Cockerel Forest

 is a scripted interaction on the northwestern edge of Crookspur Island.

Interaction

 * You'll be greeted by a flurry of arrows from somewhere up ahead - they scatter at your feet, just barely short of you. You jump back and search wildly for the source, but see nothing and no one.
 * Continue cautiously forward, and you encounter a further volley of arrows. An Athletics 13 check on your entire party determines if you can dodge them or not. The character with the lowest athletics receives a Gaping Wound (-25% Healing received, -15% Max Health), otherwise you always enter combat.
 * Call out to the archers using a Watcher-only Insight 10 check, this is followed by another Watcher only check to determine what to say to the kith. Failing these checks will allow you to reattempt the previous choices.
 * Bluff 12: Say that you're peaceful missionaries, and that you're not even armed
 * Diplomacy 14: Say that they're clearly upset and offer help
 * Intimidate 16: Warn them that the next arrow they fire is going where the sun don't shine.
 * A Watcher with the Slave background, and Streetwise 14 can... Needs testing
 * You can also ask a companion to speak to them, this performs a skill check for the associated companion (see below).
 * If you succeed in convincing them to talk, you can tell them that you're not from Crookspur. This will put you in the Forest in dialogue with a trio of escaped slaves.
 * Try to locate the attackers with a Perception 16 check. If you have Maia in the party (and ask her to try), this doesn't require a check and always succeeds as she sends Ishiza to scout ahead. Succeeding, you spot movement along a side path and a flash of armor through the greenery. If you fail, you make out nothing but foliage.
 * This allows you to double back and attempt an ambush with Stealth 13. Failing this check will cause them see your attempt, letting loose an arrow into your gut and giving you Bruised Ribs (-20 Fortitude) and Gaping Wound. Succeeding will allow you to either sneak past, or ambush and attack, placing you in stealth on the edge of the staging area.
 * With a Cipher in the party, you can search for the presence of other minds. Your Cipher points out the location of the archers. This skips the required Perception check above, allowing you to double back and ambush with a further Stealth 13 check.
 * A trio of kith emerge from the forest, companion animals at their sides. This places you in the Forest staging area, with Cathŵenna, Hudango, and Cemoc - a small group of slaves who have escaped the slavers at Crookspur and have been hiding in the forest since.
 * If you failed the above checks, or if you snuck up on the group, this will cause them to attack on sight. Cathŵenna drops the unique flail Ball and Chain.
 * Otherwise, if you passed the checks and convinced them to back down, you will be put into dialogue as they explain their predicament. Cathŵenna will ask for your assistance in the form of, which you can graciously hand over, or you can ask for something in return - her Ball and Chain. If you ask for her weapon in exchange, Insight 10 will spot her reluctance to let the weapon go, but the weight of the purse seems to decide the issue. In any case she is thankful, and bids you farewell. You also have the option to attack them during the dialogue (although there is a bug here that causes them not to enter combat after you do this).
 * If Watcher has Cruel 2 / Deceptive 2 or more disposition, Cathŵenna will refuse to talk and tell Player to back off and not to return, locking the assistance option.
 * If you at any time return the way you came, you will be unable to return to Cockerel Forest.

Enemies

 * Cathŵenna, Hudango, and Cemoc: Escaped slaves from Crookspur.
 * Beasts
 * Elder tiger (x2)
 * A lion and wolf companion

Gallery
Scripted interaction graphics: