Hedge Patrol IV

[Saber Sloth]

Circe and Liam scan over the area;

Circe's drawn to the Very Obvious Path, noticing when the clearing widens to become Path, and sees long stakes, speared into the ground, on both sides of the Path, with green climbing ropes wrapped and knotted around them, pulled taut between once stake and the next all the way along until Circe can't see. Clearly used to shape and manage the branches and brambles.

Liam, more focused upon the harvested bounty, notices, several wicker baskets set neatly behind one of the statue's legs. From the still well flatted grass around them, he knows that there had been many, many other baskets set around these hedge-solder's feet.


Sonnie, however, notices the spike and rope fence, and smells the baskets, and the residual fruit juice layering on them, and more;

The clearing is well tended, as are the statues, looking like they'd just been sculpted and planted, they are not moss covered, or weather worn. The scent clinging to the vines, under the fruit-scent is the same as the one lingering around the baskets, and closer to the fence, drifting further along the path. Like sickly sweet berries and rusted metal.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie peered around, sniffing the air and listening carefully. Environmental details were absorbed and sorted by instinct. Nothing immediately threatening was registered. Feral urges under the human comprehension relaxed somewhat.

"Hmmm..." the Beast eyed the statues curiously, "This is surprisingly well tended."

She paused, sniffing again, "Rust? And... rotten berries?" She approached were the baskets had lain, sniffing again. "Someone used rusty tools to harvest the fruit?"

[Circe]

"Fruitful findings Liam," she cheers at his revelations.


Then gets distracted by Sonja's words. "Quicksand?! That stuff sucks Sonja. Glad yer okay," and makes a mental note to start bringing rope. Or Hedgespin some rope, "How daring was yer escape?"


She eyes the path, "Well, somebody is keeping this place up. Either OCD or a group ta do this much work," she nods at the vegan stanchion and rope combo. Could they steal some rope in case of quicksand? That was an option. "Probably be pissed if we salvaged the rope," she thinks aloud.


If nobody stops her, Circe will offer to and then try to take the lead down the path.

Equipment

Silicon rubber Skin Suit, Hedgespun Lorica, combat boots. Wrist watch, smart phone. Hedgespun Multitool, lighter, wallet, and 3 glowsticks in a fanny pack. 3 Ertwen Goblin fruits. Large gym bag holding 2 water bottles, 6 meal bars, a roll of duct tape, plastic flashlight, and some small glass spice bottles (cinnamon, cumin, pepper), trench coat, and gym clothes.
Weapons are AKM with bayonet, light mount 2 clips and 60 spare rounds. Colt 45 with 2 clips and 20 rounds plus a holster. Knife plus a sheath.

[Liam Gelt]

Liam looks over the baskets. They don't look too spectacular at first glance, but there's clearly signs of other baskets that had been laid nearby. "Looks like either the harvesters left some extra baskets here, or they get left here and filled by other pickers." He's about to pick up one of the baskets before Circe mentions the rope, and he pulls his arm back sheepishly. Maybe they'll be here when we're on our way back. Provider we're not being chased back...

He's not too keen on someone using rusty tools to harvest fruit of any kind. "Yuck! Rusty tools do not make a good fruit salad. You don't suppose Hobs can get food poisoning, do you?" He's sure there might be some Hob or Hedgebeast whose metabolism eliminates vulnerabilities to poison, but surely not all.

Eager to continue and possibly find the harvesters, Liam follows Circe and Sonnie down the clearer path.

equipment

Hiking Clothes w/ Heavy Boots; Backpack; First-Aid Kit; 2-3 Goblin Fruits; Blanket; Battery-Powered Lamp; Protein Bars (8); Canteen (water; x2); Smartphone

[Saber Sloth]

With the spike and rope fence keeping the reaching branches away from them, they make good time. Suspiciously good time. It's not just the base of the brush that's being kept back, but above them, the reaching, clinging, catching thorns - aren't. At least not towards them, and the further they walk, containing to move straight as there are not turns or twists, the less like a trail this feels like and more like an, unending hallway.



Sonnie can't seem to get the scent of rotten fruit and rusting metal out of her nose.

