"Thank you, young adventurers," Constable Alena tries something like a smile, though it comes across more as a grimace. It's clear, however, that she's touched by everyone's determination to find Farmer Hal, regardless of the true motives behind it. "Let's get going then, while the day is still relatively young. But first, let me check to see if I can borrow some equipment for our mission."
Alena nods towards a sack of apples in one of the corners near the cooking area. "Feel free to grab some apples from that sack for the road. It's a long journey ahead, and a bit of sustenance can't hurt. I'm sure Hal won't mind it."
She disappears into the farmhouse again and returns after a few minutes with an old and quite worn backpack. The handle of a dagger sticks out from one of the pockets.
"It's not as good as what I had prepared just in case, but it's better than entering the woods empty-handed," she explains.
[Feel free to grab an apple or two for the road. Also a chance to wrap up anything going on here in the farmhouse.]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
"R-right... No time to lose." Wulcrath responds to the other Dragonborn, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly with a little nervous laugh as the Silver Sorcerer simply marches off, and seems to draw just a bit of Ire from Preston and Ella for his attitude about all this... He gently scoops up the map that was left on the table, leaving the rest of the findings there.
He studies the map a little, nodding before he folds it up, and gently sets it in his pack. "I'm ready when you all are." The Fighter says, smiling down at his new companions. He was feeling fairly good all things considered. It was nice to have made some acquaintances after awhile on the road.
Wulcrath forgoes the apples. He's not too hungry. Yet, at least.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST. Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
Preston grabs an apple for the road. He hoped that they wouldn’t be to late to save Hal. With the clues they’d found and Alena’s testimony, there was nothing quite sure yet. However, even though he disagreed with the motivation of some of his new companions, he was glad to have them at his side on this journey.
As they begin to make their way to the Whispering Woods, he looked at the Red dragonborn holding the map. "Where to, Wulcrath?"
Wulcrath has his head down, his nose stuck in the little drawn map as Preston speaks. Having already reproduced it to take another look. "O-oh... well?" He says, looking from the map to the Human, and then back to the map. "If I'm being honest your guess is as good as mine." He says with a little shrug of his shoulders. His old chainmail beneath his equally old clothes audibly rustling against itself as he walks. "This map is..." The red Dragonborn's eyes trail back down to the map, deciding how he wants to phrase this. "Sparse on the details." He finishes.
"Here, take a look, maybe you'll see something I'm simply not?" Wulcrath says, handing off the map to Preston. If the Dragonborn was honest with himself, he wasn't the best navigator. Better anyone else in the group than him. Plus, the Whispering Woods weren't a place Wulcrath knew anything about. Most of Meadowhaven was a mystery to him really.
Constable Alena claps her hands once, interrupting the conversation. “Right. You can decide on who is going to do the map navigation on the way. Let’s go.”
Without further ado, she strides past you and walks out of the house, very deliberately avoiding touching the front door. She leads the way out of the farm, past the crops fields and a small vegetable garden.
The edge of the Whispering Woods lies just a few miles to the north-west of the farmhouse. The sun has set higher in the cloudless sky, casting a relentless wave of summer heat. The air around you, filled with the ceaseless drone of cicadas, feels stifling and sticky, thick with the sweltering heat that makes sweat bead on your brows. Swarms of flies are buzzing persistently around Wulcrath, Ella, and Preston, drawn to the lingering scent of dried blood from the earlier confrontation with the giant rats.
After what feels like eternity, although is probably not longer than an hour, just as the heat starts to get insufferable, you finally enter the woods, feeling immediate relief from the sun under the thick foliage.
The forest here is less dense and there are places where the sunlight pierces through the leaves. In these clearings, the forest floor is covered with vibrant flowers and ripe wild strawberries. Birds are singing high above your heads, squirrels jump between the trees and the forest, at this moment, seems like an idyllic, peaceful retreat.
Following a natural path, likely carved by both woodland creatures and hunters, you proceed deeper into the heart of the Whispering Wood.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
Dracor would make his way towards the woods as he baked in the heat. If the dragonborn could sweat, he would have been drenched by the time they reached the forest. Pulling out his water skin he would hold it out in one hand before muttering a few words of Prestidigitation to chill the waterskin and the water within. As frost wraps around the bag, he would begin to rub the chilled bag of water on his face and the back of his neck as they made their way into the trees. "This forest doesn't seem haunted or evil.." The dragonborn would say as he cooled himself with his improvised ice pack... "Just... dirty and infested with bugs..." Dracor would swat away a few swarms of insects as he walks.
