Shayne is muttering vicious insults at the flies with every breath he takes... ((Non-stop Vicious Mockery so it may take forever, but the flies are dropping like... well, flies!! And just to be sure, the Google machine proves that Flies can indeed hear!))
((I see that 5E insect swarms are resistant to various damage types and immune to various conditions, but psychic damage is not listed and the target of this spell does not need to understand, only to hear. And this is too funny! It works. Tiny fly heads go pop.))
“Well, I think we should check down the other trail, the one that headed south from the wagon.” Xylys looks around the clearing, “Wouldn’t be a good idea to get tangled up in these woods and I am fairly sure he didn’t get this far. And even if he did are we really prepared to hunt around in here?”
He turns and looks back the way they came.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
OOC post to help organize information, feel free to ignore it if you don't want DM input on this.
Someoptions:
1 Take the west-leading path out of the big clearing
2 take the SW path out of the big clearing
3 Go back the way you came, east on the deer trail that connects with the small clearing where you found the wagon
If 3:
1a Return to the road.
2a Take the game trail south from the small clearing where you found the wagon (you had taken the one that went north to get where you are now, in a big clearing)
This is not an all-inclusive list of options. Of course you can try anything your characters can think of and that is physically possible for them. The woods are ancient with tall trees and thin undergrowth in most areas, so you could go off the trails and hike without much difficulty. Much easier to get lost that way, though, and you do make better time on the game trails.
"This is the main decision here, is not it?" Alyna scratched her nose, watching the fight with flies with amusement - it was entertaining and distracting. "If the miller did run into woods he can be anywhere here, he could get trapped just a few steps ahead for all we know. But if we are to check for tracks everywhere first, may be it's wise to return and look at the other path."She looked around for an animal that did not try to run away. "I can try to ask someone here if they saw a human at some point."
“Could you ask the flies to leave me along?” Shayne asks, irritably. Then a moment later he regrets it so he adds a smile to try to take the edge off his tone...
((Looking at skills, Shayne wouldn’t be much help except perhaps with stealth (not that skill numbers really matter for help) but Fammy is likely much better help at spying, tracking and catching a small mouse or critter. Shayne will even make sure she don’t kill it before questioning.))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I can try..." Alyna remembered the time she tried to convince mosquitoes to go away... Well, who knows, may be this type will be more compliant. She begun the ritual again.
When it was done, first the girl tried buzz to the fly the idea of going away and search for more meaty target. Then it was time to search for a witness. Others were obviously looking for the clues too, but Alyna asked to help with diversion as well - masking her own movements around and hopefully helping to sneak up on animals. If one was found, calmed companions had to be a good incentive for scared beasts to stay calm as well.
The flies, practically mindless, don't converse as do birds or beasts. The magic renders their faint buzzing as a constant whisper of ''fooodfooodfooood' to Alyna's ears, which only causes her own stomach to rumble queasily. Her attempts to shoo them succeed, though.
She has better luck with larger creatures. A rabbit, which addresses her as 'Tall Hare', informs her that it has not seen others like her before, and asks if she wants to share a nibble of some tasty shoots it has found.
A pheasant babbles something about the 'big light in dark sky' and unfamiliar noises in the trees, before flapping away.
After some buzzing, chirping, thumping and some other weird noises Alyna suddenly asked in Common: "What do you think 'big light in dark sky' can mean? Do not remember anything like it... The pheasant saw it, but do not think it's related. Seems like no one around here saw the miller."
Absentmindedly she snipped off a fresh shoot and bit it. "Shall we return to the wagon?"
"Returning to the main road would be... advisable. If that bird is referring to the moon, and a full one at that, then there may be Garulfs around. Horrid man eating beasts. It would do to be clear of the woods before night falls."A small tremor in his voice as he speaks of the Garulfs. He tries his hardest to hide his fear.
"If these critters claim to have not seen our quarry, stands to reason he's not been through this way. If you're intent on spending the night in Darkling then I at least want a hard place at my back" he refers to the area the cart was found. A little more defendable than an open glade.
The party returns to the small clearing where it had found the ox-cart. The birds have all gone. Everything else looks as it did before.
It's only early afternoon now. Plenty of daylight left to explore the woods, if one doesn't stray too deep....
The moon cannot possibly be full tonight unless something very strange occurs in the heavens. The moon was full just over a week ago.
You have been hiking for miles today without much rest and without a meal (unless one of you nibbled as he walked) since before sunup. For some of you, this may be a rather tiring experience; others work harder than this on an ordinary day in the field, woods, or smithy.
Nature, however, is enjoying Shayne.
While Alyna healed his injuries, the dried blood on his clothing has attracted a swarm of tiny, annoying flies.
Shayne is muttering vicious insults at the flies with every breath he takes... ((Non-stop Vicious Mockery so it may take forever, but the flies are dropping like... well, flies!! And just to be sure, the Google machine proves that Flies can indeed hear!))
