Haggling, part 4

Log Info

• Title: Haggling, part 4
• Emitter: Whirlpool
• Characters: Edinaz, Tenoc, Baz da Ork, Nels, Josselyn, Ashes
• Place: The Felwood and the Mythwood
• Time: Sunday, September 06, 2020, 9:31 PM
• Summary: Tenoc appears after being overwhelmed by his fears and raging through the swamp. The three witches laugh, then detail the favour. They want a gem from the bottom from a lake, belonging to the Scavenger Lord. They point their bony fingers at a path, and the party starts along. After a couple hours through the swamp, they come to a crystal lake. Calling does not bring anyone out to meet them, so Tenoc goes swimming while the rest wander the shore, looking for silk and glitterboxes. Somehow everyone came to the conclusion that the Lord was a gnome, and not a goblin, ratkin, kobold or a talking snake with basilisk eyes. As Tenoc is swimming, Ashlee realizes there are water elementals in the water. Her warning comes too late, as it attacks Tenoc. He tries to lead it to shore. Josselyn and Nels fire into it, while Baz enlarges himself and then he and Edinaz wade in to help the sith'makar who is grappled at the shore.

GAME: Tenoc rolls Will: (10)+2: 12

So, wait. Where's Tenoc, anyway?

It would appear you're momentarily missing your Sith-Makar companion.

"Yesssss," trills one of the three witches, "You could do this thing for us."

"It is not where we can travel."

"...where we WISH to travel. Your thorny problem is not inexpensive for us to cure, but cure it we can!"

"... your baaaaaaaaaaarter is accepted, but with the caveat that there is a shallow none too far from us, and within the shallow sits a gem, buried benatqh the waters surface. It brings clarity to the water!"

"...bring us the gem and we will use ist clarity to help save your looooove, but know we will see you in your dreams."

"And for the sake of your cooooonscience, know that you bring no evil to your doorsteps or the doorsteps of another by seeking this gem. It simply belongs in the domain of another and we dare not anger him. You, howe ver, are free to anger him. Or negotiate with him if you will as you did with us for the hem."

"The Scavenger Lord is well known to llllove barter."

It's weird watqching the three witches speak, finish each others thoiughts, have the same verbal tics. Josselyn ohs "Well that seems easy enough. Find some dude and barter with him for a gem. Though if this turns into a giant string of trades I will be mildly upset, I won't fall for one of those again!" she says noting from experience.

Whatever he sees, whatever he *feels*-- Tenoc goes rigid, eyes narrowing as-- *something* happens. A teakettle hiss bordering on wildness, a snarl, a shriek. Clawed hand grasped tight around his spear, he lungs back, plunging into the water of the swampo, trackless, heedless, run and swim and surge and race and the Nightmare in White is all and everywhere and mist flooding strange, twisted trees, warped whereever those dainty hooves touch and one can't run fast enough or swim far enough and the hot breath on the back of the neck, the saliva from too many teeth in its jaws and the first prick of sharp antler to suddenly soft flesh--!

The daydream (memory? nightmare?) shatters as the Makar hisses a shriek of manic horror. And that selfsame shriek becomes a roar of snarling *rage*. Fury unleashed-- a snarling fury that sends the Sith back towards the gathering of witches, and from a heartbeat's glance...

He stops short, quivering, rigid. As if held in check by an unseen wall, a border of warding that no amount of savage rage will cross.

Yet.

Having not discovered a universal secret in his ear, Baz lowers the finger and brushes it on his chest plate. Then blinks a few times at the various chorus voices of the witches. "Wot?" He asks. Then after a moment the still functioning parts of his brain manage to create a summary for him. "We gotta go back into the water to get a gem?" The big Ork frowns then and brushes at the muck clinging to his armor. "Dis not wot I want tae do." His next words are interupted by Tenoc. Eyeing the raging Sith. Baz's right hand thumbs the wicked scimitar at his own hip. Then glances back towards the witches. "Oy, ye not wanna piss someone off? Do'in a pretty good job of it with everyone else."

Ashlee has been wondering that, the sith'makar seemed to start moving after her spell, she expected him to keep up. She listens to the witches, focusing on the one speaking, staring, then moving to the next following their words.

