Rotten Roots

[Saber Sloth]

Cassandra's mind's sharp and eyes sharper. Winter watchful, the cellist, as if she was set to perform, feels eyes on her. Expectant and hostile. From the corner of her eye she can see colours shift. Things moving....maybe it was the statues Gerrit has called attention to, but they had left them behind hadn't they? Could they now be beside them, hidden through the corded thicket of thorns...?

Anatole's right, there are Autumn magics that would cause the the fruit to grow back quickly. However, employing the Clause would not have the effect be as wide spread, unless the wyrd was in favour of the action, nor would the fruit be still in the process of growing, instead the Clause would have the fruits already ripe for harvest.

With these thoughts in is mind, he spies where the neon yellow nylon cording pulls the curated corridor back into itself, turning what had been a dead end into a way forward. Or well, sharply left.


Gerrit answers his own question with a quick look. His own bounty and experience in and around Goblin Fruits, he knows that these ones are in perfect condition. He could probably pick several here and save them for later.

Good call, you'd need to consult the archive to gain the benefits

[Anatole]

Anatole followed behind the group, his frown deepening and with his free hand frozen in place, clinging to his beard.

"No..."

He spoke more to himself than the others, although his voice was loud enough to carry.

"There are Contracts of the Autumn Court that can do... similar... But this Work is much more... expansive. Elaborate. And the effects are... different. An Autumn gift would force the fruit to bloom and grow to its natural extent. And that would be it. One fruit. One. Not many. Not whole boughs or even whole portions of the Hedge. And certainly... No rot. No rot. That a separate set of gifts...

"Goblin contract perhaps? No. Again. Sure some Hob could craft such a Contract. But it would be one fruit. Why so many."

He paused.

"I'm starting to wonder if this is the work of a group."

He let his eyes wander into the Thorns which grew around them. Seeking statues.

[Gerrit]

"Can we stop for a moment? I'd like to take one or two of those fruits with me." If nobody objected, Gerrit would try to gather two fruits he deemed 'best' looking, using his small shovel if needed. Those samples could act as something to compare others to, or he could try to find out what they did and maybe even cultivate them. If things went smoothly enough for them to bring those back.

Anatole's warning was met with a worried burrow of scar-brows. "A group? Maybe.." The whole infrastructure sure pointed that way. "Maybe there is something that knows different Contracts or has some other way to influence the vegetation here. Or maybe there is some.. I don't know, central distributor that has been tampered with. A water storage, or one plant bearing modified seeds." Although with the Hedge being what it was anything was possible. They needed something else.

Sorry, didn't know if I should skip both, Cassandra Reeding and Liam Gelt .
Let me know if you need a roll for the harvest (or you can roll for me if that makes it easier).

Stats and Equipment

Health:
Glamour:
WP:
Armor 0
Defense 2




Equipment: Backpack (1 bottle of water, First-Aid Kit, Small Shovel, Book on Goblin-Fruit, 3 Dream-a-Drupes (heal 1L or 2B when eaten/1 Glamour when fully healthy), 2 gathered Fruits found in the Hedge?)

[Liam Gelt]

Liam's clearly weirded out by the close proximity to where the last Patrol had found Carlos. He's looking up at the sky and around the tree line for aerial threats.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-09-10 12:02:45	Liam Gelt rolls 5 to Check for Aerial Threats (Wits + Composure) (10 Again)	5, 9, 7, 2, 9	2 successes

As Gerrit packages the salvageable Fruits, Liam looks over to Anatole. "Maybe it's different Season Contracts too. I know Spring Contracts can influence weather." He's seen influences throughout his time in Sacramento of Lost working together to make big things happen. "A tampered well might be a good thing to look for Gerrit." He looks approvingly at the fellow Ogre, glad to see he's able to handle the fruits safely. "Be careful with those. It's possible the Fruits might be growing this well because they don't have any natural predators. And that can come from a number of things." Too prickly. Too poisonous to the wrong critters. Smells wrong. Nature was crafty when it came to what plants thrived and which plants rigged the system. Animals too.

