"Oof. Not 'xactly gonna get off any scent traces off these ones." Doozey remarks while on approach to the cows. Biscuit, on the other hand, backs away at least a few steps, shaking his head before baying once in the air. At that point the stoutling paused long enough in step to halfheartedly glare at the beast, then just waved him off. "If'n yer not gonna make herself useful, at least go keep an eye on those birds, and make sure they don't look sick."Biscuit cocked his head to the side at the request. But after glancing past his companion to spy the bodies one more time, he gives one big "BOOF!", before running off to find the birds!
Well, any birds really brave enough to roost near the barn and earn some rather pointed stares! "*sigh*.... Apologies sir, but uh, er, remind us again. Were the cows slain inside or did you and the lads move'm here? 'cause if the latter, I'd like to see the spot ya moved'm from, if'n that's alright. Don't matter if the rain right mucked up the area." Doozey requests of Mr. Grol while the others engaged in the investigations. "And I don't s'pose you can tell us a bit more about events leading up to their discovery in this state?" He said aloud, though couldn't help but add sarcastically in thought 'Now that'cha sobered up... I hope'.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
@Utar: You examine the first cow's eyes by lifting its eyelids. This one happens to be the most decomposed of the three, so it doesn't surprise you to discover that the eye sockets are now filled with some fleshy wet mush. It could have been the eye balls, but it could also be just a mixture of decomposing bloody bits left behind after an eyeball removal. It is hard to tell. Moving on to the mouth, the tongue is indeed missing, also being carved out by something sharp. It is hard to tell if it is a similar cut to that performed on Rerk. The fleeting thought of examining the next cow's eyes and tongue crosses your mind but your stomach refuses to cooperate. Your constitution is usually stronger than this, but the smell is getting to you this time around. You'll need a moment. (OCC: Feel free to roll a voluntary CON saving throw to see if you hold in your breakfast.)
@Neya: Focusing on the body, your attention first zooms into a small puncture wound on the side of one of the cows. You deduce it must have been left behind by some sort of stinger, and you can see that the area around this wound is swollen and discolored. You confirm that the other two cows have similar puncture wounds as well. Aside from that, the cows are completely mutilated, as if someone butchered them for meat but had no idea how exactly to go about it. You can now tell that the slashes were caused by a small bladed weapon, like a knife. Finally, there are several other small ripping wounds, likely caused by the vultures claiming strips of rotting meat from the carcasses. (OOC: Please give me a medicine check. If you prefer, it could be a WIS-based herbalism kit skill check instead.)
@Doozey: Ol' Mr. Grol grunts a few more times, clearly wrestling with his own impaired memory. He finally, but difficultly, let's you know that the carcasses were moved here from where they were found. They were all found outside in different mornings over recent tendays. "Gotta move the rotting corpses away from the living cows," he justifies. He can't exactly remember where the cows fell dead initially apart from the most recent one. He points to a muddy spot some 40 yards away. He can't remember any more details of the events leading up to each discovery other than "I wakes up and there the next dead cow was..." In the meantime, Biscuit polices the nearby vultures, who are clearly just biding their time before swooping back in for their meal. From the corner of you eye (passive perception), you notice one of the birds is moving more sluggishly than any of its brethren. (OOC: If investigating the muddy spot Ol' Mr. Grol pointed out, please give me your choice of a perception or investigation check.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The putrification of the cow's eyes or whatever remained in their sockets started a roiling in Utar's stomach. He'd seen plenty of similar wounds before, but this time it was the stench... Oh Torm! That smell! Sweet, cloying, almost thick. The more he smelt it, the more his stomach churned until..
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Mn... Fair enough." Is Doozey distant sounding reply to Ol' Mr. Grol, as more of the stoutling's attention had begun to shifted towards the burdened vulture. He spares the general area he'd been directed to one last quick glance, before whistling a soft tune, weaving a spell, no, a charm to better connect him to the wilder world.
