Character Sheet
The Mysterious Orphan

Name: Lotte, daughter of Henrik and Anelie
Sexuality: Pansexual
Age: 18
Species: Lamia, Central Lands Human Culture
Level: 3
Class: Hunter
Weapons: Bow, Knife

XP: 2/18

Description: A tall lamia, with short blond hair, and blue eyes, dressed in a protective vest and a noble's hunting shirt. They are muscular, well-formed and handsome, and have slightly yellowish eyes and a forked tongue. Their snake-half is in a forest pattern that helps for blending in, except for the occasional splash of Tyrian purple.

Traits:

Just Devotions (Racial--Human, Central, Cultural)(Level 0): Humans in some parts of the world worship the Gods, vast and sometimes unknowable beings that do grant blessings to those that believe in them, magical blessings. But even the lowliest of the pious knows how to pray to them, how to do the right supplications, how to act in the proper ways. This knowledge can sometimes be put to good use, though the Gods rarely turn their eyes to every little prayer.

Wholesome Farm Looks (Human, Central, Physical, Level 1): Though most of the people of the Central lands, that mass of Kingdoms, Princedoms, Dukedoms, Duchess States, and more, are of course quite poor, they are a hardy, hard-working people, and sometimes this life less beats a person down and more hones them. They have reasonably good looks, and even more importantly, look trustworthy, clean-cut, and otherwise like the kind of person who'd never lied a day in their life or slacked off a single hour, either. This remains even after becoming a lamia, though it is... tempered, obviously.

Snake Eyes (Level 1, Physical, Lamia): You can see in the dark pretty well. It isn't perfect, but the night is not nearly so dark and full of dangers as you expected it would be, for whatever reason.


Forest Wanderer (0, Pre-Class): The forest is a fascinating place for a child, as long as they don't go too far. As one gets used to it, one learns more about its ins and outs, and while some of it only applies to the forest that such a child lived in at first, much of it is quite helpful later.

Forest Eyes (Level 1. Class): As one could have eyes that pick out every tiny detail of the tundra, so can one be used to seeing in the dark forest tracks, possibilities, old growth, traps, and anything else, especially when one knows how to use your ears and nose to aid it. It is remarkable how much you can see, when you see what is actually there.

Hunter's Mettle (Level 1, Class): To hunt, one needs a bow, an arrow, and perhaps a knife for self-defense. Having some skill at them is inevitable, having solid skill at them is admirable, and quite useful.

Steady Arm (Level 2, Class): You have a strong, consistent aim. You're not a superlative archer, at least by the standards of adventurers, but you don't have off moments, and you don't waver from being able to hit your target, even if you're not doing the fancier tricks.

Leave Few Traces (Level 2, Class): The experience of being on one side of the hunt makes you wonder how you'd hide your tracks if you were being hunted, or tracked by hostile enemies, as sometimes does happen in adventures. You've begun to practice how not to be followed in the woods, and perhaps elsewhere.


Mending Knowledge, Basic (Level 0, Pre-Class, Healing Priest): You know how to apply poultrices, and you know the basic ingredients of a number of potions that cure headaches, deal with common pains, put someone into a gentle sleep, and other minor things. You can also bandage someone properly. You are not very good at this, merely adequate... but that's more than what most people are.


Whitlin' Ways (Level 1, Common): A man or woman who knows how to whittle will never want for whistles, or spoons, or any number of goods. It's a useful, solid sort of skill, and one that could be made into a trade. It also makes a pretty decent way to pass the time, and the person who whittles never lacks for a knife in sticky situations.

Penny Pincher (Level 1, General): You know the value of a Pfin, and how to keep from wasting all of your money, even if you're far from a merchant. Money is something you're familiar with.

Steel Nerves (General, Level 3): You've seen enough strange places and done enough fantastic things that you are less likely to panic in terrible situations, and more likely to think things through, however difficult. This doesn't mean you can't panic at all, but you have a grip on those nerves. In battle and danger only, this unfortunately doesn't help at all with social anxiety.


