Hedge Patrol II

[Saber Sloth]

Gerrit forges on a head, returning to the T-junction, he continues forward...for a long time. Or longer then any straight away through the libarary maze had been before. Then, abruptly, a left!

And...a Lost. A gaunt women, who looked more like a humanoid rotary phone, her plastic casing once a cheery yellow, now paled and dingy, her receiver is secured to her side. She's strapped down into something that looked like a Hedge-cousin of a dentist's chair, hooked up to a IV, it's some glowing liquid flowing through the tubbing.

The IV isn't the only thing attached to her. Very obviously there is a wire, leading to the bookshelf next to her, and to the only thing resting on the shelf. A black answering machine. There is a glowing '1' blinking up at Gerrit.



Cassandra continues on her lefts, the bookshelves don't offer anything more interesting, a few scraps of topics she'd already gathered. Things that would supplements the budding Winter Archive, but nothing jaw dropping. Nothing worth leaving a stalwart defender to protect. Nothing, worth breaking a Pledge to protect.

Through this realisation, Cassandra keeps and eye and ear out, she doesn't find any traps. Nothing, not a one. But she dose see Gerrit through the gaps in the books, on the shelf that had blocked her way, causing her to turn that last left, that is now on her right, and something yellowy, on chair-bed...?

[Ram]

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-22 22:02:15	Ram rolls 3 to Detect traps Wits+Surv (10 Again)	5, 9, 3	1 success

Ram wished he could go faster but he also didn't want to fall prey to anything that might have taken out Gerrit and Cassandra. Not to mention not wanting to jostle the injured Oliver.

Ram's vision started to narrow and the sounds of his mantle seemed to press closer, as if sensing his thoughts and where they took him. He couldn't go there now!

He took a deep breath, wishing he could let it out slow. Instead he screamed.

"Gerrit! Cass! Sound off!"

[Gerrit]

Gerrit was surprised by what he found. Surprise made way for shock, made way for an unnerved hint of fear. Why, that seemed fitting for a Autumn library.
He looked around the area before carefully closing in on the other Lost. He heard shouting - Anatole? Ram? Both? - but was too immersed in his find to pay them any notice right now. His first impulse was to help the woman, to check in on her.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-23 01:34:12	Gerrit rolls 6 to examine the Lost (Int 3 + Medicine 3) (10 Again)	7, 10, 3, 4, 1, 1, 10, 3	2 successes

The curious nature of the Fae made this more difficult than caring for a human, but Gerrit wanted to see whether she was alive, whether she was in pain. Was the IV sedating her or keeping her in this? There probably was no way to know, but he hoped for the best.

Once he was done with that first assessment (and if nothing dramatic happened), he continued to the answering machine. He hesitated for a moment, but Winter's need to find secrets won over his worries. He pressed the button.
A stray thought, like he was scolding himself for indulging his curiosity: I hope the others are okay.

Equipment: Backpack - 1 bottle of water, First Aid Kit, Rope (from climbing gear), 'Beginner's Guide to Hedgespinning'.

Shadowpatch (+3 to Stealth)

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra makes an immediate stop seeing a kind of chair-bed and a person and her brain connects dots. Jamryn Fruit, right? That would explain those books on Hedge Weather and Goblin Fruits. Ann was trying to cultivate it in the Orchard according to Rhodes. Had all those people sedated. But, no wait, that was mortals. So, it can't be that? She'll need to find out. Curiosity is coursing through her veins. "Gerrit," she whispers through the bookshelves, "I'm coming to find you. Raise a hand up above the shelves so I can see you and hopefully use that as a marker, okay?"

Navigating to find Gerrit - 2 Successes

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-23 01:51:15	Cassandra Reeding rolls 7 to Navigation (Int + Survival + Spec) (10 Again)	7, 9, 5, 5, 2, 6, 10, 7	2 successes

She knows Gerrit was, or well, she assumes Gerrit was using the right hand side method and she tracks herself back, walking the right side back to the original intersection. If she is able to, keeping an eye on where Gerrit is or came from as well.

She can hear Ram calling, but damn it, if she calls out and there is a trap waiting for her to make loud sound, she'll be screwed. Get to Gerrit first. She'll feel safer with Gerrit to call out. Plus, they need to check on... whatever that thing is on the chair. Or bed. Or thing. All she can hear is Rhode's story in her mind about the Orchard and Iron Meg. What if she isn't actually gone? ...Wait if she ends up like Ser Norton? Or if Gerrit does, for that matter? He separated himself, just as they had. Shit. Fuck. Move faster.

[Saber Sloth]

Ram comes through the door, Oliver in his arms. The Piggy Professor is still bleeding, the breath rattles. Moving him might not have been a good idea.

From the inside of the Hollow-House, Ram doesn't detect any traps.



Cassandra retraces her steps, finds where the Macy's catalogues are, and goes in the opposite direction that she had originally gone. Taking the right hand path, she rounds the first corner, finds the straight away, a left, passes the first dead end right, her skills in navigation and the knowledge of where Gerrit is has her traveling in his direction. She hits the T-junction and turns left, just a few steps more and she finds the Ogre, and the Wizened Phone, bound, wired to IV and to the answering machine.



