As Braden wanders the forest, he continues to prayerfully seek out an animal companion.
Sapling Treant
STARTING STATISTICSSize Medium; Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d6); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7; Special Qualities double damage against objects, low-light vision.
4TH-LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.
The group, led by Fang and Vraxis, make good time following the walking tree's path back towards Misthome.
On the way back, the pair lead the group on the opposite side of a copse of trees, revealing the site of some recent lumberjacking.
As the group skirts the area, a shout is heard, "Haloo! I need some help up here!"
Looking up, they see a elven lumberjack up in a pine tree. It's top looks to be already cut off and the lumberjack looks to be stuck among the scraggly branches of the narrow pine.
Immediately suspicious, again, Govrina tries to use her telekinesis to pull back a bigger branch to get a better look at what is going on.
“What in the gods…? What are you doing? You do realize there are walking and talking trees around here!”
"Huh. An elf in a tree. Didn't see that one comin'."
Fang's head turned to look at the halfling riding on his back. Vraxis made met his gaze. "What? Oh what are the odds that it's a trap?"
Like the others, Braden is pretty confused by the concept of an Elven lumberjack, though he's ready to take what he sees at face value. "I thought lumberjacks cut trees rather than climbing them!"
Amice startles at the shout, but when she realizes its source she recovers herself and stares upward at the elf. She says nothing, not quite understanding why the elf doesn't just climb down. He climbed up after all.
Ran was less worried about an Elven Lumberjack in a forest with sentient trees - he had seen caretakers - which would remove sick trees, or ones infected with parasites, before they became a danger to others - they could tend the woods and improved their health, and sometimes that meant removing some parts of the forest. If done with care, it didn't seem unreasonable to him.
But then, when he managed to get up there, he should also be able to get back down - unless something, or someone - was hindering him from going that way. With as little sound as possible, Ran swiftly moved towards the base of the tree, hoping to see if some creature presented an obstacle for the mans descent.
The elf is bit confused at first by all of the questions, "I'm a lumberjack? I was cutting this tree when those hobgoblins came through. My fellows ran off , leaving me here. I slipped and broke my hand... "he calls down, holding up his right hand. You can see that it juts out at an impossible angle.
"Please help me down, I've been stuck up here for days...."
You notice that the tree is cracked part of the way up. If anyone else climbs up the tree will likely crack and fall, posing a damage to everyone up in the tree as well as those on the ground.
"Huh. From 'ere he looks like an elf, don't he Fang?"
"I wouldn't go climbing that tree, it's not stable. Likely to come crashing down. Maybe you could do your whole mind wind thinkin' stuff to get him down?" Vraxis shrugged.
"Oh, that does look bad," Braden notes, seeing the awful-looking hand. "But we can help."
He holds out the holy censer that he often channels for his magics. "I hold powerful relics of the god Erastil. With this censer, I can make your fall as gentle as a feather. You just have to put your faith in Erastil, and let go."
. Braden speaks with absolute faith and conviction that this will work. If the elf is brave enough to let go, Braden casts Feather Fall on him.
Govrina shrugs and nods.
“Braden speaks truth: I would trust him. The best I can offer is a steady branch or rock to cling to…but with a broken hand you might be hard pressed to hold on as I brought you down with my ether magic.”
"Sounds like that's your best option. I concur. The tree will crack and fall if any more weight is added. If you do prefer to risk that, I'm willing to climb up, grab you and jump. I'm pretty certain I can land safely. But no guarantee I'll manage to grab you before the tree collapses - so if you are willing to trust our word I'd take Braden's offer.", Ran shrugs, while trying to determine how far down the split reaches and - for now - keeping a safe distance from the trunk.
Amice cocks to head to the side, as if she's received a revelation, when the elf reveals why he is so strangely stuck in a tree he climbed. When she hears Braden ask for the man's faith in falling slowly and gently, she looks at him and cocks an eyebrow instead.
I would not believe such a thing...
The lumberjack looks doubtful at first, but then after checking himself that the state of the tree trunk wasn't the greatest, nodded his assent to Braden's plan.
With his one good hand, he manages to maneuver himself out a bit further on a nearby branch, then when he got Braden's nod , stepped out into the air!
At first he plummeted, but Braden's quick magical gesture brought his descent to that of a falling feather.
However, despite slowing down, the lumberjack's eyes remained closed during his journey to the ground, only opening once his feet touched the solid earth once more.
Almost immediately, his legs gave way, and he collapsed in a heap. From where he lay on the ground, he looked up at Braden, gratitude writ on his face, "Ha, ha....thank you! Thank you!"
Ran rushes towards his landing place, first attempting to stabilize the man, then gently lowering him down, stretching out the heap so he could relax his muscles for a moment.
He then retrieves his waterskin and offers the man some - same as with his rations...they were headed home to inform them about Helge and the Treants, anyway, no reason to be stingy with what they had with them.
"Before you decide to collapse from exhaustion...where is your home? I think we may manage to craft some basic Travois or something, and it's preferable over standing watch over you however many hours you'll decide to pass out..."
Ran was being pragmatic - Braden just saved the man, being diplomatic did not seem a priority over being practical right now.
Braden realizes he held his breath for a moment until the elf's fall slowed. "You can thank Erastil--it's he who provides!"
He offers some magical healing to supplement Ran's more practical offer of water and food. Though he wasn't sure if his magics could really help that broken hand heal so quickly.
He agrees with the direction Ran is going with his questions. "We can help take you to your home, if it is close enough"
"And how many of these 'fellows' of yours ya got?"
Hm, he did float down just fine. Amice amends her confidence in Braden's ability to float people around upward considerably.
She also approaches the elf to see how the healing of his hand is coming along, and if she can help.
Keeping her distance, Govrina’s paranoia is obviously still lingering despite her breakthrough with the newcomers. She begins scanning for the Hobgoblins the lumberjack spoke of.
“Yes…Yes…Glad you are fine. Now tell us which way the gobbos went? If they are still near here, we all may be in trouble.”
The elf sighs as Amice and Braden's healing washes over him, the various scratches and cuts from the tree close and his broken hand straightens.
Rotating his hand gingerly, he comments "Gonna feel that for a while...". He looks up at his saviors, "Glad you came along, otherwise I was gonna be nothing more than a bag of bones up there. You wouldn't have some water?"
After drinking deeply from whoever's waterskin was provided, he wiped his lips, then tried to answer the questions posed to him , "Well, first off , I'm Vardalel and homes way back in Erages. Me and my fellows have...or perhaps had, a camp about a days walk south of here. They've probably struck it and run back to Erages by now! As for the hobgoblins...I saw three squads, I think. Or maybe it was the same one , three times....they all look the same. " he says, pausing to drink some more water. He continues, "Anyway, since I was stuck up in the tree, none of them saw me. The last ones I saw came through two days ago, five of the hid in a dell over there, while another walked away. That one cam running back, chased by some of those Rangers. "
Here, he hangs his head, as if in shame, "I could have shouted out a warning....but I was afraid the hobgoblins would find me. I had to watch as those poor Rangers were ambushed and killed by the hidden hobgoblins."
Saddened, Govrina waves a weary hand at the elf.
“It is not our place to judge you. However, you did nothing wrong in my opinion: These goblins are the ones at fault in the end. How long ago was your last sighting of them? You must have been stuck in that tree for days.”
Braden reacts uncertainly to the story, which confirms to Braden that the elf has a far away home. "It's good to meet you, Vardalel. I am Braden, a follower of Erastil and son to a Ranger." He feels the need to say this--it seems Braden isn't so quick to forgive this elf, though he doesn't directly voice his displeasure.
"What do you want to do now? I will be honest with you and say that we're trying to keep our own camp hidden from these hobgoblins. We have been taking in survivors, but I imagine you want to return to your home rather than try to make a new home with us."
"In what intervalls did those Hobgoblins arrive here? You say the last were 2 days ago, but was there any pattern or regularity?", Ran asks, turning to the others:"No matter if it was the same or different ones, if they run a patrol here, there may be a camp close by. We should check if we can find their tracks, or, if there was a pattern, lay an ambush for the next patrol. If they have a presence so close to our camp, we will need to deal with it. Preferably on our terms."
"So what's it boss? Stayin'...goin'?" He looked up at the sky.
"Daylight's awastin'"
Vardalel rubs his face, "The last lot fought those Rangers about 2 days ago, haven't seen any of them since then." he says to Govrina and Ran, then turns to Braden, "I think I'll head to our camp, see if the others are there...then back home, I think . I'm done with cutting trees for now!"
He then begins to look around for any of his possessions, finding a tattered pack in a nearby bush, and the odd piece of gear here and there.
As he does so, he steps up a slight rise, and looks down, his shoulders slumped, "Doesn't seem right to just leave them there. Let's give them a proper burial...".
As you join him, you see the bodies of three Chernasardo Rangers, dressed in gray-and-green ponchos now stained with blood.
Nodding, Govrina uses her magic to begin gathering rocks of all sizes to help build a small burial cairn.
"We should still search them for anything of value. Just in case. I think they would prefer we use anything that could be advantageous to us than let it rot."
Amice helps search the rangers. She's used to scavenging so it bothers her little to do so.
"You're absolutely right, Varadalel." Braden first scans the area for traps just in case. If it seems fine, he checks to see if he knew any of the fallen rangers and tries to remember the funerary rites he learned as an Erastilian acolyte.
Ran meanwhile checks the ambush site, trying to determine where the Orcs headed after their attack, and see if they took any measures to cover their trail.
Once the burial is completed, Govrina will try and get the group moving again.
“We should move on. Staying in one place too long is dangerous right now.”
She then offers a quick goodbye to the woodcutter and a warning to stay away from the goblinoids gathered around the woods.
As one of the Ranger's bodies was moved, a collection of items fell from his cloak, overlooked by the hobgobllins.
Varadalel says his goodbyes and thank yous, and ventures off to the south west, having gathers up enough supplies scattered around to make the journey.
"So, where to? Back home to tell them of the news? Continue the patrol? Or try and track those hobs?", Ran turns to the other party members:"I do have a clear preference, but I've not been here long enough to feel a connection with the people you got hidden away - so it's your call to make. Either course of action may endanger them."
Braden bids his farewells to the elf. "This hobgoblin invasion is a danger to us all, Vardalel. If you can bring word to Elven lands and rally defenders, it would be a benefit to us all."
When Ran talks about next steps, Braden is troubled. "If we can find the hobgoblins who did these attacks, that might be best. So many Rangers have died to these ambushes."
Govrina will give the arrows to Braden and offer the potion to Amice.
“We continue our patrol, possibly track these enemies who deserve to be hunted in return.”
You determine that two hobgobling patrols entered the area from the West, one departing to the North, the other to the East.
The last group, lured the Rangers into their ambush from the north east.
Ran turns to Govrina:"Well, would you elaborate on that? Either we continue on with our circular patrol, or we attempt to follow the tracks they left - here - doing both seems difficult, unless you mean to suggest we should split up - which does not seem like a tactically sound approach if we also mean to deal with those bastards-"
Frowning, Govrina sighs.
"No, I'm not advocating we split up. I'm not always right, but I'm not stupid either: I'm saying if we can't track them properly, then we continue as before. If we can, then we follow the best/freshest track and hunt the 'gobby bastards down. Happy?"
She then directs Vraxis and Fang to check the various tracks and lead the way quickly to the the best targets.
"Northeast. Freshest pair of tracks, those responsible for the ambush. Others, earlier, to the east and north, respectively. They did not take much care to hide their passing.", Ran points Vraxis and Fang towards his earlier findings, then turns back to Govrina: "We CAN track them properly, no problem there."
Smirking, Govrina will point in the indicated direction.
"Fair enough! Gives Vraxis and Fang a break. Lead the way Ran: Give us a head's up if we get close to the bastards. We want to surprise them if we can. I don't want to end up like those Rangers."
Braden nods as Ran sets a course. He considers if he knows what might lie to the northeast.
Amice accepts the potion from Govrina wordlessly and with a look of surprise. She doesn't understand why the woman would give a newcomer like her a valuable.
She follows along as the patrol recommences.