Divine Sense (Level 0, Divine): You can sense when someone is a Demigod, and there's at least the potential ability--though you have not figured it out yet--to try to track people through their divine 'scent.' A person's 'scent' gets stronger as they get more magically and divinely powerful... but on the other hand, you now have a 'scent' of your own, that will allow other demigods to know you for what you are, increasingly as you grow more powerful yourself.

Captivating Eyes (Level 2, Divine): You can sometimes 'catch' people with your eyes. If you're concentrating, they'll find it slightly more difficult to look away, though any sense of threat or danger breaks it immediately, and they'll hear your words clearly, actually listening… or at least hearing them. There's no requirement to listen to them, nor does it seem as if anyone's mind is being altered in any way, but it's an interesting, if bizarre, power, and certainly is a new take on 'lost in their eyes.'

Slithering Shadows (Level 3, Divine): You can blend into the shadows better than you should be able to. At night, and in darker areas, you can seem to shift away from sight. It doesn't work well in a wide-open space, but that little bit of extra secrecy can be very useful as a hunter, and as someone who might need to sneak through various areas.
 
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[X] To see the bodies. Perhaps she can tell something about what kinds of people she's looking for. Were any of the raiders killed? If not, then how did they fight? Bodies can show that too.

As a hunter I think we got a fair eye for recognizing what kind of attack killed them. This is important for not being killed the same way
 
[X] To see the bodies. Perhaps she can tell something about what kinds of people she's looking for. Were any of the raiders killed? If not, then how did they fight? Bodies can show that too.
 
[X] To see the bodies. Perhaps she can tell something about what kinds of people she's looking for. Were any of the raiders killed? If not, then how did they fight? Bodies can show that too.
 
[X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.
 
I'll give a last chance for voting, but it seems pretty close but decided at the moment!
Adhoc vote count started by The Laurent on Aug 14, 2019 at 3:29 PM, finished with 13 posts and 12 votes.

  • [X] To see the bodies. Perhaps she can tell something about what kinds of people she's looking for. Were any of the raiders killed? If not, then how did they fight? Bodies can show that too.
    [X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.
    [X] To examine the inner shrine itself, the site of all of the discord. Were certain things taken and not other things? Just what was the motive of the thieves?
 
[X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.

Wasn't gonna vote, but rangers gotta range, ya know? It's only a tie, but.
 
[X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.

Seems the only job that Lotte is required for.
 
Letssss....let's trust party to investigate the crime scene I guess??
[X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.
 
[X] What direction did they head? Yes, it's obvious, but more knowledge about that, and for that matter knowledge of the woods itself, is vital if they're going to find anything.

Skill checks. Skill checks everywhere.
 
[X] To examine the inner shrine itself, the site of all of the discord. Were certain things taken and not other things? Just what was the motive of the thieves?
 
2:4
2:4

The questions flew. Could they talk to the monks, could they see the bodies? Could they examine the scene of the attack? Could they pray in the chapel for success?

But Lotte had only one question. "Which way did they go?"

"Which… way did they go?" Lambert asked, looking at her as if a village somewhere had lost its idiot, and he expected a reward for having found it.

Lotte flushed, but glanced over at the others. They seemed at least a little less judgemental, though Guilliam was looking rather blank.

"Not simply which direction, but did they have horses? And, if they went into the forest, do you have anyone who can tell me about the forest? Each forest is different, and has its own tricks," Lotte said. She was trying to sound confident. Animals reared up, always presented their best front, or ran away, they didn't shrink and apologize unless that's all that helped them live. Animals were very practical sorts of beings, for all that she had hunted them down.

"Oh," Lambert said, and he seemed furious that he'd been proven overly hasty. "Brother Boris spent some time in the forest, once. If you failed, he was going to guide the next group through it."

If they failed? Lotte shifted uneasily, but nodded. "I would like to talk to him."

"He's from far off. Doesn't speak like most people do. But he's a hard worker. Devout. They went North by North-West, straight into the forest, and seemed to have gone on foot, most of them. There were a few horses, but we lost their tracks entirely, by the time it reached the forest."

