Amalar goes to Barby to pet her hair. "Goodness, Barbie, you just had your throat ripped out and are still going without asking for a break. You sure are stalwart and inspiring! You sure you don't want to take a break and swap out for the night shift?"

Mix smiles at Amalar and says, "Not only can she handle it, she feels she has to handle it. Barbara will rest when she is tired, but as long as she has energy, she uses that energy to help people."

Amalar ohs and nods with a smile. "We'll be more prepared next time so none of us have to get hurt."

Amalar nods to what Cael said about her magic and gets to demonstrating with an almost dwarf-like "dance" that has frequent stomps and rigid moves. She gives Joe a wink when he comments about her magic.

Once the pit is created, she says "I also had the idea of using my dancing lights to distract incoming aggressors." If the other wolves had joined the fight by Amalar's turn, she would have done so. But the wolves got killed entirely too fast for her to bother since there was only one wolf left by the time her turn came around.

To Rocky, Amalar says, "That will be very helpful, Rocky. Thank you."

Amalar goes from one person to the next, commending them for their part. First with her teammates, and then the townsfolk. She pretty much stays with Cael, but while he is preparing them physically, she prepares them emotionally with uplifting comments and encouragement such as how easily the town defended itself.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:15, Sun 09 Feb 2020.

Mix thanks Pyrus for his help and once the cleanup is done, he has Pyrus help with making "fire" traps, smiling at him. "Bet you love this idea, Pyrus... more fire."

Hunter feels a bit small right now. He did all of a tiny gash in that recent fight. He keeps from showing it, though, and has more of an attentive expression. He nods to Rocky. "Do you think following the wolves' tracks would help at all? I get the feeling the animals probably were just roaming then suddenly got directed here."

He ponders what kind of punishment to give the perpetrator, assuming this isn't some really unfortunate accident. Which seems more and more unlikely as the days go on. He figures nobody will object to the person being publicly spanked.

To Joe's comment, Hunter says, "Good thing we have magic users too since our enemy is cheating in ways I never even heard or thought of." Heck even the player has never heard of such a method of attack in gaming before.

Hunter decides to go to sleep until awakened for the next attack. It is night time, after all.

Rocky nods to Amalar as he appreciates that his suggestion is being viewed as helpful...

When Hunter asks the Warforged Druid about tracking the wolves, Rocky shakes his head as he replies, "No, their tracks would lead to their den. Odds are that is not the source of the sounds affecting the wildlife in the area. Anyone smart enough to pull this off wouldn't overlook minions being tracked to their homes. Thus the individual would send out creatures that lived elsewhere. Although I suspect when we do find the individual, that there will be creatures around which will try to stop us. Those creatures probably live around the individual causing this mess."

Rocky then adds, "It might be a good idea to find some sticks and leaves that can be used to cover the pit and mark it so villagers won't stumble into it while masking it enough that whatever threat comes to the village can be maneuvered into it without realizing they are moving into a pit trap."

And thus did the innocent little village of Levoča earn the nickname, "Pit of Fiery Doom" and, "Blast Patch Village."

Pyrus cheers and claps.  "Brilliant ideas, Caeldrim!"

He grins impishly to Mix and winks. "You bet."

Barbara lifts her visor and relaxes a little.  She even has a soft smile for Amalar and Mix, nudging them on their shoulders.  Then reminds herself that the prophesy didn't say anything about any of her friends surviving the calamity.  Oh well.  Enjoying the cuteness while I can.

To Rocky she nods then addresses the group, "Rocky has the right of it.  He of all of us has the best chance of getting to the root of the problem as soon as possible.  As many seasoned adventurers as possible should accompany him on his task.  I'm very happy to say that these villagers have proven to be courageous enough to defend this place, so we're free to go for the throat instead of worrying about holding down the fort till reinforcements arrive."

To Caeldrim, Barbara answers, "Excellent suggestions.  I would prefer you in the advance team, but, would you like to stay behind and take full command of the village's defenses?"

  "That is the problem with 'just throw wildlife at people and call it a day' plans that seem to be in effect.  While normally it would be a good idea to track down and finish off those wolves, the problem is everything else still in the forest that would attack instead."

  Also, they can't just burn EVERYTHING.  Because that would mean less trees to cut down for lumber to build more houses and defenses, duh.  Very tempting already though.

Tempting, sure. Until you realize burning down the forest is probably doing a favor for whoever is up to this and the forest, in this case, is actually one of the victims.

At least, Amalar is assuming the perp is someone who clearly hates the forest, the people and creatures living in it, and nature in general.

She doesn't answer for Cael and since she wasn't addressed, doesn't have anything to say either.

Hunter folds his arms, frowning. The situation is rough and annoying. He is heartened that his team is working on both defense AND offense. But he's more the offense type. "I'll help make a sample pit trap so the others in town will know how to make one. But after that, I'd like to be on the advance team."

Mix says, "I'd like to go with you, Barbara, but I will understand if you need me to be here."

Caeldrim realizes that there might be a misunderstanding as he clarifies, “I'm not suggesting that a group goes and hunts down the threat while the rest of us wait here in the village. I'm suggesting that some of us focus on preparing the defense of the village while the rest gather what clues we can around the area since we have no leads at this time. Besides splitting us up and having some head into the forest is a recipe for disaster...as whoever is manipulating the wildlife could use the opportunity to send forces against those who wander too far from the village and the rest of us would be unaware of what has transpired.”

Rocky nods and says, "So you want me to stick within shouting range of the village while using the Speak with Animals ritual to learn what I can..that way if attacked the rest can come to aid us."

Caeldrim nods and then turns to Amalar, “Make sure to leave some subtle sign the villagers won't overlook but someone in a fight might so that no one accidentally walks into the pit traps that are made..and once the threat has passed the ground can be moved back to fill in the pits so no one is accidentally hurt by the traps.”

Caeldrim also discusses what sort of items he can make with the villagers and they decide against using blast patch powders as an alarm system since wandering animals in the village or children could get injured...but they admit that they would like Alchemical torches and tender twigs as those would be useful even after the current threat has passed. Several women also point out that the village does have a supply of herbal poultices and healing kits for simple first aid, but that there isn't a dedicated healer in the village.

Say the word.  Pyrus will support any ideas that involve burning the forest down.  He arm-arounds Mix with a devilish smile and says, "Barbara would never forgive herself if you were killed while she weren't around.  Same with me.  So unless positively unavoidable, she's gunna insist we stick with her were all the fun happens."

Sure, the danger is probably greater in the woods, but Pyrus wants to make it clear that the village is plenty dangerous so he and Mix don't wind up left behind on boring guard duty.

Barbara skews her lips.  Sounds like Caeldrim is overly optimistic about how quickly these traps can be built.  Or perhaps I'm being overly optimistic about how quickly Rocky will find us a lead we'll need to jump on.  No way of knowing which task will take longer.

"Just so.  Those with trap making skills will do so for as long as possible - until Rocky finds a good lead that I'm expecting will require leaving the village behind to follow up on.  I and my squires will be providing Rocky with protection while he searches.  Whomever feels they'd be better suited for that task than staying in the village helping with defensive preparations may join us.  Once a lead is found, or sunset approaches, whichever comes first, we will regroup back in town to discuss the next step."

Traps built for animals will need subtle signs for people to know to avoid them?  Writing the words, 'DANGER!  TRAP!' on the trap...  won't work since magically enhanced animals can probably read.  Caeldrim has the right of it.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:41, Sat 15 Feb 2020.

  Plus Caeldrim's naive optimism for 'Clearly people will labor in a logical manner'.  Minus Barbara's 'MARTIAL LAW ALL SHALL FALL IN LINE!' naive optimism.  Equals Reasonably Average Time Frame expectation from Joe.

  "So, hunter.  You figure these guys would get competitive, or throw the match to get put on the bench if we set up a ten minute archery contest to see which of them has better odds of consistently hitting rampaging wildlife?"

Hunter looks up at Joe. "Probably best not to tempt fate. Those who were going to volunteer have volunteered. Let them get a couple more victories. Then if the badguy still isn't caught, have a competition. Though I will say this; it is exceedingly rare for someone to throw a match when a large cash prize hangs in the balance."

He then looks up at Barbie. "I'm a wilderness survival guy. Which means I'm good with both. But being a druid means Rocky is a wilderness guy. So I'll stay and help with traps."

He looks at Caeldrim. "Don't go too subtle or the people will forget the clues. Besides, I'm relatively sure the control is just "go that direction and attack" rather than something as deep as the user peering through the eyes of the animals. So a little paint might go a long way. Like painting the tips of a few sticks red?"

Amalar says, "My power saves time here. I will stay and help the villagers."