((I see that 5E insect swarms are resistant to various damage types and immune to various conditions, but psychic damage is not listed and the target of this spell does not need to understand, only to hear. And this is too funny! It works. Tiny fly heads go pop.))
“Well, I think we should check down the other trail, the one that headed south from the wagon.” Xylys looks around the clearing, “Wouldn’t be a good idea to get tangled up in these woods and I am fairly sure he didn’t get this far. And even if he did are we really prepared to hunt around in here?”
He turns and looks back the way they came.
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
OOC post to help organize information, feel free to ignore it if you don't want DM input on this.
Some options:
1 Take the west-leading path out of the big clearing
2 take the SW path out of the big clearing
3 Go back the way you came, east on the deer trail that connects with the small clearing where you found the wagon
If 3:
1a Return to the road.
2a Take the game trail south from the small clearing where you found the wagon (you had taken the one that went north to get where you are now, in a big clearing)
This is not an all-inclusive list of options. Of course you can try anything your characters can think of and that is physically possible for them. The woods are ancient with tall trees and thin undergrowth in most areas, so you could go off the trails and hike without much difficulty. Much easier to get lost that way, though, and you do make better time on the game trails.
Xylis suggested 3.2a
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
"This is the main decision here, is not it?" Alyna scratched her nose, watching the fight with flies with amusement - it was entertaining and distracting. "If the miller did run into woods he can be anywhere here, he could get trapped just a few steps ahead for all we know. But if we are to check for tracks everywhere first, may be it's wise to return and look at the other path." She looked around for an animal that did not try to run away. "I can try to ask someone here if they saw a human at some point."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
“Could you ask the flies to leave me along?” Shayne asks, irritably. Then a moment later he regrets it so he adds a smile to try to take the edge off his tone...
OOC
For Alyna to find and question animals and then sift through what they say for clues, give me the following checks, one roll for each skill:
perception
stealth
animal handling
investigation
If the party helps her, she may roll these checks with advantage.
This will also require another casting of speak with animals, of course, as it has been some time since the previous spell expired.
((Looking at skills, Shayne wouldn’t be much help except perhaps with stealth (not that skill numbers really matter for help) but Fammy is likely much better help at spying, tracking and catching a small mouse or critter. Shayne will even make sure she don’t kill it before questioning.))
"I can try..." Alyna remembered the time she tried to convince mosquitoes to go away... Well, who knows, may be this type will be more compliant. She begun the ritual again.
When it was done, first the girl tried buzz to the fly the idea of going away and search for more meaty target. Then it was time to search for a witness. Others were obviously looking for the clues too, but Alyna asked to help with diversion as well - masking her own movements around and hopefully helping to sneak up on animals. If one was found, calmed companions had to be a good incentive for scared beasts to stay calm as well.
perception 18
stealth 4
animal handling 25
investigation 5
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
The flies, practically mindless, don't converse as do birds or beasts. The magic renders their faint buzzing as a constant whisper of ''fooodfooodfooood' to Alyna's ears, which only causes her own stomach to rumble queasily. Her attempts to shoo them succeed, though.
She has better luck with larger creatures. A rabbit, which addresses her as 'Tall Hare', informs her that it has not seen others like her before, and asks if she wants to share a nibble of some tasty shoots it has found.
A pheasant babbles something about the 'big light in dark sky' and unfamiliar noises in the trees, before flapping away.
9
After some buzzing, chirping, thumping and some other weird noises Alyna suddenly asked in Common: "What do you think 'big light in dark sky' can mean? Do not remember anything like it... The pheasant saw it, but do not think it's related. Seems like no one around here saw the miller."
Absentmindedly she snipped off a fresh shoot and bit it. "Shall we return to the wagon?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
7
"The moon? Perhaps the pheasant was waxing poetic?" Shayne shrugs.
"Returning to the main road would be... advisable. If that bird is referring to the moon, and a full one at that, then there may be Garulfs around. Horrid man eating beasts. It would do to be clear of the woods before night falls." A small tremor in his voice as he speaks of the Garulfs. He tries his hardest to hide his fear.
"If these critters claim to have not seen our quarry, stands to reason he's not been through this way. If you're intent on spending the night in Darkling then I at least want a hard place at my back" he refers to the area the cart was found. A little more defendable than an open glade.
The party returns to the small clearing where it had found the ox-cart. The birds have all gone. Everything else looks as it did before.
It's only early afternoon now. Plenty of daylight left to explore the woods, if one doesn't stray too deep....
The moon cannot possibly be full tonight unless something very strange occurs in the heavens. The moon was full just over a week ago.
You have been hiking for miles today without much rest and without a meal (unless one of you nibbled as he walked) since before sunup. For some of you, this may be a rather tiring experience; others work harder than this on an ordinary day in the field, woods, or smithy.
OOC
more options:
1 explore the south game trail out of the small clearing
2 return to the High Way
3 make camp here in the small clearing, using wagon and/or the stone shoulder for a more defensible resting place, as Eric suggests
4 other: go off the trails and wander the woods, do something else (please specify)?