There were plenty of ways that could happen. There was also, of course, the question of whether the forests had room to easily navigate horses through. The forests around her home were difficult enough that you often had to dismount and take the animals on foot. It was still worth it, since horses and mules could both bear far more weight than a human could, but it was a different dynamic from the one the others might have been used to. It all depended on what Boris said, and so with a low bow, Lotte managed to excuse herself after just another few minutes.

******

"I saw them all," Boris said. Despite the Priests' words, he didn't speak badly, just in a thick enough accent that he had to speak with remarkable slowness so that he could be understood. His eyes were the grey of slate, and he was well over six feet. HIs rough face was the crumbling remains of a cliff face, and his voice was polished stone. He smelled of sweat and sunshine, and smiled through halfway shattered teeth.

"You know the Rotterwald?"

"It is hard to know it. Do you know every person in your village? Know them as you know themselves? The taste of skin their" Boris coughed. "Their skin. The look of their, the wrath of fists of theirs?"

Lotte said, "Can you explain?"

"The Rotterwald is haunted. The Rotterwald is dangerous, only the Black Forest is worse. You've heard of the Black Forest."

"Yes."

"But the Rotterwald occasionally has beasts that foam at the mouth. They bite and kill and infest people with hatred, acting not as any beast acts towards hunters. I came through the forest. Lost and desperate. Alone. I saw. I saw the martyr guide me out alive. It all." He shook his head. "It is all that saved me. It will swallow you up."

"Then how will they survive?" Lotte asked, stunned. She'd heard dark stories, of course, the kinds of things that you whispered at night. The kinds of things you prayed to the Gods would never happen to you.

"If you become a little wild. You survive. You take it into you. Like a… a venom." Boris shook his head. "The martyr preserve you, the Gods bless you, know that night is a time to hide from what lurks out there, but that the Gods will have to shine on you."

"Have to?"

"Or four will not be enough," Boris said, gesturing around the empty room he'd pulled Lotte into. "A room might be enough."

Lotte knew when she was being baited. Boris had his own experiences, yes, but she knew, in a vague sense, that there were trade routes through the forest. Though she'd also heard that many preferred to go around it. It was a dangerous place, of course. Forests, deep inside them, tended to be. People who had nowhere else to go went there, and desperation had an edge as sharp as a knife. "Tell me about the animals there. About the paths. About the people and places. I am afraid, but… but fear can be a whetstone."

"A truly pious saying," Boris said, with approval.

Lotte didn't remember much of what she'd read, but it was a common saying of those who followed the Nachtmater. Fear could sharpen the senses, and allow you to see what was truly there in the dark of the night, as long as you understood that the night would take what it would.

"Yes. So, what are the paths?"

"There are three main routes. But the main one runs past some wild territory, and even an area thought to be home to strange rituals and witch gatherings. The side ones are worse, one of which travels through corpse woods, which even the Waldherz cannot fully make living. The other goes through outlaw territory, and there is said to be a village of beastfolk around there, a den of liars, thieves, and blackguards."

Lotte's eyes went wide at that information. "And the animals themselves? I also need to know anything you know about how to follow the trail and what sorts of signs are common and uncommon."

"I can. Though it will take time. I know I speak slowly."

It was true. The conversation would have taken a lot shorter to relate than to go through, for even a simple sentence could take too long. But it did give Lotte time to think through what they were saying, and so Lotte simply nodded. "It will take as long as it takes."

******

In the end, Lotte was the last one to leave the shrine, and in fact had to be beckoned by the entire group. She had been right in the middle of talking about the birds of the forest, and how their calls might be imitated if she wanted to send a message. She had no skill at all at it, but she could perhaps learn enough to use.

Instead, she was led down the hill, until they were out of sight of the shrine, and near the forest, which stretched below and around them on two sides.

"What did we find out?" Oscar asked, still on horseback.

"They make a lot of money off this shrine. They have all of that, and if war and famine both struck, they might survive years based on what they already have. But… none of it was stolen," Guilliam said, with a shrug. "Yes, their store of money is hidden, but you'd think that they'd have turned the whole place apart looking for it, instead of just taking some of Ingeld's possessions. Mostly his, though some of his friends and allies."

"They could sell it, or wish to desecrate it as tribute to dark gods," Oscar pointed out.