[Sonnie Wu]

She'd never actually been in quicksand. It was just a hypothetical situation she'd made up to illustrate a point. Talking about Briarwolves would have hit a little too close to home. The Claviger didn't respond or correct Circe, however.

She was too distracted by that damned smell.

Eyeing Liam almost reaching out to touch a basket, she nodded at his wise decision to pull back. "Please keep your head and arms inside the ride at all times."

The walk was... pleasant? Nothing jumped out at them, and the barrier fence - such as it was - did it's job. The Thorns stayed in their place.

Less pleasant as they went on. All the walking wasn't the issue. Sonnie was too athletic for that. She could go for miles more. It was their pathway. It was beginning to feel... claustrophobic.

And why was she still smelling that damn stench? They should have left it behind already. Scowling, she kept alert. Something wasn't right.

The Hedge was never quite right, of course, but this was something else. Something more immediate.

[Circe]

Circe talks without looking away from the path. Addressing Liam at first. "Well Liam, Hobs tend ta have the same hygiene standards as the Middle Ages. None."


That path is standardized. Controlled, and forced into a proper pattern. Not a winding, uneven path like most routes are. Someone was maintaining it, but why? "Ooookay, somebody built a road," Circe announces as she notes the walk. The reasons could be for harvesting, OCD, or a trap. "Anyone thinks this is a trap? Ya ready fer a fight if it is?"


Circe pauses in the walk after asking Gerrit and Sonja that question. Then eyes the side of the path. Was there any hints?

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-02-06 19:23:43	Circe rolls 6 to Perception (10 Again)	5, 2, 10, 8, 9, 1, 2	3 successes

Equipment

Silicon rubber Skin Suit, Hedgespun Lorica, combat boots. Wrist watch, smart phone. Hedgespun Multitool, lighter, wallet, and 3 glowsticks in a fanny pack. 3 Ertwen Goblin fruits. Large gym bag holding 2 water bottles, 6 meal bars, a roll of duct tape, plastic flashlight, and some small glass spice bottles (cinnamon, cumin, pepper), trench coat, and gym clothes.
Weapons are AKM with bayonet, light mount 2 clips and 60 spare rounds. Colt 45 with 2 clips and 20 rounds plus a holster. Knife plus a sheath.

[Liam Gelt]

Liam grimaces at the mention of Hob hygiene. "More's the pity." He thinks grimly about the butcher Branchel, and the stew Ram drank so that they wouldn't have to. Would he be called to make a similar sacrifice for his friends here in the unforgiving Hedge. Let's hope not.

The possibility of a fight shakes Liam's nerves just a bit, and he finds himself unconsciously ducking under the canopy of crafted foliage as if he's at risk of something swooping down and attacking from above. "Fight? Uh...yeah! Yeah! We can handle it."

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-02-07 00:31:04	Liam Gelt rolls 5 to Keep Alert/Watch the Thorns (Wits + Composure) (10 Again)	1, 5, 4, 3, 2	failure

equipment

Hiking Clothes w/ Heavy Boots; Backpack; First-Aid Kit; 2-3 Goblin Fruits; Blanket; Battery-Powered Lamp; Protein Bars (8); Canteen (water; x2); Smartphone

[Saber Sloth]

Straight, the only way forward. There are no bends or twists - no branching offshoots of Path, and no natural dips and bends. The feeling of artifice grows.

It's subtle at first, Circe's wary eye catching it before the others, the wide well tended hallway of a Path starts to narrow. Slowly at first, until the Lost can no long walk shoulder to shoulder and instead need to continue in a single file.

The Lost can continue one after the other, feeling all too much like fish in a barrel, or they can try to retreat.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie stopped in her tracks as the path became single-file, and she looked at Circe curiously. "Wait... we didn't build this? I thought it was a freehold road."

She scanned about their surroundings, even as she backed up and flicked her wrist, extending her hedgespun staff to it's full length. Her (metaphorical) hackles were raised as her bestial instincts told her to get out of here. "How the hell cane someone build this on our turf without us noticing?"

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-02-07 23:16:45	Sonnie Wu rolls 10 to Perception: Wits 4 + Comp 2 + Contract 4 (10 Again)	6, 2, 7, 9, 9, 8, 3, 7, 4, 8	4 successes