Hammick cuts through the last hogweed leshy, the strike unleashing a toxic energy burst as the empty leshy vessel collahpses on top of Inzo, the smell of swine filling his nostrils.
Orla does her best to smother the fire with dirt, but it's simply crackling on leftover bruorsivi sap and burning too strong for her to
Nazgub strides forward and soothes the pain of the battered dwarf!
The remaining plum leshys are angry now and set their eyes on the "εκτροπές" that destroyed two of their own.
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Gabros, seeing Inzo and Amsu closing in on the farthest leshys, takes aim twice and unleashes two arrows on the plum leshy.
Both arrows find their mark just barely! The plum leshy collapses as another poisonous burst engulfs the area. The rallying cry of called out by the remaining leshys.
The remaining two leshys regroup and pelt the Bert and Inzo with rotten fruit! Bert holds his shield up, and avoids the worst of it, even if his shield reeks of rotten fruit.
Inzo; however, isn't so lucky and he gets pelted with some of the rotten plums.
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Inzo's shuriken badly damages the plum leshy , as pieces of bone, bark and fruit fall from its gaunt frame. It screams out Abyssal and both leshys turn their sights on Inzo. Bert, Orla, and Jaldan are slightly isolated from the rest, as the tall weeds to the west make passage difficult for the goblin lumberjack to reach them.
Jaldan wheezes, but her stout centaur body resists the noxious energy as she calls forth more water from her hand extinguishing another area covered in flame. Pleased with herself, she takes a step back and wipes her brow. "Phew!"
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Bert chokes and coughs as the flames and noxious gases almost become too much for him. He mutters: "Is that another one I owe to Nazgub? Ugh..."
He quickly sizes up the situation, and decides that stomping out flames further away from the explosive leshys seems a better course of action. Striding up beside Orla, he lets his feet do the talking.
Though he's not as effective at stomping as he would like, all the effort seems to have put out his own flames.
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Unable to be of further magical assistance except to attack, Uncle eyes Bert with concern and frustration at his own lack of ability to assist further.
He rushes across the battlefield, skirting the fight and slipping past Orla, Bert and Jaidan, to take cover behind another tree but near the flames.
Panting, he steels himself to take on the role of Amateur Goblin Firefighter next round.
Hammick, seeing the danger that his friends are in strikes down another leshy. He fails at first, but the second strike hits. Nazgub watches from behind a brusovi tree as the leshy collapses on the ground, exploding and releasing another burst of toxic energy at his friends.
Jaldan shudders as her body is assailed by the toxic emanation. A determined Orla steps up and does her best to suffocate some of the flames. After several tries, the tenacious halfling is victorious. Meanwhile, Gabros, seeing his friend in danger rushes forth, seeking in his satchel for a healing potion, hoping to reach Bert on time. Nazgub, at the same time, comes closer, ready to put out fires if need be.
The flames lick some more brusavi sap, immediately igniting another patch of the forest! It blazes suddenly and violently, the flames starting to crawl up the tree trunk as smoke thickens.
"Oh no!", Jaldan yells. "If it sets the tree on fire, it's going to explode!"
The remaining plum leshy continues talking in Abyssal to Inzo before pelting him with rotten fruit.
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Forest ablaze, it's almost impossible for Inzo to see across to the main group.
Since he's been cut off, he focusses on the hostile leshy in front of him.
"If this fire singes my dwarf's beard, you've got more than shuriken coming"
Action 1: Hunt Prey
Action 2: Hunted Shot
Action 3: Command Animal
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And with a quick flick from his shuriken and against all odds, a prone Inzo manages to strike his target just as Amsu leaps forward through the tall weeds and lands the killing blow on the physical shell of the last remaining plum leshy!
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Orla prays over Bert's fallen body at the same time that Hammick force feeds his potion down the sturdy dwarf's throat. Color returns to his ashen face.
"Will he be all right?", Jaldan asks worriedly as the fire crackles near you. She immediately goes over to put it out as you tend to the fallen rock dwarf.
It's not hard to imagine you might not feel the best. You're hurt, covered in soot, grime, rotten fruit juices running down your face and armor in a forest of combustible trees the color of dark wine. Jaldan meanwhile, has been extinguishing the last flames surrounding the brusavi tree. The forest is silent.
On seeing Bert looking better, Jaldan trots over to you, obviously tired and still suffering from the adrenaline rush, yet ecstatic. The forest is essentially undamaged. "You did it! You saved the forest!" She looks very close to hugging and spinning you around in her arms if you get close to her "When we get home, I'm going to make you all honorary Redpines!" She stops for a moment. "Uhm, or at least ask Auntie Kaana consider it!"
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Sprinting across the scarred and burned underbrush is our friend the Frostfur Goblin Inzo.
First it's to Amsu, embracing his cat, and getting singed. "Ow! I forgot. Don't worry Amsu, we'll get you-" -Orla heals-
Next he runs over to Orla, almost knocking her over with his enthusiasm. "Thank you for fixing up my cat. Desna's bloody wings she's great.
Then sprinting over and leaping off a charred log, Inzo flies and tackles Bert. "Bert, your... well we can fix your beard with scissors. Uncle's Gnomophone has some on the back."
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Bert sits up with a grumble, albeit a thankful one. Blackened, bloody, bruised, and sticky with rotten leshy goo, he's not a pretty sight.
"Mah thanks one again, Orla," he gives a nod to the halfling. "Desna must be gettin' sick o' hearin' about me in yer prayers. Oof it's that troublesome grumblepuss o' a dwarf again."
Grabbing the rim of his cracked shield, he levers himself up to a standing position, swaying slightly. He shoots Inzo a tender smile at the goblin's concern.
"Agh I ain't that attached to me beard, just handy to hide mah face from the sun an' pleasant company. It'll grow back quick 'nuff," he reaches up to touch the singed patches, and winces. "Might be needin' some attention if'n we're needin' to present a fine face for the Pathfinder Society in the near future."
"Well, that it? We bested the fiendish leshys an' saved the forest, or is this but a vanguard o' their force?"
"I-I think those weren't all of them. I mean, it's why we're meeting with the others at the camp, right? We need to get going if you're ready", determination set in her face. "Auntie Kaana and the others need to know about this!"
Once everyone is ready, Jaldan sets a hard pace for the camp, determined to get home before anything else goes wrong. You all shamble into the encampment just as the Redpines are setting up for the night. The camp is located at a bend in a small forest stream. Hides stretch from branch to branch, making for a cluster of oddly shaped but surprisingly large dwellings. A few trenches have been dug to reroute part of the stream and form a kind of moat or firebreak around the camp, and several decorated banners hang from spears driven into the ground. The smell of roasting meat wafts over the camp, and you all see several rabbits cooking over a fire.
Upon arriving Jaldan hails a sentry, her demeanor tired, but joyous upon the victory you had earlier in the afternoon.
"Welcome, Pathfinders", the sentry smiles as he readjusts his javelin. "Friends of the forest are always welcome here." A male centaur escorts you towards a patch of soft grass. "Sit here. I'll bring you something hot. You all look like you've had a miserable day, so far." A few minutes later you are given roast rabbit and wild greens. The same sentry as before walks over and chides Jaldan as she bites into a rabbit hunch. "Jaldan, the chief would like her report. At your pleasure."
"Oh no! I forgot!", Jaldan squeaks as she stands up and takes her rabbit with her.
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Uncle digs heartily into the offered food, throwing that much energy into his spells has left him hungry and he likes rabbit.
As the sentry returns, he calls out,
"A lot of recent fortifications here, we've heard about trouble coming from the forest, what have you been dealing with?"
He's seen for himself some of the threats but is interested if there's other things in the area.
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With needle and thread, Inzo patches himself up. For the burns, he gets out some of his famous ringtail slugs that he's been tending since they left Osirion. He rubs them over the burned bits.
"I have one for you Uncle!" He tosses one over.
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<<At the camp>>
"So tell me. You say that your trees walk around and talk? Leshy you call 'em? Back where we come from they're called Huldra, or a Wolf in sheep's clothing. Nasty buggers, gotta stay well away. Anyhow, I wanted to know. When did these Leshy start bugging you?"
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Gabros sits leans against a less charred tree as the party gathers their wits once more.
That was not pleasant, fire is not to be underestimated.
Walking over to Jaldan he unbuckles a shortsword from him belt and offers it to her hilt first.
"Would you care to wear this in case of further incident upon the road? I was intending to give it to you during the fight but the events rapidly descended in to chaos."
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Gabros keeps to the quick pace set by their guide but when they arrive at the camp he gratefully takes a seat on the soft grass and lies back, his hands behind his head.
