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Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng's is well famed for his eccentricity. An old man notable for his gray unkempt hair and beard, paunch, cataracts, and generally unkempt appearance he's also well known for his bizzare habits and abesent-mindedness.
Yet the man who's sitting in front of you in one of the many private rooms of the "Second Labyrinth" an high end gambling house sitting in the heart of Absalom's Merchant's quarter doesn't look much like a senile old man at all, appearing like a well kept taldan ex soldier.
The Venture-Captain beckons for you to sit before he starts talking:"Is everyone here? Very well then. I'd be brief. There's a young man in Oppara in dire need of help and he's been pestering the Pathfinder's Society for quite some time now with his pleas. His name is Remaio Alcasti and his family used to have a claim to nobility a few thousands years ago. The boy wants to get his title back and is convinced that in order to do so he needs to rehabilitate the name of one of his ancestors, one Countess Honaria Alcasti. She was a general during the time Taldor lost its empire and was stripped of her titles by the Taldan's ruler of that period due to her failure to stop Cheliax from seceding. He wants to prove she was a valiant leader and her punishment was undeserved and needs our help to prove her reputation was besmirched and sullied without factual reason.
As far as these things go it's quite a minor enterprise but uncovering old stories and artifacts is what the Society does... so you are tasked to go to Taldor and help the man the best way you can. Here's Remaio's latest missive, asking for you to reach the Verduran Forest and investigate an old talking tree. Seems like an exciting job, right? Now if you don't have anything to ask me you should be on your way and I'd be on mine... our Chelish friends keep putting their nose where it doesn't belong it seems and we can't have that, right?" he finishes winking at you.
Amiri, a tall muscular kellid woman with a sword almost bigger then she is, only partially listens to Drandle Dreng's words. Talk of Taldan nobility does not seem to do much to peak her interest.
"What's a talking tree?" She asks eventually yawning slightly. She lets someone else read the letter.
Estra is a wizened but kindly looking woman. Despite her age there's still strength in her voice and in her eyes as she asks, A talking tree, eh? Sounds like the sort of scam I used to run. Does anyone know anything about this Verduran Forest?
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As he's moving towards the door Venture-Captain Dreng turns and answers Amiri and Estra's questions:"A a talking tree is quite simply a tree enchanted with the ability to speak. As for the Verduran Forest... it's just the largest surviving woodlands in Avistan... surely you have heard of it!"
Then he nods at Valeros:"That's often the case, yes, but some would also say facing the unknown and unexpected is much of the reson for being a Pathfinder..." then Dreng once again turns on his heels and exits the room:"Good luck. Remember you've got a ship to catch by the coming morning, make sure to be there in time!" you hear him say before he closes the door behind him.
Much of the Andoren portion of the forest is controlled by the powerful Lumber Consortium, mainly operating out of the town of Bellis.
The Taldan part of the forest fares better thanks to the Treaty of the Wildwood, signed between the native druids of the Wildwood Lodge and the Taldan empire in 3841 AR, a balance was reached between Taldor's need for timber and the druid's preservationist agenda. The treaty considers the forest a semi-autonomous prefecture, and allows for limited logging and hunting in the forest, but only in certain defined areas.
Which one is Avistan again?
Very well, young man, to the ship.
Agreed... It's never simple. - said the Magus in a sinister tone - To the ship, then.
Amiri merely shrugs. "Guess we're getting lost in the woods then." She says.
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Once your mission is clear you move to the Dock's District where you wait for dawn to break then board your ship and set sail for Cassomir, home of the biggest Taldan shipyard. There you meet with Remaio Alcasti's agent who puts you on yet another boat, this time much smaller though. Apparently you need to go upstream on the Sellen River and reach some wildwood lodge guides the Taldan would be noble has hired to get you safely to your destination.
Your journey by riverboat is boring and mostly uneventful, and after a couple of days you reach your destination.
As the boat glides to a stop among the sweet-smelling blackwood trees on the river’s edge, a gnome woman with twigs braided into her hair waves to the boat’s pilot. A small bear waits patiently at her heel, while a red-bearded dwarf glowers over her shoulder.
They are clearly the wildwood lodge guides and they present themselves as such:"Well met travellers. My name is Trajet" says the gnome before pointing at the dwarf and bear respectively "And these are my companions Polgrin and Firepaw. We were tasked with the duty to excort you through the heart of the forest to meet with one of the old ones. Now, please follow us and don't stray from the path" she finishes brusquely.
As you follow your new acquaintances you hear the boat's pilot shouting that he'll wait for your return in this exact same spot.
The travel seems pleasant and the forest magnificent yet it's apparent your new companions don't like talking. After an hour they barely spoke a word to you at all...
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"Mpff..." grunts Trajet as she leads you deeper into the forest. "I bet you are..." she adds noncommittally keeping a steady pace.
You also notice how the dwarf, Polgrin, keeps his head low and does his best to avoid looking at you. In fact the friendliest among your guides seems to be the bear, Firepaw!
Amiri seems glad to finally be off the boat, even if it is replaced by taciturn guides.
She does not appear particularly interested in talking either, instead keeping a wary eye on their surroundings and their guides... more out of habit then any particular expectation of trouble.
Meligaster finally deigned to gift his companions with his words, muttering in a low, rumbling voice, barely fitting for a man of his stature. "Dare I ask, friend Trajet - who are these Old Ones? I've not heard of them, and it could be helpful to learn a bit of their nature and culture, prior to making their acquaintaince. After all, we represent the Society, and don't want to seem foolish."
Seltyiel wasn't particularly skilled or willing to work the diplomatic route, so he left the task to his companions. Instead, he tried to see if he could notice anything special.
He followed Trajet and the other guides, sticking around the middle of his own group and trying to pay attention to the details. The half-elf lived a childhood and teen ages of escaping horrors, so his paranoia was something hard to suppress.
Estra smiles kindly at their guides, It is a true pleasure to meet you all, Trajet, Polgrin. She pauses, Firepaw. Can you tell us more about these old ones? I'm afraid I don't know much about these woods, and I would dearly appreciate your guidance.
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Estra's gilded tongue doesn't seem capable to win over the druids but she certainly manages to befriend the bear, who moves near her and licks her hands in an affectionate manner! This doesn't last long though. An irate Trajet hisses something under her breath and the bear goes back to her, whining piteously.
She then adresses your group:"Perhaps it would be best if you all just left the forest" she says while Polgring shoots her a disapproving look.
The dwarf then makes an effort to be more civil than his fellow druid, answering your questions about the trees:[b]"The old ones are advisors and judges for the lodge. They were trees given the gift of speech by the druids of ages past and have served the forest ever since. Their wisdom runs as deep as their roots and they know many things ancient and forgotten by everyone else. This particular blackwood tree you asked to meet is older than most and was given the spark by one of my on ancestors in order to explain to the Taldane nobles of old the damage they were causing to the forest with their lodging. He's remained a steadfast and invaluable ally to every living thing inside the forest ever since"
You can detect pride in the dwarf's voice as he speaks about his ancestors but Amiri is sure there's something more afoot here: Trajet and Polgrin are clearly quite unhappy with the pathfinders and just want to get to the tree as soon as possible. While Polgrin seems just to find the party distasteful, Trajet is concealing raw hostility.
As you proceed you notice how this part of the Verduran Forest is filled with blackwood trees and shows little sign of logging. Forest life is plentiful but harmless here, with birds singing in the trees and frogs croaking in the leaf litter.
Meligaster scrunched his nose at the sounds of wildlife, barely containing his disdain. I miss cobblestones and civilization already.
He nodded at the dwarf's explanation of the Old Ones, and looked around at the woods once more. "How long ago was this? These woods look as if they haven't been touched, to say nothing of logging. And how far is this damnable old tree, anyway?" The bitterness creeping into the halfling's voice was apparent, though it was unclear if it was directed at the hostile company or the unsavory, creature-filled environment.
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Polgrin scoffs hearing Megalister refer to the ancient tree with such derogatory terms:"Not long now but I've something to do first..."
Ten minutes after the dwarf and Megalister's exchange you reach a rain-fed stream that rushes between the trees, back towards the Sellen River. The canopy above is thick enough to cast the area into green twilight and provide home to the dozens of birds chattering above. The path breaks away from the stream to the southeast, leading past a small clearing that holds several weathered tombstones.
As he sees them Polgrin moves towards the gravestones:"Got to pay my respects..." he mumbles.
Seltyiel moves ahead, approaching Amiri, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he stops with falcon-looking eyes towards Polgrin as he moves to the gravestones.
"Odd that they'd take a job to guide us here, if they were so against our presence." She observes on the hike in, with a light frown.
Still, she doesn't seem to perturbed by it all, though she continues to keep a wary eye out.
As they appear to reach their destination, she looks around, curious what a talking tree might look like. As Polgrin breaks off towards the small gravesight she shrugs slightly. "Long way to hike to bury the dead."
"Unless this is where they died." She adds with a humorless grin. "Then it would have been a long haul home."
She continues past, following Trajet and the bear.
Hmm, I suppose I should take this time to let dear Honaire out.
Meligaster stares at Polgrin, his suspicions of the man growing with every step. He stops walking about 25 feet from the tombstones, unwilling to intrude on anyone's right to pay respects to the dead, but even less willing to turn his back on Polgrin. "Take your time, friend Polgrin. We are in no hurry." He says in his most ingratiating voice, leaning on his cane casually.
Meligaster saunters over to Otha, waggling his eyebrows and extending a hand to grip the taller man's, mouthing the words "Trust me" as he attempts to implant a bit of his power into the human's mind.
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At first Polgrin just shrugs at Erasmus' question but after a while he chooses to answer it:"This is the gravestone of my ancestor who gave the gift of speech to the Old One you want to visit. And these other two belong to her children" he murmurs.
After a moment of quiet contemplation the dwarf rejoins you and motions for Trajet to proceed.
It doesn't take long for your group to reach a massive old blackwood tree standing at the side of the trail. Sheets of moss cling to its bark, covering it entirely except for a jagged crack that suggests a mouth.
As you approach its leaves seem to shake as the whole tree does. Then a deep voice resonates inside the clearing:"You must be the guests I was told about... be welcome, I'm but one of the voices of the forest, old and tall now but a sapling once... what is that you want from me? Your requests for an audience were quite... insistent"
Estra focuses for a moment and returns Honaire to her mind.
Greetings, Voice of the Forest. We are here today to seek knowledge of the past, which only one deep in well-aged wisdom can make clear to us. Do you know any tales of Countess Honaria Alcasti?
Seltyiel doesn't notice anything special on the graves, but keeps his distance out of respect. It's hard for him not to remember his mother, but he keeps his silence and stays some steps behind.
The group then moves again, and it doesn't take long to be facing a massive old blackwood tree. As it speaks, the Magus wait for Estra to speak, then he shortly adds.
Ours is simply a mission of peace, seeking knowledge from the past.
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Valeros circles the tree and realizes the tree is indeed VERY old.
Meanwhile the Blackwood tree answers the party's questions. Erasmus' first:"I wouldn't say that... I used to be able to move around the forest, but the time for that is long past. The guidance I can offer now is purely in the realm of knowledge, for a more physical form of guidance you'll have to do with my children there..."
Then Estra's:"Honaria... yes I met a woman of that name... it was quite some time ago though..."
It seems like the tree is willing to divulge more but then it is interrupted by a seething Trejet:"Old one, please don't sully yourself with the likes of these. They are base creatures, animated only by greed for mundane things like power and riches. In fact I accepted to lead them here just to ask you to punish these outsiders who shame the Wildwood Lodge with their bribes and treat the sacred tree as a mere servant. Pass Judgement old one and we shall see that it is carried out!" exclaims the gnome, clearly offended by something you or more probably your employer have done.
The tree doesn't seem to share Trejet indignation though:"Trejet, child... calm yourself, please. Did you not hear me proclaim these outsiders guests of the Lodge? They are and we shall heed what they ask at least, not set up a trap to make an example of them..." it says in a reproaching way, yet you notice the gnome doesn't seem convinced at all and actually seems ready to explode...
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"Please calm down. We came here in good faith," he holds his empty hands before himself, "If you tell us what the offense is, we can try to make amends."
"Yes! A fight," Erasmus' sister thinks in his mind, "I've been cooped up long enough. Let me loose at that gnome before he attacks!"
Erasmus suppresses his sister's influence. "No. We have a task here."
Amiri scowls, as Trejet shows her true colors. "It is you, gnome, who bring shame to this place." She growls.
One hand goes to her sword hilt, but she doesn't draw it.
"We talk. You threaten."
"You know nothing of us, nor our motives, friend Tajet." Meligaster says in a placating tone. "We have no need of your material goods. We came only seeking knowledge. To right wrongs and correct ages-old errors." Meligaster turns his attention back to the tree, ignoring the gnome.
Wouldn't bringing violence to this place be the real desecration? Calm down, young man. We would be happy to talk about righting any wrongs that have been done as well.
Seltyiel was far from being as patient as his companions, but reckon it wasn't the place or circumstances to let go of diplomacy, and limited himself to shake his head in agreement. His eyes would invariably stay at the ancient being nearby, hoping he'd help calm his follower.
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"Listen to them Trejet... they come in peace as honored guests! I can see the turmoil in your sould, child. Let the embers of hate cool down and ..." says the tree before being interrupted by a furious Trejet:"NO! How can you not see what they are?!?! If you won't I I'll do what's needed to preserve the Lodge! Polgrin! Firepaw! To me!" she yells ordering her companions to attack you!
Round 1 - Bold may post
Erasmus
Seltyiel
Firepaw
Amiri
Trejet
Megalister
Polgrin
Estra
Valeros