Mix nods, but can't help smile that Barbie specifically said Mix and Pyrus are joining her. She nudges Pyrus as if to say "I see how you just manipulated her", but again. Smiling.

Caeldrim nods and responds to Hunter with, “Painted sticks and leaves on the ground should work nicely.”

Rocky conducts the Ritual form of Speak with Animals and then starts conversing with the animals around the edges of the village making sure to keep in earshot of the village in case he is needed, or if he is attacked.

Caeldrim looks to Amalar as the Alchemist says, “I figure you and Hunter can coordinate on where to set up the pit traps and how to mark them. We can have Mix and Pyrus ready to pour the cask of oil into a pit trap once a threat falls into one so we need to make sure the Cask isn't too far from the Pit traps. I doubt Rocky would have an issue with using his Cart for that if needed. I'll head off with the villagers to craft some alchemical supplies for them to use to aid us with herding and fending off threats to the village.”

Barbara "follows" Rocky a few steps ahead to ensure that whatever deadly wildlife should jump out, will more likely do so targeting the paladin.  She remains silent lest she interrupt anything important Rocky should overhear from the bird chatter in the trees, relatively relaxed in her vigil.  The young princess is doing the best she can to enjoy the beauty of nature in spite of it being used as a weapon lately, thinking on if there are any proper nature guardians in the woods, such as ents or dryads, and what they may be doing to hunt down whatever evil is behind this worsening calamity.

Pyrus follows close behind Rocky, fascinated with the druid and his magic.  "The stories I hear of fey and other creatures of nature are never good ones.  They give the impression that being pure evil is a prerequisite for being in league with nature.  But I'm guessing they're in the same boat as Tieflings, Changelings, and royalty: 99% of them make the rest look bad."

  "Hunter, no.  Villagers pay US to show off, if adventurers had to pay villagers to not die, there wouldn't be many towns left." Probably not the Goblin's point, Joe.

  "Don't forget oddly arbitrary hatreds Barbara, like loving bows but hating crossbows... Though I honestly can't remember what god that was."

Hunter looks back to Joe. "Who said *we'd* be giving the cash prize? Such prizes are offered up by town officials like the mayor or something, not strangers. Such are the weapons a town official has at their disposal: throw money at the problem and let the danger to the non-officials. That's how human society works, right?"

Either way, Hunter and Amalar get to making the traps (and marking them with paint) while Rocky, Barby, Pyrus and Mix go scan the parameter. Mix does her usual of keeping near Barbara with spare gear/weaponry on hand. She is quiet like Barby, not wanting to attract attention either.

After spending most of the day speaking with the animals around the village, Rocky returns to the group and says, "Animals seem affected in all directions equally, the one common factor is those affected are angry and not just at humanoids. I saw an affected bird dive after a deer that ran off after failing to retaliate against the bird... Whatever is causing this is indiscriminate and if not stopped soon could continue to spread and eventually render sections of the forest hostile enough to be practically inhabitable."

Caeldrim nods and adds, “Well I've spent the day mostly making Alchemical torches and tinder twigs for the villagers. The night guard patrols will probably stick with normal torches until something is amiss and then switch to the brighter alchemical torches as a warning signal and as a means to fend off whatever has been sent to attack the village.
 I suggest using the same night watch shifts as last night since that worked well for us.”

OOC: Assume evening is now approaching so characters will probably be getting ready for whatever they expect to attack the village during the night.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 08:24, Fri 21 Feb 2020.

"Do you realize how what you said could be taken as rude?" Barbara asks Pyrus, doing a good job of keeping a calm tone.

Pyrus' confidence completely melts away when his eyes meet the paladin's steely gaze.  "Erm.  Yeah, I guesso.  Sorry."

He stays pretty much quiet for the rest of the day.

Barbara is baffled that Rocky wasn't able to get a lead even after a day of searching.  If anyone could, it would be a druid, right?  It's difficult to remain positive after the best chance of getting a good lead didn't succeed.  But it's the job of a commander to keep morale up even in the face of dire news.

"Good work, everyone.  We now have more important clues, and the village is that much more defensible.

"Caeldrim's idea is a good one.  Let's do that.

"We should discuss tomorrow's plan.  I'd like to hear from everyone in our team."

Only two come to mind.  Trailblaze toward the center of the woods to see what's radiating malice equally in all directions.  Or evacuate the town and torch the woods.  But Barbara's been trained to not give her opinions first.  Too often yes-men will keep quiet whatever other options they had in mind and just agree with your first thoughts.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 05:31, Fri 21 Feb 2020.