"A moving plant is not a foe I am accustomed to an I am finding it hard to wrap my head around this..."
The rabbit is taken with hearty thanks, if cutlery is not provided Gabros will use his belt knife to cut and eat his meal rather than use his fingers.
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If the chief is visible from their seats Gabros will try to read the lips of those in the debriefing.
The sentry answers Nazgub in parting. "The leshys have gone mad, goblin and their death releases poison in the air. Squirrel carcasses riddled with fungi and skittering about on dozens of small branches, mosscovered goblin skulls creeping about on lashing vines, and even gourds filled with blood pine sap that light themselves on fire before flinging themselves at us or buildings to explode!" The sentry turns to answer Inzo. "Since late Calistril"
Before Jaldan leaves, she fidgets at the proffered sword. "Uhm, thank you, but I can't. I am only trained in the bow and Auntie Kaana doesn't want me to use a sword." Her voice takes a lecturing tone, perhaps one she has heard many times before. "'A shaman's place is not in the frontline dealing violence, but one of guidance.' Thank you anyway." she says before running off to report.
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About an hour later, you are approached by a golden-eyed lizardfolk with coppery scales.
"Stars move more easily than minds." The lizardfolk observes to no one in particular, sitting down on a log. "I am Urwal. Jaldan spoke to us. You have seen Finadar’s problem in flower and flesh. Tell me what you have seen."
Cutlery is not provided as you're expected to eat with your hands and without plates. The debriefing, unfortunately, does not occur near Gabros's keen sight. You do; however, read the lips of other centaurs regarding a large... 'scarecrow', if you read that correctly, stalking deeper in the woods.
There was talk in Mishkar about a missing scarecrow that got up and left for the forest, now that you think about it.
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Uncle takes the proffered slug and rubs it carefully on the inflammation caused by the poison explosion.
"Thanks, nephew. None for Bert though, no matter how much it would help, using that much slug would cause him to hallucinate."
He peers thoughtfully at Bert's visage.
"Well... perhaps a little for the worst of it."
He offers Bert the slug.
"This one still has lots left, just a little on your face where you feel it most, definitely none for your lips or eyes."
He replies to the sentry.
"Thank you, we had seen much of this for ourselves, as our scars will attest, although only accidental fire and not self-immolation."
(some time passes and the lizardfolk arrives)
"But the light of knowledge outshines the sun," replies Uncle to the lizardfolk's observation. He performs quick introductions and moves on to his report.
"Plant spirits, heedlessly expending their own essences of fire sap and poison to cause havoc. Destroying their own habitat with unchecked flame. Madness of unclear source."
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Orla replies brightly to the lizardfolk. "Hi Urwal! I'm Orla."
"The leshy that set upon us seemed to be tainted, as it were. I heard them speaking the tongue of demons, though I don't know anything of what they said."
Orla picks idly at her leftover rabbit bones. "It seemed to me that they were more than ready to die in order to inconvenience us." She shivers. "That don't seem to fit with what I've heard about leshy-folk, though I've never met one in person."
"You say they spoke in the tongue of those of chaos and madness? Interesting." Urwal gaze is distant, intrigued by this development.
"Let me tell you a story." Urwal says, changing the subject abruptly. "North of here, there is a valley. Dragons died there, and their bones linger. For centuries, goblins dwelled among the bones. They made rituals of fire and worship. Such a life is not for me, but the goblins were happy."
"Beneath the dragons’ graves lay a monolith. I have heard tale of it. Carven rock, six handspans tall, covered in the markings of the one-eyed shapers. For years past number, the stone slumbered, until even the stars changed above it. Then, as the Sun blessed the Newlyweds, the goblins’ rituals awoke the stone. It remembered its shapers. It remembered its purpose. And it remembered its powers. It called living fire into the dragons’ bones. Finadar burned. Pathfinders came to help. The stone was found, broken. All seemed well."
"But now the spirits grow strange and furious. Cenenviel and Kaana seek to guard their peoples’ lives. This is well. But I think it wise that someone seek out that stone. The stars agree."
Urwal is quiet for a long moment, and then nods briskly. "This is an auspicious night. The Dreamer is bright. Walk the camp, see where you may be of aid. Brighten the name of the Pathfinders. You will leave in the morning. For the valley. For the stone."