While they walk, Preston tries to make sense of the map. Though born in Meadowhaven, he was barely any more familiar with the town as Wulcrath or anyone else in the group. Plus, the swarm of mosquitos buzzing around him make it extremely hard to focus and get his bearings. And this heat combined with the weight of his armor were taking a toll on him. He welcomed the relief from the shade of the woods. With renewed vigor he made, he continued to follow Alena.
Seeing the beautiful scenery, the young soldier can’t help but feel that his younger self would have adored coming down here to play. There wasn’t this much greenery to enjoy back in the big city where he grew up.
Now with the heat and the buzzing gone, Preston focused back on the map in an attempt to read it and guide the party.
“Oop…?” Wulcrath gives the Constable a confused look as she harshly claps and passes him and Preston by. Offering a shrug to the human in response. “Well, you heard the woman. I guess?” He says confusedly before stowing the map once more. Though, if the Paladin wants it, he’d be fine with handing it off.
Wulcrath is left swatting bug after bug as they’re attracted to the Dragonborn. Letting out annoyed little grunts as he defends himself. The sun beating down on them doesn’t really bother him though, heat alone never really has weirdly enough..He idly wonders why as they enter the clearin, but he refocuses himself.
“Well, don’t try to tempt fate Dracor. She loves it when you do that.” Wulcrath jokes idly, as he looks around. He had to agree though, it looked almost like a scene from a painting. Colorful and alive, but apparently this is the very forest that had seemingly drawn Farmer Hal away and drove him mad.
The path guides you into a spacious clearing, where an expanse of berry bushes thrives. In the sunshine, the berries seem to shimmer like precious rubies, their vibrant red colour catching the light. Before you, the trail diverges into three smaller paths, each one stretching out in different directions — left, straight ahead, and to the right.
What do you do?
[Please include wisdom saving throws as part of your posts].
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Upon seeing the shimmering berries, he would place his waterskin back on his belt and move to pick one from the bush. Assuming it comes off easily, he would hold it in his hand and look it over to inspect it. "Well... These sure are interesting!" The dragonborn would say as he gazed upon the berry!.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Having been raised indoors, in an underground city, Ella is not super familiar with insects. She decides she hates them.
Within the clearing, the berries catch her attention, naturally, and she moves to take a closer look at them. Are they truly shimmering? Do berries do that?
Preston catches a glimpse of the shimmering berries. While odd, Preston tries to stay focused on the task at hand. He's not entirely sure which way to go as the map is most unclear.
Wulcrath tilts his head at the strange berries, shrugging his shoulders as he stands beside Preston. "Maybe you could make some kind of glowing pie out of em?" He comments.
Wisdom Save: 13
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST. Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
The berry comes off easily as Dracor tries to pick it, and leaves a bright red stain in his palm.
"Ah, the infamous Redberry, " Constable Alena comments as her eyes follow the dragonborn's actions. "Very useful ingredient for making dyes, but unfortunately, poisonous for consumption."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
At the mention of Red berry, Preston takes a closer look at the map. To his surprise, at the bottom of it are two bushes with colored dots, probably representing berries. Though one is blue and the other, red. He looks around the clearing for any bushes with blue berries.
Ella starts, taking a step away from the berries. She may be resistant to poison, but that doesn't mean she's interested in consuming it. "I'd suggest no glowing pies," she says. "Dracor, you should probably wash that off."
Dracor would frown as he dropped the poisonous berry. When. At the mention of it being used to dye clothing, he would quickly wipe his hand in the grass hoping to remove the stain before casting prestidigitation to remove any remaining red coloring. "I wonder if poisonous berries could come in handy... Perhaps one of you could make a poison to coat your weapons or a poison that could be used on whatever left those small footprints back at the farm." The dragonborn would suggest as he himself makes sure not to touch them again.
Wulcrath lets out a little amused "Hmph" at Ella's reaction and response to his comment and Dracor's dropping of the berry. Something between a laugh and a little grunt escaping the big Dragonborn. "Alright, you've convinced me, dreadfully hungry as I am." He teases the Dwarf gently, though he leaves it that. Her seeming concern for all of them touched him in a way... he found it endearing.
He thinks on Dracor's suggestion though. If only he perhaps had some Alchemy supplies, he could test that theory. A bag of tricks with something like that in it could be useful to him, magically uninclined as the Fighter is. "What do you think Constable, would that work?" He asks the Human Woman, his silver eyes glancing at her as the group idles for a spell.
"Thank you, young adventurers," Constable Alena tries something like a smile, though it comes across more as a grimace. It's clear, however, that she's touched by everyone's determination to find Farmer Hal, regardless of the true motives behind it. "Let's get going then, while the day is still relatively young. But first, let me check to see if I can borrow some equipment for our mission."
Alena nods towards a sack of apples in one of the corners near the cooking area. "Feel free to grab some apples from that sack for the road. It's a long journey ahead, and a bit of sustenance can't hurt. I'm sure Hal won't mind it."
