Ardwynn stops her spinning in place and looks at the birds in the trees. "If I was a druid, I would attempt to speak with our audience above. Sadly, that is a skill beyond my powers."
With a frown she takes a slow intake of breath and calms her mind ... just in case.
Caelan watched Jack ease the bowstring and begin his slow turn, noting the shift from tension to thought. He didn’t interrupt. Questions like that, have we been misdirected, were the right ones to ask in places like this. “Aye,” he said quietly, not answering so much as acknowledging. He stepped a few paces to the side, careful where he placed his boots, eyes dropping to the ground beyond the hollow oak rather than around it. “Very likely.”
He followed Jack’s line of thinking without mirroring his movements, widening his own search pattern instead, looking not for footprints, but for absence. Where grass should have been bent and wasn’t. Where dew lay untouched in places that should have been disturbed. He frowned slightly as the pattern refused to resolve into anything solid. “No tracks,” he murmured. “Not where he’d have to pass. Not even where he’d want us to think he did.” The word mushroom surfaced again in his mind, nagging. Caelan’s gaze lifted slowly from the ground to the hollow, then to the base of the oak, scanning for caps, rings, growths that didn’t belong. In old tales, mushrooms were markers as often as food, fairy rings, thresholds, places where the ground thinned between worlds. Not all were dangerous. But none were meaningless.
He shifted his weight, turning just enough to keep everyone in view without drawing focus. “This clearing,” he said lowly, more observation than warning. “It’s chosen. Not random.”The crows’ attention did not escape him. He did not look up at them directly, only tracked their shadows as they hopped and cawed from branch to branch. Too many eyes. Too patient. Caelan’s jaw set as he straightened, the realization settling heavier in his chest. “If Clotha was meant to be here,” he said quietly, “we’d hear her. This feels like a pause. A question asked of us.” He took one slow step back from the oak, careful not to turn his back on it. “Stay ready,” he added, calm but firm. “And don’t commit to any one answer yet. That’s how they win.” His eyes moved once more across the clearing, alert, remembering half-remembered lessons and old warnings. You don’t follow their path, he thought. You wait for them to show you which choice costs the least. And so Caelan waited, watching, listening, and refusing to be hurried by the silence as he thought about everything that has gone on so far.
OOC: Insight Check on the mention of the mushroom and just this whole situation: 25 (Nat 20; rolled in game-log)
( Heroic Inspiration for Caelan)
Caelan mind examined each of the aspects in turn pulling the pieces over and around each other until almost at once they clicked into place....this wasn't a puzzle.....it was a snare.....but one they had so far been too reticent to trigger........his gaze examined the surrounding trees, thick...impenetrable foliage, tall trees forming a barrier wall of sorts around the clearing.....a mushroom.....but it must be large indeed to be commented on....what sort of mushroom might pose a danger? Many were dangerous if eaten.....some if touched.....other if the spores are breathed in......his eyes swept the clearing again....no wind......high walls.....the tree at its centre....mist keeping the air moist and heavy.....
If someone other than the disfigured Jack had spotted Ned within the trunk.......what would they have done? Struck immediately? Ruptured something?
They were all in a kill box.........and he was certain both Ned and Clotha were far from here at this point.......
"For what it is worth, I think between the mushroom and the crows we have lost the trail and should probably leave. Those crows are giving me the heebie-jeebies. I would like to leave this little area and figure out where we lost the trail."
To see if a gathering of crows is bad roll survival20
Jack starts to back away from his current position and start to retreat back to where they came from, and starting to look for a new trail and if something is ready to ambush them. Perception 12
Jack still has his shortbow & arrow notched.
The crows are hungry and for some reason seem to be anticipating a feast sometime soon......
He searches for a trail onward knowing there must be one there......but is unable to locate it......for the moment.
Reg was drawn to Caelan for unknown reasons, he felt familiar in an outcast kind of way. His measured decisions mostly aligned with his…mostly. But on this point, waiting, he could take it no longer.
