The Green Woman of the Erin

[Woe]

F......!

"Try the torches!" yells Talin to the rangers, clearly out of other ideas. He sees Anna getting out her silver club and decides to do the same.

Round one plan: fight defensively, group retreat, hope the torches or silvered weapons work.

Just to check, these aren't shapeshifters or goblins right?

[Longman]

First - the torches and silvered weapons don't really work. The shadow-creatures just fly straight through them and into you....

and out the other side again.

No one takes any damage. The things do not seem to be able to affect matter.

Anna looks around and sees the creatures flying back into the trees. She notices that there are more of these creatures lurking in the first line of trees, too. In fact she could almost swear she saw one of the shadow-birds fly into the trunk of a tree...

You are all half a round back towards the castle, away from the pit, in a defensive huddle.

It is still morning. The weather is dreary. What do you do?

[Woe]

Kilian huffs, pats his chest, and glares at the parting shadows from his bushy eyebrows. "Boy, tell me straight. I still got all my parts?"

After a few minutes of theorying and praying, the party will get back to the task at hand: excavating the age-old pit. Once Kilian deems the majority of the dig has finished (no rush), they'll look to explore the surrounding area. They'll bring their kits with them but also plan to come back either tonight or next.

One more hex downriver! That will be 3 more EP spent, and then I'll figure out whether to continue or come back for the night.

[Longman]

Hold yer horses.

As soon as you re-enter the pit, a woman's voice calls out from further up the river:

Don't touch it! It's cursed! Evil will come upon you!

The voice sounds human. It seems to be coming from the riverbank opposite the castle - directly opposite the place where the river cave leads back into the small dungeon area.

You can't exactly see the place from the pit - you would have to move to see the speaker.

[Woe]

Excellent! Finally action that doesn't involve being feared by pirates or skewered by helhawks!

The patrol will all flip around and try to find the source of the voice. Kilian glares at Caradoc, who shrugs noncommittally and points toward the riverbank. Talin will signal the rangers to fan out (since Kilian does what he wants and Talin is a bit awkward around Anna). No bows drawn though -- we don't want to incite undue concern to the possible savior.

Talin will reply (unless Anna does): "Thank you for the warning. May we approach?"

How's Fido doing in all this?

[Longman]

'You are in danger!' says the voice. 'But you will be prevented from leaving here. The power of the runes will bind you. The runes were put here long ago, to trap any that came this way. You should not have come!'

Fido is sticking close to Talin and whimpering at the odd voice. The other dog is sticking close to her mistress too.

You'll have to move to see where it is coming from.

[Woe]

Kilian looks about to see if he can find these mysterious runes, as if they'd suddenly start glowing on the trees. Talin will move forward toward the voice. Kilian, in a low voice, will mutter, "Careful, boy. Dese woods aren't natural. Dis voice mite not be eider."

(Anna, the rangers, and the dogs will also advance -- but Talin, FIdo, and Kilian are a bit ahead of the others)

[Longman]

(Do you remember there are 3 sets of runes in the dungeon...)

You all advance towards the area.

You can't see anything in the place you'd expect the voice to be. However, it continues"

The wild trees will not let you depart! Not until you deal with the runes! Then I, too can be free! And so can all the other ones she has killed!

[Woe]

Yep! I do. Kilian isn't as versed with the arcane as me though.


Talin looks around, confused. "Where are you? How do we deal with the runes? We aren't wizards."

[Longman]

Oh, I pity you! You should not have come! The green woman will return and find you and then you will be like the rest of us, our souls trapped forever! I do not know what to do with these runes...but I know their power keeps us all trapped beneath this place!