She disappears into the farmhouse again and returns after a few minutes with an old and quite worn backpack. The handle of a dagger sticks out from one of the pockets.
"It's not as good as what I had prepared just in case, but it's better than entering the woods empty-handed," she explains.
[Feel free to grab an apple or two for the road. Also a chance to wrap up anything going on here in the farmhouse.]
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
Vesna March - L1 Cleric in Etharis
DM The Missing Farmer
Dracor would grab a few apples and toss them into his pack before marching off towards the woods.
"R-right... No time to lose." Wulcrath responds to the other Dragonborn, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly with a little nervous laugh as the Silver Sorcerer simply marches off, and seems to draw just a bit of Ire from Preston and Ella for his attitude about all this... He gently scoops up the map that was left on the table, leaving the rest of the findings there.
He studies the map a little, nodding before he folds it up, and gently sets it in his pack. "I'm ready when you all are." The Fighter says, smiling down at his new companions. He was feeling fairly good all things considered. It was nice to have made some acquaintances after awhile on the road.
Wulcrath forgoes the apples. He's not too hungry. Yet, at least.
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST.
Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
Preston grabs an apple for the road. He hoped that they wouldn’t be to late to save Hal. With the clues they’d found and Alena’s testimony, there was nothing quite sure yet. However, even though he disagreed with the motivation of some of his new companions, he was glad to have them at his side on this journey.
As they begin to make their way to the Whispering Woods, he looked at the Red dragonborn holding the map. "Where to, Wulcrath?"
Wulcrath has his head down, his nose stuck in the little drawn map as Preston speaks. Having already reproduced it to take another look. "O-oh... well?" He says, looking from the map to the Human, and then back to the map. "If I'm being honest your guess is as good as mine." He says with a little shrug of his shoulders. His old chainmail beneath his equally old clothes audibly rustling against itself as he walks. "This map is..." The red Dragonborn's eyes trail back down to the map, deciding how he wants to phrase this. "Sparse on the details." He finishes.
"Here, take a look, maybe you'll see something I'm simply not?" Wulcrath says, handing off the map to Preston. If the Dragonborn was honest with himself, he wasn't the best navigator. Better anyone else in the group than him. Plus, the Whispering Woods weren't a place Wulcrath knew anything about. Most of Meadowhaven was a mystery to him really.
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST.
Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
Constable Alena claps her hands once, interrupting the conversation. “Right. You can decide on who is going to do the map navigation on the way. Let’s go.”
Without further ado, she strides past you and walks out of the house, very deliberately avoiding touching the front door. She leads the way out of the farm, past the crops fields and a small vegetable garden.
The edge of the Whispering Woods lies just a few miles to the north-west of the farmhouse. The sun has set higher in the cloudless sky, casting a relentless wave of summer heat. The air around you, filled with the ceaseless drone of cicadas, feels stifling and sticky, thick with the sweltering heat that makes sweat bead on your brows. Swarms of flies are buzzing persistently around Wulcrath, Ella, and Preston, drawn to the lingering scent of dried blood from the earlier confrontation with the giant rats.
After what feels like eternity, although is probably not longer than an hour, just as the heat starts to get insufferable, you finally enter the woods, feeling immediate relief from the sun under the thick foliage.
The forest here is less dense and there are places where the sunlight pierces through the leaves. In these clearings, the forest floor is covered with vibrant flowers and ripe wild strawberries. Birds are singing high above your heads, squirrels jump between the trees and the forest, at this moment, seems like an idyllic, peaceful retreat.
Following a natural path, likely carved by both woodland creatures and hunters, you proceed deeper into the heart of the Whispering Wood.
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
Vesna March - L1 Cleric in Etharis
DM The Missing Farmer
Dracor would make his way towards the woods as he baked in the heat. If the dragonborn could sweat, he would have been drenched by the time they reached the forest. Pulling out his water skin he would hold it out in one hand before muttering a few words of Prestidigitation to chill the waterskin and the water within. As frost wraps around the bag, he would begin to rub the chilled bag of water on his face and the back of his neck as they made their way into the trees. "This forest doesn't seem haunted or evil.." The dragonborn would say as he cooled himself with his improvised ice pack... "Just... dirty and infested with bugs..." Dracor would swat away a few swarms of insects as he walks.
While they walk, Preston tries to make sense of the map. Though born in Meadowhaven, he was barely any more familiar with the town as Wulcrath or anyone else in the group. Plus, the swarm of mosquitos buzzing around him make it extremely hard to focus and get his bearings. And this heat combined with the weight of his armor were taking a toll on him. He welcomed the relief from the shade of the woods. With renewed vigor he made, he continued to follow Alena.
