Haggling, part 6

Log Info

• Title: Haggling, part 6
• Emitter: Whirlpool
• Characters: Ashes, Baz da Ork, Edinaz, Josselyn, Nels
• Place: The Mythwood Swamps
• Time: Saturday, September 26, 2020, 9:31 PM
• Summary: The party treks barefoot through the swamp to the hag's hovel covens. There, they encounter a large hut, on legs, that seems to menace them. It extends a tongue, inviting them in. Ash and Baz venture in first, the others follow. Nels remains outside, as no one gives him a good reason to enter. There are good reasons to stay without, namely naked dancing hags, who are not made more attractive in flickering firelight. Against his will the goblin is brought in, and then the hags throw the Elemental Gem into the cauldron. It explodes, and turns into a wild brew, attacking all. Josselyn and Nels unload crossbow bolts and bullets into it. Ash is badly hurt, but also manages to hurt it with Purify Food and Drink. Finally, Josselyn downs it. The witches deliver cryptic instructions, and then the house vanishes leaving all to make the barefoot trek out.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ashes        5'11"    177 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face
Baz da Ork   7'0"     320 Lb     Orc               Male      7' 320 pounds of metal, muscle and stupid. WAAAGH!
Edinaz       6'10"    296 Lb     Half-Orc          Male      Grey-skinned half-oruch, extensive black ink.
Josselyn     5'5"     145 Lb     Human             Female    Ordinary city guard, with a crossbow.
Nels         3'7"     42 Lb      Goblin            Male      Tall, for a goblin, and athletic. Close-cut black hair.
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Whirlpool                        Otyugh                      I am stinky!
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

The swampy grounds are once again giving way to connecting structures of planks to create walkways. You are making progress, but your feet are generally very unhappy with you.

Nels grumbles that boots are not one of the functions of a Goblin Army Knife, and he's resolved to speak to the naufacturers to correct this. He kayaks where the water is too deep, and will walk with the others where he can. "When I get back to Alexandria, it's another footbath with the magic-eating fish. Who knows what's in this water?"

Ashes is hearing from her feet. They very much wish she was back in the saddle. The freedom from shoes has turned into a tyranny of unpleasantness. The boards are welcome, but the feeling of mud squishing through her toes will stick with her. And the leeches. "Parasites, worms and diseases. I would list them but it's too long."

GAME: Nels rolls reflex: (20)+6: 26 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
GAME: Ashes rolls reflex: (19)+3: 22
GAME: Baz da Ork rolls reflex: (17)+3: 20
GAME: Josselyn rolls reflex: (15)+9: 24

Josselyn shakes some mud off of her foot and then promptly steps through another mud puddle. "Note to self, carry an extra pair of boots in my pack. An extra few pairs of socks too." she says with a sigh. Even the bottoms of her pants are wet and thats just the worst.

The big Ork seems utterly unconcerned with the condition of his feet. Tromping along with the same stride and pack laden weight as before. He trods across burrs, branches, frogs and everything else. His iron like hide not entirely different from the metal studded leather he was wearing before. "Dis ain't bad. It's soft, and it ain't poo. Wait till we march'n down dry trail." The big Ork shrugs his pack, the assorted trade goods not used still piled onto his shoulders.

It really is the worst.

Especially when most of the mud contains bugs. Bugs that cling. Bugs that sting. Bugs that... well, thankfully they don't sing. That'd jsut be weird.

Soon, you find yourselves back near the hovels of the witches in question and all is silent there, at least first. THe poor lad you've been helping is holding in his desire to whine.

"why did he have to take our boots?" Oops, there he goes. "So... where are they?" he asks, indicating the hovels in the distance.

"Grandmothers. We have the gem." Ash calls out loudly. She's been using the travois from her Goblin Army Knife for her pack, dragging the trade goods behind her. She's been leaning into it, as well as contemplating her choice of daily spells. Her pants, just like the guard's, are soaked up to the knee and slap wetly against her calves with every stride.

Josselyn shakes some mud off of her feet again. "Well supose your right about that Baz, though I would prefer some familiar cobbles under my toes. They always let you know precisely where your at." she continues. "In any case... Ladies?!" she calls out.

