"Tiressia, a Dryad lives that way. I know she has some father tokens that can become trees when placed on the ground. "
"Ohh a dryad!" Zorestar says excitedly. "I would love to see a dryad. I suppose there are some advantages to adventures, and this is one of them. Father tokens to become trees as well. This sounds very interesting in deed. This could be a win win situation for everyone if we visit the dryad, serve her in some way, acquire the tokens, plant some trees, and free the lumberjacks from the nixie. I see a plan coming together and we may not need to fight a single thing to accomplish it!"
"The Stag Lord might speak of our weakness, and him alone."
"Aye. Remember him fine," he replies while tapping the Lord's bow in the dirt. "Remember waking him and murdering him in his home."
Knowing his wisdom is falling on deaf ears, Ganit fans his ire to the entire group. "It's sad you can't see this fer what it is. Fairy tales has spoiled the lot a' you. Too focused on what ya think ya know ta recognize the threat around us. Yer right, James. Every man should be allowed to defend himself; but not every man has the sense to know what he should defend himself from. Aye, the Swordlords n' bandits, ghouls n' goblins er any number a armies'll be coming fer us sooner er later but don't underestimate them fey. Their kind is just as vicious n' bloodthirsty as any of em. Ain't got no respect fer men er their laws. Been here a thousand years n' more. To them mankind is just a passing phase; a lesser species. Ever wonder why the Greenbelt don't stay settled fer long? Who ya thinks been here to watch all them cities burn?"
Ganit watches the nixie contemptuously. He clenches his jaw as his fingers itch for the cold iron arrows in his quiver. How far do you really wanna fall?
The corner of Ganit's lip twitches as he turns back to Carina. "Pray you build those walls fer keeping our enemies out; not in." With that he turns his back to them all. The Lords of Vertaria, the woodsmen and the fey. "Better do as she says," he calls out as he reins Felicity. "Those men's families'll be waiting a few more days without em n' Gods only know what the dryad'll demand of us next."
She shakes her head.
"How can I trust that you will return with new trees? Perhaps...oh, you do not know where to get new trees?"
Bronwyn takes one step forward, unsheathing his blade slowly so as to not present a menace.
You will have my word, sworn upon my blade in the sights of gods and men, as Bronwyn Greenwood the first, duke of Vertaria. We will visit the dryad and return with your trees, offering them freely as a token of our friendship and the start of an alliance if you release these men here and now. I do so swear on this oathday, calling to Erastil master of the woods and Abadar upholder of oaths as witness; may they strike me down if I betray this vow.
As the words come out unbidden from his mouth, the duke holds his sword by the blade, as if offering it to the faerie.
The loggers seem to be fuming.
"And what about me and my men?" he says through gritted teeth.
Carina looks to her companions:
We have travelled through many miles of forests. Do any of you recall trees such as these that these men could harvest?
"We have travelled through many miles of forests. Do any of you recall trees such as these that these men could harvest?"
"Well, I'm not sure that I've seen trees exactly like these, but the probability that any two trees are identical is infinitesimally small. However, I fail to understand why large trees are needed to cut down, especially when they will likely be cut into smaller pieces. Would not smaller trees do? Not only would they be easier to transport, they are less likely to incur the wrath of the fey."
Carina attempts to recall if she has seen any trees while riding about the land near Evergreen over the past several months.
Knowledge(nature):
the nixie doesn't quite know what to say as she looks at Bronwyn and his words.
"Your words may be noble...but humans have said noble things, and gone back on them. The Taldans that came promised they wouldn't harm fey, but then began to hunt them after a year. How will I know your words are any more noble?" she asks as she continues to swim, lifting herself more out of the water as she is less afraid of the group and her life than earlier.
Carina looks at the Nixie.
You cannot. But I assume you have heard of how we have dealt with the fey and other denizens of this land since we arrived. I hope that would allay your fears.
Carina then stops and thinks looking across the water at the loggers:
But what option do you have. If you use magic or force against us, then we shall have to respond in kind. We have given you our word as the leaders of this land that we shall seek to work with all fey to live in peace. I hope that word is enough for you to show good faith and release these men.
The Nixie thinks this over, looking at the fuming man and back to Carina.
"If they have another place to go and cut down trees in a empty glade, I well let his men go, but I will not consider us on good terms until you bring me trees." she states, knowing that this is obviously going to be a difficult discussion, but also because of her own stubberness too.
Carina looks at her companions and squints her eyes as though she is attempting to think very hard. After a few moments, she looks up at the loggers.