Seeing the beautiful scenery, the young soldier can’t help but feel that his younger self would have adored coming down here to play. There wasn’t this much greenery to enjoy back in the big city where he grew up.
Now with the heat and the buzzing gone, Preston focused back on the map in an attempt to read it and guide the party.
Survival (in log): 2 (3-1)
(We’re doomed)
“Oop…?” Wulcrath gives the Constable a confused look as she harshly claps and passes him and Preston by. Offering a shrug to the human in response. “Well, you heard the woman. I guess?” He says confusedly before stowing the map once more. Though, if the Paladin wants it, he’d be fine with handing it off.
Wulcrath is left swatting bug after bug as they’re attracted to the Dragonborn. Letting out annoyed little grunts as he defends himself. The sun beating down on them doesn’t really bother him though, heat alone never really has weirdly enough..He idly wonders why as they enter the clearin, but he refocuses himself.
“Well, don’t try to tempt fate Dracor. She loves it when you do that.” Wulcrath jokes idly, as he looks around. He had to agree though, it looked almost like a scene from a painting. Colorful and alive, but apparently this is the very forest that had seemingly drawn Farmer Hal away and drove him mad.
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST.
Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
The path guides you into a spacious clearing, where an expanse of berry bushes thrives. In the sunshine, the berries seem to shimmer like precious rubies, their vibrant red colour catching the light. Before you, the trail diverges into three smaller paths, each one stretching out in different directions — left, straight ahead, and to the right.
What do you do?
[Please include wisdom saving throws as part of your posts].
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
Vesna March - L1 Cleric in Etharis
DM The Missing Farmer
Upon seeing the shimmering berries, he would place his waterskin back on his belt and move to pick one from the bush. Assuming it comes off easily, he would hold it in his hand and look it over to inspect it. "Well... These sure are interesting!" The dragonborn would say as he gazed upon the berry!.
Wis Save! 12
Having been raised indoors, in an underground city, Ella is not super familiar with insects. She decides she hates them.
Within the clearing, the berries catch her attention, naturally, and she moves to take a closer look at them. Are they truly shimmering? Do berries do that?
WIS save: 21
Preston catches a glimpse of the shimmering berries. While odd, Preston tries to stay focused on the task at hand. He's not entirely sure which way to go as the map is most unclear.
Wisdom save: 17
Wulcrath tilts his head at the strange berries, shrugging his shoulders as he stands beside Preston. "Maybe you could make some kind of glowing pie out of em?" He comments.
Wisdom Save: 13
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST.
Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
The berry comes off easily as Dracor tries to pick it, and leaves a bright red stain in his palm.
"Ah, the infamous Redberry, " Constable Alena comments as her eyes follow the dragonborn's actions. "Very useful ingredient for making dyes, but unfortunately, poisonous for consumption."
Aeran Dormaris - L2 Paladin on his way to Phandelver
Vesna March - L1 Cleric in Etharis
DM The Missing Farmer
At the mention of Red berry, Preston takes a closer look at the map. To his surprise, at the bottom of it are two bushes with colored dots, probably representing berries. Though one is blue and the other, red. He looks around the clearing for any bushes with blue berries.
Investigation: 11
Ella starts, taking a step away from the berries. She may be resistant to poison, but that doesn't mean she's interested in consuming it. "I'd suggest no glowing pies," she says. "Dracor, you should probably wash that off."
Dracor would frown as he dropped the poisonous berry. When. At the mention of it being used to dye clothing, he would quickly wipe his hand in the grass hoping to remove the stain before casting prestidigitation to remove any remaining red coloring. "I wonder if poisonous berries could come in handy... Perhaps one of you could make a poison to coat your weapons or a poison that could be used on whatever left those small footprints back at the farm." The dragonborn would suggest as he himself makes sure not to touch them again.
Wulcrath lets out a little amused "Hmph" at Ella's reaction and response to his comment and Dracor's dropping of the berry. Something between a laugh and a little grunt escaping the big Dragonborn. "Alright, you've convinced me, dreadfully hungry as I am." He teases the Dwarf gently, though he leaves it that. Her seeming concern for all of them touched him in a way... he found it endearing.
He thinks on Dracor's suggestion though. If only he perhaps had some Alchemy supplies, he could test that theory. A bag of tricks with something like that in it could be useful to him, magically uninclined as the Fighter is. "What do you think Constable, would that work?" He asks the Human Woman, his silver eyes glancing at her as the group idles for a spell.
High Hopes, Low Rolls. Timezone Is EST.
Surely THIS one will reach an ending...
Ella looks at Wulcrath. "If you give into the hunger, I'm not healing you." She pauses. "Well, yes I am. But I'll wait a little before I do."