Quote from BoboBoombang >>

He looks at her eyes, fighting against his instinct, not backing down. Intimidation:16

 After a second, Jack breaks eye contact and looks away.

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

He looks back at Cara. ... Using his free hand, or a Mage Hand, he tosses a Gold Piece to him her, hoping (s)he takes it.

Everyone's eyes follow the gold piece as it arcs through the air, and lands on the snow. Cara and the boy are no where in sight, and none of you saw them leave, although you were around her.

There is a slight flutter above. Looking up, there is an Imp (tiny sized devil) 15' up in the air, wearing the same clothes as the boy was. With your group seeing it, it glares back for a heartbeat, then turns invisible.

(OOC: Jack can get his GP back later. Now that he has stopped trying to put the statue in the magic bag, his arm is free... If anyone wants to take a ranged shot at the disappearing Imp, the attack is at Disadvantage.)

Trimyrai will shoot at the Imp

Attack: (my range 150 (600) ) 13 (attack with longbow/piercing) 

Damage: (if it hits) 6 (piercing damage) 

(13 is the number Trim needed.) The extra archery practice during yesterday's biathlon paid off, since he has to rely on noises and wind currents instead of his eyes. Trimyrai sees his arrow disappear and hears a guttural yelp. (Magic bow, so the imp took the full 6 damage. Have to wait and see if any of the other 4 are successful.)

As if by instinct, Jack beats his drum at  the Imp. “Did he call this here, Mrs.Grabby Hands? Get off me!” 

• Old Mr. Shadow, Old Mr. Rain

  7 devils callin’, Whispering my name

  Old Mr. Shallow, Old Mr. Vain Tryin’ to outrun you,

  On a graveyard train, He laughs as he leads you astray  

(DC 13 wisdom or 8 psychic, please. Don’t have to see it.)

As he finishes, he tries to continue shoving the panther in his bag.

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

(DC 13 wisdom or 8 psychic, please. Don’t have to see it.)

As he finishes, he tries to continue shoving the panther in his bag.

(Yup, the imp can hear the song. However it has magic resistance -> advantage on saves for magic spells)

Imp WIS save (w/adv): 21 (OOC: Holy crap, why can't my characters roll like that!)

Jack's voice is a little hoarse after yesterday's performance. The Imp is able to resist most of the effects... but the half damage, combined with Trim's arrow shot, are enough for a mid-air explosion of brimstone and ichor. (OOC: Scratch one imp. Party gets a little bonus XP.)

Jack looks from the reddish vapor in the sky, to discover the statue is no longer on the wagon. It is on the ground, 10' away. The tall lady apparently picked up the 300+ lb. statue and placed it there.

She was smiling after hearing Froskan call her Mercury, and gives a nod at the ex-imp falling from the sky. "It is pleasant to see you again, Delmirev. Nice to see your little friends can do some tricks. The other devil teleported away, so we won't be disturbed for some time. Let's see why they were so eager for you to have this toy." She bends down to look it over close up, and taps it with her fingers at various places.

"Hmm... transmutation wizardry. Within the hour, this statue will be base metals and stone, the eyes will be common pebbles. But there should be more than that..." She punches the middle of the statue, creating a hole, and then rips the metal open with her hands like paper. She reaches inside, and pulls out a bundle of cloth, tossing it on the ground in front of the party.

"Delmirev, have you been keeping up with your arcane studies? Do you remember what happens if you put one bag of holding inside another one?"

Reverie frowns as she hears the strange name pointing at Froskan. Her blue-green eyes track back to look at Froskan before listening to their conversation for a moment. Once a bundle of cloth toss on the ground, she walks over and reaches out to see what so important this cloth would be.

Investigation - 7

Then, she looks at Froskan again before she looks back at the woman called Mercury. "The other devil? Could you explain what is actually going on here?"

(Why must the dice hate me this bad!)

(I know we never use it, but his full name on the campaign page is Froskan Delmirev.

Reverie recognizes the cloth bundle as a bag of holding. Different styling of the cloth, but the same effect. I've added it to her equipment. She can give it to someone else later, if a transfer is desired.)

OoC - Can Isk tell if Mercury is a celestial?  I'm guessing s/he is...?

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

OoC - Can Isk tell if Mercury is a celestial?  I'm guessing s/he is...?

 (OOC: You could ask Reverie to check the area with Divine Sense. Works for celestials and fiends.)

Froskan frowns slightly as he searches his memory.  "Nothing good, I know that much..." he hedges as he thinks.

(Arcana check to see if he'd know?  6)

After a few moments he sighs.  "I know I've read about it, but my brain seems to be a bit frazzled at the moment."

Jack moves over to Reverie and taps her on the shoulder. “I don’t trust her. Can you use your evil sense thing? She strikes me as odd..” he whispers to her.

Trimyrai: (to everyone) "Mercury was it? I am Trimyrai Peucis. Any friend of Froskan is a friend of mine."

Quote from VanderLegion >>

Froskan frowns slightly as he searches his memory.  "Nothing good, I know that much..." he hedges as he thinks.

