Graxx grips Utar's wrist and closes his eyes for a moment taking in the comfort from this friend.
"Strings indeed..." says Graxx.
Graxx looks down at his feet.
"I'll never forget the night they first came... We were sitting around the campfire starting up at the stars. Suddenly the insects of the night stopped chirping. Many of us were undertaken by some wizardry where we could not move muscle. I could hardly breathe. Out of thin air they seemed to appear... We were surrounded by Drow some armored with swords and some with their magic sticks.' says Graxx.
Graxx shudders.
"I had never felt so much fear in all my life. Being so helpless... It wasn't until they started to speak common that things became a little less scary. They told us they meant us no harm and their paralyzing of us was meant to show us their power. The power that they said could aid us. They then released their hold on us." says Graxx.
Graxx sighs as he continues to remember the past.
"The Drow said they had a deal for us. They would help us fight back to Orcs and protect our land. They would do this by providing our warriors with specially made weapons and fighting along side us wielding their magics. In return they required us to turn over any Orc captured to them to be their slaves in the underdark. For what purpose... I do not know." says Graxx sadly.
"I don't see what exactly you are referring to, Doozey... But, I think I have something that should constitute as close to an 'inside' as we can get, for now."
After taking care moving Biscuit's body off of the raft as per Doozey's request and puts him her tent.
She then ponders out loud, moving toward the Kuo-toa corpses, "Something is bothering me... During the siege, even the Kuo-toa warriors were rather formidable despite their frailty, and we have combat skills. Looking at the state of their bodies, can a teenager from a fishing village be capable of this sort of overkill?"
She examines the bodies of the Kuo-toa in a form of field autopsy to asses what sort of weapons could cause such damage.
Medicine: 13
She then turns to Graxx after hearing him speak of his tribes predicament, "Sometimes, that's all it takes. A moment of weakness and desperation has the capability to push people to do something they wouldn't otherwise consider. However, it is not an impossible circumstance to escape."
"That's not to say it will be an easy process either. But, without knowing the traditions of the Sky Ponies, myself, your approach seems to be as solid as any."
(OOC: Man, I'm a sucker for these character moments. DM's Inspiration tokens to @Grx and @MB as well.)
Graxx is the first to react to the bloody scene at the small dock. He kneels by some of the tracks and dips a finger into a footprint. Removing it to rub some of the bloody mud between his thumb and index finger, he takes the mixture up close to his nose. The barbarian then announces with a serious face that the tracks are too wet to smell anything other than mud. Standing back up to allow others to try making better sense of the scene, Graxx takes this moment to remove a load out of his chest.
The rest of the party listens to the barbarian's sorrow attentively. Neya does so while tying up the raft followed by pitching a tent a little ways off the murder scene. Doozey offers some words of understanding but Utar clearly feels more comfortable doing it. The cleric takes it upon himself to offer some wise words of consolation. Eventually, Neya adds her own form of advice.
The monk then carefully lays Biscuit's body within the tent while the mastiff's master goes to work on the muddy tracks. With his initial analysis, the hunter concludes that the more distinct marks are unlikely to belong to any fey, fiend, or undead that he is closely familiar with. They don't belong to the types of humanoids the halfling usually refers to as his Favored Enemies either. They are simply too big and at the same time too graceful for any of the aforementioned creatures... maybe. Studying them further, Doozey determines to the best of his abilities that they must belong to some sort of large but nimble beast. There are plenty of other marks as well. Some large ones probably indicate where the Kuo-toa or Elisande fell before standing back up. Some others look like punctures or slashes, giving the impression of scars on the earth from the fight that happened here.
Utar looks over Doozey's shoulder at this point and tries to hone in the smaller prints in order to select a path to follow. Some of them depict the webbed feet of the Kuo-toa, but others are even smaller and clearly human-like. These likely belong to Elisande and seem to move in circles for a bit before disappearing. It is hard to determine in which order all these marks were left behind. Looking up and away from the footprints, Utar's eyes train on the treeline on the other side of the road, not 100 feet away. Some of the trees there look like they were knocked down. That said, there was a large storm here until recently, so perhaps that doesn't mean much.