He pleads with the others, ”We all saw the girl in the hollow, thar’s no other place to look, the barrel is as real as I. We asked for permission and got not any response. I say we act and ask for forgiveness if needed.”
And with that, the stout man moves to the tree, staff held in front, bottom tip just slightly ahead of his step, a little off the ground. “We’ve come for the girl, if’n you’s are inviting us in, then don’t return her now.”
He reaches out with his staff to determine if the tree is real. His conviction firm.
Reg raps on the tree trunk, solidly but not violently so.....
His head still within the trunk Jack is a little startled by the sound but it does not seem the tapping was strong enough to illicit any sort of reaction from any of the contents....
Caelan’s thoughts finished turning over just as Reg stepped forward. “No,” he said sharply, not loud, but edged enough to cut through the fog of competing instincts. His hand came up, palm out, toward Reg and the tree alike. “Stop. Right there.”He did not move toward the oak. He moved sideways, boots placing carefully, eyes never leaving the clearing as a whole. The pieces had finally locked together in his mind, and the shape they formed made his stomach sink. “This isn’t a puzzle,” he said, voice low and controlled.“It’s a snare. And we’ve been circling the trigger.”
His gaze swept the mushroom again, large enough to be noticed, out of place enough to draw comment. Then the walls of foliage, thick and close. The mist hanging heavy and unmoving. No wind. No birds fleeing. Just watching.“Mushrooms don’t need teeth to kill,” he continued quietly. “Some poison when touched. Some when broken. Some when breathed.” His eyes flicked briefly to the crows above, then back to the ground. “And this clearing’s built to hold air.” He took a slow step backward, then another, angling away from the oak without turning his back on it. “If someone had struck when they saw his face, arrow, blade, or spell whatever was meant to happen here would’ve already happened.” Caelan shook his head once, grim. “Clotha and Ned aren’t here anymore. This place was meant to make us choose wrong.”
He looked to Jack next, voice steadying. “You were right to back off. Keep moving that way, but slow. Eyes up. Don’t break brush. Don’t kick caps.” Then to Reg, firmer now, but not unkind. “I know it feels wrong to leave a child behind. But charging a hollow tree in a fae kill-box doesn’t save her, it feeds whatever’s watching.” His eyes traced the edge of the clearing, already searching for the exit that didn’t want to be noticed. “We withdraw. Now. Same spacing. No running. No touching anything that looks like it doesn’t belong.” A pause, then quieter, almost to himself: “They wanted blood. Or panic. Or both.”He shifted his stance, setting his course away from the oak, bow still lowered but ready. “We deny them that,” Caelan said. “And we find the trail they didn’t want us to see.”
Jack lets out a big cleansing breath. Jack's face beams as he hears Caelan's words. Jack mumbles, " I...was...right...I do belong...with others...I...can...handle...being an adult...I do belong with...or...on???...this" said at a much louder volume but not shouting, "...rescue mission!"
Jack follows Caelan's instructions and continues to search for the trail they didn’t want us to see.
A Snare? Old Ned and Clotha far away? Barn's mind turns in slow wheels trying to understand what Caelan and the others are laying out. As the group begin to set off again, he points in a southerly direction, straight towards where he had heard the small mammal squealing in the distance.
"Nice j-job figuring that out! You all are r-really smart! The... critter I heard y-yelping. It w-was straight that way, some d-distance off. M-maybe it got scared as N-Ned passed it by? Also, um... I wonder h-how do w-we think Ned is carrying Clotha now, if not rolling her along in a b-barrel?"
Looking around him at the hungry crows in the trees more with fascination than disquiet, the big man keeps pace, two steps behind Caelan, as before.
Smiling Jack surveys the edge of the clearing carefully, building on his earlier inspection and finds a path......and then another.....and then others...he is unsure how he could possibly have missed them before.....almost as if he was suddenly seeing them from a different angle or.....something......
A thin trail snakes off through the trees to the west. It is well established but seems to be seldom used, judging by the untrampled grass and ferns growing in the middle of it. There is another muddy path leading off to the east; some imprints of a boot are noticeable, but they are not the boots Ned was wearing..... the other trails heading off in all directions all appear to be animal trails left by deer or the like, passable but it will be slow going through the thick foliage.