"Biscuit-"The beast immediately perks up, but shoots only Doozey only a quick glance. "Ya see the sluggish one there. Keep a close eye on that one, as I'd like to have words with'em soon." He says, gesturing to the bird, and not seeming to care in the moment how the vulture might take any of his words should it be able to overhear them. With that business momentarily seen to, he finally began making his way closer to the muddy spot for inspection.
-Perception: 27. (if adv. from Keen Smell may yet still apply: 19.)
"And you didn't hear anything at the time? No cries of pain of those in ya charge? No, eh, strange smells aside the rot, or even the odd 'thing' left behind from a possible struggle?" Doozey asked of the elder as he searched the grounds.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
While Utar is busy fighting his urges to spew breakfast (he succeeds eventually), Neya focuses her study of the cow corpses onto the discolored areas around the puncture wounds. Extracting some samples and placing them in vials of reagents, she soon confirms her suspicions that the cows had been poisoned.
Already preparing himself for the next item in his to-do list, Doozey approaches the muddy spot and easily identifies very small, clawed tracks with blood and some drag marks leading away from the scene. These could be easily missed given the muddy mess and rainy weather all around, but Doozey is an expert tracker.
In response to the fresh questions, the old farmer says apologetically: "I is quite the heavy sleeper." As he says so, he gestures toward his mouth with a thumb, indicating that he obviously drinks himself to sleep quite often. He denies noticing anything else, and he doesn't seem to have much help in his farm in terms of hirelings or farmhands. Nonetheless, he seems certain the cow killers were the woodland fey!
Looking a shade greener than he was a moment ago, Utar swallows down hard on something and walks away from the bovine corpses. He then moves to speak, pauses, and holds up a hand with a single finger raised.
A moment passes, then another. Utar lets a large exhale of breath go then takes a fresh gulp of air, this one less tainted by the smell of rot and decay.
"Eyes and tongue are gone on that one at least. Not sure about the others and I don't want to check."
"Hmmm. They've been injected with venom. There are also traces of cuts from a blade. Someone who is new at using one in this way, by the look of it. I'm beginning to suspect that fey creatures are not behind this."
Noticing Utar has had enough of the dead cows, Denae steps up and takes a quick look at a different cow's eyes and mouth. It looks like she might be having some problems with the smell as well, but she eventually turns back and adds her own observation to the group's intel: "This one still has its tongue and eyes... strange. No consistency here. I'm leaning towards what Neya said... I am not sure we can blame the cattle slaughter on Rerk's assailant, not with the information at hand, at least."
(OOC: Starting a new day in Kabel Hill and launching your investigation concludes ACT Iof Episode 13, simply called "Kabel's Hill". You can each add 1,050 XP to your character sheets, which I believe is enough to get everyone to level 12. Congrats! You can assume you leveled up upon completing the most recent long rest, so feel free to use any new features/skills/spell during the current investigation at Ol' Mr. Grol's farm and beyond. I'll post the detailed XP breakdown in the OOC channel.)
Somehow, despite nearly losing his breakfast, Utar felt...better for having gone through the whole thing. He at least knew not to go poking about any decomposing cow faces.
"So inconclusive on this being done by fey creatures. Do we have any ideas about the venom? Or do we need to get walking towards Halvin's barn?"
Doozey gives the old farmer a flat look, then let out a soft sigh of defeat. "Right, well, I believe I found the trail of the creature involved. Though, I'll need to confer with my compatriots 'fore getting too far ahead of ourselves. I'll... this might sound strange, but I'll need to see the rest of your surviving lifestock in a bit, if'n that's alright?" He went on to request, and just soon as that was settled on, he'd begin making his way back over to the presumably overstuffed vulture.
He is, however, mindful enough not to get too close to where they roosted, least they think to flee or become aggressive. "Oi!"He called to the beast just as Biscuit pads over to stand beside the stoutling. "Apologies for disturbing ya peace of mind, but if'n ya answer a couple of me questions, perhaps I can be of assistance in return. Perhaps, eh, like helping ya with a tummy ache?" He offers.
