Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

The glowing bait casts a dim light through the brown waters of swampy river. They wade out into the middle of the sluggish river. Nothing apparent happens. No giant undead swamp frog emerges to consume them.  They sit there in the water, largely undisturbed.

"Well, we could always just walk across?  I just wish we could find a way to communicate with the raven-man, he might have useful information.  But you're probably right.  Let's go find that witch."

Mordekai ends the Dancing Lights spell.

The group continues into the swampy, long forgotten village. The road, which is slightly higher ground than the swampy muck around them, splits, one branch heading away from the river, and one continuing to follow it.  In the fog neither offers any better hint than the other, though you do know from Rat's scouting that the one that follows the river leads to more ruined homes. The bird roughly indicated everything...snakes, scarecrows, witch, were in this general direction....but if you had to pick one based on the birds directions, you'd probably follow the river.    Which way? 

Before party moved anywhere, Lionel suddenly had an idea: he picked up a rock, made it glow with a couple words and then waved with it in direction of the were-raven on the other side of the river. By blocking and opening view again he tried to imitate the rhythm of the signals (if they were indeed signals) coming from the trapped (?) being, then quenched the light and suggested to start from the main problem - the witch. If the bird gave precise enough location of the monster.

"Meepo send Rat again." Meepo suggests.  "Have Rat look then tell which way go?"  He asks the group, nodding to the path along the river.  This time he has Rat look more closely at the buildings along the river, looking for anything that might tell them if it was the place with the witch or not.

The light on the other side of the river mimics Lionel's signals. 

The group hunkers down for a few moments and waits for the undead flying cat to scope out both roads.  

Meepo comes back a little while later.  The road is what's left of the main road of the Berez, and runs in a large circle.  The ruins of houses are on both sides of the large ring road. On the far side of the ring road is a larger ruin of a mansion.  Beside the mansion is the ruin of a small church along with a large watery graveyard. Across from the graveyard, on the inside of the ring road, is a giant tree stump with a strange house on it.  Outside this house are cages filled with Ravens. Rat spotted several scarecrows hanging about the area. They don't appear to move or react to Rat's flapping about in the fog. 

The whole town is perhaps 1500 feet across, hidden in the thick soupy fog and amidst large trees, mucky watery ground, and pools of open still water.

"Meepo thinks go to ravens first."  Meepo says, making it a question as he glances to the others.

"I did promise the bird that we'd set the ravens free." Olin nods. "That must be the witch's house, if it is the only one standing and has cages outside." Olin tests the weight of the spear in his hand and secures his shield. "Avoid the scarecrows, avoid the 'stone people that don't move' the bird warned us about..." Pulling his cloak around him and changing it to the grey color of the fog Olin says, "and let's try to move as quietly as possible." Olin places a hand on Lionel's shoulder and asks Silvanus for guidance for his loudly-armored friend.

Stealth, 17

Mordekai nods along with Olin's plan. He casts Guidance on himself, and moves forwards as quietly as he can.

Stealth: 8 (I included guidance in the single roll)

Also Perception, watching out for any kind of ambush: 7 

"I do not think I have ever seen more bleak dreary place," quietly exclaimed Lionel. "Should the witch stay quiet, I'd say living here is enough punishment." He shook his head disapprovingly. "I will follow you, Olin, until it's time to fight that darkness."

Stealth: 5 + 3

(Well, he tried. To the best of his modest ability.)

Olin's cloak shifts to a grey to match the surroundings as the group proceeds through the marsh.   Picking your way through the massive trees and marshy land the group sees the tall timbers emerge as shadows in the fog, only to fade away.  The light of day begins to fade and the foggy land darkens.  Ahead, a figure seems to be waiting in the mist, but as you get nearer, you see it's a scarecrow, propped up by a shaft, seemingly unmoving and unaware of your approach.  As the group picks its way closer it continues to not move.  Black raven feathers peak out from the end of its stitched shirt sleeves and area around its neck.  Its fabric face with large black stitches for a mouth and crosses for eyes smiles hideously at you. 

Meepo lifts his crossbow and shoots a bolt into the scarecrow anyway.

"Scarecrows bad."  He reminds the others as he does so.

To hit: 11

Damage: 11

The bolt rips through the scarecrow sending feathers flying out its back.  The things face shakes, and its eyes go red and it lets out a horrific screech..... Meepo, make a Wisdom save DC 11. 

Everyone roll init.  Scarecrow init: 13

Ismark init: 17

If you go before it, let me know what you do. 

Ismark reacts, expecting the thing to come alive, his sword out of his sheath in a mere moment as he rushes the thing, swinging his blade at it. 

Attack: 22 Damage: 12.   Attack: 17 Damage: 5. 

His blade sweeps into the thing, sending black feathers and shards of cloth flying.  But the thing is still moving. 

Mordekai Initiative: 8

(Assuming we weren't delayed by 1.5 hours by the second wolf fight and getting here from when we arrived at the river, Hex should still be active, but I'll keep those rolls separate in case it's not.)

Mordekai backs away from the scarecrow, and transfers his Hex curse onto its head, which by all rights should be inanimate. He intends to make it so, and hurls two bolts of Eldritch Blast at the abomination.

Attack: 28 Damage: 15 + 4 Hex

Attack: 23 Damage: 12 + 2 Hex

Lionel Initiative: 14

Meepo initiative:  21

Wis save: 17

Olin Initiative, 7

Olin jumps as the crossbow bolt whizzes past. "A little warning next time, please."

Mordekai unleashes two beams of crackling magic that strikes the thing.  It explodes, bits of material and black feathers spraying in every direction. 

Ismark lowers his arm that had instinctively covered his face as he shied away from the bits of debris.  He looks back at Mordekai..."Very impressive..."

Out in the fog, in the sudden silence, you hear the high pitched screeches of other scarecrows responding to the yell of their ally.   They shriek again a few moments later, many of them, getting closer. 

You have a couple rounds to act before they will reach this spot.  You can't see any yet through the fog.  Do anything?

The fog surrounds you, the white mist here just shows the limit of how far you can see.  The water is mucky ground, or shallow pools and counts as "difficult terrain".  The dry ground is normal terrain. 

Mordekai will move forwards and to the left, through the trees in front of him, towards the shore (the edge of the difficult ground at the bottom), where things can't get to him so fast and he hopes to get good line of sight without the trees being in the way.

(How long is left of Hex, if anything?)