Moving towards the second, unconscious mastiff, you all surround it with weapons draws. Coordinating with a nod, Kess plunges both blades into the beast and ends its life quickly, with the dog letting out a brief, muffled groan before going limp and silent once again.
Lumen, make a nature check to see if what you might know.
At this point, you’re still about 40 feet away from the base of the trees. You see or hear nothing coming from that area at the moment. (Is Lumen’s illusion still active?)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lumen nature: 15
It is still active, yes.
Lumen steps forward a bit, trying to get a better look. He has the illusory bear circle around the trees, and then tries to make the sound of a bear growl come from from the body of his lute.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Whoa,"Chrys says, fairly impressed. "I never seen nobody use a lute like that before. That was kind o' cool. Maybe when we're not in a life-or-death situation, you an' Krackle-bear can have a growl-off," she whispers. She then looks around to see if anything responded to Lumen's fake-bear.
Lumen strums his lute with a forceful downward stroke that causes the strings to buzz loudly against the neck, and at the same time, he puts his mouth up to the body of the lute and lets out a low snarl. While the resulting resonance doesn't exactly reproduce the sound a bear of would make, the noise does indeed have a growling timbre to it, so much so, that it even surprises himself, and the rest of you as well.
As you all cautiously approach the stand of Cyprus trees at the edge the lake, you see movement. A figure climbs out from the large collection of twisted, intertwining branches that make up the trunk. It appears to be a humanoid, and as it emerges, you see that it's an extremely haggard old woman, with long stringy black hair and pale, almost alabaster white skin that's covered with wrinkles and even a couple of warts. She's dressed in a tattered robe that's tied at the front with a single piece of old rope.
Remaining in the area just in front of the tree, she gives the illusory bear a long glance that clearly indicates a sign of caution, then eyes all of you and calls out in a slowly inflected, raspy voice,
"Who is it that comes to my front yard and kills my precious pets, who only serve to protect me from the dangers of the forest."
Glancing toward her, you do suspect something a little fishy about his old woman. Perhaps it's Chrys's natural dwarves sense of suspicion, or rather the fact that she's especially alert to danger in this very creepy place, but given what just happened, you get a slight feeling of unease.
Chrys holds up a hand silently, and then puts it down forcefully, indicating that she doesn't believe a word the woman just said to the rest of the group, and prepares herself for a fight.
Lumen has the bear stand up on its hind legs, face the witch, and answer her question by pointing a claw at the bear's chest, indicating, "I did."
The bard looks at the group. Seeing Chrys' gesture, he raises his eyebrows and draws both hands toward the witch, silently asking "do we all attack now at once?"
"Don't trust her,"Chrys whispers to Lumen lowly. "Them dogs weren't for self-defense. You all stay hidden. I can't in good conscience jump 'er without askin' bout the spiders first, but that's jus' me an' my vows. I suggest you all keep hidin' an get the jump on her if... or likely when she attacks me," she tells him.
Due Process slung over her shoulder, Chrys moves out of hiding and steps towards the witch with a purposefully exaggerated swagger of dwarven bravado. "Heard rumors that you were the real danger o' the forest,"she says to the witch. "Me an' my bear Krackle here," she said, tilting her head towards the illusory bear, "been sent here to find out what's causin' all the spiders ta be on the move. If it's yer doin', ya better have a good reason for upsettin' the balance, or yer gonna answer to the power o' Marthammor Duin, right here an' now," she finished bluntly, pointing a finger at the old woman.
Lumen readies some vicious mockery for the witch, should she attack or begin to cast a spell. He is very close to jumping out of hiding to lend Chrys some support, but he's gotten ahead of himself plenty of times, so he's listening to her. For now.
Are we just hiding in the gloom? In some bushes? In some trees? Or just standing out in the open?
(You were previously hiding in the brush, but after killing the first mastiff, you came back out to dispatch the second one. So, you right now, you are all standing about 50 feet away from the trees, and about 40 feet away from the woman, who stepped forward after emerging from the branches.)
The woman shifts her gaze back and forth between the lot of you, cautiously eyeing the illusory bear. After Chrys addresses her, she answers in her gravely, raspy voice, this time with a slightly less confrontational inflection.