"Coming remarkably close to heresy, aren't you?" Guilliam asked. "Aren't the Gods all supposed to be people, neither dark nor light?"

Oscar growled, but shrugged. His helmet was at least flipped up so that his face could be seen, but he made more noise than he should have, armored as he was. "Whoever did it, they have at least one Mage, or perhaps a Priest, with them. There were burns on the bodies that couldn't have been done easily with simple flames. Not without spreading further. Arrows, spears, swords, whoever did this was very thorough. Mercenaries, perhaps, looking to sell the relics."

"They'll have the whole world after them," Lotte pointed out, quietly. It sounded absurd in a way, to steal something that couldn't be easily sold. It was blasphemy to even think of it sold, but then they'd come and stolen and killed for it. She couldn't think that they'd shy from anything if it got them what they wanted, after that disgrace.

"I think I can tell when we're close," Clemencia said. "Ingeld was an ancestor. These objects hold a piece of his soul, of his fire. And the fire of your strange Gods. But all of the pieces that were left were faint ones, secondhand connections. I should be able to use them to know when we're at least within… some distance of it. I can't track it." Clemencia tugged on her beard. "If we had more, I could."

"So, what about you?" Guilliam asked. "What did you learn?"

"There are three paths. But they start as one. They might have gone off the path, but this forest is dangerous enough that I think they'd just try to mask their numbers and direction." Lotte frowned, trying to think through what she was going to be doing.

There were so many tricks if you didn't want to be caught. You could walk only across hard, dry ground, you could go in and out of rivers to hide your scent, you could double back and around, you could set the beginning of an obvious trail and then have it end on bad ground. If you then went around the other way, the average person, even the average tracker, would keep on going, since of course more often than not most people would keep on going. Then there was avoiding the thickets so that nothing got torn away, avoiding muddy ground, and making sure not to leave any more of your scent behind than you could.

Lotte knew it more as stories than reality, since the signs a human left and an animal did were rather different.

"So, you will track them?" Clemencia asked.

"Yes. We'll have to go dismounted. The forest will become too thick, and on horseback we'd be too visible. We can lead them, if that is alright?" Lotte bit her lip, nervously. The sun was shining, but the trees were dark, and she had a feeling that she'd be giving into their whims more than the other way around.

"Fine," Oscar said.

"Not fine at all, but I suppose my donkey will thank me for not burdening her," Guilliam said, and Clemencia was already climbing down from her pony.

They had, if not a destination, than at least a little bit of an idea of where they were going. "How many of them are there?" she asked.

"The people said anywhere from a handful to dozens and dozens," Oscar said.

Lotte paused at that. Four adventurers versus perhaps a dozen or more bandits? Even with their greater skill, those were not the odds anyone wanted to face. Lotte wasn't thinking of backing out, but she was thinking that if there wasn't some clever way to ambush them, she might advocate for going back once they'd found the hiding place of the enemy.

Anything else would be suicide. Even she knew that for every story of Gods-blessed adventurers defeating five to one odds, there were dozens of stories that would never be told of what usually happened: death.

*******

It wasn't red at first. In fact, the first mile or so was entirely typical. The forest was perhaps thicker than usual, but it was still easy enough to follow the path, and Lotte could even see signs that people had walked through the dry dirt trail some days ago. Their full size was hidden, but there were tiny signs. A footstep here, a footstep there. They were, if not impossibly skilled, at least familiar with the forest, and so there was nothing as obvious as a bit of cloth caught on a bush, not until almost two miles in, and then merely a brown piece of spun wool that could have come from anyone.

There were birds and beasts that seemed to live their ordinary life, and yet the deeper they went in, the thicker the trees. Some of them even had a reddish tint, and the ground and forest itself grew darker still.

Eventually, Lotte could barely see, though from what she'd been told, Sepult had better eyes than that. But Clemencia didn't seem to be much use, at least in the moment.

Onward Lotte went, just barely good enough to keep track of them. She wouldn't have been able to at all, except that it was in fact incredibly difficult to hide that many people's tracks. Of course, an army chasing down those numbers would have been as likely to destroy the signs as anything.

