"I'll stay here and run to meet you on the way if anything changes or to see if he says anything."
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Sweet Pea arrives back in town, running the rest of the way to rest her weary wings for a bit. She recognizes Laurel's shop from among all the buildings that, to her, look quite the same.
She hops onto the window box and knocks on the moss-crusted pane to get Laurel's attention.
The herbalist walks out from behind the shop counter, opens the door, and leans over to talk to the green girl she finds, again, squatting upon her planter box.
"Most customers just use the door," she groans. "Do you need some help, dear?"
Randu begins to boil water and do what he can to tend, with a nod to the others. But he looks troubled.
Maybe -I- am the one not getting enough sleep. I seem to be rather slap dash of late.
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"Ben is sick!" she pants, "We need Ash bark and Borage tips for his fever, and Wormwood, Rue, and Thyme for the infection. Do you have all that?"
Laurel is momentarily taken aback by Sweet Pea's desperate outburst, but she quickly composes herself since it becomes clear that this is a business call.
"I wouldn't be much of an herbalist without such cures," she calmly boasts. "Hop down from my window box and step inside while I get them together."
...
"Apply this paste to the infected wound to keep it from spreading further," she instructs Sweet Pea. Laurel then hands a palm-sized. tightly bound bundle. "This sachet is for the fever. Mix it in water and bring it to a boil, then have him drink the infusion.
"Wait for the water to cool before feeding it to him!" she adds after a pause, realizing that such a clarification might be needed.
Laurel charges a single silver for each of the medicines.
"Of course." Sweet Pea replies, taking the remedies and handing over the silver. "He's already hurt on the outside, don't wanna burn him inside, too."
She dashes out the door with a "Thanks!" and starts flapping back toward the camp.
As Laurel helps Sweet Pea get medicines together, "Kal" stays quiet and out of the way, letting the medicine women talk before Sweet Pea rushes off. Turning back, "Kal" did his best to keep his hood over his face as he reached up and pushed a small bag across the counter towards her. "Thanks. Ben really needs it... and we really need him. I heard you were a big help yesterday after a 'friend' of mine calmed things down. Take these. A little something to say thanks for your hard work... we might need you help again in the future."
Before Laurel can open it, "Kal" is already out the door and heading swiftly back for the camp. Inside the pouch, Laurel will find 10 gold coins, along with a short note.
If you ever need help, tell Jack you have a message for the night wind.
-The Blue Corvus
"Kal" leaves behind a very mystified, albeit grateful Laurel.
As he and Sweet Pea approach the north palisade, they encounter Krogge and Rrruh arriving from the opposite direction. They help their small, green friend carry the bits of medicine, and the group returns to the lumber camp.
The mid-morning sun bears down as you file back into the bunkhouse. Randu and Sweet Pea's combined talents make administering the medicine a simple task. Although there is no immediate, miraculous sign of recovery, you hope that you have put Ben on the path to survival.
Randu is grateful, "Thank you, Sweet Pea, of late I've been having doubts about myself, but you've been of grand assistance..nay, better, a true partner in healing."
”the morning grows late, now that he is better we should make for the beast” Krogge says as Randu and Sweet Pea finish wrapping the last of his fresh bandages, eager to start the hunt.
"You're welcome, Randu." she replies. "Now, lets go take care of this tazzyworm!"
He chuckled slightly at Sweet Pea's excitable nature. He for one wasnt thinking this would be easy at all. It was good they were finally getting to the hunt...
"You have some idea where this grove he was speaking of is correct? yes yes."
He began his tail slightly swaying in the air as his ears flickered
Krogge answers Rrruh, “No but Ben gave us directions, 3 miles up the dwarf road and mile and a half into the woods. I should be able to find it” he says with a confident smile.
"Indeed. With enough darkwood to clear the debts of every man and woman in the Hollow, as Ben says." "Kal" stated, keeping his hood low. "Wish I could go with you, but I have other things to attend to. Be careful. Of more than just the tatzlwyrms."
"Kal" turned and started to leave out the door, before stopping. "...if you guys ever need help, tell Jack you have a message for the night wind. He'll know what to do." And on that cryptic note, he heads out the door and out of sight.
...wait... as in, "Fancy" Jack?
Naw couldn’t be fancy Jack...he just got into town, Kal wouldn’t have time to meet him yet.
”do ya think Jak of Jak’a’napes is that Blue...Crovas? The one fancy Jack is looking for? he asks the group while scratching his head slightly confused.
