(Rotten Roots) Underbrush

[Saber Sloth]

Sera quickly pulls the borrowed mask onto her face and breathes the filtered air. Safer than she had been moments before, and it's a good thing Circe had a spare, and thought to give it to the Spring Queen, as the Summer's swaps weapons and takes aim that the foliage around.

As when the swing lands, cutting through branches and brambles, the vegetation shakes, leaves rattle, and the things that lay on them, are shaken loose.

It'll take more than one good swing to get close enough to those fruits, and doing so will shake more of whatever's now gently floating through the air loose.

With Sera Masked up, you're okay (unless something happens )

[Circe]

["Mmmpmmph, mmph, grrmph, mmmph," Circe's frustration is, well, difficult to translate through the gas mask. She is sounding like the Pyro meme. Or she is just grunting and snarling instead of talking. Wow, is it dusty in here.


"Cloudy ain't it? Definitely hose down after this. Move ya cazzo branches!" Okay, she had been grunting. At least now she knew the angles to use.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-21 11:53:07	Circe rolls 5 to Str + Surv + Spec Mach -3 caution (10 Again)	7, 2, 8, 4, 1	1 success

"Cut already!" She hacks at it again, trying to get a safe opening to result. She didn't have the right contract to manipulate the Thorns in the Hedge. If nobody tries to stop her, she takes a second cautionary swing, with a bit more effort behind it.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-21 11:53:49	Circe rolls 8 to Str + Surv + Spec Mach -3 caution (10 Again, WillPower)	4, 7, 4, 8, 1, 7, 5, 5	1 success

Result? Little additional effect, save that her Mantle is at full blast and the others can certainly tell she is snarling behind the gasmask. She may need to throw caution to the wind.

Didn't want to do too many swings in one post.

Equipment and stats

Armor: 1/2 bulletproof
Def: 3
Speed: 12
A card for The Asylym BDSM club, L-Colt M1911 Pistol plus 2 mags with 2 mags of hollowpoint and 20 spare hollowpoints, burner phone, light, 2 Dynamite sticks, fanny pack, holsters and pouches, knife, 3 Dream-a-Drupes flasks, hedgespun multitool, hedgespun glasses, Silicon rubber skin suit and thin kevlar vest [1/2] , HS Lorica Segmentata, Helmet w/light, leg gaiter, gasmask, and pump shotgun, duffle bag holding her trench coat, machete, and 20 shells. 2 LED flashlights, 2 summer sausages, 2 water bottles, 2 pairs of very thick gloves.

[Anatole]

"Right."

Anatole's voice is tinny and nasally when it is transmogrified through his respirator. Inside his mask, the Wizened senses rather than hears the angry hiss in his voice; the protective device snags and catches on his moustaches. This is going to one uncomfortable journey.

"Alight... then..."

He initially hefts his ax to assist the simmering Crimson Courtier, until the canker reveals its presence. Thick now. The stuff explodes from the Thorns and drifts lazily through the vaporous air.

Drifts, he thinks, like mines or jelly fish. Or something.

"Circe. Hold up! It's going everywhere!"

A pause as he tries not to recoil from the corrupted air.

"How about we try something less brutal? Or maybe do a bit of exploring first before we loose ourself in a blizzard of ... shit!"

Exasperation snagged at his voice more than his beard now.

"We can always try again when we come back."

[Seraphina]

Having never worn one of these masks before, it was a bit disorientating at first. It was snug, and the air wasn’t as good as fresh air, but, after a moment or two, she got somewhat used to it.

Watching Circe try to cut the vines, she doesn’t try to intervene, that was a damn heavy swing the Summer had.

But the way things were getting shaken up into the air made her nervous. Was that the Rust stuff? Or just simply pollen and other Hedgey material? She didn’t know, and didn’t think the other Fairest knew either.

“Circe,” she calls out, “what’s coming loose and floating around?” her voice raised to be heard over the mask.

Sounded like Anatole had the same idea, and she looks at the vines and particles, not coming up with a Contract to help. Looking to Anatole, “I agree, we either have to find another way, or move on for now.” Without knowing what the stuff was, it was a huge risk, and not one they should take. “Though I wish we had a hose and could just wash the vines down.” Make whatever the stuff was stick to the vines and not become airborne. But, she couldn’t do that, and she doubted the Hedge was going to magically sprout a garden hose. "Has the cord always been there?" looking back to the dwarf.

Hedgespun jacket(+1 INT, +1 DEF), Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 2 bottles of water, gauze and medical tape, notebook with pencil, compact with mirror, gardening gloves(2), metal cookie tin(empty) gas mask
Health 7
WP 3
Glamour 9/10

[Circe]

The Summer stops in mid-swing as the other monarchs admonish her adversarial assault upon the foliage. And the cloud she has made as a result. "Huh," she leans forward to get a look. Unnecessary as the cloud is, well, everywhere. And it seems quite clear that the Rust covered branches, to Circe at any rate, would rain Rust dust. "Looks like bad shit," she answers, "Good call Anatole. Bad shit."


She glares at the fruit, taunting her out of rich amongst tainted Thorns. "Fiiiiine," she mulls out from behind the mask. "We find less toxic branches. I can make a hooked bill stick thingie. Like ruler under the fridge trick," she gives her own opinion. The fruit was taunting her though. They wanted samples but not the risks? Make up your mind.


And hosing it off? "I'd recommend bleach instead. Couldn't be MORE toxic than this," she waves the machete at the ash fall of RUST she'd caused. Then seems to point the blade at the rotting fruit, as if trying to threaten it to move.


As for the rope? "Good question, but I'm I dope, who knows of that rope, is totally nope."

Equipment and stats

Armor: 2/2 bulletproof
Def: 3
Speed: 10
A card for The Asylym BDSM club, L-Colt M1911 Pistol plus 2 mags with 2 mags of hollowpoint and 20 spare hollowpoints, burner phone, light, 2 Dynamite sticks, fanny pack, holsters and pouches, knife, 3 Dream-a-Drupes flasks, hedgespun multitool, hedgespun glasses, Silicon rubber skin suit and thin kevlar vest [1/2] HS Lorica Segmentata, Helmet w/light, leg gaiter, gasmask, machete, pump shotgun, 2 thick gloves, LED Flashlight, duffle bag holding trench coat, 20 shells, LED flashlights, 2 summer sausages, 2 water bottles, a pairs of very thick gloves.

[Anatole]

Anatole shakes his head.

"No. The cord is new. Last time I was here the trod still looked healthy. Not like this. And that heart wasn't here. It's been placed or moved. I'll be honest with you - I don't like either option."

He snorted through the respirator.

"The statues that peeped through the Thorns around here are gone as well. All of them."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm uh... I'm going to see how bad things have gotten."

And then he began to move off down the path - carefully.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-27 03:52:21	Anatole is perceptive rolls 4 to Wits + Composure (10 Again)	7, 4, 5, 4	failure

[Seraphina]

A look to Circe, “I’m sure we can find a safer way to either get the fruit or something else we can test.” The Nix had nothing up her sleeve for that.

“I was able to heal Gerrit, but it didn’t seem to be a huge exposure, so I’d rather not dive in and then find out.” Cause if she couldn’t heal a big exposure, it would crush her.

“Well, bleach wasn’t on my list of things to bring. But there is also the whole mixing two separate things, I think watering it down would be safer.” Just her two cents.

Nodding to Anatoles words and looking at the cord once again. So it wasn’t there before, interesting.

“Do we think someone has somehow tried to mark where the fruit is so they can find it again?” because why else would there be a cord? Or was it there to draw their attention from something more important?

Splitting a group in the Hedge was a huge nono, and so she tries to follow behind the dwarf.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-27 15:10:07	Seraphina rolls 6 to Looking Around(Wits+Comp)-1 Clarity (10 Again)	10, 4, 4, 7, 6, 1, 1	1 success

Hedgespun jacket(+1 INT, +1 DEF), Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 2 bottles of water, gauze and medical tape, notebook with pencil, compact with mirror, gardening gloves(2), metal cookie tin(empty) gas mask
Health 7
WP 3
Glamour 9/10

[Saber Sloth]

Circe takes two more swings and more of the decidedly not of the fun sort of confetti showers down as the branches and vines shake and break under that force, or maybe just the force of her blazing Mantle, either way there's a hole large enough for the Summer to squeeze into, allowing her to crawl towards the fallen rotten fruit.

Anatole, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of vegetation, and the coiling fear that one wrong move could bring down a shower of more of the particles, for now simply drifting down by Circe and her aggressive work. Keeps is eyes flicking this way and that, but not gaining any knew visual information. Perhaps his mind is echoing of the last time he had been here with Gerrit and a touch and something less dense than this showering had brushed right passed his Orgreish stamina, and the Winter's kith given defence to bring him low, to near death which only the Spring Queen's skill could save and even that wasn't a certainty.