Done with her errands, Neya approaches the gory scene and examines the bodies instead of the mud. She is not overly familiar with Kuo-toa anatomy but knows enough about wounds to conclude that the large gashes on their bodies were not dealt by blades. Though well-placed and clean as these cuts are, they could only be dealt by something with large and sharp claws.
"Our traditions... Our traditions were tossed by the way side. Tempus teaches that you do whatever it takes to win the battle but after it is over you do not pillage or take slaves. Our Chieftain Aurock made the decision to accept the Drow's help. I believe it is wrong but I was just in the same situation shortly ago. Accepting the help from demons on the island when I shouldn't have. I guess when facing utter decimation you will do anything to survive. I just need to find the line where I choose death for the sake of honor."
"I had never seen such a display of force. Through the Drow's use of ice and fire combined with the axe of the Sky Pony the Orcs were pushed from the land. The Drow would attack at night and the Sky Ponies during the day. The Orcs never had a chance to rest and stood no chance against the deadly combination. The Drow received their prisoners as promised."
Graxx frowns at remembering his horse.
"I was just a puny one at the time that all this went on. As I came of age I was given the job of standing guard over the Orc prisoners until they were taken. My father, Graxxar went out with the warriors and was proud to see me taking action. But my Grandmother... Who I named my horse after, Edith taught me the uncorrupted teachings of Tempus the tribe used to follow. This began to make me understand what we were doing was wrong but I just didn't know what to do to change things. My Grandmother is the only reason I was fighting alongside you and not against you on that ship... I miss her so much... I hope she is still among the living." says Graxx.
Doozey would continue to listen to Graxx as much as it was respectful silence, as it was due to a divided attention at the time from combing the scene. Then he freezes for a few moments, staring off into the woods until the break in Graxx' words signaled an end to his own ruminations. But after turning to give voice to them, there is a moment of hesitation. Doozey mutely questioned the rudeness of refocusing after Graxx last words ended on a heavy note.
The Hunter within had no such compunctions...
"It isn't much, but I have a trail we can follow. Mister Utar? If you could summon a bit of light, or stay close to me as we go. I'll take point." He said in a nonchalant tone, readies his crossbow, and starts heading in the direction of the knocked down trees.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Let's be prepared for what may have done this..." Neya says as she takes out her bow, "We may need to employ different tactics depending on what we encounter."
While Graxx continues his heartfelt story, Utar taps Doozey's shoulder and points to the knocked over trees. It is only due to the moonlight that the pair can see them from this distance. The halfling knows what he needs to do next and asks for a light source once Graxx's story naturally reaches its end, at least for now.
Utar provides such light through his Driftglobe and hands it over to Doozey. Holding it up almost like a handle-less lantern, the hunter leads the way, followed by Graxx and Neya. Utar brings up the rear so he can look over his shoulder every few seconds. Graxx argues for making this as expeditious a mission as possible but Neya reminds him that being prepared is more important.
The magical light is welcomed by everyone in the party, as it makes it significantly easier to move over to the broken treeline. The number of fallen trees dwindles quickly upon walking into the woods, and much like Elisande's footprints in the mud, disappear completely after a while (to make this clear, there are no more fallen trees after walking deeper into the woods for a couple of minutes. All the trees surrounding you now are healthy and upright).
The trail would go cold if it were not for Utar's keen passive senses. The cleric manages to spot the red glint of blood (reflecting the light) while walking by the fallen trees. Now that the party stands in the undisturbed part of the woods, the blood marks have diminish to a trickle, but they are still there.
(OOC: I need a group survival skill check at this point. Everyone rolls once. The total DC is {DC 50} and the final result will help determine how much time you spend in the woods. Doozey's Natural Explorer should make this interesting).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As experienced a tracker as Doozey was, worry never showed over the loss of the trail. Such things were only ever temporary set backs. Nevertheless, he found himself at times looking back or beneath his feet as if expecting to see a certain fuzzball at his side. "Keep it together... I need to keep together." He'd mumble after the third time one glance set him on a different path.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC, screw it. Inspiration is meant to be used, this feels important. Leaving guidance as it is, every little helps and I guess Utar isn't Torm's favourite earthly representative right now after all that demonic healing.)
