Lytin turns to look back over her shoulder at Jak as she walks. "I'm taking you to my camp for questioning," she replies, her voice tight. Then, she slows, her eye apparently catching something back at the top of the hill near the tower.

Findarion, crouching under the short ceiling of the tent, hears one of the figures in front of the bonfire call out clearly. "Arise, and cleanse this place of the unworthy!" The voice sounds startlingly close through the thin canvas of the tent. In response, the crackling coming from the wicker giant surges, as if a great bonfire had just been sprayed with lamp oil.

Down the hill, Lytin's eyes widen. Movement stirs in several other camps, just visible through the smoky air. Indistinct figures stand up from their seats by the fire, emerge from within their tents to look up the slope.

Morg sheathes his sword, and tries to casually grip a javelin sticking out from his backpack. He also tries to see Gariena's reaction to the wicker fire-surge and the figures emerging.

---

Action: ready javelin attack on either an attacking enemy mage, or if there are only mundane enemy attackers then the most dangerous looking one.

09:52, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 15 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 14.  Sleight of hand check to try to to casually grip a javelin.
09:52, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 10 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 9.  Insight check on Gariena's reaction to wicker and figures.

Findarion was about to climb to the tower rooftop, but the booming voice completely threw him off. Curious and cautious, he stays put and observes how the situation develops further.

As the party follows Lytin down the hill, Asano tries to get a sense of the gathering. He listens carefully to the chanting, does his best to read the body language of the visible persons, and just tries to get a sense of the mood of the ritual itself. When Lytin glances up the hill, Asano follows her gaze, trying to spy what it is that drew her attention.


OOC:
Insight- 17
Perception- 9/7
Wild Magic roll- 40, Asano regains 2d10 HP (7 HP restored)

Findarion hears the call repeated, ""Arise, and cleanse this place of the unworthy!" The crackling flames surge in response.

Morg tenses, gripping the haft of a javelin. Their attention fixed on the hill, nobody from Lytin's group seems to notice.

The flames within the wicker giant surge, spewing forth gouts of black smoke towards the heavens. The flame itself, burning brightly, obscures the humanoid-shaped wooden structure. Biart and Orm, flanking the group, squint at its brilliance, and Malin puts his hands over his eyes. "It's the Rite of the Wicker Giant," Lytin murmurs. "The time is at hand."

Two other figures approach the watching group from the campsite nearby, splitting their attention between the conflagration on the hill and the assembled group. The two humans wear scraps of armor and threadbare clothing, and their faces seem sooty from grime or fire smoke.

---

Map updated!

S & W on the map are the new arrivals from camp #3.

Morg tries to see if anyone around may be Fin's brother, looking at the ears of even females since to him male elves oftentimes look like young females.

---

Action (continuously): ready javelin attack on either an attacking enemy mage, or if there are only mundane enemy attackers then the most dangerous looking one.

09:40, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 16 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 13.  Perception check, looking for elves who could be Fin's brother.

Magdrak leaned over and whispered at Morg. 

Gripping his javelin, he waited until the humans were closer before calling out.  " 'Ello Wiglaf.  I see that you joined up as well.  Been wondering where you had disappeared to, but I should have guessed.  You always did have an eye for a good deal."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:49, Tue 04 Dec 2018.

Gathering his resolve to finally do something, Findarion muttered under his breath, staring at the back of one of the chanting cultists.

I've made up my mind. Let's try something daring!

Tasha's Hideous Laughter on P1. DC 13

17:29, Today: Secret Roll: Findarion rolled 27 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 19.  Stealth.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:30, Tue 04 Dec 2018.

Jak looked over at Lytin curiously. She didn't appear to be looking like this was supposed to be happening - or at least, not yet. That made him frown. The little hairs on the back of his neck started to stand up. He got the feeling, like a pit in his stomach, that things were about to go horribly wrong.

"Oh, that's disappointing that it's already started without us. Can we go see it at least?"

Asano continued to study the ritual as it was being performed. He racked his memory for anything that sounded familiar from his past studies and experiences. He doesn't even notice when he begins glowing with a blinding light.


OOC:
Arcana- 15/4, advantage from Tides of ChaosWild Magic table- 75

quote:

You glow with bright light in a 30-foot radius for the next minute. Any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of you is blinded until the end of its next turn

The flaring light from the top of the hill is abruptly eclipsed by a coruscating brilliance emitted from around Asano, abruptly taking Jak unawares. The two newcomers avert their eyes, while the rest of the assembled simply shrink back from the new light source.

Lytin doesn't respond to Jak at all, seemingly transfixed by the events at the top of the hill. She seems to pay no mind however. She and her companions don't move to stop Jak or anyone else from the group she was escorting.

---

Jak is blinded for the next 6 seconds, unless he moves away from Asano in the next post.

Jak was looking a bit wide-eyed in excitement and then suddenly was blinded from almost right next to him. "Gods! Ow! Fuck!" He stumbled a few steps away from...whatever it was, rubbing at his eyes and looking away. "Damn!" He stumbled a bit but didn't trip and fall.

He blinked several more times and slowly turned his head, ever so slowly, to see what was causing the bright blinding light in the vicinity. "Asano? What the hell?" He immediately had to hold up a hand to block incoming light if Asano turned to look at him.

He let out a growling sigh and looked back towards the ritual, and keeping a hand up to the the side of his eyes to block Asano's light. He idly wondered if they should be stopping the ritual and spoke quietly to Morg out of the side of his mouth, "should we stop this?"

Morg kept an eye on the former Bloodaxe, per Magdrak's request, but quickly changed his focus when Asano turned into the sun. His hand shifted to his waterskin, but looking around at all the fire cultists he moved it back towards a javelin.

To Jak he replied "I don't think so, not unless we know what it is."

---

Action (continuously): ready javelin attack on either an attacking enemy mage, or if there are only mundane enemy attackers then the most dangerous looking one.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:37, Wed 05 Dec 2018.

Wiglaf shrinks at Magdrak's greeting, then covers his eyes entirely at the blazing light from Asano. His companion looks a question at him, then scratches his dirty cheek.

"Eh, hi Magdrak," Wiglaf finally replies gruffly, squinting. "Didn't realize you were still here. I've just a mind to figure out what this Rite is all about." He looks hungrily towards the blazing pyre at the top of the hill. He looks leaner than Magdrak remembers, and much dirtier. The feral look in his eyes is new as well.

Findarion pokes his head out of the tent, and casts a spell at one of the figure's backs. The cultist straightens suddenly, though she remains facing away from Findarion, attention fixed on the flames in front of her. She turns just enough to speak briefly to her companion however, who peers through the smoke down the hillside looking for who might have cast the spell.

"Arise, and cleanse this place of the unworthy!" the first figure calls out once again, and the flames surge in response. Orange and white radiance coalesce into a humanoid outline within the flames, fire licking at the edges of its form. It steps slowly forth, directly though the wooden frame of the wicker, and flames begin to lick the wood in its wake. The immense form of fire strides towards one of the nearby tents, its foot landing mere feet away. Small flames bloom from the tent's canvas walls.

---

Map updated! The form of a fire elemental has stepped out of the frame of the wicker giant, and the wood is burning in its wake.

P1 makes the save on Findarion's Hideous Laughter spell.

Asano doesn't recognize the ritual, but intuits that the ritual's purpose was to call forth the fire elemental, for whatever purpose. He knows the basics about elementals (e.g., that they're very magical & dangerous, and that fire elementals are susceptible to damage from water).

Morg doesn't see anyone in the camp with elvish features, other than Lytin and Gariena.

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:39, Fri 07 Dec 2018.

Scolding himself quietly, Findarion hesitates; the rogue is not in the greatest of positions, the tower seems barely accessible and the fire elemental is a foe he doesn't want to face.

And thus, the rogue bides his time, observing the priests' and the elemental's movement.

Morg starts to slowly back away to the west, hoping the big magical bonfire distracts the cultists.

Jak wasn't sure what to do. Were the cultists going to try and direct the fire elemental? Were they going to kill Jak and his allies? Who exactly decided who was 'the unworthy'? He glanced at Gariena to see what her reaction to all this was. He noticed Morg backing away but didn't follow suit for the moment. He opened his mouth...hesitated...and then closed it for the moment. They were too spread out and there were too many cultists to start a fight reasonably.

Magdrak looked at the fire elemental and scratched his beard.  "Hmmm," is all he could say, however, as the enormous creature stood burning.

