"Careful now. There's a lot of magic here, on the gate and on the hut itself. Likely protection spells... or traps." Kael examines the gate and the bell next to it closely.

Is it a doorbell? If yes, it could be worth just ringing it. With all this magic around, I doubt we can sneak up on whoever is inside anyway.

"This whole place reeks of evil." Elena told the others quietly, with discomfort in her voice.  "And I don't just mean the house.  It's coming from the trees, from the ground, everywhere!  I've never seen anything like this.  I don't think I've even heard about something like this, except for maybe the heart of some evil God's temple."

While waiting for Kael to finish examining the gate, Elena wracked her brain, trying to remember if she'd ever heard of something tainting a large stretch of land so thoroughly.

15:30, Today: Elena Sazikova rolled 16 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 10.  knowledge: religion.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:12, Sat 06 May 2023.

The party stands at the edge of the fence staring  in.

OOC: @Kael - Maybe? It's a bell with a ringer on it. What its intended purpose is not written down anywhere so it is a guess that it could be a doorbell.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:37, Sat 13 May 2023.

Worried about dangerous herbs, magical traps and now Elena's revelation on the evil of this location, Kael offers a different approach. "You know, it is considered bad manners to just barge into people's homes. And whoever... or whatever lives here clearly appreciates their privacy. What if we announced our presence instead of just entering?"

He points at the bell, and if nobody stops him, decides to give it a ring.

"Only if you're sure it's not a trap." Dominique answers Kael hesitantly as he considers the evil Elena describes. Putty niceties aside, the priest readies his crossbow--knocking a bolt, flexing the arms, and releasing the safety.

10:39, Today: Dominique Telvari rolled 10 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 2.  Know Religion.
He's not a very good priest...

"I was never good at stealth, anyways."  Elena remarked with a nod as Kael moved to ring the bell.  Her hands tightened their grip on her glaive, though she resisted the urge to lower it into a more threatening posture.  Like Dominique, she was a little concerned about triggering a trap, but at least that would clear up the uncertainty:  After all, anybody who booby trapped a doorbell wasn't interested in peaceful coexistence.

Cara nods absentmindedly as she completely missed the old man's previous words and then Dominique's potential sarcasm as she was busily writing notes marking on her map the hut's location relative to other landmarks. The other's busied themselves with the potentiality of fighting off a great evil, while the gnome was completely engrossed with her craft. She even didn't register the "little one" quip that might incense people of her stature. Not that the happy go lucky gnome would have been offended anyway.

OCC: Did that totally on purpose. Yes, totes. ^.^
This message was last edited by the player at 22:46, Sun 07 May 2023.

"Keep your weapons aside. We are the invaders here. How would you feel if someone approached the gates of our humble abode with weapons drawn? Helpful?" He says in a calm and warm tone. Hoping to help his companions see this event from a different angle. Before Kael can physically touch the bell he calls out. "Hullo the house! Hullo?" He projects his voice so that it can be heard clearly by any inhabitants. Then much more quietly to the others. "No point touching anything if we are just trying to make our presence known."

Iar calls out loudly towards the hut but there is no response from inside.

Elena sighed, somewhat grimly.  "I hear what you're saying Iar.  But the thing is, we're not just trying to make our presence known.  We're out here to find anything that might threaten our people, and to deal with it.  And something bad is going on here, I can feel it.  We have to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.  Even if that means invading someone's home with weapons in hand."  To be fair to Elena, her weapon was usually in her hand.  It's not like she could hang the 8-foot polearm from a belt loop.

Reaching over, Elena rung the bell a bit more vigorously than was necessary. "Hey! Anybody in there?"  She shouted.  "If you don't answer, we're coming in!"  Elena braced herself for some sort of explosion or something, while doing her best not to look too much like a marauder.

The gnome, finally snapped out of her calculations, puts here kit away and prepares herself for a potential fight or discussion.

The sound of the bell echoes through the swamp, breaking the stillness of the air. The party stands on edge, waiting for a response from within the hut. After a few tense moments, they hear a shuffling of footsteps and the creaking of the door.

The door swings open, revealing a hunched figure standing in the doorway. The woman before them is old and weathered, her face lined with deep wrinkles and her hair a tangled mess of grey and white. She wears a tattered and stained robe that hangs loosely around her frail frame. Her eyes, however, hold a glimmer of sharpness and wisdom that belies her physical appearance.

The old crone gazes at the party with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. Her voice carries a raspy tone as she speaks, her words laced with a hint of bitterness. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Adventurers, trespassing on my domain, are ye?" she mutters, her voice filled with a mixture of resignation and defiance.

