Astrianna is shocked to see Aldus nearly go down and quickly mutters a prayer to Iomedae, "Inheritor guide my blade."
She swings at the razorcrow with all her might!
As if guided by a divine hand the sword slices down the middle of the crow. Dropping it to the ground in a shower of blood and feathers.
Albus grunts again as the bird claws at his bleeding shoulder, sinking down. He sees Astrianna strikings sweeping the bird from the sky in an exploding cloud of feathers. Albus speaks slowly, "Sorry 'bout that - should have found another way. Paid the price though; can anyone check on the suffering fox, feeling mighty kin-like now?" Albus checks the arrow in him, saying, "Also can anyone get this arrow out, I'd prefer not to do it myself but will if I must. I have healer's tools in a box in my backpack, if someone could kindly bring it." Albus on the ground starts to mutter quiet prayers to Erastil and Iomedae.
Astrianna bows her head and whispers a quick prayer of thanks. Then brings Albus his backpack and pulls out the healing kit.
"I'll go check on that fox. It's probably best to let someone more skilled remove that arrow. I imagine you've had enough pain for one day already."
Virdel hastens to aid Albus. The halfling kneels over Albus's head, staring into his eyes. He focuses on the flecks in Albus' irises and invokes his powers of understanding. Just that quickly, the arrow is gone and the wound seems to be healing.
Aelerie moves to stand uneasily beside Albus after the fighting is over, wanting to help but not possessing any skill as a healer. She also didn't trust herself to keep her breakfast down if she had to pull the arrow out of him. Gratefully leaving the tending of Albus' wounds to Virdel, Aelerie slowly crouches next to the struggling fox and studies the trap mechanism. "Easy there, little guy," she says, trying to soothe the injured animal. "Let's try to get you out of this."
The fox whines and tries to get away. It is stopped by what you can see is an incredible crude but effective spring trap
Albus looks up as Virdel approaches, eyes glazed with pain. He is amazed at he miraculous power the flows from Virdle's holy hands, as his wounds bind healing him to near full health. He humbly asks of Virdel, "Thank you Master Harg, what god do you devote yourself to that grants you his holy favor?" Albus will respectfully await Virdel's reply, then whatever answer he will go over to the fox and help it.
Reassure fox.
Check trap, is it easy to open for a creature with opposable thumbs?
Albus' gentle manner calms the fox down as much as can be expected under the circumstances. Between whimpers it tentatively licks Albus' hand.
"I am a worshipper of all the gods. There is none specific which grants me my powers. I actually am not sure how I have received them, only that I have always had an innate sense of what people need.
I could feel your subconscious body crying out in pain and I was able to soothe that pain. That's all I really know about it."
Albus seems a bit confused by Virdel's explanation but calmly accepts it knowing little of real theology.
He studies the trap wondering if he can free the fox with what he know if such matters.
Take 10 on survival as that is the only skill I can think of that I have that would be applicable. Perhaps someone else has relevant expertise.
Albus says, "I'm not really a trapper, all I do is minor stuff at need when I hunt."
Albus and Astrianna, working in concert, are able to pry open the jaws of the trap and reset it allowing the fox to crawl away. It looks injured and limps away. It yips and licks Albus' fingers again.
It's a small fox with large ears and wispy patches of flame-colored fur around its paws.
Take 10 to know the fox.
Albus takes the injured fox. He gets to work treating it if it isn't permanently crippled, if it is he does what needs to be done.
Diagnose and treat fox.
Albus says, "Hi fellow, hey you're Firefoot Fox aren't you. Let's see how you're are."
Albus looks crestfallen saying "He's not going to make it without divine aid. If that not in the cards then I'll do what needs doing."
Albus says to the group, "Thanks for everything, we should break here for a short rest and to eat go, cold rations only - I don't want to make a fire here, likely to be seen. I'll check our late um, hunter, we could bury him but I'm not sure how goblins view that."
Make a light camp not too visible.
Make simple camp +1 if this counts as getting along in the wild.
The fox isn't injured very badly. Its legs are fine but there are visible bloody marks where the trap snapped shut on its hindquarters. The fox is calm and nuzzles Albus as the ranger expertly cleans and dresses the wound. He thinks the fox will be just fine in a week or so with another re-bandage, until then it will be a bit slower than normal.
As the party stops for a quick lunch the fox nods off into a deep sleep apparently comfortable with the four of you.
Albus finds the hobgoblin wearing a Hide Shirt, as well it has a longbow of average quality, a dagger, 20 arrows, some pelts that would be worth a few coin in town, and the crude components of a trapmaking kit.
"Do you think he'll be alright out here on his own?" Aelerie asks, eyeing the sleeping fox. She tears off a few strips of jerky and sets them in front of the fennec along with a couple of pieces of dried fruit from her rations. "I'm not quite sure what they eat." When Albus makes mention of the hobgoblin, Aelerie's eyes shift in the direction she last saw it and the celestial eagle heading. Bury him? I don't believe he would have shown us the same courtesy if the fight had gone the other way. After a few moments of silence, she tries to politely refuse the idea by way of saying, "I don't know if that's the best use of our time..."
Virdel is torn, knowing that his healing energy will wane with overusage, but the party seems very concerned about the fox so he concedes and kneels down over the sleeping critter.
The fox's ears twitch as the food is tossed and its eyes open. With a yip of delight it starts chewing at the jerky. As the healing magic flows over the fox it perks up further. The wound under the bandages closes up and it capers around jumping up and licking all of you. For Virdel it's more of a hop that almost sends the halfling tumbling.
Albus brings the items from the hobgoblin back slightly exaggerating, "Does anyone want this stuff, I'm a bit too over-weighted as is?"
At Aelerie's protest Albus nods, "A unneeded delay is exactly what I feared, if not for other problems I would likely have just past this cruel hunter by. I just don't want his tribe on our trail though sometimes the goblin races don't care about their own. It could go either way, I suppose." Albus looks thoughtful.
How likely we will be tracked by the Hobgoblin's tribe?
Albus looks surprised at Virdel's healing the fox. Albus checks the fox over quickly and says, "The little fella is healthy again. I can unbandage him and let him go." He takes off the bandages, and lets it return to the wild if it wishes.
Albus looks about and then says, "Well, if we don't do more here, then we should break for about a quarter hour, eat, refresh ourselves, and be on our way. We can cut the distance to the Elder by half by nightfall, if we don't dally."
"I can carry some of the additional gear if anyone wishes to take it, and I'll take the dagger if nobody wants it. It might be useful if we encounter any more of those foul stirges."
Astrianna crouches down and smiles at the fox.
And so after a quick lunch and none the worse for wear thanks to Virdel's healing powers the group moves on. The little fox following along with its new friends occasionally prancing up at one or the other of you in a dance that you learn is its way of begging for treats.
You skirt around the lake, making decent time, as the Fireday sun starts to dip down into the west, throwing the sky into a deepening gloom. Soon enough it is only Albus, with his years of experience, that is moving sure footed in the twilight as the rest of you start to stumble here and there.
Soon enough you come to the spot where Albus judges it's time to leave the lake behind and strike back out deeper into the forest. This time headed for its very heart. It's getting too dark to travel.
Albus calls for halt before the night turns totally black. "No sign of being followed, I doubt that goblin had friends. We'll make a camp here for the night, no need to break ankles. Minimum fire. Aelerie as the last watch, wake everyone at first light you see." Albus keeps it simple, with the deep woods blocking most light and smoke, he doesn't dig the campfire as deeply but keeps it even smaller than before.
Taking tens on Knowledge (nature) +5, Perception +10, Survival +7 or +8 multiple uses. Find the correct wood, make sure the camp is not too visible, and correctly set-up for current and expected conditions including likely shifts in the weather, and to locate water again.
As they settle in for the dinner, Albus plays with the fox that has fixated on the group. Albus asks, "How is everyone doing? Please don't hold back if anything is wrong I need to know so we can work on it. My shoulder hurts a bit but I should not be impaired."
Virdel is not too sure of his decision to save the fox when it nearly bowls him over but darned if the little bugger doesn't grow on him as the day goes on. The fox's antics tickle Virdel to no end and soon he is feeding it treats regularly.
When they are stopped, Virdel does his best to help Albus get everything set up but mostly just gets in the way.
"I think things are going as well as could be hoped." He tosses a scrap of meat for the fox.
Aelerie finds that the rest of the day's journey goes surprisingly smooth, with the newest addition of their party deftly raising her spirits and bringing an element of lightheartedness back to the young woman she hasn't felt in days. Eventually, however, no amount of adorable antics can detract from the frustration of blindly stumbling over yet another root, and she is grateful when Albus calls for a stop.
"Aside from all the little aches, I feel okay. Physically, anyway," Aelerie says from her spot on her bedroll. Her fingers pause from their work of massaging away the day's pains as she looks out toward the darkness of the forest. "Truthfully, I worry that even if we find everything, we won't make it back in time. But there isn't much to do for that but hold onto hope. I think it would be careless to try to keep to a pace any faster than the one we've struck."
The night passes uneventfully for the group, now five strong, and Starday begins bright and clear.
Albus and Astrianna are no longer even slightly light headed from the Stirge attack and so, renewed and refreshed they set out for the Elder Tree.
Close to your destination you see a dead rabbit off the side of the trail. Seems like it was killed recently.
Albus spots a freshly killed rabbit, wondering why it's there without a hungry predator attached. Staying wary he halts the party pointing it out, slowly and quietly approaches with axe in hands to see if anything is about. As distant from the rabbit kill as he can, if not interrupted by some attack or sign of a creature he will try to look for tracks to determine the killer and where it went. "Be aware this looks like bait again, I'll try to track but be ready for anything."
Albus drops his pack going to combat load and moves quietly forward.
Sneak up toward rabbit.
Anything waiting in ambush again? or other notable thing.
Tracking what and where.
Albus almost falls into a incredibly well hidden and artfully camouflaged pit trap. He nimbly manages to step back as the surface of the trap collapses and the corpse of the rabbit disappears into the ground.
Looking in Ablus sees a long 30 foot hole that he might have ended at the bottom of.
The fox that had been following Albus yelps and scampers back to cower behind Astrianna.
Albus jumps back just as the extremely well-concealed pit trap springs. [/b]"Trap! Hold your positions."[/b] Albus retraces his footsteps as exactly as possible testing with the hilt of his axe anything that he is not sure of. When back he cuts sapling trees or suitable branches, to make poles for testing the ground for everyone. He prays, "Father of Forests, I beg thy pardon, but there is need for life and hearth."
Albus turns to the group, "That is a 30 foot deep pit, very hard to dig for a person. I suspect something smart and big. I'll try to find a path around. Test the ground before you walk on it. Don't fall in as I nearly did." Albus starts to find another way.
See what about even more.
Getting along in the wilds by getting around this without losing anyone.
"Albus, are you alright?" Aelerie asks, not moving from her spot per the woodsman's order. When he starts to pick his way forward, Aelerie follows along, sticking as closely as possible to his footsteps. "What else but a person would bother to hunt like that, though?" she wonders. "As noble as I find your intentions, Albus, I'm beginning to think we should go around the next dead or dying animal we come across," Aelerie suggests, even as the thought of deliberately ignoring a wounded animal weighs down her heart.
Albus replies to Aelerie, "I'm fine, just ... annoyed with myself for not seeing that trap before nearly falling in." Albus looks about as Aelerie mildly chides him. "I'd agree but while an animal is content with one trap, a people can make many. I'm worried that this may be the work of the little lizard men. But it seems too big for that. I wouldn't dig a 30 foot trap, few would. And why, unless this is guard to something else ... or you're a creature so large that a 30 foot pit seems small. Still now knowing of this trap, we should go around, there shouldn't be many of them."
Still going to lead the party around while looking for traps, ambushes, etc. Rolls as above.
Soon the five of you arrive at your destination. The dense trees and thick brush of the forest give way, parting seemingly in respect for the titanic darkwood tree that dominates this clearing. Several times taller than a temple minaret, in one direction the obviously ancient tree reaches into the sky with branches like a giant’s arms, while in the other it plumbs the earth with roots thicker than a man’s waist.
Its limbs broad and strong, its bark thick and so richly colored as to almost be black, and its leaves the size of bucklers, the giant thing is less a tree and more a cathedral of boughs and branches.
The clearing it resides in roughly ovular, 180 feet from north to south and 110 feet from west to east.
You approach the trunk of the massive tree with reverence. Albus, having glimpsed the tree once before is not as stunned with awe as the rest of you are. He, and the fox, are the only ones to spot the beast preparing to spring on the group from its lowest branches when you reach the trunk of the tree!
His shouted warning along with the Fox's yelp of terror gives everyone just enough time to prepare. It is still faster than the rest of you though as, before the rest of you have time to react the beast has leaped at Astrianna!
You can see that this creature is 8 feet long and has the head of a dragon and a pair of clawed arms. A sickly green mist wafts from its open maw.
With a bestial cry it pounces at the paladin, attacking her with cruel claws and razor sharp teeth!
None of the attacks manage to penetrate the paladin's shining armor (though deep teeth and claw marks now sully its splendor) and the animal screeches its frustration! It slithers around to face the now alerted group.
These are thought to be primeval relatives of true dragons, having branched off the line millennia ago and evolved in a way that sets them notably apart. Undersized compared to their larger cousins, tatzlwyrms are nonetheless ferocious in their own right. And while tatzlwyrms are hardly impressive specimens when put beside their notorious relatives, most other reptiles can't compare to them mentally. They understand Draconic, though other languages are beyond most tatzlwyrms' limited comprehension. Nevertheless, tatzlwyrms are deeply cunning, building complex lairs and rudimentary traps.
When the creature attacks, Virdel steps back away from it to hide behind the longshanks. He reaches out to them mentally, urging them to fight harder.
Albus approaches the Elder Tree saying prayers to Erastil, then he spots something in the branches that leaps at them. He shouts, "Attacker from high, fight!" He follows his own advice, dropping the pole he carried and loosing the knot to release the greataxe into his hand. The large snake-like creature attacks Astrianna but fails to drawn blood. Looking for a clear arc, Albus swings his axe at the beast's head.
Bless active To hit it: , makes a threat on a 20.
Confirm crit only on threat.
It is as if Erastil himself has responded to the young ranger's prayers. The axe swing is true and cuts deeply through the creature's scaly defenses. Blood spurts out of its neck and its screech change from ones of frustration to one of pain and fear.
"Draconic monstrosity! This armor was a gift!" Astrianna yells in outrage as she recoils from the beast.
She draws her longsword and in one smooth motion takes a swing at the creature.
"I thank you for your blessing, Virdel. Iomedae smiles upon us!"
The paladin ends what the ranger began; her sword slices neatly into the gaping wound Albus made, decapitating the creature.
Aelerie freezes in stunned silence when Astrianna's blade strikes the creature's head from its snake-like body. One moment she was standing in awe of the majestic tree and the peaceful grove in which it grew, and in the next she finds her boots and lower legs spattered with the cooling blood of a tatzlwyrm. You can't afford to lower your guard for a second out here! Her eyes scan the boughs and leaves of the Eldest Tree, trying to see if there are any more of the creatures lurking about before she moves any closer. "Do you see any more of them up there?"
The clearing of the elder tree lies still in the aftermath of Albus' and Astrianna's swings. The little fox tentatively creeps up to the unmoving body of the serpent like creature and starts to chew on a piece of gristle hanging from its headless neck.
The rest of you don't see any other threats and so you approach the tree.
Aelerie spots a small patch of moss growing on the trunk of the tree. Closer examination reveals it to be exactly what Laurel had described as one of the three ingredients she needs!
Virdel, used to looking up, sees three bodies hanging from the branches of the tree about 20 feet up.
"It's here! The Elder moss," Aelerie says excitedly, waving the others closer. Turning back to examine the moss, Aelerie considers aloud, "Now how do we go about harvesting it?"
Albus blinks as Astrianna finishes the attacking creature. "I wonder what that was ... no matter, thank the gods we are not harmed." Albus checks out the area, putting aside with effort his awe, and leads them to the tree. Aelerie is the first to spot the moss. Albus approaches with deference and says to the Tree, "Elder of the Forest, we beg of you a boon, in reverence of the Forest Father. Our need is great and all we ask is some of the moss on your magnificent trunk. If there is no negative response Albus with try to gather some of it, into a sack.
If there is no threat take 10 on Knowledge (nature) for a sixteen, on Survival for a seventeen. to know and perform a proper gathering. "This should be the way to take it best, if Laurel taught me anything" Albus replies to Aelerie. Albus takes a sack and gather the amount needed and a slight reserve and puts it in a sack or two and then put any sack so partially filled in another sack, then puts the sacks carefully into the larger waterproof bag and that back, well stowed, into his backpack, showing everyone where it all is. "At need take the bag inside and continue on, of course, this is more important that any one of us."
If nothing else happens Albus thanks the tree, "We thank you for your bounty, and the Blessing of Erastil and the Wind and the Waves be upon you."
Albus has no problem with harvesting the moss. it comes off in large green chunks that look like they will travel well and keep for a while.
From the edges of the clearing, through the branches of the great tree, you can see the sun blazing high in the cloudless sky. You have a good half day of travel left in the day and should be able to get to the Witch's hut by nightfall.
Albus looks at the height of the sun in the sky, saying, "If we travel swift, we can reach the hut by nightfall if we wish. Given our need, I suggest we do so after a brief meal, which our new friend is busy having. No fire though this near the Elder." Albus quick prepares a cold meal and will lead the pary on when everyone is ready.
Albus does his usual scouting and careful orienteering. He keeps in mind what Milon had to say about staying on course from this point to the witch's hut.
See anyting interesting along the way. Something dangerous is very interesting :)
Getting along in the wilds, find the best path.
At the tree, Virdel says, "Master Albus, what do you make of this here?" and indicates the bodies hanging in the tree.
"I'm not sure what happened to them."
******************************
Noon Starday At The Elder Tree
******************************
The rest of you see the bodies that Virdel points out. Even from this distance you can see that the flesh seems to have been stripped from the corpses though they still seem to be clothed in what they must have been wearing when they died. Albus judges that it would be an easy climb to get to where the bodies are.
Albus starts as Virdel reminds him of the bodies hanging in the tree. Wearily he says, "Thank you for reminding me Master Virdel. So much to think about ... Climbing to them should not be difficult but please stand by with missile weapons if something else should come along as I check it out." Albus drops to combat load and leaves his greataxe as well behind as useless in a tree. He climbs to the bodies as well as he can to check them out. He is unsure if he should cut them free 'till he examines them.
Reach the bodies.
See anything that wants to make me join the bodies and what's up with them.
What killed them? Likely our late friend but maybe not.
More detail what really killed them.
Why are the bodies here, just safe food storage or something else going on?
The way the bodies are Albus is pretty certain that they were killed by the taztylwyrm and this was a safe place for the dragonkin to store its prey and feast at its leisure. In usable condition he finds on the bodies:
two crossbows
two short swords
a masterwork shortbow
a signet ring with the image of a flaming hawk
9 gp, 12 sp
eight days’ worth of rations.
Albus brings the items down but leaves the bodies up, no better place for them right now.
Take 10 on K (local) for 16.
To Aelerie, "Didn't your father say three guys disappeared one day some time ago? I think this is them, we can give this stuff back to the families, at least they'll know."
Albus says to all, "I can't carry this stuff and make speed, can anyone take a bit so we can get whatever kin they have their property?"
"Oh, yeah, he did," Aelerie says, sparing one glance up at the three partially eaten bodies before looking away. When Albus climbs back down with the men's gear, Aelerie feels conflicted about leaving their remains hanging in the Eldest Tree. But if we stop to bury them now, we may have more greaves to dig by the time we get back home. Maybe even Mama's... Shaking herself from that grim thought, Aelerie looks to Albus and shakes her head softly at his question. "I don't think I could carry another day of rations without falling behind," she says regretfully.
"But I may have an idea. If no one has any immediate need for the weapons, perhaps we can leave their equipment here for now. We'll take the signet ring with us, that way we have something their kin can recognize, and some of us can lead them here to see that their remains are properly buried after we've brought the ingredients for the cure back to Laurel."
"Albus, I can carry some more of the gear." Astrianna responds. "But I too agree we should leave behind the weapons for now."
"And we may as well bring the rations. We may have need of them."
She quickly kneels down and says a quiet prayer for the victims of the taztylwyrm.
"May Her light have illuminated your passage into the beyond. And know that the foul creature shall harm no one else.
Albus, perhaps overly stressed over the burden placed on him as the party's only woodsman, misses a few of the landmarks Milon Rhoddam pointed out to him to aid in their travel from the Tree to the Hut.
The rest of the group however had been paying attention also and they note the oddly shaped boulders, twisted trees, and trail marks that keep them pointed in the right direction.
The group ends up on the small disused path that the people of the town have been braving for years when truly desperate for help from the Witch as night falls and travel becomes difficult. They can push on to the Hut tonight or wait till the next morning.