#silver scale pack

Rana investigates the outskirts of town with Hickory, looking for ways in and clues about the slime and also looking for a really big tree - 11 survival. She finds a very large oak on the far outskirts of town, Northwest that should be big enough for future purposes.

Fee goes to talk to all the shop owners and do some window shopping, talk to the locals and just hang out and chill. She’d restock supplies, general stuff like dried roadsnacks, rat snacks, rope replacement, etc. 2g spent total. No alchemist so no potion restock.

Ixie checks in on the guy she saved, he’s definitely in awe of her and smitten has poetry. Ixayl'anu's response: “No no that’s quite alright.” /leaves

Everyone spends a nice relaxing day in or just outside town. Rana doing her druid thing that she hasn’t had much of a chance to do with a whole group of people. 

As we arrive at the tavern for dinner together Diem is hyper and more energetic than usual, but Jutira, while looking happier and more settled, also still has a bit still deer in the headlights look to her.

Tira: Thank you for taking the time to let me spend the day with Diem. It’s been a long time and I understand you all have to go places.

Fee: Take all the time you need!

Ixayl'anu: Right within reason.

We chat a bit, Jutira gets pulled away eventually. During this time, Diem tells the story about how their gran had been poisoning her and then when they get to the dream crab story, performance 25 has the whole inn paying attention. ~ Reveal ~ Our one shot with different characters 10 years earlier had Diem's mom in it as an npc they all helped.

We discuss what happened to those characters at the end of the one shot, options they would’ve had for interacting after etc. along with what the characters are doing now. Almost everyone elected to have had those one-shot characters help Tira out upon waking. ~ Back to the main campaign ~

Diem goes to bed at their mom’s and is woken up way earlier than they wanted, and gently nudged from bed to start their day. Rana passes them on her way to the tavern from the inn and they exchange greetings (with Diem still half asleep). Not wishing to interact with the loud and lively innkeeper directly this early, Diem crawls into Fee’s window at the inn for cuddles and more sleep. Fee says they should talk about how their mom apparently doesn’t trust them to stay there alone.

Diem is tired though and just wants to cuddle (and sleep more).

At the tavern, Upa gives Rana a glowing pearl for our group, to help on our adventures. Rana opens the box and it glows enough everyone probably noticed it get opened. Rana plays with it like a cat because it’s pretty and shiny and it makes Upa happy to see her entertained.

When we arrive Diem notices and asks about it, Rana hands it over without saying it’s from Upa so they identify it and then say it’s a pearl of power (“It appears to be another pearl of power that’s all you get from it.”).

Ixayl'anu: Where’d you find it?

Rana: Upa gave it to me.

Diem: Upa gave it to you? Then why’d you have me identify it? Why didn’t you just ask?

Rana: I didn’t, you did that on your own, I thought you just wanted to see it ‘cause it’s pretty.

Diem: Well…it is very pretty.

Brief discussion so full of RP terms about Rana not having attunement slots left and Diem says they do, but Upa gave it to her. After a little back and forth between all spellcasters, Rana asks Upa if it’s okay to give to Diem, she says of course, she gave it to her to be the most useful to whomever among us.

Ixayl'anu points out that Diem is always the one wanting a nap. Diem suggests trading it back and forth before they’re reminded it’s an attunement thing.

Diem also gets specific permission to call Upa Grammy. Upa promises to take care of their mother too.

Even so Diem stops in at the guard house to give their mom the tolling tulip, ring of lightning resistance, and scroll of protection from undead while the others check on road conditions to Averni with Sean.

On the way there is a fallen tree on the path, overgrown, creating difficult terrain all over.

Fee hears barking - a tiny dog-like sound just before an acorn hits her. She sees the tiny grey squirrel that is angry with her that’s standing on the log. She gets chewed out. Fee throws something back at it, the squirrel dodges and disappears. The next time it throws an acorn it hits Rana’s shoulder.

Rana: Hey! (casts speak with animals then says “Hey!” again)

Squirrel: Get away from my tree!

Rana: Your tree is on the ground!

Squirrel: I know! (super distraught) squirrel goes back in tree “Go away!”

Even without a nature check Rana can tell this is just a very dead snag that toppled over.

Rana: Your tree doesn’t look like it’s gonna be a very safe tree anymore.