GAME: Ashes rolls diplomacy: (18)+0: 18
GAME: Josselyn rolls diplomacy: (16)+2: 18

Nels follows along with the group, remains quiet, lets the talky people talk. Once we're on dry-ish ... well, area, he'll select the towel functino of his goblin army knife, and the leech-remover, if it's needed.

One of the huts...

... moves. It stands up on a pair of huge legs and leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaans towards you.

Yes, really. That's happening. Right in fgront of your eyes. Two lights turn on within, giving its front a distinctly creepy 'face' like appearance to starqe down at you.

Ash, isn't sure what to do about this. Her head tilts back, she stares. She also has a creepy face, and small decorative piercings that look like bugs. They go well with the actual bugs that are on her face now. It's been a long walk. In monotone, betraying no emotion, she still hopefully asks, "I'm here for tea?"

Nels acks as the gut stands up and stares down at us. He backpedals rapidly to the edge of the water and frantically starts reconfiguring his goblin army knife into a kayak.

Josselyn leans over to Ash "What do we do?" before standing straight again. "Uh we came here with the requested tear thing in return for healing this man's wife? Please and thank you, I think?" she says very uncertain.

The house gets up, this does not sit well with Baz. The house is creepy, this does not sit well with Baz. The house leans over Baz, this does not sit well either. Still worst of all, the house might be bigger than Baz! "WOT?!" The Big Ork rumbles. Straitening up with the pile of trade goods strapped to his back. He fingers his scimitar as he advances towards the house and glares. "WOT DIS?! Back bird house or iz gonna eat ya!" A line of drool runs along a tusk and his chin. "Mmm, big bird legged house. I be the first Ork ta eat a house, ya?"

"Well, if it is friendly, it won't attack Baz. If it does, Baz will deal with it." Ash says, happy that a solution has appeared. Good old Baz. This shortcuts a lot of misunderstanding. Perhaps the hut ate the old crones, perhaps there was a wrong turn in the swamp and there are more covens than expected. She's curious, but expresses nothing. She looks over at Josselyn, "Let's see how it goes."

A long, lolling stairway comes rolling out of the house's ... mouth ... doorway... is that a tongue? Either way, it's a ramp up.

Of a sorts. Is that an invitation? Maybe?

Josselyn looks up at the house, down at her feet and then back up at the house. "You uh, sure you want us to come in? We have to trade our boots and we would hate to track mud through your uh... very, uh... unqiue abode!" she says searching for the words that express without being offensive.

Nels is hanging back for now. He's finished transforming his goblin army knife into a kayak, but he hasn't escaped yet. He's staring in horror, still.

GAME: Ashes rolls sense motive: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Baz da Ork rolls sense motive: (15)+9: 24
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "ASHES EVERYTHING IS OKAY JUST WALKING INTO A MOUTH NO PROBLEM"

With a snort Baz starts up the tongue, seemingly deciding it's safe. The things that come off his feet on the walk are the stuff of nightmares. Especially the flat frog with it's eyes splashed wide. "Lets get dis done. I wont a drink, I want a keg and me own horse. With black sauce."

A lolling tongue. That seems inviting. Sort of. It seems a bit like a dog's might. Ashlee stares at the drool, imagines the hut is panting, even if it isn't. It's a way forward and she senses nothing untoward. Of course, her experience with walking huts is very limited. This encounter encompasses it all, in fact. She's learning things with every moment that passes.

Time to see what is inside. She strides forward and walks up the tongue. Her toes spread, falling between taste-buds. Hopefully this hut has a foot fetish. She follows after Baz, "It seems friendly."

Nels will wait out here and see if Baz and Ashes get eaten. He's not sure, but this looks pretty scary and he's going to play this as safe as he can manage.

Josselyn watches one or two people go in and if nothing seems horribly amiss follows in herself. "Welp, all for new experiences I guess. Maybe it will clean my feet." she adds mostly to herself.

The stairs are made of wood. Animate wood, sure, but it at least does not have the consistency of a tongue. You walk up towards the now open doors and step inside. The catual interior of the house is ... moister on the soles than the exterior is. It's perhaps worrisome. IT is also only dimly lit -- and stays that way even as additional lights flicker to life along the walls of the passage to guide you down the maw... throat... hallway. Whatever.