  "They probably favor attacking people, given how many animals those wolves would have had to ignore to get here.  Plain old rage would have everything running in circles trying to kill eachother.  Still, birds chasing herbivores does at least imply it's not a perfect control either."

  What was their first sidequest again? Ah, yes.  "Also someone should probably keep an eye on the bull during whatever rushes this place next, to make sure it doesn't pick that exact time to bust down a fence and start trying to kill people."

Amalar doesn't like seeing any of her allies down, but Pyrus is Barby's responsibility and she was taught by the elves that parent-child relations are sacred and not to be meddled in lightly. So she just continues to be generally positive and smiley towards the whole group, trying to be uplifting overall.

Being an orphan, Mix wasn't taught much of anything by anyone, so she has no such compunctions about meddling. So she often gives Pyrus hugs (and surprise hugs from behind) to try and help him feel less down.

Being rude may be a sin greater than mass murder in the eyes of many, but this group has their priorities straight. We think. We hope? Anyway, Mix doesn't think it's worth brooding all day over.

Today, Mix wanted to be a guy, but refrained from it because changing genders in the middle of a town crisis when a town isn't used to changelings is far from ideal.

With evening approaching, Amalar puts into practice what she was suggesting earlier and casts Dancing Lights so as to light the area far out from the town gates. She also keeps a bow on hand so that when she isn't casting spells, she can have it handy to shoot arrows if needed.

Upon Barby asking about tomorrow's plan, however, Amalar says, "We have little choice but to begin combing the woods one direction at a time. Once we have defended the town another night, and gotten sufficient sleep, we should begin by doing that. With no real clues to go on, it's all we have left."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Sun 23 Feb 2020.

Hunter doesn't understand how what Pyrus said could be considered rude... then again, etiquette is all about lying to yourself and others, right? So truth should be rude. OK, so Hunter has reasoned it out in his head.

Hunter worked slow and steady throughout the day, not seeming to be rushed by anything or anyone. It is just how he works; only rush in combat.

During the meeting with Barby, Hunter says, "I'm with Amalar. Combing, at the very least, would allow us to find clues we otherwise would not have. Human tracks that don't belong, for example. Unnaturally disturbed grass or dirt. Stuff like that. It would not hurt to offer up a prayer to the god of nature and perhaps to the Old Margreve itself for some guidance. Joe's point about the bull goes back to my point at the start of this: ALL the animals in town need to be kept locked up until this blows over. Last thing we need is a fight from within the town while we're trying to defend from an assault outside of town. All it would take is a single bite from a dog to its master and the whole town would start panicking and everything falls apart."

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.

Amalar looks quite horrified at the sight. She even has tears rolling down her cheeks. A normal person might be frozen from such a sight, but she inwardly sees the townsfolk completely ready to fight the horror, but only being stopped by not wishing to destroy their totem.

Her horrified expression turns to anger. She hurls a fire bolt at the Hollow Man! Although it misses, her intent was like the villagers: herd the monster towards a pit trap. Just that in her case, her fire is ranged, so she had the chance to hit the monster in the process. Maybe no damage this moment, but soon!

Feeling the need to encourage herself, not to mention the villagers, Amalar calls out in a loud, clearly angry voice, "We know how to defeat it! We will have this monster destroyed very shortly!"

(Fire Bolt! Rolled 7. Miss)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:59, Fri 28 Feb 2020.

The Levoča villagers assisting the group wield their torches waving them at the Hollow Man and Wood Ward. This causes the Hollow Man to back up and actually allows the villagers to get around the Hollow man and the Kostya home.

The Hollow Man produces another idiot moan that drones on in anger at the firebolt that flew near it and the torches being waved at it.

Hunter has a pair of alchemical torches in hand, since Cael warned the group about how to handle such a thing (and the group had such torches anyway). He too misses the monster as he swings wildly at the thing, but at least no attempt at attacking this monster with fire is wasted because it cowers from the fires. So even a miss sends the monster closer to the pit trap as planned!

Meanwhile, Mix stands by, near the pit trap, hidden. He is very nervous, but has shapeshifted into a piney so as to blend in with his surroundings. He has the means of lighting the pit trap on fire, but doesn't have a lit fire yet, lest he give away his position.

(Hunter rolled an 8 and a 9! At least the rolls are improving!)