You said that you came here first and just started to chop the nixie's grove. Did you search anywhere else? As I recall, there were a number of tall trees such as these a few miles to the north. At one time there were some Tatzlewyrms that lived near them, but we eliminated them nearly two years ago. I do not believe there are any fey calling the grove home at this time. Furthermore, they are within the lands claimed by Vertaria, so you should have the protection of the guard should you have any more issues.
"Can we not just talk and discuss matters as civilized beings? I mean, where both sides are clearly not evil we should not accelerate the discourse with sharp words and cold iron weapons. Now tell me, laborers of timber, what other options do you have for harvesting trees other than cutting from this Nixie's grove? Do you know of this place that Lady Greenwood suggests?"
At the news of this new grove Corax nods to this agreement.
"Fine, as long as I get my lumber, all is settled with us." he states as he and his men go about collecting items from the campsite and packing up. "We have a small map, do you mind showing us where exactly it is?"
""Fine, as long as I get my lumber, all is settled with us."
"Splendid1 Splendid! This is turning out to be the optimum solution. Well done!"
Carina looks gives the logger a less than appreciative look. Nonetheless, she points to where the grove with the appropriate trees are near the Tatzewyrms.
She then gives the logger a very disapproving stare like a mother gives to a child when he is caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Remember, in Vertaria, we and the fey are not enemies. I would remember that the next time you seek to chop trees in a sacred grove, for next time we may not be here and you may find yourself dancing a merry jig for twenty hours straight or laughing until you are ill.
Carina then turns back to the nixie: Now, where is this supposed dryad? We have our own business to attend to, but if it will help with the peace of this land, we shall attempt to find these quick grow trees which you desire.
Jameson leans over to Ganit.
"We're not in Vertaria, I hope she's not going to get us killed."
"If they have another place to go and cut down trees in a empty glade, I well let his men go, but I will not consider us on good terms until you bring me trees." she states, knowing that this is obviously going to be a difficult discussion, but also because of her own stubberness too.
You have my word, milady., Bronwyn replies, as he approaches the charmed men and escorts them out of the grove.
"Now, where is this supposed dryad? We have our own business to attend to, but if it will help with the peace of this land, we shall attempt to find these quick grow trees which you desire."
"Indeed, I would be most honored to meet this dryad. You said her name is Tiressia? Well, I would be happy to assist in any way possible, my dear Nixie. Mind you, I have not been very knowledgable of the fey and I am only now learning much about woods and nature, but I have been very fascinated with all that I have thusly learned. You and your kind are most extraordinary creatures."
Carina then turns back to the nixie: Now, where is this supposed dryad? We have our own business to attend to, but if it will help with the peace of this land, we shall attempt to find these quick grow trees which you desire.
The Nixie gies a nod and points to the west.
"She is to the west, but as I said before. She will not give the trees away for free. She'll want a favour in return, but I don't believe it will be a task too difficult for Lords and Ladies such as yourself who defeated the Stag Lord." she says with a small smile before moving slowly deeper into the water. "We fey know of you all, but not all are as friendly as I am. That is my only warning to you." with that she sinks back below into the water, leaving only a few ripples in the water and bubbles.
"A dryad? What do we know of them? Ganit?"
"They're more er less same as nixies save they got trees stead a lakes," the ranger asserts simply.
Zorestar watches as the nixie sinks back into the water. "Well, if she is the friendly kind, I am not sure that I want to meet the unfriendly kind. I certainly do not want a bunch of angry dryads or fairies chasing me around. I suggest we be kind to the plants and animas as best we can."
"They're more er less same as nixies save they got trees stead a lakes," the ranger asserts simply."
"You seem to know a great deal about Nixie's and Dryads. Are you familiar with all of the various forms of fey? You must have a special place in your heart for them. They certainly are a curious group of creatures. I wonder if there has been a definitive work written that has done a thorough classification system for the creatures. If not, you may need to start such a project, my friend."
Carina looks over at Zorestar as he makes the comment to Ganit and almost laughs. She then turns to her husband and quietly says:
I need to have a talk with that man's wife about social etiquette. He means well, but has all the tact of troll in a crystal shop. Perhaps you should have a talk with the good wizard. I tend to be a little sarcastic when I discuss matters such as this with him.
I think we are heading for the Dryad once we finish mapping the Nixie's hex.
