"It's a compost bin. It's composed primarily of dead things," quips Tam.
He squints and says, "I think it's too far down to be in the range of a spell to detect magic."
The elf woman simply smiles at Somer's comment. "I appreciate that, youngin'. But I think I'll be ok following behind."
Odd that she would want to come with us and put herself in danger.
"Fair enough, I just do not wish to put you at risk if you were trapped for so long. Lets keep moving" He will move with the others towards the door.
"You are a druid? Are there many more traps and rooms like this a head?" Derrik asks
Balmir moves up with Somer, his hammer in hand. "So far everywhere we turn in this place we run into things trying to kill us. I find that annoying." Balmir scowls at the closed door as if daring it to open on its own and disgorge a rush of angry, screaming monsters.
"Druid? Of course, yes... I am a druid. There are, unfortunately, things also unknown to me up ahead."
As you walk through the plants, one of them ejects a cloud of spores encompassing you both.
Derrik watches the spores come out and covers his mouth with his hand.
Balmir sucks in a deep breathe of the spore laden air.
*cough*
Balmir starts to grow green, and begins to turn into a giant tree person. He twists his gnarled limbs about and crushes Somer's head. Then he picks up Tamzander and Mouser in separate branches, and slams them together repeatedly, watching their torn and broken bodies flail about like rag dolls. Just then he turns to Derrik...
Meanwhile, everyone else watches as Balmir, the dwarf, lies in the middle of the hall, snoring contently and dreaming away the day.
It doesn't take you long to realize that the plant is using its spores to cause victims to fall asleep and then proceeds to devour them. But as only one of you (the dwarf, no less!) falls victim to its powers, you are able to quickly drag him to safety.
It takes a few minutes for Balmir to wake up. Mweanwhile, you find stairs lead down to the conservatory floor.
All manner of exotic flora fills this massive conservatory. A thick mist floats just above the ground, carpeting the area in a perpetual fog. The air is moist, and a thousand smells, both pleasant and pungent, waft throughout the area. Water drips from a bridge high above, falling like rain to the greenhouse’s floor. A constant symphony of birdsong and other animal noises fills the air.
The mist is about 3 ft deep.
There are many varieties of birds, animals and plants here that look kinda neat.
As Balmir wakes Somer clicks his tounge.
"So you can drink us all under the table but a few bits of pollen are to much?" he gives a small smile, about as big as he gets really "You ok?"
As they move on he has little to say about all the animals but does do his best observer their behavior. If there does not seem to be a threat he starts making mental notes and trying to learn from what he sees.
You came down the hall, and then there was a large hollow tree with stairs leading down to the floor of the forest. Above you about 80 ft is the bridge you crossed before. Directly across from you is another stairway leading back up.
Waves of shock and fear and anger boil up inside Balmir as his wooden branch-arms reach out towards Somer and the others. He struggles against them but something is controlling his mind and he watches helpless as his own limbs destroy his friends. Enraged by the destruction Balmir tries to direct the branches to begin pulling themselves out. Somehow he manages to get one branch onto the shoulder of another and begin pulling and pushing. His whole trunk wobbles and shakes and then everything starts to fade. He closes his eyes and shakes his head to clear his vision. When he reopens his eyes he sees Somer leaning over him. Not the crushed Somer but the healthy one.
"What? What happened? Why aren't you dead?"
Balmir sits up and sees that he is back in his normal form. He stands up, the mist coming up to mid-thigh and swirling around him. With relief he scans the group, counting off everyone.
"That was strange." He shakes his head. "Ok. Where are we?" Finally Somer's question registers. "Yeah, I think I'm ok. Now. I just had a dream that you all died. That's all."
"Ok. So what are we waiting for?" Balmir strides towards the stairs. The mist swirls around his thighs.
"I guess," says Tam. "Weird dream. But don't let it sway you. Miles to go before we sleep and all that."
Derrik nods and follows everyone up.
"Those spores seemed to have shaken Balmir."
Derrik moves to walk beside Balmir, "DO you need a moment to rest before we press on?"
Balmir scowls at Derrik and shakes his head. "No, I'm ok. It was just a dream."
Derrik shurgs and moves back towards the rear of the party to guard there.
As you move across the mist, he animal life in the greenhouse—howling monkeys,
chirping birds, and hissing reptiles, among others— shows no fear toward visitors.
Suddenly they go quiet.
You hear rustle just as a huge plant-creature comes fro you. It is 20 ft tall and probably 35000 lbs.
a creature brought into being through a corruption of nature, often where foul magic has seeped into the environs for many years, or where the boundaries between the Material Plane and the mysterious realm of the fey have worn thin. Tales and myths speak of arcane manipulation from other planes, while others speak of a tendriculos as being the manifestation of an angered spirit of nature. A voracious carnivore, the tendriculos is an active hunter when it needs to be but it prefers to rely on ambush tactics, choosing well-traveled areas in the forest where it can lie in wait in the undergrowth. The creature is quick to swallow any prey it happens to catch in its vines, relying upon the acid-filled reservoir in its trunk to finish off prey that may still have a bit of fight left in it. This acid not only consumes organic material with shocking ease, but also contains a powerful paralytic enzyme that further reduces a creature’s chance of escape once it’s been gulped down by the plant.
Although incapable of speech itself, the tendriculos generally understands a handful of words in a single language (usually Sylvan). While they tend to see all smaller creatures as nothing more than food, tales exist of certain creatures, particularly fey or druids, having secured a sort of alliance with local tendriculoses. In such cases, the tendriculos is more than willing to serve its ally as a guardian, so long as the ally is diligent at providing the plant with a regular supply of food.
The fact that a tendriculos displays a curious mix of plant, fungal, and even animal traits (in the form of its almost fleshy, toothed maw) has long intrigued sages. That the creature is a plant is firmly established, yet it lays egg-like spheres when the need to reproduce strikes. These “eggs” are in fact massive, puff ball-like fungi filled with spores—when jostled, the cloud of spores that is released can carry for miles, ensuring that a single tendriculos can seed a huge territory.
It closes the distance, and then with a very long reach (15 ') attacks Somer.
Somer is grappled.
Balmir HP 45/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant
Derrik HP 41/41 AC 21/12/19
Mouser HP 41/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 24/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 29/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 43/55 AC 18/12/16
"This place really is quite beautiful. Al the animals....What the.... It's got me!"
Somer struggles to free himself from the grapple.
HP 41/41
Deflection Aura 5 rds (+2 AC/CMD 20' radius)
Liberation (5 rounds/day) (Su) Act as if you had freedom of movement for 5 rounds/day
channel positive energy 5/5 (DC 14, 3d6)
3rd—prayer, remove curseD
2nd—aid, blessing of courage and life APG (DC 16), weapon of awe APG (DC 16)
1st—bless, liberating command UC, magic weapon , shieldD, shield of faith
0 (at will)— detect magic , guidance, sparkAPG (DC 14), virtue
Wand of Cure light wounds 44/50
Wand of Cure light Wounds 50/50
Healers Kit 18/20
Soothe Syrup 2/2
Smoke Stick 1/1
Thunder Stone 2/2
Holy Water 2/2
Crossbow Bolts 15/20
Derrik Touches Balmir on the shoulder, "Milani harden this Dwarves skin so he may aid our friend in combat."
"What is that?" Balmir pauses a moment to allow for Derrik's magic to soak into his body and mumbles a quiet thanks to him then he moves towards the plant. "Hold still so I can knock you down to size." He pulls agrimmosh free and swings at the plant.
"What the heck is THAT!" shouts Tam, suddenly surprised by the appearance of the massive plant-creature.
"Team, get ready!"
Assuming Balmir waits for Tamxander and Derrik....
Balmir steps in to go toe to toe with the monster, but fails to cut through the defenses.
Ingrahilde wades in with double axes, thanks to the cover of invisibility.
She also misses.
Somer tries to escape, but fails.
The creature responds, now that Balmir and Ingrahilde pop back into view (everyone else is still invisible, except for the elf druidess).
The creature pops Somer into his mouth and swallows him whole.
Missed!
Balmir HP 45/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 barkskin
Derrik HP 41/41 AC 21/12/19
Mouser HP 41/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 11/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 29/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 43/55 AC 18/12/16
Somer falls unconscious from the creatures bite and is quickly swallows him whole. The only bright side is that the bleeding stops.
He is also paralyzed from something in the creatures stomach.
"Let go of my friend!" Balmir shouts at the killer plant and swings his hammer at it again.
"Cut him out quickly before he dies. Ewiga help us." Derrik shouts moving forward to swing his mace.
Tam hurls a bolt of acid into the fray, but fully expects it not to work as these plant-creatures are usually immune to lots of magic.
Derrik and Mouser have missed, but Tam and Balmir seem to have caused some damage.
"You seem to have things well in hand," Ewiga says.
Again the tentacles fly, one at Mouser and one at Balmir.
Both tentacles miss their targets, and Mouser runs up the side of the beast.
"Ha! Can't handle our little mouse running up your bark, huh?" Balmir swings the hammer at the plant thing again.
Inside the creature Somer gets himself together. He struggles to find the small dagger. brinya's love, and slashes at the inside of the creature.
However, Somer thinks fast and cuts a hole in the monster's belly from the inside. (Missed the crit, but the damage was enough to escape!)
Balmir HP 45/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 barkskin
Derrik HP 41/41 AC 21/12/19
Mouser HP 41/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 7/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 29/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 43/55 AC 18/12/16
"Milani Bless this group to help us destroy this plantish abomination!" Derrik Cries as a pulse of holy energy infuses his allies.
Wiff!
Sputtering on the groupnd.
"My friend, you do not want that. I hurts and smells very very bad. I though it smelled bad on the outside!"
Mouser causes some damage, and then notices that the creature seems to be healing itself.
It then tries to bite Mouser.
Mouser takes a nasty bite, but manages to escape the huge maw!
Balmir HP 45/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 barkskin
Derrik HP 41/41 AC 21/12/19
Mouser HP 28/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 7/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 29/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 43/55 AC 18/12/16