Squirrel: All my stuff is in here :(

Rana: We might need to move your stuff... It comes out to stare at her with thinking tail flicks.

Rana translates what's going on for the rest of us.

Rana: What happened to your tree, we were not here

Squirrel: There was a lot of wind and it got knocked over and it was loud and scary!

The squirrel is increasingly distraught and doesn’t know what to do now.

We eventually move the tree away with Diem volunteered as an elephant when Rana asks for polymorph volunteers (we ruled awhile back that Diem's shapechanging flexibility allows them to *choose* to let the polymorph magic take hold if they know it's coming, otherwise typical shapechanger immunity). Diem has a blast as an elephant being all big and strong. Rana has speak with animals long enough to hear how happy they are to be so huge and super strong look at me! /elephant flex /uses trunk to play with peoples' hair (gets bit trying to pat squirrel), animal handling checks must be made on wiser but less intelligent Diem to get them to do as requested.

Fee rides them the rest of the hour down the road after we've successfully moved tree out of the road and helped squirrel relocate to new, better tree. Hickory wanted to solve the problem with squirrel snack, this was not allowed.

We camp where we were for the haunted doll prank about a month ago and Diem minor illusions fake chalk remains to see how long it takes Fee to notice.

Hickory warns Rana someone’s coming.

Rana perceptions after letting us know, some woman offers to help with food if we share the fire.

Rana asks if we’re alright with company everyone but Diem hesitates. 

Diem: Sure we love company!

 (Rana telepathically with Hickory: play nice Hickory: She smells weird Rana: (missed response)

Hickory watches newcomer in definitely not horse like fashion.)

Rana insight checks her and can tell she’s a loner who doesn’t really like civilization, not really used to being around people but she seems friendly enough, she offers the two rabbits that look freshly caught. Rana notices things only Rana and Fee get to know in the secret room.

Her name is Tessa HillHollow

Rana takes the rabbits and makes a point of checking out the more ragged kill method. She will dig in her pouch and pull out a few dried soup balls and hand them over as trade.

Tessa is surprised and slowly takes them. Rana steps outside the ruin walls, away from camp to gut and prepare the rabbits. She tosses the innards to Hickory as she does this.

Fee: So where do you come from?

Tessa: I just have a couple of trap lines around here and uh…it’s a livin.

Fee: Oh you live here?

Tessa: In the area, yeah, not really in town, I do go to some of the bigger ones occasionally when I need some supplies.

She has a quiver, bow, and small pack she set down.

We chat her up, talk about how she’s been here a few years and we must’ve just missed her last time. Diem asks about the nearby haunted house stories and insights 11 that she looks a little unnerved so probably doesn’t like spooky stories. They revert to saying they’re a story teller, and ask what kind of stories she does like. Tessa: Adventure.

Before Diem launches into story time Fee convinces Ixayl'anu to do a perimeter check "Like we do EVERY NIGHT" (Diem insight 1 on that lol). Diem proceeds to try and stress how safe Tessa is with us, talks about being an elephant recently, how we handled a bunch of wild boar here last time.

Fee gets far enough away with Ixayl'anu to talk about her Tessa suspicions and asks her to do divine sense, making special note of the fact that creepy chalk circle still being there is super strange (all the laughter). During the divine sense perimeter check Ixayl'anu does ping a grave sight of some kind just southwest of the ruin campsite walls.

Meanwhile, sidenote: The chalk circle pieces disappeared after only a minute, occasionally Diem brings a glint of it back every now and then.

Diem 29 performance (nat 20) telling Tessa stories to entertain and help her feel safe with us but without focusing on us in a way that sounds braggy and arrogant.

She tells us some things about the area in exchange, including a warning about a spider-scorpion like thing that looks like branches and plants in the area as a disguise to ambush prey and she’s seen it grab things as big as a cow before. They are spider monsters with step shelf fungi-like growths on their legs.

Diem sets up an alarm spell for the next 8 hours.

Survival rolls for the night 12 Rana, 8 Hickory, Ixie 13, Diem 17, Fee 8.

Ixie and Diem hear wolves off in the distance, but they’re pretty far away.

-------- Dear Silver Scale Pack, I'm sorry to say this by letter and that I lack the courage to tell you in person, but I've decided to run away from this life and start anew. I debated not sending this letter at all, but I don't want you to waste time looking for me.