning for attention and silence, then whispering so the others can hear him.
”Shhhh!! Stop! Listen! Whatever did this is still in there having a calorie crash!”
He cups his ear, turning it toward the savaged entryway, partly as a direction to the others to do the same, partly to be sure it wasn’t his imagination, grimacing because he already knows what he heard was real.
At Dev's words, Lokilia does turn her attention back to broken storehouse. "I think it could be a bear," she says softly to the others. "An enormous bear. Maybe we should just let it be." She starts to back away a bit from the place.
"Interesting", Normont whispers as Dev and Lokilia realise what is going on in the store house.
He takes a closer look at the door, trying to figure out why it would be so big, and whether a truly enormous bear would even fit through it.
Investigation: 1+5=6 (Passive: 15)
He finds a few patches of oily fur stuck to the wood where something squeezed itself through the gap, he also finds a single grey-black feather about the length of his arm....
"Interesting", Normont whispers as Dev and Lokilia realise what is going on in the store house.
He takes a closer look at the door, trying to figure out why it would be so big, and whether a truly enormous bear would even fit through it.
Investigation: 1+5=6 (Passive: 15)
He finds a few patches of oily fur stuck to the wood where something squeezed itself through the gap, he also finds a single grey-black feather about the length of his arm....
Magus freeze is movements hearing the warning from Dev and then quietly starts to move away from the door as quickly and silently as he can.
Stealth: 4
Unfortunately he does not see the bush in his way as the low branches grab his leggings and trip him up as he goes crashing to the ground.
The snoring comes to a sudden stop and there is an almost querying ' sqwonk' from within the storehouse....
Dev winces when Magnus trips, but the tiefling is used to throwing big dangerous people off his scent — so to speak — so maybe the same tactics will work here. He whistles a quick combination of notes on his panpipes, and suddenly the sound of branches swishing when Magnus falls is captured and slowed and loops, sounding like a rising and falling breeze through the trees, loud enough to cover the movements of him and his companions (Minor Illusion). He then tiptoes away.
Magnus breaths a sigh of relief and whispers thanks to Dev, then slowly gets back to his feet and continues ever so slowly toward the treeline to get out of sight.
"I still say we should just be on our way," Lokilia says softly. "Even if it's an owlbear, it should be satisfied with what it found here. It has little reason to come after us. And I don't think we're in great need of supplies."
Dev, who had thought the bones were not bones but rather, whitewashed twigs, and whom the dolls at first glance had reminded of his own playthings as a child of humble poverty, has his eye on one of the little artifacts or craft objects, from the head of which project two sharp bone ends. Perhaps meant as ears, the tiefling sees his own horned reflection in the macabre construction.
“You can’t help what you’re made of,” he says to the doll quietly.
The teenager then heeds Lokilia and Normont’s instructions and clears up his things and gets ready for the day ahead.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Magnus also quickly packs up his things and moves on with the others, constantly looking over his shoulder hoping he sees nothing behind him.
Lokilia agrees with moving out and follows the others as they move onward.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
During the day, the sun is bright and the air is brisk. Small game is everywhere as if sensing that spring approaches. At night, the you light shielded fires to stay warm and safe, as the temperature plummets and sometimes yellow and red eyes can be spied, stalking around the edges of the camp though nothing troubles you over the next few days
Checking the map indicates that the path to your destination should take less than a week to travel.
On the third day you come upon a large, reinforced wooden door built into the side of one of the hillocks that are becoming more present the closer you draw to the mountains. The front of the winter storehouse is built strong out of solid timbers and daubed with mud and stone.....but that seems not to have stopped at least one hungry individual, contents have been scattered far from the sundered door on the path by animal action. Casks of preserved foodstuffs have been smashed and split, pieces of dried meat and half-eaten preserved fruit are scattered, and sections of timber have been broken and dragged away. As you approach, birds scatter from their feast....
