IC Story Thread: Ch.1, Ad.3 - Black Hand

Oct 29, 2024 7:06 pm
As you all emerge physically, returning to the Druedain village, and mentally, clearing the cognitive fog of the mystic journey, you learn it is the second morning following the evening on which you embarked upon the ordeal.

As you come down the path, into the hillside settlement, members of the tribe rise and peer carefully and count who is returning, and when they see it is all four of you, there is a good level of excitement. Druedain leaping, "Yop"-ing, and slapping of thighs to show exuberance for the new, honorary members of their people.

Then they come to you with food, and drink, and asking many questions which - in the tumult of voices - even Turil can't understand.

The Chanter leads you all back to the dug-out, lean-to-like shelter where you gain some solitude and have some time to rest.

https://i.imgur.com/Z7AeAN4.jpeg

After a time, the elder comes to the shelter and speaks.

"Having seen the world through time, as we have seen it, and in opening yourself up to the wisdom of those things which are a part of our world yet beyond our realm, we welcome you as a People alike to our own People.

Our fire is your fire, our shelter your shelter. If you are in need of aid, you need but ask and we shall lend it. And if our People become in need of aid, we ask that you lend your hand...

Now. We welcome you to dwell here for as long as you wish, though we also know you have ... a matter that demands your attention...
"
Nov 1, 2024 12:51 am
OOC:
do we gain any mechanical benefits from the rest?
Túril does his best to translate everything between the party and the Druedain. Judging that now is the time, he retrieves his smoking supplies and shares a pipe with the elder and anyone else who accepts it. He says: Thank you, we are grateful to the People for accepting us, and regretful that we must burden you with aiding in our struggle against the Shadow that has come to these lands…perhaps after resting, we can gather ourselves and our supplies and tell you more as we continue to track our quarry?
Last edited November 1, 2024 12:51 am
Nov 2, 2024 7:46 am
Cirion thanks the elder for the privileges bestowed upon them, and also Túril for translating.

He sits in reflection, contemplating the newly acquired awareness of the living past, having seen it and experienced it through his vision quest. It is a marvel that one can live the past in such undeniably real moments.

He also knows a new strong bond with the element of water now lives within him. He thinks of the Great River, realizing it has played a bigger role in his life than he had ever thought. He is a child of the River, and as such he now understands his special link to it.

His travels are expanding Cirion's universe in wonderful and unexpected ways.
Nov 2, 2024 10:18 pm
Duinhir wakes up with the worst hangover he had ever had. The ordeal was everything he had expected just much more impactful and overwhelming.
His head is hurting and his whole body is weighted down with feelings of shame and dread.
He can only hope it will pass soon.

He eats and drinks was is offered and gets some rest in the dugout before getting ready to go on the road again.
Nov 5, 2024 5:03 pm
Thunder_Lungz says:
OOC:
do we gain any mechanical benefits from the rest?
OOC:
No, so waking up from the Ordeal your "sleep" is not considered a mechanically restful sleep of any kind, so no benefits of Short or Long Rest.

Though you could pursue either or both now.
Dr_B says:
He also knows a new strong bond with the element of water now lives within him.
OOC:
This brings up a good point (that I should have spoke to preemptively), I wasn't sure how to introduce your new abilities narratively.

I think some are easier than others, for example Duinhir I think would sense this new ancestral presence, like a "new part of his mind" or maybe would just unexpectedly hear it speak unbidden in some circumstance, and Eothain might surprisingly experience after a greeting Skunktail in the normal way he does in the morning or whatever hearing the actual words of the horse in reply.

I wanted to make you all aware of them mechanically for sure because I wanted you to be able to actively use them in case I forgot, but narratively we could roleplay out the discovery and process of understanding of these new abilities more, if you guys wanted too.

That said, I think what you've roleplayed is fine, Dr_B, as during the Ordeal, maybe Cirion found himself speaking with the pond or the waterfall that was there? And so that is what he reflects upon now.
The Druedain are eager now to share the pipeweed and speak with you all.

However the Elder kind of dismisses Turil's apology, "Already we struggled against the Shadow. Your arrival has brought nothing new in that regard - other than new allies. And so it is all to the good.

And yes, take what time you need, we have little provisions nor warriors to spare, but I wish to know more of your quarry.

