Brask, you've surely heard of skunks before, but other than knowing that they're somehow associated with being stinky, you don't know much about their biology.
As Effort and Burik pause to consider the best course of action, Brask continues stomping down the trail. Cadmael swoops in front of him, trying to signal that it's not a good idea, but the minotaur takes the flyby as a sign of their budding friendship and carries on. As he gets closer, the skunk walks across the trail to the other side, continuing to forage. It perks up as Brask gets close, making itself alert. From the bush it came from, a second skunk emerges just as Brask walks by, turning its body to the side, lifting its tail, and spraying a clear but immediately noticeable musk at Brask.
"Me, lead?" Effort begins to argue with Burik, not wanting to actually be the first one to face the skunk after Cadmael's warning. As she and the dwarf go back and forth about it, Brask takes the initiative and sets off what looks to be like a potentially unfortunate chain of events. Effort watches with fascination as the skunk tries to spray Brask, even as Cadmael wheels away hurriedly with a screech of distress.
Do not approach any furred ones! Cadmael tries to warn her again as he attempts to help Brask dodge spray with his flyby.
(Temporal order: Cadmael relays his help while he's doing the flyby above, because that makes the most sense)
Cadmael's distraction isn't enough. The angry rodent is defending its territory, aggressively spraying its musk at Brask. It starts to engulf the minotaur in its terrible stench as the second skunk scurries back down the hill into the brush, screeching loudly.
Brask doesn't have time to consider how tough he looks - his reaction is visceral and speedy. As the must forms a cloud around him, he runs up the hill away from the skunks, coughing and gagging. The skunks both retreat into the brush, and eventually Burik and Effort make their way over. Brask smells awful. You can't even get close to him without the must wafting out of his fur and into your nostrils, burning them. Luckily for him, the spray failed to reach his face and eyes.
Everyone, roll a nature or medicine check. Burik, you can do so with advantage since you're close to your village and probably have a good sense of the wildlife nearby.
"Ugh, you smell awful," Effort moans, holding her nose as she tries to back away from Brask. Once she's a safe distance away, she uses message to tell him "I'm not getting closer until you find a way to get rid of that stench!"
Burik, you remember hearing as a child that if you get sprayed by a skunk you need to bath in vinegar, milk, or tomato juice. And if you don't wash clothes or other materials sprayed, the stench could last for up to 6 months.
Tell him I'm not riding on his shoulder until he takes a bath, Cadmael thinks.
"Vinegar, milk, or tomato juice, or you're stuck with the smell for 6 months. And I'm not travelling with you smelling like that..." Burik, like Effort, is keeping a good distance from Brask. Also trying to keep upwind of him.
"Cadmael... find him a stream or something, or we are all going to suffer," Effort manages to say, still waving her hand before her face in a feeble attempt to make a downwind draft for the minotaur.
Brask looks around absent-mindedly, clearly distracted by the horrific smell emanating off of his fur.
There's a small stream up ahead, Cadmael thinks. Coming off the mountain, we should be there in a few minutes.
When you arrive, Brask submerges himself and tries to wash as best he can, scrubbing hard at his fur. When he gets out, the smell seems to have subsided a little bit, but as soon as his clothes and fur dry, the stench becomes unbearable again.
"... it will take too much time to go all the way back to your village to beg for milk and vinegar. Not to mention ruin Brask's carefully crafted reputation after last night," Effort observes to Burik nasally, as she is still holding her nose closed. "Unfortunately I've no spell to circulate water continously around him to keep that stench away. Of course... if it is trapped in his fur..."
She holds up two hands towards Brask. In one of them, flames dance. In the other, electricity crackles. Her eyes give off a scary glint by the twin glows of the magic she's holding up, and she looks more infernally tiefling than she ever has before as she speaks.
"You have three options, hairball, and all of them include burning your clothes off. Number one: shave. Number two: step into the water and allow me to electrocute you. Or number three: stand there undecided, and have me roast everything off of your body right now. Choose wisely!"
Brask scows at Effort, and slowly, deliberately, reaches over his shoulder and pulls out his maul. I wouldn't. I really wouldn't. He glares at Effort, unblinking.