Utar taps Doozey's shoulder again and points out the trickle of blood he has spotted. The halfling nods showing both gratitude for the good teamwork and vindication for his "temporary setbacks" approach to tracking. Graxx pitches in by letting the group know he hears the faint crashing of waves coming from deeper into the forest. The party then follows the thin line of blood and the faint water noise, which lead in the same direction.
Able to move quickly through the wooded area (Natural Explorer for the win), the group arrives at a misty glade in no more than a dozen minutes of tracking. In the center of the glade, a equally misty but smaller lake reflects the moonlight beautifully. A breeze helps form tiny waves on the surface of this natural pool of water nearest the shore/treeline. The noise it makes is quite entrancing and relaxing.
The trail formed by the trickled blood ends as soon as the ground stops and the waterline begins.
Doozey stares long and hard at the end of the trail, then sighed and shook his head. "Couldn't have been easy, could it?" He mumbles to himself. Looking back afterwards to the state of the others, he started scratching chin scruff and even pacing a short ways from the lake edge. "This whole affair is reeking more and more of fey nonsense! At least this part of things, which is no good. No good at all." He grouses and rears back as if to kick errant stone.
But after a moment of hesitation, the foot's lowered back to the ground following a click of the tongue. "Will that light of yours follow easily enough under water?" He turns to Utar first, but is just as willing to look to anyone else with an answer. "Not that I'm suggesting it out of hand, mind you. It'd... it'd be best that whatever's followed or 'took' her beneath the waters be fought out here, assuming...." He scowls, and looks about the lake's shores. "I have a couple ideas. But anyone else with suggestions?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"The sphere can float through the air... Not sure about water... Could be worth a try if you think it might lure whatever took Elisande out? Is that what you're thinking?"
Approaching the waterline, Utar drops a knee, looking out over the surface of the water. The memory of the water ritual from the island still fresh in his mind, he dips his fingertips into the water, before submerging his hand and drawing out a small handful.
He carefully smells the water, tasting the air for a hint of salt or maybe a brackish tang. Wondering if the lake is either temporary and formed only at low tide, or else a stagnant body of water without streams or tributaries.
"That's assuming that the girl has found something to breathe in the water, if she's been taken under." he adds, slightly defeated.
(OOC if passive perception isn't preferred here's a smell perception21.)
"T'is why I said it had the mark a fey work. If not some monstrosity with a delicate touch." Doozey replied to Graxx, and loosely to Utar, while watching the latter disturb the water. Short of something coming for this action, he adds, "But if its the latter, I am... It would be hard to be certain one way or another. A lake of this size isn't likely to have too many underground passageways, if any at all."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar: The water smells like absolutely nothing, just like water is supposed to. You feel so confident about it, you even drink a little of it. The water is refreshingly crisp and cool, to the point you start wondering how is it that this has no healing properties but that boiling cup of tepid-ish water from the island does... On the one hand, this lake water feels great coming down your gullet. On the water hand, if there was any advantage inbedded in not disturbing the water, well...
Voicing their suspicions and anxiousness, Doozey and Graxx pace around the waterline trying to figure out what to do next. Noticing the water has been disturbed already, the halfling tries something out (I'm taking some liberty here based on the questions posed). Doozey shoves the Driftglobe he has been holding into the water and notices that while the device does not float, its light continues to work even when submerged.
While the rest of the party experiments, Neya keeps an eye out. Nothing in the surrounding area jumps out to her. It all looks quite peaceful, even in the dead of night. The moon light and its reflection on the water look truly stunning.
Graxx grips Utar's wrist and closes his eyes for a moment taking in the comfort from this friend.
"Strings indeed..." says Graxx.
Graxx looks down at his feet.
"I'll never forget the night they first came... We were sitting around the campfire starting up at the stars. Suddenly the insects of the night stopped chirping. Many of us were undertaken by some wizardry where we could not move muscle. I could hardly breathe. Out of thin air they seemed to appear... We were surrounded by Drow some armored with swords and some with their magic sticks.' says Graxx.
Graxx shudders.
"I had never felt so much fear in all my life. Being so helpless... It wasn't until they started to speak common that things became a little less scary. They told us they meant us no harm and their paralyzing of us was meant to show us their power. The power that they said could aid us. They then released their hold on us." says Graxx.
Graxx sighs as he continues to remember the past.
"The Drow said they had a deal for us. They would help us fight back to Orcs and protect our land. They would do this by providing our warriors with specially made weapons and fighting along side us wielding their magics. In return they required us to turn over any Orc captured to them to be their slaves in the underdark. For what purpose... I do not know." says Graxx sadly.
Temp hp: 7
"I don't see what exactly you are referring to, Doozey... But, I think I have something that should constitute as close to an 'inside' as we can get, for now."
After taking care moving Biscuit's body off of the raft as per Doozey's request and puts him her tent.
She then ponders out loud, moving toward the Kuo-toa corpses, "Something is bothering me... During the siege, even the Kuo-toa warriors were rather formidable despite their frailty, and we have combat skills. Looking at the state of their bodies, can a teenager from a fishing village be capable of this sort of overkill?"
She examines the bodies of the Kuo-toa in a form of field autopsy to asses what sort of weapons could cause such damage.
Medicine: 13
She then turns to Graxx after hearing him speak of his tribes predicament, "Sometimes, that's all it takes. A moment of weakness and desperation has the capability to push people to do something they wouldn't otherwise consider. However, it is not an impossible circumstance to escape."
"That's not to say it will be an easy process either. But, without knowing the traditions of the Sky Ponies, myself, your approach seems to be as solid as any."
Extended Signature
(OOC: Man, I'm a sucker for these character moments. DM's Inspiration tokens to @Grx and @MB as well.)
Graxx is the first to react to the bloody scene at the small dock. He kneels by some of the tracks and dips a finger into a footprint. Removing it to rub some of the bloody mud between his thumb and index finger, he takes the mixture up close to his nose. The barbarian then announces with a serious face that the tracks are too wet to smell anything other than mud. Standing back up to allow others to try making better sense of the scene, Graxx takes this moment to remove a load out of his chest.
The rest of the party listens to the barbarian's sorrow attentively. Neya does so while tying up the raft followed by pitching a tent a little ways off the murder scene. Doozey offers some words of understanding but Utar clearly feels more comfortable doing it. The cleric takes it upon himself to offer some wise words of consolation. Eventually, Neya adds her own form of advice.
The monk then carefully lays Biscuit's body within the tent while the mastiff's master goes to work on the muddy tracks. With his initial analysis, the hunter concludes that the more distinct marks are unlikely to belong to any fey, fiend, or undead that he is closely familiar with. They don't belong to the types of humanoids the halfling usually refers to as his Favored Enemies either. They are simply too big and at the same time too graceful for any of the aforementioned creatures... maybe. Studying them further, Doozey determines to the best of his abilities that they must belong to some sort of large but nimble beast. There are plenty of other marks as well. Some large ones probably indicate where the Kuo-toa or Elisande fell before standing back up. Some others look like punctures or slashes, giving the impression of scars on the earth from the fight that happened here.
Utar looks over Doozey's shoulder at this point and tries to hone in the smaller prints in order to select a path to follow. Some of them depict the webbed feet of the Kuo-toa, but others are even smaller and clearly human-like. These likely belong to Elisande and seem to move in circles for a bit before disappearing. It is hard to determine in which order all these marks were left behind. Looking up and away from the footprints, Utar's eyes train on the treeline on the other side of the road, not 100 feet away. Some of the trees there look like they were knocked down. That said, there was a large storm here until recently, so perhaps that doesn't mean much.
Done with her errands, Neya approaches the gory scene and examines the bodies instead of the mud. She is not overly familiar with Kuo-toa anatomy but knows enough about wounds to conclude that the large gashes on their bodies were not dealt by blades. Though well-placed and clean as these cuts are, they could only be dealt by something with large and sharp claws.
Graxx nods towards Neya...
"Our traditions... Our traditions were tossed by the way side. Tempus teaches that you do whatever it takes to win the battle but after it is over you do not pillage or take slaves. Our Chieftain Aurock made the decision to accept the Drow's help. I believe it is wrong but I was just in the same situation shortly ago. Accepting the help from demons on the island when I shouldn't have. I guess when facing utter decimation you will do anything to survive. I just need to find the line where I choose death for the sake of honor."
