The Fey, the Far, and the Ugly Space In Between

[Manbearcat]

I definitely want to lock in a "pass without trace" so you can't use it against us as a complication later.

[sblock]Pass Without Trace (Wis)
3, 2 + 2 = 7

Your party can't be tracked but you have to sacrifice either time or immediate safety.

We don't have any time to spare at all so I'll go with sacrificing immediate safety as the complication.[/sblock]

Otthor finds signs of a pair of Ice Trolls investigating the death of the one you slew earlier and signals to you their movements so you're able to avoid them. The rations required for the journey are sparing. When you pass the area of the Fey Crossing, there is no evidence of transit by any further Winter Fey. Finally, being so well practiced moving through natural surroundings, you have little trouble blazing the trail and obscuring the tracks of your party simultaneously.

Nonetheless, the trek to the interior is cold, dark, and unforgiving as bleary eyes and weary legs require rest. When you near your destination, there is a precarious choice to be made. The hunters of the Coldland barbarian tribes have selected well-protected land for their lodge. It is a depression situated on a flat, 3-acre meadow with 1/4 of it overlooking a cliff leading to a sure-death fall to the "lowland" interior below. You must descend some 80 feet to gain entrance/egress. It is accessible via a very inviting, yet sharply descending path that bends around much of the exterior of the bowl. Even in the dark of night, you can see that this narrow path is a setup. Rigged hazards, tripwires with contained deadfalls primarily but also "false edges" leading to a nasty fall, are everywhere. Attempting to navigate it alone, let alone with such a large group would be ballsy.

The other is a straight climb down the 80 feet face. It is immediately obvious to you that the hunters navigate this cliff face when they access and exit this place.

The lead woman whose husband is one of the hunters whispers to you. "...I have no knowledge of this place. But my husband is a master of faconry as I believe all the hunters to be. The primal spirit of the land is strong with them. They can speak to their beasts. It is likely they have eyes on us now or will soon. The birds fly with terrible speed and attack with ferocity. I have seen them tear the brain from a snow musk deer through its eyes and fly off before the creature knew it was dead..."

 

[Binks]

At the cave where the hot springs are, I will make sure that the man is well bound, hog-tied and gagged, so there is no escaping. I will remind him that he is alive on the strength of our mercy. If he is lucky, we will be alive tomorrow to pick him back up. Alternatively, we will be dead and he will die terribly as abominations overrun this place and consume him.

Before we leave, does it look like anyone has disturbed this area since we left early last evening?

Per Manbearcat
The territory surrounding the hot springs holds tracks for some time and the small cave is barely a pock-mark in the stone, a 100 ft square recess into the rock, thus searchable in a short matter of moments. Neither animal nor human has transited this place.

Good. The short journey has been swift and without strife. Hopefully Exel and Xanob are set at ease after we remove the captive from our immediate company.

The other is a straight climb down the 80 feet face. It is immediately obvious to you that the hunters navigate this cliff face when they access and exit this place.

The lead woman whose husband is one of the hunters whispers to you. "...I have no knowledge of this place. But my husband is a master of falconry as I believe all the hunters to be. The primal spirit of the land is strong with them. They can speak to their beasts. It is likely they have eyes on us now or will soon. The birds fly with terrible speed and attack with ferocity. I have seen them tear the brain from a snow musk deer through its eyes and fly off before the creature knew it was dead..."

"What do they call your husband?" I whisper to the woman.

Per Manbearcat
"He is known amongst his fellow hunters as 'Three Bird'. Most of the men are lucky to have mastered one falcon. Gorbat has three obeying his call."

I nod while turning my head back toward the depression beneath us that the hunters claim as home.

I speak softly to everyone present, including Rawr because the last thing I need is for my formidable bear friend to unease our potential allies: "Everyone stay back. I know not what will happen. If I am swarmed by birds of prey, it will be very dangerous." When I say the last bit I look at the children and nod my head, implicitly looking for understanding from them.

Per Manbearcat
They each nod their heads up and down, wide-eyed fascination, travel fatigue, and terror coursing through their vivid imaginations and tiny bodies.