There have been some... strange things happening on the mountain recently, and so I think we will each learn from the other.
"
OOC:
@Thunder_Lungz you can use the Pipe Smoking rules here if you would like. i.e. roll a DC15 Pipe Proficiency check (WIS or INT bonus (your choice)+Prof. Bonus), to gain advantage on a subsequent check (could be a Persuasion to determine the level of aid from the Druedain, or a knowledge check to deduce something about the problem, or Investigation, or whatever the next check you make is).
Nov 10, 2024 9:03 pm
"What strange things have happened? As you know we chase a servant of the Shadow. Any strange occurrence may pertain to our quest." Duinhir joins the conversation through translation.
Last edited November 10, 2024 9:04 pm
Nov 12, 2024 3:58 am
OOC:
RPing the Shadow Points ...
More strangeness? Éothain feels a sense of dread upon hearing the Elder's words. This journey has already taken him away from his family and friends for far too long. When will this end? So much trouble brewing, what if I'm needed to defend Rohan soon? Skunktail misses Rohan too.
Last edited November 12, 2024 4:00 am
Nov 13, 2024 5:22 pm
"Our Mystics watch over our lands, in part, through the eyes of our Stone Sisters...", the Elder gestures outside the door of the dugout lean-to toward a squat stone statue, or totem, that looks like a rudimentary carving of a person, weathered and growing moss and lichen.

" They are scattered about the mountains, and with their aid we are able to see great distances, anywhere they are.

But some weeks ago some of our Stone Sisters were blinded. Never in the stories of our People has this happened. We sent hunters to tend to them, one party returned noting that nothing was outwardly wrong or changed with the Sister, the other... has not returned.
", at that the Elder looks sad and concerned.
Nov 13, 2024 9:39 pm
Feeling the concern of the Elder even before the translation gives meaning to the word, he asks,
"The Stone Sisters... Are they hidden, so only your people can find them? Or are they in plain sight, for all to see?"
Nov 13, 2024 10:00 pm
The Elder wags her head, "Some may be grown over by grass or bush, but no, they are often placed in exposed positions as the more they can see, the better we can see through them.

Also... we have had no reason to hide them. They are a secret that... very few... outside of our People know of.
"
Nov 13, 2024 10:33 pm
Cirion nods, understanding they are privileged to partake in these proud people's secrets. These folks were strangers just hours before, and now they share their hidden knowledge freely. He bows his head to the Elder in a gesture of respect.

"Please tell her that we are grateful of their faith in us, and that their secrets are our secrets... we will honor them." he murmurs to Túril.
Nov 14, 2024 4:26 am
Éothain bows. "Let us have the honor of finding the missing hunting party and tending to any needs the Stone Sisters may have."
Last edited November 14, 2024 4:26 am
Nov 14, 2024 3:52 pm
She bows back but holds up her hands to indicate a degree of hesitancy, "It is a most generous offer, but... for the Sisters, we don't yet know what has even happened, much less what is needed to right it.

As for the missing hunters... Winter is coming, and we must make preparations. We have sent for aid from other tribes, but they must make the same preparations, and we have not yet received the additional hunters we would need to mount a search effort.

It was not my intent to make this your trouble. Already we have sent in motion our own measures that we hope will resolve it. And I know you have your own troubles.

But...

Perhaps our troubles overlap? When you all were first found by our scouting party, you were on a course that was generally headed towards the area of our blinded Sisters... Please. Tell me more of your troubles? Where do you go? What do you expect to find there?
"
OOC:
Obviously I don't need you guys to tell me what's going on, I more just want to know what information you might keep to yourselves for now, if anything.
Nov 14, 2024 9:36 pm
Duinhir has a feeling they can trust this people. They have shared so much including the secret of the Stone Sisters and their vulnerability.
He starts telling about their quest and the man they hunt. He keeps things simple as some of the concepts may be far from the experience of these people. But he does not hide the fact that they chase servants of the Shadow.
OOC:
As this has to be translated through Turil any of you can censor the story if you want too
Nov 15, 2024 1:04 pm
OOC:
Sounds good to me!
Túril adds: while we can pick up the trail of our quarry again, it might be faster for one of your own hunters to guide us. As to your preparations for winter, I have supplies and tools to aid you, if that would soften the loss of a hunter in your efforts here.
OOC:
So rolling for persuasion to see if they can spare a guide for us in exchange for a bunch of supplies and tools.


…oh my
Last edited November 15, 2024 1:04 pm

Rolls

pipe proficiency check - (1d20+4)

(1) + 4 = 5

Nov 19, 2024 7:13 pm
OOC:
Heh, so, all that means is everyone smoked a little TOO much (or is it, not enough? :P) leaf, and you didn't gain advantage on the subsequent check.

Sorry it took me so long to reply.

But you can still make a normal Persuasion roll. No set DC, and it's not opposed, but rather this would be an "open ended" check. The higher the result the more aid they could be persuaded to give.

And because you're considered honorary members of the tribe, there is a certain minimum amount of assistance they would give you no matter/without a roll.
"We can certainly afford you a guide, to get you at least very near your destination. Whether they could serve in a role beyond that may depend on what is needed beyond that..."
Dec 3, 2024 4:22 pm
OOC:
Hey gang, I'm back from holiday.