(And if a persuasion check is needed, see spoiler. Otherwise, feel free to ignore it)
If his request his accepted, Doozey gives a toothless but no less appreciative grin before carrying on by asking, "I s'pose for starters would be if'n ya saw anything on your fly in when ya first found dead cow? And if'n ya can describe it for me. And the other thing would be if'n when ya did started to have ya way with yer meal, did'ja, eh... did you smell anything... off about it?" He asks, knowing, or at least believing the usual terrible scents of any carrion would be overlooked, making the unusual stand out more... or so he hoped, in any event.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Denae conditionally agrees with Utar: "Aye, I think that's the next logical step, unless your favorite ranger over there finds a different path for us after talking to his animal friends." With that, Denae turns to Doozey from a distance and adds: "Let me know if any of them is giving you a hard time. I have a knack for building quick friendships with beast."
Doozey had been already busy telling Ol' Mr. Grol that he intended to speak to the surviving cows soon. "Oh... okay," the farmer answers, pointing in the general direction where Doozey may find the remaining four cows under his care. Postponing that conversation for another minute, Doozey instead approaches the flock of nearby vultures on which Biscuit has been keeping an eye. They all fly away from the ranger as he approaches, except for the sluggish one, who would swiftly follow her brethren if she could. Despite the creature's visible fear, the halfling does not feel the need to take Denae on her offer just yet. The left-behind vulture looks suspiciously at Doozey as he offers help in exchange for information, but she doesn't feel like she has much of a choice at the moment. When a question comes her way, she replies: "Flew in for a meal. Delicious at first. Then, red vulture bursts from inside cow. One sharp long claw. Was full, couldn't fly. Didn't flock with us."A second reply follows shortly: "No extra bad smell from most of the carcass, but part of the meat extra pungent. I feel weak."
Ol' Mr. Grol re-approaches the rest of CRAP incredulous: "The little guy can speak with the vultures?! Is he fey?"
Utar lets Doozey squawk to the vultures for a little bit, before answering Farmer Grol, "He's no fey, just more in tune with nature than the rest of us. Might be these birds know what happened to your cows, if they can tell us, we can tell you."
Whether due to birds skittish nature, or insufficient caution on the stoutling's part(not at all helped by his waving back in acknowledgement of Denae's offer), Doozey had been left in somewhat of a tizzy after seeing most of the flock take flight. But with his primary target being less than swift in the escape, he soon brushed off any failings in a sigh, before following through on his original plans.
"Red vultures?! Huh! I've heard of Red Caps 'n how they tend to come to be 'n all, but... hmm...actually-..." Doozey looked asckance with furrowed brows, and chin held betwixt thumb and forefinger while seeming lost in thought for a moment or so in searching his mind for answers.
(@Lerus: I'm presuming it would be an arcana check to see if Doozey recognizes the description and birth belonging to a particular fey or magical effect. But feel free to substitute the roll with any appropriate modifiers)
-Arcana: 15. (if Hunter's bane apply due to the creature being fey/fiend/undead oriented, here's the adv. roll: 28)
"I think I might have some idea on what happened, but you'll definitely want to be treated by my friend -- AND very soon, least what happened to the cow happens to ye as well. Though-"He frowns at the bird. "-it doesn't look like you'll be able to reach him in your current state. So, I'll bring him over, and he'll see ya well. It'll just be a moment. But Biscuit here will keep ya company in the meantime."With that, Doozey hurried his way over to Utar, and by extension the rest of the group to give a quick synopsis of his findings. "All that said, I might be able to whip up an alchemical solution to the we birds problem, but it might not be in time or enough. So, I don't suppose you have any miracles in ya to settle an upset stomach would'ja? Or even induce it to vomit, at the very least."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Hmm... I suppose..." is all that Ol' Mr. Grol can manage in response to Utar.