Afternoon passed, and then they came, at last, onto a fork in the path. Lotte went down each of the three paths, and saw equal signs of people going down them for at least a while, which meant that either they split up, or they went one way and doubled back to fool her. Or perhaps both, dividing into two groups, and having one double-back.

Either way, Lotte returned to the slight clearing in the forest, and looked at her other tired, footsore companions.

"So, which way? They all look pretty terrible," Guilliam said.

The left route was going to loop around, and there were said to be both bandits and beastfolk that way, and there was no guarantee that the Beastfolk would be nice. Just as they could be good people, so could they be terrible ones, and so they would possibly face a confrontation of one sort or another. Ahead, in the straight way, supposedly the safest, there were sometimes groves where the animals behaved quite oddly, and there were rumors of Witches.

There wasn't anything evil about them, but their talents could be turned to dark deeds, and few who went this far in the forest were entirely benign.

Then there was, through thickening woods, a path that eventually was supposed to lead through an area of Corpse Woods.

Corpse Woods were a thing of rumor and myth, for nobody knew quite why they happened, just that they were like blight on a crop, and could at times spread.

But which way? There was nothing obvious to recommend them.

Three Paths, and the party can only choose one:

[] The left route, which goes down at least a little bit, and is a little rocky and unsteady, as if someone had tried to build a stone road and given up, leaving it worse than if it was good, honest dirt. There were supposedly bandits (which they might be looking for) and beastfolk villages (which they weren't) in this direction. Neither are likely to be very trusting, even at best case scenario.
[] Go straight. There are strange groves, yes, and there's the wild animals that apparently attack people without sense, foaming at the mouths, and the witches, and--wait, what was your point? Oh, yes, but it's the straight path, and even more importantly, it's the main road. So maybe they used it?
[] Go right. You'd have to be insane to go through Corpse Woods, and anyone who steals the relics of a famous martyr has long since become unhinged. Plus, there are usually not... physical dangers from going through Corpse Woods. Usually, at least in stories, it's more about the mind and soul. Which is harder to shoot an arrow at, but at least won't outnumber you.

******

A/N: There we go.
 
[X] Go right. You'd have to be insane to go through Corpse Woods, and anyone who steals the relics of a famous martyr has long since become unhinged. Plus, there are usually not... physical dangers from going through Corpse Woods. Usually, at least in stories, it's more about the mind and soul. Which is harder to shoot an arrow at, but at least won't outnumber you.

I'm quite tempted by this choice. It's not particularly Lotte skill set but we have Clemencia, who deal with spirits and the bard, who will be adept at mind games. Lotte is more here to track the thieves and guide the party through the woods. Plus I just want to see the creepy woods and have Lotte deal with things of visibly slightly eldrich nature.

Edit:
Anyone has hypothesis about the thieves? We know that there are bandits/mercenaries in the woods and they have at least one person with magical powers. This combined with the objects stolen ( just the relics, not the money), makes me think that dark rituals are happening soon. So my hypothesis is that cultists/sorcerers/magical peoples dressed in black hired bandits ( and maybe a witch?) to help steal the relics, ran in the forest and then each group went their own way.
 
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It's too bad they're specifically a troubadour, because some of the skald traditions have songs for quieting spirits, or funerary rites that keep the soul restful. Handy, in places like this.
 
[X] The left route, which goes down at least a little bit, and is a little rocky and unsteady, as if someone had tried to build a stone road and given up, leaving it worse than if it was good, honest dirt. There were supposedly bandits (which they might be looking for) and beastfolk villages (which they weren't) in this direction. Neither are likely to be very trusting, even at best case scenario.
 
You'd have to be insane
Finally! An option that speaks to me! :V
Adventure, away! Maybe we can talk to some cool ghosts?

[X] Go right. You'd have to be insane to go through Corpse Woods, and anyone who steals the relics of a famous martyr has long since become unhinged. Plus, there are usually not... physical dangers from going through Corpse Woods. Usually, at least in stories, it's more about the mind and soul. Which is harder to shoot an arrow at, but at least won't outnumber you.
 
