Ikit quietly walks up to the weeping lady
"Ikit sad too. Lost home home. But people help Ikit. Ikit feel better. Maybe they help help you too? Make you feel better?"
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Though weary from the night, Rowan looks around the the glade, trying his best to recall what he was taught by his elders about these Scythe Trees.
Natalie quietly walks over to the crying dryad.
"We are not here to hurt you dear lady, I have no quarrels with the fey."
Scythe trees are malevolent plant creatures found in heavily forested areas where they naturally blend in with normal trees. Scythe trees are carnivorous by nature and draw very little sustenance from sun, air, or water, preferring a diet of dryad or elf flesh. They use Stealth to catch wandering prey by surprise. The scythe tree is an intelligent plant but does little with its intellect other than devise new and cruel methods to torment its food once it has secured meals.
The branches of a scythe tree resemble wicked-curving scythes (this is where the tree gets its name). The scar that appears on the trunk is the tree’s mouth (it appears as a scar when closed). Scythe trees hate dryads and attack them on sight.
There is a figure in the woodline, watching. It appears to be satyr. You also notice some blood stains on the grass near the oak.
The dryad looks from Anastacia to Natalie, then to Wilhelm and Ikit. "You are offering to destroy the scythe trees?" She asks, her tone somewhere between relief and mistrust.
"Yes yes. Ikit offer to burn tree tree. Hot hot fire. Ikit say tree no eat eat dryad and friends friends!"
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Wilhelm takes a moment as the others speak to murmur a quiet prayer and study the clearing for evil auras. He replies to Tirissia's question, "I'm not sure what a scythe tree is, but given the name it seems likely that we would be willing to see you safe. My name is Wilhelm Orlovsky, Baron of Domierov." Wilhelm bows slightly, as appropriate for a noble of equal rank. Scythe tree? A truly wild land that we've chosen to settle, it would seem.
"To elaborate on our goal, we would seek to start to mend the ill relations between Fae and human. The barony of Domierov continues to grow at a ferocious rate, and I've little doubt that it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It is in both our interests to speak and come to a mutually agreeable solution for the future. I hope you will believe me when I say that I would see our peoples live in peace." Wilhelm continues to speak calmly and quietly, letting his words carrying their own import, "We have already seen the misery that can arise should we not come to a mutually agreeable solution. The nixie, Melianse, and some lumberjacks who seek to settle here had an altercation. It might well have come to blood and death. We learned of the Kaelava Myrt on our kind, of the Emerald Empress, and of you."
Wilhelm pauses, studying the dryad seriously, "If you would speak with us, I believe we can help you with your problems with the scythe tree. Can you tell us more of them and what ails you?"
"Does your friend need healing?" Rowan asks the dryad quietly. "We don't mean any harm to either of you. It's safe for him to approach."
On the evening after visiting the accursed village, Fhârn examines the chunk of cold iron he pilfered. A circle of cold iron is known to hedge out the faë and their influence - perhaps it will work on a smaller scale! Working the iron carefully to not destroy its precious properties, he worked shavings of the cold iron into an old leather band to craft a localized cold iron circle for Munin to wear. He didn't expect it to block a focused assault of the faë, but perhaps hedge out the influence of this dammed forest!
In the morning, Fhârn prepares and casts a Mount spell for Ikit giving him a small and docile pony to ride. Since the pony wasn't a real creature but a construct of magic, and the fact that the animals didn't seem to give the non-humans any trouble anyhow, he didn't expect Ikit to have any trouble with the pony anyhow.
"Just remember, don't pull the reins to hard - and don't wrap your legs too hard around the horse. Easier to say then do I know, but if you have trouble holding on grab the saddle button instead. Otherwise you might spook the pony."
Hmm. While it is refreshing to not be met by hostile glares, this feels even worse... The scene of the weeping woman alone in the woods stirred old unpleasant memories and Fhârn couldn't help but feel uneasy about the entire thing. On the bright side, atleast the odds are good this one is not fey-taken...
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Gorruum sleeps easily in the wood. Perhaps it is his familiarity or perhaps Ubagub's wet snores drown out all of the other noise for the boggard.
In the morning, he mounts the slurk and rides off with the rest of the group. He is helpful picking the way through the wood, but says little other than offering suggestions on the best tracks to follow. He can't help but interrupt with a croaked "PAR LAY!" when the dryad is spotted, but quickly loses the gist of the conversation. The scythe trees however he has heard of before. He nods vigorously when Ikit offers to burn the trees, "Scythe trees bad. Bad trees. Eat young too. Gorruum help."
Having had yet another night of blissful sleep, Shimmer continues to be ignorant of the issues involved for her fellow travelers. Life is good, the air is sweet, and their is a talking tree person to deal with. Shimmer is happy to fade in to the background and let the others do the talking for right now, let Wilhelm do the job he was elected to.
