TotOM: Hollow
Caeldrim nods to Barbara and says, “Not sure what more we can do at this point other than fortify the village with a few traps and defenses since the villagers aren't likely to abandon their homes at this point.”
Rocky shrugs "All I can do is widen my search area and home we stumble across something, although once we finish getting the village ready we could venture farther out away from it to try and find the source, but we have no clue as to which direction to search in."
From that point on, things seem calm till close to midnight when the night patrols spot something strange approaching the village along the northeastern footpath. By the time the village patrol and those on watch rouse the rest of the party the creature is approaching the door to the Kostya's house on their farmstead.
It is a crooked thing that has lurched into view - a creature made of moldering briar, bone-white parched branches, and polypore-infested tree trunks. It grips a long, cruelly bent sickle in one hand, the weapon hung with the corpses of countless animals, some of which seem to still twitch. The creature has no eyes, but it seems to be looking for someone, and as it raises its formless head of aged wood, an idiot moan drones from it as it stares around slowly.
Accompanying this creature is one of the wood wards that normally are inanimate totems placed for protection around the village. Apparently it has somehow animated one and has gained control over it.
Upon seeing the creature, Caeldrim, Hunter, and Joe recognize it to be a Hollow man told in in cautionary tales about the constructed beings haunting the woods in and around the Margreve for centuries.
Caeldrim speaks up, “I never thought I'd see a Hollow Man. But at least the children's rhyme tells how to defeat the creature.
Knock, knock, knock;
The Hollow Man calls.
Swing, swing, swing!
His greedy sickle falls!
Chop, chop, chop;
He takes another head.
Burn, burn, burn!
The Hollow Man is dead!”
Rocky listens to the rhyme as it is one he's never heard before, nor has he heard of a Hollow man before now, but the lesson behind the rhyme is obvious, "So we have to burn it to stop it... fortunately we have the means to do so."
However, the villagers who comprise the night patrol are just as horrified that the Hollow man has animated a Wood Ward and they admit they refuse to destroy what is meant to protect the town.
Caeldrim glances at the villagers and responds to their concerns, “Since we plan to use fire on the Hollow man, don't attack the wood ward, instead try to keep the two at bay with torches while we try to corral the Hollow man with sources of fire towards the closest marked location where we can fight the Hollow man without damaging the village in the crossfire.”
OOC: From here on we are in Initiative order... these villagers have insanely good initiative rolls... and fortunately the Hollow Man and Wood Ward don't.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Fri 28 Feb 2020.