The old lady eyes you with a calculating glance. "The sooner you can get the Crucible, the better... Something's wrong with the land in these parts... trees wither and die young... birds never hatch... streams dry up... my fire goes out without explanation... and things that worked for years..." she fondly caresses an old ruby ring on one of her gnarled fingers "...the light just goes out of 'em." She sits back thoughtfully for a moment on her wicker chair.
"I looked into it a bit and all I found was that this curse is related to the old stories about the Dwarven city of 'Darkstone' and somethin' they made there called the 'Crucible.' Nobody's tried to go near Darkstone for a while because all who've tried never came back... leastways not in one piece. It's been so long that folks have forgotten exactly where the place was..."
"So I said to myself, 'Arly, ya need some young blood to go check out the place. Aint a job for an old one such as yerself.' So I dropped a few lines and look at the fine young fish I've hooked!" She chuckles hoarsely to herself. "Now dearies, if the stories are true, you'll find Darkstone somewhere in the middle of the Blackwood. I don't know what happened to the Dwarves that lived there but it certainly wasn't friendly or nice. Go get me the Crucible and find out what's there. And I'll make you happy little dearies."
Sunreturn is tall, and green. Very, very green. His eyes glow with a warm yellow light.
And he is listening intently.
A bald man looks at each of you intensely, and you can almost see smoldering flames in his eyes. With a straight, tightly-tied beard jutting from his chin, he has a very desert look about him.
"I am Zoltan, and I am hear to grant you your wish! My ancestors have spoken, first by whispers in my ear, and recently by way of a bird of black. It is clear that I must help you to continue my path of redemption. Will these others be assisting?"
Looking at the large, green man, he says "You look to be an interesting creature? Where do you call home, my friend?"
Mira is leaning against the doorframe, and while she seems attentive to the woman's story, her eyes keep flicking away to her fellow adventurers. When Zoltan speaks, she gives him a sidelong glance. "Your ancestors," she mutters, "need to give you some personal space."
She turns her focus back on the old lady, giving her an appraising and amused look like she's a particularly exotic zoo animal. "If this Crucible is cursed, why do you want it so much? You're not giving us good platinum to save the birds and the puppies out of the kindness of your heart, that's for sure. What's in it for you?"
The tall figure turns to Zoltan and starts speaking in an unhurried fashion. It is more clear that his 'eyes' are glowing gaps in a face made of overlapping petals.
"I have the name Sunreturn. I remember you, Zoltan. You helped me stop those orcs from attacking a village. Those people were scared, but we protected them. I came here because there is something wrong in Darkstone. It hurts the land. And I must protect the land."
"Of course, of course! How could I forget." Then waving at something unseen by his ear, he mutters angrily [b}"Leave me alone! You did not remember for me!"[/b]
Calm again, as if nothing had happened, Zoltan continues, "Those orcs were a nasty bunch, weren't they? They just won't accept it when their wounds are fatal!"
"Oh! And Mira, when did you get here? Was it talk of those orcs that brought you running? I don't know who got more angry, you are them orcs, but there were a lot of hot heads that day... I was surprisingly cool, as I recall..."
Sunreturn:Darkstone's current ecology is quite unknown but you have heard something odd about the Blackwood. As one heads deeper into it, the wood has increasingly few large animals, predatory or otherwise. In addition, trees of intermediate size disappear from the wood and the wood becomes dominated by either tall trees or short shrubs.
Mira: You think that, for good or ill, the old woman is being frank with you. She doesn't care much what happens to you but is being honest about her intentions and will hold up her end of the bargain.
The crone gives Mira a hard look. "Young lady. Live long enough and you'll grow attached to certain things in this world, just as I have. And who said anything about the Crucible being cursed? From what I've heard, the Dwarves were making it for an old king right as Darkstone went silent."
Sunreturn nods slowly at Zoltan's comments.
"Why yes, the orcs are hasty to attack, but slow to die."
He turns more:
"And you, Mira, you were hasty too. But you helped a lot."
Turning back to the Old Lady, he continues:
"The Blackwood is odd. The deeper in one goes, the fewer large animals. And the mid-sized trees vanish. Only scrubs or tall trees grow there. It sounds most peculiar. You are right to want to help."