Several yards away, Doozey interviews the hurt vulture. Trying to put himself in the vulture's proverbial shoes, the ranger deduces that anything with wings would likely be considered a bird of sorts to a simple vulture, while the red could either be the cow's own blood or the tone of the winged creature's skin, likely both.
Still feeling cornered, the hurt vulture has no strength to deny Doozey's commands and/or offers. He approaches Utar, hoping the half-orc will follow him back to the the flying beast and cure her from her ailment. Biscuit keeps the vulture some company. Not necessarily in an urgent hurry, the halfling makes sure to share the information he collected from the murder scene and from the bird with the rest of the group before leading Utar back to his next patient. While Doozey is nearby, the farmer confirms: "Ya still wanna talk to the cows?"
In the meantime, Neya keeps an eye out for curious and suspicious eyes. She doesn't find any unwanted attention around the vicinity, but she does notice someone approaching from a distance. She recognizes the quick and slender figure of the boy Ferguson, who is apparently returning to meet CRAP right here in Ol' Mr. Grol's farm. The boy is making no effort to hide his approach, so Neya has no reason to suspect him.
-> Both Neya and Doozey understand by now that the vulture is poisoned.
Looking down at the vulture, Utar turns to Doozey and asks, "You want to explain to the bird what is going to happen to it? I'll need to touch it for the healing to occur."
The half-orc pauses while their ranger explains rust is about to happen to it. Kneeling, he tries a reassuring smile, before reaching out a hand. Stroking the birds feathers for a moment, Utar keeps his hand still and casts lesser restoration.
(OOC I'm assuming that the poisoned effect would be ended as a result. Is there just the one vulture in need of attention?)
"Hm? Oh, uh, aye. Just need to keep my word real quick, since the vulture was quite informative."Was Doozey's reply to the farmer, before inevitably making the rest of the way near the vulture. Then at the half-orc's request, the stoutling smiled, nodded curtly, and then knelt beside the vulture ahead of Utar. "This one here is very, very good healer. You need only stay still and keep calm, and he'll make you well within moments -- Though, do be mindful in the future on what you decide to eat, ya?"He assured the beast, before backing off to avoid crowding the creature as Utar worked his magic.
But being the stoutling that he was, Doozey strayed close again afterwards to examine the bird and making sure things took, assuming they don't immediately fly away. But once all said is done, a final bow is what he leaves the bird with before returning to the farmer with an expectant look.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(@MB: Yes and yes, just the one vulture who pecked a tad too close to the poisoned spot on the carcass. That's not how poison works but that's what we are going with. 😁)
The vulture does not understand the concept of healing, much less that of magic. She knows she feels weak and hurt, and that this is usually a death sentence to any animal. When Utar and Doozey "pounce" on her, she feels cornered but too feeble to fight back or fly away. She gives in to her fate, not particularly responding to the halfling's words or the half-orc's caress.
A moment later, she is feeling strong and healthy again. She still fails to understand what is happening, but the flight instinct rushes in and she flaps her large wings into the air. She flies away not knowing how she escaped death at the hands of two humanoids. No gratitude is shown.
Doozey moves on and finds himself silently nudging the farmer to move on to their next stop. Ol' Mr. Grol takes an uncomfortable amount of time to pick up on the hint, but he eventually leads Doozey to the surviving cows. There are four of them and they don't look like they are particularly taken good care of. They are not suffering, but they do seem a bit on the skinny side. Their moos are magically translated into the ranger's ears, who understands that they are afraid of being the next one to be claimed come the evening.
Meanwhile, Ferguson reaches CRAP, or more precisely, Neya and Denae. He preemptively explains his return: "Mr. Hupe said I needed to come back in case you needed more guiding." He scratches the back of his head, smiles widely revealing budding tusks, and apologies: "Sorry!"
Neya looks to see if there are any sort of weapon marks that have been concealed by the acts of scavenging animals.