Jack looks to the others and states his findings, "A thin trail snakes off through the trees to the west. It is well established but seems to be seldom used, judging by the untrampled grass and ferns growing in the middle of it. There is another muddy path leading off to the east; some imprints of a boot are noticeable, but they are not the boots Ned was wearing..... the other trails heading off in all directions all appear to be animal trails left by deer or the like, passable but it will be slow going through the thick foliage."
"Which path do you all feel we should take? It appears Ned just flew away, as there is no sign of his actual path. I wonder if the direction of that animal noise that was brought up should be relevant."
Ardwynn was a child of the city. She had tried to absorb every story and tidbit shared around the campfires and tavern in the hopes of learning woodland survival skills. Sadly, the tension of the moment blanked her mind of anything useful.
That did not mean she was stunned and frozen in place. Her senses still functioned at their peak as her eyes went a touch fuzzy to remove distracting focus. Her nose sniffed at barely detected scents. Her ears practically twitched as they strained to hear anything above the normal background noises.
Ardwynn stops her spinning in place and looks at the birds in the trees. "If I was a druid, I would attempt to speak with our audience above. Sadly, that is a skill beyond my powers."
With a frown she takes a slow intake of breath and calms her mind ... just in case.
( Heroic Inspiration for Caelan)
Caelan mind examined each of the aspects in turn pulling the pieces over and around each other until almost at once they clicked into place....this wasn't a puzzle.....it was a snare.....but one they had so far been too reticent to trigger........his gaze examined the surrounding trees, thick...impenetrable foliage, tall trees forming a barrier wall of sorts around the clearing.....a mushroom.....but it must be large indeed to be commented on....what sort of mushroom might pose a danger? Many were dangerous if eaten.....some if touched.....other if the spores are breathed in......his eyes swept the clearing again....no wind......high walls.....the tree at its centre....mist keeping the air moist and heavy.....
If someone other than the disfigured Jack had spotted Ned within the trunk.......what would they have done? Struck immediately? Ruptured something?
They were all in a kill box.........and he was certain both Ned and Clotha were far from here at this point.......
The crows are hungry and for some reason seem to be anticipating a feast sometime soon......
He searches for a trail onward knowing there must be one there......but is unable to locate it......for the moment.
Reg raps on the tree trunk, solidly but not violently so.....
His head still within the trunk Jack is a little startled by the sound but it does not seem the tapping was strong enough to illicit any sort of reaction from any of the contents....
Caelan’s thoughts finished turning over just as Reg stepped forward. “No,” he said sharply, not loud, but edged enough to cut through the fog of competing instincts. His hand came up, palm out, toward Reg and the tree alike. “Stop. Right there.” He did not move toward the oak. He moved sideways, boots placing carefully, eyes never leaving the clearing as a whole. The pieces had finally locked together in his mind, and the shape they formed made his stomach sink. “This isn’t a puzzle,” he said, voice low and controlled. “It’s a snare. And we’ve been circling the trigger.”
His gaze swept the mushroom again, large enough to be noticed, out of place enough to draw comment. Then the walls of foliage, thick and close. The mist hanging heavy and unmoving. No wind. No birds fleeing. Just watching. “Mushrooms don’t need teeth to kill,” he continued quietly. “Some poison when touched. Some when broken. Some when breathed.” His eyes flicked briefly to the crows above, then back to the ground. “And this clearing’s built to hold air.” He took a slow step backward, then another, angling away from the oak without turning his back on it. “If someone had struck when they saw his face, arrow, blade, or spell whatever was meant to happen here would’ve already happened.” Caelan shook his head once, grim. “Clotha and Ned aren’t here anymore. This place was meant to make us choose wrong.”