Sera, mind fresh, notes that the corded nylon rope looks older then she assumed* but she doesn't allow that to distract her, knowing how traumatizing it had been the last any of the Lost had came here had been, and with her keen eye spots a thick root that it didn't appear that Anatole had noticed.

Y'all can roll Wits+ Investigation if you want to look at things that way, or a Wits+ Occult, if you want to take that angle, or Even a Wits + Survival would be good doubly so if you have a hedge or hedge fruit spec, or if you have another idea for a roll you can do that, or if you're unsure ask in the OOC

And I'd like a Dex + Athletics from Anatole and you can make that with a +1 assuming that Seraphina will warn him about it - If you're going to warn him or not worn him Orianna please say so either way in the OOC, remember to tag YYC when you do

*The cord was originally used to help keep the hedge shape waaaaay back when this was just a story hook during a Hedge Patrol - the one with the Blind Birds. It's simply here as a connective thread between all those and a show of time passing and it

[Circe]

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she says rapidly, "I'm not doing it anymore. Or diving inta brambles, Oh hey!" a few branches fell out of the way, "Glad I got the skin suit, my ass might fit."


She looks at the opening, then at her, well, posterior. "Or maybe not. What do ya both think?"


Anatole's options illicit a nod from the blue Larcenist, before she scoffs? Exhales loudly? Gas mask, hard to tell. "Wait Anatole. Nobody saw similar fruit hanging from the branches, right?"


Someone spreading it would be bad, but it could be hobs disposing of the fruits in a already infected area. Both could be handled in a confrontation. The fruit spreading naturally was worse in her opinion. She didn't want to go full Bridge Burner on the trod.


As for the objection to her chemistry catastrophe suggestion? "I found out how ta order hazmat gear Sera. Science it up," she spread her arms wide, "Though I'm worried about downstream effects myself," she says lowering her arms before she sheaths the machete. Shotgun back up, just in case. Still, what was that vexing thing, source or trash?

5 suxx occult

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-27 19:29:42	Circe rolls 5 to Wits + Occult (10 Again)	8, 10, 10, 4, 9, 9, 4	5 successes

"Markers?" she looks at the ropes. "Well, they ain't in a danger, no enter, position." Those ropes certainly didn't seem to be obstructing anything.

She sweeps the area again, looking behind everyone just in case something is creeping up on them. Unlikely given the toxic air, but she plays video games. Anything that could withstand it is either poisonous or really tough.

3 suxx perception

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-27 19:36:49	Circe rolls 5 to perception - clarity (10 Again)	8, 7, 9, 3, 8	3 successes

Equipment and stats

Armor: 2/2 bulletproof
Def: 3
Speed: 10
A card for The Asylym BDSM club, L-Colt M1911 Pistol plus 2 mags with 2 mags of hollowpoint and 20 spare hollowpoints, burner phone, light, 2 Dynamite sticks, fanny pack, holsters and pouches, knife, 3 Dream-a-Drupes flasks, hedgespun multitool, hedgespun glasses, Silicon rubber skin suit and thin kevlar vest [1/2] HS Lorica Segmentata, Helmet w/light, leg gaiter, gasmask, machete, pump shotgun, 2 thick gloves, LED Flashlight, duffle bag holding trench coat, 20 shells, LED flashlights, 2 summer sausages, 2 water bottles, a pairs of very thick gloves.

[Seraphina]

Spotting the root, she quickly calls out to Anatole, “Careful Anatole, there is a root right there!” pointing at the same time.

But she still wasn’t sure what to make of everything, so she tries to look at it from a different angle. Maybe she would see something that would spark a memory or notice something that would help.

Looking back to Circe, “I say we come back to it. We might find a safer sample to collect without putting anyone at too great of risk.” And she was all about this being done safely. “I’ve taken notes on where it is in location to where we entered.” Holding up her small notebook.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-28 21:05:34	Seraphina rolls 6 to Occult Angle(Wits+Occult) (10 Again)	2, 8, 1, 5, 4, 10, 4	2 successes

Hedgespun jacket(+1 INT, +1 DEF), Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 2 bottles of water, gauze and medical tape, notebook with pencil, compact with mirror, gardening gloves(2), metal cookie tin(empty) gas mask
Health 7
WP 3
Glamour 9/10

Of course Sera will alert Anatole Yumyumcrow to the root