Effort bares her teeth in a grimace. "It isn't as if we don't have a powerful talhund right next to us to restore any injuries you might get from the cleansing process. Or are you really going to walk downwind from us the rest of the way to the next village?" She corrects herself quickly. "You ARE going to walk downwind from us from at least 30 feet away stinking like that." She turns to Burik. "Have you got any bright ideas to deal with him?"
I will walk where I godsdamn please! Brask shouts in a sudden fury. He raises his maul high above his shoulders, and slams in into the ground, roaring.
A few seconds pass, and he slowly puts his weapon away and turns back, his expression slightly sulky. Fine. The lightning thing - that's a joke, or you think that would work?
Effort extinguishes her hands, shaking them out, then rubs her chin. "Well. There is nothing we can do about your smell with ordinary washing, if what Burik said was true. And practically, even without having to withstand 6 months of that smell without going mad, you are going to alert everything in the area to our presence, for better or worse. There will be no finding of golden dragons, or ambushing of bandits, or passing thorough the trail unnoticed or the like, while you are broadcasting our location with your scent."
"If it is really your fur that is smelling the worst, my best postulate is that singeing that hair will produce a temporarily worse scent, but also inactivate whatever it is that was sprayed on you to make you stink so. And I can think of two ways to singe your hair, which is with electricity, or a wall of flame. I suspect the electricity will hurt you a bit less than the fire, though. It will also cover and singe you more thoroughly if we use the water as a conductor."
She crosses her arms. "It will be painful. I can guarantee that. The only painless way I can see for you to reduce that scent is, as I said, to use a knife and shave all your fur off. And the clothes will have to go. Fortunately, we purchased a tent in town... I should be able to fashion the cloth into makeshift clothing that will fit you, if we rest here for the evening while you recover from this... procedure."
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Brask, you've surely heard of skunks before, but other than knowing that they're somehow associated with being stinky, you don't know much about their biology.
As Effort and Burik pause to consider the best course of action, Brask continues stomping down the trail. Cadmael swoops in front of him, trying to signal that it's not a good idea, but the minotaur takes the flyby as a sign of their budding friendship and carries on. As he gets closer, the skunk walks across the trail to the other side, continuing to forage. It perks up as Brask gets close, making itself alert. From the bush it came from, a second skunk emerges just as Brask walks by, turning its body to the side, lifting its tail, and spraying a clear but immediately noticeable musk at Brask.
Roll a DC13 dexterity check.
DM - Above & Below
"Me, lead?" Effort begins to argue with Burik, not wanting to actually be the first one to face the skunk after Cadmael's warning. As she and the dwarf go back and forth about it, Brask takes the initiative and sets off what looks to be like a potentially unfortunate chain of events. Effort watches with fascination as the skunk tries to spray Brask, even as Cadmael wheels away hurriedly with a screech of distress.
Do not approach any furred ones! Cadmael tries to warn her again as he attempts to help Brask dodge spray with his flyby.
(Temporal order: Cadmael relays his help while he's doing the flyby above, because that makes the most sense)
DEX save: 11 (if with advantage, the other roll is 11).
Huh? he says as he notices the nearby creature and finally looks up.
Brask, now roll a DC20 Constitution save.
Cadmael's distraction isn't enough. The angry rodent is defending its territory, aggressively spraying its musk at Brask. It starts to engulf the minotaur in its terrible stench as the second skunk scurries back down the hill into the brush, screeching loudly.
DM - Above & Below
Brask's CON save: 21
Brask doesn't have time to consider how tough he looks - his reaction is visceral and speedy. As the must forms a cloud around him, he runs up the hill away from the skunks, coughing and gagging. The skunks both retreat into the brush, and eventually Burik and Effort make their way over. Brask smells awful. You can't even get close to him without the must wafting out of his fur and into your nostrils, burning them. Luckily for him, the spray failed to reach his face and eyes.
Everyone, roll a nature or medicine check. Burik, you can do so with advantage since you're close to your village and probably have a good sense of the wildlife nearby.
DM - Above & Below
Medicine 14
I've smelled worse, Brask says. I often smell worse. Part of my charm. He wrinkles up his nose. Alright. Maybe not quite this bad.
Medicine 9
Effort Nature check: 11 + 2
"Ugh, you smell awful," Effort moans, holding her nose as she tries to back away from Brask. Once she's a safe distance away, she uses message to tell him "I'm not getting closer until you find a way to get rid of that stench!"
Burik, you remember hearing as a child that if you get sprayed by a skunk you need to bath in vinegar, milk, or tomato juice. And if you don't wash clothes or other materials sprayed, the stench could last for up to 6 months.
Tell him I'm not riding on his shoulder until he takes a bath, Cadmael thinks.
DM - Above & Below
Cadmael's not going anywhere near you until you bathe, Effort messages to Brask.
Brask sighs at the impending loss of his new bird buddy, and looks around for a suitable stream or pool for bathing: Perception 13
"Vinegar, milk, or tomato juice, or you're stuck with the smell for 6 months. And I'm not travelling with you smelling like that..." Burik, like Effort, is keeping a good distance from Brask. Also trying to keep upwind of him.
"Cadmael... find him a stream or something, or we are all going to suffer," Effort manages to say, still waving her hand before her face in a feeble attempt to make a downwind draft for the minotaur.
Cadmael Perception: 10
Brask looks around absent-mindedly, clearly distracted by the horrific smell emanating off of his fur.
There's a small stream up ahead, Cadmael thinks. Coming off the mountain, we should be there in a few minutes.
When you arrive, Brask submerges himself and tries to wash as best he can, scrubbing hard at his fur. When he gets out, the smell seems to have subsided a little bit, but as soon as his clothes and fur dry, the stench becomes unbearable again.
DM - Above & Below
"... it will take too much time to go all the way back to your village to beg for milk and vinegar. Not to mention ruin Brask's carefully crafted reputation after last night," Effort observes to Burik nasally, as she is still holding her nose closed. "Unfortunately I've no spell to circulate water continously around him to keep that stench away. Of course... if it is trapped in his fur..."
She holds up two hands towards Brask. In one of them, flames dance. In the other, electricity crackles. Her eyes give off a scary glint by the twin glows of the magic she's holding up, and she looks more infernally tiefling than she ever has before as she speaks.
"You have three options, hairball, and all of them include burning your clothes off. Number one: shave. Number two: step into the water and allow me to electrocute you. Or number three: stand there undecided, and have me roast everything off of your body right now. Choose wisely!"
Brask scows at Effort, and slowly, deliberately, reaches over his shoulder and pulls out his maul. I wouldn't. I really wouldn't. He glares at Effort, unblinking.
Effort bares her teeth in a grimace. "It isn't as if we don't have a powerful talhund right next to us to restore any injuries you might get from the cleansing process. Or are you really going to walk downwind from us the rest of the way to the next village?" She corrects herself quickly. "You ARE going to walk downwind from us from at least 30 feet away stinking like that." She turns to Burik. "Have you got any bright ideas to deal with him?"
I will walk where I godsdamn please! Brask shouts in a sudden fury. He raises his maul high above his shoulders, and slams in into the ground, roaring.
A few seconds pass, and he slowly puts his weapon away and turns back, his expression slightly sulky. Fine. The lightning thing - that's a joke, or you think that would work?
Effort extinguishes her hands, shaking them out, then rubs her chin. "Well. There is nothing we can do about your smell with ordinary washing, if what Burik said was true. And practically, even without having to withstand 6 months of that smell without going mad, you are going to alert everything in the area to our presence, for better or worse. There will be no finding of golden dragons, or ambushing of bandits, or passing thorough the trail unnoticed or the like, while you are broadcasting our location with your scent."
"If it is really your fur that is smelling the worst, my best postulate is that singeing that hair will produce a temporarily worse scent, but also inactivate whatever it is that was sprayed on you to make you stink so. And I can think of two ways to singe your hair, which is with electricity, or a wall of flame. I suspect the electricity will hurt you a bit less than the fire, though. It will also cover and singe you more thoroughly if we use the water as a conductor."
She crosses her arms. "It will be painful. I can guarantee that. The only painless way I can see for you to reduce that scent is, as I said, to use a knife and shave all your fur off. And the clothes will have to go. Fortunately, we purchased a tent in town... I should be able to fashion the cloth into makeshift clothing that will fit you, if we rest here for the evening while you recover from this... procedure."