Only got 4 berries. I do not think that I made any the prior day due to using the open slot for CLW at the gnolls.
Enjoy.
Raziel eats the tasty berry - "Thank you Ghae" - he offers with a smile.
Ogrim will pass on the berries.
"Guys, I cannot guarantee I can keep this up much longer" - Raziel pipes in - "One, maybe two hours more..."
Then he notices Trangles staying behind, and turns to Ghae - "What's up with Trangles?" - the tiefling asks.
Ghae scratches her head:
I don't know. Let me talk to it. Perhaps it senses something truly unnatural about this place and does not wish to be close to the demon infested dungeon.
Ghae goes over and talks to the giant vine, which must seem strange even to the most ardent gardener. After a while, she returns with tears.
He refuses to leave this natural place. I do not know whether it is the dungeon or simply not wishing to return to the human settlement, but I do not think that it will follow me should I come with you.
She then sits, clearly dwelling upon the conundrum before turning to the party.
If you will give me some time, I think that I need to travel with you all. I prefer the pure nature of the woods, but understand that the blight which is the Mouth of Doom is an evil that must be investigated and stopped. Thus, I need to say goodbye to a friend.
Ghae heads back over and scratches Trangles and talks to the vine for several minutes. After a while, the vine climbs up and wraps around her, almost like a hug, before slithering down and heading back into the forest.
Ghae then returns to the group, tears in her eyes once more.
I will miss him and will need some time in the woods once we get you all back safely to town.
With that, she sucks in a deep breath and starts leading the exhausted group slowly forth once more.
Raziel stares at the exchange, more than a little puzzled - he had heard about the bond between druids and their companions, and was not expecting this one to be cut so dramatically - his knowledge on the subject is limited though, so he does not press the matter much forward, asking simply -"Are you ok Ghae? I am glad you decided to stick it out with us" - he nods - "You won't regret it" - he smiles.
"Did you see that Ghae?!" - Raziel points out a man that has apparently appeared from out of nowhere - "That tree turned into a man, and Trangles has joined up with him" - the tiefling finds his curiosity extremely piked by all of it - "Why? Do you know?"
Overcome by emotion, the usually observant druid is completely unaware of the man. When Raz mentions him, Ghae looks carefully.
Killian?
"Could be..."
He liked Trangles, and it is not like I owned it. It was my friend and companion, but if this is what Trangles wants, I cannot stop it.
"Ok then" - again he does not press the conversation - "Shall we continue on our path?"
"Is she leaving us?" Q asks, face dropping slightly.
Hound is just tiredly silent
"Not a chance" - Raziel retorts at Quetzalcoatl in a serious tone, then look sat Ghaelja for her reaction.
Ghae looks at Killian and then nods to her companions. She then turns back to Killian:
Your archers put their bows down and move back. My companions shall likewise move back. Then you and I can speak in the clearing.
Eli had zoned out for the last hour or two - he'd lost track of time during the march. Fortunately, he didn't get separated while he was on autopilot, though he did only just notice the berry in his hand. Without thinking, he pops it in his mouth and, immediately feeling better, takes stock of the situation, but remains silent, not bothering to voice an opinion about Ghaelja and Killian's dealings.
Ogrim will use a couple of channels when he becomes exhausted.
He twitches nervously as Ghaelja goes to converse with Killian.
"Yoooo." Q whispers to his nearest ally. "Was that her back with the pine cones that we heard scream?"
Ghae frowns:
Trangles is not for me to give or you to take. It is its own free being. As far as the language of those who work for the wild, it is not a language that is taught but to those who follow the druidic path.
She looks about.
If you are taking Trangles, then what am I to do for a companion? Do you know of any sentient plants in these parts? Treants? Crawling vines? Carnivorous flowers?
Ghae sighs as she sees her friend leave with the strange bandit leader. She then returns to the others.
What a strange man. I do not know whether I should go with him or not. It is clear that he has some ties with druidic culture, but it is hard to discern what. His tattoos are druidic, yet he does not speak the tongue of nature. Very odd.
She pauses. More disconcerting, I feel as though the blight on this land is tied even more strongly to this area than even to the land about the demon dungeon.
"What..? If you should go with him..?" - Raziel pipes in, an amazed tone creeping into his voice - "Why would you do that?"
Ghae looks at the others:
Parts of this land are sick. You all may not be trained to sense such things, but the plants and animals hereabouts are not normal. The creature that I lead astray was a hag, a vile evil creature that consumes men. I do not know if she was here before, but a blighted land will attract such horrors.
She pauses, knowing what she must say next.
If this dungeon that Killian speaks of is the source of the evil that is causing the blight, then I must help to seek and root it out. Killian says that he does not believe this dungeon to be too large. And, as soon as I finish cleansing this place, then I shall return to the Ferry to rejoin you all. She pauses again. I will see that this blight is ended at its source so that we will not have to be fighting more and more evil creatures that would destroy my woods. And, once I have done this, I shall return to you all and join you in stopping the menace that is rumored to exude from the Mouth.
With that, she nods to the rest of the party and joins Killian.
"This is probably going to sound out of character coming from me, but do what you need to do. We've all got our objectives in life. Meet up with us when you can; the Mouth of Doom is called so for a reason and I figure we'll take all the help we can get."
Eli looks around at those staring at him, assuming that their stares are either of amazement or amusement. "What? Don't look at me like that."
Raziel speaks no word. As Ghae moves away, he turns his back and steps off in the opposite direction.
Hound shrugs and heads off with the others to the ferry.
They were delicious.
Raziel follows the proceedings closely, trying to get as much information on the reasons behind the aprehension of Krull - it is not that they are friends, or that he has particular simpathy for the half-orc after he deliberately took them on a very dangerous trek to recover a dog, but still...
Truth be told, he never asked them to follow him, so at least his slate is clean on that one. Also he is definitely an addict, and being incarcerated for some time might actually do him some good.
In the end, Raziel finds all of it irrelevant - perhaps out of some sense of morbid curiosity, or some sort of closure, he tries to gather additional information, offering himself to be a witness for Krull, confirming they held someone dear as hostage to force him to cooperate.
-------------------------
As they all find themselves again in familiar terrain, and able to breathe safely, at least for the time being, Raziel turns to his companions with a smile - "We are back. That alone deserves a celebration, as it feels like we have been away from Zelkor's Ferry for MONTHS" - he laughs - "I suggest a toast at the Bristleback Inn - we can make a point of our current situation, and the next steps to take" - he adds.
"I have given some thought to all the information we have gathered thus far, and I think I've almost got the main layout of the immediate area around us nailed down - that should be helpful in making a decision" - again he wears that same smug smile - "In any case... I need a drink, that's for sure" - he finishes, moving towards the inn.
"The next step is obvious. We'd planned on venturing into the Mouth. Were it not for Krull, we'd be there already. We'll stock up on anything we need tomorrow, and set out for the cavern. It's sure to be a fun journey. I say eat and drink your fill, then rest as much as you can."
"It is good to see you Tallie" - Raziel greets the woman - "And thank you for the ale - we surely need it after the last two days" - he smiles.
"Later we'll talk about the storage room fee, yes? I believe we have a rental for about a week and half, correct? And I'll gladly pay for the room - I feel I could sleep for a day!" - he laughs.
"And what about Zelkor's Ferry? Any news?"
Hound drinks and eats silently, too exhausted to do anything but that and sleep when he gets the chance.
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"Great! Thank you Tallie for keeping that option open for us" - the tiefling smiles - "I guess them newcomers have come here for different reasons than ours - looking for the Druidess you say? Now, there's something else worth looking into" - he ponders, then turns to the others - "But for now we have more pressing matters, right guys?"
Pulling multiple scrolls and sheets of paper from his backpack, he sprawls them on the table - "I've been puzzling together the information we have" - you notice there have been several recently added notes in a well drawn penmanship.
Pointing at number 10 on his own copy of the map, he starts - "This is the haunted cabin - we had come to the conclusion that the entrance to Mouth of Doom would most likely be one of numbers eight, nine or eleven, since Old Russ over there told us the entrance was visible from that spot" - he stops to see if everyone agrees, then continues - "Now... When we were at the haunted cabin, there was this green statue of a demon covered with vines. It pointed South-East towards the big hill, so I say number 11 is the entrance we seek" - he leans back with a smile, taking a sip from his ale.
Good work. Will we be heading out after we are all rested?
"I am expecting so" - the tiefling nods.
"And no more distractions."
Eli signals to the rest to keep moving. Not speaking to avoid accidentally tipping the gnolls off to the group's location.
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Hound nods and keeps going silently.