Liam still keeps his eye on the skies though. He's clearly expecting something to come at them while they're in the open.

equipment

Hiking Clothes w/ Heavy Boots; Backpack; First-Aid Kit; 2-3 Goblin Fruits; Blanket; Large Ziploc Bags; Protein Bars (8); Canteen (water; x2); Smartphone; Working Gloves

HP 9/9
WP 2/2
Glam 11/11

[Anatole]

Gentle BUMP to Saber Sloth and @Cassandra Reading

[Saber Sloth]

The party stops, allowing for Gerrit to pick the Fruits that caught his eye. Small things, between a plum and an acorn, a dark spotted fruit with the spots having some kind of brown fuzz on top of them, reminiscent of a kiwi. The Ogre knowing they will be more than useful, he manages to pick four, (a complete couisadance, noting there's four Lost in their party,) in quick succession, it seems the fruit themselves know how useful they'll be allowing for a very easy harvesting. As he harvests the fruit, putting them away some of the brown fuzz rubs off. Floating in the air, before attaching itself to the ground, and clothes. Wherever it falls really.


While they're paused Liam looks up, he doesn't see anything that immediately rings as a threat, but he does spy a few ratty loose black feathers caught in the top most reaching branches of the corridor.

If Anatole 's seeking statues or anything else that might go bump in the thorns, please roll Perception, and remember Clarity!

As there's absolutely no reason why Gerrit shouldn't have those fruits, I'll let you pick 4 without a roll, and on a completely random and different note, can you roll Resolve + Stamina -5 Gerrit

[Gerrit]

Dramatic Failure; would have been a chance anyway

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-09-15 02:03:40	Gerrit rolls 1 to do something insignificant (10 Again)	6	failure

Liam's words of caution were heard, but not really heeded. To have the opportunity to help by getting a closer look at those fruits, even bring some with him? Gerrit couldn't pass that opportunity up.
That brown fuzz? In this moment the usually very mindful Stonebones didn't think twice about it.

Stats and Equipment

Health:
Glamour:
WP:
Armor 0
Defense 2




Equipment: Backpack (1 bottle of water, First-Aid Kit, Small Shovel, Book on Goblin-Fruit, 3 Dream-a-Drupes (heal 1L or 2B when eaten/1 Glamour when fully healthy))

[Anatole]

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-09-16 03:08:39	Anatole is perceptive rolls 4 to Wits + Composure (10 Again)	5, 1, 9, 7	1 success

Anatole is lost in thought, his eyes scanning the Thorns deeply. The continued talk draws his attention.

"That is also a distinct possibility, Liam. If its Contracts... and now that I think of it... there are Goblin Contracts as well. That might explain the decay and the spread. Goblin Contracts do that which the Courtly Contract's don't but there is always a price. Thing is, if its Goblin Contracts at work, it might not be something we can deal with so easily. Other Lost can be chased off but Hobs? They live here."

He gave Liam a significant look.

His focus broken, the burned dwarf turned his attention to the Goblin Fruit that Gerrit had begun to harvest.

"Lets see what we actually have..."

Anatole's voice trailed off as he noted how the rust had flaked away from the fruit.

"You should watch that," he warned, his voice muffled and lost as he tugged off his backpack and began rummaging around for plastic gloves and bags.

If he can, Anatole will put on some gloves and harvest 1 fruit himself - however he is really interested in trying to scrape off some rust and inspect the fruit (e.g. is the fruit decayed under the rust or does the rust simply sit on the surface of fruit)

[Anatole]

BUMP

[Saber Sloth]

Liam Gelt and Cassandra Reeding have fallen silent, leaving way for Anatole's scanning of the cramped and scraggly corridor. To the Burned Dwarf's practiced eye he doesn't see those statutes, but that might be a miracle considering how thickly packed the vegetation is surrounding them, made worse by the lack of tending. He does, however see the brown fuzz and how the Ogre breathes it in, how it coats Gerrit's fingers, before disappearing - burrowing down under-into the skin.


Gerrit, however dosen't. He does notice how everything fuzzes out, feeling distant but present. Slow, but fast. His head feels heavy.

Fell through the cracks, thanks for the bump!

And Gerrit can you please give me another Resolve + Stamina -5 you can use WP if you want!

and Anatole , if you want to roll Int+Occult