All of the NPCs will stay back. Go ahead and tell me what you plan to do. We'll need to check in with Otthor as well to see what he would like to add to things.

Alright, I'm going to stand at the precipice looking down on the hunter's lodge. I'll draw the Covenant of Winter and raise my free and staff-laden hands to the sky. If things go poorly, I'm going to call upon the elemental forces of winter to repel with gale-force winds. Hopefully that will serve to buffet arrows from the hunters and dives from birds of prey if they are aggressive.

They all speak and understand a primal avian tongue, so I will use the power of my magical tattoo and communicate with them. In as booming a voice as I can muster:

"Three Bird, fellow hunters...I call upon you for refuge and aid! We share a common enemy! An unnatural enemy that wishes to scour our world with horror from beyond! Your people are in grave danger!"

Per Manbearcat
Alright, sit tight. No need to roll anything yet. Let me check in with Otthor and then I'll move things forward.

 

[Tecklenburg]

"I trust you to be able to reach these hunters and their beasts. But I will be right next to you, masked from all sight by arcane magic in case they will not see reason." The look in my eyes portrays that I will not relent on this.

If things go poorly, I'm going to be right next to her to intercept any attack that gets through the staff's magic with Defend.

[sblock]Cast a Spell (Int)
4, 3 + 3 = 10

Invisibility: Nobody can see me. I'm invisible! The spell persists until I attack or I dismiss the effect. While the spell is ongoing I can’t cast a spell.[/sblock]

With a few arcane words and some symbols traced in the air, I disappear from sight. The sound of steel quietly drawn can be heard as I gently grasp her cloak at her shoulder so she can feel my presence. "Whenever you're ready, my friend."

 

[Manbearcat]

Alright, I'm going to stand at the precipice looking down on the hunter's lodge. I'll draw the Covenant of Winter and raise my free and staff-laden hands to the sky. If things go poorly, I'm going to call upon the elemental forces of winter to repel with gale-force winds. Hopefully that will serve to buffet arrows from the hunters and dives from birds of prey if they are aggressive.

They all speak and understand a primal avian tongue, so I will use the power of my magical tattoo and communicate with them. In as booming a voice as I can muster:

"Three Bird, fellow hunters...I call upon you for refuge and aid! We share a common enemy! An unnatural enemy that wishes to scour our world with horror from beyond! Your people are in grave danger!"

If things go poorly, I'm going to be right next to her to intercept any attack that gets through the staff's magic with Defend.

<snip>

With a few arcane words and some symbols traced in the air, I disappear from sight. The sound of steel quietly drawn can be heard as I gently grasp her cloak at her shoulder so she can feel my presence. "Whenever you're ready, my friend."

The cliffs overlooking the depression comes alive with movement. Seven large birds of prey take off from various notches in the craggy peaks with a deafening screech (a territorial warning in their tongue). In turn, they feign a threatening dive on your position, only to pull up well short of the target, elevate and circle.

Torchlight erupts in the second floor window of the split-level stone lodge below. A draft blows the sheepskin curtain wide and the thick, bearded, bare-chested man holding the torch is revealed to you. Disembodied voices come up from below and he answers them in the common tongue with a deep, carrying voice. "Stay where you are..."

He steps through the window and out onto the first floor roof, breeches his only adornment. "You know me. But I don't know you. If I don't know you that makes you an outlander. I don't care for outlanders. And I don't care for auguries. I doubly don't care for outlander's auguries."

He casts his torch and his gaze high into the sky. "Those are Highland Peregrines. Grow three times as large as they do in the lowlands. You don't want to see what one of them can do to a man, let alone seven...but you must know all that given you can speak our tongue. If you didn't speak it, you'd be dead where you stand right now and they'd be tearing the meat from your bones. But speaking our tongue has bought you only a few moments. We have a hunt in a few hours and you've interrupted our sleep."

His form subtley changes to take on aspects of a lupine countenance. Somehow summoning a voice more jagged, and deeper still, despite his words filling the sky in the screeching language of the peregrine falcons "...I suggest you take your ill omens and move along outlander."

[sblock]You can take + 1 for a social move here due to your ability to speak their language.[/sblock]

 

[Binks]

I listen to the threatening screech and the threatening words of Three Bird. Do I percieve more than these threats?

