Game Thread Heart of Darkness (Part II) - Page 4

secretID · #46 Aug 9th, 2022, 02:46 PM

“You weren’t the only one hidin’ behind double K,” Jimmy commiserated. “With that barkskin spell, maybe the gals will hafta watchacall take point.” Jimmy paused for Loch to appreciate the half-elf’s growing facility with military idioms. “Or maybe we’ll come across a bear for you ta charm or somethin’.

“Nah,” Jimmy rejected Loch’s proposal to charm Kosev, “I didn’t mean nothin’ like that. I was just cogitatin’ on the fact that this looks like maybe a charm, and there are a lot of fey around. Backtrackin’ to talk to ‘the king,’ though, that’s an idea…But we only get the one message to him…” Jimmy shook his head, some disappointment evident on his face. “I don’t like the gamble,” he said. “He seemed to think all us, ah, fleshy types look alike. He’s liable to just attack on sight. I don’t know if he’ll believe us, and I don’t know if he’ll talk even if he does - heck, I don’t even know if he knows anything useful. But I ‘preciate the suggestion.”

Jimmy put his hands on his hips and looked toward the camp exit. “I think we just gotta keep goin’ with plan A,” he said, then laid it out for Loch. Just as Jimmy concluded his brief synopsis, though, the belligerent Darce approached to accost Boanagh again. “This guy,” Jimmy complained to Loch. "He’s really got a thing for B. Whole lotta criticism, no ideas – you know the type.” Jimmy glanced at the satyr. “Well, maybe not. I guess you guys don’t have a lotta watchacall workplace politics. Or – y’know – workplaces.”

Jimmy sighed and moved to Boanagh’s side, then gently put a hand on the incensed darkling’s shoulder. “Hey, hey, big B – ignore him,” Jimmy advised. “He’s just a lotta mouth. My aunt, yeah,” Jimmy said to Boanagh, while occasionally glancing at Darce, “she had this dog. Too small ta guard anything, too dumb ta hunt. She kept it around anyway, just sittin’ around, lookin’ out the window all day. But whenever it saw some other dog outside, doin’ its job, or maybe just takin’ a walk – what ‘id it do?

“Yeah, that’s right,” Jimmy said without further explanation. “That’s all it could do. Now let’s get outa here.”

As the party walked away, Jimmy stayed near Boanagh. “Hey B,” he said, “you notice whether Darce had alla his usual weapons? Just a shot in the dark.”

After this brief exchange, Jimmy had another piece of business to address. Tink, he said telepathically, I’m gonna leave you behind to take another look at this Darce guy. You know the drill - they can see ya, so maybe go as a spider or somethin'. I’ll give you a few hours before I call you back. When Tinkerbell grumbled about Jimmy's sloppy instructions, Jimmy took a little more time to explain to his familiar that Tinkerbell should try switching to small spider form to drop on Darce from above, then stealthily remain with the darkling, hopefully to escape intact if ever discovered.

Finally underway and with a little peace to think, and worry, Jimmy kept a subtle watch on Sashaya. Something sure was bugging her, and Jimmy suspected that it was more than just the conflict with her sister.

OOCLet me know if I should temporarily delete the last part, if Darce doesn’t just let them leave or something.

For narrative reasons I had Jimmy just ask Boanagh about Darce’s weapons as they left, but of course the idea is for Jimmy and Boanagh to take a good look to answer that question.

Tink is obviously staying behind, in raven form and invisible, to spy on Darce. If you tell me a little more about the trip to the planned camp, I’ll tell you when Jimmy recalls Tink.

Jimmy will take a moment for Guidance for his Insight check:

Dice Roll:

1d20+1	(3)+1			Total = 4
1d4t	2	Running Total = 6

Dice INV w/Guid re Darce's gear:

1d20+5	(14)+5			Total = 19
1d4t	4	Running Total = 23

Mindsiege · #47 Aug 19th, 2022, 05:51 PM

Thwarted Hubris

When the clash between elders happened right out in the open and a large portion of the outpost stood witness as their audience, it wasn't fully certain if Darce was more irate over Boanagh or the dryads, satyr, or outlander that now prepared to resolve the intangible occurrences within the colony. And the darkling elder who had hired Jimmy was not in any way cowed as he stood up for himself. As Jimmy quietly yielded that he had in no uncertain terms no good impression of Darce, Loch only hummed non-committally as a slight smile played around his lips. But his eyes were very awake. "That's not quite correct, Jimmy. Our loose neighborhood may not reside in the feywilds per se, but many of the fair folk simply do love their politics." But while keeping a mostly unreadable face, the bearded bard didn't seem intent to get involved any further. Not so Jimmy.

Since setting out on his voyage from behind the walls of Westhaven, the half-elven adventurer had met no shortage of unsavory characters who had displayed no redeeming qualities, many of them almost appearing to have the sole intent of making Jimmy's life just a little harder when in fact the adventurer had no particular reason to deal with any of them for the sake of his quest. But now he had already reached the colony. The elder called Darce showed himself heartlessly cruel towards Boanagh, the guide that Jimmy had protected dearly on their path through the West Marches. But if anything, the sleek-faced antagonizer made a great show of himself that he was a lot of bark and no bite when a quipping Jimmy casually admonished the other elder. And even faced with such backtalk, Darce never appeared to make any gesture to stand up for the heated words that he had brought to the table initially. His cold, angry eyes flickered like he was truly seeing Jimmy for the first time and as Jimmy mumbled a small prayer to study the darkling elder in return, it was almost like the warlock caught a glint of hate in the gaze of the other.

