(PrP) Tunnel Crawl II

[Seraphina]

Seeing Quick struggle, she doesn’t immediately go in. Waiting to make sure he was ok before stepping into the opening.

Thorns and vines everywhere!

She knew the Hedge was never as quiet as it seemed. It was always watching.

Her steps are tentative, her nerves tight as sapphires search. Looking for anything to attack or move. You never lower your guard in the Hedge.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-24 15:43:39		Seraphina rolls 4 to Looking Around(Wits+Comp) (10 Again)		8, 3, 2, 4		1 success

[Yumyumcrow]

Circe and Mhairi lead the way. Fell flames flare, burning away the tightly packed vines and clearing the path a little more. Ash and smoke linger behind them as Seraphina and Quick follow.

The path takes a sudden turn revealing a boulder strewn clearing. The aroma of cooking and woodsmoke is stronger now and slowly overwhelms the vegetable smells of this part of the Hedge. In the middle of the clearing is a rude, circular hut with a crudely thatched roof. Thick smoke puffs from an opening and meat lays curing on racks next to the door, little more than an opening covered by a cloth.

Circe and Seraphina can make out that not all the curing meat is... animal.

Alerted by the flash and flare of the burned path, the inhabitants scramble to exit the hut: a scaly, simian, hob-creature and rangy Ogre with a mean eye and a red bandanna wrapped about his head. The red cap wipes his greasy hands on his trousers and in a none too subtle gesture, lays one fist over the handle of the knife at his belt. A very faint whiff of summer heat blows off him, teasing the cool, damp, air.

"What you want?"

The hob creature snuffles the air loudly, more dog than ape or reptile.

[Quick]

Not one for handouts, the boyish Elemental just responds back to Mhairi with a shrug. Finally, with his own protective flame blazing into life, Quick braves the entrance. He gives a nod to Sera, letting her know he's ready to move in.

"If we need to." he pops back at Circe, sounding a little distracted as he eyes the surroundings. Donovan had given him a little more comfort with the Hedge, but Quick is still very unhappy to be back inside. He'd rather only use the fire on the vines if they blocked the path. Or, you know, starting creeping after them.

The hut and the smells of cooking meat grab his attention first. Which is great. You know... company. And the two eyesores the exit the hut don't seem particularly welcoming. Pretty as Quick may be, he has a feeling a more delicate approach might be needed to make friends. Or at least keep the big guy from using that knife. His head quickly darts back to look at Circe and Sera, hoping one of them would break the ice.

[Seraphina]

She stops as she studies the clearing, specifically the hut.

The smell hit her nose, and she fought back the urge to gag. She was by no means a vegetarian, but that smell. It was gross.

Watching the Orge, she wonders if sweet talk would work on him. Probably not.

But she could always sweeten her voice, maybe shift the odds in their favor. Worth a shot.

She calls upon the Wyrd at that point, hoping her voice would muddy his thoughts enough for them to get what they needed from him without violence.

Carefully, she steps forward from the group, but not too close.

“Hello,” greets the Nix, “We didn’t come here to cause any problems,” at least, not yet, “but our path seems to have brought us here, to your doorstep.” Glancing around, “I am curious, are the vines yours? They’re impeding on our home.” Her tone wasn’t accusing him, just simply asking.

Sera is using one Glamour to activate Consumptive Voice: the Nix’s voice will muddy the thoughts of any who listen to her speak. They don’t notice that her voice has changed, but it causes a slowing, almost narcotic effect. For the remainder of the scene, any who hear her voice in casual conversation find their Social rolls hampered by a penalty equal to half the Nix’s Wyrd score (round down).

[Mhairi Ankaa]

The chill. The damp, the-the smell. For a moment Mhairi whisked she had not the stole around her shoulders but some more fragrant. Just to surround herself with something nicer then...this.

Augh.

The hob, while not a welcome sight isn't unexpected. The only unexpected part is that they caught sight of him so soon into their journey.

Sera steps forward, her voice angelic as always, carries the prefect pitch and emotional notes...the honey.

Mhairi keeps still knowing her fell-fires will have kept the others away, and while the Lost have grown familiar with her Bearing, this hob has not. So, Mhairi dose what a Dread Lady aught.

Try and inspire Fear.

Silver and green, fell fires by moon light, the gleaming galaxy of her hair twinkles and burns.

The Wisp looks down her nose at the hob, and tilts her head.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-26 12:32:30		Mhairi Ankaa rolls 3 to Grr I are scary (Press 2 + Intimidation 1) (10 Again)		5, 10, 7, 2		1 success

[Circe]

And there was a hob. Joy. Circe put on a smile as Mhairi did, something. Well she could be good cop while someone else could be bad cop, "Hiya!" she waves the flashlight in her left hand in greeting, "Nice knife. Props on yer successful hunt," she points the light at the curing racks as honey coats her words then onto Seraphina's knees, "Plus what she said. We're here for the vines, not ta harass a honest hunter like yerself."