They'll talk to her in her dreams? She'll have friends! She almost squeals with delight. Except, Ash never squeals. Nor smiles, nor manages to work emotion into her words. They're all flatlined. She agrees with the guard, it sounds simple enough. Then Tenoc rages into view, so her attention goes there.

Nels is puzzled at -all- the goings on. The witches being coy, Tenoc having a delayed spaz, he's trying to follow along with what we're supposed to do. He looks to Baz as the voice of reason, which is probably about a six or seven on the 1-10 scale of bad ideas, then looks to the others. But we don't have a choice, do we, if we want to help this guy out. "So, where exactly are we going?"

A bony finger is pointed.

"Follow the path that way. It will open to you. Travel west to the Scavenger's roost. You will see the waaaaters before long."

You can *feel* their smiles, though their masks make it all but impossible to see them.

Bloodlust. Mania. Fear and fury and a cascade of emotions unchained-- Tenoc quivers at the edge of the witches' collective home, unable.. unwilling to take another step further. An alligator given humanoid form, he snarls and snaps at the air, eyes burning with a ragged rage.

"Aussir Sjach!" he hisses with cutting, blazing hate. "SsssssK! Have no idea what you have done?! Nightmare! Whiteshadow! Utter malsvir! Unreal in Light!" He rages against the unseen barrier, finally shuddering to quivering pause. (And quiet-- sudden, frenzied stillness replacing the fury). Cold hate in those burning reptilian eyes; he levels the greatspear in one hand, pointing it in accusation at the trio before shuddering again, turning away towards the pointed-out path.

"Ok," Ashlee says, picking up her stuff and leaving the trade stuff. She takes a step. The trade items are probably necessary. With a glare that is indistinguishable from her regular stare, she turns and grabs the lines, and starts to pull the floating sled.

She heads down the indicated path, giving one last look at the trio of witches, "And after, we'll have tea." She reminds, as this is important to her.

Trudge, trudge, stare at the sith in case he rages again. Stare.

Josselyn nods. "Shall we be on our way then?! No time to lose with people being sick and all that after all." she shoulders he crossbow and dutifully starts marching in the direction indicated.

GAME: Whirlpool took your Disguise Kit.
GAME: Ashes rolls perception: (2)+2: 4
GAME: Tenoc rolls Perception: (10)+9: 19
GAME: Nels rolls perception: (5)+9: 14
GAME: Baz da Ork rolls perception: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Edinaz rolls perception: (20)+11: 31
GAME: Josselyn rolls perception+10: (7)+6+10: 23

Nels will scurry back to his kayak, and unlash that from the place he tied it up. He will follow after Ashlee in that manner, rowing after as quietly as he can manage, which isn't particularly.

Grabbing up some of the packs not chosen by the witches. Baz recreates some of the nearly-drowning load he was carrying earlier. Then turns and trundles around after the others. "Oy, does anyone know anyfing about dis scavenger lord? Do we even know wot he looks like?" Baz asks. then shrugs. "Oy, mebe steps on him getting the rock and it all just end with a plop right? We could be lucky once, right? Right?" The big Ork asks hopefully, scratching at the side of his head, the drying swamp sludge and insects finally starting to make a dent in his thick flesh.

Edinaz hoists up leftover packs, taking up what remains. He's pretty heavily loaded, but follows along as best he can. As stated, it isn't hard for you to find the path. Between Edinaz and Josselyn, especially, you're able to get on the right way as you pass out of the swamp-witches' domain.

You can immediately feel a lightening of the oppressive atmosphere, even if you know you'll be back.

Ideally.

Aros lets out a sigh of relief. "They said they'd help, but we still have more to do. Who do you suppose this Scavanger Lord is?"

GAME: Josselyn rolls knowledge/local: (10)+10: 20

Josselyn turns to Aros "Think I read something on it, crazy gnome that lives out in the woods or something like that. Don't recall much more than that, but I suspect if someone has something really shiny it might help our case."

"I don't know." Ash answers, after some silence. The swamp is not her area of expertise. Neither are the sewers, even though the Temple of Vardama keeps sending her there. She's explained, over and over, sewers are not swamps, and just because she's a little witchy-creepy, that doesn't mean she's a swamp witch and knows anything about them at all. It's flattering they seem to consider her some sort of hag-in-training. Although, that will take years, and possibly says things about their opinions of Arvec Nars. Still, it's not something she knows, and swamps don't have layers either. Wait, her mind has drifted off topic.

