The Next Leap

Tevii watches Elodin approach the shrews. She frowns. Something has been bugging her and continues to bug her. Elodin thought to protect her from the giant crab, but shouldn't it be Tevii who protects Elodin? It was always that way, protecting Elodin. Interposing himself between Tevii and danger was the height of stupidity because it only further endangered the old man... man... mouse? 

Tevii looks at their hands. Were they always like this?

(rip passing out after work yesterday means I missed a chance for drama)

The shrews stop short. The patriarch drops the laden cart and stands stolidly before his family. A young shrew, riding in the cart, burrows into the sacks, and the mother, holding an infant, slides a small dagger out of its sheath, eyes wary. They have the look of riverfolk, scarves and earrings feature heavily on and about them. Very unusual to see a group on the road this time of year; they're usually on their boats until the first snow.

The male holds up a hand as Elodin nears, "Tat'll be fahr enuff, maister grayfur. We''ll be passin' true iff'n yeh don' mine" 

"Please sir, we don't mean to keep you long, we were just stopping by your village to restock some supplies, and were wondering if there were any news as of late? You all seemed in quiet a hurry to get away from the place, we were just wondering if everything was alright."

The patriarch eyes you... shrewdly. "Nay, old maister, tings be fahr from a'right" (And there endeth my textual rendition of Snatch-esque Pikey). He tells you that the village has been attacked by a pair of stoats for three of the past five days. A child and an old man (shrew) were killed in the last attack, and this family has decided to move to their winter burrow earlier than usual. They're strangely fortunate- shrews work the stream in husband/wife pairs on their skidboats, trawling for river prawn. However, their boat was damaged beyond repair last week, so there's nothing keeping them tied to the village. 

The female shrew steps forward. "If it's supplies ye desire, ye'll find 'em a'the village." She sheathes her dagger, "Word o' caution, were I you, ol' mousey: Wherever you be headin', I'd suggest ye turn 'round whence you came. There's soom kinda trouble up near Viper Lake,  an' ye don' look to sort to be needin' more o' that." 

Elodin thanks them for stopping and turns back to the group, "Stoats, that's not good, we better get moving, or our comrades will make it there before us and be by themselves."

The three of you travel up the road and into the Riverside village. Along the way, you see many more shrews going about their day-to-day lives. A broken fence is being mended by a young woman. A child is playing on a short pier with a newt in its lap; he stares out at the water and pets the creature absently. 

You notice a few other species of animal here, as well. A forest squirrel swaggers importantly down the street, twirling some kind of staff in its hands. There's even a hare, quite large, speaking to a very old and very important-looking shrew in what could only be described as a bandstand in the town's center. The hare looks up at your approach, and then mutters something to the old shrew (who wears something like a mayor's badge of office). The maybe-mayor looks at the three of you, and just as he is about to speak...

There is a scream from the other end of the town. Joja and Baobur have just rushed into the streets of Riverside carrying a mortally wounded Rowan between them and they are causing a commotion. The five of you see one another from across this apparent town square.

What do you do?

Baobur searches for the vetetinarian's office. I town this size has got to have a doctor. "He's hurt!" He calls out.

The pompous-looking squirrel comes hustling your way, "Hey, now, mousies, calm yourselves! What seems to be the-" Suddenly he sees that you are (all of you) slick with Rowan's blood. All bluster gone, he takes on a military efficiency and begins pointing out nearby shrews. "Korr, Yewoz: run and bring old Fellori quick as a snake! Rumblit (yes you, you little ash spitter), hustle to your father and ask him to bring his tools. We dare not move this one, and we've a need for some light and privacy." He squints at the sun, moving its way into mid-afternoon and turns to you all as the shrews run off. "We'll know before the night comes whether we'll need a bed at Gordra's Inn. Now, you three-" He points to Elodin, Tevii, and Garo, "get this fellow as comfortable as you can. YOU two," Addressing Joja and Baobur, "why don't you tell me what in the great green canopy happened to him?!"

"Did he say Gordra's Inn?" Elodin pauses for a moment, staring off into the distance. "I think I stayed there once before."

Tevii runs to Rowan's side and takes up the burden from one of the other two. Tevii tilts their head somewhat at what the general said, but nods to Garo, "Help me, pal, let's get Rowan to that Inn."

Baobur takes a look at the wounds again. "Bitten." He says as he turns to look back down the path where they came from. The wounds are familiar, like he was attacked by a big Shaggy Black Cat... 

... He used to have the keenest of senses, he'd had pride in that... No, that wasn't him, was it?

(Percieve: 4 [Sense not Mind])

He felt like he was looking through fog, in comparison... Comparison to what? He shakes his head, like clearing cobwebs from his mind... From his head... This is his head!

Baobur, you've never heard of a cat before, but those words enter your mind all the same. Baobur, mark one experience.

I'd like everyone to roll insight (that's a d20 with your original character's modifiers)

10

(this is a DC 18; Keep going until everyone has gone or someone hits it)

Insight: 21

Joja elaborates on Baobur's explanation, "We got to him soon after he was attacked but did not see what had done it. He tried to tell us, but he fell unconscious first. It was near a cottage on the hill just over by the river."

Insight: 2

(Insight: 18)

Garo-ean nods back and helps carry Rowan to the inn.

(Does Baobur know the word Lynx, or some other term for something feline?)

Quote from BDaddLy >>

(Does Baobur know the word Lynx, or some other term for something feline?)

 (Not a one, I'm afraid. However...)

Perspicacious, you look around yourself, and suddenly the world has snapped back into dizzying, unreal focus. You are miniscule, a mouse, and for the past 48 hours you have slowly and steadily forgotten that this is wrong. You are Perspicacious, proud tiefling of Waterdeep, prouder administrator of the Intervexus Institute. You have forged a name for yourself among some of the brightest and most focused of any world, and you will not lose yourself in the mind of this brave, simple creature whose body you now inhabit. 

As Perspicacious comes back to herself, the rest of you see her form doubled for the first time since leaping into this world. Seeing her real form, the same truth about yourselves comes crashing into you. Then for a moment, just a moment, the five of you look up as one. You see Vasht, your angel, full-sized and frozen in space and time facing downward with one arm outstretched.To Cordelia, he looks crazily like an Olympic diver in a freeze frame, just before hitting the water. His enormous fingertips are no more than six inches above your heads; if you could only reach high enough...

But then he is gone. "Are you deaf?! I said put the ranger DOWN, don't carry him to the inn! He doesn't have any blood to spare." The squirrel is shouting at you, and you are back in the present. 

Your minds are yours once again.