As Garmagal awakes, the angel stops fiddling with his hair, giving him the opportunity to get up if he desires to.
Turning to Karla, the voices asks again Did you came here to get a prophecy because it was something that Rule-of-Three asked you to do?
The female angel looks at Eamch bold statement and asks You admit willingly working with Rule-of-Three, to further expands his goals?
To Garmagal What’s your motive and why are you working with Rule-of-Three?
To Taurven What you rope to accomplish?
Giving the angel a meaningful look, Taurven answers. "The defeat of the drow, of course. We found documents on the drow who were raiding our lands. The documents led to Rule-of-three. I expected him to be a drow agent, or contact of some kind. He may still prove to be..."
"That is yet to be discovered. For now, we are going along with his instructions, he seems to be working against the drow and their demon queen."
Taurven shrugs. "At any rate the drow priestess we defeated back home mentioned wanting to sacrifice Rule-of-Three. I don't know if he is aware of this, or not."
"You have ignored my question, but expect me to answer yours. You should be able to tell I am not evil, and that must suffice for the time. I will not submit to your will just because you demand it of me. You worry about Rule-of-Three, when you harbor murderers within your own "holy" ranks!"
With a swift and precise movement, the angel slaps Garmagal face. What charge of murder? If we wanted you dead, you would be dead. Hovering upon powerful, white wings she continues It’s clear you are nothing more than ignorant pawns. You may leave; I grow tired of your stupidity. she says dismissing the party.
Gargamal rubs his cheek and his eyes go flat and dangerous.
"May whatever god you serve be more forgiving than you have been to us! Just because you revived my spirit after your creatures killed me...ME who was not fighting back or resisting...does not absolve you of the murder. It is sad to see the darkness within you. I pity you and your thugs."
Turning Gargamal walks out of the room and outside to wait for his companions. He murmurs to Azreal in a soothing tone as he waits.
Taurvens eyes narrow with fury. "And that, my friends is the arrogance of power." The comment is intended for the angel's ears.
Taurven resolves to expand his own personal might. First, because he will need it to best his drow foes, then later for a time of reckoning with these angelic fools. They are somehow more annoying than the drow. At least the dark elves are honest in their evil.
I don't see you giving us any help against the Spider Queen!
The angel largely ignores Karla resorts until she accuses them of not helping.
You ignorant child. You dare come here and use the Eye for Rule-of-Three own devious reasons and expect me to help you? Begone, lest I change my mind and find you guilty of plotting against the heavens!
"Let's get out of here. These folk are dazzled by the brightness of their own egos. They stand around basking in their own self importance while the world collapses around them."
Taurven shrugs. "So it's up to us to do what must be done."
Thaas, a legendary weapon revered for its demon-slaying properties, originated in the Wilderness of the Beastlands.
The bestlands is a domain of natural savagery and plenty, embodying the forest eternal. The Wilderness of the Beastlands is a plane of nature unbound. Forests cover the landscape, ranging from mangroves hung heavy with moss to snowfall-laden pines to acres of sequoias so thick that no light penetrates their canopy. Oaks, birches, spruces, firs, and maples are common there. In addition to plentiful flora, fauna thrives. The plane favors animals of all kinds, and it is heavily populated by animals and magical beasts.
The Beastlands is believed to be of infinite size: The part of the Beastlands known to visitors is relatively small, but there are vast realms beyond it, and deities as yet undiscovered within.
It’s mildly Good-Aligned: Evil creatures in the Beastlands don’t fare too well.
After dealing with the arrogant, power blind, and not-so-forthcoming-with-help angels, the group decides to follow Rule-of-Three advice and travel to Beastlands through the great tree, Yggdrasil.
Considering your previous experience, you decide it’s better to travel to the Hive Ward before hiring a guide, and as result, you manage to acquire one for mere 10 golds.
It does not take much time to reach the only tree in the place, then to follow the instructions to open the portal: ”Go to the Hive Ward, seek out the only tree that grows there, and walk on its lowest branch, stem, or limb while humming the chant of the All-Father, a deity crucified on the tree.”
You pass through the portal and find yourself on an enormous branch that sways slightly and is covered in sun dappled shadows. The branch must be 50 feet in diameter, if not more. Leaves and branches block your vision in most directions, but you can look along the level surface of the branch you are on toward a gray-brown cliff a few miles away. Slowly it dawns on you that the cliff is the trunk of the tree; the tree must be literally miles tall and wide.
The anger, tension and worry that have plagued Gargamal since they first came across the Drow seems to slowly fade as he walks in the dapples sunlight under the great trees.
"Ah...home! This feels like the forests I knew in my youth. Fresh, untouched by mortal hands."
He lets his senses attune to the landscape, and soon becomes part of the land.
"Any idea where to go from here?" Taurven looks around, spotting for danger.
Then he has a look at the surface of the huge branch. If this nexus is used much, the tree bark should show signs of a path.
As you walk towards the main tree, you don’t see any apparent danger besides falling down, and the trails indicates this path is rarely used. In fact, it appears it hasn’t been used for a long time.
Time moves strangely on the giant tree, but the sun has set beyond a distant, fog-shrouded horizon. Birds and tree lizards grow silent as twilight deepens. You hear an owl hoot. At some point, the stars come out, but they seem brighter, closer, richer than those you remember from the Material Plane.
