(IC) New Orleans by Night CtL

[Bennosuke]

As the group of five quickly start exit Arthur Pengrove's house, Imere jumps in front of the door and says, "It was Kitsune who told us to start investigating the Hallow's Eve Contract. It seemed like she had some inkling of the bad mojo associated with it... But," and with this Imere puts her arms out as if to block the door so that the group can't exit, "perhaps we should, I don't know, bury Arthur Pengrove's body, and maybe dispose of all evidence. I don't suppose one of us have a Contract which might make the job a little easier? Who knows where Typhon is now, but I wouldn't want him discovering this and linking it to us." She grins wryly and adds, "Not that I don't want a drink or anything."

[Ohiska]

"So, Kit started you down this trail, huh?" Songbird said, ceasing his search for a mirror. "She's-... Well, she's a friend of mine. First of our kind I saw on this side of the Hedge. Seems you were right about this meeting being fated-... Or, at least, the better kind of coincidental."

"I agree, on the evidence-clearing plan." The avian changeling said after Imere blocked the doorway. "If we find a mirror, I might be able to hide the body in the mirror-space, but it might prove difficult-... And it's not the best resting place for Ol' Pengrove. Anybody got a better idea?"

[Ladorak]

'He's an old forgotten man in a rotten house who died of a morphine overdose.' Reggy's voice started sad and only got more dismal and tired as he went on 'Just clean your prints off the syringe and put it in his hand. God knows how long it'll be before anyone finds him anyhow.' He finally stops, ashamed of himself 'No, you're right. I'm sorry, I am... out of sorts. I suppose we should search this place too before we leave forever.'

[EarthenRite]

“We can take him into the Dreaming...but it’s not as easy as it seems. I can find the entrance, we can find a resting place for him, and then come back. The Gate could be far, though.”

[Ohiska]

"Might be the smartest option, Reggy-... But I don't know." Songbird sighed at that, wanting to move past all this. "I'm in favour of whatever plan's quicker. Don't think we should stay here too long-... It doesn't feel safe, somehow."

[Bennosuke]

Tom comes forward, shrugging and with a matter o-fact manner says, "I could chop the body up into pieces if that would be quicker." He lets the offer hang, seemingly indifferent to the response.

[EarthenRite]

“There’s no harm in checking, I suppose. Can you find something to wrap him up in when you search the place? Maybe a trunk or something too?”

Sebastian walks around the house a few times, veering outside occasionally, trying to find Hedge-land in the vicinity. Assuming he does, when he does, he scoops up a handful of dirt and spits into it. How uncouth, he thinks, as he waits for the dirt to spiral and coalesce into a compass, pointing him directly as he wills it towards the Gate of Horn, trying to gauge how far away it is.

Spoiler: OOC

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Using Pathfinder to know how far it is to the Dreaming

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC

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Yay, finally some more Hedge play and Oniomancy. Okay, so Sebastian should know that he can portal through any door into the Hedge, though he doesn't know where it will neccesarily take him. Because of this, I'm going to assume Sebastian doesn't need to run around the house, searching for a way in. Sorry for the delayed response!

Sebastian finds a nearby door, and allows his mind to go blank for a second as he allows memories of Arcadia to fill his brain like yellow jackets funneled into a balloon. There is the electric shock of Wyrd magic as he touches the doorknob, and when the door swings open, there is nothing but a black rectangular maw. Looking into the space is like staring too hard at a TV screen filled with static. But when Sebastian steps through, his nostrils are immediately filled with the aroma of wet dirt and nature. His shoes hit hard cobblestone, slick and slippery though Sebastian thankfully does not loose his footing. On the other side, Sebastian finds himself standing in a dark and canopied swamp. Murky green water kisses the moist dark brown dirt. The banks of the swamp appear to have been heavily flooded, and the earth is pocked by large puddles of mud or even water, some appearing to be feet deep. Sebastian stands on a cobblestone path that wends through the dark earth. This part of the Hedge appears to be thickly forested with cypress like trees. Their bark is thick and scaled like the skin of some giant brown snake, and their roots are long thorned tentacles that probe the wet soil, stretching out into the swamp waters in a bramble of tendrils. The thick swamp water froths and ripples with the movement of strange green and brown lizard like animals that occasionally break the surface, their black eyes gazing lazily around before they dive back into the depths of the swamp. Behind Sebastian, the door stands out of place, a rectangular black hole of static bordered by rotting wooden framing.

Sebastian makes sure to prick his finger on the thorny roots of one of the nearby cypresses before activating his contract. The moment the contract is activated, his mind begins to spin like the needle of a compass, his brain being filled with snapshot pictures of trods through the Hedge. The flashes come quicker and quicker, each one like a haymaker to Sebastian's mind, nearly knocking him off his feet, until suddenly a clear understanding of the fastest path to the nearest Dreaming Gate presents itself to Sebastian. The suffocatingly humid air suddenly seems to clear, becoming a cool wind on Sebastian's damp brow. It would only be about a fifteen minute walk along the cobblestone path to Sebastian's destination.

[EarthenRite]

Sebastian marveled at the stunning world of the Hedge that spread around him. The place was...too much like home honestly for him given the humidity.
Why could he never pop into a nice cool castle? He shrugged and looked at the compass in his hand. This would be good. This would be a better resting place for Arthur Pengrove.

Making sure to keep his “compass hand” within the boundary, he forces his head back into the reality of the house, calling out to his comrades.

“When you’re done wrapping him up...bring him to the hedge. I can get us to the Dreaming: it’s not far. 15 minutes. It’s...a good place for him.”

He pulled himself back into the Hedge and continued to consult his compass, waiting for the others to bear Pengrove.

[Ohiska]

"I'll see about cleaning up some of the evidence." Songbird said after Sebastian started his search, before looking to Imere. "As a doctor-... Do you think the body need to be, uh, prepared at all?"

The avian changeling took advantage of Sebastian's fifteen minute absence to make what had happened here less obvious to anyone who might try to investigate, trying to clear away any proof of the motley's involvement he could, humming to himself all the while.

After Sebastian's return, Songbird looked to Tom, expectedly.

Spoiler: OOC

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Which attribute and skill would I use to hide evidence? Sorry to have to ask.

[Bennosuke]

Imere shrugs and says, "We're planning on hiding it in the Dream roads? I'd assume we should be able to do it before the Pengrove starts decomposing... though I don't know what modern medicine has to say about Oneiromancy... Regardless, we should probably roll the body up in a carpet or something, just in case we run into anyone on the Dream Roads."

(OOC: I'd say there could be a couple of arguments, but maybe Int/Wits + investigation (you have to know what to look for to know to hide it) makes the most sense)

[Ohiska]

Spoiler: OOC

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Wits 3 + Investigation 2

(5d10)[5][2][7][1][5](20)

[Ladorak]

OOC: Wits+investigate is a chance dice for Reggy

(1d10)[4]

[Bennosuke]

Until Sebastian comes back with the report on the dream roads, Reggy and Songbird go to work in cleaning up Arthur Pengrove's apartment. They go about cleaning up broken glass, and even the footprints made in the settled dust, but after some basic house cleaning, the group runs out of ways to hide the evidence of their arrival. The job seems satisfactory.

In the meantime, Tom and Imere begin the undesirable process of wrapping Pengrove's carcass up in a moth eaten Persian rug. When Sebastian has returned, the body is fully wrapped up, and Tom has somehow procured some lengths of rope to tie up the rolled bundle.

Sebastian: “When you’re done wrapping him up...bring him to the hedge. I can get us to the Dreaming: it’s not far. 15 minutes. It’s...a good place for him.”

Tom calls back, "Guess we are ready," before he walks through the portal into the Hedge, trailed by Imere who carries the back end of Pengrove's wrapped up corpse.

When they follow, Reggy and Songbird find themselves in the swamp like Hedge.

On the other side, the group finds themselves standing in a dark and canopied swamp. Murky green water kisses the moist dark brown dirt. The banks of the swamp appear to have been heavily flooded, and the earth is pocked by large puddles of mud or even water, some appearing to be feet deep. The Changelings stands on a cobblestone path that wends through the dark earth. This part of the Hedge appears to be thickly forested with cypress like trees. Their bark is thick and scaled like the skin of some giant brown snake, and their roots are long thorned tentacles that probe the wet soil, stretching out into the swamp waters in a bramble of tendrils. The thick swamp water froths and ripples with the movement of strange green and brown lizard like animals that occasionally break the surface, their black eyes gazing lazily around before they dive back into the depths of the swamp.

[EarthenRite]

Sebastian consults the compass on his hand and points.

“It’s this way. Once we are through the gates, I’ll find a dream suitable to inter Arthur in. I think he would be happy to be here. I hope.”

Sebastian moved with some more surety the closer they got to the Gates of Horn. Loathe as he was to remember his Durance, the Dreaming was a place that was more home to him. He felt...familiar there.

[Ohiska]

"Ah, the Ol' Fae Bayou-... Watch your step, everyone." Songbird said as he danced through the passage, careful not to fall into the swamp. He would keep his focus on watching out for threats throughout most of the journey.

"So, you guys all from across the pond?" Songbird spoke up after a moment, trying to make small talk.

[Bennosuke]

The troupe of Changelings wend their way through The Hedge, following Sebastian's navigation along wet and narrow paths that lead into dark thick woods, and away from slow flowing rivers of the swamp. Cypress roots seem to pop up along the path out of nowhere, perhaps actively trying to trip the Lost travelers up on their quest. The low branches of the trees reach out to scratch at the their faces, and strange striped furry critters dash into the woods at their approach.

In response to Songbird's question, Imere shrugs and says, "Well they are, but I'm from these parts... well not these parts, but you know what I mean. Your accent makes it sound like you're a NOLA native; am I correct?"

(OOC: I'll allow for a little group discussion before moving things along)

[Ladorak]

'You might say Seb and I are from the old world.' said Reggy, shooting his motley a knowing grin 'Tom too, in a sense. We took a long walk through the hedge to reach your fair city.'

[EarthenRite]

“London. I remember being from London. I’m not...really sure when? Or maybe I’m not allowed to remember when. I still have an accent, I’m told. I think I...did something with books? Puzzles maybe. That’s blurry...but that’s what I do now.”

[Ohiska]

"Oh yeah, born and raised." Songbird answered Imere's question. "Though it feels like a different city than the one I knew sometimes, y'know? I was away for a long time."

"You could say that again." The avian changeling chuckled at Reggy's answer, strugglingto avoid getting scratched as he spoke. "You guys ever think about going back home? I mean, it might be a good escape plan-... If worst comes to worst."

[Bennosuke]

Imere nods her head with understanding. "I've got you," she says to Songbird, "though I wasn't MIA nearly as long." She grunts with exertion, struggling to follow the massive Ogre in carrying Arthur Pengrove's wrapped up corpse.

"You guys ever think about going back home? I mean, it might be a good escape plan-... If worst comes to worst."

BiG Tom shrugs, the rolled carpet moving up and down with the motion of his giant shoulders. Flatly he says, "It's much safer here."

[EarthenRite]

Hearing the question, Sebastian shakes his head decisively, his mind going back to earlier at the Cafe.

“No, I won’t go anywhere else. I’m safe there, like Tom said. Grounded. And I have responsibilities.”

[Ladorak]

Reggy blinks, taken aback 'I haven't once thought about that, not since I got here. My Fetch is still living my life and he's welcome to it.' Mulling the idea over left him unsettled 'No, this is home now. I wouldn't leave unless, you know, we have no choice.'

[Bennosuke]

The Changelings have been walking for a little under 20 minutes when the trod comes to a fork in the road. Sebastian is certain that taking the right handed path will lead them to the Dream road, but the crossroad appears to be blocked by a pair of near identical one eyed ogres. Though one has near crimson skin, and the other's a dark mottled green, both have the same mop of greasy black curls, the same pointed horns jutting from their foreheads, and the same massive frame that allows them to tower over even Big Tom. The red one holds a massive club that appears to be fashioned from the trunk of a tree, its hitting end tipped with the spikes of a dozen or so gnarled roots. The green one instead holds a sword, about the length of Songbird's body, rusted and chipped.

"Ho' there" the green Ogre says in a low booming voice that seems to shake the very earth underfoot, "We guard this path in the name of Queen Aubree!"

The big red one picks up where his twin left off, "State your name and your purpose on these roads!" His voice is identical to his brother's, an avalanche made into words.

[Ohiska]

"Yeah-... I'd rather not leave, either. Got too much of my life here." Songbird said after hearing each member of the motley answer. He continued along, humming softly to himself, but not speaking up at all. Eventually, the group came face to face with a pair of ogres.

"We don't mean any trouble-... The name's Songbird, or Jack Fontenot, if you prefer." The avian changeling said, looking between both ogres. "We're travelling to the Dreaming Roads, to lay something to rest."

[Bennosuke]

"Ho ho ho ho," the red one chuckles, hoisting his massive club over his shoulder, "Don't want no trouble do you? These be our roads little one, and if you want to pass you best start shelling out some goblin fruit or something valuable." The green one nods his head in agreement, stepping forward and thrusting his massive rusted sword towards the group.

[Ladorak]

'This one was well respected, known to all and beloved by most. His name carries weight and his legacy will likely outlive all of us.' He paused just for a second, taking the time to regard them both keenly 'There would be power, I think, in laying him to rest. And indeed in his place of rest. A clever pair like you two could find all kinds of ways to profit from that.'

Presence+Persuasion+Charming specialism
4+2+1
(7d10)[7][8][9][6][1][7][3](41)
10 again
(7d10)[4][5][4][4][10][9][6](42)

[Bennosuke]

The green Ogre steps forward, mouth open to show rotting brown teeth. "Like what?" he asks greedily, a spider web of drool tumbling down from his agape mouth.

[Ohiska]

"This man was important - a hero, of sorts. Wherever we lay him will become a site of great importance-... And it is the way of the Hedge - the way of the Wyrd - to imbue such important places with power." Songbird smirked a little as he spoke those words, drawing upon his poetic understanding of things. "Leave the body, leave the stone-... And you can claim all the treasures - Tokens and Trifles - that come to rest upon a hero's grave."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll roll Presence + Persuasion, too, if that's doable.
(6d10)[7][10][4][8][4][3](36)

[Ohiska]

Spoiler: OOC

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10-Again
(1d10)[9]