The hut is an animate object, created by the coven of witches who reside here. It's no different than other animate objects, just had a lot of time spent on it.

Ash touches the door as she steps through, into the moist, malevolent hallway. She lets her fingers drag along the walls. Every time a light flickers on, she taps. She is concerned, though also imagines this is what being swallowed is like. She feels a little sympathy for her familiar's food.

"The coven created this. They spent a lot of time on it." Ash explains like an uninteresting tour guide. Somewhat louder she calls out, "You have a lovely home."

Josselyn follows closely, holding onto her crossbow tightly like some kind of talisman as all of this very creepy. "Steady on, it is a very interesting place and I always wanted to see interesting things." she says with a slight shake in the voice, trying to convince herself this is not horrible.

Nels watches his teammates walk into the hut's maw. He calls out, "I'll just ... stay here and watch, then?" But he's also ready to bolt. He's a tiny goblin and doesn't like his odds of walking into a giant hut that looks alive. Now you're hearing it.

and Chanting from within.

It's gutteral. ALmost frightening in it that way. A flickering light is evident down the way before you, and finally, you emewrge into the coven's chamber. There, gathered around a cauldron, the hags sing and dance, cackling wildly in their fully revealed, gruesome awfulness.

These are not pleasent creatures to look upon, their visages twisted and horrofific. Amos, his stomach already unsettled by this, pukes mesily almost immediately upon the sight.

Edinaz has connected.

Ash STARES. She is accustomed to horrible sights, she prepares remains for their journey into the embrace of the Feiu of the Tears. It's still a little much for her, to see the hags moving around. Also, she does not dance. That's very disgusting. Her familiar, Chippen, loves to dance and starts doing so on her head, until she taps him. Stop that.

The puke doesn't help, her stomach churns. She swallows, trying to keep everything down. Perhaps focusing on their forms will help. No, it does not. She exhales, clears her throat. "I hope you don't want me to dance."

Edinaz stares, eyes a little wide. He's seen things, maybe even Seen Things, but he hasn't SEEN THINGS. So he's staring, and learning, and hey, now at least he'll have predictable nightmares for a while.

...they're naked, by the way. Just so you know.

It really doesn't help.

One by one, they turn and face you, gesturing.

"Place the gem within the cauldron," they croon as one.

The big Ork, first in, slumps down into his usual standard slouch. It takes him a few moments to realize the witches are naked, then that he doesn't like this. He turns and looks around the interior and notes someone's missing. "Oy, where dat other one that?" Leaning out one of the creepy looking eye/windows he yells down towards Nel. "Oy, get in here. Dey naked and gonna make tea wit the rock. It like watch'n dem corn meal sacks around a fire."

Josselyn shields her eyes as she notices the lack of clothes. "Hrm, ah yes uh... right. So this is what you three do here, how very... interesting." she keeps using that word, though her tone suggests she wants to say 'gross' instead.

Nels boggles as Baz shouts at him, and doublechecks his escape route. "I'm good out here," he calls back. "There's fresh air and bugs and no naked hags." It sounds to him like he's got the better deal out here, to be honest.

Well, that's one way to contribute to Edinaz' education. He glances at Josselyn. "Don't let 'emm get to ya." He hears Nels' shout, and asides to Baz. "Oh no, he's not getting out of this."

Ash has seen naked bodies, generally dead, often with horrible wounds. She also watched a dead fox decay, back when she lived with Nan Mocht. Every day she would go out, watch the little corpse swell then deflate, fill with maggots then turn to bones. It took some time. Mr. Fox was a good fox. Her wistful daydreams don't protect her from the current sights.

However, she's well trained in averting her eyes, and has a section of her mind devoted to interacting with horrible things that don't pass on to her short term memory at all. A mental scratch-pad, that is getting scratched very hard right now.

"I've got the Gem." Ashlee steps forward, pulling it out of her satchel and extending her hand. Just in case she adds, "I don't want to take off my clothes."

Everyone would see how terribly ugly she is.

Nels is hanging around outside and happy about it.

Edinaz gets a look on his face, and after Baz and Nels exchange, he turns and trots outside. He scowls, "Time to witness this, let's go." Not brooking dissent, he reaches for the neck of Nels' clothing to bring him along. If he struggles, he lifts him up. "You need to bear witness." WITNESS. Fucking Korites, always ruining things.

The gem hits the cauldron and it begins to ... scream.

Not a human screamn, of course, but it FEELS like a scream all the same.

"We call you forth, poison of poisons! Come forth and take form!"

The gem cracks and *EXPLODES* violently within the cauldron, a black ichor *erupting* out of pillar in a a living geyser that begins to take on a shape of a writhing mass of maws and tentacles. Great.

The hags, all three, cackle.

"Strike it down, strike it down! Then collect what's left. It takes a poison to kill the poison, assuming the poison does not kill you first!"

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+8: (4)+8: 12

...a geyser erupts from it in a orlling wave of black sludge. It streams towards Edinaz, but the warrior is able to dodge out of the way just in time.

Edinaz casts a shield to protect himself.

GAME: Ashes casts Sanctuary. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14

Ash immediately makes a ward in the air, stepping back from the boiling ooze. "Feiu of Tears, give me sanctuary." And a moment to think.

GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2: (17)+16+-2+-2: 29
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2: (2)+16+-2+-2: 14
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-2-2-5: (4)+16+-2+-2+-5: 11
GAME: Josselyn rolls 1d8+4+4+3+1d6 cold: (8)+4+4+3+(6 cold): 25

Josselyn steps back and does what she does best, unleashing a number of bolts at the poison creature or whatever it is. Either way, this definitely counts as a mortal threat and she knows what the City Guard handbook has to say about that. Shoot it.

GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+12: (5)+12: 17
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+12: (14)+12: 26
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+7: (20)+7: 27 (THREAT)
GAME: Nels rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23 (confirmed)
GAME: Nels rolls 1d12+8: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Nels rolls 4d12+32: (12)+32: 44

Nels squawks as Edinaz drags him in, and then there's ... this. "What?" he demands, "Let me go!" But he can't fight Edinaz, or he's not willing to turn his thunderbelcher on a party member, not just yet. Maybe soon. The there's the violent explosion and the ... whatever it is. "Gah," he complains. "You knew this was goign to happen," he accuses the hags. "If you needed me in here to fight something, you could have just /said/. I would have come if anyone had said. You people are all rotten." He glowers, sullenly loading his thunderbelcher and firing off three rounds at the whatever-it-is.

GAME: Ashes rolls reflex: (13)+3: 16
GAME: Josselyn rolls reflex: (15)+9: 24
GAME: Nels rolls reflex: (11)+6: 17
GAME: Edinaz rolls ref: (20)+6: 26 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 5d6: (16): 16
GAME: Exploding Poison damaged Ashes for 16 points. 10 HP remaining.
GAME: Josselyn rolls fort: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Ashes rolls fortitude: (13)+5: 18
GAME: Edinaz rolls fort: (2)+7: 9
GAME: Nels rolls fortitude: (14)+7: 21
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d4: (4): 4
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d4: (2): 2

The Hags have backed away, still laughing. They can't help it. It's just their nature. They dance and twirl, unaffected by the ring of foulness that just erupted from the cauldron and sprayed in all directions. It's very touch is terrible, but the linger after effect is worse. Thankfully, some of the adventurers are able to avoid the worst of the effects, though Ashes gets the visible worst of the impact, both Josselyn and E Edinaz seem to be suffering from the toxic impact worse in some ways.

Amos has run back down the hallway. Nope nope nope. He's no coward, not really, but he's out of his depth and he knows it.

GAME: Edinaz RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 12 temporary HP
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+14-2: (11)+14+-2: 23
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+9-2: (5)+9+-2: 12
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+14-2: (10)+14+-2: 22
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d20+9-2: (2)+9+-2: 9
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d8+7: (8)+7: 15
GAME: Edinaz rolls 1d6+&: (4)+&: 4

Edinaz suffers, but as he suffers his sacred tattoos start to glow silver. He straightens up, swords out. "No." His swings are a little wild, warding as much as trying to kill teh poison, but he sweeps through its limbs once, twice.

