D&D 5E Witcher: Mother of Monsters

Skarsgard · Jul 11, 2015

Darius frowns as he hears the Lake spirit speak. What is it talking about? he thinks. What game is it playing here? It seemed like they were being stalled.

Clearly the it was linked to the Lake, but in what way? Was she drowned there for some crime? Did someone accuse her of being a monster?

Nothing was clear, and it was clear that he was out of his depth here. Feeling helpless, he decides all he might be able to do is stand guard. Or was there......

Queenie · Jul 11, 2015

Elora sips at her wine again before speaking. All Sources had secrets, this was no revelation.

"What exactly is it that you think this girl is keeping from us? I've only just met her and since you forcibly took her in the middle of our conversation, I have yet to have the chance to get to know her very well."

Quickleaf · Jul 12, 2015

The spirit in Odvara placed her cup down, slid a hand along the table, leaning toward Elora. There is a wistfulness, a certain regret in her voice. "There was as much force in coming into her as there is force in moon coming out at night, or a cold mountain wind descending to the lowlands at dusk. As for her secrets...shouldn't those remain hers to reveal when she decides?" The spirit herself seemed to waver, eager to reveal the secrets, yet uncertain if it would be the right thing to do or not.

Axel · Jul 12, 2015

"Yes. It is not polite to give gifts on behalf of others consent," Kynee replies.

"The drowned priest. What was his name?"

Quickleaf · Jul 13, 2015

"Ur- no - Urim, yes that was it. Urim Drenar." After a moment of faltering with the priest's name, the spirit in Odvara finally gets it right. There is only a faint hint of regret, as if she were recalling the name of a particular species of tree, nothing more. "I am certain the young woman - Odvara - will share her secrets in due course, but you may wish to keep one eye on her."

The night has deepened, only a scant two hours before midnight.

Axel · Jul 13, 2015

"You feel no regret for the death of Urim Drenar," Kynee said, determined to keep control of the conversation. It was a phrases as a statement, not a question. "That answers your doubts. Oh yes, they are as plain as firelight on your face."

She paused for effect at this point, hoping that Fergus at least would back her. You are not human. Or of the elder races. You kill men without regret. You take a creature's will against consent. That makes you a monster in my eyes."

Resting her hand on the pommel of her sword as an unsubtle threat, Kynee continued. "If you are still a decent person, leave this girl unharmed and depart."

Queenie · Jul 15, 2015

Elora rolls her eyes. "Oh Gods, not another paranoid Witcher!" She scrunches her gray eyes and points around the room, "This one's a monster and that one's a monster..." She shakes her head and laughs before taking another big gulp of wine. "You barely know anything about her," she waves an arm towards Odvara than laughs again, waving her arm a second time, "Or the other her in there. You have no idea what is going on, if Odvara gave her consent or not. And I'm fairly certain you've killed frequently without your own regrets so give us all a break. Or are you just going to stab the poor innocent girl to get rid of the Lady within?" She shakes her head, her long white hair flowing smoothly over both shoulders like water runs down a river.

She turns back to Odvara and shrugs. "I do not know if you've met their kind before but they can be rather uptight and picky about who they associate with."

Quickleaf · Jul 15, 2015

As if trying to maintain her lady-like decorum in the face of such condemnation, the spirit in Odvara purses her lips and pushes the cup away from herself, "I believe I've lost my taste for wine. Maybe the witcher woman is right in all regards..." She confides to Elora. "Except I do not feel Odvara fighting against my presence, so I think it unfair to say I am against her will. But she is right, I am neither kith or kin, and I have killed." Drawing quiet, the spirit turns her white eyes and troubled face toward the window. Her head bobs slightly, indicating Odvara's body is likely drunk with wine.

"I have met a man with wolfen eyes before, a witcher with a scarred throat. He was hunting a creature called a manticore that once laired in the nearby mountains. Oh, he was clever..."

"He tricked me into drinking powdered silver. -- Indigestion for the body I occupied, nothing more."

"He tried binding me in a magic circle. -- It worked on the body of his traveling companion, yes, but did naught to expel me."

"I believe he thought me a ghost, so he then tried to convince me to move on. -- So lonely and desperate was I for company then that I played along, and didn't have the heart to tell him I wanted to stay encased in flesh all the more. When he left confounded, he swore that when he next rode by my lake he would find a way to end me."

"The man with the wolfen eyes and scarred throat never returned. Instead it was two witchers!" She glances at Fergus and Kynee.

Steve Gorak · Jul 16, 2015

Shayuri said:
"She's doing something," Talashia mutters darkly. "Every time a question is asked and answered, there's a little flare of magic. She may be telling the truth when she claims not to know what...but regardless, it's happening. She may be...feeding on it somehow."

The sorceress looks at Ethian impatiently; her inner turmoil finding an external target.

"There's power in acts of consent. Giving and taking. It's a kind of sacrifice. It may be harmless, I suppose. It's just that there's very little that happens with magic that doesn't carry a price of some kind. And without knowing what it is, there's no way to tell if it's one we're going to be happy paying."

She sighed...her little rant letting her relax again momentarily. "But since she has Odvara, and none of us have the means to expel her, we're better off not angering her. Just...give her as little as you can. We can minimize the damage, perhaps."

"I agree. Perhaps the spirit will move on if we don't anger it. In any case, we are at it's mercy since as you say, we can't expel her..." Ethian sighs, takes a few breaths of fresh air while telepathically communicating with his steed to make sure it hasn't seen any threats, and walks back inside the hut.

There, he can sense the tension has mounted. "That felt good" he says, as a distraction. Addressing the spirit, he adds, with proper highborn decorum "Apologies for having missed the last minutes of the conversation, my lady. Where are we at?"

Quickleaf · Jul 17, 2015

"Somewhere between the next question and waiting to see if the witcher - oh, that witcher - is planning to kill me," she nods toward Kynee as she wipes her mouth of bread crumbs. Despite having eaten and drunk her fill, the spirit still steals glances at the pot of stew. A hunger that can't be sated dances behind her pure white eyes. "There being two of you witchers makes properly identifying you trickier. What should I call you I wonder?"

OOC:

Btw, this is just meant to be a prelude to get you familiar with each other, get a feel for your characters, and get to know a bit about Odvara & the setting. The spirit of the lake is a perplexing little mystery that you (probably) won't solve now, though certainly could be something you choose to resolve later. Thematically, it is meant to be a test of how your PCs approach the unknown.

If you guys grow tired of dealing with the spirit (or just are antsy to roll some dice), feel free to let me know and I can speed things up into the adventure proper.