Return to Mareth (In Game)

[Gamer791]

Checking out the statue in silent thought, Derek finally speaks 


"Hmm, seems like a Deity, but, are there multiple is what I'm now asking myself...uh, eh, screw it. Morality is a fickle thing...should we or should we not use this statue as barter currency or not? We don't have any sure means of gaining a good ammount, let alone that we don't know what a good amount IS. I'm torn either way, its definitely solid, but why I'm slightly against is that I'm not sure how... involved Deity can be in this world."

 

[Woider]

"Absolutely not! We shouldn't mess with people's deities, Derek! We should show respect to their native beliefs, not steal their statues!" She frowns, before walking up to it, herself. She squats down and sniffs the incense, and takes one of the berries in her hand, smelling it, too. [Discern Realities roll: 5+3+2] (Uh... What here is useful or valuable to me? What here is not what it seems like? And... What is the statue depicting?)

 

[Ecnalab]

Now that she was closer, Castella could see that the two buildings were a farmhouse and a big red barn. At the sound of her voice a figure emerged from the house, and made its way toward them. At first it looked like a short, but well built, woman, but as she got closer, Castella noticed that the person approaching was not human. Like Carla, she seemed to be a hybrid of human and animal traits. In this case, human and golden retriever. She wore a set of cut-off overalls, and white shirt, with a Stetson hat resting on her head. "Well, howdy there, strangers" she said. "What can I do for ya?" As she looked Castella and Carla up and down, her tail began to wag.


Meanwhile. As Derek was examining the statue, Isaac suddenly cried out. "Don't touch it!"

 

[Floozer]

She smiles happily and extends her hands for a shake. "Hello there miss, my name is Castella and I am very happy to meet you. If it is not too much to ask, would you mind helping me understand these lands a bit better? My companions and I just got here recently and we are still fairly lost on how things work."

 

[Penguinmafia]

"Yeah.... something this valuable looking would've been stolen by now if it wasn't cursed or something like that... we should be careful." Mia decides to look around the rest of the shrine for anything else of use. [Discern realities roll, 4..............]

 

[Gamer791]

"And why not, I've you've known about this before, why didn't you tell us?" 

 

[Ecnalab]

Isaac straightened up before explaining. "I knew there were no foxes left on the mainland," he began, eyeing the figurine warily. "My boss is a fox, and that-" he pointed at the statue "-is no fox. That is a kitsune. They may look like foxes, but thrust me, they're more akin to giant fairies than anything else. A few of them live in Tel'Kara, and they're always making mischief or playing pranks on someone. Believe me, they are not the kind of people you want to get on the bad side of. And nothing does that faster than taking heir stuff."


Meanwhile. The short dog woman reached out and took Castella's hand in a firm shake. "Well, hello there, Castella, the name's Whitney. How can I help ya'," she asked.

 

[Floozer]

"Well, as you can tell, my companions and I are all humans and for some reason that makes us really stand out here. We were wondering if you could fill us in on what food is safe to eat around here without being changed. A young man named Isaac told us that some foods that are normally not safe become safe after cooking them. Do you know anything like that?"

 

[Gamer791]

"I see, while they may be tricksters, do they have the decency to hold a stable conversation?"

 

[Woider]

"Hey, Isaac... what are these berries? Some kind of offering for the Kitsune goddess?"

 

[Penguinmafia]

"Considering what most of the fruit here does....." her ears twitch to prove her point. "And that these kitsunes are apparently quite powerful we should probably not take or eat any of them...."

 

[Gamer791]

"I agree with that, while I think these fruits mostly affects physical traits, Mia has shown signs of what cats do, and foxes are a bit more, different than cats."

 

[Ecnalab]

"Well, the only food I know of that can still change ya' after you cook it are the black canine peppers that sometimes crop up in my fields," explained Whitney.


"Yeah, they can talk," replied Isaac. "And as for the berries, never come across any that looked like that before."

 

[Woider]

"Foxes, eh? I always loved foxes..." She ponders taking one... or two.

 

[Floozer]

"So, everything else is safe after you cook it? Well that is good to know! Next I would like to ask, what can you tell me about the lands here in...mareth was it? Yes, that sounds right. Are there any places that are simply too dangerous?" 

 

[Ecnalab]

"Well, there're some pretty big critters wandering the plains to the south-west. And I'd steer clear of the swamp south of the forest. There's stuff in there that's just plane nasty," replied Whitney.

 

[Floozer]

She nods her head and commits this to memory. "Avoid the plains and the swamp. thank you very much Whitney! Lastly, would you mind if I just toured your farm for a while? I would even be willing to lend a hand if you need any help! It is the least I can do in return for your advice."

 

[Ecnalab]

"Why sure, I'd love to show ya around," said Whitney, with a smile. "As you can see, we're already in the fields. Out here we grow corn, wheat, carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celery, lettuce, and of coarse, our famous puppy peppers." Whitney reached down into the mass of pepper plants and withdrew a particularly large one, before tossing it to Castella. "Here, have one," she said, cheerfully.

 

[Floozer]

She scrambles to catch it, fumbling for a minute before getting it steady and putting it into her bag. "Thank you! It is most appreciated! That actually reminds me, could I potentially work for some of that food? My group is in need of rations right now"

 

[Ecnalab]

Whitney scratched her head, as she thought, while looking Castella up and down, appraisingly. "Well, me and Kelly ae good as far a bringing in the harvest goes. But there are a couple of other things you might be able to help with."

 

[Woider]

Elliana lets the berries be. She can always find others, and she doesn't want to disrespect the Kitsunes' deity.

 

[Floozer]

"If it is within my power to help you with, I will gladly do so!" She gives Whitney a friendly smile as she offers her aid.

 

[Ecnalab]

"Good, let me show you something." She took Castella to the other side of the farmland, out to the very edge of the crops, and it was obvious that something bad had happened recently. In many places the ground appeared to have been torn or churned up, and large sections of pepper plants had been smashed or ton apart. "You ever hear of a dhole?" asked Whitney.

 

[Floozer]

"A dhole? No I don't think I have ever heard of such a thing." She looks around the ground as they move about. "What happened here Whitney?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Like I said, a dhole," repeated Whitney, her voice thick with contempt. "Like big earthworms, only with teeth. One of them's been coming by every other day to help itself to my crops. It's a little big for me to handle by myself, but if you could help me run it off, I could see my way to parting with a couple of boxes of produce," she offered.

 

[Floozer]

"Why is it called a dhole? That is a rather strange name for a worm... but if it is harassing you and stealing your crops, then I shall try and chase it away. When and where does it show up?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Usually, it shows up on the outskirts of the farm in the evening. If you want to help me patrol the land come sunset, we can probably spot it then," said Whitney.


"Much as I would like to help, I need to get back to the water before I dry out too much," Carla put in.

 

[Floozer]

Castella turns around and bows to Carla. "thank you for all your help Carla. you have proven to be a good friend." She looks back to Whitney. "Very well, come sunset we will try and catch this dhole."

 

[Ecnalab]

With that, Carla headed back toward the lake, and Whitney and Castella began preparing for the evening to come.


[What does the rest of the party do?]

 

[Woider]

"Come on, if we can't find anything right here, let's search around some more."