[IC] D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

At first the woman was about to address the issue of the lone entangled bandit, but then she recognized that the man she had made sure was tied up was free. How did he get himself out? She shot him a deathly glare, furling her brow before she spoke up, ignoring at first what the other man said and addressing the bandit directly. "I don't know how you got out, but you better not run away because we still have questions for you!"

She gave a look at the black, sleek figure of the cat accompanying them, then back to him. The direction she gave was unspoken yet clear as day to an animal, that she was going to keep watch on him and wanted the fierce feline to help her do so. Granted she wasn't too mad, given she had other people helping to keep an eye on him now, or that the girl clung to him and slowed him down, but the last thing she wanted was to have to fight someone she already caught once! Between the leopardess herself and the jaguar he wouldn't get far, but that called to mind the fact she needed to warn the blind man before their window of opportunity closed.

Looking back to Jacoby, whose name she she hadn't yet recalled though she was fairly sure he had introduced himself, she noted at last what she did worry about. "We can't go much further," She began as the group stumbled through some brush, "Well, shouldn't, but there's one more bandit who is tied up by some plants I animated. We need to make sure he doesn't try to shoot us in the back or something."

@rush99999

[rush99999]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

When Shaedra said that they shouldn't go much further, Jacoby came to a stop and motioned to Warren for Callie and him to do the same. "This seems like a good enough distance away anyway" Jacoby said before the eye in his orb turned to Warren "Warren, please wait here and tend to Callie. Get the grease out of her eyes and check her over for any injuries. I will return to provide any necessary healing once my acquaintance and I have tied up 1 last loose end". With that said, Jacoby went off to deal with the entangled bandit with Shaedra. "I don't believe I caught your name earlier" Jacoby said to Shaedra as he walked with her to the entangled bandit "What was your name again? Mine is Jacoby in case I forgot to mention it before the fight".

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Wayward Forest

What Jacoby and Shaedra see

Callie visibly seemed to relax, even if it's only by a little bit, after hearing Jacoby's words. Warren's attention was immediately drawn from the burning Bernie, and to Jacoby when he simply flicked his longsword towards him. He was surprised that Jacoby had decided to cut the ropes and free him from the binds. Warren nodded and responded to Jacoby's command, "Alright, thank you,"

He then picked up Callie and carried her so that she wouldn't have to worry about tripping over anything while being unable to see. His attention was then drawn to Shaedra when she appeared with her pantherine ally. Warren looked worried at the mention of another bandit.

He yelped a little in fear when Shaedra turned her attention on him and he answered "Y-Your friend freed me. An-And don't worry. I don't intend on running away,"

Soon they reached a stopping point, and Warren nodded to Jacoby before setting Callie down, took off his bandana, and started using that to clean the grease from her eyes.

Shaedra only

After Shaedra gave Jamil the command, he looks to the elf and growls a warning before she leaves, "Shaedra. If I am here by myself with these two, I fear I may do something foolish. That girl...does not smell right, and I feel her scent is going to drive me mad,"

What Safira, Bobbin, Mirdas, and Signod see

Barney and Brett did not fight back as Safira tied their hands together, and they did not respond to Mirdas's recitation of the law. His voice was quite imposing and the situation the both of them found themselves intensified their fear. They also remained silent while Safira patted them down for any hidden weapons. When Safira demanded that she have it and to 'spill', the both of them looked to each other before Barney asked, clearly confused by Safira's statement, "Okay...Spill what?"

Brett elbowed him and he whispered loudly "I think she's talking about our loot, Barn!"
Barney answered back with a whispered "Oh yeah...!"
Barney then pointed a finger towards one of the tents in the campsite and he told Safira, "All of our loot and findings are in that tent over there,"

@JBRam2002@ihinka@The Harbinger of Ferocity@rush99999@0 Azzy 0@Cu Chulainn

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

With almost a certain casualness to her response, the elf slowed to turn back and address her companion. She knew he wasn't lying, especially as this mention of grease and other strange things were going on, that the cat was as honest and direct as ever, but there were two ways she could approach this issue. Either her spell would end if they delayed much longer, freeing a potentially deadly foe, and allowing him to do whatever, or she addressed the issue at the moment. Considering she spent years with Jamil of Azalorn and had wandered countless miles? The woman knew the cat could handle himself in restraint, even if briefly.

"We won't be long, just call for us if you need aid." The elf replied, brushing some of the hair out of her face that fell loose and wild. Granted she had no idea that the girl and the bandit might mistake this as being directed at them, she shared a glance with the panther, knowing he could be trusted, at least for a few minutes.

Jacoby introduced himself, potentially reintroduced as the druid wasn't sure for herself, but she nodded as she stepped aside some mossy trees and neared closer still to the vines, "Oh me?" She looked to the man and blinked, almost as if introducing herself again was just as foreign as it were the first time - animals, who she spent most of her time with did not really care for names - so her response was as awkward and practiced as one expected from there, "I am Shaedra, Shaedra Galandoel. I am a 'Wildwalker' and my friend is Jamil of Azalorn."

@rush99999@Guardian Angel Haruki

[rush99999]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

"Azalorn?" Jacoby said when Shaedra introduced her animal companion "Well he's certainly a long way from home". Jacoby looked back at Jamil as he and Shaedra left the big cat with Warren and Callie. Jacoby felt somewhat concerned about leaving a young girl and an injured man alone with a large jungle predator. Sure, Jamil was on their side, but were he not Shaedra's companion, Jacoby doubted Jamil would be as passive as he currently was. Although it was possible that there was nothing to worry about, Jacoby couldn't help but worry for the safety of Warren and Callie. So Jacoby resolved to restrain the last bandit as quickly as possible. "I'm assuming we'll be needing rope to tie him up?" Jacoby asked as he conjured a mage hand into being, made it grab the rope strapped to his backpack, and then move ahead of the pair to where the bandit was entangled "If so, I happen to have some on hand".

[0 Azzy 0]

Things seemed to be coming to a tidy conclusion with the last couple members of the defending group of bandits surrendering. Though he felt reasonably certain he had been tricked into believing the elf and company might have been bandits the realization of this bit of information didn't particularly reassure him, especially when it seemed like they were the morally ambiguous sorts of folk who tended to leave a trail of bodies in their wake.

Expression grim, he took out his coil of hempen rope and began binding the hands of the man he had knocked unconscious. He knew he wasn't the best at tying knots, but he considered himself a fair enough hand at it to keep someone adequately restrained. He worked quickly, trying to make it apparent this bandit was accounted for before any of the others found a way to construe things in just such a manner as to see the helpless fool as a dire threat worth finishing off. When he was reasonably satisfied with his handiwork, Signod straightened up and moved towards where the greater number of people had converged in the final moments of the fight. He briefly wondered if the one man he had saved might not have the right idea, wildly running off into the woods like that. Still, if bandits were about, it was best not to take that sort of risk.

[ihinka]

Safira stared at Barney and Bret for a moment, fascinated by the brigands' one track mind. "Bandits." She muttered under her breath shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"I'm not after your booty, you lowlifes!" She growled at the tied men resignedly. "Callie. I want to know why you had her? What were you going to do with her? What's Warren's play in all of this?" The huntress glanced at the little girl and Warren just as the blindfolded man with the orb-eye was leading them a few feet away from the greased area and cutting Warren free. Safira looked around the quiet forest now that the whizzing of crossbow bolts and the slicing of blades had subsided and remembered why she was travelling and what her original purpose was. She glanced down at the bandits. They were probably holed up within the forest for a while now. Maybe they know something or had noticed something. Doesn't hurt to ask them. The huntress thought. "Also... How long have you been inside this forest? Did you notice anything unusual. Or did you just waylay as much people for their earthly possessions as you could?!" Safira scoffed at Barney and Brett, looking at them expectantly.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Wayward Forest

What Jacoby and Shaedra See

As Jacoby and Shaedra approached where the entangled bandit was, they would still see the writing cocoon of vines, with no sign of the bandit struggling inside. However, Shaedra would notice that the vines were starting to slow and wither as the duration of the spell was starting to expire. The rest of the forest around them is quiet as can be.

What Safira, Mirdas, and Signod See

The bandits looked to each other in slight confusion after Safira told them what she wanted from them. At first they were both silent as Barney bit his lower lip before chuckling, "Hehehe...Booty...She said booty, Brett!" Barney started to laugh at the word choice, before Brett elbowed him and hissed "Shut up, Barn! She could kill you!"

Brett looked up to Safira and answered her questions,
"Look. We found that br-er, sweet little girl, in a crater three moons ago, a little after that weird light show in the sky. Judgin' from that dress she was wearing and that fancy backpack, we figured that she was a noble's child. So Bernie thought we could get a sweet ransom if we sent word out to them nobles, from whoever was missing a daughter. But...apparently they seem to have ignored the part to not send adventurers or she'd end up dyin', 'cause...well, yer here, aren't ya?"

He continued, "Warren was just the guy put in charge of watching her, and making sure that she didn't run for it. Of course, three moons is a long time. Warren, that soft hearted idiot, went and got himself feeling like an older brother to that girl. He even tried to negotiate with Bernie to not kill the girl and just send her home without the ransom. 'Course Bernie wasn't too keen on that. He had been planning to either retire Warren, or post another guard up to keep watch over the kid,

Mechanics

Barney and Brett rolled Wisdom Saves for moments of maturity/immaturity.
Barney got a 3,
Brett got an 18.

What Bobbin sees

*Currently investigating tent*

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

"Rope?" At first the woman's confusion got the better of her, seeing the bandit still entangled but as the forest began to return to its not so animate self she recalled just why this was important, "Oh, right, rope. We will need that."

Pointing at the bandit after, staying a few feet away and keeping the deadly curve of her scimitar concealed against the back of her, the elf announced her demands to the likely disoriented figure. The man had spent a minute, more or less, fighting off vines that might well have choked him if the magic were any more dangerous, the underlying energy of the wood responding aggressively to her beck and call, perhaps even more angry than she even knew or understood. All the same, she made it clear she wasn't not here to toy with the man or her expectations.