<OOC> Ashes says, "defensively cast 'Purify Food and Water'"
<OOC> Ashes says, "I think, technically, it's not an attack spell so my Sanctuary stays up too"
<OOC> Ashes says, "concentration roll is clr 3, wis +3 I think, DC 15 sinc 0 levelspell"
GAME: Ashes rolls 1d20+3+3: (18)+3+3: 24
GAME: Ashes casts Purify Food And Drink. Caster Level: 3 DC: 13
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "It IS made of water. So let's treat that as a damaging attack!""
<OOC> Ashes says, "Cantrips typically do 1d3, 
                   something closer to what I can channel is 2d6. 
                   Improvised weapons are usually a d4 or a d6. 
                   CLW is d8+caster level. 
                   The most 'thing' I can cast is Cure Moderate, doing 2d8+3."
GAME: Ashes rolls 2d6: (5): 5

Ashes is engulfed by a toxic wave of mire. She goes down, down, down, and the toxicity climbs higher. And it stings, stings, stings, this toxic wave of mire. So much toxic mire.

Swept up in the wave, slammed against the wall, Ash reverts to her native tongue. "Ow."

Followed by quick gestures, where she's waving her holy symbol at the roiling cauldron and the foulness erupting from it. "Feiu of the Tears, make it stop."

Which... seems to have some kind of effect. Ash coughs, and makes an apology, because she's not only ugly she's also a rotten person. "Sorry Nels. I thought it was safe." <goblin-talk>

GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (20)+16+-4: 32 (THREAT)
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (20)+16+-4: 32 (THREAT)
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4-5: (17)+16+-4+-5: 24
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (18)+16+-4: 30
GAME: Josselyn rolls weapon14-4: (5)+16+-4: 17
GAME: Josselyn rolls 2d8+22+1d6 cold: (5)+22+(1 cold): 28
GAME: Josselyn rolls 1d8+11+1d6 cold: (5)+11+(5 cold): 21
GAME: Josselyn rolls 1d8+11+1d6 cold: (3)+11+(6 cold): 20
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "My encounter plans go 'BLOOP'."

Josselyn takes a step back, loading another bolt. Even as she feels her strength ebb she focuses on everything she is taught in the 4 day basic training course all city guard get, the practice at the range every day at work, the 2 page operators manual, even the motivational 'Your crossbow and you.' pamphlets at the barracks. A flurry of bolts leaves the well-used weapon of Alexandria's finest to finish off whatever final part of this creature is left.

It bursts apart in a spray of goo and ooze that gets ... everywhere. The hags seem fine with this.

It smells violently horrible. One of them approqaches the caulkdron and reaches in bare handed, producidng a blackened, crumbly looking gem.

"Break this apart into her water. She will be cured."

Hags may be evil, rapacious creatures of evil, but it would appear they have intent on honoring the deal -- which kind of makes one wonder what's *really* been in it for them. All the same, they hold it out for someone to take.

"The poison within this will neutralize the poison within her. Remember these words when your futures hinge on it." And then they, and the house, are gone.

... leaving you on the swampy ground, in the middle of the swamp.

...barefoot.

Edinaz sits there, having taken one in the face -- again -- for the job. His ink isn't glowing, either. "When our futures hinge on it. What the /hell/ are they going to do with our boots?"

Nels blinks at the rapid conclusion to things. One moment fighting a slime monster from the cauldron, now back in the swamp. Well, he guesses we're done and will head home. Or his best estimation.

Josselyn looks down at the mud, stowing her crossbow. "Well done is done I suppose. I think I am going to bathe for a week when we get back. Also buying myself at least 3 pairs of new boots." she adds stowing her weapon.

Ashes has the gem. She also has a covering of toxic goop. It's soaking into her clothes, which will be even more ruined. She carefully wipes her eyes, takes a cloth from her satchel and wraps the burnt gem in it. She also checks that her familiar, Chippen, is okay. Fortunately he knows when to hide deep in her hair.

"I have the cure, Aros. Everyone, let's head back. Follow Nels." With that she puts the straps on, and drags her trade goods back. Next time she will specify she is not a mule.