Seems like we've lost some momentum so I'm going to jump us to something more actionable, to see if we can get things going again.

If there are any final "house keeping" items or last questions your characters would want to ask or do before embarking of the Hunt for Urqakar, go ahead and conduct them as an ooc-aside with your next post?
Two Druedain hunters lead you all to the nearest blinded Stone Sister. It is about a day's hike from the settlement.

The statuette is perhaps two feet tall, depicts a crude carving of a humanoid of indeterminate gender, but the figure is positioned in a squatting position or perhaps sitting back on their haunches, with their elbows tucked in close to their chin and their hands resting on top of their head. It is covered in lichen and mostly shrouded by the bushy grasses surrounding it.

The trek to the Sister has taken you up in elevation a good distance and the temperature is rather cold up here. There is frost on the grass and an underlying crust of snow or permafrost coating much of the ground beneath the dry spindly blades. Coniferous trees are still thick here, but the alpine tree-line is less than 1,000 meters above you, you would guess.

The hunter indicates that there is another blinded sister relatively nearby (a few hours hike), and shows you the trail and trail-markers that lead to it. But notes that the other blinded sisters besides these two are not on the same trail, and are infact a good distance away on the other side of the mountain ridge.

Because your only other lead on where to try to find Urqakar is the nautical map, and that does not denote topograghy or accurate mountain features, you can use the stars to try to move towards the mark, but in mountaineering a straight line is rarely the best path, as a canyon or mountain wall could present an impassable hindrance...
OOC:
What do you do?
Dec 3, 2024 9:12 pm
Duinhir looks up at the statue. The walk up to it to feel it. Something had blinded these Stone Sisters. It could be related to Urqakar. Maybe.
Duinhir starts investigating the statue and the area around it.

Rolls

Investigation - (1d20+4)

(10) + 4 = 14

Dec 5, 2024 6:54 pm
Duinhir finds that there are no outward signs of disturbance or meddling with the statue, or even really in the nearby surrounding area.

No damage to the stone that could indicate it's been struck violently, no disturbed mosses or lichen on it's surface that could have indicated of it had been less roughly touched or moved, no indication on the ground or grasses around it that could indicate it was moved. No human tracks in the area that don't belong to your traveling contingent.
Dec 6, 2024 7:07 am
"What do you think? We travel to the next nearest Sister? Can you ask, will our guide stay with us and show us the way? It will be difficult without him..."
Dec 6, 2024 8:08 am
"Perhaps the Stone Sister was covered by a black dome or other obstruction, blocking her view." Sometimes, guesswork is all you have. "Or, since our enemies are familiar with foul magic, perhaps a spell was cast that performed the same task."

Éothain stops conjecturing and asks the nearest hunter a couple of direct questions. "Is this Stone Sister still blinded? Would it be disrespectful to tap the statue to make sure it's not a hollow copy?"
Dec 9, 2024 3:15 pm
The guides again show your the trail, and it's markers, and say that it should be a relatively simple matter for you to navigate to the next Sister. Going all the way to it and back would add on a half day to their absence and the clan is trying to prepare for winter, so they would prefer not to delay their return.

They also say that they tend not to touch them, but it's not forbidden or anything, and so in the interest of ensuring it's not a fake, they kind of just shrug and indicate that it's probably ok.

Upon doing so, the statuette seems to have an appropriate weight, solid bottom, all that.
Dec 9, 2024 10:09 pm
That didn't give us much to go on Duinhir concludes his investigation. "I see no signs of mettling with or sabotage of the statues. I guess our best option is to go to the next. On our own it seems."
Dec 10, 2024 4:30 am
"So it seems. Let us go and make use of the daylight."
Last edited December 10, 2024 4:30 am
Dec 10, 2024 10:05 pm
The next Sister is at an even higher elevation, still several hundred meters below timber line, but it is colder and windier.

This Sister would be easy to miss if you hadn't the trail markings, as it's back is to the trail, and it is heaped with accumulating dirt and debris from the slow erosion of years. The statuette sits on a prominence looking off across a valley to another arm of another mountain.

And as you take in the surroundings, still gathering yourself in this new place, perhaps it is the direction of the "gaze" of the diminutive stone person that draws your own eyes in the same direction, or perhaps it is just chance... but there you notice the distant and vague forms of... two figures on the other side of the valley. It's hard to make out much about them at this distance other than they walk upright on two legs.
Dec 12, 2024 6:07 am
If I can see them, they can see me. Éothain stops moving and says the group, "Anyone want to get a closer look at the two travelers?"
Dec 12, 2024 9:36 pm
"Indeed. Could be the ones we are looking for." Duinhir replies
Dec 14, 2024 2:33 pm
OOC:
@emsquared with Cirion's recently acquired ability to commune with water, if we reached the spot where the 2 figures are , could Cirion interrogate some water in that proximity (say a puddle, or dew or other) about the figures?
Dec 16, 2024 3:26 pm
OOC:
In general, absolutely, the ability is there to be used.