Survival: 22
Extended Signature
"Oof. Not 'xactly gonna get off any scent traces off these ones." Doozey remarks while on approach to the cows. Biscuit, on the other hand, backs away at least a few steps, shaking his head before baying once in the air. At that point the stoutling paused long enough in step to halfheartedly glare at the beast, then just waved him off. "If'n yer not gonna make herself useful, at least go keep an eye on those birds, and make sure they don't look sick." Biscuit cocked his head to the side at the request. But after glancing past his companion to spy the bodies one more time, he gives one big "BOOF!", before running off to find the birds!
Well, any birds really brave enough to roost near the barn and earn some rather pointed stares! "*sigh*.... Apologies sir, but uh, er, remind us again. Were the cows slain inside or did you and the lads move'm here? 'cause if the latter, I'd like to see the spot ya moved'm from, if'n that's alright. Don't matter if the rain right mucked up the area." Doozey requests of Mr. Grol while the others engaged in the investigations. "And I don't s'pose you can tell us a bit more about events leading up to their discovery in this state?" He said aloud, though couldn't help but add sarcastically in thought 'Now that'cha sobered up... I hope'.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
@Utar: You examine the first cow's eyes by lifting its eyelids. This one happens to be the most decomposed of the three, so it doesn't surprise you to discover that the eye sockets are now filled with some fleshy wet mush. It could have been the eye balls, but it could also be just a mixture of decomposing bloody bits left behind after an eyeball removal. It is hard to tell. Moving on to the mouth, the tongue is indeed missing, also being carved out by something sharp. It is hard to tell if it is a similar cut to that performed on Rerk. The fleeting thought of examining the next cow's eyes and tongue crosses your mind but your stomach refuses to cooperate. Your constitution is usually stronger than this, but the smell is getting to you this time around. You'll need a moment. (OCC: Feel free to roll a voluntary CON saving throw to see if you hold in your breakfast.)
@Neya: Focusing on the body, your attention first zooms into a small puncture wound on the side of one of the cows. You deduce it must have been left behind by some sort of stinger, and you can see that the area around this wound is swollen and discolored. You confirm that the other two cows have similar puncture wounds as well. Aside from that, the cows are completely mutilated, as if someone butchered them for meat but had no idea how exactly to go about it. You can now tell that the slashes were caused by a small bladed weapon, like a knife. Finally, there are several other small ripping wounds, likely caused by the vultures claiming strips of rotting meat from the carcasses. (OOC: Please give me a medicine check. If you prefer, it could be a WIS-based herbalism kit skill check instead.)
@Doozey: Ol' Mr. Grol grunts a few more times, clearly wrestling with his own impaired memory. He finally, but difficultly, let's you know that the carcasses were moved here from where they were found. They were all found outside in different mornings over recent tendays. "Gotta move the rotting corpses away from the living cows," he justifies. He can't exactly remember where the cows fell dead initially apart from the most recent one. He points to a muddy spot some 40 yards away. He can't remember any more details of the events leading up to each discovery other than "I wakes up and there the next dead cow was..." In the meantime, Biscuit polices the nearby vultures, who are clearly just biding their time before swooping back in for their meal. From the corner of you eye (passive perception), you notice one of the birds is moving more sluggishly than any of its brethren. (OOC: If investigating the muddy spot Ol' Mr. Grol pointed out, please give me your choice of a perception or investigation check.)
The putrification of the cow's eyes or whatever remained in their sockets started a roiling in Utar's stomach. He'd seen plenty of similar wounds before, but this time it was the stench... Oh Torm! That smell! Sweet, cloying, almost thick. The more he smelt it, the more his stomach churned until..
Utar's Con Save: 10
(Both are the same modifier.)
Medicine: 24
Extended Signature
"Mn... Fair enough." Is Doozey distant sounding reply to Ol' Mr. Grol, as more of the stoutling's attention had begun to shifted towards the burdened vulture. He spares the general area he'd been directed to one last quick glance, before whistling a soft tune, weaving a spell, no, a charm to better connect him to the wilder world.
-Casting Speak With Animals w/ freebie slot.