[X] Go straight. There are strange groves, yes, and there's the wild animals that apparently attack people without sense, foaming at the mouths, and the witches, and--wait, what was your point? Oh, yes, but it's the straight path, and even more importantly, it's the main road. So maybe they used it?

The talk of a mage using fire attacks in the robbery, dark rituals with the relics, the difficulty of selling them, and the presence of witches all add up to me thinking this is the way to go.
 
[X] The left route, which goes down at least a little bit, and is a little rocky and unsteady, as if someone had tried to build a stone road and given up, leaving it worse than if it was good, honest dirt. There were supposedly bandits (which they might be looking for) and beastfolk villages (which they weren't) in this direction. Neither are likely to be very trusting, even at best case scenario.

Bandits need somewhere to spend their loot even.
 
[X] Go straight. There are strange groves, yes, and there's the wild animals that apparently attack people without sense, foaming at the mouths, and the witches, and--wait, what was your point? Oh, yes, but it's the straight path, and even more importantly, it's the main road. So maybe they used it?

Witches seem like the likely buyers for these relics, and if theyre not cackling hag sort of witches (perhaps unlikely) then they could be a pointer
 
[X] The left route, which goes down at least a little bit, and is a little rocky and unsteady, as if someone had tried to build a stone road and given up, leaving it worse than if it was good, honest dirt. There were supposedly bandits (which they might be looking for) and beastfolk villages (which they weren't) in this direction. Neither are likely to be very trusting, even at best case scenario.
 
Hmm.

No spoor or traces that hint at the way? These woods don't seem to be frequently travelled, so I'd expect even not terribly recent but still visibly used campsites would be a guide.
 
I think they spilt up, since there are a lot of them. So it shouldn't matter which way we go, the tracks will meet up later
The only thing missing if they are passing through the forest or deeper into it
If they want to perform some ritualistic fuckity, an isolated location would be ideal

Mmm
[X] Go straight. There are strange groves, yes, and there's the wild animals that apparently attack people without sense, foaming at the mouths, and the witches, and--wait, what was your point? Oh, yes, but it's the straight path, and even more importantly, it's the main road. So maybe they used it?

We can ask Witches for directions, yay! :V
 
[X] Go right. You'd have to be insane to go through Corpse Woods, and anyone who steals the relics of a famous martyr has long since become unhinged. Plus, there are usually not... physical dangers from going through Corpse Woods. Usually, at least in stories, it's more about the mind and soul. Which is harder to shoot an arrow at, but at least won't outnumber you.
 
Hmm, if I were the bandits, where'd I go...

Bandit route seems most likely at first glance. It's a way to get lost among other bandits and has necessary contacts to sell the relic asap and the very environment will be hostile to any would-be pursuers without any prompting. On the other hand, the bandits themselves might be killed for their loot and, more importantly, their motivation is not money-based. They didn't sack the church completely, which is most unusual and makes me believe that these are not mere bandits.

The necromancer path it is then, right? But it doesn't seem right either. People who go through there are "unhinged", meaning that they are insane. And the sacking didn't look like a job of a group of insane people. It was bloody but quick and efficient. They got in, got what they wanted and got out. They didn't spend time torturing people, they didn't spend time defiling the church. No, whoever did this knew exactly what they came for and got it, no more and no less.

The central path is, presumably, the shortest and the fastest of them. If I wanted to get away asap, I'd go there. But they didn't bring horses with them. Then again, this might be bluff, or even double bluff if they had horses waiting them somewhere. Also, witches. Witches usually deal with symbols, and curses, and rituals. If anyone is capable (and willing) to use stolen symbols for rituals, it's likely a witch. So...

[X] Go straight. There are strange groves, yes, and there's the wild animals that apparently attack people without sense, foaming at the mouths, and the witches, and--wait, what was your point? Oh, yes, but it's the straight path, and even more importantly, it's the main road. So maybe they used it?
 
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[X] The left route, which goes down at least a little bit, and is a little rocky and unsteady, as if someone had tried to build a stone road and given up, leaving it worse than if it was good, honest dirt. There were supposedly bandits (which they might be looking for) and beastfolk villages (which they weren't) in this direction. Neither are likely to be very trusting, even at best case scenario.
 
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