Vanja, worried about how some of the twig-men tried to chase after Criella, moves to follow and keep close to her in case more of these creatures spring up somewhere.  She creates another sphere of flame in her hand as she moves, but not attack with this one yet.

"Criella! Don't run too far ahead, there could be more of these things!"

Initiative: 11

Action: Cast Produce Flame (Not attacking)

Bonus Action: If possible, I'd like to make some kind of check to see what if anything Vanja might know about these twig creatures, but I'm not sure what kind of check would be preferred.

Movement: Moving N to follow and keep close to Criella.

Neo, that’ll be a Nature check. Feel free to roll it. 

Mrs Brinarei Initiative 20
Mortimer Initiative 18

Movement: Follow Criellea.

Action: Mortimer runs to the nearest stickman and jumps onto him. "Elektromos érintkezés!" Shouts Mrs Brinarei as she extends an open hand then closes it casting Shocking Grasp through her familiar Attack: 11 Damage: 5

Monster rolls for the upcoming round. Spoilered so you don't spoil your fun!

Round 3 - Party vs the stick men - Resolution phase

Mrs. Brinarei - AC 10, 8 hp
Criella - AC 10, 4 hp
Drusk - AC 18, 10 hp
Hildigrim - AC 14, 9 hp
Jorin - AC 17, 12 hp
Vanja - AC 12, 10 hp
——
2 remaining twiggy dudes, one injured

Sitrep: Criella and Mrs. Brinarei are moving north towards the cottage. Drusk is still engaged with one stick figure, and Jorin is facing a wounded one. The rest have been pummeled, sliced, or burned into inactivity. Vanja stands next to Drusk, and Hildigrim is still on the bridge.

dead
sheep              cottage 
                     C
                 B
 
                   J x
     x D V

______\      H /___________
           |         |     creek
______| 10ft |___________
         /  wide \
           bridge

Action: Mortimer leaps at the stick man in front of Jorin as Mrs. Brinarei incants, the cat sizzles with electric energy, but his leap takes him sailing past the bundle of twigs (11) to land on the ground behind. The stick man, seemingly unaware of the flying cat, swings at Jorin but misses (10). But Jorin, finally finding his range, swings one axe in an uppercut that catches the enemy (14) and splits it down the middle like kindling (10 dmg).

Vanja, worried for unseen enemies, conjures up another handful of flame but holds it, following Criella towards the cottage. "Criella! Don't run too far ahead, there could be more of these things!" Criella has made it to the door, but turns and waits in the entry.

Hildigrim drops his dagger and smoothly reaches for his bow, sending an arrow at Drusk’s foe, but misses (10), hitting the sheep shelter instead, while Drusk, beaming with battle joy, backhands the stick man (24) (his third!) and obliterates it (9 dmg).

As the party takes a breath and looks around, there are no more enemies standing. You wait a moment, and nothing seems to be moving, except the sheep who have clumped up together as far from the action as they could get.

Next: Nothing! Combat is over (for now…), back to normal narrative playing. 

1) Drusk checks that no one is seriously injured. "The group did well, to be outnumbered, and still prevail. I am pleased to be in your company."

2) While poking at the twiggy remains, he will try to recall if he read anything about such creatures in the abbey library. If he does remember, share with the group. History: 22

3) To Criella: "The group should enter the cottage together. But not before checking if there are any more surprises outside."

4) If Vanja is still willing to check the dead sheep, Drusk wants to know what she discovers with her Guidance-assisted 26 Medicine roll. "Were they attacked by these stick men, or by something else?"

"with her Guidance-assisted 26 Medicine roll."

I'll allow it. :)

Drusk remembers general commentary about corrupted life, in the presence of great evil, but nothing specific about what you just fought. Vanja checks the sheep, and with the assist, it is clear they were attacked and killed by these twig folk. Perhaps (it was a really good roll, after all) that sated them into quiescence for a while, until you all arrived on the scene.

Jorin moves over to Criella and asks, "Were those bushes always so, uh, angry?"

Nature: 4

"No!" Criella says. "I've seen wooden figures like them, but they just lay there, I thought them an effigy meant to scare me, I threw them in the creek. They never moved."

Vanja has no idea what these blighted twig creatures could be. <wink>

Jorin will go up to the cottage door and lean in for a listen to see if any noises are inside. Perception: 2

ooc: lol!

Hildigrim gathers his two daggers and examines the creatures to see if he can see what makes/made them tick.