"Biscuit-" The beast immediately perks up, but shoots only Doozey only a quick glance. "Ya see the sluggish one there. Keep a close eye on that one, as I'd like to have words with'em soon." He says, gesturing to the bird, and not seeming to care in the moment how the vulture might take any of his words should it be able to overhear them. With that business momentarily seen to, he finally began making his way closer to the muddy spot for inspection.
-Perception: 27. (if adv. from Keen Smell may yet still apply: 19.)
"And you didn't hear anything at the time? No cries of pain of those in ya charge? No, eh, strange smells aside the rot, or even the odd 'thing' left behind from a possible struggle?" Doozey asked of the elder as he searched the grounds.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
While Utar is busy fighting his urges to spew breakfast (he succeeds eventually), Neya focuses her study of the cow corpses onto the discolored areas around the puncture wounds. Extracting some samples and placing them in vials of reagents, she soon confirms her suspicions that the cows had been poisoned.
Already preparing himself for the next item in his to-do list, Doozey approaches the muddy spot and easily identifies very small, clawed tracks with blood and some drag marks leading away from the scene. These could be easily missed given the muddy mess and rainy weather all around, but Doozey is an expert tracker.
In response to the fresh questions, the old farmer says apologetically: "I is quite the heavy sleeper." As he says so, he gestures toward his mouth with a thumb, indicating that he obviously drinks himself to sleep quite often. He denies noticing anything else, and he doesn't seem to have much help in his farm in terms of hirelings or farmhands. Nonetheless, he seems certain the cow killers were the woodland fey!
Looking a shade greener than he was a moment ago, Utar swallows down hard on something and walks away from the bovine corpses. He then moves to speak, pauses, and holds up a hand with a single finger raised.
A moment passes, then another. Utar lets a large exhale of breath go then takes a fresh gulp of air, this one less tainted by the smell of rot and decay.
"Eyes and tongue are gone on that one at least. Not sure about the others and I don't want to check."
"Hmmm. They've been injected with venom. There are also traces of cuts from a blade. Someone who is new at using one in this way, by the look of it. I'm beginning to suspect that fey creatures are not behind this."
Extended Signature
Noticing Utar has had enough of the dead cows, Denae steps up and takes a quick look at a different cow's eyes and mouth. It looks like she might be having some problems with the smell as well, but she eventually turns back and adds her own observation to the group's intel: "This one still has its tongue and eyes... strange. No consistency here. I'm leaning towards what Neya said... I am not sure we can blame the cattle slaughter on Rerk's assailant, not with the information at hand, at least."
(OOC: Starting a new day in Kabel Hill and launching your investigation concludes ACT I of Episode 13, simply called "Kabel's Hill". You can each add 1,050 XP to your character sheets, which I believe is enough to get everyone to level 12. Congrats! You can assume you leveled up upon completing the most recent long rest, so feel free to use any new features/skills/spell during the current investigation at Ol' Mr. Grol's farm and beyond. I'll post the detailed XP breakdown in the OOC channel.)
Somehow, despite nearly losing his breakfast, Utar felt...better for having gone through the whole thing. He at least knew not to go poking about any decomposing cow faces.
"So inconclusive on this being done by fey creatures. Do we have any ideas about the venom? Or do we need to get walking towards Halvin's barn?"
Doozey gives the old farmer a flat look, then let out a soft sigh of defeat. "Right, well, I believe I found the trail of the creature involved. Though, I'll need to confer with my compatriots 'fore getting too far ahead of ourselves. I'll... this might sound strange, but I'll need to see the rest of your surviving lifestock in a bit, if'n that's alright?" He went on to request, and just soon as that was settled on, he'd begin making his way back over to the presumably overstuffed vulture.
He is, however, mindful enough not to get too close to where they roosted, least they think to flee or become aggressive. "Oi!" He called to the beast just as Biscuit pads over to stand beside the stoutling. "Apologies for disturbing ya peace of mind, but if'n ya answer a couple of me questions, perhaps I can be of assistance in return. Perhaps, eh, like helping ya with a tummy ache?" He offers.