He is carrying a torch, bare-chested with only breeches on. Is there anything in his other hand or is there anything else about him that is notable?

He told the other hunters to stay put, but do I see any of them skulking around below, looking to lay an ambush?

He is changing into a wolf. This looks to be a controlled change. More like a druid shapeshifting than the call of the moon on a werewolf?

[sblock]Discern Realities (Wis)
5, 3 + 2 = 10

3 questions and + 1 forward when acting on them.

* What here is useful or valuable to me?
* What should I be on the lookout for?
* What is about to happen?[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat

1) His other hand is balled at his side, empty of everything but his fingers. The only adornment of note he carries is a braided leather cord necklace that hangs low on his harry chest. On it is a wicker, woven wolf totem. Its construction is extremely amateurish...as if a child authored it.

2) Nothing skulking about. The hunters have followed their orders and have stayed put.

3) It is definitely a controlled change that he is undertaking. It doesn't look like the werewolves of Brokenstone Vale in the Feywild.

I lower the staff and smile warmly. "Your children are important to you. That is good."

Per Manbearcat
"My patience is wearing thin outlander..."

He has already witnessed that I can speak and understand the language of natural beasts. I pull back my cloak so he can easily see my face and pull up my sleeves so he can see my arms. I'm exposing the horrible burns I earned from the battle with the Remorhaz. They'll have healed some but they will still be fresh enough for my purposes.

"I am an outlander, but I am no augur. I am a hunter, as you are. I track the wild beasts and I live as one with the mountain, the tree, the river. We are kin. So when I bring ill tidings it is because I've seen it with my own eyes and have bloodied my own hands because of it. Just as you would. And I bring them to you because you care about your kin."

[sblock]I'm using our kinship, as he is clearly a druid, that I confirmed from Discern Realities. With quick thinking, I'm using this binding tie between us to convince him to hear me out rather than impatiently attacking.

Defy Danger (Int)
6, 5 + 1 (+1 DR) = 13[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
He pauses for a moment of consideration. In common "...grave danger...unnatural enemy from beyond. Those are the dramatic words of prophecy. You've bled against this enemy we share, so you say. Surely a Stalker's Sister can do better than the vagaries of an oracle."

---

But do so tomorrow because it's late!

 

[Binks]

Now that I've confirmed we're safe and that he cares about his family, or at least his chldren, I'm going to bring them into play as my trump card.

"I have women and children that I've escorted here through the dangers of the wilds. Refugees from the Far Realm threat that will surely claim this place if we do not act. And not just any refugees. Your wife and children."

I give him an assertive look that hopes to portray that I'm dead serious. "Perhaps we could speak inside, out of the dark and the unforgiving cold."

[sblock]Parley (Cha)

I want the securty and shelter of the hunter's lodge.

My leverage is that I have his exposure suffering family out here with me.

5, 2 - 1 (take +1 for speaknig their tongue and + 1 forward from DR for invoking his family) = 8

They will do what you ask, but need some concrete assurance of your promise, right now.[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
His lupline features recede entirely. He stares at you hard for a moment, betraying a slight bewilderment. "...Show them to me."

I whisper quietly to the invisible Otthor. "Please bring them forward and reveal yourself, my friend."

Per Manbearcat
I'll give Otthor some time for input if he has any inclination to do anything beyond bringing the family forward. I'll move things forward later.

 

[Manbearcat]

Confirmed Otthor is just going to bring the the women and children forward and reveal himself so I'm going to transition us to the shelter.

---

Three Bird doesn't exchange any words and very little affection with his family. He briefly grasps his wife's hand, squeezes it, and then moves to each child in succession, holding them by their shoulders and looking them in the eye.

He scans the rest of your crew and takes the measure of Otthor quickly and silently. "There is a secret route to the basin and our lodge. It overlooks a fall that will ensure your death if you mistep, but the trail itself will not fail you." He takes a few steps and turns "...it is on the side of the mountain...I encourage you to not look down."

He leads you down the precarious trail to the basin below. It takes a bit longer than the straight climb or the inviting, trapped entrance would have, but you get their intact. The four men that inhabit the lodge are clearly innured to the cold as each are shirtless like Three Bird. No fire roars in the hearth so the only warmth that the place offers is that of respite from the chill winds and taking the edge off of the frigid bite. The accomodations are extremely spartan, with racks for hanging leathers and smokers for meat. The men sleep on rolled moss. A stone stairwell leads to the second floor. Outside of the gray stone, there is some color in the way of wall and ceiling murals which depict various primal spirits.

After terse instructions from Three Bird with very little explanation, the hunters go about getting rolled furs out to place on the floor for sleeping and one of them creates a fire. The air is thick with the uncomfortableness of forced hospitality. These men are obviously not used to hosting a single soul, let alone such a company as you have brought...and definitely not one featuring outlanders and goblins. Unsurprisingly, outside of the natives, Rawr is the most accomodated of your bunch!

No food is brought to the elves or goblins of your company, but smoked, dried meat is given to the women, children, and to Rawr.

Three Bird abruptly chimes in once the fire is started, the furs are unfurled, and the children are happily eating. "Wandering Wolf, come with us upstairs", he says to a lithe, long-limbed men with an unkempt beard and penetrating eyes. Looking at the other two he says "...see to their needs. There will be no hunt tonight, I'm afraid."

He leads you upstairs. More spartan accomodations. More murals. A firepit in the center of the room. In the corner there is a small altar where the druids offer up blood sacrifices to the primal spirits, burn incense and chant using various bowls. There is a sconce on each wall bearing an unlit torch. Three Bird lights two providing a little warmth and scant light. The space is well ventilated with multiple windows covered by goatskin drapes. He pulls one back and a draft fills the room. He then takes the two lit torches and drops them in the central firepit. Smoke slithers toward the uncovered window. There is nowhere to sit but the cold, hard floor.

He speaks without emotion. "Tell your tale."

---

You guy can Make Camp and you don't need to Take Watch. Go ahead and perform your End of Session Moves and update your HP, AG, Ammo, Rations, XP.

We'll handle this social scene and see what comes out of it in terms of support from the Druids.

 

[Tecklenburg]

I'll do my End of Session after this social scene. I'll have resolved some bonds and I need to think up some new good ones. I'm pretty sure I'll have 12 xp afterwards as well. I'll just be upping Strength by one and taking either Master's Bladework or Arcane Ward with Mutliclass Initiate. Probably the first one. Anyway, I'll update later with End of Session and my new character sheet.

---

I'm exhausted. This sickening wound the Sahuagin gave me is making it very difficult to journey as we have been this day. My legs are weary, my stomach is empty, and my head is barely clear enough for this. Yet somehow I summon the strength of mind and body to push on.

I reach in my pack and I pull out a small wooden box and a rolled length of parchment. I unravel the parchment and lay it on the floor. When that is done, I take the magical monocle and then place the receptacle on the floor.

[sblock]These guys are druids, right? I figure they should have high Wisdom, the ability score used to access the monocle's magic.[/sblock]

I stand and hand the monocle to Three Bird. "The powerful dragon that lairs at the base of this mountain is now the ally of our people. He gifted me this after helping him defeat the Far Realm horde at World's End Bluff. It was made by an untrusting human archmage. It is said that through that lens he could sometimes see the histories of those he would survey. I would ask you to wonder upon our histories as we tell you of what has transpired this last week. Through your wisdom and the magical lens, may you see them for yourself."

Pointing at the unrolled parchment on the ground, I say; "If either of you are capable of the written Deep Speech, then this will make some sense to you. It took me a time to understand it. It promises a coming of an alien entity on this very night. I am certain the 'willing host' it speaks of is the leader of your people..."

If neither understands Deep Speech then I'll read the scroll to them. Also, I'll fill in whatever blanks that Saerie needs me to fill in, including what transpired with myself and Averandox at World's End Bluff. My hope here is that these guys help us get the World's End refugees and then they get those refugees, their own families, any other innocents that will come from the tribe up here, and themselves off the mountain as we confront the cult and the cult's leader.

