Anthony scratched his chin scruff, thinking again that he needed a shave. "But Aoelwyn hinted the talismans may be the way out... And that skull woman said the betrayer was already coming for us... or something like that. Maybe this is what she was hinting at?" He switched to scrubbing his hair like it might knock some information loose. This was more thinking that he wad used to.

"The only magic I detect is transmutation magic on the gate. If we never been here, then where are we? That was definitely the same cave from yesterday or was it. Well, I don't think backtracking will take us back home. I think the only way forward is through the gate." says Aoufie.

He then finds a stick and pushed open the gate to see if something happens. 

Akyan shrugs at Anthony's explanation, then stops in his tracks when the group approaches the statues. Something's not right. He recoils slightly when Anthony points at him with glowing fingers. The drow has never been fond of having magic used on him, but he does trust Anthony. "Uh, sure." He says, accepting the help. He doesn't plan on doing anymore investigation since the others seem to have taken care of that, instead he just remains on high alert. Perhaps whatever spell Anthony placed on him will help him combat the sunlight.

((Planning to use on the next Perception Check))

He walks up next to Aoufie when the rabbitfolk pushes the gate open.

As Kora gets closer to the deer and before they scamper off, she attempts to talk to them.

"Good morning my friends, this place is unfamiliar to me, are you from here?  Have you seen that wall before?"  Unsure exactly what to ask the deer, she waits to see if they even answer, but keeps an eye on her friends as well as she doesn't want to get left behind in this strange area.

All the while her heart tugs at her, are they going to miss Mom's funeral?

As Aoufie and Akyan approach the gate that easily towers at least 80 feet, the gate starts to swing open towards them, rusted hinges rending the air with a tortured screech. Beyond the gate, you see that a long, muddy trail stretches out into a forest until it disappears in distant fog. Puddles of dark water dot the muddy trail like opaque mirrors reflecting the foggy morning sky. The enshrouded trees along either side of the trail loom in the mist, their claw-like branches bare of leaves. The air almost looks darker on the other side of the gate, an oppressive gloom hanging in the air. The sunlight doesn't seem quite as strong, hindered by the faint mist.

((I'll post again once Kora rolls))

Animal handling  20

Anthony looks up at the beheaded statues wondering where the heads landed when they toppled. Asking no one in particular, "You think those fell on their own or were vandalized?" 

At Kora's words, she sees all of their ears perk up in surprise. They halt their retreat, curiosity piqued by the woman who can speak with them. Never before had one of the two-legged monsters like the one approaching them been able to talk with them. Even though they were simple-minded creatures who were easily frightened, they take a few curious steps towards Kora.

Once Kora gets close enough, one of the young buck steps forward and greets her hesitantly. "Uh, yes, we are from here. This is our favorite meadow." His short tail flitters nervously while his head tilts curiously. "I don't know what you mean by 'wall' though." The other deer behind him nod in agreement, mostly does with few shy fawns peeking at Kora through the tall grass of the field.

Kora smiles as they stop retreating and take a couple curious steps towards her.  "I'm glad you have found a favorite meadow.  That is important."  She points back towards the 80' wall to show them what she is referring to, "That thing there is a wall, have you seen it before?  Also, have you seen myself and the others I travel with before?  Yesterday in particular?"

A shudder of fear runs through the herd as Kora clarifies what a 'wall' is. The young buck nods his head vehemently as he responds in a fearful tone, "We do not go that way. Too many men-beasts that way; they eat us." One of the nearby does pipes up, her ears flattened against her head in fear, "Wolves with man-skin that side. Haven't seen any for few moons. Safe." Even though they speak very simply, you can tell they are afraid of whatever lies beyond the wall, but you're not quite sure of what.

Kora gives a slight bow to the deer, "Thank you for telling me.  I will make sure my friends and I keep an eye out for wolves with man-skin.  Please, enjoy your meadow."  and she heads back with the rest.

Seeing that the doors have now opened upon the dark landscape, she tells the others, that the deer are afraid of what lurks beyond this wall.  That there are men-beasts and wolves with man-skin.  "Not that we wouldn't already be vigilant as we walk through these doors, but maybe we need to be aware of shapechangers?" she muses as she joins the others.

"Shapechangers... guessing not the friendly kind." glancing at the skittish deer. 'Great. You want me point or rear?' asking the group as a whole, but those with martial experience mostly.

"I'll take point with you, Anthony."

"No Aunty," Jared says with a bit of mirth mixed with sarcasm. "They both got tired of standing around and loped off their own heads."
He chuckles slightly at his own joke.
Jared's brow furrows a bit when Kora mentions "man-beasts" but says nothing.

Anthony shook his head at the 'joke', but agreed with the furrowed brow. Shapeshifters could be trouble. Trusting the others to sort out rear guard, Anthony joins Zathon at the front. No chance he wasn't going to make a lot of noise as they moved.

With that, Zathon walks forward past the gates. 

Since Zathon offered to take point, Akyan decides to take rearguard. First they somehow get teleported to this place, now shapechangers? Fantastic.

"I will follow up after Zathon. Shape changers are bad news as they could be anything or anyone." says Aoufie as he heads through the gate after the others keeping a watchful eye on any potential dangers. 

Perception

9 rolled in game log. 

Aoufie is distracted by the idea he was transported to this new land unawares. 

Jared just shrugs and follows.

Part One:

Under the Shadow of Ravenloft

Warily, the group steps across the threshold of the gate, enter into a dark new land. Behind them, the gate swings close, its rusty hinges rending the air with another tortured screech. The muddy path extends into the mist before you, and seeing few other options, you begin marching forward. Whereas the forest on the other side of the gate had signs of life, the forest on either side of the trail was devoid of anything living. The trees are all gray and dead, their gnarled branches reaching towards the mute sky. Crisp brown leaves litter the forest floor, obscuring the dark earth. No birds chirp, no mice rustle, no deer frolic. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave, yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream. The cloying odor of decay and mold hang heavy in the air, matching the muted atmosphere of the derelict forest. Your breath plumes before, one of the side effects of the unnatural chill permeating forest.

You do spot an occasional pine tree piercing the spindly canopy of dead trees, apparently thriving where deciduous trees could not. The longer you spend on the trail, the more pine trees you spot, and you eventually begin to see other spots of life: an occasional bloom struggling to survive under decomposing leaves, a woodpecker pounding away at the dead flesh of a tree, a patch of vibrant orange mushrooms thriving on the lichen-encrusted remains of a fallen tree. As the pallid scenery reluctantly begins to gradually shift to a slightly more lively habitat, one thing remains a constant: the mist. It obscures all, blocking out light except for a death-gray illumination. It swirls and twists between decaying trunks, thriving in its natural habitat.

Jared:

 After about an hour of walking, you finally break free of the forest. You find yourself in a large clearing that stretches for a few miles before being engulfed by the forest again. You see you are in a valley, snow-covered, jagged peaks ringing around the forest. To the south, you see a river rushing along, unbothered by your bleak surroundings. The mist is much thinner here, you can see for miles. The mist almost seems to cling to the forest, which is almost entirely comprised of towering pines a this point. 

You see what looks to be small village a few miles down the road, huddled against the boundary of the forest. Beyond it, you see the outline of a looming mountain enshrouded by mist. While you can't make out any details, you can barely see some sort of massive structure hidden by the mist resting upon the craggy mountain.