Gerrit having heard Cassandra from the other side of the bookcase, waits a moment before pressing the button. As his fellow Winter joins him, he presses the button.

There's static, then a voice. The Wizened's mouth moves as the answering machine repeats it's message but it's clearly not the Phone's voice on the machine.

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding~ Congratulations Freeholders! Feel free to plunder the library. Hahahaha~ But seriously. Thank the Thorns the Gate trick worked I've been trying to kill that hog for literal years. Do you know how hard it is to tame a Bloodsuckle? Hahaha~" a gusty sigh, "But seriously, take of the library what you wish, there's not much. But whatever you can find is your reward. Cheers~"

a beep and the message ends.

[Gerrit]

Cassandra's voice actually startled Gerrit a bit - finding this horrible sight would do that to an Ogre. He quickly got a grip though and followed the Fairest's instructions, holding up an arm to help her navigate as well as he could.

Once she arrived at his little corner in the library-maze he gave her a short nod and furrowed his brows. "I couldn't tell how she is doing, but I don't suppose she is a threat." Jerking his head at the living phone. Maybe the message would give some answers.

The voice sent painful shivers down Gerrit's back. They have been watched this entire time? What did the voice mean, 'killing that hog'? Did that have to do with all the shouting they've been hearing? And could they accept this promise of safety? "Do you think that was Ann? And what should we do about that poor Lost?" He didn't dare removing her from the IV without knowing more about it. But he also didn't feel right in leaving her behind. Maybe he could carry the IV, the answering machine and the Lost?

Equipment: Backpack - 1 bottle of water, First Aid Kit, Rope (from climbing gear), 'Beginner's Guide to Hedgespinning'.

Shadowpatch (+3 to Stealth)

[Ram]

No traps but also no sign of the Winters aside from four open doors. Three to smaller rooms and one into some sort of library. Only one of those seemed large enough to get lost in (discounting hidden passages but Ram didn’t have time to break down walls). He went with his tracking instinct and headed into the land of bookshelves.

“Gerrit! Cass! Sound Off!” His voice was a bit more desperate now. Where the fuck were they?

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-23 20:29:55	Ram rolls 4 to Wits+Comp (10 Again)	6, 6, 1, 7	failure

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-23 20:31:42	Ram rolls 3 to Tracking Wits+Surv (10 Again)	2, 1, 9	1 success

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-23 20:32:11	Ram rolls 3 to Traps Wits+Surv (10 Again)	10, 6, 1, 4	1 success

[Anatole]

"Traps? Sure..."

Anatole grumbles.

He moves carefully forward, slowly inching into the interior and carefully probing the walls and floor with his Ax. Sometimes he kneels or pauses so as to use his hands - gently pressing, kneading, tapping - where he suspects a threat to be lurking. The dwarf's progress is slow. Too slow, for Ram forges ahead, relying on wits and instinct rather than knowledge.

Snarling, Anatole has to hustle quickly in the Ogre's wake lest he loose sight of his companion.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-24 05:46:36	Anatole is looking for traps rolls 5 to Intelligence + Larceny (10 Again)	1, 6, 10, 1, 4, 4	1 success

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra grits her teeth. She's angry. She's so angry, she could let out a scream. You can see the way her skin builds itself into what looks like hues of molten lava. "Yes... if I had to put money down, that would be Ann." She shivers, as if the white hot rage is starting to get to her, "Bitch." She can barely look at the Wizened, but nods, "We need to do something. I don't have much skill in the way of medicine, though I did bring a kit. I don't think that'll really help with this."

She looks around a little, "Ann isn't a Winter. She wouldn't know what to take. If it existed. It has to exist..." she hears Ram screaming for them to count off and she finally gives it to him. "We're in the middle of the maze of books, Ram!"

She looks back at Gerrit, "I need to look a little longer. We need to pick up those books about Hedge weather. Please let me look just a moment longer." This is one of the only sections that hasn't been checked, right? And... is there anything reflective? Any kind of mirror or mirrored looking surface?

She looks around, but she is just too upset to really look properly. Tears start streaming down her face. "We could have had everything bad." her voice is so soft, "We have to get it back. This was our library. OURS. Lost in the aftermath of the battle of the Four Seasons." She sniffles.

Investigate - Failure

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-24 10:29:33	Cassandra Reeding rolls 5 to Investigating (Wits + Investigation) (10 Again)	6, 2, 1, 2, 5	failure

[Saber Sloth]

Marching forward, Ram alert as one can be fresh from combat with wounded in arm, the Render realizes there is no traps. Not a single one. Tracking's made easy with the knowledge of what Oliver was protecting and the helpful shout from Cassandra. Straight down the hall towards the visible bookshelves, and into what the Winter called a 'maze'.

Anatole, on Ram's heels, even as they're knowledge comes from different sources, notices the same. Not a single trap. No trip wires, no pressure plates. No noise makers. Nothing.


Gerrit knows that speculating wont work. Not now, he needs actual knowledge, maybe even references to know how to help
the Wizened in front of them. Doing nothing would keep her here, bound and dependent on the IV, removing it, or her might cause chain reaction and have her obviously compromised systems to fail.


Cassandra's emotions bubble over, her Mien boils, and swirls. Her frustrated words and her tears are might blind her, but the arms of the dental chair from Hedgey hell reflects her actions all the same.