Boanagh apparently had nothing further to say to his fellow darkling when a tense silence ensued, and as the duo of travel companions stared down Darce for a few more seconds, the belligerent elder brusquely turned on his heels and with raging steps marched off to somewhere else in the reaches of the outpost's dome. But Jimmy wasn't entirely finished with him. "If by 'drill' you mean for me to throw myself into danger headfirst again, then yes. I know the drill, boss. One serving of dutiful suicide coming right up, boss. Well, I guess this is something I know how to do at least..." And in spite of any telepathic complaining, the invisible familiar followed Darce to earn his daily bread as a good ol' spider on your cloak. It was a downright classic. With how often Tink had practiced the maneuver he had barely any right to complain, but that didn't hold back the old reliable from giving his master a bit of gab before he got to work with his expert strategy. The only difficulty was hitting the landing without entering the elder's blindsight, but Tink promised Jimmy he could do it, if maybe not on the first attempt.

Although Boanagh made no further mention of the conflict with Darce, Jimmy could see it rather evident in the elder's features that the sylvan guide was deeply upset with his fellow elder, but at least equally grateful that Jimmy had taken a stance at his side. While Boanagh appeared of a mind to ignore that this unconstructive interaction had ever happened, Jimmy brought up the matter of Darce's weapons and belongings once they had taken a bit of distance. In particular the half-elf's eyes had spied the silver-laced scimitar which Darce had worn, as well as a dark, cylindrical container that had been partially hidden beneath his cloak, kept in close reach on the elder's belt that circled his sylvan leather armor. Yet Boanagh didn't appear to have much insight to offer as at least the armaments were rather similar to his own. "No. The blade is something any of us elders may carry. The silver is a valuable resource, and to keep the elders strong we all learn to practice this particular type of swordsmanship rather shortly after the ritual lessened the burden of our curse." The white-eyed fey shook his head regretfully. "As for the container, I wouldn't know. I didn't even notice it, I have to admit. My... temper got to me." And then Boanagh fell silent for a bit.

The group of five took a bit of distance as the audience of small, gnarly darklings was left behind. A good portion of them had followed behind the storming Darce while the others were still gawking at the party of would-be saviors from a distance, either being merely curious or with a silent intent to send them off with good fortune. Not that anyone had offered such words of encouragement to Jimmy in the little time that he had been here. Tensions were high and at least the warlock's most recent dealings with creatures of the sylvan variety had been rather thankless. Which brought him back to the sisters Sashaya and Ilala who once more inquired about the plans in which they had agreed to participate before they had ever known any details. Since Loch had been caught up by Jimmy during the previous sleep circle, this time it fell to Boanagh to dutifully reiterate the plan that Jimmy and the gathering of elders had come up with. In the meantime, the half-elven adventurer had a little time to think to himself as the dryads just listened, showing themselves blank-faced and beautiful. With another wish upon divinity to guide him, Jimmy found that these daughters of the forest were quite the puzzle. Shashaya's demeanor towards him had changed so greatly since last they had seen each other, and Jimmy couldn't believe that this could only be due to Ilala and what things she might have said to her younger sister in his absence. Even now there were momentary glances that Sashaya threw in Jimmy's direction, though it never lasted and she didn't even acknowledge that it had happened. If the mercurial dryad hadn't joined this quest for him, then her behavior didn't seem to make much sense. It was an infuriating riddle, especially when they had formed their friendship so easily before. Right then though, not much of their previous connection showed.

GM instructionsI kept the scene open for you to either follow plan A or follow any plan B with your next post. The following may guide your decision.

None of your NPC party members have any plan for a plan B right now, and the dryads' knowledge of plan A didn't receive much of a reaction. They plan to go with Jimmy as they did before.

Jimmy noticed a cylindrical container that Darce appears to keep within reach, though he couldn't see it clearly. Otherwise, Darce's gear appears pretty much darkling elder run-of-the-mill, and both Boanagh and Jimmy would assume that there aren't any misplaced items that Darce is missing. I'll also have to clarify that when I described the blade that was stuck in the earth elemental, when I spoke of it being reminiscent of Boanagh's blade, I was speaking of the craftmanship that Jimmy could glean from its hilt. With both of your previous rolls, Jimmy would now be aware that the blade that had been stuck in the earth elemental had been most likely wielded by a non-elder. Sorry if this was confusing before.

I made a roll for Tink and he barely failed to land on Darce by an inch. However, he wasn't discovered and so he will try again, if necessary using a different strategy. Jimmy is aware that Tink's first dive bomb failed as it still happened within telepathic range. The rest of the spying will happen off-screen. This is Jimmy's last moment to leave Tink with new orders if you want, though his current ones are good as well. By the time that Jimmy talks with Boanagh about Darce, Tink will already be out of range, so any communication would happen before then.

Jimmy's Insight on Sashaya was a terribly weak roll. Right now he definitely has more questions about her mood than answers.

If you send your party to plan A during your next post, assume that all party members will be available to interact with. Everybody aside from Loch is withheld and broody, but the things the bard has to say are mostly inane at the moment. He also mostly talks with Jimmy rather than the others. The campsite that you are aiming to claim is a bit of a way deeper in the colony, but you can assume that it's only a single sleep circle inbetween. Right now Jimmy is basically starting the day, so assume that during the next 14 hours of spelunking plus 8 hours of rest, at some point you can recall Tink. Let me know OOC if you need more details. For the sake of the travel scene, feel free to open any social interaction that you would like to have on the way with your party. Otherwise, if I don't roll an encounter I'm planning to glance over the intermission as much as possible.

Rolls: Lady Luck

Initiative

Character

AC

HP

Status

Action

Position

Character	AC	HP	PP	PI	Movement	Conditions	Resources
Jimmy	17/15	43/43	14	15	30'	-	Hexblade's Curse 1/1; Favored by the Gods 1/1; Spells I. 2/2 II. 2/2; Short rests 2/2; HD 4/4 1/1
Boanagh	15	32/32	16	10	30'	-	Darkness 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Tink	13	10/10	11	10	20' / 60' (fly)	Raven shape, Invisible	Short rests 2/2; HD 3/3
Loch	13	55/55	16	10	40'	-	Taunt 2/2; Spells I. 4/4 II. 3/3 III. 1/3; Short rests 2/2; HD 10/10
Sashaya	16/11	22/22	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 3/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Ilala	16/11	26/26	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 3/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5

secretID · #48 Aug 21st, 2022, 08:57 PM

“Yeah – sure, sure,” Jimmy absentmindedly reassured Boanagh. The warlock’s mind was elsewhere, and Undoubtedly why he flubbed the Insight.not on the dryads either. He was thinking of a last-minute change in plans for Tinkerbell. Y’know what, he told his minion telepathically, I’m gonna stick around for a bit after all. You try and get close like I said, and listen for my call in the next several minutes. Dependin’ on what’s goin’ on with you, I might have another plan.

After this, Jimmy gave Boanagh his full attention, but with his own agenda. “Hey, listen, Boanagh,” he said, pausing. The small party stood in a huddle outside of others’ hearing. “I think we’re gonna stick around here just a little longer. I’ll explain later. Maybe you can, ah, check your gear one last time while I walk around a bit.

“An’ while I’m gone,” he continued to Boanagh, “maybe you can think on this: after we leave, we might need a first camp to be close – like only an hour or two. And I’ll need it to be a place I can find with just your directions. Let me know what you got when I come back.” With that, Jimmy gave approving finger guns to Boanagh and Loch, looked skeptically at the dryads, and took his leave, to begin nonchalantly wandering around the darkling camp, telepathically calling for Tinkerbell.

OOCI hope the timing and pacing of that makes sense.

Mindsiege · #49 Aug 28th, 2022, 11:33 AM

Skullduggery

When Boanagh was ready to put his meeting with Darce behind him and leave the outpost, it became quickly apparent that Jimmy wasn't quite finished with the overbearing darkling elder who had insulted his new party with glares and words. The container on Darce's belt in particular had captured Jimmy's attention, and in the absence of knowing what it was, he started scheming and setting his familiar up for him to get back at Darce, one way or another. For now though he was planning to move on his own and avoid any moral concerns that his current company might bring up, even though Loch's and the dryads' reservation to a bit of targeted stealing was at best uncertain. But just to be sure, Jimmy only shared that he still had to get up to something and that his party should trust him to explain it to them later. While the satyr bard raised a single eyebrow, Boanagh seemed entirely willing to do just that. "Right. We'll get preparations in order, as you say. Just don't... I don't need you to get back at Darce for what he said. Just avoid him, if you can. We have more important worries..." The darkling elder wore a slight look of worry as he couldn't guess what Jimmy was up to, but when the adventurer started to walk off, Boanagh made no motion to follow as he indeed meant to put his trust into his half-elven companion.

Without too much of a farewell received from his sylvan allies, Jimmy strutted back into the darkling outpost, and although he drew plenty of surprised looks from the small fae who had expected him and his party to leave, there was nobody barring his way or even approaching him as Jimmy began to circle the dome in order to pick up on his familiar's telepathy. It took a bit of walking around and reaching out into the absence of the warlock's servant's presence, yet eventually Jimmy did manage to get close enough for Tinkerbell to reply. Although they couldn't see each other, the report that he received telepathically came through without any issue. "Oh yeah, I'm sitting in his home, if that's what you want to call it, all right. Or at least a cave, because I wouldn't know what any of these guys are saying to each other. No troubles on the way by the by, boss. Nope. Smooth sailing, nobody spotted me, at all. I'm not really on his coat or anything, but I've managed to hide pretty well and as long as he sticks around, they'll never notice me, I'd say. It's pretty hard to describe where I am though. All these caves and camps pretty much look the same, am I right? Any further instructions, boss? He's mad something fierce and I think he punched one of the little ones before I got here. And it doesn't look like any of the darklings are planning to disagree with him. Like the fox in the roost, or whatever how the saying goes... Anyways, right now he's talking and brooding, as far as I can tell."

GM instructionsAll right. So far, so well. Jimmy's party is doing as he asked and Jimmy was able to reconnect after Jimmy walked a bit around.

About Tink's current position, I'm not just being obtuse to make it easy on myself. Tink does indeed have difficulty giving Jimmy a description of how to get to him because he only passed through the area once and the landmarks that he could use to describe anything have plenty of multiples in the outpost. The exact arrangement that Tink could recount to give Jimmy useful directions hasn't really stuck in Tink's memory as he wasn't really focused on that while getting to where he is. Just consider that Tink is in a cave right now with Darce and a few small darklings, and it won't take more than a few seconds to fly out into the open if Tink were to grab anything from Darce and flee with it.

So, I've gathered that Jimmy's intent is to acquire the cylinder that he spotted on Darce's person, and you mentioned that Jimmy's goal is to let Tink make an attempt when Darce goes to sleep. Right now Tink and Jimmy don't know when and where Darce will be going to sleep, but I don't want to spend too many posts working through the logistics of this little heist. Right now Tink has failed to get stuck to Darce's person, but until Darce goes to sleep I'll make a few rolls to figure out if Tink can keep on his tail without blowing his cover. When Jimmy returns to his party they will have had no issue preparing a position to fall back to for Jimmy and Tink once a swift escape is necessary.

Either way though, Jimmy understands that he'll have to spend a variable amount of time waiting for Tink to eventually fail or succeed at his mission. Boanagh still feels like there is no time to waste, so once Jimmy returns to his party to confirm that everything is set up for him, he'll have to deliver Boanagh with an explanation that the darkling elder will be able to go along with. To avoid a long back and forth, I'd like to settle this in a single post. Jimmy has spent enough time with Boanagh to understand that he's pretty forthright and fiercely loyal to his people. That might or might not include Darce, but Jimmy understands that stealing is probably something Boanagh needs a good reason to condone. If Jimmy fails to get Boanagh on board, that's going to cause frictions that could lead to Boanagh pushing for Jimmy to abandon his plan, or even for the party to do something else entirely.

For your next post, I'll need Jimmy to confer with Tink about what else the familiar needs to know, and also a scene of your choosing where Jimmy makes an attempt to get Boanagh on board with waiting for Tink to complete his mission. Before you write that post though, I'll do my best to help you figure out any additional details OOC. Depending on that, we'll move through this scenario with as many posts as we need to give Jimmy his best shot.

Rolls: Lady Luck

Initiative

Character

AC

HP

Status

Action

Position

Character	AC	HP	PP	PI	Movement	Conditions	Resources
Jimmy	17/15	43/43	14	15	30'	-	Hexblade's Curse 1/1; Favored by the Gods 1/1; Spells I. 2/2 II. 2/2; Short rests 2/2; HD 4/4 1/1
Boanagh	15	32/32	16	10	30'	-	Darkness 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Tink	13	10/10	11	10	20' / 60' (fly)	Teeny spider shape, Invisible	Short rests 2/2; HD 3/3
Loch	13	55/55	16	10	40'	-	Taunt 2/2; Spells I. 4/4 II. 3/3 III. 1/3; Short rests 2/2; HD 10/10
Sashaya	16/11	22/22	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 3/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5
Ilala	16/11	26/26	14	12	30'	-	Entangle 3/3; Goodberry 3/3; Barkskin 1/1; Pass Without a Trace 1/1; Shillelagh 1/1; Short rests 2/2; HD 5/5

secretID · #50 Aug 29th, 2022, 07:50 AM

“Nice, nice,” approved Jimmy. “Great work. Awful inconvenient the way you, a fey spirit, can’t understand your own language when you’re in this form. Find Familiar could use some tweaking.Mysteries of the unknown, I guess.

“Anyways,” Jimmy pivoted, “now the hard part. I need you to try an’ steal that weird cylinder. Take your time, wait for him ta sleep. An’ if it’s just suicide, then don’t worry about it. But if you get a chance, go for it.

“I know you’re gonna hafta switch to a bigger form ta pull this off, and then high-tail it outta there once you’ve done it. We’re gonna wait for you just a little ways outside the big camp. Right now, I’m gonna get the directions for you. I’ll be like five or ten minutes. If Darce leaves before then, just stick with him; I’m sure you can just find us outside the big camp later. Talk to you real soon. Ah…Jimmy out.”

Just a few minutes later, Jimmy was back with the fey group. “Ahright,” he opened. “Everyone ready to roll? Boanagh, you got that spot planned out for us? Gimmee the directions, wouldja? We’re all gonna travel together, but Tinkerbell is gonna be a little late. Then we can go. I just gotta make a quick stop to give Tink the directions on the way out.”

Mindsiege · #51 Aug 29th, 2022, 11:09 PM

Slight Change of Plans

There were no difficulties for Jimmy to relay his plot to Tink, and surprisingly few complaints. "Sounds doable, boss. I'll see what's possible and take a hike if necessary. Have you ever thought how convenient it would be if I could just take stuff with me when you unsummon me for a bit? Heck, that would make things so much easier! Damn those mysteries, but what can you do? Just leave it to me, boss. Stealing stuff is simple work compared to what else you could have me do. If you summoned me with just a little more juice you could force me to become a real stinging and poisoning combatant! Meh, let's hope you won't figure out how to do that."

One more mystery of the unknown wiser, Jimmy returned to his sylvan comrades who didn't appear too impatient with how little time it had taken the half-elven warlock to get back to them. Loch hadn't even gotten bored enough to pull out his fife in present company, and the dryads in particular still appeared silently judgmental, or however Jimmy chose to interpret their blank expressions. It might end up as a bit of a cold war if they were going to keep this up during their entire journey through the colony, however, as Jimmy revealed to his party it wasn't quite yet time for a full departure. Boanagh was the only one that raised an eyebrow, and after sharing the path to an uninhabited cavern a few tunnels away, he allowed himself to pose a little inquiry. "What exactly are we waiting for, Jimmy? I know that you understand what is at stake and I am not sure how long we will have to wait until the evil in my home will find us stationed at our destination. What manner of task is your flying companion left to complete? I had thought that he was a scout, like the owl that Ser Kosev keeps."

secretID · #52 Aug 30th, 2022, 09:36 PM

After nonchalantly nodding in approval of Boanagh's chosen location, Jimmy had been standing, arms akimbo, looking back toward the big camp, when Boanagh approached. Now that the postponed conversation was imminent, Jimmy took a breath and finished a Guidance, of coursemumbled invocation just as Boanagh arrived with his questions.

"That owl?" Jimmy repeated. "Nah - that's like, whatchacall a budget model. Tinkerbell is a familiar with the sport package. You know he can turn invisible, right? An' he can shape change. So he's a real great spy. A' course, he has opposable thumbs...Anyways, he's doin' a little spyin' on our boy Darce. Maybe he's just a pain in the rear, but maybe there's something more, eh, insidious happenin'.

"An' another thing," Jimmy continued, his eyes now turned back to the big camp. "Just a small thing. That cylinder...you don't know what it might be...an' I got a feelin' about it. So if he gets the chance, Tink's gonna borrow it for little bit, bring it back here. If it's nothin' important, he can just bring it back.

"But I gotta tell ya, B, before you get too attached to this plan, it's not gonna be easy for Tinkerbell. Could be he'll die tryin', here. But he knows we're all rootin' for him, and you can thank him when he gets here...or I resurrect him."

Dice Persuasion? w/Guid:

1d20+8	(3)+8			Total = 11
1d4t	4	Running Total = 15

Mindsiege · #53 Aug 31st, 2022, 07:52 PM

Heist

"Spying? On Darce?" Despite the previous confrontation having ended on less than friendly terms, it was apparent that Boanagh's immediate feelings about the idea of spying on his fellow elders weren't exactly welcoming of the course of action that Jimmy had chosen. The darkling's features fell flat as he was on the onset of getting upset again. But he didn't make any moves to interrupt Jimmy and by the end of the adventurer's assertions, Boanagh was still looking troubled but his concerns appeared to have shifted elsewhere. "So we are back to assuming that my kin has fallen under an evil influence that stokes paranoia and turns brother on brother? Or an evil charm? Very well. I can't imagine what you're hoping that your spy will find for us, but you are right that we should ascertain all of our hunches. It is for the sake of your different perspective that I've sought outside help after all." Boanagh's shoulders slumped a little but instead of looking defeated he reached out a hand and gripped Jimmy's shoulder firmly. "You are our hope, Jimmy. On the name of Dubh Catha, we will do it your way. I will keep up my hopes that you have nothing insidious to find, but Darce's behavior was indeed disturbing. We shall delay. Inform your minion, and then let us await its report further away from the outpost."

It was easy enough for Jimmy to take another walk and to inform Tinkerbell where to go should he be successful, and once the adventurer returned to his sylvan party the group of five finally departed from the border outpost. Just as discussed they only traversed a few dozen minutes deeper into the colony, before they settled at a location that would be easy to find for the fae spirit familiar. "I will say, you are slightly more cunning than you look at first glance, Jimmy. But I can easily see why we wouldn't trust this Darce fellow. Nothing against your kind, Elder Boanagh, but your clan's particular lair of darkness isn't one of the most inviting places of the neighborhood. Even without running into... what is a good word? Overbearing instigators." Throwing one of his familiar dashing smiles into the round, the bearded bard angled for his fife beneath his loincloth and with a bemused look on his face set the instrument to his lips. "Will we know when your familiar has failed or are we in for a decidedly longer stay, Jimmy? Worry not, I can start with a few of my more uplifting melodies and if you have the mind for it I am also a rather apt poet. We'll find a way to pass the time." Earning displeased expressions from both of the dryads, Loch swiftly ignored their wordless critique and simply began to play.

Indeed it took hours in which Jimmy's party had nothing better to do than to spend their time any way that would occupy them without instilling a fierce amount of boredom. While Boanagh and the dryads seemed either dour or listless for the most part, Loch appeared either oblivious or immune to the others' mood while he made good on his threats and played music, recounted poetry, or played a few games that were designed to spend the time in the absence of having anything sensible to do. The time was wasted until eventually the peace was disturbed when Jimmy received a telepathic message before he could ever see his servant. "Heya, boss. I've got a package!" For once Tinkerbell gave up his invisibility as he flew into the cave that the party had been making its temporary home and within the imp's little claws he triumphantly carried the longish cylinder that Jimmy recognized to be the same that he had seen on Darce's person. Evidently Tink had been entirely victorious, and from his relaxed demeanor one could tell that he wasn't even all too stressed. "It really wasn't even a sweat for someone as capable as me. Our guy kept raging around, walked a bit about the outpost, argued with one of the elders, and eventually went to bed. No guards or sentries or anything. When he took off his stuff I simply grabbed the case and bolted unopposed. Could be one of the darklings noticed me during my exit but I don't think there were any nearby at the moment. Hey, doesn't matter now, does it?"

As Tinkerbell appeared very pleased with his success, he handed the container over to Jimmy and the rest of the party gathered as well. "I already took a peek. It's a scroll, boss!" Upon opening the container, the party was indeed staring at a magic scroll unlike any that Jimmy had ever seen before. He had researched magic ever since he had come upon the magical dagger that had made him magic as well, however the deciding difficulty for the Hexblade was that he unfortunately had never studied sylvan. Serendipitously, he was in just the right kind of company to compensate for that particular weakness. While the dryads were obviously looking at something outside their realm of experience however, Boanagh was also forced to disclose his lack of affinity with spells. "I understand a few of the words, but most of it goes straight over my head. Apologies, but I am no magician." With a sly smile, Loch had only waited for everybody else to fail which now left him to step up and shine. "Well, aren't we glad that I'm here then? I've dabbled in the creation of magic scrolls myself in the past and I'm quite traveled to boot. Just let me take a closer look, will you?" With a self-absorbed smile, the confident satyr theatrically inspected the spell scroll. But after just a few minutes, his grin had switched to a look of mild uncertainty. "All right, Jimmy. This is what I can tell. This here is a strong conjuration spell, designed to call a particular fey or fey spirit into this realm and tied to your service for one hour. At least if you are able to keep it in your thrall for that long. Due to my knowledge of the subject, I can teach you how to activate the scroll, but I will have to admit that I'm not quite certain what it will summon. Irksome as it is, there are a few phrases here and there that elude my comprehension, but what I can say is that this is concerningly strong magic. I wonder how a darkling elder has come into the possession of this, but I'm even more disconcerted who even fashioned the spell. It gives me a bad feeling, I can tell you that much."

secretID · #54 Sep 1st, 2022, 07:04 PM

"Hey!" Jimmy exclaimed joyfully at Tinkerbell's return, with a big smile on his face. "I can't believe it! I mean: I never doubted ya for a second! That's a helluva job, there, Tink. I'll remember this come bonus time," he promised, waving the cylinder.

“These kinda things,” Jimmy explained to Lock, “they ain’t real reliable. But some mages’ll give ya a lotta coin for ‘em. Best thing is to hold onta it for sale later, unless we get into a real fix.” But as Jimmy began to slide the cylinder into his sack, it occurred to him that he was speaking to multiple individuals with little appreciation for economics, and one with something of an obsession with honesty. “Eh,” he said, pausing, “what do you think Darce was doin’ with it, B? You think it has anything to do with the problems?”

Mindsiege · #55 Sep 5th, 2022, 06:01 PM

Summoning Magic

While both Loch and Jimmy were explaining about this rare magical scroll that Tink had purloined from Darce's belongings, Boanagh had been keenly listening to their exertions without any interruptions. It was clear from his expression that the existence of such magic within the colony confounded him, and as Jimmy contemplated stowing the scroll case away and asked him for his thoughts on the matter, the darkling elder didn't even attempt to hide the trouble from his face as he answered worriedly. "I can't rightly imagine, Jimmy... I... don't know what to doubt and what to trust!" He shook his head vehemently and then pointed at the container in Jimmy's hands. "Is this happenstance or is it purposeful? Is it a weapon to protect my kind or is it the method to smuggle evil into our colony? The elders all live to serve our smaller brethren, but none of them is learned in any way to create such magic! So where has it come from then? There are a few magic items circulating among the elders, but this one I have not heard of. It's not unthinkable that Darce has traded for it in the past and simply never chose to tell anyone who would have carried it to my ears. That is very thinkable in his case... But what if we assume the worst?" Deep dismay was etched into Boanagh's sylvan features. "I do not think that any evil fae charm was placed on me, Jimmy. But this paranoia... It is poison!" The last sentence had been exclaimed, and rather than showing any concern for Jimmy's consideration to repossess the scroll, Boanagh had quite evidently greater woes.

It wasn't long after Boanagh had talked himself into a sullen silence when finally the dryads proved that they weren't merely making for an improvement of the scenery, and Sashaya was the first to interject her own concerns. "Horned one, I understand now what this scroll may do, but don't you have a clearer idea who might have written this? The evil that is surging from the dubh sidhe colony must have a maker. The hounds must have a master. What if-" But before the verdant woman was able to finish her thought, Boanagh couldn't hold onto himself. "What if what?! My clan has no masters, Sashaya! There are no hounds in these caverns! Are you insinuating that our own elders are collaborating to destroy ourselves?!" Sashaya reacted with a startled expression at the darkling elder's sudden intensity, but surprisingly becoming the voice of reason, Ilala spoke up without showing any of the storming anger that she had shown before. "This is not what my sister has said, Elder. Calm yourself. We will not be finding your answers by snapping at each other's heels. Your strange killings may have an originator, but we are not assuming that it is one of your elders. What purpose would your clan have to war on its neighbors? We already know that the evil we seek is threatening the enclave and your colony equally. Our forest grows bountiful beneath the sun. We know the dubh sidhe are beyond reason to contest us this. Rest the offense that you have taken and let us not jump at any shadows." Ilala undercut her words with a sharp gesture. And Boanagh turned away from her, though seemingly more frustrated with himself than with the dryad. Before either finished the dispute, Loch slyly spoke up. "Plainly speaking, there is nothing here. If this scroll concerns us, we can just speak the incantation and see for ourselves what your Elder Darce has been carrying around. Or we could ask him. I only imagine that would be an awkward conversation. One we might have to hold eventually though anyways." The satyr gave an overexaggerated shrug. "We can try flushing out the evil by stepping on darkling toes or we can stay on course and flush it out with us as bait. I know one of those I'm a lot more comfortable with, but neither is very promising." For once, Loch's confident grin hid a hint of bitterness but then he looked to Jimmy. "What's your take, Jimmy?"

