Let's see if this thing is hiding in the water or if we might need to follow the tracks, Fenna can you bring the ally into the water?
See if you can get it to push the body to the shore so we can try to find out who this might have been.
We should also get the Satyr body down and give it a proper burial. The lack of scavengers leads me to believe it might still be here or may have just left, unless it is hiding in some other way...
Malthir dismounts and prepares to walk towards the pond after the summoned creature appears and nothing immediately happens.
I detect two auras. Both from the body in the pond, Kip reports as his cantrip fails to move the body.
At Ricter's comment, Kip sighs and responds over his shoulder. How do you know that another Fey creature is not responsible for the carnage? Besides, your timing, and lack of compassion for those that have perished is more than a little distasteful. Are you going to celebrate and gloat over every maimed or dead Fey we encounter?
Perhaps in the future, out of respect, you could keep comments like that to yourself? I, for one, would appreciate it.
"I ask the aid of the honourable guide to the Fisherman, who led Him safely to shore through the mighty storm, that this poor creature might be brought back to land." The gnomish woman prays in Azlanti, holding the heavy winged eye around her neck towards the floating body.
As her words fall silent, a ship's bell can be heard tolling from some indiscernable direction, and breaching through the thick layer of twigs and branches emerges the almost iridescent form of a dolphin.
The dolphin swiftly bears the corpse over to the edge of the pool and onto the bank, turning it over in the process. It is the body of a Dryad, her face contorted with agony in death and bearing hideous slashing wounds. With a little more concentration, Kip can see her Leaf Armour is glowing with magic, as is a small wand tucked into a belt apparently woven from her hair.
Seems clear for the moment, let's go check out the body.
Malthir waits for the others to dismount and goes over to the body at the shore. He will drag it back about 20' to Fenna so they can both examine what happened to the Dryad. Sword is still out at the moment.
Kip looks absolutely crestfallen when the body is turned over. He curses in all five languages he speaks before slumping dejectedly in his saddle. After a few moments he mutter one lone, barely audible word. Why?
The Dryad seems to have been slain in battle, torn apart by powerful slashing blows of some kind.
Kip is able to identify the wand as a simple healing wand with 18 charges remaining.
Why, because this is the way of the GreenBelt...the reason why we are here. To bring order and peace to it once and for all.
Does anyone know the burial rights for a Dryad?
If not we should bury her at the base of her tree, I think maybe she would have wanted that. Let's get the Satyr down as well then we can follow these tracks and give a little payback for this poor women.
We will remove her items then take her body over to the base of the tree to bury while the others see about getting the other body down.
Ricter hangs back and watches the treeline for signs of attack.
This is the fate of every being that thinks it can do without the protection of civilization.
He is about to say this out loud, but seeing Kip's reaction thinks better of it. Nonetheless, he responds to Malthir.
"I'm far from an expert, but if it's one with nature as it's kind claim to be we should leave it for the scavengers. Anything else would be too civilized for it's liking"
He looks again at Kip
"...her liking"
It? Her? Are there male dryads? If not, why do they all look like beautiful women? The better to bend mortals to their will, most likely
Kip lifts his head and addresses Malthir, It was mostly a rhetorical question.... Do you really believe we can tame the Greenbelt once and for all? I'm not sure it is possible. It seems a monumental task... before dismounting and helping the others.
As he listens to Malthir and Ricter discuss what to do with the earthly remains of the Dryad, Kip starts to object to Ricter's assertion, before realizing he has no idea what common Dryad practice is. He chooses to remain silent.
He relays his discovery of the properties of the wand, but admits he cannot determine the arcane power upon the armor.
Once business in the glade is complete, Kip inquires of Kalev, Do the attacker's tracks lead into unexplored territory? It would be helpful if our quarry were to lead us closer to the trolls... otherwise, at this rate, we may never find them given the number of emergencies we seem to encounter every step we take.
Lets quickly bury the Dryad and the Satyr unless someone has an objection?
Then we can track this creature back to hwere it came from and destroy it, the mapping will have to wait in case it threatens anyone else.
Do we find anything to identify the Satyr or the Dryad?
Quick burial and then move SE.
Kip raises no objections and readies himself for the pursuit.
Let me examine the armor. After I'm done, we should try and track down whatever did this.
Casimir identifies the weak protection enchantment placed upon the armour, something many of you are very familiar with by now.
You follow the trail south-east for a couple of hours, until you come to a woodland clearing. The sweet stench of decay hangs thick in this woodland clearing. Knotted branches of sickly trees line the perimeter, 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. You dismount to follow the tracks into the clearing- getting a short distance into the shadowy hollow when the trail seems to go completely cold.
???-
Casimir-
Malthir-
Fenna-
Kalev-
Kip-
Ricter-
???-
Surprise Round-
The clearing is full of dead trees, but when one suddenly lurches into life, a long scar across its trunk opening up and changing into a grimacing mouth filled with wooden teeth, it takes you all by surprise. From a full twenty feet away, the huge, living tree reaches out with one of its long, scythe-like branches and slashes at Kalev- the deadly wooden branch raking through his upper body leaving a horrific wound that almost decapitated the half-orc. The tree follows through, almost dealing a similarily horrific blow to Ricter, whose full plate partially protects him from the brutal blow. The monstrous plant looks like a dark brown tree, 20 feet tall, with dark, twisted roots; a few reddish-brown leaves hang on the gnarled, wickedly curved scythe-like branches.
Round 1-
Huge Tree-
Casimir-
Malthir-
Fenna-
Kalev-
Kip-
Ricter-
Ordered Initiative-
Kalev- 26
Kip- 24
Fenna- 20
Casimir- 17
Ricter- 16
Malthir- 16
Huge Tree- 11
Map & Map Notes-
Active Effects-
Once business in the glade is complete, Kip inquires of Kalev, Do the attacker's tracks lead into unexplored territory? It would be helpful if our quarry were to lead us closer to the trolls... otherwise, at this rate, we may never find them given the number of emergencies we seem to encounter every step we take.