Focus on the swamp path... sigh.

Nels suggests to Aros, "He sounds like a goblin. There's lots of goblins as call themselves Scavenger Lord. Mostly not in swamps, though. Mostly in junkyards and similar." He nods gravely, rowing along with the others. "But he could be a gnome," Nels agrees with Josselyn. "Gnomes are really just goblins that go to the theater."

Tenoc trudges through the swamp. For definitons of 'trudge'-- he slide sthrough the waters, thoughts considerably darker than the were moments ago. "They..... sssk. They do not know..." he intones to himself,. rumbling softly. The earlier delight in the atmosphere is gone; now his eyes roam and crane and search, watching everything, everywhere like a hawk.

Spooked.

Rbbbb-urk! The toad sounds and is immediately grabbed and shoved into Baz's mouth. Rolling it back and forth the big Ork sighs as the sense killing toxins do their work. Once he's feeling suitably high he spits the poor toad out into the swamp with a splurt. Leaving the now even slimier creature squirming around in the muck. It's closer encounter of the giant tusks and entirely too large tongue going everywhere kind setting it up for future therapy.

...well, they weren't wrong. It is a good couple of hours later where you find yourselves moving out of swamp proper and into what must be more Mythwood territory. Well, mythwood LIKE.

The gentle lapping of a placid and tranquil lake is audible, now, and you seoon come to the very muddy and silty shore of one.

This has to be the place.

"Id dis da place?" Baz asks, he squints at the water. "Anyone good at swimming or am I gonna just have ta splash the water out of it real violent like?" The big ork seems to start to dig in the pouches around his waist where his spell components are kept.

Tenoc regrets leaving the swamp behind. But only a little: the woods loom ahead, and the Makar takes a refreshing breath. Then remembers to glower, darkly. "...is place?" he asks of the others, glancing back. He turns back to the water, taking another chuff of the fresher air. "Not swampland an longer. Still..."

"We have a sith'makar." Ashlee says, looking out over the waters. She unloads her raft-thing and walks up to the muddy shore. She gazes out over the water.

Nels will fold his kayak up if we're hiking again for more than a few minutes, though the mud's mucky enough. He scurries along to keep up, looking around to see what's going to eat us next. He's a goblin, so that's a real problem. "Well," he observes. "This is a very placid and tranquil-looking lake. HEY," he shouts out. "Hey, Scavenger Lord!" Well, that's how you call out a goblin scavenger lord. "If we're in the water again..." he mumbles, and starts working the controls on the goblin army knife.

Josselyn shrugs "Probably the right lake, so either look for a gnome or we can start trying to dice to the bottom to look for this gem. Between you and me though... I rather go looking for a gnome first." she says starting to look for signs of gnome. Like loose pieces of silk ribbon, trails of glitter and empty boxes of hair dye.

Ash ponders the lake. She bites her lip as she does. While she is not as well endowed as Baz is in the tusk department, she does have little ones. Sharp enough to draw blood. She'll have a red smear on her skull-face makeup for a while. She takes out a coin, rubs it against the cut, then flings it out to the the centre of the lake.

Blood and Gold, that should attract all sorts of things.

There's no immediate sign of a gnome. Definitely no hair dye kits...

... for now...

Josselyn moves her crossbow to the other shoulder. "Maybe circle the lake? Would probably save a lot of time bargaining with this individual. Unless someone is especially keen on taking a swim." She looks at Baz, for absolutely no reason at all.

Tenoc gives Baz a look, as if considering... But demures with a rumble,nostrils flaring with a long, slow breath. "This one will swim," he states. Softskins-- so fragile. And heavy. And smelly.

He distracts himself ticking off all their poor, sorrow faullts, stepping to the lake, entering the waters without a second care. "...sssk. Cold."

Nels is working the controls on his knife again. A door. A fork. Lever, counter-lever, a crayon, there we go, the kayak again. But he says, "The witches just said that we'll see the waters, they didn't say to go anywhere. So it'll be by soon enough, I think." But he'll peer into the water from the edge of the lake to see if there's anything -in- the lake.

GAME: Nels rolls perception: (12)+9: 21
GAME: Baz da Ork rolls perception: (18)+7: 25
GAME: Tenoc rolls Perception: (4)+9: 13
GAME: Josselyn rolls perception+10: (5)+6+10: 21
GAME: Ashes rolls perception: (8)+2: 10

Ashlee sits on her pack, and starts flipping through levers on her Goblin Army Knife. Perhaps there's a trumpet in here somewhere. She looks over at Nels, whose knife seems so much better. Well hers is the calvalry model, she's got all sorts of tools for trimming hooves and fixing tack. Not that her magic horse ever needed any of that, but it's the thought that counts.

Once she's determined her gear is no use, she takes off her boots and drains the swamp water out of them, washes them in the lake, then leaves them to dry. After that, she takes a look around.

As Tenoc explores the clear blue waters, he kicks up a considerable amount of silt on the bottom in his explorations. Cloud of the stuff.

The rest of you slooowly circle around it, not finding anything unusual....

Nels peers at the way the water ripples in the lake, and he shouts out, "Hey, water-creature. Scavenger Lord! We've come to talk and trade with you, come on out. And the Sith is looking for you, please don't eat him."

The ashen Arvec explores, walking the edge of the lake and sometimes into it. She's barefoot, allowing her to touch the ground, so she takes slow steps. Both to avoid sharp rocks as well as to absorb any information her feet might give her. In the shallows of the lake, she curls her long hobgoblin toes into the muck, feeling it squeeze between them. She can see the water going murky in places as Tenoc's motions stir up the bottom, but from the shore really can't make out much.

The water, so clear, so crystal... no, not so clear. The elements are alive here! Just as a water elemental goes to grab Tenoc.

"Water Elemental." Ash shouts, loud but not excited, she points, "It is going for Tenoc."

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "...tenoc is very lucky XD"

A hand, nearly impossible to see in the water itself given it's similarly made, grabs at Tenoc, trying to yank him down further into the water.

It doesn't quite manage it.

GAME: Tenoc rolls Intimidate: (4)+7: 11

From ground-bound walker to watery warrior-- the difference is nearly night and day for the Sith. Tenoc's eyes, honed from a lifetime in the dark waters and fetid air of Am'shere's swamps, practically cut through the water as if it were made of glass. The currents move; he twists like an otter, quick and lithe as he weaves from the watery, grasping tentacalfingerthings! A snarl bubbles from his lips as he grins, toothily. Goading with a slash of the spear through the watery depths, he twirls in the first steps-- a dance of watery doom!

At the moment, evertyone was circling a lake looking for signs of the gnome that is said to live near here.

GAME: Edinaz casts Shield. Caster Level: 6 DC: 13

Edinaz incants, and a shimmering field wavers into existence before him. Then, he draws both weapons and starts towards Tenoc.

GAME: Baz da Ork casts Enlarge Person. Caster Level: 6 DC: 14

The swift movement, the casting of spells, the action the water. Tired, dirty, unhappy Baz stirs to life. The mushroom had had found he tosses into the air and swallows whole as he casts a spell. Then Baz doubles in size, his spikes going from dangerous to to downright impaling as soon the massive Ork towers over the water and begins to wade into it to face the enemy!

Nels drops his goblin army knife when the struggle beneath the waves becomes apparent. He slides back the bolt on hus thunderbelcher, and slips in a brass cylinder, muttering a prayer that causes runes to glow in the brass. He locks it closed, takes aim at the water's surface. Bullets don't really go very far into water, so he waits for it to surface.

<OOC> Josselyn would like to use Deadly Aim and Rapid Shot then.
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2: (3)+16+-2+-2: 15
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2: (16)+16+-2+-2: 28
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2-5: (11)+16+-2+-2+-5: 18
GAME: Josselyn rolls 1d8+4+3+4+1d6 cold: (3)+4+3+4+(4 cold): 18

Josselyn doesn't much care for elementals, especially ones threating her fellow adventurers. Putting her light crossbow to her shoulder she unleashes a barrage of bolts into the lake, a soft blue glow on each bolt indicating her standard issue crossbow might not be that standard. Practiced fingers reload and fire swifty as just one seems to find some kind of mark.

GAME: Ashes casts Forbid Action. Caster Level: 3 DC: 13
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (19)+2: 21

Ash is generally not a fan of water, especially with water elementals in it. She steps back to dry land, dragging her holy symbol out of her satchel. She waves it at the waves, intoning "Don't Attack."

