Chapter 1, Day 2: Into the Witchwood

Apparently this group is too lazy to do the busywork. Fine then! I go through the bodies myself in search of anything useful or valuable.

Zaris awakens for a moment and lifts his weary head enough to peer out from under the bed. Surprised by the stillness, his muscles relax and he drifts back into unconsciousness.

The gnome is initially wary of the tall warrior approaching her, but seeing and hearing Xara amongst the crowd lessens her suspicions... somewhat. Arrow still nocked in her bow, she glances around before returning her gaze to the paladin.

"Pawetha," she says, a terse introduction. "You're all with Xara? I suppose, then, you've already cleared the rest of these ruins from hidden dangers like our spiky friend out there?"

I'm momentarily distracted from my search by the approach of the familiar gnome. How did I miss her during the battle?

"Paws! It's been too long, friend! Did you track us here? I've killed most of our enemies in the area but there could be more. Might be dangerous in case you're interested in joining us." I point at the others as I say their names. "Zaris, wielder of powerful magics. Corban, nearly as good a fighter as I am. A better one when he's had a few drinks in him. You've already met Kaiakas. A holy man, but don't hold that against him. Jorr, our guide. And finally that's Rurik. What do you do again?"

"Pawetha eh? Nice to meet you, though if you're friends with Xara, I might not want to dice with you later... We haven't exactly had a chance to look around yet, have we? I thought a power nap in the Manticore nest might be a nice idea."

Corban stretches his stiff muscles, sore from the brutal fight.


OOC: Are we short resting, or is it late enough in the day we might try to camp out?

I pocket the wand. "Exhausted already? Alright, it might do for us all to take a break. I nearly died myself. At least I took down most of 'em with me." I give the bugbear a light kick with my foot for emphasis. Wiping off some of my blood, I wander towards Zaris and poke him. "Oh good, you're still breathing. Next time you want to do something like that, have some sense of self-preservation and let me go ahead first! You're much better at guarding my back than I am of guarding yours I'm afraid! Not everyone can be a hero and live to tell the tale. Am I right, Paws?" I chuckle for a bit before I start coughing up some blood. "Right. Rest." I pass out on a bed, propped up against a wall.

Pawetha nods to each person as they're introduced. She assesses Jorr, notes his attire and equipment, and recognizes at least a certain occupational familiarity.

"A short rest then," she mumbles. "Which of you needs the most attention? I can at least try to Cure (your) Wounds."

OOC: cast Cure Wounds on the person with the lowest HP remaining.

I start to look slightly less like death warmed over.

Ooc: I'll assume me since I'm down to 1 HP

"Well, should we camp here, or try to move on to somewhere a little less goblin-infested?"

Pawetha looks around at the condition of the group, then winces at the pain in her side. "Probably best to camp here," she says, "as it doesn't look like we should move anyone anywhere." She peeks her head into the large building and spies the body of Zaris under the bed. Pawetha kneels beside him and whispers another prayer to Baervan as she places her hands upon his chest, allowing the warmth of nature's energy to flow between them.

Pawetha stands and tightens a knot of fabric around her own wound. "I'm going to check out the rest of the keep, and make sure there are no surprises," she says. She faces the southwest door and calls over her shoulder, "Anyone not fertilizing the ground want to join me?"

I awake with a start. "Huh that's strange. I had the booze dream again. Where were we? Right. Sounds like you'll need help checking for surprises. We can catch up along the way. Everyone else, feel free to rest up- we'll be back shortly!"

I look for shiny or traps. Whatever I find first!

"We told some guy we'd drive out all the hobgoblins in the area for a bit of gold. Apparently they've been harassing the town and affecting their caravans along the main road. They must be desperate since they gave us half up front. So now we're going around killing as many as we can find. What about you? Find any trouble?"

"Hobgoblins," spits Pawetha, scanning the room. She pokes some of the rubble with her foot. Her eyes flit along the walls and take in the furniture before settling on the stairs and their direction, noting it for later inspection.

"My road was quiet," she says. "Yours has the first trouble I've encountered since I found your trail. And you've got some friends stuck neck-deep in it as well, though I wouldn't have expected you to drag along a paladin."

She tugs on the canvas covering the easel to see what lies underneath.

I scoff. "I didn't pick the team. They heard about me and sought me out. You know how it goes. In any case, that paladin hasn't gotten himself killed yet so he's useful enough. Not much fun though." I head towards the easel and remove the sheet.

The warmth courses through Zaris's chest and then spreads, seeking out every last fiber of his being. The wizard's eyes open in a flash of confusion. He sits up quickly only to knock his head on the mattress of the bed under which he is hiding. "Umph!" he grumbles laying back down and rolling out into the center of the room. Quickly rising to his feet he dusts himself off. "Well, uh, thank you to whoever healed me!" he says earnestly. He walks towards the others where the easel is, curious as to what lies underneath.

Understanding the two reunited friends were merely jesting, I still grumble and squint as if displeased.
I walk over to the easel as well. "What's this?"
"[OOC: Sorry, Rurik, I used all my spell slots.]