Investigation: 23

Quote from Mingofaust >>

"I threw them in the creek. They never moved."

 "Did you throw anything else weird into the creek?

"Any reason to expect that the creek (or the bridge) might have special properties? The blighted stick man didn't follow Hildigrim onto the bridge."

Jorin approaches the cottage, where Criella, Mrs. Brinarei, and now Drusk have gathered, and cautiously listens at the door. He hears nothing inside.

Hildigrim retrieves his daggers and examines the remains thoroughly, finding no mechanical means of animating them, nor any obvious magical sources (no glowy stones, weird motifs, unusual carvings, etc.). They just seems to be dry brambles and bushes, now that the animation has relaxed. He and Vanja collaborate on their (excellent) investigation/medicine checks to determine, without a doubt, through dried blood and logical reasoning, that these very twig men are the ones who killed the sheep.

"I have not thrown anything else into the creek. It is where I get my water, and I would not foul it. Though now..." she looks aghast, "I cannot stay here, if I have thrown those evil things into my only water! I must get my things," and she barges past Jorin into the cottage.

Nothing leaps out to get her.

The cottage inside is plain, a flagstone floor, a simple fireplace on the south end (with attendant stone chimney on the outside), a wardrobe and a chair, a small table by a small, straw tick bed on the ground. Criella has some personal items about, and the usual supplies, a little food storage, pots, etc. Nothing remarkable.

There are no windows so it is not well lit, with the only light (currently) coming from the doorway (occupied by an adventurer or five) and a little leaking in under the thatch at the eaves.

Criella is at the wardrobe, fretting but not really accomplishing much.

"I'm going to take a look around," Hildigrim says. He jogs along the perimeter, looking for anymore danger. If his trek takes him near the sheep shelter, he'll try to recover his arrow.

Perception: 19

"If not the creek, maybe something in this cottage. When you moved in, were there any objects you found here, and kept around (instead of tossing into the creek)? A hatch that you haven't explored yet?"

Walks over to the fireplace. "Or were some parts of the house harder to clean than you expected, like maybe the chimney?" Drusk casts Light on the end of a torch, so he can get a better look around the fireplace.

(Drusk is more interested in what Criella has to say. But if she says that nothing was out of the ordinary, he will look around the fireplace and the chimney, for loose stones and hidden compartments. Investigation: 6 <-- okay then )

In response to Drusk's question, Criella says, "I have noticed nothing special about the bridge... I think, I think the deed said something about the bridge... that it was not part of the property? It is... it is here," and she hands a folded piece of parchment to anyone who reaches for it. Then she sinks to the floor, head in her hands, "What will I do now?"

Hildigrim goes off to check the perimeter.

OOC > D'oh! Overlap!

In response to Drusk's second question... "A hatch?" Criella says, looking up. "The floor is made of stones. The cottage was on the property when I bought it. It was dirty, it hadn't been used in a long time, that was clear. But I did not notice anything unusual. There was some trash, like maybe a passerby had used it once or twice, but all that was rubbish, and it's gone now. No, I did not throw it in the creek."

Drusk pokes and prods at the chimney. Drusk finds nothing of interest.

Drusk will hold his Light-ed torch near the deed parchment that Criella produced. (I'm assuming someone will grab it while Drusk was poking around the fireplace?)

OOC > Expected holiday slow down in effect. No worries, y’all. We’ll keep it to some light RP in the meantime. 

Hildigrim spends some time checking the perimeter. There’s no fencing, per se, though there’s a clear part where the sheep graze and a part where it is more overgrown. The sheep are a little wild eyed as the halfling approaches them (you can still smell fire in the air and Vanja has been stirring up the sheep entrails), and they scatter, some of them out into the scrub. Hildigrim circles the property back to the cottage and finds nothing noteworthy. 

But the birds are still not singing.

Inside the cottage, Drusk looks at the deed in the light of his spell. It is a functional document indicating the land has been sold to “Criella Reginsen” And has some markers (“from the old bridge over Yellow Creek...”) and dimensions (“Twenty paces west...,” basically the farmstead) and also some grazing rights to lands around. The date of purchase is three months ago, during summer, and the former owner is listed as Lord Swellington of Waterdeep (Hildigrim will know him as something of a minor lord who dabbles in land speculation). There is an “as is” clause that suggests the land was abandoned for a long time and the seller is not responsible for the conditions.

Criella confirms she came to see the land before buying it, and it seemed fine, if overgrown.