The spell fails to land.

<OOC> Whirlpool says, "The elemntal lurches closer to the shore and tris to grab Tenoc again!"
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (17)+14: 31

It would appearq that Tenoc's efforts to bait it succeeded, or at least it's keeping to its original game plan. Josselynl's blast didn't even slow it down, as if the water of its body parted to let the blast pass through it. Still, that surely took some effort on its part. Now it has a hold of the Sith-Makar, too, but at least it's someone well suited to being held under water.

GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+11: (13)+11: 24
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+6: (19)+6: 25
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+12: (11)+12: 23
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d8+6: (7)+6: 13
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d8+6: (3)+6: 9
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d6+6: (5)+6: 11

Edinaz wades in and swings at the water.

GAME: Tenoc rolls 1d20+8-2: (17)+8+-2: 23
GAME: Tenoc rolls 1d20+8-2: (13)+8+-2: 19
GAME: Tenoc rolls 1d6+4: (2)+4: 6
GAME: Tenoc rolls 1d6+4: (2)+4: 6

Trying to wrestle the waves themselves-- Tenoc knows his battle is a doomed one, himself outmatched in every category. Now the struggle is close, personal-- reluctantly, the hunter releases his spear, letting the Tepoztopilli sink silently into deeper waters. And turns to the most primal of weapons, the most potent in such close quarters--

!!!<CHOMP>!!!

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls weapon21-2: (12)+11+-2: 21
GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d6+14: (1)+14: 15

Wading out into the water Mega-Baz moves to engage the..er.. water. His huge scimitar swishes out, making a ripple wave from the sheer preasure of it's massive width pushing the water. Then slices down at the creature, cutting into it's liquid hide as he roars to the attack. The noise echoing through the woods around the lake as the big cleric engages.

<OOC> Nels says, "+rapid shot"
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+12: (5)+12: 17
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+12: (5)+12: 17
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+7: (13)+7: 20
GAME: Nels rolls 1d12+8: (5)+8: 13
GAME: Nels rolls 1d12+8: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Nels rolls 1d12+8: (8)+8: 16

Nels peers as Josselyn fires her crossbow into the water, and he gawks. Maybe the thing is closer to the surface than he realized? He thought it'd be too deep to affect, but maybe not? He pulls more ammo from his bandolier, slides back the bolt, and puts them in individually, muttering a small benediction for each. He then takes aim at the water and fires off all three rounds, hoping good fortune favors him. He hits the water all three times, sending small plumes into the air and causing a lot of gunsmoke. Did it hurt the monster? Hard to say.

GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (19)+16+-4: 31 (THREAT)
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (4)+16+-4: 16
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4-5: (6)+16+-4+-5: 13
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (17)+16+-4: 29
GAME: Josselyn rolls 1d8+4+3+4+1d6 cold: (7)+4+3+4+(6 cold): 24

Josselyn repeats her previous action, reloading her crossbow and rapid firing blue bolts into the water.

<OOC> Ashes says, "evil eye hex it's attack rolls"
<OOC> Ashes says, "DC14 -2 to attacks (and I guess CMB) Will save 1 round/ fail 6 rounds"
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (20)+2: 22

Ash moves closer to the closest person to her on the shore, probably Nels or Josselyn. There's not a lot she can do at range and she's annoyed her spells aren't helping. She glares, letting this anger seep into her gaze, and flow and focus into the water elemental attacking Tenoc. Hopefully this will throw it's attacks off.

The elemental is besieged and beleagured! It's humanoid, easily twice as a tall as one of you, and with lengthy, watery arms! Watery arms which hold Tenoc.

Watery arms which lift Tenoc.

Watery arms which hurl him straight at Baz.

Meanwhile, Aros is kind of hiding behind a tree.

Combatty Stuff

===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
    22   The Elemental    1  
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 >> 21   Edinaz           1   <<
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    20   Tenoc            3  
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    16   Baz da Ork       1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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    12   Nels             1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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    11   Josselyn         1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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    11   Ashes            1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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==============================================================================

You paged Whirlpool with 'So, the Knowledge Domain 'Lore Master' says touch but doesn't specify that the touch has to be with fingers. If I walk around barefoot will that give me some k/nature or k/local as if I rolled a 21?'
Whirlpool pages: That seems fine to me tbh.