A breeze rustles through the branches, and the stars sway, as if moving with the tide. The stars hang from the branches by the thousands, seeming close enough to touch.
"Sure, no point in a forced march. We should certainly stop long enough to eat."
"Indeed! No need to hurry. Let us relax, the Beastlands will be offering us enough challenges tomorrow. I will stand watch tonight."
Taurven lays out his bedroll. "I suggest that you lay your sleeping bags cross ways to the axis of this branch. Less likely to slide off than roll off. Keep a dagger close to hand. You can drive the blade into the bark of this tree as a handle to stop your fall, if you do manage to slide off this branch." Taurven shrugs, he doesn't seem too worried about it.
The time during the night, as is with the day seems to move different. Eventually, the dawn begins and after breaking fast and getting ready, the group starts to travel again, trying to reach the tree trunk.
After some more hours of travel, at last reach the trunk of the tree, and you see that someone has built a series of makeshift handholds here. Rungs have been nailed to the trunk in places, but sections are missing. Climbing up or down could be complicated. You hear something scraping along the bark just around the trunk; a furry creature sticks its head up and watches you. It looks like a giant squirrel, and it carries in its mouth an enormous nut the size of a tankard. It is wearing a leather harness decorated with three long black feathers.
The World Ash (also called Yggdrasil) that connects the worlds is protected by its worshipers—a race of squirrelfolk called ratatosks. These creatures can also be found in the old forests of Ysgard, and in Arborea.
Ratatosks make excellent guides to Yggdrasil, and their help can be purchased with gifts of magic or steel weapons. Some also know how to turn nuts into edible magic items that function like potions.
Know: Planes:
Smiling, Gargamal calls out to the creature, first in elven, then common.
"Greetings friend. We are new to the Beastlands and seek a guide, if you would be available. Come and be welcome in our camp."
to the group he says, "This is a Ratatosk. They are the protectors of the tree, and I hope might be able to help us locate what we are looking for!"
Taurven waits to see if the creature answers in elvish or common. If not, the archaeologist has a spell that will help.
The small ratatosk seems indifferent about your approach, mostly it appears he didn’t understood what you said; also, the Sylvan creature seems to be waiting for something that you should have done.
"It sounds like the speech of the wilderness. Sylvan, I think they call it."
To the ratatosk, Gargamal tries to explain in elven what is happening, hoping that some of the words might be similar.
Taurven recites a short poem about understanding words and meanings, while he makes flowing gestures with his hands. A pinch of soot and a pinch of salt finish the spell. The bard now understands the sylvan tongue.
Taurven touches his finger to his chest. "Taurven." The he points to Gargamal Karla, and Eamch saying their names in turn.
"We come in peace." Taurven shows the ratatosk his open palms, hoping the creature can grasp the sign language. At any rate if it speaks now, Taurven can understand it.
"Ah now, that might be better. I am Gargamal and my friends and I are searching for a rare artifact. A bow. Might we ask for your assistance? "
"
Fireholder is a pack leader.
Ratatosks expect for anything at all, even expect gift of food, before being asked to be someone else guide.
K:planes:
Gargamal searches through his pack and locates some food which he presents to the creature.
"Welcome Kippenvall. We are searching for a magical bow that is suppose to be located here in the Beastlands. Can you help us? We could use a guide in these beautiful lands."
"Beastlands, Alfsir? Wondrous place! Can take you there, could take you there." it says ”Be willing to be guide Alfsir. But food and steel is our price.”
"Thank you my friend. We appriciate your assistance. Here is some food."
Kippenvall assigns a young female ratatosk, Almveig, to take the you where they want to go.
Travelling with a guide makes things easier, there’s no risk of getting lost or getting hurt. Almveig picks paths that leads you into no danger zones.
Almveig is a curious and funny (for ratatosk standards) and she is more than willing to talk with you about several things. Usually she keeps asking how this are outside the tree, where you came from, how is your home like and such as that. Sometimes, she asks the same things several times in the same day, maybe in fear of getting some of things you said wrong.
If gifted with food, she is besides herself with joy. Any other give elicits a similar response, the difference being the young ratatosk gives you in return some carved piece of woods. The marksmanship isn’t that great, but it still seems to mean a lot to her.
The days goes by as you travel in the Yggdrasil. There are some harder days were you need to climb the tree’s trunk the entire day, others were you need to jump the branch bellow. After about a week’s time, you finally arrive at your destination.
”Sir, this portal leads to beastland, it’s a two way portal. Almveig will be waiting here for your return trip.” she says after guiding you to the portal.
Gargamal smiles at his companions discomfort in the wilds. He tries to make their journey more comfortable for them, but ends up spending more and more time talking to their guide and learning about life on the great tree. He freely shares his food with Almveig, and even takes some time whittle a small carving of Azreal for the ratatosk.
When the group finally reaches their destination, Gargamal thanks Almveig and turns to his companions.
"This trip has just been a minor test for what we are going to face. The Beastlands are a place of nature gone wild. Stay close and do not wander off. Lets hope we can complete our task quickly!"
"A pleasant journey, nothing tried to eat us. Given the name, we can expect many things to try and eat us in the Beastlands."
Taurven begins to inspect his gear and weaponry. Sword not bound in its scabbard? Check. Bowstring in good order? Check. Arrows in order? Check.
Finished, Taurven looks at his friends. "Shall we?"