(And if a persuasion check is needed, see spoiler. Otherwise, feel free to ignore it)
-Persuasion: 24.
If his request his accepted, Doozey gives a toothless but no less appreciative grin before carrying on by asking, "I s'pose for starters would be if'n ya saw anything on your fly in when ya first found dead cow? And if'n ya can describe it for me. And the other thing would be if'n when ya did started to have ya way with yer meal, did'ja, eh... did you smell anything... off about it?" He asks, knowing, or at least believing the usual terrible scents of any carrion would be overlooked, making the unusual stand out more... or so he hoped, in any event.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Denae conditionally agrees with Utar: "Aye, I think that's the next logical step, unless your favorite ranger over there finds a different path for us after talking to his animal friends." With that, Denae turns to Doozey from a distance and adds: "Let me know if any of them is giving you a hard time. I have a knack for building quick friendships with beast."
Doozey had been already busy telling Ol' Mr. Grol that he intended to speak to the surviving cows soon. "Oh... okay," the farmer answers, pointing in the general direction where Doozey may find the remaining four cows under his care. Postponing that conversation for another minute, Doozey instead approaches the flock of nearby vultures on which Biscuit has been keeping an eye. They all fly away from the ranger as he approaches, except for the sluggish one, who would swiftly follow her brethren if she could. Despite the creature's visible fear, the halfling does not feel the need to take Denae on her offer just yet. The left-behind vulture looks suspiciously at Doozey as he offers help in exchange for information, but she doesn't feel like she has much of a choice at the moment. When a question comes her way, she replies: "Flew in for a meal. Delicious at first. Then, red vulture bursts from inside cow. One sharp long claw. Was full, couldn't fly. Didn't flock with us." A second reply follows shortly: "No extra bad smell from most of the carcass, but part of the meat extra pungent. I feel weak."
Ol' Mr. Grol re-approaches the rest of CRAP incredulous: "The little guy can speak with the vultures?! Is he fey?"
Utar lets Doozey squawk to the vultures for a little bit, before answering Farmer Grol, "He's no fey, just more in tune with nature than the rest of us. Might be these birds know what happened to your cows, if they can tell us, we can tell you."
Whether due to birds skittish nature, or insufficient caution on the stoutling's part(not at all helped by his waving back in acknowledgement of Denae's offer), Doozey had been left in somewhat of a tizzy after seeing most of the flock take flight. But with his primary target being less than swift in the escape, he soon brushed off any failings in a sigh, before following through on his original plans.
"Red vultures?! Huh! I've heard of Red Caps 'n how they tend to come to be 'n all, but... hmm...actually-..." Doozey looked asckance with furrowed brows, and chin held betwixt thumb and forefinger while seeming lost in thought for a moment or so in searching his mind for answers.
(@Lerus: I'm presuming it would be an arcana check to see if Doozey recognizes the description and birth belonging to a particular fey or magical effect. But feel free to substitute the roll with any appropriate modifiers)
-Arcana: 15. (if Hunter's bane apply due to the creature being fey/fiend/undead oriented, here's the adv. roll: 28)
"I think I might have some idea on what happened, but you'll definitely want to be treated by my friend -- AND very soon, least what happened to the cow happens to ye as well. Though-" He frowns at the bird. "-it doesn't look like you'll be able to reach him in your current state. So, I'll bring him over, and he'll see ya well. It'll just be a moment. But Biscuit here will keep ya company in the meantime." With that, Doozey hurried his way over to Utar, and by extension the rest of the group to give a quick synopsis of his findings. "All that said, I might be able to whip up an alchemical solution to the we birds problem, but it might not be in time or enough. So, I don't suppose you have any miracles in ya to settle an upset stomach would'ja? Or even induce it to vomit, at the very least."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya keeps an eye out for anyone who is looking, but is not exactly pleased with someone investigating this incident.
Perception: 21
Insight: 11
Extended Signature
"Hmm... I suppose..." is all that Ol' Mr. Grol can manage in response to Utar.
Several yards away, Doozey interviews the hurt vulture. Trying to put himself in the vulture's proverbial shoes, the ranger deduces that anything with wings would likely be considered a bird of sorts to a simple vulture, while the red could either be the cow's own blood or the tone of the winged creature's skin, likely both.
Still feeling cornered, the hurt vulture has no strength to deny Doozey's commands and/or offers. He approaches Utar, hoping the half-orc will follow him back to the the flying beast and cure her from her ailment. Biscuit keeps the vulture some company. Not necessarily in an urgent hurry, the halfling makes sure to share the information he collected from the murder scene and from the bird with the rest of the group before leading Utar back to his next patient. While Doozey is nearby, the farmer confirms: "Ya still wanna talk to the cows?"
In the meantime, Neya keeps an eye out for curious and suspicious eyes. She doesn't find any unwanted attention around the vicinity, but she does notice someone approaching from a distance. She recognizes the quick and slender figure of the boy Ferguson, who is apparently returning to meet CRAP right here in Ol' Mr. Grol's farm. The boy is making no effort to hide his approach, so Neya has no reason to suspect him.
-> Both Neya and Doozey understand by now that the vulture is poisoned.
Looking down at the vulture, Utar turns to Doozey and asks, "You want to explain to the bird what is going to happen to it? I'll need to touch it for the healing to occur."
The half-orc pauses while their ranger explains rust is about to happen to it. Kneeling, he tries a reassuring smile, before reaching out a hand. Stroking the birds feathers for a moment, Utar keeps his hand still and casts lesser restoration.
(OOC I'm assuming that the poisoned effect would be ended as a result. Is there just the one vulture in need of attention?)
"Hm? Oh, uh, aye. Just need to keep my word real quick, since the vulture was quite informative." Was Doozey's reply to the farmer, before inevitably making the rest of the way near the vulture. Then at the half-orc's request, the stoutling smiled, nodded curtly, and then knelt beside the vulture ahead of Utar. "This one here is very, very good healer. You need only stay still and keep calm, and he'll make you well within moments -- Though, do be mindful in the future on what you decide to eat, ya?"He assured the beast, before backing off to avoid crowding the creature as Utar worked his magic.
But being the stoutling that he was, Doozey strayed close again afterwards to examine the bird and making sure things took, assuming they don't immediately fly away. But once all said is done, a final bow is what he leaves the bird with before returning to the farmer with an expectant look.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(@MB: Yes and yes, just the one vulture who pecked a tad too close to the poisoned spot on the carcass. That's not how poison works but that's what we are going with. 😁)
The vulture does not understand the concept of healing, much less that of magic. She knows she feels weak and hurt, and that this is usually a death sentence to any animal. When Utar and Doozey "pounce" on her, she feels cornered but too feeble to fight back or fly away. She gives in to her fate, not particularly responding to the halfling's words or the half-orc's caress.
A moment later, she is feeling strong and healthy again. She still fails to understand what is happening, but the flight instinct rushes in and she flaps her large wings into the air. She flies away not knowing how she escaped death at the hands of two humanoids. No gratitude is shown.
Doozey moves on and finds himself silently nudging the farmer to move on to their next stop. Ol' Mr. Grol takes an uncomfortable amount of time to pick up on the hint, but he eventually leads Doozey to the surviving cows. There are four of them and they don't look like they are particularly taken good care of. They are not suffering, but they do seem a bit on the skinny side. Their moos are magically translated into the ranger's ears, who understands that they are afraid of being the next one to be claimed come the evening.
Meanwhile, Ferguson reaches CRAP, or more precisely, Neya and Denae. He preemptively explains his return: "Mr. Hupe said I needed to come back in case you needed more guiding." He scratches the back of his head, smiles widely revealing budding tusks, and apologies: "Sorry!"