"Rumors...? You coming heres with rumors? Who persons telling you that I am danger and problems of forest? I know nothing of spiders... do you see spiders here?" She spreads her thin, emaciated arms and makes a motion to look around. "I see no spiders. I hear rumors that dwarves being afraid of forest away from mountains, but here you stand. Sometimes rumors being wrongs."
Lumen steps one pace forward. "We've seen the huge spider infestation, with ettercaps. And goop and fog. And all manner of vermin. It was starting to spread farther and farther, so we put a stop to it. But the cause is here. Would you suggest it's something, or someone, else? I have a specific question for you. What does a scarecrow on the lakside that attacks people mean to you?"
The women shifts her gaze quickly to Lumen when he speaks, "Always fog on swamp lake. And scarecrow you saying? ... Yes.." she nods. "Scarecrow belonging mean Haddie, other side of lake. Haddie always causing mischief, causing troubles. Me guess Hadding spreading nasty rumors. You want fixing 'balance,' as dwarf says, then you getting rid of Haddie."
"I got a feelin' Haddie be the one livin' in the lake, or?"Chrys says, as she squints at the old woman again. "We met 'im already. An' while he weren't tellin' the whole truth, he weren't lyin' to us the way you are 'bout them dogs, either. Now I'm gettin' tired o' waitin'. Tell us plain an' clear, what you're doin' here, how long ya been here, an' what you know 'bout the ruin o' the forest back over yonder from the swamp."
"Haddie living on other side of lake... old like me, but tricksy and wicked. Peoples cannot trust Haddie."
Looking straight into Chrys's eyes with her own grim and morose visage, the old woman says in a low, whispered tone, "Haddie lies, dwarf girl. You speak as if you know things... You do not, pretty young thing. None of you do. You coming to my home, killing my pups and threaten me with rumors. I living here many years, not bothering peoples, but you coming, speaking of spiders, fooled by Haddie."
Poor Kess has no idea what to believe. She's definitely creeped out by all of this, and is utterly confused as to who might be telling the truth and who might be lying.
Moving towards the second, unconscious mastiff, you all surround it with weapons draws. Coordinating with a nod, Kess plunges both blades into the beast and ends its life quickly, with the dog letting out a brief, muffled groan before going limp and silent once again.
Lumen, make a nature check to see if what you might know.
At this point, you’re still about 40 feet away from the base of the trees. You see or hear nothing coming from that area at the moment. (Is Lumen’s illusion still active?)
Lumen nature: 15
It is still active, yes.
Lumen steps forward a bit, trying to get a better look. He has the illusory bear circle around the trees, and then tries to make the sound of a bear growl come from from the body of his lute.
Performance: 20
"Whoa," Chrys says, fairly impressed. "I never seen nobody use a lute like that before. That was kind o' cool. Maybe when we're not in a life-or-death situation, you an' Krackle-bear can have a growl-off," she whispers. She then looks around to see if anything responded to Lumen's fake-bear.
Perception: 19
(He was trying to project the noise, like a ventriloquist!) :)
Lumen strums his lute with a forceful downward stroke that causes the strings to buzz loudly against the neck, and at the same time, he puts his mouth up to the body of the lute and lets out a low snarl. While the resulting resonance doesn't exactly reproduce the sound a bear of would make, the noise does indeed have a growling timbre to it, so much so, that it even surprises himself, and the rest of you as well.
As you all cautiously approach the stand of Cyprus trees at the edge the lake, you see movement. A figure climbs out from the large collection of twisted, intertwining branches that make up the trunk. It appears to be a humanoid, and as it emerges, you see that it's an extremely haggard old woman, with long stringy black hair and pale, almost alabaster white skin that's covered with wrinkles and even a couple of warts. She's dressed in a tattered robe that's tied at the front with a single piece of old rope.
Remaining in the area just in front of the tree, she gives the illusory bear a long glance that clearly indicates a sign of caution, then eyes all of you and calls out in a slowly inflected, raspy voice,
"Who is it that comes to my front yard and kills my precious pets, who only serve to protect me from the dangers of the forest."
Insight checking that statement! 15 (in the game log)
Chrys
Glancing toward her, you do suspect something a little fishy about his old woman. Perhaps it's Chrys's natural dwarves sense of suspicion, or rather the fact that she's especially alert to danger in this very creepy place, but given what just happened, you get a slight feeling of unease.
Chrys holds up a hand silently, and then puts it down forcefully, indicating that she doesn't believe a word the woman just said to the rest of the group, and prepares herself for a fight.
