As you're standing there at the edge of the bank, looking for any sign of the witch in the water, you suddenly hear a clear and bright female voice that rings boomingly loud into air around you.
As you look towards the clump of large Cyprus trees that have a large mass of twisted roots and branches at the base, which is where you saw the witch crawl from a few minutes ago, you don't see anything in plain sight that might have made such a call. Nor do you see the witch.
Lumen, still not saying anything, looks a bit closer inside. He turns and beckons the group along, and he listens. Is it totally silent? Any sounds of struggle?
Moving even closer, you hear the sound of voices coming from below, inside what appears to be a cave underneath the trees. It’s hard to discern exactly what’s being said, but it’s definitely more than one voice.
Lumen is even more emphatically beckoning the group into the cave entrance. If they dally even a bit, he's on his way inside to suss out whether this is a trap, or if there is really someone inside, fighting the witch, or perhaps held captive. Longsword out, epithets and a song on his lips.
Continuing to investigate, Lumen slips onto the open space at the base of the tree. Once he's in there, he sees that it's possible to climb down the protruding tree roots that line the the tunnel that leads into below ground. Assuming that he climbs down in, he finds it easy to descend, (one at a time, if more people are following,) using the roots as a ladder. After about five or six feet, the ground opens up beneath his feet, and finds himself inside a cave that extends about twenty feet underneath the bank. Close to you, you see a water hole, similar to the one you saw at the abandoned mud hut, that leads into the lake. Drops of water mixed with blood indicate that the witch used this recently.
As you climb down, you hear the sounds of a scuffle, and at one point, you hear the same female voice cry out form the far side of the chamber.
"WHY AM I WHISPERING SWEET SELÛNE DAMNIT ALL?!"
Looking over in the direction of the noise you see the witch standing over a humanoid figure that's writhing on the floor beneath her. You glance just in time to see the figure swing its legs and kick at the witch's knees, a move that brings a brief, but annoying cry of pain from the witch. Right now, they are about fifteen feet away, and as far as you can tell, the witch does not see you. You're not sure if the other figure does.
As of this moment, you're the only one who's made it down here, as it will take 2-3 more rounds before the rest of the crew is able to descend the root ladder. Everyone else who is just behind can hear the sound of the female voice cry out.
(Seems like in-game, most of the party would have had a chance to be right behind Lumen, so I'll give them a chance to post so they can say whether they're hanging back or right on Lumen's heels. Anything apart from the water hole that Lumen can see between the ladder and the scuffle? Any items, furniture, debris?)
A quick glance reveals that the corners/edges of the cave are packed with a few pies of stuff/debris, and a couple of crates or boxes, and you see what looks like some kind of sleeping pad. And on the floor, you see a number of scattered fish heads and half eaten fish corpses.
Following right behind Lumen, Kess slips beneath the tree and quickly climbs down the root ladder, emerging into the cave at his side. She also sees the witch engaged in her scuffle with the bound humanoid figure that’s struggling on the floor beneath her.
Lumen catches the witch by surprise. She looks up in shock and recoils at the effect of the cantrip, although she holds her ground and remains standing over the figure with a long dagger in her hand. Upon quick glance, she looks slightly different than the last time you saw her right before she jumped into the lake. Some of her wounds look less serious than before. The nasty cut on her arm already seems to be closing up, and she acts with seemingly more strength, although the same amount of craziness.
"Back off, orc man!" she cackles in a loud, raspy voice, "Or I will kill this one! I will carve her pretty face into an awful mess!"
She then pauses for a few seconds, and then lifts the dagger away from the person's face.
"Or perhaps you make deal. Me for her."
A quick glance at the figure below her reveals a humanoid with dark skin, white hair and pointed ears, and wearing a set of long black and purple robes and boots that match. Her hands and feet appear to be bound with strands of old rope.
(apologies, I had a long day of doctor appointments for family and lost track of this for a bit!)
Chrys, following behind Lumen, is neither subtle nor quiet when she sees the witch. "You done better leave that girl alone or you ain't gonna be nothin' but a smear on the wall when I'm done with ya," she threatens the woman, striding forward. "You let her go, I let you explain yerself. You don't let her go, and I'm gonna show you what the business end o' my hammer looks like when I decide to stop bein' nice,"she growls.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Does that deal involve completely stopping infecting the forest, releasing any captives you are, and leaving this place?" Lumen says, advancing in support of Chrys' intimidation. "I'd let the girl go now to show us that you can be reasoned with, and then we can have a conversation about a deal that doesn't involve immediate smears on walls."
"Well I ain't hittin' ya right now, am I? So send that girl over," she calls out, still keeping her menacing stance up and relying on her companions to be more level-headed about any sort of negotiations. For the moment, however, Chrys is only focused on getting the woman away from the witch. "I ain't the patient sort, and this is a heavy hammer, as ya well know."
The witch gives Chrys a long, uneasy stare, glances at the others and then looks down at the girl beneath her feet. She nudges her with a slight shove of her foot and quietly says, "Go," a tone of sad reconciliation lingering in her gravely voice.
As you're standing there at the edge of the bank, looking for any sign of the witch in the water, you suddenly hear a clear and bright female voice that rings boomingly loud into air around you.
"Stay back foul creature!"
"The witch is down here under the tree! Help!"
Lumen looks at the nearby trees for the source of the voice and for the witch.
As you look towards the clump of large Cyprus trees that have a large mass of twisted roots and branches at the base, which is where you saw the witch crawl from a few minutes ago, you don't see anything in plain sight that might have made such a call. Nor do you see the witch.
Lumen moves closer to the trees, still about 10-15 feet from the water line, looking for an access point from the lake to somewhere under the trees.