You raise an interesting question as to what constitutes a body of water that could be communed with though.

And I had not thought of so small of, nor temporary, "bodies of water" in my conception of it. So, active rain, dew, a puddle that will soon soak into the ground or evaporate. Probably not able to get much of a sense of things from.

Where would it stop, right? If there's humidity, there's water.

I guess I would say it's nebulously about water that has "character", or "life". A water feature that, in the strange mysticism is Tolkien, might have a "spirit", like a Goldberry or Tom Bombadil, linked to it, just as those spirit figures are linked to "the river" and "the old forest" (one of the other Ordeal options would have taken you guys to meet a Tom Bombadil-like figure, but of the Andrast Mountains).

And it's not that you're "speaking" with such a figure when you use the ability. You're not speaking at all, it's more about "sensing" and being able to experience what the water might have experienced.

But anyway, something so small as a babbling brook or even a small seasonal pond or wetland. Absolutely. Puddles and dew. Sorry, but no.

As for the larger effort of getting closer, if you all want to try to remain undetected, give me a Group Stealth check, please!

As a reminder, at least one half of the group must succeed for a Group Check to be successful.
The general course of the distant figures seems to be away from you all. But as is the nature of mountainous travel, switchbacks could point them in your direction rather unpredictably, even if only for a short time.

As Cirion thinks back to what he experienced by the mountain pool at the foot of the waterfall, during their ordeal, and the things he felt through the water - and whether he might be able to feel similar things here, he can see their is a mountain stream the winds along the bottom of the small valley, between the figures and him.

And although they are well away from it now, and getting further from it with every step, perhaps they passed over or through it earlier?

There is also the matter of the cold... the frosted grass and the crust of snow, begs the question of, will there be any liquid water in the stream?

Rolls

Dice clatter behind the screen... - (1d20, 1d20)

Dec 16, 2024 3:41 pm
OOC:
got it, thanks. The river seems a lot more pertinent to that magic ability, I agree.
Cirion points. "That stream, over there. I think I can try to sense if those figures have passed by it. Perhaps know more about them, if they have. I cannot assure it but... I can try," he says to his companions.
Dec 18, 2024 9:00 pm
Clad in mail, Éothain doesn't try to hide. If I don't move, maybe they'll think I'm another statue on the trail if they look this way.
Dec 18, 2024 9:23 pm
OOC:
Alright, so I think what I need to know then is, since one or more of you are not trying to hide, you can assume they will see you if you try to follow them while they're still visible to you/you're still visible to them.

So, do you all wait to follow/go down to the stream until they're out of sight?

Or is the thought to send Cirion alone to the stream?

Or do you all set out while you all are still in each others' visible range, unconcerned about whether or not they see you?
Dec 18, 2024 9:36 pm
OOC:
I'm unsure how far they are away. Is it possible to run and catch up with them or would it be hours/days to pursuit them?
Dec 18, 2024 10:05 pm
OOC:
Good question! Not all that far - less than a mile as the crow flies, but it is a sharp elevation drop followed by sharp elevation rise on the ground, as well as difficult terrain, between you. If you started pursuing them as quickly as you could, and they didn't start fleeing (but did keep moving)? You estimate you could catch up to them in probably a couple hours at most.
Dec 19, 2024 7:56 pm
"So, do we pursuit or try to hide our presence? If we let them go a bit, we might be able to track them."
Dec 20, 2024 4:07 am
"I like the idea of tracking them secretly. But first, Cirion, it would be amazing to hear if the stream knows anything."

Skunktail whinnies in a language only Éothain understands. "Talking water? How strange."
Dec 22, 2024 11:10 pm
rpgventurer says:
Skunktail whinnies in a language only Éothain understands. "Talking water? How strange."
OOC:
Ha, I see what you did there :)

So what I'm hearing is, since the preference is to track them secretly anyway, you'll just wait until you're all mutually out of each other's sight, then go down to the stream?

I'm gonna push the narrative forward under that assumption.
It doesn't take long before the figures are passing in and out of visibility due to intervening trees, and soon after they're over a ridge and out of sight.

And you all our if their sight.

The trek down to the stream takes a bit of time, due to switch backs and the unstable gravely slope, but before too long you're there and although there is a crust if ice reaching out from the overhanging, dead-grass lining the banks, there is a bare rivulet of water winding through it.
OOC:
Just a reminder; it requires Inspiration to activate the "Speak With" abilities, and I didn't recall who had and had not used theirs and when, but hopefully you've all marked it down?
Dec 23, 2024 12:12 am
OOC:
I have "Inspiration: 1" marked on Cirion's sheet, if that is enough?

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