The Green Man looks down at Dolgrym and raises an eyebrow.
"Truly? But...they live in the forest do they not? That doesn't seem...safe."
Sonechka smiles at the gathlain. "Maybe he was thirsty." She gestures at the pool and deer drinking from it.
"You could very well be right, lady."
Balamew the gathlain addresses the group.. "Thank you for getting rid of the bear monster... This neck of the Narlmarches is getting healthier. This time last year, couldn't drop a dropping without a brush dog or bandit peeping at ya. Not a place to raise a family like my deer friends here."
"But now.. they are.. quite.. fawn of it." He winks at Furiel.
The four deer finish lapping from the pool, and turn to head north.
"Oh wait!" The deer continue. "Apples can wait!" They stop, and mill around the edge of the grounds.
"So what manner of group are you? Explorers? Adventurers? Travelers? Just people? Where did you meet? Do you ride horses? Why a dwarf?"
Sonechka's chill smile turns impish. "I prefer not to ride dwarves; their gait is so uncomfortable."
She gestures at Green. "My lord is the reason this neck of the Narlmarches is getting healthier. He and his companions have purged the bandits from the region and rid the area of many of the more dangerous monsters. Such as the bear who used to reside here."
Deciding that out here, he can allow his "lordly dignity" to take a hit or two by acting silly, The Green Man does an elaborate show of searching for something.
"A dwarf? Here? Strange...have you seen any dwarves around here master Sharpaxe?"
Furiel approaches with a laugh
"I am the General of the local forces. But it is good to walk about and get information. And I ride only when I can't fly and am in a hurry."
Dolgrym doesn't respond for the time being, other than to nod. He wasn't sure he could add anything to the discussion other than insult the fey.
"Spotting" Dolgrym, The Green Man prepares to continue his joke.
However, upon realizing that he had received not even a smile, decided that perhaps he best not.
He had no intention of insulting his comrade by accident.
Balamew lets out a snort and a string of giggles.
"Important people abound! Happy to've met you, though you might be no fun to rile, should you find yourselves at Thorn Spring, be sure to bring your good humor and visit."
He takes a few steps, then flies up toward the deer.
"I'm off.. off to taunt bullies from their orchard while my friends eat their apples. Those mean ugly goofs get so mad! Hahaha!"
Jhod appears to have finished his consecrations, and steps up near Dolgrym - whose expression he nearly matches.
He murmurs to the dwarf.. "Think I'll wait til he's long gone before starting breakfast... in case he's hungry.", and smirks.
"Good thinking. Let's get him on his way now. I'm not sure if I can stand sitting with him long enough to eat a meal!"
She doesn't move to stop the gathlain, but before he turns his mount away Sonechka asks "Where is Thorn Spring? And this orchard you mentioned?"
"Orchard you say? And bullies?"
"Source of the river! Off limits.. save to visit.. as my offer extends." He points north. "No building, no digging, no felling trees... no leaving nasty traps all about. To enter's to agree." Balamew focuses his officious digression toward Dolgrym.
"The bullies of the orchard would be no fight for you at all. Even less so if I were to spoil the surprise. I would miss the fun, but not shed tears if they were.. evicted.. as well." He flashes a devilish grin before he turns away with the family of deer heading west.
"Already I am anxious to hear how you fared!"
Had the group just accepted a mission from this strange creature?. "So, are we all in on this? I doubt he can or will give us more details , so we are wandering in blind."
Sonechka turns to Dolgrym and shakes her head. "I'm not sure he told us anything useful. We're exploring, and I would like to think we would have found this orchard on our own. Regardless, if there is something going on in these lands, we should deal with it."
"Indeed, the question is, do we alter our plans and go there right away to investigate, or do we continue as before and reach it in our good time?"
The Green Man considers for a moment before giving a sharp nod.
"No, this orchard is of no immediate concern, and according to our made plans we will reach it during this trip, just not right away.
I say we continue as planned and take our time."
Jhod begins preparing a fruit and nut oatmeal for breakfast...
"Well... feel free to go off and explore after breakfast. I plan to remain here for some time. I still feel.. an indescribable connection to this temple. I've not felt inner peace as I do now.. for years."
Sonechka nods in agreement with Green's pronouncement. "We will find it, in time. One thing to note was his admonishment not to despoil his area of the forest. We should warn any trappers, hunters, or loggers looking in this direction."