Thanks to Ben's directions, it should be easy to find the general location of the darkwood grove.
To find the exact location, though, will require one of a few methods:
Knowing the conditions and locations that promote the growth of Olvenwort, you are able to find your way and lead the party to the darkwood grove.
Flint prepares his things and tries his best to remember where Darkwood is from. He mostly just clears branches and hazards.
Prof Lumberjack
Flint isn't entirely sure what Darkwood even is right this second...
Krogge isn’t able to detect any signs of the beast but he has a decent knowledge where dark wood thrives and is able to get the group started in the right direction.
”see the thing about dark wood is it’s hard, almost as hard as steel. Makes for great weapon hafts and shields.”
Between Krogge and Sweet Pea, the party finds their way.
Northeast of the camp you find the dwarf road that Ben spoke of.
It is an ancient series of stone slabs, now almost entirely choked over by the grass and weeds that have reclaimed the deforested land.
Two miles from the logging camp, the road plunges into a deepening arm of the forest, yet to be thinned by saws and axes. The undergrowth is kept at bay by the paving stones, making your path navigable.
Thanks to Ben's words, you then find the less preserved trail that branches off northwesterly, deeper into the forest.
From there, Krogge and Sweet Pea are able to guide the party towards the Darkwood grove - and the tatzlwyrm's lair.
At the edge of a veritable wall of spruce and pine trees, you find a thin band of ground dominated by undergrowth and brambles. Encircled within this natural "moat" grows a thick copse of towering Darkwood trees.
”everyone... keep quiet and alert...” Krogge whispers as they near the dark wood grove, bow in hand.
He paced alongside the party quietly. Being an outsider to these parts... well all parts really he figured it was best to just keep his eyes open.
Once there near the lair however his tail began to lash as his ears lay back. He removed a couple of darts and crept forward eyes and ears alert for movement from the creature.
Flint also stays alert, ears on a swivel as he listens for any animal sounds. Even his civilian clothes were designed with stealth in mind, the same dark green and brown tones of the forest, making for passable camoflage. He sees easily through even dim undergrowth with his cat eyes, keeping his chain scythes close at paw. They were made for taking tree limbs down, but Flint knows he can dismember other things when necessary.
Perception
Stealth
Krogge pulls the hood of his poncho over his head to aid in his concealment. Most of his clothing were green and brown to help camouflage in wooded terrain and this as no different.
Sweet Pea blends into the undergrowth. She is having too much fun sneaking around with her new friends to notice much, however.
However, your ears also detect something coming from behind you. A few snapping twigs and rustling branches sound from the direction the party traveled to get here.
You suspect that another group has followed you, but it seems that they have lost track of the party as everyone strives to blend into the forest's growth.
He held up a fist suddenly moving quickly into the undergrowth. He pointed up to where the saw teh tatzlwyrm coiled up in the trees... but then He made several furious poiting motions behind them torwards the noises he heard.
Krogge sees Rrruh and looks to the wyrm first, but the looks behind him to see what he was pointing too.
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Jack, for his part, has been following along, staying as far back as he possibly can, trying to keep his cloak over him so that his blue wouldn't give him away among the trees. Something in the pit of his stomach made him suspicious of the whole scenario, but he had planned to follow along anyways.
Stepping on a twig, Jack winced, before ducking behind a tree to stay out of sight, hoping they didn't notice him. He decided perhaps, just in case, he should be ready for combat... perhaps they'd found a tatzlwyrm after all! He decided to keep his switch knife at the ready... but the blade withdrawn.
Krogge seemed like a wild card... might be a good idea to be as non-threatening as possible.
Randu seems to be accompanied by a dark feathered Owl, that perches on his walking stick. Those familiar with the town have seen it around the area, but as owls are great at keeping rats and mice down, most locals are fine with them.
With Randu, it seems almost chummy.
At first you suspect they're loggers who've followed you for the Darkwood, but you notice that instead of hatchets and saws they carry cudgels, maces, and swords. They're perhaps bandits or, worse, Consortium thugs.
A dry branch snaps off to the party's right. While this alerts the five of you to the presence of a sixth person , it does not seem to agitate the tatzlwyrm or catch the attention of whomever else may be behind the party.
Krogge looks back at what Rrruh was pointing at and he saw the clumsy pursuers, huh. Clumsy fools, they seem lost...perhaps we can lead them into the beast and finish off whoever’s left...