(Arcana check to see if he'd know?  6)

After a few moments he sighs.  "I know I've read about it, but my brain seems to be a bit frazzled at the moment."

(OOC: You can mouse-over the bag of holding... It all works out. As one of his teachers, she was going to be tough on Froskan no matter what he said.)

Reverie is a bit confused by Iskander (in one ear) and Jack (in the other) asking her (at the same time) to use her Divine Sense. It works to 60', and won't notice beings that are behind full cover, but she does not sense any celestials, undead, or fiends in the immediate vicinity. (There is a faint devil aura around the remains of the imp, which fades as it vaporizes.)

The tall lady continues talking to Froskan. "Placing one bag inside another would have destroyed the both, ripping a hole to the Astral Plane. All of you would have been pulled in, and abandoned there. With the dangers of that plane, and the travelers that pass through it, it is likely you die soon, unless you were enslaved by a githyanki war party.

"I understand young chicks like to boldly preen their colored feathers, but at your current skill level, that was unwise. It was a worthy feat to disrupt the slave trade of devils, but boasting about it the next day in a public tavern made you into an easily seen target. Your group is drawing the attention of all manner of evil, that will look to end you before you are strong enough to defend yourselves.

"I won't stop you, if you wish to continue on your current path. But if you like, I can guide you onto a safer path."

Jack gives a laugh at Mercury. “I learned a long time ago the safe path is boring, and not to trust Strangers. And, luckily, nothing was in there. Plus, only a few of us would have been absorbed, as we weren’t all within 10ft. We’re we? I don’t think so... either way, lady-“ Jack tries his  hardest to stare into her eyes as hard as he can- “a Don’t compare me to a baby bird. I have trained with some of the best people. You can’t really say anything about boasting, as you just lifted a 300 pound panther statue like a feather, and in public. If that's not boasting, I don’t know what is.”

Trimyrai: (to everyone) "I can't speak for the rest of the party, but i will not stop hunting down those slavers. If they are behind this statue business, then we clearly rattled their metaphorical cages and we should continue."

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

Jack gives a laugh at Mercury. “...And, luckily, nothing was in there. Plus, only a few of us would have been absorbed, as we weren’t all within 10ft. We’re we? I don’t think so... “

 (The 2nd bag of holding was inside the statue. If Jack had finished stuffing the statue into his magic bag, 3 or 4 of you would have been sent to the Astral Plane, especially Jack. Whoever managed to escape the portal would still have to face the Cara-devil. Even a medium-strength devil is far stronger than your party right now.)

(She doesn't care if Jack is trying to look into her eyes or not. Jack looked away earlier because his earlier Intimidation roll was too low, and he ended up being intimidated without her trying. Jack looking away is due to his instincts telling him to avoid danger, like a mountain avalanche about to bury him.  If Jack is determined to look, then make 2 d20 rolls. Otherwise, there is nothing to be gained by looking. And it would be impolite to stare.)

To Jack: "There is no shame in stepping into a well hidden trap. Pride should not stop you from learning from your mistakes. If the knowledge that your actions almost killed you and your colleagues does not make you stop and reflect... like I said, you are free to choose your own path."

Quote from EmperorKarino >>

Trimyrai: (to everyone) "I can't speak for the rest of the party, but i will not stop hunting down those slavers. If they are behind this statue business, then we clearly rattled their metaphorical cages and we should continue."

To Trim: "I never said anything about you stopping your hunt. I am talking about surviving long enough for you to get stronger, so you don't get killed by your prey."

To Froskan, Iskander, and Reverie: (slight sigh of weariness) "Two of your colleagues seem determined to reject my offer of help, without even hearing what it is. If you feel the same way, I'll leave you to your fate. I was in town enjoying the Festival. I stepped in to help out my dear pupil."

“I’m not rejecting ye. I’m just saying try to be more polite in the ways ye stop me, if ye don’t want to get a sword through the hand. Got it?” Jack says with a chuckle and a hint of non-aggression. 

(19 18 here you go.)

(it’s not like Jack was staring, it was like ‘Hey. I’m not scared of you’ kind of look. Either way, he still does it.)

”Pupil?” Jack’s eyes go wide and he smiles. “Tell me some things about Froskan, would ye?”

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

(it’s not like Jack was staring, it was like ‘Hey. I’m not scared of you’ kind of look. Either way, he still does it.)

(If Jack is trying to show his bravery and determination, with fierce glances at her face, and no prolonged stares into the eyes, that is okay. It even draws a faint smile from the lady.

I asked for those rolls under the assumption that Jack was staring into her eyes in an attempt to show dominance. With those numbers, that would not have been pleasant for Jack.)

The lady looks less weary after it is clear that Jack isn't being (overly) hostile. But she still waits to hear what Froskan, Iskander, and Reverie have to say.

Reverie blinks and then looks at her companions for a moment before gazing back at the lady. "Whatever Froskan wants to do, then I will follow." She says, glancing at Jack for a second, "Helping won't be so bad, and yet, I must admit that I do not easily trust someone whom I just met. I am sure that Froskan would know you better than us who just met you here."