"Well, out with it. What do ye want, and it better not be any of my potions. My potions would kill the likes of ye. Ye cannot handle them so if that's what ye looking for best turn around and begone with ye."

"Don't worry, that's not why we're here.  We know plenty of potion sellers who products are, um, actually drinkable."  As she spoke, Elena looked the old woman up and down.  The hag was clearly more than she seemed, but exactly what that "more" was seemed unclear.

"We come from Rivermarch, the new town we've founded nearby." Elena introduced herself, seeing no reason to be any more specific about it's location than that.  "We're out here scouting the area for threats, and we came across your cabin.  My name is Elena, and this is Lord Borric d'Tor of Rivermarch.  And you are?"

Kael peers at the strange woman suspiciously. Just how does this apparently frail old woman survive in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by bandits, evil fey, trolls and owlbears?

Do I perhaps still have Detect Magic active? If yes, then I'd like for Kael to take a closer look at her using the spell. But only if I already have the spell active - I don't want to start casting a new spell now, as that could lead to problems.

"Busy!" huffed the old crone.

"Well, pleased to meet you Madam." Kael only barely stops himself from calling the crone Madam Busy.

"I know you said your potions are not for the likes of us, but could you perhaps reconsider? We could pay well for items you would be willing to trade, as well as for information of interest to us you might have on these..." He waves his hand at the surrounding swamps and bogs, momentarily lost for words. "... charming lands."

OOC: Potions are not something Kael really cares about, but maybe she has something else to trade?

Giving the crone a curtsy, Cara moved closer and said, "Dear madame, we are only passing by and wish for information on a troll clan we heard might be in the area. After that answering that, we will happily leave."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:03, Sat 20 May 2023.

Elena gave Cara a dejected look as she promised the hag they would be on their way shortly.  Apparently the bard agreed with Iar that respecting the old woman's privacy was more important than investigating the strange evil presence in the area.  True, Madame Busy wasn't doing anything obviously wrong, but the whole situation just seemed fishy.  Perhaps it was just the paladin's Shelynite upbringing, but she didn't trust this ugly, rude woman or her ugly, ill-kept home.

Still, Elena remained silent for now.  She had told the others what she had seen, and would trust their judgement in how to proceed.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:40, Sun 21 May 2023.

The hair on the back of High Priest Dominique's neck bristles slightly at Elena portraying Rivermarch as merely a 'town nearby.' What were they doing out here if not securing their realm's influence over and claim to these regions--bringing order and security for the good of all? This old hag is not their neighbor--she is their subject. He frowns at Caramip's incessantly flowery and soft brand of diplomacy, but holds his tongue for the moment to see how the crone responds.

The old crone's eyes flickered with amusement as she listened to their requests and offers. She seemed to enjoy the interplay of their different approaches and motives. After a moment, a crooked smile appeared on her weathered face.

"Ah, adventurers with their promises and pockets lined with coin. Very well, I may have a thing or two that could be of interest to ye," she replied, her tone still gruff but now laced with a hint of mischief.

She raises a hand and with a quick puff of magic the latch on the gate pops open and the gate creaks open.

"Come inside, no good in shouting halfway across the swamp. Come inside, heroes...if you dare."

She breaks out into a cackle as she walks back inside her hut. Despite the somewhat ominous nature of events her tone seems more playful rather than threatening.


From inside the hut's open door she calls out again.

"But beware, travelers, for my strongest potions could kill a dragon!"

She cackles again, seemingly amused entirely by her own "joke" if one could even call it that. Perhaps it was a bit of humor known only to her.

Cara could potentially be scared of this witch, but instead happily follows.

Elena had been hoping for a chance to inspect the old woman's shack, so she also moved forwards to follow the hag's invitation.  While it was clear this potion seller was a rascal with no respect for knights, there was no real proof that she was anything but that.  And as odd as it seemed, the woman's strange threat about her deadly "potions" put Elena somewhat at ease.  If nothing else, that wasn't the sort of warning you gave if you were trying to lure someone into a trap.

...Was it?

Iar doesn't resist the temptation. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mizz Busy." He says genially as he follows her in. "You have a beautiful home with a wonderful garden. If I might be so bold, is there a Mr. Busy?" He inquires while taking in the interior of the crone's home. "I'd be very curious to meet the one who could win the affections of such an exquisite woman." He purred, laying on hundreds of years of charm. He runs a hand over his goatee as he smiles at her.

"Can't imagine there's much of a market for them if they're so deadly..." Dominique considers aloud, but pauses as the others follow the witch into her shack. Keeping his crossbow knocked he volunteers, "I'll keep watch out here."

Kael shrugs and follows the party inside as well, though to be honest he does not really have much gold to spare.