Gariena eyes were like saucers as she stared up the hillside. "This... this does not seem right," she breathes, nearly panting as her features alternate between anger and horror. The giant creature of fire walks slowly but blithely through a canvas tent on the hillside, incautiously scattering bedrolls and belongings. In its wake the wreckage of the campsite blazes, smoke rolling downhill.

"How a destructive elemental will restore nature's balance..." she looks worriedly at Lytin. Her sprites gather near her closely, seeking her protection, or perhaps trying to ward off any danger. Afid perches on her quarterstaff, glaring angrily at the towering elemental as it approaches. The two priests follow in its wake, seemingly prodding it somehow, guiding it down the rough path of the hillside towards the lower campsites.

Lytin glares triumphantly at Gariena. "The unworthy will be scourged from the face of the earth. Thus will balance be restored. Do you fear the just judgement of elemental fire?" She caresses the hilt of a dagger, jutting from her waist, then glances at Biart and Orm, who nod slightly. Flix, her second sprite companion, makes a rude gesture at Malin.

---

Map updated!

The elemental flanked by the two priests are passing by close to the group, but they appear headed to some camps lower down on the hillside.

Jak looked surprised, eyes wide and an incredulous frown on his face as he looked at Gariena, "You're just NOW figuring that out? Yeah, fire is for cleansing, burning away things unwanted." He shook his head. "It's version of restoring balance is likely scorched earth."

He turned to face Lytin. "Fear? Nah. Dislike it burning everything away for no good reason? Yep." He glanced at the teammates with him casually. "Whattya think, boys 'n' girls?"

Morg takes out his waterskin, and moves towards Jak and Gariena.

---

Today I learned that you can't ready an action outside initiative: https://mobile.twitter.com/Jer...s/778650357824040961

"Fear a just judgement? No," Asano says, looking away from the elemental. "But the elementals don't have the same viewpoints we do. There is no just or un-just, they simply do what they do. And fire burns. The only balance is when all elements are equal." He breaks off, shaking his head with a chuckle. "And now I sound like every arcane theory tutor my parents hired. Sad. Anyway," he looks to Gariena. "Was that a bound summoning? Or is that elemental free of a summoner's binding?" As he asks, he looks over the fire elemental, attempting  to identify any symbols, marks, or other indications of a binding laid upon the elemental when it was summoned.


OOC:
Persuasion- 9/19
Arcana- 16
Wild Magic- 20  "You cast Grease centered on yourself." Haha! Oops.

The form of the fire elemental continues inexorably down the slope, trailed by the two cultist priests. Waves of heat radiate from its humanoid form, and wisps of smoke trail behind in its wake as the rough grass of the hillside is incinerated.

Lytin smirks and waves her companions to join her. "You all are unworthy, all of you. You all will burn. Soon." Her feral grin flashes as she turns to follow the elemental. Her three companions move to follow.

Wiglaf and his companion both approach closer, their filthy appearance and hungry eyes becoming more and more apparent the closer they come. "I think I done learned what this whole Rite is about," Wiglaf says earnestly to Magdrak. "Seems they're like to burn down this whole hillside, maybe even everyone on it. Don't suppose you're keen to help 'em with that, are ye? Could be fun, belike old times." He flashes a feral grin, matched by Storol.

Gariena's eyes remain wide, anger warring with confusion on her face. "N-no, that elemental doesn't seem bound to me at all. If they let t-that creature loose in this wilderness, it will make things worse instead of better. I'm starting to think this was a mistake." The druid's sprite companions both mime lowering visors, then draw their swords.

The light emanating from Asano flares briefly, then a gout of black oil spills all around the sorcerer, staining the tufts of grass with greasy ichor. The sprites spin toward the oily spill centered around Asano, then grin with mirth.

---

Map updated!

Asano does not believe that this elemental is controlled as a normal Conjure Elemental spell would work.

Magdrak stared at the retreating form of Lytin, shaking his head in thinly veiled disgust.  "If we're unworthy, why'd ya want ta hire us, ya crazy berk?"  Turning to Wiglaf, he shook his head again and continued.  "Sounds like she's planning on siccing that fiery beast on us even if we help.  I'm not keen on diggin' me own grave."

Following the priests, the rogue remains unseen, waiting. It seemed that confrontation was inevitable... thus, he kept his bow drawn, an arrow pointed at one of the priest's backs.

As he moved in to the new tent he spared a moment to survey his new surroundings.

Move to Y22.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:37, Fri 14 Dec 2018.