Krogge meets Rrruh’s eyes and tries to send a silent message, his eyes flitting over to the wyrm as his bow arm comes up, then his eyes flit to their pursuers and his empty hand comes up as he meets Rrruh’s eyes again and closes the hands swiftly into each other.
Seconds after he finishes he hears a branch snap to his right and instinctively draws a tomahawk in one hand and holds his bow in the other, ready to throw or swing at an enemy. gods dammit all, are they flanking us!?
He frowned they might be able to lead the muscle no doubt sent to teach them the error of their ways into the wyrm....but that might prove messy. His eyes widened, if they had sent men to come teach them a lesson did that mean they sent men to teach Jack a lesson too? Some bodyguard he was.
Well if there were going to have Wyrms fight goons, he might as well get this started. He strode forward into what he considered view of teh Tatzylwyrm and took one of his darts.... throwing it hard at the creature.... then he turned to run into the goons.
Sweet Pea just sits in her bushes, trying to figure out whats going on. She saw the tazzywhatsit when it was pointed out, but now there's something else moving around, and now one of the kitties is running around and throwing sharp objects.
Flint quietly darts up a tree as the two seem to be intent on sicking the dragon on whoever was following them. He wasn't sure if they should be so quick to, as they didn't know who was following them or if they had I'll intent, but Flint didn't intend to be seen by the dragon or in the way of wherever Rrruh was taking it.
Randu motions to the others who he thinks may not see and with his hands makes gestures of number, and sword choppy motions hoping they get the message.
Rrruh's dart clatters against the trunk of a darkwood tree and lands among a tangle of brambles shrouding its roots.
The sound and vibration rouses the tatzlwyrm, which begins to slowly writhe and move, perhaps trying to spot the source of the disturbance.
.....
Fluttering at quietly as possible, Sweet Pea joins Flint in his tree.
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Seems they weren't entirely lying about the tatzlwyrm... it certainly seemed awake and ready to find whatever it was Rrruh threw at it. Pondering the creature and their predicament, Jack reached into his pouch and pulled out of his personal favorite tools: a smoke pellet.
Maybe, if they were lucky, they could keep their distance... or, even better, they could use the brute to their advantage! But how...? Moving a bit further to try and put the snake-like dragon between him and them, Jack started to laugh audibly, trying to use the trees to echo and disguise his location. If he could lure them closer to the tree...
"Hahahahahaha! What's wrong, fellas? Having trouble finding one simple bird?!" he called out, trying to throw his voice so that it came from the tree. "I know why you're here! After the fine folks stepping up to help the Hollow, am I right? I know all about the deal with Egrin Tock! Pretty clever... so tell me, was it really a tatzlwyrm who gave poor Ben those grievous wounds... or did you lot contribute to his condition? Come on, a bit closer! Right here in the big tree, fellas!"
The unexpected, boisterous voice surprises the party, but not nearly as much as it catches the gang of thugs unaware.
From their hidden vantage point, Flint and Sweet Pea can hear furtive murmurs among the approaching men.
"Did they kill the wyrm already?"
"Think we can actually take 'em?"
"They don't stand a chance. Let's get 'em!"
The unseen bird's ruse seems to have worked, goading the men into storming the grove.
Randu will also try to hide, just seems...prudent.
For my suprise round I’ll sheath my tamahawk so I only have my bow drawn.
Flint will remain silent in his perch, chain scythe in paw, waiting for what will happen. He says nothing, but he knows at once none of these were any of his comrades. The lumberjacks may be down on funds, but nothing would make a true member of his family turn to petty murder. They deserved what was coming to them.
From above, Flint watches the first handful of men charge through the brambles and brush into the grove. The stop before the tree, scanning its roots and branches for the man taunting them.
Flint will stay where he is and wait for the right moment. If they wait long enough, one of their problems may solve the other.
He advanced taking care to keep the rock between him and the Tatzylwyrm but where the thugs could see him. He wanted them to close so his allies could get the drop of them if possible. Once in the open He took a simple defensive stance waiting for them to close but not before he purposely caught one of the fellows eyes raised his paw bottom up and moved his fingers inward in the univeral come hither and get some motion.
Sweet Pea leans over to Flint and whispers, “Are we gonna fight them? I’ve never fought people before.”
The wyrm boils forth from the tree boughs in veritable explosion of leaves and slithering scales.
It pounces upon the thug at the forefront, tearing into him with its claws and coiling its serpentine body around its prey.