Lumen has the bear stand up on its hind legs, face the witch, and answer her question by pointing a claw at the bear's chest, indicating, "I did."
The bard looks at the group. Seeing Chrys' gesture, he raises his eyebrows and draws both hands toward the witch, silently asking "do we all attack now at once?"
"Don't trust her," Chrys whispers to Lumen lowly. "Them dogs weren't for self-defense. You all stay hidden. I can't in good conscience jump 'er without askin' bout the spiders first, but that's jus' me an' my vows. I suggest you all keep hidin' an get the jump on her if... or likely when she attacks me," she tells him.
Due Process slung over her shoulder, Chrys moves out of hiding and steps towards the witch with a purposefully exaggerated swagger of dwarven bravado. "Heard rumors that you were the real danger o' the forest," she says to the witch. "Me an' my bear Krackle here," she said, tilting her head towards the illusory bear, "been sent here to find out what's causin' all the spiders ta be on the move. If it's yer doin', ya better have a good reason for upsettin' the balance, or yer gonna answer to the power o' Marthammor Duin, right here an' now," she finished bluntly, pointing a finger at the old woman.
Kess would silently regard the pallid woman, having only shaken the blood from her blades.
She has a strange definition of protection, she thought to herself, eyes narrowed in suspicion at the witch.
Lumen readies some vicious mockery for the witch, should she attack or begin to cast a spell. He is very close to jumping out of hiding to lend Chrys some support, but he's gotten ahead of himself plenty of times, so he's listening to her. For now.
Are we just hiding in the gloom? In some bushes? In some trees? Or just standing out in the open?
(You were previously hiding in the brush, but after killing the first mastiff, you came back out to dispatch the second one. So, you right now, you are all standing about 50 feet away from the trees, and about 40 feet away from the woman, who stepped forward after emerging from the branches.)
The woman shifts her gaze back and forth between the lot of you, cautiously eyeing the illusory bear. After Chrys addresses her, she answers in her gravely, raspy voice, this time with a slightly less confrontational inflection.
"Rumors...? You coming heres with rumors? Who persons telling you that I am danger and problems of forest? I know nothing of spiders... do you see spiders here?" She spreads her thin, emaciated arms and makes a motion to look around. "I see no spiders. I hear rumors that dwarves being afraid of forest away from mountains, but here you stand. Sometimes rumors being wrongs."
Lumen steps one pace forward. "We've seen the huge spider infestation, with ettercaps. And goop and fog. And all manner of vermin. It was starting to spread farther and farther, so we put a stop to it. But the cause is here. Would you suggest it's something, or someone, else? I have a specific question for you. What does a scarecrow on the lakside that attacks people mean to you?"
The women shifts her gaze quickly to Lumen when he speaks, "Always fog on swamp lake. And scarecrow you saying? ... Yes.." she nods. "Scarecrow belonging mean Haddie, other side of lake. Haddie always causing mischief, causing troubles. Me guess Hadding spreading nasty rumors. You want fixing 'balance,' as dwarf says, then you getting rid of Haddie."
"Describe Haddie." Lumen says. Losing patience.
Is she feeding us a yarn?
Insight: 17
"I got a feelin' Haddie be the one livin' in the lake, or?" Chrys says, as she squints at the old woman again. "We met 'im already. An' while he weren't tellin' the whole truth, he weren't lyin' to us the way you are 'bout them dogs, either. Now I'm gettin' tired o' waitin'. Tell us plain an' clear, what you're doin' here, how long ya been here, an' what you know 'bout the ruin o' the forest back over yonder from the swamp."
Intimidation: 8 (ugh)
"Haddie living on other side of lake... old like me, but tricksy and wicked. Peoples cannot trust Haddie."
Looking straight into Chrys's eyes with her own grim and morose visage, the old woman says in a low, whispered tone, "Haddie lies, dwarf girl. You speak as if you know things... You do not, pretty young thing. None of you do. You coming to my home, killing my pups and threaten me with rumors. I living here many years, not bothering peoples, but you coming, speaking of spiders, fooled by Haddie."
"You want fixing forest... Destroy evil Haddie."
Kess
Poor Kess has no idea what to believe. She's definitely creeped out by all of this, and is utterly confused as to who might be telling the truth and who might be lying.