"Ummm...," Dev says, his pace slowing and his mouth falling open in astonishment and curiosity as the group nears the plundered storehouse, "whooaa. Did a bear do this?" The tiefling tries to imagine any creature he's familiar with being able to break and drag away pieces of timber. He thinks it more likely that this was done by the previous owner of the enormous tooth Lokilia found in the clearing a few days ago than by even the hungriest grizzly.
The teen turns and looks over his shoulder. He's been checking from time to time behind the party. His overactive imagination had gotten into his dreaming, and he awoke with a start this morning picturing a hundred little stick dolls chasing them. Is there anything in the woods nearby watching the group as they approach the ransacked provisions? (Perception: 21)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Who do you suppose would have left these storehouses?" Lokilia wonders. "But yea, probably more important to think about what was able to break in like this." She considers whether a bear - even a large bear - would have been able to break through the strong structure. Or if she knew of creatures that might have been responsible. (Nature: 17)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Dev peers into the woods imagining dark eyes among the pine boughs, clawed feet padding over the carpet of pine needles, heavy breath panting in the.......heavy breath.....wait....thats not his imagination....something is breathing inside the sundered storehouse....something very large.....its.....snoring?....
Looking at the damage closer Lokilia begins to make out slash marks and grip points where claws dug in to pull at the wood, holding up her hand she notes she can fit two of her hands side by side between each claw mark......this is big.....but what?....likely not a cat as there is vegetable matter that has been consumed as well.....she thinks Dev is probably right....a bear.....but larger than any bear she has ever seen in her mountain home....then she notices Dev has frozen.....
Dev’s eyes are wide circles now. He suddenly stops in his track and flaps his arms like a flightless bird, motioning for attention and silence, then whispering so the others can hear him.
”Shhhh!! Stop! Listen! Whatever did this is still in there having a calorie crash!”
He cups his ear, turning it toward the savaged entryway, partly as a direction to the others to do the same, partly to be sure it wasn’t his imagination, grimacing because he already knows what he heard was real.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
At Dev's words, Lokilia does turn her attention back to broken storehouse. "I think it could be a bear," she says softly to the others. "An enormous bear. Maybe we should just let it be." She starts to back away a bit from the place.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"Interesting", Normont whispers as Dev and Lokilia realise what is going on in the store house.
He takes a closer look at the door, trying to figure out why it would be so big, and whether a truly enormous bear would even fit through it.
Investigation: 1+5=6 (Passive: 15)
Magus freeze is movements hearing the warning from Dev and then quietly starts to move away from the door as quickly and silently as he can.
Stealth: 4
Unfortunately he does not see the bush in his way as the low branches grab his leggings and trip him up as he goes crashing to the ground.
He finds a few patches of oily fur stuck to the wood where something squeezed itself through the gap, he also finds a single grey-black feather about the length of his arm....
The snoring comes to a sudden stop and there is an almost querying ' sqwonk' from within the storehouse....
“It has feathers and fur”, Normont whispers. “I think it is an Owlbear”.
He then backs away from the door as he hears noise from within, making sure to move adjacent to it so he can’t be rushed.
As a final precaution, he equips his shield and draws his pistol.
Quinn moves to the front with his shield and sword ready to protect his friends.
Dev winces when Magnus trips, but the tiefling is used to throwing big dangerous people off his scent — so to speak — so maybe the same tactics will work here. He whistles a quick combination of notes on his panpipes, and suddenly the sound of branches swishing when Magnus falls is captured and slowed and loops, sounding like a rising and falling breeze through the trees, loud enough to cover the movements of him and his companions (Minor Illusion). He then tiptoes away.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
( Give me a Performance or nature check Dev)
Dev Performance: 14+4=18
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
There are sounds of an immensly heavy body shifting and then the snoring sounds resume once more........
Magnus breaths a sigh of relief and whispers thanks to Dev, then slowly gets back to his feet and continues ever so slowly toward the treeline to get out of sight.
"I still say we should just be on our way," Lokilia says softly. "Even if it's an owlbear, it should be satisfied with what it found here. It has little reason to come after us. And I don't think we're in great need of supplies."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer