[M&M 3e] Defying the Future IC

[Zelphas]

Spoiler: Floral Aside

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Jennifer Margrethe is a well-to-do older woman who retired to Forester's Bay with her husband, Norman Margrethe, roughly three years ago. The reason that Norman Margrethe did not appear in your original searches is that within thirty days of their retirement, Norman moved back to California where they had lived and the two began a from-all-accounts acrimonious divorce in that state. Jennifer is still living and well, but since Norman is not a Forester's Bay local and apparently is not on any social media, it is harder to ascertain his situation without further sleuthing.

Zephyr and Talia Magro are a married couple who grew up in Forester's Bay all their lives. Zephyr worked as a warehouse manager primarily in charge of livestock shipments; the recent events and apparently some personal issues have him on "extended leave" from his position at the moment. Talia Magro (maiden name Tonelli) recently picked up a position as the secretary for Moon River Insurance. Zephyr has a twin brother named Nathan Magro; Nathan was known as a rather shiftless person in the Forester's Bay area, and hasn't been seen in town for several years.

Ntombi Peters (as Nope and Floral already know the woman to be) smiles back at Nope's question. "The wilderness isn't 'safe' for anyone, even a forest as tame as this one used to be," she answers lightly, the reflected light from the river glinting off of her polished walking stick. "Danger's always about; the trick is to learn to see it so you can avoid it, or at least turn it aside when it comes. I'm in less danger than most out here, I suppose."

"Now, that is an important question," she continues, pointing the end of her stick at Ariadne for emphasis. "See, I don't know any of you, and it looks like only a few of you know me by sight, though not in person. So while assistance is always useful--only a fool would refuse a helping hand in the wilderness--I don't know if assistance is what you can give to me, or what I can give to you. Maybe none of us can assist each other."

Ntombi nods to Floral and to Helios each in turn, acknowledging their statements. "Well, those two statements seem to contradict. There's no telling when things will appear, and yet you have reason to believe a dangerous monster is nearby. It seems that the self-styled forest spirit is a bit more predictable than she believes herself to be." Her eyes twinkle slightly with a bit of a smile. "That term, though, 'dangerous monster.' Now, there are any number of things both in and out of town in this little bubble that may qualify, but I'm not sure if the one that'll soon be passing through here truly does. After all, can you blame an animal for following its nature? And believe you me, Raphael's nature is a gentle one; Manchineel couldn't change that--or perhaps she caused it."

Ntombi Peters lets the names she spoke hang in the air for a moment before she continues to speak. "I know there's a time and place for killing. I'm at home in the wilderness, and the wilderness can be cruel. I'd rather not harm an innocent, though, which is why I'm here--to turn aside the danger without harm. Now, if I may ask a more serious question then before, I will ask: Why are you, four people with no clear connection to any of the monsters rampaging around Forester's Bay, standing in the woods between Raphael and the place Manchineel told her to go?"

Spoiler: Floral

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You aren't reading more emotions from Ntombi, either via smell or through other markers. Her tone and behavior has remained remarkably even, calm. She is significantly harder to read than most of the other people you have met since gaining your powers.

The wind is at your back, which is why you can smell it. A complex aroma--rich earth, growing greenery, lichen, and the wet, spongy growths from caves, combined with mammalian sweat and wet odor--all blending together as if from one source. It is a fair distance away from you now, moving in your direction, but slowly. At this rate, it will take several minutes for it to reach you, but it will cross your path here unless it suddenly changes course.

Spoiler: Helios

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Ntombi's tone, inflections, and facial expressions are remarkably even, calm. She is very difficult to read; her words and inflections make her sound trustworthy, but you can't tell if that is true or a clever performance on her part.

You do not sense anything mystical about Ntombi herself, or the air around her, or her clothing. As you are finishing your assessment, you catch the slightest hint of mystical energies at the very bottom of her walking stick. The easiest analogy to the sense you get is like the whiff of damp you might get if someone stepped in a puddle on a rainy day that splashed onto the hem of their pants three hours ago. With where you are and the powers that Manchineel and her Menagerie has been described as possessing, it could easily have come from contact with a mystical source, rather than being generated from the stick itself or the one carrying it.