Zorestar strolls along with the others wherever they decide to go, but still lost in his own little world. That is, lost in thought and occasionally distracted by some curious plant or mineral. Sometimes he will pick up two rocks and knock them against each other and then put them to his ear to see if he can determine if they are hollow. "You know." he says to know one in particular. "The dirt and discomfort of traveling in nature is really such a bother, but if you can endure such relative extrema, there really are some curious intricacies to note. Take for example the way the power of water has smoothed away the edges of this rock. It is not that different than the way wind carves out the hoodoos in the the Sand of Zabad in Qadir. There is certainly a quiet power to behold when you look for it."
"Can you see the dirt from the back of that wagon Zorestar?"
The half-orc rides easy on Donal, glad to be away from the stuffy nature of his new job.
I don't understand how my father did it.
"Can you see the dirt from the back of that wagon Zorestar?"
"Dirt? Why there appears to be dirt all over this ground! Why do you ask, my friend? Do you have an interest in dirt? For me, it is one of the less appealing aspects of this trip. Somehow it manages to get itself everywhere. I do look forward to a nice hot bath and to be back in my tidy little library!"
Telias grumbles but otherwise keeps to himself. The bird on his shoulder is ever alert.
The Nixie never resurces again, giving you peace as she is clearly not happy with not having her trees back yet, but she clearly feels no need to attack you, not even as you rest for the night. The following day, the wind howls past. Winter is coming and soon enough new challenges will arrive with it.
You make you way having mapped out the area you move on to find this dryad the nixie mentioned. It takes a long time travelling past the trees and navigating your mounts onto studier paths. It passes lunch time and you all stop for a while
As you rest up after lunch you hear crying in the distance. It appears to be coming from a glade in the distance. From what you can gather, the light is shining down, making it bright enough to see in there when you approch and it sounds like a woman crying in quiet pain, the sound only being echoed by the trees.
"Can you all hear that unpleasant sound? There is nothing more distressing than the sound of somebody crying in the woods. I hope this is not the Dryad the nixie spoke of, otherwise we may end up on a more difficult errand than I anticipated. Let's just hope that it is a little spilt milk."
Zorestar sends his familiar ahead to check out the crying as he cautiously approaches with the others. He tries to stay alert in case it might be a trap, but the sound is simply too distracting to pay much attention.
Istikali, Zorestar's familiar raven, flies ahead and lands on a branch nearby to observe who is crying and perhaps why.
Once she gets a sense of what is going on, she will fly back and report to Zorestar.
Istikali sees in the distance that a beautiful young woman, dressed in nothing but what appear to be leaves, is by a oak tree, far bigger and more ancient than the surrounding trees. Near the tree is a small pool where this woman's weeping tears are falling into the pool.
You notice a figure standing nearby. He appears to be holding a bow, have goat legs and horns. His bow is in his hands, but he appears to be just scanning the area tentivly.
Edit:
The female appears to by a Dryad. They are a all female fey race who are tree dwellers. Their main interests are their own survival and that of their trees. They generally set traps to deter those who might endanger their forest or attempt to scare them off, however those which are really violent are killed, but only if so overtly hostile or evil.
Dryads are bound to trees of their birth. They cannot stray more than 300 yards from their tree and most are generally oak trees, but some are different with different subtle influences. Dryads can form new bonds with trees, but this takes time and the death of their own tree can horribly sicken and weaken are Dryad.
The man appears to be a Satyr, a all male race of fey creatures, know for their mischief in playing pipes leaving both unplanned pregnancies and awkward explainations as they are also very well spoken and woo both unwary maidens and shepard boys.
Their bodies and the one of this one is attractive, however this one appears scarred. Although they do value their own amusements above all else including other people's rights, they bear no ill will towards those they seduce. Children born of such encounters are always satyrs and always male. Once old enough they are usually spirited away to join with their fathers. The tunes of the pipes can be used to scare, charm, suggest or send someone into a deep slumber.
Zorestar calls the others together, before they advance and explains what Istikali told him.
"There is a beautiful young, uhm, female up ahead, dressed in . . . " The wizard shyly fumbles for the right words, "And she is . . . . well . . . naked, . . . . except for perhaps a few leaves. Furthermore, she is hanging out by a great oak tree. Clearly, this must be the Dryad we are looking for. However, My dear raven familiar reports more than just that. There is a a figure nearby in the nearby woods with goat legs and horns. He is carrying a bow and scanning the area carefully."
"How remarkable this is! If I am not mistaken, which would be highly unlikely, this creatures sounds to be a Satyr. You must have all heard of such creatures? They are an all male race of fey creatures, know for their mischief in playing pipes. They are very well spoken and have been known to woo many an unwary maiden. It would not be uncommon for them to leave both an unplanned pregnancy and an awkward predicament for the young female."
"Furthermore, although Satyrs' value their own amusements above all else including other people's rights, they normally bear no ill will towards those they seduce. Children born of such encounters are always satyrs and always male. Once old enough they are usually spirited away to join with their fathers. The tunes of the pipes can be used to scare, charm, suggest or send someone into a deep slumber."
"In this case, the Satyr ahead appears scared. The probability is high that we will not be able to approached unseen, unless of course you were a raven like my dear familiar, Istikali. My lady and lord, what do you propose we do?"
"No Zorestar, I care nothing for the dirt save it feeds the grass that feeds Donal."
************************
"Well I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong, let's ride over there and see what happens."
I think teaching him sarcasm is likely to get me killed.
"In this case, the Satyr ahead appears scared. "
Istikali, the celestial raven, pecks at Zorestar on his shoulder and then chirps and kraws something into her master's ear.
"Oh thank you, Isti." Zorestar replies to his familiar. "Sorry, my friends. The satyr is not scared, he is scarred. Apparently, the creature has a nasty wound on him, though it is healed up it still appears to be quite bad. I try not to make assumptions about people with scars, but clearly this satyr has seen some conflict before. May I suggest that whatever course of action we decide to proceed with, that you exercise caution above all else."
"Well I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong, let's ride over there and see what happens."
"Clearly you are mistaken if you think nothing could possibly go wrong. All it takes is for you to offend the creature with some off hand comment and thwap thwap, the arrows start flying and somebody could get hurt! This clearly will require a great deal of diplomacy to sort out. Something of the sort that I clearly recognize that I do not possess."
Knowledge(nature):
Carina listens to Zorestar and James. When James evidences that he believes a direct approach is his choice, Carina speaks up.
Be careful brave knight. Dryads are known for setting traps about their groves and trees. While dryads are not known for being agressive or wishing harm on others, more than a few unwary humans have come to harm when they sought to cut the trees in a dryads grove.
She then turns to Ganit: Warden, perhaps this is a place for your skills. Can you find a path that will lead us closer to the dryad without causing us to become entangled in any fey traps? We do not wish her or her grove harm, but to appease the nixie, we must speak with this creature of the forest.
Ganit scoffs away Zorestar's suggestion to document his findings and opinions of the surrounding forests but ultimately keeps silent for the remainder of travel. A book? Pfft, most like a few guiding words: 'Watch everything, touch nothing; expect the worst of anything that can survive out here.'
The wizard's talk of scars and the men or beasts that bear them ignites the weathered trail of knife work leading from his left eye to collarbone. "Careful with that one, a scar in flesh takes half as long to heal as the wound to it's bearers pride. He'll be watchful and dangerous."
Don't know why I keep giving them advice. Not like they ever take it seriously.
He dismounts Felicity with unexpected grace and passes a look to Carina as he laces the Stag Lord's bow. "Been your Spymaster fer well o'er a year now, princess. Sootscale's yer Warden. Hoped you'd a known that."
He turns his weary grey eyes to Jameson and Zorestar next. "Gimme a bit before ya let yer gallant nature take hold a ya. Satyr's is nasty little devils and we got a wounded one at that. Ya don't see me, you'll know I gotchya covered." Without waiting for reply, the ranger stalks off in the direction of the Dryad's tree and disappears from sight.
Jameson will nod grimly at Ganit before checking the straps on his armor. After the ranger has been gone for 10 minutes he turns to the others.
"That should be plenty of time, I'll lead the way."
You don't manage to find any traps, but continue to tred carefully. The dryad is crying into a pool by a very large and old oak tree. Larger than all the others in the area. You also see the saytr who doesn't manage to see you. He glances back to the dryad with a sad look on his face too and his bow now strapped to his back.
Ganit continues to wait patiently in the rushes for the others to arrive. His bow laid across his mud crusted leather grieves and a thistle arrow readied in his enchanted quiver.
"I do hope you know what you are doing, m' lady. I do not mean to question your decisions, but as one of your advisors, I feel it is my responsibility to share with you my humble opinion. I have no doubt that Master D'Artain will be able to spot traps and unforeseen dangers, but are you sure that it is wise to let him speak and make first contact. If he is simply hiding, that is fine, but his disposition is not exactly cheerful and trusting. Let us hope that you or the lord speak with the Dryad and the Satyr first, before any shots are fired!"
Bronwyn ponders the information they've gathered from the water nixie.
Let us try diplomacy first and foremost. Ganit, I need you to find a vantage point at the entrance of the grove while we try to approach the fey. If they see us as armed invaders of their lands, that may sour our approach.