Mira shrugs. "That's me. Hasty." She tilts her head toward the old woman. "Speaking of which, you said something about 'the sooner the better', right? The Blackwood is a pretty big place... I don't suppose you have anything more to go on?"
"Yes, how will we know it when we have found it?"
The old woman nods. "Practical. Good. One of the entrances to Darkstone was said to sit right outside a large waterfall. Seein' as how there's only one large river in the Blackwood, seems to me it'd have to be somewhere along there. It enters the wood a couple miles from here so I'd start there if I were ye."
She smiles a toothy grin at Zoltan. "If ya find some old Dwarven ruins, you're prolly in the right place. And if ya find a mithral crucible that seems magic, Bob's yer uncle."
What? She knows my uncle? His name is Bob? Somehow, I don't think so...
"We should gather some provisions before we go. Remember that one time we forgot to bring rations and had to share that one fish? I though Mira was going to eat her own arm off! At least, fresh water won't be an issue any more."
Sunreturn nods.
"River. Waterfall. Ruins. Mithril crucible."
He turns to Zoltan, chuckles at the memory of the fish, and smiles gently.
"I have learned how to create goodberries. And water. We will not need to worry much about food and drink."
Mira grins at Zoltan's comment. "Not my arm. Yours, maybe. But I suppose berries will do just as well."
With that, she turns to their fourth and final companion. "What do you think, Lenna? Ready to go eat berries and find waterfalls and recover a probably-cursed historical artifact?
As soon as Lenna agrees, Zoltan will go outside and load up his camel.
Once Lenna agrees, Sunreturn turns once more to the old lady.
He simply says:
"Goodbye, and be well. We shall return."
He then will turn to leave with his companions.
Lenna makes herself appear as she walks out behind the deluded ifrit.
"Oh, you told us many times already. I think the fairies got you good. Or maybe they got us all good. I certainly do not remember our time in the orc village either."
As the old crone and her companions banter, the halfling watches and listens to them as if watching a parade or a show. When Mira gets her attention, Lenna smiles.
"You bet. Trekking through a cursed forest sounds exciting and I need to get away from my friend. We are quite alike and chatty but still...well, you know what I mean."
She waves to the old woman as they are leaving and hides behind Zoltan again.
The four companions say their farewell to their quixotic questgiver and pack up. They come to the edge of the Blackwood and begin following the river deeper and deeper into the forest. The going is a bit rough at first and you encounter thick trees and bushes, requiring everyone but Lenna to duck under branches every few steps. Here and there, you see a tree withered by some strange black blight. As Sunreturn said, the forest begins to change as you head deeper and deeper into it. The trees become larger and more widely spaced while the underbrush all-but disappears. As you follow the winding river, you see more and more life that has been drained by whatever curse lies on Darkstone.
As they enter the forest, Mira gives a loud whistle. After a few minutes of walking, there's a rustle on the other side of the river and a small, snake-like head pokes out of the undergrowth. Mira calls out to it. "Hey Liz. Good hunting?"
A three-foot-long dinosaur emerges onto the bank. It darts forward like a bird, and the way its head bobs almost looks like nodding. "Come on, we've got a new job! Looking for a waterfall." The creature reaches the edge of the river and hops right in, swimming contentedly in the current alongside the party.
As they departed to the forest, Lenna had a fun time riding on Zoltan's camel and playing with its humps. When they reaches the cursed part of the forest, Lenna looks down at Sunreturn.
"You're right, Sunny. The trees do look dead. You will have to grow them back when we lifted the curse. Looks like you have quite the load on your shoulders."
"Mira, that lizard of yours surprises me every time. How does it stay so quiet? Of course, that has often worked to our favor, don't get me wrong. Except that night in that little village with the dogs... I have never before been asked to leave with such... negative enthusiasm."
"So, what do we make of this curse? Anything you recognize? I am not much of one for knowing of the trees, but even I can tell something is amiss."
You move along, staying close to the river. Then you hear a few loud snaps in the underbrush and a curse.
"I told you he was too hungry to be sneaky! Now it will be harder to kill them!!"
You glance around and realize that an overeager predator has marred the perfect ambush. As you walk beside the river, a small cliff rises on your left side. Two large scaly creatures move toward either side of the cliff while some small, scaly humanoids with slings line the cliff itself.
Mira's head jerks up at the sharp sound from the woods, her eyes scanning to find its source. When she spots the creatures on the cliff and hears their exclamation, her face slowly breaks into a grin, and she makes quick eye contact with the others to make sure they noticed as well.
Even as the smile reaches her lips, her arms have begun to change, stretching and elongating until they are longer than any human arms should rightly be. She steps over to the cliff and one of those impossible arms reaches up to the edge, while the other reaches behind her to draw a massive axe from her back. Bracing against the cliff face, she hoists herself up into the midst of the scaly humanoids.
Gripping her axe tightly and staring down the would-be ambushers, Mira stage whispers in perfect Draconic,
Zoltan looks at the others, and says "So soon we are forced into battle? It almost seems like we attract trouble. Remember, if you need me, your wish is my command!"
With that, he casts Bless on the party to aid them in their time of trouble.
Sunreturn waves gently towards Liz.
"Hello Liz.", he says softly.
Sunreturn's face rearranges into a perturbed expression at the sight of the decay.
"This is not natural. This is not right."
He turns to Lenna, then Zoltan, then Mira:
"But we will stop this. And I will spend time here to make it right again.", he says with determination, before going back to pondering as he walks.
Ah. Enemies. Well, the lizard *is* hungry.
Sunreturn turns to face the huge lizard and he whistles softly, an ancient tune.
He states in common, without turning away from the lizard, a simple quarterstaff in his hands:
"I will hold back this one."
And moves forward, the undergrowth not impeding him at all.
Some of the slingers turn toward Mira with fear while others look at her with hard and desperate eyes.
The great predator before Sunreturn shakes its head in confusion at his command.
The beast turns a hungry eye on one of the smaller prey nearby.
"An ambush! Quick, someone make a wish!"
Lenna has her starknife out and clasps her hands in a prayer's gesture.
"Great Zozo (Zoltan), it would be great if you can wish them all away! If that doesn't work, I wish that we disappear from their sight!"
Great Mother Earth, turn that patch of land into oily goo.
The land beneath the second predator turns into a dark liquid that is quite sticky.
"That will stall it until my wish comes true."
The predator to the South startles at the transformation of the ground underneath him
but his claws quickly grip the ground and keep him upright. He then surges through the underbrush toward Zoltan and Lenna, roaring fiercely.
The small enemies are kobolds.
The large predators are Ceratosauruses. They have a 10 foot reach.
Ceratosaures can trip with their bite attack.
These predators enter a blood rage when damaged.
The other predator moves toward one of his small allies and strikes, surprising the humanoid and devouring him in a single gulp. Terrified, most of the humanoids run away. As one of them turns its back, Mira's axe rends him in half. But two remain with a gleam of hatred in their eyes. They step back carefully from Mira and launch their slings at her but both miss. With a hard look in their eyes, they drop the slings and draw their spears.
"The little reptiles are leading Ceratosauruses. They reach as far as a longspear, and can knock foes over with their bites. Be careful"
With that, Sunreturn drops his quarterstaff. He focuses for a few moments, and a fine longspear grows seemingly out of nowhere. He grasps it, and stares down the kobold in front of him.
"Leave."
The scaly creatures eye Sunreturn fiercely and call out instructions to their large companions with chirps and hisses. They don't seem to understand Sunreturn's words in common.
These humanoids have darker scales and a fiercer demeanor than the others who ran. They look intent on doing whatever they can to kill you.
"Those two little reptiles mean to kill us. They will not run."
Mira spins to face the creature rushing toward her companions, its head reaching the top of the cliff. "Ceratosauruses, you say? Don't worry. Dinosaurs are... my specialty."
She has a glint in her eye just like she did when they fought the orcs, right before she started cleaving them in two. But this time she doesn't raise her axe. Instead, Mira does something you've never seen her do before: she begins to transform.
Armor and gear melt into her skin as it bubbles and churns into something between scales and feathers. Her spine bends and lengthens, contorting into a different shape entirely, and a long tail sprouts from its base. Her face stretches into a snout lined with razor-sharp teeth, her feet grow into wicked talons, and horns sprout from the top of her skull. In just a few short seconds, Mira has become a carnivorous dinosaur - but what dinosaur has those long, twining arms ending in vicious claws?
Mira snarls and tears into the beast below.
Mira lets out a roar of her own, a high, piercing snarl that echoes across the riverbank. She bounds after one of the humanoids and slashes at them with her extended claws.
With the power of her anger and her spirit, Mira tears into the dinosaur below her, ending its life. Shen then springs after the fearless humanoid and leaves him lying on the ground in tatters as well.
Zoltan begins rising into the air, having activated his boots to levitate above the reach (hopefully) of these creature. Seeing Mira change, he says "Um, I didn't do that!" But seeing the effectiveness of her change, he shrugs and simply says "Marvelous!"
Once he has risen (to a height of 20'), he points at the remaining smaller lizard-man, and fires a couple of bolts of blue energy into its chest.
The blast of energy coming from Zoltan crushes the torso of the last remaining humanoid but the large predator still menaces Sunreturn. It's eyes gleam with the same fury you saw in its small handlers.
You can tell that it would be very difficult to get this crazed reptile to do anything but attack.
Lenna pouted as her spell failed to keep the creature at bay. As soon as the predator was in front of her, she froze and looked right and left for an escape route. Mira's felling blow on the creature renews her spirit. Scrambling towards the nearest tree, she takes cover.
Seeing a rival on the field, the remaining enemy charges toward Mira. His white teeth flash
and cut hard into her leg, pulling her down on her flank.
Sunreturn jogs around the left side of the cliff slope and comes up behind the dinosaur - the unfriendly one.
Coincidentally, providing a flanking position for their friendly dinosaur.
In the meantime, he stabs with his solid wood longspear.
Mira scrabbles at the ground as her leg buckles under the force of the bite, but she lands hard on her side. Rather than try to stand, she lashes out in fury at the attacker with her flailing claws.
Sunreturn's spear bounces off the creature's tough hide. Thanks to Sunreturn and Zoltan, Mira barely manages to land two blows on the predator, enraging him.
Zoltan fires a cold bolt at the creature, biting into its hide.
With a roar, the predator attacks Mira again with greater fury than before.
Undeterred, Sunreturn attempts a much harder blow, driving his spear forward with great force.
Mira bellows in pain and follows suit - seeing that even her wild swings made contact with the massive creature, she opts for power over accuracy.
Mira focuses on the battle ahead of her. If she sees the creature not dead from the twin assault, she will do either the following:
Lenna dances and grants Mira and herself the ability to teleport. Lenna will teleport to beside to adjacent of Mira if she teleport unless it is beyond her range.
Lenna moves 10 ft southeast (due to difficult terrain) and focuses her mind on the transformed barbarian, cloaking her in illusion to make her appeared slain while manifesting two illusions mimicking her enemy in likeness flanking it (Will DC 15).
Lenna will move 10 ft southeast (due to difficult terrain) to where she can see it and glitterdust the dinosaur. (Will DC 16)
Sunreturn's and Mira's combined assault bring the creature down. You catch your breath a handful of seconds after the ambush began.
"You rock, Mimi. You showed them who is boss!"
Lenna immediately rush to treat Mira with her touch and a wand so that she does not lapse into unconsciousness and bleed from her wounds after exiting rage. Healing the barbarian also envelops herself in healing energies in the process.
Sunreturn sees the foe fall and then begin to walk towards Mira. Seeing Lenna reach her first, he stops and decides to search the fallen reptiles.
His brown leather boots, cloth pants and open shirt with explorer pouches are visible amidst the bodies of the foe.
As Mira's flesh starts to heal, she transforms back into her humanoid form just as abruptly as she left it. For a moment her face is tight with pain, her newly-formed hands clutching at the gash in her leg, but soon the wound closes up and she collapses on her back, breathing heavily.
After a moment, Mira bursts out into heavy laughter, full of exhilaration and relief. "Wow. That was... wow. Lenna, thank you." Her laughter trickles out as she slowly climbs to her feet and surveys the scene. "Um... who were these guys?"
Having time to collect your thoughts, you easily identify the dead humanoids as Kobolds. Those who stood and fought have a dark luster to their scales, as do the two ceratosauruses while the dead coward who tried to flee from Mira does not.
They have spears, slings, half a mouse here, a coil of string there, a rough wood carving, and smooth stones to use as sling bullets. One of them was carrying a small hammer, pitons, and 50 ft of rope.