He looked to Jack next, voice steadying. “You were right to back off. Keep moving that way, but slow. Eyes up. Don’t break brush. Don’t kick caps.” Then to Reg, firmer now, but not unkind. “I know it feels wrong to leave a child behind. But charging a hollow tree in a fae kill-box doesn’t save her, it feeds whatever’s watching.” His eyes traced the edge of the clearing, already searching for the exit that didn’t want to be noticed. “We withdraw. Now. Same spacing. No running. No touching anything that looks like it doesn’t belong.” A pause, then quieter, almost to himself: “They wanted blood. Or panic. Or both.” He shifted his stance, setting his course away from the oak, bow still lowered but ready. “We deny them that,” Caelan said. “And we find the trail they didn’t want us to see.”
Smiling Jack
Jack lets out a big cleansing breath. Jack's face beams as he hears Caelan's words. Jack mumbles, " I...was...right...I do belong...with others...I...can...handle...being an adult...I do belong with...or...on???...this" said at a much louder volume but not shouting, "...rescue mission!"
Jack follows Caelan's instructions and continues to search for the trail they didn’t want us to see.
Ardwynn gives a small nod toward Caelan and raises her hands as a faint nimbus of eldritch energy skitters around her hands and fingers.
A Snare? Old Ned and Clotha far away? Barn's mind turns in slow wheels trying to understand what Caelan and the others are laying out. As the group begin to set off again, he points in a southerly direction, straight towards where he had heard the small mammal squealing in the distance.
"Nice j-job figuring that out! You all are r-really smart! The... critter I heard y-yelping. It w-was straight that way, some d-distance off. M-maybe it got scared as N-Ned passed it by? Also, um... I wonder h-how do w-we think Ned is carrying Clotha now, if not rolling her along in a b-barrel?"
Looking around him at the hungry crows in the trees more with fascination than disquiet, the big man keeps pace, two steps behind Caelan, as before.
Tanis (Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn (Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra (Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Joren (Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha (Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Quyen (Adept1, ba5ic system): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord)
Xarian (Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map
( Lets get additional Survival and Perception checks from at least three people if the consensus is to leave the tree be and search for exits.)
Edit-
( Jacks Nat 20 means we're all sorted.)
Smiling Jack with a +6 for Perception 26
Survival +4 19
Smiling Jack surveys the edge of the clearing carefully, building on his earlier inspection and finds a path......and then another.....and then others...he is unsure how he could possibly have missed them before.....almost as if he was suddenly seeing them from a different angle or.....something......
A thin trail snakes off through the trees to the west. It is well established but seems to be seldom used, judging by the untrampled grass and ferns growing in the middle of it. There is another muddy path leading off to the east; some imprints of a boot are noticeable, but they are not the boots Ned was wearing..... the other trails heading off in all directions all appear to be animal trails left by deer or the like, passable but it will be slow going through the thick foliage.
Smiling Jack
Jack looks to the others and states his findings, "A thin trail snakes off through the trees to the west. It is well established but seems to be seldom used, judging by the untrampled grass and ferns growing in the middle of it. There is another muddy path leading off to the east; some imprints of a boot are noticeable, but they are not the boots Ned was wearing..... the other trails heading off in all directions all appear to be animal trails left by deer or the like, passable but it will be slow going through the thick foliage."
"Which path do you all feel we should take? It appears Ned just flew away, as there is no sign of his actual path. I wonder if the direction of that animal noise that was brought up should be relevant."
Ardwynn - Perception: 14+5 = 19 Survival: Nat1+3 = 4 (( of course! *facepalm* ))
Ardwynn was a child of the city. She had tried to absorb every story and tidbit shared around the campfires and tavern in the hopes of learning woodland survival skills. Sadly, the tension of the moment blanked her mind of anything useful.
That did not mean she was stunned and frozen in place. Her senses still functioned at their peak as her eyes went a touch fuzzy to remove distracting focus. Her nose sniffed at barely detected scents. Her ears practically twitched as they strained to hear anything above the normal background noises.
Carlen: Survival 10 and Perception 10 (rolled in game log)
Jack waves his hand around in the stump discovering it to be fake.
"Well that's no fun" he mumbles.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale