Peacock translates the Dryad's words to the party, before replying, again in the tongue of the woods. He's still a little surprised to have knowledge of this language, but after the magic and the wings, it's not all that surprising anymore. "None of us mean any harm to you. Can you tell us what happened to you and the forest?"
"Munch munch munch..."
Kane was out of his depth, and he didn't like it. He didn't speak the dryad's language, he had no knowledge of how to help her, and he had no idea what the spike was.
Once the dryad was safely on the ground and being tended to, he closed his great wings by reaching them beneath his arms and linking the two small wing claws together in the center of his chest. Then he pulled his monk's robe back over them and looked again like a simple monk.
He pulled a book from his satchel and began flipping through it, looking for any answers he could find.
Sphene spits out the gnawed piece and begins chomping on the other.
Up close, the dryad looks otherworldly; fey and amazing, yet tragically wounded. A glimpse into its eyes behold countless years -- the turning of seasons and the steady constant of the ancient tree, and the pain of all those years coming to a dwindling close. Its skin is smooth, like finely worn woodgrain comforting in its age but nearly hard as stone. This is skin that would turn claw and fang, but the hole in the center of her breastbone is jagged and sick, soft like wood rot.
Her voice is thin and reedy, as she speaks, barely above a whisper. Noting the beings around her, she speaks in Common. The Gate is closed. Severed. Can you not feel it, youngling? she seems to address Peacock. You cannot go home from this location.
Kane pours a potion gently down the Dryad's throat.
"Tell us what happened."
"Munch munch munch..."
Eats some gold between chomping.
GP just because it tastes sooooo nice.
"Munch munch munch..."
"I can't feel it. Or at least, if I can, I don't know how to. I've only had... I've only been this for a few days." Peacock explains to the dryad, his eyes drawn to the shimmering down covering the back of his forearms.
Finishes off the last but if blackness.
The dryad fades in and out of consciousness. Whatever the spike was, it must have been preventing her from dying, because she seems to be fading fast.
She looks at Peacock with ancient, tired eyes. You are young, then.
Her focus drifts a bit, then she summons the strength to answer the questions. The Duncael Sthielaf attacked... Creatures... Things in robes that... clinked. The creatures had pets... red, glowing eyes... blinking. Then fangs. They drank the blood of my defenders and... changed. The robed ones stopped them before... before they drank from me. Used the spike. Draining... not feeling the First World anymore.
She lolls her head in Jazzai's direction. Are you not like them? Not of this world, or the First?Where are you from? Who did this?
Jazzai's blind eyes were locked on the woman's face tears silently falling as she held the Dryad, dropping onto her skin. As the dryad spoke she remembered those sounds, the clinking, the strange language. When she spoke of the pets, the drinking and the changing her tears fell even faster.
"I am like their pets yes but do not come from their world I believe. Those same beings visited the one who gave me this curse, I am blind so I do not know what they look like but I know their sound. Clinking and harsh language. He gave me their pet's ability. Someone who sent me far away from where I come from for my protection and their own. To not be found by them possibly. As far as I know I do not bear the taint, but I do have the hunger. I fight it with all my might but I don't always succeed. I am sorry you were treated this way. What can we do for you?" The dryad can feel her tremble as her voice cracked and her tears fell coating her.
Sphene looks on helpless,
"So jazzai was used by them as well, poor kid, just like this poor soul and the girl statue, all used and thrown away"
Her feelings to Jazzai soften as she sees the girl cry, a feeling of protection came over her. Over powering, this is what she was meant to do, to protect, if only she had the skills, A cleric or Doctor would know. She was just a kid from the streets. She kept back saying nothing, what could she do.
The dryad touches the tears and studies them as they run down her wooden skin. Maybe still of... this world. But inside... she puts her finger directly over the spot of the source of hunger, not.
I will... try to heal. With my tree. Without the First World giving... may not. Can you bring it back? Restore the Gate?
She fixes eyes with Peacock. For your sake... not just mine. Be lost, no home. If you... Find the wrong Court, may die... or worse.
Jazzai would help lift her moving her to rest against her tree. "Believe in yourself Great One, Believe in your tree. Though you may not have a connection to the First World, you still have the spirits of this world to aid you. I will pray that they may help you heal and protect you. Where I come from, if you pray and honor the spirits, they will aid you when you need it most."
Resting her gently against the tree she would gently touch her hand. "I will not give up on you."
Jazzai, tears still flowing started to sing gently.
"All you creatures with wings, Eagle and Bee, Ichneumon Fly and Wren, as you fly on our earth’s breath, I, your little sister, ask you, carry my heartfelt prayer in your wingbeat: "How I love you, How I thank you One of nature here is injured, Residing in her tree. Your strength she needs, Your healing solace her body craves. Carry it up to our earth’s lap, carry it into our earth’s ear, carry it three times around the belly of the Earth.
Her voice was cracked and full of emotion but the prayer was heartfelt and pure.
The dryad touches Jazzai's cheek and smiles weakly after she finishes her song. She blind girl can almost feel the smile in that touch. Then suddenly the pain seems to return in force, and the dryad grimaces under it.
Must... go in... now, she sputters. The hole in her torso widens as the rotted wood at the edges collapses. She reaches out toward the tree, and her arm slips behind the bark as if there was a door. Then her entire body shunts like she was made of paper and suddenly she is gone, within the massive oak in whose shadow you stand.
The grove is unnaturally silent.
Jazzai's head leaned into her touch and smiles weakly. Once she went into the tree she would wipe her tears. Turning her head this way and that, seeing if she felt that beacon feeling nearby.
"Well, it seems we need to find a way to open this gate. Does anyone here know anything about opening gates to the first world?" She gained her composure quickly putting her mind to the task at hand. "I am guessing the menhirs helped maintain the connection."
She could not help herself, tears filled her eyes. She could not help but feel the sadness of what had been done. It made her think of her life, her other life, on the city street, the Starvation, deprivation, poverty, the biting hunger, the illness and the death, lots of death. far to much for one Soul to hold. She thought of the child she had found, frozen solid one winter. A boy about 12. The Drunk with his head mashed in, that woman under a cart so many. Then that street hardness came back into her, That Grimness where life is cruel and unkind in ways others would never understand.
"You soft &^#*, get a grip, one sap song and you cry, whats wrong with you"
She snakes her head, and grits her teeth, the moment of sentimentality.
"She seem to thing we need to do that. If we can, ask how"
You can her the hardness in her voice.
Also, you can still detect the remains of the spike, though it is a mere blip compared to what it had been before Sphene started chewing on it.
"There is still taint here from the spike, It all hasn't been destroyed." She would follow the sensation of the spike.
"I believe natural healing will start once all the remnants of the taint is gone that blocked the portal in the first place."
Jazzai focused letting her senses, even her new "beacon" finding teeth and hunger organ lead her to the remnant of the spike.
"I want to help this place. It wouldn't be right to leave it like this if we can do something about it, and both miss Jazzai and I could have much to learn from it. Sphere, Sir Kane, will you help us?"
Kane flipped through another book. As a Knight of Pharasma, he knew death well. He understood the importance of mourning and funerary rights. He had never performed a Fae funeral, but the tome would tell him how.
"Find it Jazzia, I will distory every trace and yes peacock I will help in any way I can"
She says this in a resalut way then Puts some more gold coins in her mouth ready to once more Munch evil.
[ooc]At this point I think you're being kind of gluttonous with gold that doesn't belong to you just yet. :P[/ood]
Jazzai picks up the piece and without a word opens her mouth biting down hard on the piece. All eight incisors lengthen trying to pierce the black piece as she takes out her frustration and anger onto it. Its the first time the three of them have a chance to see her teeth since she had been careful not to show them. She had paired canines on her upper teeth and paired canines on her lower teeth that looked wickedly sharp, as if they could pierce anything's hide.
Looks on as Jazzai picks up the gnawed piece and chewed bit of the spike and bites on it.
Arr ok got it now, thanks, yep will go with that.
Jazzai would actively try to "eat" the spikes drawing it into her teeth or atleast the power in it.
Jazzai touches the pieces to her elongated teeth, but quickly recoils, looking distressed.
She quickly tossed out the piece with a growl. "Destroy it Sphene. Completely." Walking a little ways away cursing.
She looks at Jazzai a bit miffed at yet another comand by the child.
Bad time but has to be done or this just want stop, time to put the child straight.
"Jazzai, now you listen here and take some advice. I want to make something clear here and now, blind or not, you ASK others to do something, don't ever order them Missy. I maybe in the body of a day old dragon, but before that I was a fully grown woman with a lifetime of experiences gained at the Academy of hard knocks and being c***ed on, so don't sass me Girl."
Then her tone softens
"Next time feel free to just ask old Sphene if you want to do something rash like that again. As I said I have had dealings with this stuff.. Destroying it was my intent all along, and yes its bad tasting stuff, its way I asked for the gold, mouth full of molten gold seems to neutralize it."
With out another words she then bites the thing with a mouth full of molten gold again covering it.
Then when its covered with gold spits it out and burns it with any other bit, pointing away from the others. Point blanks range.
The flash of Dragon fire raws out 30' incinerating it.
She repeats it until nothing is left
"Wait, stop!" Peacock shouts. "If you keep throwing fire around haphazardly, you'll make this whole forest go up in flames!"
She nods at Peacocks
"Good thinking Peacock, but I am being careful, and found my fire is more a flash fire and is over so fast it dos not set things ablaze."
Jazzai turns and looks at her as she starts speaking. "First of all, you have no idea what just happened and I did that for a reason. SECOND of all Miss Condescending. The only other time I told you what to do was when I was tending your wounds and taking care of you so you didn't hurt yourself. For a woman that is fully grown you act like a child. Entitled and believing you can do the same you complain about to others." Her voice had fire.
"That Goddess Gifted you with a dragon form because you did something good. Are you good or just selfish? You are out in the wild and we are trying to help you and you suddenly just start being rude to us bossing us around. Yes, we get it you had a hard life. So did the rest of us. Get over yourself and realize we are all working to the same goal of getting rid of this. You just so happen to be the one that can breath fire and so I told you to destroy it. IF I could breath fire I wouldn't have told you to do it." Jazzai growls soflty and calms herself.
"Next time I will ask BUT from now on I ask you give us the same courtesy you want of us and quit talking down at us because you believe you know more than us. If you haven't figured out fate has brought us together for a reason. I have noticed the tie we all share, have you? Each of our abilities and history is uniquely tied to what is going on in the world. We need to work together, not be at each others throats. We are equals here. No ONE person over another. We need to be a team."
"Um, actually..." Peacock meekly attempts to interject, when Jazzai mentions 'getting rid of this'. "I'm not sure-"
Too hesitant to interrupt her rant, in the end, he opts to remain silent.
As she looked at Jazza a number of things where running throw her mind. Jazza has a weakness, she was to easy to bate, easy to anger, she barely had control of her emotions by the looks of things. That was one worrying thing. Next, any one could see this kid was broken, what ever fate had done to her it has scared her deeply thing was, was she broken good or broken bad. The the Fangs, bit of a shock that. What had Peacock said, the Dryed and said about her. Jazza had the feel of the blackness about here, then the fangs, dark evil looking fangs. The Dryad has said [i]The attackers had pets with fangs that drank the blood of the defenders and 'changed'. could all that be linked. Then the 'we's' for someone who felt all where equals she felt she was entitled to be the spokesperson for the group. 'We this' and 'we that' she had seen it before in gang leaders. Same kind of leader of the pack thinking where the 'we' is just another way of saying I. The her auction that fate was behind this and they where meant to be here. How many times had a guy said that to her. She had worked that out the moment she spotted the second spike. No good deed go's unpunished as they say. Other thoughts passed and went.
She looks over as Peacock as he starts to say something and stops.
"Lot of 'we's' coming from 'you' in all that Jazza, but yes, your right about courtesy and respect, so how about we both shut up and hear what the other have to say, Peacock? Kane? What's your feelings on what's going on."
She looks at Peacock waiting to hear what he had to say.
Kane waited, keeping his own council. At the moment there was nothing else to be said.
Peacock too remains quiet, feeling rather put on the spot. "I... kind of agree with Miss Jazzai, actually."
Sphene looks at Peacock. and Kane, one who said nothing the other...
"Meaning you disagree with what I said"
She nods her head as if with a resigned sight she says.
"Ill respect the groups well, but remember this all of you, I'm free to pick and choose what I do and say as I feel fit, never forget that."
With that she go's over to look at the stones, the conversation over in her view..
Worried by this sudden angry turn of events, Peacock attempts to tune it out of his mind, focusing on the task at hand.
"What do we know about this weird black stuffY" he asks.
"I apologize to you Peacock. Thank you for letting me finish and vent. I believe there is something you did want to interject, I heard you speak up. Please, feel free to tell me." Jazzai's voice was gentle.
"As for getting rid of the taint I am talking about here. I am not talking world spanning. I know I want to help the Dryad, and I believe there with the, transfer of....something when I touched the spike I can now feel the connection the dryad spoke of. I believe, that if we destroy the taint, possibly this black cord around the stones, that the connection may reconnect on its own. This is speculation from the knowledge I have cleaned from the stories of the man who taught me. There may be more to it and I will need your help. I do apologize if I spoke for both of you out of turn."
Hearing Sphene's words she doesn't say anything feeling no need to answer her words. Jazzai shifted slightly looking back to the others.
"As for the black stuff. We know it's Evil, it doesn't come from this world. These Duncael Sthielaf attacked her and by how she described the sound. I have heard them before. The Spike drains power just like the pets she was describing. It looks like shadow from what you guys describe. I haven't been able to think of what the cord really is but if it is like the spike, Gold and fire should help get rid of it."
Kane wasn't much for speeches, but the little dragon's words came dangerously close to justification of selfishness. He doubted that was what was meant, but the young sometimes say things they have not thought through.
"Of course you are free to do as you will. Just as we all are. Just keep in mind that freedoms come with responsibilities. We don't get to put our personal liberty above the safety or welfare of others."
"So what do we do now?"
"I say we try to figure out how to remove the cord. How tall up is it? I'm guessing these Mehirs are very large stones. I don't know if it is like the spike but if we go take a look we may be able to find out something. I'll stay on the ground and alert you of danger that I sense down here and what I can find out. If you describe what it looks like it may jog a memory and give us a clue. Maybe the cord leads to something. When we get close I can tell you if it registers."
Jazzai turns her head this way and that and then leans close to Kane. "Which way are they?"
Sphene is all ready at the stone/s looking at them.
GM could we have a description.
The menhirs loom to the south of the great oak. They form a ring, one at the north, one south, and one west, with a stone slab like an altar taking up the eastern spot. The remaining four menhirs sit at the midpoint between the cardinal directions: NE, NW, SE, and SW. Each massive stone is rough-hewn, and ranges from 60 to 70 feet in height. They each have their own slight variations in shape and the amount of vegetation and lichen hanging off them, but otherwise they are very similar to one another.
The one exception to that is the western menhir, opposite of the stone altar. It is wider than the rest, and has what looks like a naturally-occurring hole. A medium-sized creature could easily pass through.
Of course, each of the menhirs has a black cord wrapped around it. The altar is made of a very large stone slab, though it is not covered with the same shaggy moss that seems to coat every other stone surface in this valley, making it stand out. Also, two medium-sized shapes are upon it. (The slab itself and its occupants were blocked from view by the NE menhir, until you moved toward the ring.)
When you come in to view, the two figures stand, and take a couple steps forward. They are in tattered clothes, and appear as misshapen humanoids. Most notably, their eyes glow red. They look at each other briefly, and the eyes blink on and off rapidly, reminding Sphene of how sometimes criminals would use hooded lanterns to send code, although these blink so rapidly that it would almost impossible to decipher anything.
One has great horns like an elk, and wields a long spear. Its legs are bent and inhuman. The other has a wolflike muzzle and feathered wings strangely similar to Peacock's. It has a mace. They take a couple more steps forward, menacing.
Horned guy moves forward 40' and braces for a charge with his spear.
Winged guy takes to the air and moves forward 60'.
You guys are up.
Peacock's eyes widen in shock as the creatures come into view, especially the winged one. Those wings! Is he...?
Peacock takes to the sky, figuring it will be safer than the ground should the elk-horned one attack. He also draws his bow, just in case. The holy symbol of Erastil, inscribed upon it, is quite obvious.
"We mean no harm to this forest." Peacock says, in Sylvan. "W-what do you want from us?