 

[Binks]

I should have 12 xp as well after End of Sessions, but I'll do those moves after this social scene as well. I need to see about the below * before picking my new move.

---

I will give Three Bird and the abridged version of what is happening here. These are men of action. I'm sure they don't wish for a protracted story. I'll present myself prominently so maybe the magical monocle can provide Three Bird witness to the historical accuracy of my words. I'll also pay close attention to them when I speak on the Aboleth invasion, from the Winter Wolf's testimony through our own encounters, and the prognostications of Ranyon Argoth's warlock son.

[sblock]Discern Realities (Wis)
4, 1 + 2 = 7

1 question and + 1 forward when acting on it.

* What should I be on the lookout for?[/sblock]

I will tell him plainly that Ranyon Argoth is no friend of the natural world. He and his unnatural death cult are betrayers of it, selling out the people and the natural order of this world to the unknowable malevolence of the Far Realm. Otthor and I are sworn to destroy him and prevent this Far Realm incursion. And while we welcome the hunters' aid in setting their people free of this taint, we will do so even without their support or sanction.

* Once we've resolved this with the hunters, I'm going to ask Three Bird if I can attempt to commune with the spirit world at their altar. Does it require a blood sacrifice or such?

I'm wanting to try to locate Lucky's spirit and guide his crossing if he needs help. I want to attempt to bond with his primal incarnation in that world so I can call his spirit back to us. Looking at the Elf Animal Spirit Companion move except instead of the damage buff as an option, maybe an extra + 1, to + 2, when successfully using the Aid action on an ally.

 

[Manbearcat]

** Assuming there is no TPK and this Front is resolved, we may move this game from Dungeon World to D&D 4e or Cortex + Fantasy Heroic. If anyone who is following this PBP is interested in voting on a change because they would like to see a different system at work, do so here. **

---

As a powerful druid, Three Bird brings his accumulated wisdom and mental fortitude to bear as he accesses. first-hand, the veracity of your tale by way of the magic embedded in the monocle. While neither cannot speak nor read Deep Speech so they might pour over the etchings that outline the doomsday prophecy, they need no further convincing.

Three Bird looks at Wandering Wolf who is shaking his head slowly with disdain. "You knew this day would come, my friend. I should have listened to you long ago and killed the man when we found he and his clan in the wilds. His false gods have rotted the fruit of our people from the inside."

He looks back at the two of you. "I will travel with you. I know where your refugees are and if there is any possibility of convincing others to join our exodus, I will best represent it. Wandering Wolf will take the women and children and lead them out of the Coldlands. We know a secret way and can do so quickly. But it is quite dangerous as it cuts through the heart of Frost Troll territory." He looks at Wandering Wolf. "This is why all three of you must go together." The wiry man does not dispute, merely nodding grimly in agreement.

"I do not expect others will join us...even at my word. Expect resistance. Once we get to the refugees, expect that resistance to be lethal. Ranyon Argoth has many mighty warriors and blood mages in his fold."

Three Bird

[sblock]Blood For Blood (3): When Three Bird staunches your wounds, heal 2 × skill HP. His Ferocious Falcons and Form is reduced by 1. If his Ferocious Falcons and Form reaches 0, this skill cannot be used.

Guide (3): When Three Bird leads the way you automatically succeed on any Perilous Journey of a distance (in rations) lower than his skill.

Ferocious Falcons and Form (2): When you deal damage while Three Bird aids you add his skill to the damage done.

Loyalty (1)

Cost: Aid him in gettng his peoples' vulnerable and frail out of danger.[/sblock]

---

* Regarding Saerie's inquiry about communing with the spirit world at the altar.

Wandering Wolf is a man of few words. He reveals a pot of sacred earth. A brief tutorial later, you know how to rituallistically smear it on your face/body and the pitch to achieve when using the chanting bowls. "If worthy, pass through Soul Serpent's gate. Do not linger. Become forever lost."

[sblock]Spirit Walk

When you attempt to cross over into the spirit realm and track down Lucky, annoint yourself with sacred earth and perform the chant and roll + Wis. On a 10 + you cross over and locate Lucky. On a 7-9, you cross over and locate signs of Lucky's recent passage.[/sblock]