The Pastoral Life [IC]

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Kaytu falls guiltily silent at Keys' reproach.

"...that's probably true," she sighs. "I was going to say we don't know what they're planning, but the pieces are all there, right? The flowers require flesh to grow, so Morgana recruits a servant to catch large animals and feed them. In exchange, she grants Pelt a fey hound fitting his personality. Once they grow a critical mass of flowers..."

Of course, that piece of the puzzle we actually don't have yet.

"...something happens, which Pelt is actively excited about and which Miyuki would seemingly prefer we not interfere with?" She puts her hand on her temple again, having apparently talked herself into a corner.

[DigoDragon]

"Hmm..." Ellie vocalizes while thinking. "Well the flowers have something to do with keeping that portal open, right? Those are important to her, or she wouldn't make it a focus in our parley. What if the plan is for Morgana to cross over from her plane to ours, and the portal needs a minimum mass of flowers to do that?"

[JNAProductions]

It's at this point that the three in the tavern realize that they've been talking perhaps a touch too loud. Everyone else in the building is staring at them with worry.

[DigoDragon]

Ellie looks up from her conversation. Oh. Guess if it weren't for the drinks, this is a bad idea. She clears her throat holds up a hand.

"Well, we were gonna surprise everyone, but I guess we said the quiet parts loud. Yeah, there's a fae in our woods. Morgana is her name. She seemed curious about us so we invited her to the festival in a few days. Since we share the woods, it seemed like a neighborly gesture to show her a good time."

[Palanan]

As Ellie speaks, Keys rises to stand on his chair, then steps up onto the table.

Silently, he pulls each sleeve to his shoulders, raising his hands high to show the wounds scattered along each arm. Reaching into a pouch, he withdraws a folded scrap of cloth, which he carefully unwraps to reveal the length of barbed netting he took from the disabled trap.

“These metal thorns,” he tells the murmuring room, “nearly killed me. —I was caught in a cruel trap with metal thorns like these, smeared in poison. If it hadn’t been for Ellie and Kaytu, I would have died in the forest today.

“—And who set that trap?” Keys looks around the room; he can tell that some have already guessed. “Pelt. He’s not just catching stoats and doves anymore. These traps can kill any one of us.

“And he’s in league with this Morgana. She’s…changed him. She’s changed that beast of his. Pelt was barely human before; now there’s nothing human of him left.

“For all we know there are more traps like that out there—and who knows what else Pelt is doing at her command. We have to stop him, before his traps and his beast start killing us in earnest.

“And whatever this Morgana is doing—we have to stop her, too. She’s coming here, to the festival. And we have to be ready.”

[JNAProductions]

There's some murmuring.

Merut's the first to speak up, his voice only a little slurred. "You want to start from the beginning?" he asks. "Whole story. Whole thing."

Winter nods. "Yes. I mean, we know Feypass has connections to the fey, but... What's happening, exactly? Are we in danger-supernatural danger, not just Pelt?" she asks. You can hear a little vitriol in her voice when she says Pelt, but the overall tone is far more just worried.

[DigoDragon]

Ellie leans towards Keys and whispers, "Uh, maybe go easy on the pickfork and torch?"

She clears her throat to start from the beginning. Ellie describes the day's events starting from when the trio got together during the stage construction to go into the woods for tea leaves. She tells the story up until the part where Keys falls into Pelt's trap and simplifies that part as 'this is where Keys got the scars'. She then continues to where she brought Keys back to the village, made an antitoxin for him, then how the trio returned to the woods to find Pelt and any remaining traps.

Ellie then reaches the part in the story about the red flowers and the portal. She tells of the flowers screams if they are plucked, and how Pelt came and his big dog attacked the trio, but then Miyuki showed up and negotiated a parley. The group agreed to replace the flowers with a catch of some wildlife game, and they invited Morgana to the festivities so that they can show that the village if full of good people that can live peacefully with the woods.

[JNAProductions]

There's a few questions asked for clarity, but for the most part, everyone just listens.

Once the retelling of the past day or so is done, there's a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, they're armed with knowledge-they know what they're to be dealing with, kinda.
On the other hand... It's still scary.

"Where's Miyuki now?" Winter asks. "She seems like she knows the most about this."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Last I remember, she stayed in the woods and said not to follow her," Kaytu finally says. "I don't know when we'll see her next, but if she is the authority on the matter, then we are most certainly in danger."

She pauses guiltily, again feeling that she invited that danger upon everyone, but takes a breath. Whatever else Morgana may be, Kaytu thinks, she is also a reasonable adult who could have just as easily come on her own.

"At any rate, I was on my way to tell Naoki and discuss our plan of action. Frankly, I intend to stay and show the fey the same kindness we would show any other guest from a faraway land, but if he weighs our and Miyuki's input and then wishes to fight or evacuate, I'll defer to him."

[Lentrax]

Fleeing is not an option. Miyuki says from the open window, her small fox body easily able to sit on the sill.

Not if anyone wishes to see a day beyond the festival.

[DigoDragon]

"Why don't we just enjoy the festival?" Ellie asks, wishing to pick a third option. "We invited Morgana in an effort to extend an olive branch and befriend her. At the very least, an agreement to nonaggression between our parties. Pelt might be a couple ingredients shy of a potion, but Morgana seems to be reasonable enough."

[JNAProductions]

The mood of the inn indicates that simply enjoying the celebration may not be an option. People are nervous, scared... But not panicking. They're sturdier than that.

[DigoDragon]

"Or maybe not," Ellie whispers.

Since she was preempted on trying to keep things calm, Ellie looks to her companions here on what direction they want to take this discussion. Morgana is expecting to be treated to a festival. Breaking this invite is probably a bad idea.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Then it's settled," says Kaytu, trying to salvage the situation. "May Ehlonna let us proceed without fear, lest an imagined threat consume us before our true foe even appears. Welcome back, Miyuki," she adds as she realizes she might not be the only one who didn't know who the fox was until today.

She walks up to her, trying to keep the rest of the conversation a bit more quiet, but still including Keys and Ellie. "I was about to ask whether you're alright, but you would rather we not worry about you, right?"

[Lentrax]

No. the fox says.

You shouldn't worry about me. Instead you should be worrying for yourselves and your souls. Especially considering what you have done.

[DigoDragon]

Alcohol. Ellie needs some alcohol right about now

She gets up quietly and slides herself around the crowd to the bar to get a drink.

[JNAProductions]

A glass is filled for you. Winter asks "Did she say when she'd be here?"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"On the day of the festival," Kaytu says. She closes her eyes for a moment and lets out a sharp sigh. "If you mean that literally, Miyuki, I should hope that our souls are spoken for, or else I have not been doing my job. Then again, by that measure, I've already failed Pelt..." A couple of other thoughts occur to her. If Miyuki can read her easily, she might intuit that she's thinking of a couple of other people who might be vulnerable to a warlock's temptation. She might even guess a certain aspiring wizard to be among them.

"Still, the answer is the same. If she would tempt us, we can only resist with our faith. Unless you meant something else?"

[Lentrax]

So, you do not understand what you offered. I thought as much from the point I found you ignored my warnings.

She hopped down from the table and shifted back to her humanoid form, but left her tail out, letting it swish back and forth as she stepped over to the fire.

You invited her. By inviting her, she is and will be our guest. We can do nothing against her. We cannot fight her. We cannot raise a hand against her, unless she attacks first. Which she will not do. She is too clever for that. And because you placed no restrictions on her, she can bring her pet with her. And also make offers unimpeded by our direct intervention.

She pulled out her pipe and began to light it with a splinter form the fire.

It is entirely possible that we would have died had you not made that kind of offer. Maybe. I had some other things to offer. One of which, I believe Morgana has coveted for long before even I was born.

She puffs on the pipe as it begins to light.

But there is precious little we can do to stop Morgana from tempting everyone in the village with a taste of her power. And unless you think we are strong enough to fight her, win, and survive the day, you should start worrying for the souls in this room. And running is not an option either. That would likely be seen as tantamount to breaking our promise of an invitation. And Oathbreakers... well, they are often shown less than mercy.

[DigoDragon]

Ellie lifts the tankard and takes a gulp. She considered in her mind, that she didn't know anything about this Morgana other than what she has witnessed. A powerful fae that does not like people burning her flowers (fair), but can bestow a boon unto followers of her... tenants? What are those even? Ellie tried to think back to her studies if she ever read about Morgana and what she's usually like to deal with.
(I think fae knowledge is Nature: (1d20+3)[15])


"What kind of temptations are we looking out for, then?" Ellie asks of Miyuki. "Is Morgana's plan to tempt us into becoming followers? The promise of fae powers in exchange for fealty to her?"

[JNAProductions]

It is at this point that Charity, Faith, and Naoki enter the tavern. Their smiles quickly fade when they take stock of the room. Charity asks "Why is everyone so grim? It looks like everyone is okay..."

One brief explanation later, and Faith looks worried, Charity looks worried and pissed, and Naoki looks resigned. Naoki is the first to talk after being informed, and says "I'll... I'll gather everyone to the center of town. This is not something we should go in unprepared for."

When he leaves, Charity takes a deep breath.

Spoiler: Insight DC 11

Show

Charity is doing her best to not let her anger get to her. Her family lives here-and you're putting them in danger.

But, she also understands that you were in danger yourself, and did what you could to survive. That being said... If anything happens to her family, you get the feeling it'd be hell to get her to forgive you.

[DigoDragon]

Ellie bites her lip. Yeah, this whole festival is going south real quick and she can completely understand Charity's stance. Dang, why the others gotta be so doom-and-gloom? I mean, there could be doom, but panicking the village isn't going to make things any better. Have to tackle this with cool heads and at least some outline of a plan. Is Morgana gonna tempt others? Well then couldn't the two clerics get some prayers done for protection? It is a festival for the spring; blessings are part of that deal, right?

Hmm. Ellie pondered leaving to follow Naoki. She can certainly get a crowd's attention. She was good for that. Ellie decides to go make herself useful, so she starts to leave.

[JNAProductions]

When she starts following Naoki, he says without turning around "Here to help me get everyone together? Thank you."

It takes about a half hour to get everyone assembled, as some people are in the middle of things. By the time everyone is assembled, despite the initial bit of happy expectancy, the grim mood has spread.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Do you want to narrate past the explanation, or would reiterating what's going on be worth doing, do you think?

[DigoDragon]

At the gathering, Ellie tries to soothe fears by explaining that they've always treated guests well, and guests have always followed the local laws. It shouldn't be any different with Morgana and she should be smart enough to know that. Even Miyuki alluded to such-- the rules of engagement are two-way. Misbehavior on her part would empower the village to dismiss her same as any other guest.

We should concern ourselves with enjoying the festivities; the music, food, and entertainment will bring happy memories and no fae has ever resisted a good party.

Cha/Diplomacy (1d20+1)[2]