The dog-demon-thing trots around the group, sniffing anyone who will let it, and eventually, it sits down and stares and them. It lets out a long sigh of contentment, and some smoke drifts from it's nose.
The large cat suddenly caught a scent upon the wind, one that carried the stench of rot and decay, coming from somewhere deeper within the woods. He tensed up, posturing as a form of communication to both his soldier-friends and the dog, then let out a growl. He then began walking in the direction of the scent, sniffing all the way to reestablish the trail.
Hedgerow paused for a moment to turn his head, checking to see if anyone was following.
Chase follows Hedgerow having no idea what he's found.
"Lets investigate this dog a bit more. It's no hell hound I've ever heard of."
She couldn't help but follow the dog, intrigued by its mysterious nature.
Hedgerow goes deeper into the woods, and they eventually come across a small creek, running through the forest. You cannot see what is odd about it, and then you realize; The dirt in the bottom of it, and the ground around the stream, is pure black. Not the simple black of charcoal, this is a deep, shadowy black, impossible to see through, or even know if it is really there.
The dog chases after the stick, barking at the piece of wood. When he comes back with it, you notice the middle, where it was in his mouth, is corroded and burned. Closer inspection of his mouth reveals an intense heat and slightly glowing green saliva.
The tiger placed its paw in the water, trying to pad at the unusual black riverbed to feel what it may be made of - or what it might mean for the group's future actions.
Hedgerow touches the sand, and it feels like extremely cold sand. He looks at his, paw, and is alarmed to see that his veins appear to be turning black, as if his very blood was filled with ash!
It feels cold, as if his veins were turning to ice.
Everyone sees the giant cat in front of you begin to grow black, black are the darkest night. The shadow spreads over his entire form, covering it in the darkness.
However, you also need to make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or have your intelligence become 3 for the duration of your wildshape (preventing controlled transformation back and the ability to make any plans, but it does not interfere with your ability to tell friend from foe), and make a DC 8 constitution save or gain sunlight sensitivity (as a drow) for the duration. You also must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to prevent dealing 1d6 damage to every creature within 30 feet of you. You need to make these checks every time you wildshape, and they have be removed with a remove curse spell, or a lesser restoration spell cast from a 3rd level spell slot on your form.
You are in a shadow for right now, but do not have the disadvantages.
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As the group moves off, Borak says to Elena, "Go on. I have been piqued at this odd tree, as if it holds yet some secret we have not yet gained. How did the demons, and this hellhound, come to reside in its center. If I found aught of worth I will let you know."
Borak starts poking around at the center of the tree.
Rook keeps his distance as he watches Borak poke around the tree. He is stunned by the transformation of Hedgerow and calls out to the dwarf.
"Hedgerow! Are you ok? What happened?"
The tune in Chase's head just turned dark as he watched Hedgerow wash over with darkness.
"What is this?"
"What is it Borak?"
Chase moves over to see what Borak is looking at.
Elena felt vindicated by her choice to look further into this, though what she'd found left her dumbstruck.
She steps forward to take a look down into the depths below.
"... Right, I need a volunteer to go back and report in on everything that's happened, and to inform them that we're investigating a bloody under ground cavern that might lead directly to a supernatural threat unleashed by the enemy."
She sighed.
"It's going to be something a wizard did. It's ALWAYS something a wizard did."
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Lord Borak raises an eyebrow. "Divide our forces? We should all do one or the other. We could, as a group, inform command of what we found then return here. Or we could venture down now.
Either way, what say we at least break for lunch before venturing into unknown depths and sure death? 'Tis poor form to die on an empty stomach."
Boroak pauses and clenches his fist again, taking advantage of the reprieve to devolpe a more solid sense of combat and majesty.
Then he sits down and opens his backpack.
The black and white striped hunting cat was suddenly enshrouded in a black, pure and dark as a devil heart. His powerful claws were tingling with fel energy, somehow empowered by the black soot-like riverbed that he touched.
He turned his head toward his friends' voices, that of Rook and Chase, and saw a look of shock and concern upon their faces. An inner concern then began to grow.
What have I done?
Seeing the rest of the group milling about the shattered tree, he ran back over to them, trying to pretend for the moment that nothing was awry in spite of himself.
Elena nodded.
"It will take a runner only a minute to reconnect with our other escorts and ambassadors. They can do this as we eat, and unless we're recalled, we'll have plenty of time to investigate. I doubt our forces want to ignore such demonic presence that we'd need to cross right overtop."
Had to keep things above-board after all.
Tiger
Large beast, unaligned
AC 12, HP 37 (5d10 + 10)
Speed 40 ft.
STR 17(+3), DEX 15(+2), CON 14(+2), INT 3(−4), WIS 12(+1), CHA 8(−1)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Keen Smell. The tiger has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Pounce: If the tiger moves at least 20 feet straight
toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on
the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13
Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the
target is prone, the tiger can make one bite attack
against it as a bonus action.
-Actions-
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
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Cursed!
•Whenever Hedgerow uses wildshape, there is a 50% chance to enter shadow-form. (Low rolls = shadow form, high rolls = no effect).
While in this form, he deals extra necrotic damage with your natural attacks equal to your Wisdom Modifier, can pass between the ethereal and normal plane as an action, and have darkvision out to 120 feet. (actually really powerful)
•Upon entering this shadow-form, a blast of 1d6 necrotic damage damages every creature within a 30' radius (not-preventable)
•Upon entering this shadow-form, Hedgerow must make a DC 12 Con save or be subjected to one of two affects: Roll 1d2. (1) - Hedgerow's intelligence becomes 3 for the duration of your wildshape (preventing controlled transformation back and the ability to make any plans, but it does not interfere with the ability to tell friend from foe), (2) - gain sunlight sensitivity (as a drow) for the duration of the wildshape.