The Dryad listens to Wilhelm, and then to Rowan, and then tilts her head. "I see, so you've already met Meliense..." The tears slow and stop, and her demeanor changes. "Come out Falchos, I do not think they intend us harm, and if they can help your wound..."
The sobbing was, to some extent, an act. But not entirely. The dryad seems pretty close to the edge, although the appearance of being weak appears to have been a slight deception on her part. Wilhelm gets the feeling she was going to try to get the party to help her by appearing weak and fragile... and that she's very close to her own act at this point. She is truly afraid of the scythe trees. Wilhelm also gets the feeling that she'd have likely tried something else if the group hadn't been willing to help, but what that was, he's not sure. Like most fey, even good ones have their own logic on what is good vs evil.
A satyr with ragged bandages on his arm and abdomen stands up slowly from the woodline and advances, a curved sword in one hand, and pipes in the other. It limps forward, dragging one bloodied leg. "If you say so, dear. But I am loathe to trust such as these." He limps forward to stand next to the Dryad, eyeing the group with distrust.
"I'll be dead in a few days anyway, if they don't help. So, it seems as if our best choice is to trust their word, love." She stands up, still seeming somewhat pale. She delicately wipes at the tears on her face. "We attacked the scythe trees in an attempt to drive them out, but they are fierce creatures, and we did not succeed. As you can see, my love was injured badly. If you can heal him..." She trails off...
The dryad is staring over the party's collective shoulder, apparently surprised by something, and then recovers quickly.
...then she coughs delicately. "My apologies, I'm afraid I'm a bit emotional." She turns her head for a moment, before continuing. "The scythe trees are in a foul hollow a few miles south of here. They are foul evil creatures who enjoy nothing so much as eating the living. They are especially fond of dryad flesh, and sacred oak." She looks behind her at her oak tree. "When they find my glen, they will consume me and my tree in order to grow stronger. They are easy enough to notice, if you know what to look for. But if you are unaware they are nearby, one can walk under one and be dead before one realizes it. Their limbs end in sharpened spines, much like a scythe, and they feed on flesh, not good dirt and sunlight. Their leaves are always a dark red, like dried blood, no matter the time of year."
In addition to the information Ikit and Gorruum had (you can read Ikit's spoiler), Shimmer is aware that Scythe Trees are vulnerable to fire.
Wilhelm glances over his shoulder, following the dryad's gaze, but quickly looks back to continue listening to her. What on earth could she have been looking at? Another fae?
Wilhelm nods pensively as Tiressia finishes her tales, a frown growing as he considers the 'scythe trees'. They sound truly foul to seek to kill her. He addresses the pair, "These scythe trees sound despicable and I would be happy to see them destroyed. I can understand your trepidation, Falchos, but without the occasional risk in trusting one another, we will never see peace between fae and human. If you will allow it, I can heal your wounds. It will require me to touch you, if that would make you uncomfortable." If Falchos assents, Wilhelm takes a moment to pull his sheathed (cold iron) falchion from his back and hangs it from Triumph's pommel. He then approaches and murmurs a quiet prayer and lays his glowing hand on the satyr's shoulder.
Retreating a few steps, Wilhelm looks from satyr to dryad before speaking, "We will see you and the forest rid of these vile trees. I would ask that you assist us in aiding Meliense and those who she had an altercation with. Meliense has lost five trees from her glade due to a ... misunderstanding... with a band of lumberjacks. It was suggested you might have a means to regrow the trees to full size and health? I would also like to speak with you, once the threat is dealt with, of the Emerald Empress and the nature of the troubles here in the forest. We have... been harried, more or less constantly, since we've been in the forest. When we return, I would be happy to know more of all this."
Wilhelm waits a moment for any replies, and then returns to his group, "Shall we be off to find these vile offenders? These at least, are unambiguously evil and can be dealt with as such." Slipping his falchion over his head, he remounts Triumph and nods politely to the pair in the glade.
Natalie follows the dryads gaze looking in the same general direction.
Otherwise she stands silent letting Wilhelm and Rowan lead this conversation.
Edit
"After having lost my main reason to travel to these parts, I would very much like to give aid to whoever needs it, and while I'm at it learn some about these lands. I am also in very much need for letting off some steam."
Anastacia also turns to look for what surprised the dryad.
Rowan wonders quietly why everyone is glancing over their shoulders. "Is something wrong?" he whispers to his companions, his eyes never straying from the two fey.
"This should not be a difficult request, I myself am uniquely armed for dealing with such foul plants. They, like most things made of wood, burn quite nicely."
Hmm... "Slaying these Scythe Threes sounds like one step to make our realm safer for all and mending our relations with the Faë. Let us take care of it swiftly!" Fhârn nods in agreement with Will. The sooner the faë decided to stop assailing them at sight, the better. Besides, he had his suspicions about what lurked in the forest around them, without even turning around he felt that he had a pretty good idea. Keener eyes then mine failed to spot anything - our invisible judge perhaps?
"I am ready to ride whenever the rest of you are, can't go to slow with helping these woodland creatures. Can you point us in the right direction?" Natalie jumps back on her horse to show she is ready to ride once they have directions
The dryad's movement is too subtle for Gorruum to pick up. His thoughts have already turned to the scythe trees.
(Dotting)
The satyr eyes the group suspiciously for a moment, but nods. "Due south from here, and following creek into the swampy hollow. There are two of them. One we might have fought off, but not two." He grudgingly adds. "Look out for them, they are easy to mistake for a normal tree when they are not moving. Look for a tree with a scar on it's trunk, that's it's mouth. They are also of good size, approaching to attack is always dangerous. Just getting inside their reach can get you killed."
The dryad eyes Katlin. "Such a thing is no place to take a girl. She will be safe if you leave her with us. Won't she?" She asks the satyr, rather forcefully.
The satyr grimaces. "Fine fine... we'll protect the girl." Under his breath he mutters in sylvan about what the world is coming to protecting human cubs.
"Are we ready to burn some scythe trees then?" Anastacia looks around expectantly. Once they move out of earshot of the dryad and satyr, Anastacia says: "I plan on summoning a fire elemental, then calling on Pharasma to grant her blessing, if anyone wants to plan their attacks around that." Anastacia doesn't really distrust the fey folk, but discussing tactics in front of strangers is never really wise.
"I'm inclined to agree, Lady Tiressia. Thank you for your kind offer. I look forward to speaking with you when you return."
After they leave the grove, Wilhelm replies to Anastacia, "The summoning you mention seems right, given we are fighting trees. The behavior the trees are purported to exhibit sounds evil to me, so should it come to fighting -as I expect-, I should think Iomedae's blessing should see the foul things destroyed."
Ikit will prepare a strange mixture.
Targeted Bomb
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"I will do my best to help in the coming combat, throu I doubt I'll be any real danger myself, I can at least help you hit thier weakspots"
"I could shroud myself in misdirection, and distract the Scythe Trees. Unless they are nimble for a tree, that might give the rest of us time to approach unassailed."
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Gorruum puts a webbed hand on Ubagub and guides the slurk toward the woods. "Go bad trees now? Big Ubagub. Gorruum cut. Trees fall."
The party treks through the woods, and goes down hill some into a swampy area inside the forest. The low points trap water from rains, and make the forest ground turn mucky and swampy.
The sweet stench of decay hangs thick in this swampy area. Knotted branches of sickly trees fill the area, creating a thick canopy that blocks most of the sunlight and cloaks the hollow in shadow. Withered vegetation struggles to grow in ragged clumps among the multitude of bones strewn across the forest floor.
Preparing so long, Ikit once again gulps down a very foul smelling, foul looking liquid. His fur seems to wither. He suddenly looks very ill. His veins on the parts of his skin that can be seen, seem to bulge and grow very dark.
"Ikit just make sure sure. If tree attacks, Ikit make it feel sick sick!"
As they enter this mucky area, the rat quietly speaks up
"Watch for scar scar trees. Those bad trees. Need to burn burn!"
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Fhârn grimaces as he slog trough the mud, his armoured boot sinking down almost to his ankles. The scattered bones told him that this was the place, but he didn't look forward to fight the trees while knee-deep in mud.
"Ish. Stay together, if they attack us while we are scattered they may pick us off one at a time ..."
While speaking, he pulls a wand from his belt and gestures, finishing the sentence with a command word.
Natalie grimaces sadly when she steps into the mud and her feets disappear into the it.
"Blasted! These where my favourit travelshoes. Fharn are you absolut certain this is the right place to fight with these trees? Seems like we would be at an disadvantage while we are in the ehhh... swampy parts."
Not wanting to be surprised Natalie draws her rapier and look after a grim looking tree with Scythe looking branches/leaves.
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"If I could pick another battlefield, I would. But since we are looking for the trees ..." He point to one of the closer skulls "... it would seem it they picked this one."
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"Cousin, can you detect which of these trees are of evil intent?"
Gorruum dismounts from Ubagub and peers ahead into the swamp, looking for any sign of the scythe trees. You can see that the boggard appears to move with more ease and comfort in the swamp.
"Gorruum look. Stay here. Come if croak."
Wilhelm nods to Felicia, comfortably astride Triumph with his blade in hand, and replies, "It's possible, but I can only detect nearby sources of evil intent, so it may take some time." Wilhelm holds up a hand as Gorruum dismounts, "Stay for a moment. Look with magic first." With a quick prayer, Wilhelm begins to search the area for evil auras.
"Pharasma guide us by your light." Anastacia causes on of her crossbow bolts to glow with light, then loads it into her crossbow and looses the glowing bolt into a tree trunk ahead.
Anastacia tries to see what she can in the light, even if it is fleeting.