You explore the immediate area, and then your normal procedure for the entire hex.
Just after noon, you come to a wild overgrown apple orchard, a ruined farmhouse, and dilapidated (but still standing) barn. In the center of the ordered rows of old apple trees and tangle of weeds, is a grey-brown clearing and rocky mound surrounded by a ring of dead or infected trees.
Norton approaches the orchard and inspects the clearings from a distance, more specifically the dead trees, hoping to understand the cause of the disease.
The Green Man cautiously approach the barn, as he goes, he looks for tracks.
Dolgrym follow his group, remaining a bit behind them, knowing stealth wasn't his specialty.
"Well, the problem with the trees seems to be natural, some fungi I think."
Sonechka accompanies Green and approaches the barn. She nods at Norton. "Sage wisdom. If this farm is as abandoned as it seems, I would say we should leave nature to its work. No reason to intervene where no one needs our help."
One of the double doors on the barn is a few inches ajar. The smell of rotting meat increases as you approach it.
It is used in alchemy... many defoliant or other anti-plantlife potions. Apart from that it has no real benefit - unlike most fungus.
The Green Man sniffs the air and then frowns.
"Can you smell that? It smells like rotting meat...rotting meat and trouble..."
Motioning for Sonechka, he points to the ground.
"I can't tell exactly what made these tracks, but they were humanoid, they were large, and they have been all over the place.
Combined with the scent...I don't think whatever we find in the barn will be...pleasant."
The tracks were made by Thawn.. commonly referred to as mud giants. They are about 10 feet tall, and hideously malformed.
Dolgrym casts Bull's Strength and Shield on himself as the group heads for obvious trouble.
Sonechka looks down at the tracks Green points out. "There are creatures the locals call mud giants, my lord. Hideously malformed monsters with an unsavory reputation."
As Dolgrym makes his preparations, Furiel summons a pair of small earth creatures.
"Well...I wonder if we are about to discover their, The Green Man grips the edge of the barndoor and peers carefully into the opening, larder?"
Norton walks back to the others and calls for Murak.
The interior is lit by two weak lanterns.. one hanging from each support.
You hear the low rumble a few unintelligible words as three large hunched and cloaked figures look toward Green from their work stations. One carves meat from a hanging carcass, the two in the back had each been crafting something from bone. There are many open-top crates - eight feet wide.. four are near you with stained tarps underneath them.. abutting the nearest support.
The Green Man, not one for subtlety at this point, forces open the barn doors fully, to let the others see what he is seeing.
"It is dark in there, friends. Come out and say hello!" Sonechka kneels and picks up a little rock off the ground, murmurs a few words over it then throws it into the barn. As it goes, darkness billows out from the stone like smoke, concealing everything within.
"Darbla blar grubba!"
A moment later, the malformed and hunched cloaked giants lope around the edge of the darkness.. alongside the walls. One hurls a crude hammer with poor aim, another throws some odd sculpture(?) of bone which breaks apart as it slams into Green. All three snarl and brandish their wicked long claws from their dimly-lit positions.
The Green Man staggers momentarily from the hit, but then he straightens and growls in anger.
"Why you..."
Muttering a quick blessing, he then touches his birthmark and enhances his protection.
The dwarf casts Haste on the group.
"Are we going to fight in or out in the open?"
"Outside offers more manoeuvrability, but keeping them inside means we can keep them away from our casters, and use their size against them."
"Choose one, so we know what to do!"
"Let's keep them pinned in! If it goes poorly, we can withdraw!"
"So let's trap them! Use their size against them, just keep them away from anything they can throw!
Move in!"
Furiel feels that his elemental creatures can rush in.
The two elementals move into the structure.
Furiel begins to cast to produce a third one.
"Gahahaha! We shall overwhelm them with greater numbers, box them in and strike while they flounder around!"
"Come on you big ugly brutes! You won't plague this land for much longer!"
Norton unsheaths is great sword from Murak saddle and then moves as in the front line as his movement allows.
Furiel's earthen minions move toward the thawns on either side of the barn. One is slashed as it reaches its target, the second falls into a pit hidden by tarps.
The thawn nearest Green lopes forward and savagely slashes.
The elemental not in the pit is cut to pieces with two quick claw strikes.
The third brings a horn to its malformed drooling mouth and blows out a blaring and warbling sound.