((Keith rolled 8, Michael 2))
Devorah remains on guard, keeping he sword aimed at the corpse for the time being...
"Simpletons? It took you a month? It only took us a few minutes and we were successful. I suggest you take a new tone very quickly." ((Rhodri has not yet sheathed his sword.))
Valten scoffs. "Took you a few minutes, AFTER I'd decapitated it and neutralized its power by burying the head in consecrated ground. Minor details, I'm sure, for one whose notion of Hermetic art is waving a sword around like a feather-duster. Regardless, I am impressed at how far you ladies have come in a short time.
The succubus has recently birthed hellspawn with an incubus. I sought the demoness not due to the threat she alone posed, but to track down and destroy their brood. Guernicus is providing a hefty reward. Of course you would be too cowardly to face such a threat, and largely useless in such an encounter-- though, I do need someone to polish my boots and make my meals while on the road," he muses.
((OOC: I guess I don't really need to type out his thoughts, but it sort of helps better solidify him as the plodding, slow type. Especially since I've been playing him kind of frenetic and "blondish", which is not what I originally invisioned for him))
He'd like to help Sinmore, but all of his Mentem spells require eye contact and that's really hard in an invisible state, so Aequi is still trying to parse through the information of this encounter. Valten seems to have amazing timing in riding up right before and after the conflict with the headless woman. He interacted with the magi, and both Attravere and Sinmore reacted (either through speech or physical response) to spells cast on them, yet without gestures or speech from Valten. Of course, it could have happened from an item, but that doesn't explain the arrow fired/found in the tree. And as soon as the immediate threat is resolved, Valten comes back, spouting about succubi and incubii, which have absolutely no relation to the "Skinless Man" or the other observations already made with the bandit encounter. Which sounds like a distraction, or continued misdirection.
Aequi knows when he's invisible, he still casts a shadow because of his physical body still displacing light, even if the eyes are no longer perceiving him. Can I take a hard look at Valten and his horse? Do they cast a shadow, and/or leaving footprints(hoofprints) where they've walked? If he went riding off into the forest to the "consecrated ground" he speaks of, is the branches or grass bent/displaced from their passage back, or did he just go down the road a bit? ((OOC: I have no Hunting(for tracking), and Aequi is definitely cataloging all he needs to learn to go on future grand Mercarian adventures!))
Sinmore's babble has devolved into gibberish and unintelligible sounds as she stops wandering and grabs the sides of her head and begins to thrash and stumble about.
"...says the man who's been witnessed doing nothing. Are you trying to convince me Flambeau is a House of storytellers? If you are so great and mighty, see if you can fare even half as well against me as the great Sir Guillaume."
The Flambeau smirks. "Decapitation is your definition of 'nothing'? Good thing you're in no danger of becoming a Hoplite. Regardless, my need for boot polishing and meal preparations I had intended for your freakish Twilight-addled friend over-- what the??" As Valten gestures towards Sinmore, you all seem to notice at once that something very strange is happening. Her neurotic rocking motion has turned into wild, constricted thrashing. Her body seems to shrink and sprouts thick, reddish brown hair. Gradually the thrashing winds down, and where the giantess once stood, there is now an enormous wolverine. It hisses defensively and scampers off through the woods.
((The good news: Sinmore's mind is no longer being destroyed by the demon's victims. Bad news is she's a were-gulon. More good news is she's lost the "Plagued by Magic" flaw, as it's replaced with a different major story hook.))
Valten seems uncertain. "--Should we go after her? The demon hive is... I suppose it could wait..."
Attravere glances at his hands in mild disgust, making sure that none of the blood seeped through the dirt to his hands. He proceeds to shake his hands as clean as he can.
Attravere glares at Valten when he returns and makes his arrogant proclamations. "You still haven't learned a thing about gaining the assistance of others. Talk to us when you do."
When Sinmore undergoes her transformation Attravere will gasp before trying to follow her. Leaving a Maga alone who may not be in control of herself is not a wise decision.
Aequi finishes checking for Valten's shadow and then immediately turns his attention to the new problem: Sinmore's transformation. After the wolverine scampers off into the woods, he quickly examines what's left behind.
"She left her Little Sister behind," Aequi muses. "I've never seen her be without it, even around the keep in passing. Attravere, is that enough of an Arcane Connection for you to yank her back? Or is anyone's Intellego good enough to use it to dowse her out?"
Realizing the rustling of the wolverine has already faded out, he blinks in slight surprise. "Wow, that's fast!" Aequi exclaims. "There's no way I'm keeping up with that. Sort of wish I had remembered to ride Geoffries."
"She is big enough that she will travel slowly. It should be a simple thing to track her in these woods," Valten declares.
Indeed, it is a simple matter to track the enormous gulon; when Valten loses the trail, his steed seems able to sniff her out. After about an hour, you come across Sinmore lying naked and unconscious under a hedge. She seems to be unharmed beyond the pre-existing lion claw lacerations, and the scratches and cuts one would expect from running on a rampage through forest and brush.
Rhodri is just a look-out at this point. He doesn't have the skills to heal Sinmore.
She was travelling by foot, and even if you had a horse that would tolerate her Gift, it wouldn't be big enough to carry her weight. You'll probably have to set up camp and wait for her to wake up, unless you wanted to try having Attravere pop about and maybe find a cart?
Considering how annoyed she was with the grogs earlier, Aequi would not have left "Little Sister" behind. Invisibily asking the guards if they would be so kind as to pick up her armor he will grab her clothes (or the remnants thereof, if they were ripped off), and use Unseen Porterto move her sword along.
She tore her armour (it was only leather) and clothes after shifting. Aequi has no trouble with moving the sword along while the group tracks Sinmore; he loses concentration only twice, and does not botch on any castings.
Does anyone have any plans or preparations to make for the night while you camp out waiting for Sinmore to wake, or any ministrations for Sinmore's health? ((Jason, Devorah has a little training in Chirurgy.))
Devorah will approach Sinmore and investigate the extent of her comrade's injuries.
It appears to Devorah that Sinmore's unconscious state is due to blood loss from the lacerations inflicted by the lioness, followed by strenuous physical activity. Devorah manages to staunch the wounds with some herbs she finds nearby, and bind her midsection with some clean bandages Stefan thought to pack. Afterwards Devorah carefully feeds Sinmore a some water and salt to help her replenish what she's lost.
Now all you can do is wait...
In the night, Valten awakens Rhodri by clasping his hand over the Verditius' mouth, and whispering, "Sssshhhh... there's something skulking about nearby. Help me wake the others." In a matter of moments the rest of the party are awake and ready... they can hear something is moving around, trying to be stealthy but failing, in the direction you came from.
Any preparations before it reaches you?
Rhodri helps him wake the others. Can Rhodri see what is out there?
No, it's not a question of the darkness so much as it is of lots of trees between you and whatever it is 