"I had never seen such a display of force. Through the Drow's use of ice and fire combined with the axe of the Sky Pony the Orcs were pushed from the land. The Drow would attack at night and the Sky Ponies during the day. The Orcs never had a chance to rest and stood no chance against the deadly combination. The Drow received their prisoners as promised."
Graxx frowns at remembering his horse.
"I was just a puny one at the time that all this went on. As I came of age I was given the job of standing guard over the Orc prisoners until they were taken. My father, Graxxar went out with the warriors and was proud to see me taking action. But my Grandmother... Who I named my horse after, Edith taught me the uncorrupted teachings of Tempus the tribe used to follow. This began to make me understand what we were doing was wrong but I just didn't know what to do to change things. My Grandmother is the only reason I was fighting alongside you and not against you on that ship... I miss her so much... I hope she is still among the living." says Graxx.
Doozey would continue to listen to Graxx as much as it was respectful silence, as it was due to a divided attention at the time from combing the scene. Then he freezes for a few moments, staring off into the woods until the break in Graxx' words signaled an end to his own ruminations. But after turning to give voice to them, there is a moment of hesitation. Doozey mutely questioned the rudeness of refocusing after Graxx last words ended on a heavy note.
The Hunter within had no such compunctions...
"It isn't much, but I have a trail we can follow. Mister Utar? If you could summon a bit of light, or stay close to me as we go. I'll take point." He said in a nonchalant tone, readies his crossbow, and starts heading in the direction of the knocked down trees.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar returns the pressure to his friend's shoulder.
"We'll see what strings come with the choice to drink the water on that island together. Keep your faith, my friend. I'm glad it brought you to us."
Turning to Doozey, Utar rummages in his pack for his Driftglobe. Whispering its command word, he passes the illuminated sphere to the halfling.
"Lead the way Master Ranger."
Graxx turns away and looks out at the waters one last time.
"Let's make this fast. I don't have much left in me before I collapse from exhaustion."
"Let's be prepared for what may have done this..." Neya says as she takes out her bow, "We may need to employ different tactics depending on what we encounter."
Extended Signature
While Graxx continues his heartfelt story, Utar taps Doozey's shoulder and points to the knocked over trees. It is only due to the moonlight that the pair can see them from this distance. The halfling knows what he needs to do next and asks for a light source once Graxx's story naturally reaches its end, at least for now.
Utar provides such light through his Driftglobe and hands it over to Doozey. Holding it up almost like a handle-less lantern, the hunter leads the way, followed by Graxx and Neya. Utar brings up the rear so he can look over his shoulder every few seconds. Graxx argues for making this as expeditious a mission as possible but Neya reminds him that being prepared is more important.
The magical light is welcomed by everyone in the party, as it makes it significantly easier to move over to the broken treeline. The number of fallen trees dwindles quickly upon walking into the woods, and much like Elisande's footprints in the mud, disappear completely after a while (to make this clear, there are no more fallen trees after walking deeper into the woods for a couple of minutes. All the trees surrounding you now are healthy and upright).
The trail would go cold if it were not for Utar's keen passive senses. The cleric manages to spot the red glint of blood (reflecting the light) while walking by the fallen trees. Now that the party stands in the undisturbed part of the woods, the blood marks have diminish to a trickle, but they are still there.
(OOC: I need a group survival skill check at this point. Everyone rolls once. The total DC is {DC 50} and the final result will help determine how much time you spend in the woods. Doozey's Natural Explorer should make this interesting).
With no obvious trail to follow, Utar absently grips his amulet. Casting guidance, he circles the clearing tentatively.
Survival 7 plus 1
As experienced a tracker as Doozey was, worry never showed over the loss of the trail. Such things were only ever temporary set backs. Nevertheless, he found himself at times looking back or beneath his feet as if expecting to see a certain fuzzball at his side. "Keep it together... I need to keep together." He'd mumble after the third time one glance set him on a different path.
Survival: 21.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(OOC, screw it. Inspiration is meant to be used, this feels important. Leaving guidance as it is, every little helps and I guess Utar isn't Torm's favourite earthly representative right now after all that demonic healing.)
