The trouble with Fey Relations

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Dec 1, 2023 2:27 am

Dec 1, 2023 2:27 am

The trouble with Fey Relations

[ +- ] Trod

Trod stares ar the "road" leading to the next "village" and is beginning to think he may be reaching the edge of the frontier of civlization. These people definitely can take all the help he has to offer though. With the sun setting to th west perhaps is is time to find a decent place to rest. The main track continues down into the valley and there are traces of what might be a buildings down there but the hills and trees make it hard to be certain. The mouthe of the valley he stands in now has a small spring and some trees to take shelter or build a file with wood But the real question is what about the rather well tended side path neading up along the valley lip hading south.

OOC:

Welcome to the game @ImperfectBeing
Let me know what Trod's plans are for the night and any preparations he makes.

Dec 1, 2023 2:34 am

Dec 1, 2023 2:34 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

https://i.imgur.com/lhK5u4ml.jpg

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 2, 2023 12:45 pm

Dec 2, 2023 12:45 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Trod decides to spend another night in the wild before exploring the buildings tomorrow. The idea of people living so closely together is unsettling, but strangely exciting.

He cheerfully gathers some fire wood, drinks from the spring and forages for berries before lighting a small fire with his magic medallion. His evening meditation and exercise disturbed by the thought of meeting another person Perhaps the monks passed this way when they left and someone saw them? he wonders.

Rolls

Forage for berries - (2d6)

(23) = 5

Dec 3, 2023 12:05 am

Dec 3, 2023 12:05 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

Searching the nearby brush for something fresser Trod barely mages to keep a positive outlook with his sad dinner of an old travel cake, a single pressed dried fruit, and a bit of cheese. The warm glow of the fire provides enough heat and comfort to allow Trod to settle his mind and find sleep. Only to be awoken some time latter by a faint scratching noise.

Several feet away a mound of earth rises up then claws pierce through into the air. Moments laters a creature climbs up and out of the freshly dug tunnel. The thing it totally foreign with select sections of its body armored in thick shell while others are obviously flesh. It is either the weirds bug Trod has ever seen or perhaps a crab? Though he was informed they prefered water to dirt. So an humanoid land crab them?

https://i.imgur.com/8eoRQnUt.jpg

The creature freezes as it turns and sees Trod laying a few feet from the embers of the fire.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 3, 2023 7:52 am

Dec 3, 2023 7:52 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

Trod leaps to his feet in an instant. His survival on the mountain often brought him face to face with hungry hunting animals, but Trods insticts tell him this is different somehow.

Recalling the lessons of Master Geeh, he spreads his arms wide to appear larger, at the same time shouting loudly...hoping to startle the thing away.

creature

Dec 3, 2023 6:57 pm

Dec 3, 2023 6:57 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

creature

As you leap to your feet screaming and waving your arms the creature emits a high pitch keening hiss. Turning quickly it moves to run away, trips, and falls flat. The creature lays there, curling into a ball as it shake, emitting small pathetic sounds.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 4, 2023 9:27 am

Dec 4, 2023 9:27 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

I grab my short stick and cautiously make my way over.

Are you okay? Can I help?

creature

Dec 4, 2023 3:25 pm

Dec 4, 2023 3:25 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

creature

A whimpering rasp is heard in response, which is repeated a couple of times before you understand the words, barely.
I want to go home.

You comfort the creature back to the little fire, that you add fuel to. After several minutes of patient listening to the speech from a mouth not suited to the common tongue you get the creatures story. The child, she says she is only 6 years old, lived in the village down in the valley. She found a new path that lead to a beautiful cottage that turned out to be the home of a witch or something similar. The witch gave her something to eat and drink, she knows she shouldn't have taken food from a stranger but it smelled so good. The food made her sleepy and when she awoke she was trapped in the witches basement. Since then she has been forced to dig every day for the witch and she just wants to go home. But something the witch did makes the girl only able to leave the basement at night and forget her name and family. She is sure she is from the village, as it is so familiar, but if she goes there at night the people scream and attack her so she doesn't go there anymore.

She felt the heat from your fire and came up from her digging to see if there was any food, then you scared her.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 4, 2023 5:08 pm

Dec 4, 2023 5:08 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Trod offers her food and tries his best to hide his shock. How could someone be so cruel to a child?… Perhaps the girl was mistaken. Master Azleth had always told him to talk, think and take action. The three T’s.