He’s thinking of the abandoned hut they can across on the way here, that had the door inside from land and the way to get in the lake directly.
Moving closer to inspect the trees, Lumen can see that there is large, dark hole in the muddy ground that's hidden within the mass of tangled wood.
Lumen, still not saying anything, looks a bit closer inside. He turns and beckons the group along, and he listens. Is it totally silent? Any sounds of struggle?
Moving even closer, you hear the sound of voices coming from below, inside what appears to be a cave underneath the trees. It’s hard to discern exactly what’s being said, but it’s definitely more than one voice.
Lumen is even more emphatically beckoning the group into the cave entrance. If they dally even a bit, he's on his way inside to suss out whether this is a trap, or if there is really someone inside, fighting the witch, or perhaps held captive. Longsword out, epithets and a song on his lips.
Continuing to investigate, Lumen slips onto the open space at the base of the tree. Once he's in there, he sees that it's possible to climb down the protruding tree roots that line the the tunnel that leads into below ground. Assuming that he climbs down in, he finds it easy to descend, (one at a time, if more people are following,) using the roots as a ladder. After about five or six feet, the ground opens up beneath his feet, and finds himself inside a cave that extends about twenty feet underneath the bank. Close to you, you see a water hole, similar to the one you saw at the abandoned mud hut, that leads into the lake. Drops of water mixed with blood indicate that the witch used this recently.
As you climb down, you hear the sounds of a scuffle, and at one point, you hear the same female voice cry out form the far side of the chamber.
"WHY AM I WHISPERING SWEET SELÛNE DAMNIT ALL?!"
Looking over in the direction of the noise you see the witch standing over a humanoid figure that's writhing on the floor beneath her. You glance just in time to see the figure swing its legs and kick at the witch's knees, a move that brings a brief, but annoying cry of pain from the witch. Right now, they are about fifteen feet away, and as far as you can tell, the witch does not see you. You're not sure if the other figure does.
As of this moment, you're the only one who's made it down here, as it will take 2-3 more rounds before the rest of the crew is able to descend the root ladder. Everyone else who is just behind can hear the sound of the female voice cry out.
(Seems like in-game, most of the party would have had a chance to be right behind Lumen, so I'll give them a chance to post so they can say whether they're hanging back or right on Lumen's heels. Anything apart from the water hole that Lumen can see between the ladder and the scuffle? Any items, furniture, debris?)
A quick glance reveals that the corners/edges of the cave are packed with a few pies of stuff/debris, and a couple of crates or boxes, and you see what looks like some kind of sleeping pad. And on the floor, you see a number of scattered fish heads and half eaten fish corpses.
"Hurry! The gods only know what that witch will do if we let her go!"
Without much of a word of elaboration, Kess speeds off after Lumen, dashing as fast as she could to catch up.
Following right behind Lumen, Kess slips beneath the tree and quickly climbs down the root ladder, emerging into the cave at his side. She also sees the witch engaged in her scuffle with the bound humanoid figure that’s struggling on the floor beneath her.
(Trusting that the other party members will be able to join if they wish, when they are able to post...)
Lumen says, "You are... very distractible. We weren't done with you yet!" and casts vicious mockery for 2 psychic damage on a failed WIS 14 save.
He hoists his longsword and rushes forward, trying to distract the witch from whoever she's struggling with, and preparing to attack next round.
WIS Save: 13
Lumen catches the witch by surprise. She looks up in shock and recoils at the effect of the cantrip, although she holds her ground and remains standing over the figure with a long dagger in her hand. Upon quick glance, she looks slightly different than the last time you saw her right before she jumped into the lake. Some of her wounds look less serious than before. The nasty cut on her arm already seems to be closing up, and she acts with seemingly more strength, although the same amount of craziness.
"Back off, orc man!" she cackles in a loud, raspy voice, "Or I will kill this one! I will carve her pretty face into an awful mess!"
She then pauses for a few seconds, and then lifts the dagger away from the person's face.
"Or perhaps you make deal. Me for her."
A quick glance at the figure below her reveals a humanoid with dark skin, white hair and pointed ears, and wearing a set of long black and purple robes and boots that match. Her hands and feet appear to be bound with strands of old rope.
(apologies, I had a long day of doctor appointments for family and lost track of this for a bit!)
Chrys, following behind Lumen, is neither subtle nor quiet when she sees the witch. "You done better leave that girl alone or you ain't gonna be nothin' but a smear on the wall when I'm done with ya," she threatens the woman, striding forward. "You let her go, I let you explain yerself. You don't let her go, and I'm gonna show you what the business end o' my hammer looks like when I decide to stop bein' nice," she growls.
Intimidation: 22
Having already been on the wrong side of Due Process twice now, the witch responds with a sign of submission to Chrys's threat.
"You very strong dwarf. Swing hammer like giant. Please do not hit me again. If I let girl go, you make deal... leave me alone?"
"Does that deal involve completely stopping infecting the forest, releasing any captives you are, and leaving this place?" Lumen says, advancing in support of Chrys' intimidation. "I'd let the girl go now to show us that you can be reasoned with, and then we can have a conversation about a deal that doesn't involve immediate smears on walls."
Persuasion: 8
"Well I ain't hittin' ya right now, am I? So send that girl over," she calls out, still keeping her menacing stance up and relying on her companions to be more level-headed about any sort of negotiations. For the moment, however, Chrys is only focused on getting the woman away from the witch. "I ain't the patient sort, and this is a heavy hammer, as ya well know."
The witch gives Chrys a long, uneasy stare, glances at the others and then looks down at the girl beneath her feet. She nudges her with a slight shove of her foot and quietly says, "Go," a tone of sad reconciliation lingering in her gravely voice.