2 suxx schmooze

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-26 23:33:25		Circe rolls 5 to Manip 2 Persuade 1 Striking 1 Glamour 1 (10 Again)		10, 7, 6, 9, 3, 6		2 successes

"No reason not to be civil here. Or ta at least talk business, am I right?" Circe points her flashlight straight up into the air as she tilts her head with a serene smile on her face, "Big strong fella like yerself, a skilled hunter no less, surely yer confident enough to have a chat with yer neighbors. Riiight?"

[Yumyumcrow]

The redcap's stony face alights on Mhairi and responds to her show of force with... an unpleasant grin of sharp, mismatched, teeth. Insolent and hungry. That killer grin leers past the Ashen Sovereign and drifts over Quick and his flaming aura as well.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-27 20:40:44		Redcap to resist intimidation rolls 5 to Composure + Intimidation + Speciality (10 Again)		10, 9, 6, 6, 3, 7		2 successes

The evil travesty of a smile does not last long, however. A snort from the hob and an animalistic sniff from the Redcap indicate Seraphina's inherent power has taken hold. He tilts his misshapen head and looks over the two Fairest Circe Seraphina .

"Goblin fruit of the nasty kind. Burn 'em back all you want, they'll come back. Been here since before we cleared this spot."

Redcap uttered, shrugging his shoulders. The hob settled on its haunches, staring at Seraphina with a peculiar intensity.

"Business, eh? Well you'll want to talk to Gordon. Hey! Gordon! Glob! Get out here. Someone wants to chat." The Ogre turned and yelled through the hut's entrance.

In response came noise: growling, thumping of feet. A top heavy Cyclopean Ogre waring a stained apron and a belt of knives, cleavers and other cutting tools, hauled himself out from the hut. Slaps of muscle warped his large - but not giant - frame. He grunted, snorted, peered with tiny biopic eyes at the group assembled before the hut. His huge hairy chest strained the apron. Sweat gleamed.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-27 20:49:11		Cyclopian Ogre to Stone 5 rolls 7 to Resolve + Wyrd (10 Again)		9, 7, 10, 5, 2, 9, 5, 5		3 successes

"Trade?" This Cyclopean Ogre had a rich baritone voice - a touch of civility that belied his ugly and menacing appearance.

"Something about meet the neighbours, I think." Redcap shrugged again.

Gordon Glob the Ogre spends 3 Glamour and 1 WP for Stone 5

[Quick]

Everything feels a little foggier for some reason. Maybe it's just the way the Hedge works... The Elemental tries to shake his head clear of the feeling. They'd made introductions. Right?

He tenses up as the Ogre fellow with the red cap passes his ugly smile from Mhairi to himself. Part of him wonders if now wouldn't be a good time for 'fight-or-flight'. Thankfully, the smile doesn't last long. And the two Fairest seem to have at least gotten some conversation going. Some nonsense about business or trading. Doesn't seem like Quick and his friends are the first visitors these 'charming' creatures have had.

Something the Redcap said about the vines doesn't sit well with Quick, though. "The vines ever bother you?" he asks, eyeing the area around the hut. If they just keep growing... why haven't they overtaken this little operation? Quick blinks.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-01-28 18:06:22		Quick rolls 4 to Wits 2 + Composure 2 to check things out (10 Again)		4, 9, 4, 10, 4		2 successes

The one called Gordon earns more than a few blinks. Not only for his impressive size and ugliness... but for the tone of his voice. Talk about not judging a book by it's cover.

[Seraphina]

Sapphires look at the vines as the Ogre mentions them being goblin fruit of some sort.

A nod as she looks back to him, “Sounds like they’ve been a problem for you on some level then.” If they could burn them and they’d come back. “But also seems like you’ve found a happy medium of sorts with them.” Since he hasn’t moved his hut or anything.

Wait…there’s another one? Great, of course there would be more than one.

Damn! If the knives didn’t make her nervous, the stained apron and look of the guy sure did.

He looked like he could handle himself with or without those knives and cleavers.

But his voice, that was a true surprise. She wasn’t expecting such a voice from the look of him.

Quick asked a good question, so she looks to expand on it.

So she puts on her best smile, “Hi, we’re neighbors of sorts, and the vines seem to be invading our home. So we follow them and, well, here we are!” her angelic voice chipper and upbeat, “So we were curious about them. Do you know anymore about them? Perhaps where they came from?” she didn't think to bring anything to trade with, so she hoped he would talk without a trade.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"Do you know what kind of 'nasty' do they just encroach, or can they, when there's a mass of them together, become...worse?" the Autumn's curiosity will always get the better of her and she drops the play at intimidation as knew knowledge presents itself.

A new person appears and Mhairi frowns, trying hard not to judge this book by its less then wholesome appearance. "I have a few items for trade. Depending on what's on offer."