Advantage survival 22 plus 1 from previous guidance roll.
Graxx enjoys being in the woods once more.
Survival: 19
Utar taps Doozey's shoulder again and points out the trickle of blood he has spotted. The halfling nods showing both gratitude for the good teamwork and vindication for his "temporary setbacks" approach to tracking. Graxx pitches in by letting the group know he hears the faint crashing of waves coming from deeper into the forest. The party then follows the thin line of blood and the faint water noise, which lead in the same direction.
Able to move quickly through the wooded area (Natural Explorer for the win), the group arrives at a misty glade in no more than a dozen minutes of tracking. In the center of the glade, a equally misty but smaller lake reflects the moonlight beautifully. A breeze helps form tiny waves on the surface of this natural pool of water nearest the shore/treeline. The noise it makes is quite entrancing and relaxing.
The trail formed by the trickled blood ends as soon as the ground stops and the waterline begins.
(OOC: What would you like to do next?)
Doozey stares long and hard at the end of the trail, then sighed and shook his head. "Couldn't have been easy, could it?" He mumbles to himself. Looking back afterwards to the state of the others, he started scratching chin scruff and even pacing a short ways from the lake edge. "This whole affair is reeking more and more of fey nonsense! At least this part of things, which is no good. No good at all." He grouses and rears back as if to kick errant stone.
But after a moment of hesitation, the foot's lowered back to the ground following a click of the tongue. "Will that light of yours follow easily enough under water?" He turns to Utar first, but is just as willing to look to anyone else with an answer. "Not that I'm suggesting it out of hand, mind you. It'd... it'd be best that whatever's followed or 'took' her beneath the waters be fought out here, assuming...." He scowls, and looks about the lake's shores. "I have a couple ideas. But anyone else with suggestions?"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Utar shrugs, thinking things over.
"The sphere can float through the air... Not sure about water... Could be worth a try if you think it might lure whatever took Elisande out? Is that what you're thinking?"
Approaching the waterline, Utar drops a knee, looking out over the surface of the water. The memory of the water ritual from the island still fresh in his mind, he dips his fingertips into the water, before submerging his hand and drawing out a small handful.
He carefully smells the water, tasting the air for a hint of salt or maybe a brackish tang. Wondering if the lake is either temporary and formed only at low tide, or else a stagnant body of water without streams or tributaries.
"That's assuming that the girl has found something to breathe in the water, if she's been taken under." he adds, slightly defeated.
(OOC if passive perception isn't preferred here's a smell perception 21.)
Graxx raises his sword and steps up standing back 10 feet from the water.
"Something is wrong here... There's no sign of struggle... It's too tranquil."
"T'is why I said it had the mark a fey work. If not some monstrosity with a delicate touch." Doozey replied to Graxx, and loosely to Utar, while watching the latter disturb the water. Short of something coming for this action, he adds, "But if its the latter, I am... It would be hard to be certain one way or another. A lake of this size isn't likely to have too many underground passageways, if any at all."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Just because the blood stops, doesn't mean the trail has ended. All that means is that we need to find other traces of movement."
Neya takes a look around to try and see any traces of someone moving out of the lake.
Perception: 17
Extended Signature
Utar: The water smells like absolutely nothing, just like water is supposed to. You feel so confident about it, you even drink a little of it. The water is refreshingly crisp and cool, to the point you start wondering how is it that this has no healing properties but that boiling cup of tepid-ish water from the island does... On the one hand, this lake water feels great coming down your gullet. On the water hand, if there was any advantage inbedded in not disturbing the water, well...
Voicing their suspicions and anxiousness, Doozey and Graxx pace around the waterline trying to figure out what to do next. Noticing the water has been disturbed already, the halfling tries something out (I'm taking some liberty here based on the questions posed). Doozey shoves the Driftglobe he has been holding into the water and notices that while the device does not float, its light continues to work even when submerged.
While the rest of the party experiments, Neya keeps an eye out. Nothing in the surrounding area jumps out to her. It all looks quite peaceful, even in the dead of night. The moon light and its reflection on the water look truly stunning.