secretID · #56 Sep 7th, 2022, 02:02 PM

Jimmy didn't hesitate to shake his head at the idea of confronting Darce. "Nah," he said with a frown. "Maybe Darce is one a' the enemy, but maybe we just make him one if he's not. We'll figure him out later, if we hafta." The half-elf nodded decisively to convince himself. "We stick with the plan." With nothing more to discuss, Jimmy motioned for Boanagh to lead the way to the party's destination.

OOCSpeaking of leading, let me know if you need a marching order. Tink, raven form and invisible, will of course be scouting about 90' ahead of Jimmy.

Mindsiege · #57 Sep 13th, 2022, 11:29 PM

Busy Campsite

As the most experienced combatant and as the accepted leader of their party, Jimmy decided that a further confrontation with Darce could only lead to unnecessary trouble at this point in time. Boanagh remained visibly distraught over the entire ordeal with his fellow elder, but he kept his silence and didn't appear to take issue with prioritizing their previous plan. Even when Jimmy pocketed the scroll for the moment, Boanagh made no complaints, and so as the party had discussed before they then proceeded on their path, which took them back deeper into the colony. On the way to their destination, it took another arduous waking cycle of spelunking through the vast system of caves that made up the entirety of the darklings' domain. Only this time Jimmy and Boanagh were accompanied by the two dryad sisters and the acquired taste which was Loch the bard. Although the satyr's build didn't suggest him to be any sort of athletic warrior, Loch appeared to be taking the cavernous pathways with ease, and only the arrangements made by Jimmy kept him at the back of the pack.

During their hours of travel in the subterranean caverns, there wasn't too much to do except to walk and talk. Loch mentioned a few times how he had once upon a time been making his own excursions into the lands of the dubh sidhe, but as much as Loch enjoyed talking about his own qualities, given the current audience he only left it at little remarks and allusions as to his previous exploits in the colony. The sisters continuously ignored the bard, and Boanagh didn't appear to like his mettle either. While Sashaya had agreed to walk beside Jimmy without any signs of resistance, in practice her silence was deafening and only further maintained because Loch kept hovering at the back of the pairing. Without any heavy luggage to carry, the satyr's mirthful gait kept him at Jimmy's heels with an apparently incessant need to strike away at his own boredom through inane conversing. Sashaya never came to word, possibly of her own choosing, but as the party maintained their track the signs were increasing that the daughter of the Heart Tree was deeply upset. Her distaste for Loch was most likely the least of her worries, which appeared aplenty even as she never voiced them. The difference compared to her previously open nature remained startling.

On their way through the colony, Boanagh successfully led the party through various caverns and tunnels which Jimmy hadn't been through before. Apparently, mushrooms were the only kind of subterranean vegetation that they ever crossed, and even then most of these areas had to be purposely maintained by the darklings in order to give any kind of substantial yield. Under Boanagh's guidance, the party found its path unerringly, and on their way there were a few light exchanges between the elder and Ilala, who apparently were able to build up some mutual respect as they avoided addressing how Ilala had acted towards their party leader before. After hours of travel, the party eventually made camp for another sleep cycle, yet Boanagh explained that it wouldn't be too much further to the campsite after they had taken their rest. On Jimmy's recommendation, the dryads grew magical berries from their bodies which they distributed among the group, and although the arrangement proceeded almost wordlessly, Jimmy couldn't help but notice that Ilala specifically avoided sharing her berries with him, leaving that to her younger sister instead. After an undisturbed rest with a night watch that Jimmy had decided on, the party resumed its track and with their invisible imp as a selfless scout, they never encounter any particular signs of intelligent life which could have had it out for them. "Only one more cavern and then a tunnel. Then we will have reached the site." Boanagh had fallen into a pattern of brooding throughout their track, but he still dutifully informed his group that their destination was near. As much as Jimmy's straining legs would welcome to finally leave the cavern journey behind and to reclaim the abandoned campsite as they had planned, just when they were in the final tunnel that Boanagh had pointed out to him, Jimmy received his familiar's telepathic message. "Halt! Full party stop! Boss, we've got ourselves company. The campsite is not abandoned at all! Seems like there's a small gathering of darklings ahead! I don't think they've seen me, I ducked away and got more room than their sight should cover. I think. What's the plan, boss?"

secretID · #58 Sep 15th, 2022, 11:11 AM

Jimmy frowned as he received Tinkerbell’s report. When questioned, Boanagh had no good explanation for the presence of these darklings.

Jimmy looked over his team, running through his mental list of their various abilities and skills. While he did, Jimmy proudly considered his makeshift equipping of the three fey who had more primitive aesthetics. Each of the dryads now wore a sack tied to her waist, holding four goodberries. Four more berries occupied a pouch Jimmy had given Loch, now tied somewhere under the satyr’s loincloth. Jimmy decided not to ask for its return.

Jimmy considered several different approaches to the mysterious group of darklings, but each seemed overcomplicated and potentially counterproductive. They were most likely friendly, after all, and the half-elf didn’t want to needlessly antagonize them.

Jimmy concentrated for a moment to reactivate the powers of his cap. Then he held it out to Tinkerbell. “More great work, Tink,” he said. “An’ I think I’m gonna stick with the hot hand here.

“Why don’t you give yourself a dose with the listenin’ cap here, then creep up on ‘em in, invisible and in raven form for some spying. Hopefully, you can hear somethin’ useful from far enough away. If not, you can try to sneak closer; I’ll give ya a little shot of Guidancethe mojo ta help out. Worst comes ta worst, they’ll chase ya back to us. Well, not worst, but, ah, y’know – more or less.”

OOCI changed my mind to keep him invisible at first - darkvision has a much longer range than blindsight.

Jimmy will stay in Tink's senses as long as possible. If Tink finds it necessary to get within 30' of a darkling, Jimmy will tell him to turn visible first, though of course still Hiding if possible. If at any point Hiding is impossible within 30' of a darkling, Jimmy will just recall Tink.

Mindsiege · #59 Sep 25th, 2022, 03:26 PM

Darkling Sentry

The current occupation of the cavern which Jimmy and Boanagh had decided on as their starting point was surprising to everyone, and while the darkling elder had supplied what little history there was to tell about this campsite, he ultimately couldn't even begin to imagine how it had come that it wasn't abandoned anymore. The cavern ahead had no further significance other than that a group of his brethren had mysteriously perished inside of it, and that now a group of darklings had returned to it with this particular timing made Boanagh cast uncomfortable doubts on his people all over again. Doubts which he didn't voice, but which were plainly written on his pained features as he finished his explanation with silence. While Jimmy reassessed what his party was capable of, he lead the group of sylvans straight to the bend where Tink was waiting on them and there he handed his servant his magical translation device, enabling the imp to understand the darklings for his upcoming mission to spy on those ahead. With a dose of Jimmy's magical providence, Tinkerbell was sent on his way, and from their nearby position, Jimmy began to share his familiar's senses as he changed his shape into a common raven, the fastest form that he had to offer if not exactly the most inconspicuous.

Seeing through the eyes of his raven, Jimmy could experience firsthand how Tink began to duck and take minute hops, carefully shuffling down the tunnel towards the cavern. It gave both him and his master a view of the little darklings which he had spotted on a glance before, yet they didn't seem to be doing much in particular while they were currently still a bit out of listening distance, which necessarily placed them far enough away that they wouldn't be able to see through the impish invisibility. Through the telepathic connection with Tink, Jimmy was able to give directions and suggestions as he pleased, yet for the moment nudging closer to these unexpected occupants through the tunnel was the only possible course of action, and so Tink did his best to be a very stealthy bird while his range of vision was still rather narrow due to the bit of tunnel leading up to the campsite. Being quite experienced with keeping a low profile, the invisible bird ever kept edging closer, aiming to either be able to make out conversation or to spy any sentries before they spied him. But just as he had crossed most of the distance before reaching the tunnel's mouth into the cave ahead, Jimmy shared his familiar's perspective when around the stone's edge appeared a darkling who had been sitting on a small stone shelf much closer to this entrance, and despite the whitish hue of the fey creature's iris, both the warlock and his familiar realized that eye contact had been made. Tink had been spotted. "Hey!!" The sentry called for everybody's attention when he scrutinized the invisible bird creature which he could only perceive with his special darkling senses, not by mere eye. He was armed, but had not yet drawn his weapons, but both Jimmy and Tink knew how fast those things could change in a heartbeat. Jimmy heard in his mind when his servant reached out. "What now?!"

secretID · #60 Sep 29th, 2022, 10:09 PM

Come on back, buddy, Jimmy told his familiar. It's OK if they follow. We're around the corner, here. When you see me, come land on my shoulder.

Jimmy had already chosen a spot for the party's first encounter with these darklings, if that became necessary. Not for the first time, he was struck by the strangeness of his recent role as tactical leader. He had done his best, had arranged the party so that if anyone followed Tinkerbell back to them, they come to the party when rounding a corner, at a good distance - hopefully good enough to discourage melee. Boanagh stood in front, with Ilala; hopefully the sight of the elder would ease anxieties.

Jimmy suddenly remembered something. Enlisting the others' help, he quickly scattered He has 10 bags, but the question will how much time there is, which will depend on how closely Tink is followed...if he's followed at all.as many caltrops as he could in the area between the party and the corner ahead. Resuming his place in the party formation, Jimmy warned Tinkerbell of the condition of the cave floor and waited for the expected arrival of a guard, or many darklings.

Are you confused and wondering what is going on here? Check out this YouTube video to get the scoop.