Will you take me to this witch? I’d like to talk to her and learn more.

Last edited December 4, 2023 5:14 pm

cursed gir?

Dec 4, 2023 7:24 pm

Dec 4, 2023 7:24 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

cursed gir?

By now the girl/thing has calmed down, mostly due to your calm and patient manner. But when you mention going to the witch she becomes frightened. In her rasping and faltering speech she urges you to reconsider. Oh, you don't want to do that. She will catch you too. You're nice. She will make you ugly like me and do all sorts of things for her.
You talk a bit more and are able to convince the girl to give directions to the house though she refused to accompany you.
If she finds out I talked with you she will be mad and punish me again and the thing twitches and shudders in remembrance of something unpleasant.

The witches cottage is magical and moves around each night. However each morning it always has a nice path leading to it from some remote place. This brings to mind the path you saw earlier before sunset.

If you go there before midnight it should still be there otherwise you will have to look for it in the morning.

The girl claims this is how the witch gets her servants. They find the path and become enchanted into following it to the house and tricked into falling under the witch's power. Before heading back to the witch she list off several warning she has gleaned from her time with the witch and from what she has learned from other servants.

Follow the path but don't walk on it.
Don't tell her your real name, witches use names to bind you.
If you enter her yard you are in her influence and in her house you are in her domain.
Don't take anything from her without knowing the price, there is always a price.
Always read the fine print. There is always fine print on written contracts. Even if you can't see it.
Don't get her mad.
She can lie but won't lie, though she will try to hide information and reveal only what she must, when making a bargain or contract. All exchanges are contracts to her.
She likes to be flattered but hates fake compliments.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 5, 2023 12:35 pm

Dec 5, 2023 12:35 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Assuming there is enough time to get there before midnight Trod follows the directions, keeping to the left of the path. He asked the girl to wait by the fire for his return.

As Trod hastily makes his way through the wilderness he starts to think.

I should be able to sort this out. This so called witch must have a reason for her behaviour. And as master Azleth says ‘Every tale has eighteen sides ‘. It’s just a matter of reaching a solution that works for everyone.

Dec 5, 2023 2:07 pm

Dec 5, 2023 2:07 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Trod leaves the girl at his camp, feeding stick slowly into the fire, and makes his way to the path he saw earlier. He is able to find it by the dim light of the moon and follows it up into the hills and woods nearby. The path winds such that the road is quickly lost from sight and Trod soon feels lost and fear pushes him to follow the path, treading on its safe surface towars what musht be a nice place.
Roll a save test, 2d6, to resist the urge to walk on the path.
A roll with any dice showing 5 or higher is a pass and you resit the spell

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 7, 2023 10:07 pm

Dec 7, 2023 10:07 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Sorry this is the first chance I've had to post. I'm not sure how long is acceptable between posts before a game is dead.

Trod makes a quick prayer and keeps walking...

Rolls

Stay off the path! - (2d6)

(51) = 6

Dec 8, 2023 6:35 am

Dec 8, 2023 6:35 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

OOC:

No worries. I am pretty flexible with newcomers but if you stick around I do prefer posting to be at least once a week.

I just realized I missed on the Save Test. Your Resolute trait lets you save with 3d6

https://i.imgur.com/hvUK9uZm.jpg

Keeping off the path you make your way parallel to it and after a couple minutes you come to an odd looking cottage. Lanterns illuminate the area around the cottage and all the windows in the home are dark save a small window inset into the front door. You can't quite put your finger on it but something 'feels' off about the building and the surroundings. It is almost too idyllic, despite being only lit by the lanterns.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 8, 2023 8:44 pm

Dec 8, 2023 8:44 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Cautiously I make my way to the front door. If nothing happens I will knock loudly.

Dec 8, 2023 10:47 pm

Dec 8, 2023 10:47 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

At your knock you hear a slight clatter inside followed by the sounds of feet on stair heading up and down. After another moment a voice calls out Come in.

Opening the door you see a cozy interior with simple furniture, a small fireplace, and a simple rocking chair that holds a hunched and feeble figure with a big cowl pulled up to hide their head. The entire place is furnished to suit the small figure in the chare so that your head barely clears the ceiling. Their gnarled and shaking hands work with a pair of knitting needles and a couple balls of yarn.

Come in, come in. It's quite late out for someone to be out and about. What brings you to my home? The voice is dry and whispy but carries an odd hint of music somehow.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 9, 2023 6:39 am

Dec 9, 2023 6:39 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

I make my way inside and speak to the figure. Eyes wide taking in all the sight of things I've only heard about.

Many apologies for my late night call but my business is urgent. I am from the mountain and on my travels I was told you had captured and transformed someone from the nearby village. I want to check if this is true?

Despite feeling so unnerved master Baffu's lessons on manners suddenly kick in. Giving a low bow I speak again.

Please allow me to introduce myself i am Tr...

The words of the girl ring in my head. If what she said was true I shouldn't give my true name.

...Tred. my name is Tred. Pleased to meet you.

I stand up straight (or as straight as the room allows) and look directly at the figure realising that I've told the first lie of my life.

Hag

Dec 11, 2023 3:06 am

Dec 11, 2023 3:06 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

Hag

My, arn't you direct. and the figure chuckles a bit.
As a matter of fact I have acquired some indentured servants. I do not mistreat them, as long as they follow the rules, and they will be freed when I get what I need.

Now you look like a do gooder busy body. So before your get all worked up about taking on the big bad evil hag let me tell you my side of the story.

[ +- ] The hags tale

In the heart of an ancient forest, where the veil between the mortal realm and the magical world was thin, there lived a fey hag named Elara. Despite her frightening appearance, with gnarled fingers and twisted features, Elara had a heart full of love for her daughter, Lirael, a stunningly beautiful fey child with silver hair and luminous golden eyes.

One fateful day, as Lirael danced through the glades, a village head named Ealdred, desperate for an heir, witnessed the ethereal beauty of the fey child. His wife, unable to bear children, had grown despondent, and the sight of Lirael's innocence and grace filled Ealdred's heart with a dark desire.

Driven by desperation and greed, Ealdred sought the help of a conniving priest named Malgrim. The priest, lured by promises of power and influence, concocted a plan to kidnap Lirael and bring her to the village, convincing Ealdred's wife that the child was a divine gift.

One moonlit night, as Lirael danced beneath the ancient oak trees, Malgrim invoked a spell that concealed her from her mother's watchful eyes. With a flick of his staff, the priest transported Lirael to the village, where she was presented to Ealdred's wife as their long-awaited blessing.

Elara, distraught and heartbroken, soon discovered the truth about her daughter's disappearance. She ventured into the mortal realm, determined to reclaim Lirael from the clutches of the village head and the deceitful priest.

However, Malgrim's magic proved formidable. The priest had enchanted the village, masking Lirael's presence and distorting reality to keep the fey hag at bay. Elara, fueled by a mother's love, refused to be thwarted and began her quest to unravel the enchantments and rescue her daughter.

As Elara navigated the treacherous webs of magic, she encountered unexpected allies – children of the village who upon talking with Elara and hearing the full tale agreed to help Elara. However Malgrim's spells instantly struke them when they left the protection of Elara's home transforming them into hideous forms. In addition each time they left the house the would forget the tale and instead blame for for their calamity. Elara regretted bringing the children into it but now used them to gather information each day as though the villagers no longer recognized them they could still enter and leave the village and so search for Lirael.

Together, the transformed children worked to break the enchantments that veiled Lirael's presence.

Believe me or not I leave that to you. But judge me not by the tales of others or your own biases opinion's based on my looks. The children will be back by dawn and we will be in a new nest to rest out the day. You can talk to the children then or go to the village and see for yourself. My daughter may be hidden by the veil but the eyes of a fey can never be hidden.

ImperfectBeing Inactive for 7 months

Dec 11, 2023 4:04 pm

Dec 11, 2023 4:04 pm

Traveling Trod's Travails

Trod's face is a picture of sadness as the hag reveals her tale.

My lady Elara am I able to help you? If I confront Ealdred and Malgrim perhaps they can be persuaded to reverse their foul magic?

Last edited December 11, 2023 9:23 pm

Hag

Dec 12, 2023 6:38 am

Dec 12, 2023 6:38 am

Traveling Trod's Travails

Hag

You are free to do as you wish. But know this, I will not stop until I have freed my daughter. I can give you a charm that if you get it to my daughter will allow me to find her no matter what that priest does

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