Hedge Patrol II

[Anatole]

I missed book keeping from Post #65 - Anatole burned WP there too.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Come on legs. Be faster. She wills herself forward and she's just getting along, not like she'd hoped, but at least she's keeping up.

Running 1 success

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-14 11:49:52	Cassandra Reeding rolls 5 to Run! Stamina + Athletics + spec (10 Again)	7, 7, 10, 1, 2, 4	1 success

[Saber Sloth]

The Lost continue to run, devouring death hot on their heels, Gerrit keeps to the rear, protecting the other's, and knows exactly when the rough grey bark of the bloodsuckle fails to snake against his heel.

Fails, to round through the boroughs, keep impossible pace with the Lost who do not want to feed the hobplannt.

It fails to keep up and it seems like the Lost have out paced the danger.

Pride Refresh yes!

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-15 12:30:27	Bloodsucckle rolls 5 to Chase! (10 Again)	5, 3, 3, 2, 5	failure

[Ram]

To Ram it sounded like they might have lost the thing. However, his trust in his own senses to detect the plant were not high. They hadn't reached the Hollow yet and he could keep running for a while more without difficulty.

So he kept running while trying to make sure he didn't leave the group behind.

Limiting to 2 successes

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-15 20:50:56	Ram rolls 7 to Stam+Athletics (10 Again)	10, 6, 10, 8, 4, 5, 3, 4, 7	3 successes

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-15 20:51:17	Ram rolls 4 to Wits2+Comp2 (10 Again)	1, 7, 7, 6	failure

[Gerrit]

Gerrit tried to focus at just outpacing the thing that had been following them for.. how long has it been? He didn't think about how they could be running in the wrong direction (we can trust Cassandra's skill), how Anatole seemed to struggle more than he'd like to admit (he would ask for help if he really needed it), how he could fail and and cause the others to get hurt.

Okay, maybe he was thinking about all those things a little bit. He managed however to keep the nibbling panic in the back of his mind in check, to keep a manageable pace, and to not leave anyone behind. After a while he worked out a good rhythm and since he thought he couldn't hear any more suspicious rustling anymore, Gerrit dared to scan the Thorns for anything suspicious again.

"I think we lost it."

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-16 05:48:38	Gerrit rolls 5 to run some more! (Sta 3 + Athle 2) (10 Again)	7, 7, 5, 9, 10, 3	2 successes

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-16 05:51:32	Gerrit rolls 6 to confirm the hopeful thought (Wits 3 + Comp 3) (10 Again)	7, 4, 9, 5, 5, 8	2 successes

Once again: adjusting to the lowest roll. Go team!

Equipment: Backpack - 1 bottle of water, First Aid Kit, Rope (from climbing gear).

[Anatole]

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-17 04:53:43	Anatole can run rolls 5 to Stamina + Athletics + Speciality (10 Again)	3, 1, 2, 2, 4	failure

Anatole runs.

And runs.

Till he slows to a wheezing halt.

Fortunately for the rotund wizened, the two Ogre's had pulled up and were studying the path behind them critically.

The burned dwarf doesn't really join them; instead he simply grinds to a stop short of their position and doubles over, coughing and wheezing. He isn't much use to anyone - face beetroot red and chest heaving. At best, he can make a few gagging noises as he gulps and sucks air.

Anatole is furious.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra hears coughing behind her and she gazes back as she's continuing along, "Whoa. Wait. y'all Anatole." And she quickly makes her way over, offering a hand to help him up and taking out water from her bag. "I think we got past it. You did good, this was just rough. Are you okay?"

She looks forward to Ram and back at Gerrit, "Do we still want to continue to find this Hollow? I'm still good for it, but I wanted to take quick check for it. We should probably take a brief moment to catch our breath, drink some water before continuing. We don't want to continue navigating in a panicked state."

They shouldn't rest too long, of course. While they've paused, she gazes around, checking for any subtle movements that might make them want to begin sprinting again. But, she wasn't going to leave Anatole behind. ...whoa. Not leaving someone behind to save oneself? That's a development. Not that she'd had to consider those things lately. Sometimes you had to, lest you all end up dead. Sometimes it is for the greater good, but this is not one of those cases.

Perhaps those positive thoughts aided her sight. Things just seemed... clearer.

Perception 4 successes

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-03-17 23:52:12	Cassandra Reeding rolls 3 to Perception (wits 2 + composure 2 Clarity -1) (10 Again)	10, 10, 8, 3, 9	4 successes

[Saber Sloth]

The Lost continue forward, feet hitting the dirt, their paces slows, until the Smith halts, wheezing, and Cassandra calls out.

Things are clearer for Cassandra, maybe it's the happy thoughts, or maybe it's the still well carved Hedge around them, but as for now, neither Cassandra or Gerrit see the grey barked vines that had been hunting them. Instead, they see something akin to a cul-de-sac, obviously beaten down and not as well kept. A few of the Hollow-houses, seem in shambles, or overgrown.

There's one that is a shiny beacon compared to the others. Well kept, lights on. A shadowy figure seen moving through the window.

...and in the centre surrounded by a still well maintained stone path, is a fountain. Large, and the focal point of the cul-de-sac, the Hollow-Houses each pointing towards it. Contrary to the play at suburbia, the fountain scream minimalist ultra modern. A seamless, sleek grey concrete basin, large enough for the entire party to comfortably bathe in, if someone could dare to sully the crystal clear water flowing down from the glass arch.

And the Lost will note, there's a very familiar rune etched into the apex of the arch.

[Ram]

Ram came up short only once Cassandra called out for them to stop. He spun around with bared teeth looking for a potential attacker, despite both Cass and Gerrit saying otherwise. It took a couple breaths and a double take to realize there was no immediate threat and the halt had been called for Anatole. Which made Ram a little mad after the dwarf had assured them he’d be fine, but if the plant had been out run and they’d made it to the Hollow then it was fine.

"Anatole, you okay?" he asked as he got out some water and handed it out.

And made it to the Hollow it seemed they had. “I think we found the Hollow. Just maybe not the one we were looking for. Circe described it as a cabin next to a waterfall.” He looked around noting the homes and the fountain. “Which, this could be if someone reconstructed things,” he admitted. A place with population, near a water source, shift things around enough (something the Hedge was uniquely to) and this could be the place.

“Think the question is do we want to see who’s home?” he motioned to the shadow in the window “And find out why they have a runed arch like the Freehold does.”

[Gerrit]

Gerrit noticed Anatole struggling, but while he was contemplating that the Wizened probably would not need (much less like) any assistance, Cassandra and Ram were already at his side with some water. Gerrit decided to keep his distance, but followed suit with getting out his own. They did it, they found the Hollow without bumping into anything scary - maybe it really was just their imagination after all?

He looked around while drinking something and assessed the situation. Ram's comment made him furrow his brows. "But if someone changed the Hollow, it means it's more widely known than you'd like, right?" Or maybe he was just projecting. If Ram wanted to claim a Hollow in the Hedge's version of a mini-suburb that'd be his decision.
"What are you suggesting? Shall we.. just knock?" That would throw away the element of surprise they might have, but if the person (?) inside was not hostile, it'd be the better course of action. In his opinion they probably should have a look around, preferably while staying unseen. The problem with that approach was, that he couldn't imagine Ram being stealthy at all, so he didn't want to speak up about it.

"Whatever we do, Cassandra is right: we should take a moment to catch our breath and make sure we're on the same page now." He carefully avoided looking at Anatole - making the break about the Dward would just add insult to injury.

Equipment: Backpack - 1 bottle of water, First Aid Kit, Rope (from climbing gear).