•Hedgerow needs to make these checks every time he wildshapes. The curse can be removed with a remove curse spell, or a lesser restoration spell cast from a 3rd level spell slot on your shadow-form.
"Rook," Elena said, "Go inform command of what we're about to investigate, and hurry back. This looks like its going to get messy."
"Yes commander.", the drow sneers and he slowly jogs off back towards where the emissary and his entourage went.
When he over takes them, he relays the message and hurries back to the rest of the group.
"So what's the plan, orders?"
Rook goes and finds Krak, who seems pleased at what has happened. "Good job recruit!" he says, clapping the drow on the shoulder. "Go fetch your squad, and come back here. We'll deal with the demons in the morning." Rook relays the messages back to the group, and they head back.
It is just starting to get dark, and the squads in your platoon seem in a festive mood. The gnomes are all dancing an odd jig, obviously quite drunk, while Picklebottom plays a little tune on his pipes. The tieflings have some sort of wine that appears to be burning, and are staggering around, tripping over the gnomes.
In addition, there seems to be a new squad. The seven wood elves that attacked you in the forest are there, attempting to get to grips with their new situation. A couple are simply lying down, face up, on their bedrolls, staring at the stars. A couple are drunk. The leader of them, the young man Borak decided to appoint leader, is staring at the fire, idly chewing on a piece of grass.
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Borak nods at the decision to strike into the stairs in the morning. It was getting late, and it would probably be an entrenched position. Best to have a full day ahead of them.
He spends a short time with the tieflings, with whom he shares an odd connection. He takes a few pulls of their wine, but not many, and after awhile admits defeat and advances on the fresh squad of elves.
"You have done well," he says to their leader. "But do not forget where you are. You are trading your lives for the lives of your people. For you, now, your daily wage is glory, and such coin can only be minted in the heat of combat.
Screw thy courage to the sticking place and make a stone of your heart. Only when you have accepted death will you have any path for life."
The wine burns at your heart, and feels like condensed hellfire. The tieflings seem friendly enough, and take a liking to you.
"Thank you." The young elf says sadly, "Stone heart." He thumps his chest, "From oak to rock."
Chase takes the rest time to play the lyre. With a little composition he created based on the most recent experience.
It is far from a happy tune but no one would mistake it for a dirge.
Where else does my soul find peace.
Chase finishes as the rest ends and the troops begin making ready for more orders.
Rook catches a few hours of rest, then is up and watching the perimeter of their camp.
Elena pulls out a deck of cards. Anyone who has the guts could play, but she suspects she'll have a lot of spare coin when she was done. As she shuffles, she finds her attention drawn to Borak's speech.
"Laying it on a little thick there, aren't you?" She said, "It's their first night, let them relax a bit before things get heavy."
And then she started dealing cards.
Everyone applauds Chase's performance, the elves slightly somberly, and the tieflings enthusiastically, but everyone does applaud.
Despite Elena only doing a passable job at cards, her opponents aren't much better. She manages to win 13 gp, about half of it in silver.
In addition, Krak comes in and gives everyone their monthly pay. 50 gold pieces each. All of the shops are closed at the moment, but they open up once the day's march is done.
The cursed-black tiger resumed his true dwarven form after a short while, eager to feels his own skin and bones once again. He still didn't understand the nature of what had occurred to him, though he felt it lingering in his blood. He walked in silence alongside his fellow soldiers during the return to camp, contemplative of his new druidic powers and how this curse may impact him.
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Seeing some of the starved elves now in the war camp evoked both relief and sadness in Hedgerow. He was certainly glad to see they wouldn't starve for a hopeless pursuit of rigid loyalty to their home turf, but he was saddened to see that it came to this at all. People should be free to make whatever decisions they wanted, in pursuit of their own health and happiness. Whoever...or whatever burned the forest was responsible for much hurt, and Hedgerow meant to make them pay, given the chance.
Not feeling very festive, he declined to join the musicians with his drumming. He went to bed early, ready to put this troubling day behind him.
The night passes uneventfully. In the morning, the horn is sounded for wakeup, and you are given a half-hour to do what you want (buy stuff, eat, socialize). After that, the march starts into the forest, and closer to your first battle, which everyone realized you haven't heard anything about yet.
Chase uses the time not composing to review army procedure and tactics, then begins the march toward battle.
After his evening of watch, Rook will take a quick nap then grab a bite to eat on the march.
Elena likewise goes to upgrade to studded leather.
And after that, she tries to find Krak. She doesn't much like the idea of leaving whatever was under that tree unexplored.
Krack seems happy, but his gaze darkens when Elena brings up the tree. "We've got people working on it." He growls, "People more accomplished than your squad." He turns his back, making it clear that he regards the conversation as over.
The dog showed up again during the night. He has taken a liking to the group, and appears to be following them. He has made no odd movements, but never seems to eat or drink.
The march is long, hard, and boring. You traipse through the destroyed forest with no incident, although you can hear faint noises coming from the direction of the tree.
Rook notices the two humans following the group and waits for them by the side of the road.
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"I see 'em too," said Hedgerow in a disapproving, grizzly sort of voice as he approached Rook's side.
After staring for a few long moments at the peculiar, unsettling "humans", Hedgerow cupped his hand to his mouth and called out to them,
"Oi there! Oi, what the nine hells are followin' us fer? We seen yez a mile off!"
The two just keep staring. They obviously are not confused, or hostile, just watching.
Elena has a bad feeling. She decides to take the risk, and go investigate the tree quietly, without anyone noticing.
She whispers to Borak, "Keep everyone together. I want to check on something, it will take but a moment."
Fortified with new armor, and her improved footwork, Elena decides its time to see what's down there.