Kalev looks up from his crouching position, more or less face to face with his small companion. They lead back towards the Narlmarch. And I'm not 100% sure the attackers weren't trolls. Large rending wounds, bodies more or less torn apart. It seems like something they might do...
The large branches hit Kalev hard, but his breastplate takes the worst of the hit, which would have felled most lesser men.
WATCH OUT! he yells, biting back the pain, before drawing a potion from his belt and drinking it, growing to immense size.
The large branches hit Kalev hard, but his breastplate takes the worst of the hit, which would have felled most lesser men.
WATCH OUT! he yells, biting back the pain, before drawing a potion from his belt and drinking it, growing to immense size.
Kip inhales sharply as the tree thing lurches to life and rends his friends. His mind reels as he tries to recall what this abomination of nature might be...
Seeing Kalev enlarge, Kip decides that Ricter or Malthir may also want the benefits of increased size. Ricter! Malthir! I can enlarge one of you as well!
Kip draws a wand of from his enchanted pack and utters the words to unleash the power within it .
Fenna is forced back slightly as the two warriors standing in front of her suffer the onslaught, and she looks between them considering their wounds critically. Calling upon Aroden, she lays a hand on the enlarged form of Kalev, "May the shield of the Soldier protect this staunch warrior from further harm."
You know quite a bit about this type of tree- the aptly named Scythe Tree. Its a chaotic evil abomination, the bane of forests and good aligned Fey all over the world. It is as intelligent as a human and can both speak and understand Sylvan and Treant, but has little interest in speaking to prey. As well as standard plant traits, it is immune to mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison,polymorph, sleep, stunning; and is vulnerable to fire. Piercing and bludgeoning weapons are particularily ineffective against a Scythe Tree; it is much easier to hack and slash it to pieces. In combat, it relies on its defences and sheer physical brawn to best its foes- and the superb long reach of its branches (Lunge feat).
Fire or sharp blades! And beware its deceivingly long reach.
As a swift action I point my sword at the creature activating my smite evil
Iomedae, grant me your boon to fight the evil that stands before me!
Malthir screams at the creature trying to get its attention...
Cowardly beast, try picking on someone your own size!
Here is one of the dark things that cower at the edge of civilization. I do not need magical insight to sense the stench of chaos on it.
"DIE BENEATH THE HEEL OF ORDER!"
"Courage, Guardians! We have fought dangerous plants before and won!"
Ricter marches towards the monstrous tree, cooly ducking under the branch swung at his head as he resolutely strides forwards and attacks.
As Ricter rushes in drawing the creatures attention Malthir frowns in frustration.
As a swift action I point my sword at the creature activating my smite evil
Iomedae, grant me your boon to fight the evil that stands before me!
Malthir feels Iomedae's strength wash over him, a golden hue illuminating his body. He rushes forward right after Ricter and takes a swipe at the creature yelling,
Cowardly beast, try picking on someone your own size!
Ricter's flail rebounds from the tough bark but seems to lose no momentum as the hellknight guides it back round to strike again an eyeblink later...
Bolstered by Casimir's magically-touched words of inspiration, the two heavily armoured champions step forward to attack the menacing Scythe Tree, their weapon arms swinging a little harder and faster thanks to the Spymaster's abilities. Its mouth sneers at them, almost seeming to be mocking their confidence. Several tons of living wood towering over them seem to mock their efforts; how could they even hope to succeed against its might?
Ricter's armour and weapon seem to take on an even more potent countenance, as divine purpose and the powers of Law and Order fill the Hellknight, protecting him and bolstering his might with the strength of all civilisation and justice have accomplished in spite of the horrificly dangerous frontiers all over Golarion. By all accounts that Kalev has ever heard of, a blunt weapon should do little to such a creature. Ricter's flail ignores such accounts, bashing into the tree with enough force as to send it staggering backward for a moment, the three metal heads eagerly sending huge chunks of living wood flying and leaving three deep, distinct marks in its wake.
Malthir's own armoured form and Liberator, glowing with righteousness and holy power, marches fearlessly into battle just behind Ricter against the Chaotic, Evil monstrosity that stands before the pair. Filled with purity, goodness and a sense of conviction and inner peace that this foe is truly an evil-doer, Malthir swings his sword in a mighty cleaving blow, slashing horizontally and hacking deeply into the tree's hide, close to Ricter's own mark on the enemy. There is nothing subtle about the swordplay, but its power cannot be denied.
The mouth doesn't seem to be sneering anymore; instead it leers with menace. It seems to speak, the voice harsh and grating upon the ears-
Its challenge apparently spoken, the Tree assaults both Malthir and Ricter with massive, punishing blows from branches almost as big as wagons... A branch glances off each warrior's full-plate, the metal apparently bolstered by their own faith in their ideals- but another branch hits both of them with massive force behind it.
Hit
Miss
Hit
Unconfirmed
Round 2-
Ordered Initiative-
Kalev- 26
Kip- 24
Fenna- 20
Casimir- 17
Ricter- 16
Malthir- 16
Huge Tree- 11
Map & Map Notes-
Active Effects-
Inspire Courage (+1 attack and damage)
Enlarge Kalev
Shield of Faith Kalev (+3)
Smite Malthir
Smite Ricter
AC: 26 (smite chaos)
HP: 15/58
Kalev steps up after the brutal assault by Malthir and Ricter, swinging his own scythe-like weapon in a powerful arch, followed by a reverse swing, while using his knowledge of the opponent to strike where it hurts.