"Don't try anything funny, you! You and your friends lost, so be nice and we won't hurt you. I just have questions!" She rattled on, looking to Jacoby with a bit of loss of words. What else was she exactly to say? Surely there was something more that needed to be said, probably elegantly and not so transparent. That was how people spoke, right? They were not like animals who were notoriously bad at lying or concealing how they really felt.

Either way she frowned and awaited the bandit's reaction, good or bad. If it came to a fight, she wasn't about to give him a second chance.

@rush99999@Guardian Angel Haruki

[rush99999]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity @Guardian Angel Haruki

As he made his way to the opposite side of the bandit from Shaedra, Jacoby noticed that Shaedra was looking at him with an unsure look on her face Jacoby turned his head towards Shaedra and nodded at her reassuringly as he raised his blade to the entangled bandit's throat. He guessed that Shaedra was unsure of what to say to the bandit, being more used to the company of animals than humanoids. Meanwhile, the eye in Jacoby's orb was now fixed upon where Callie, Warren, and Jamil were standing. He still couldn't shake the unease he felt from the jaguar being left unattended so close to a child. Jacoby hoped he was worrying over nothing. Or at the very least that Warren would be strong enough to hold Jamil off until help arrived should the worst come to pass.

[ihinka]

Safira rolled her eyes at the immature comment of one of her captives. The other one had a little bit more presence of mind to act like a grown up and chastised his friend. The blood huntress didn't care one way or the other. What she did care for was what they had to say about Callie. As Brett, one of the two surviving Barnaby brothers, finished his story of how they came about the little girl, Safira had to once again roll her eyes. The huntress tried to remember if she knew anything about craters in forests. A glimmer of memory shot through her mind, but was immediately gone. Safira only remembered being in the tavern and hearing bits and pieces of conversation, but she'd been in one of her moods then and the fragment of memory didn't have any chance of being retained.

"So let me get this straight..." Safira began at length. "You found a little girl... In a crater... after a weird light show in the sky... And you decided she was a rich girl in need of ransoming?!?" The huntress was sure her sarcasm would probably fly right over these thugs' heads. It was obvious they cared only for one thing and when presented with more pressing facts would simply ignore them if there was buck to be made. "Where is this crater?" Safira considered something for a second and added. "And the backpack Callie had on? I want to see what she had in it."

Mechanics

History on craters in forests. A big ol' nope!

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Wayward Forest

What Mirdas, Safira, and Signod see

Brett and Barney answered Safira at the same time to her deadpan question about their actions, completely missing the sarcasm behind said question, "Yeah!"
When she asked her next questions, the two bandits looked to each other and Brett answered, "The crater is further west from here. Her backpack an' things. They're in the tent that your kenku friend went into, where all of the loot is kept,"

What Jacoby and Shaedra see

Jacoby's eye would see Callie, Jamil, and Warren still at their position, albeit Callie had moved a little away from Jamil and hid behind Warren's leg, while Jamil continued to growl at her.

Shaedra could hear the bandit hiss and curse until she called to him, telling him to be nice and that his friends lost. He growled back "You killed them?! You killed them all?!"
She would also be able to see the vines start to wither and withdraw as the spell starts to wear off. The duration is reaching its conclusion

@ihinka@The Harbinger of Ferocity@0 Azzy 0@Cu Chulainn@rush99999

[rush99999]

"We killed most of them, but not all of them" Jacoby replied, as his eye continued to stare at Jamil "2 of your number still live, as they decided to surrender rather than continue to fight. For your sake I you do the same". Jacoby then turned his head toward Jamil as the eye in his orb focused focused on the bandit, whose throat Jacoby still had his sword to. The eye in Jacoby's orb then slowly shifted from a human's eye to an eye found within the sockets of a vicious jungle predator. When Jacoby next spoke it was not words that came out. What came out instead was the growl of a vicious jungle predator. "Jamil of Azalorn!" Jacoby called out to Jamil, his magic allowing him to speak in a way he knew Jamil would understand "If you harm a single hair on either of their heads, you will learn in the worst of ways that there are fates infinitely than death!".

Mechanics

Persuade the bandit to surrender: 14
Intimidate Jamil into leaving Callie alone: 15

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

The elf woman seemed none bothered by the cat menacing the two to keep them in place, instead only crossing her arms and speaking over her shoulder briefly, "Don't worry about them unless they do something bad."

"And no, I did not kill them all! Some people killed some, others killed some others, some ran or got captured." Shaedra Galandoel admitted, stomping her foot among the foliage that surrounded them. At the moment some of it was retreating and slithering back like scattered serpents, all content to have done their part in preventing the escape. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, parting her arms again and allowing the sword to rest at her side.

"Just don't fight, it isn't worth it!" She stared intensely, or as much as she could muster given it felt as odd as it did. Normally this worked better when she was a leopard, but men could not understand her then. Or maybe they could? Usually it was lots of running away and yelling they did about a cat. Regardless, she carried on, "So show us your hands and we'll tie you up. Or else... or something equally bad! I don't know, we will figure that out if you won't just surrender."

@rush99999@Guardian Angel Haruki