Karak had been sitting peacefully, looking out into the darkness and wondering when he would be able to get back to sleep, when suddenly he found himself grappled by a plant. "Oi! Everyone, wake up! Bloody well help me!" He called out, without even thinking. The vines were crushing him, and already he could taste the copper in his mouth. With the way things were going, he wasn't going to last more than a dozen seconds if something didn't change.
Karak breaks free!
The vine tries again to attack Karak!
But is promptly hit/caught again!
Status:
Karak: 2/31
Karak stopped yelling as he spat up blood. He couldn't believe that this was how he was going to die...killed by a plant. He wondered if Jarett was laughing, or if he had somehow angered his God. As these thoughts flashed through his mind his mount stomped and gored the plant, seeking to help the dwarf break free.
Woken by the sound of a dwarf being murdered by a plant, Kazell hurriedly stumbles over and casts Burning Hands at the plant creature thing. Even though she is still half asleep, she is very careful to aim the cone of fire so that it avoids hitting Karak.
The soundly asleep bard rolls over and pulls his blanket over his head to shut out the noise....
Waking to see his brethren being murdered by a murder vine, the tengu springs to his feet, and charges in, attempting to draw aggression from the plant monster over to him.
Again Karak wriggles free, as his mount hits twice, savaging the vine!
Kazell catches the vine in her blast, but it resists the fire damage!
The vine continues its assault on Karak:
miss!
Status:
Karak: 2/31
Vine: -17
”Not today, death, not today!” Karak said as he broke free and fled from the deadly vegetation. His ram continued to stomp and gore it to the best of its abilities.
As karak withdraws, his mount finishes the plant off!
Malik stirs awake in the aftermath of the plant's assault, Wha, what happened here?
Seeing Karak's obvious wounds, he draws the healing wand again, and applies it to the dwarf. That's pretty serious, we got lucky tonight....
Karak shuddered as Malik spoke, looking around warily at the woods. Suddenly every plant seemed like an enemy and every shadow an ambush. "The forest is alive." He whispered, before thanking Malik for tending to his wounds. "Let's check for more of these...things! And I think that for now on I'll wear all of my armor when standing watch."
Plant that doesn't burn, that's just not right mutters Kazell, before laying back down to sleep.
_____
In the morning, first thing, Kazell finds a place well away from the path and starts digging graves for the bodies they've been carting around (not Vi), and gets that done.
"Ignore the surgeon, go straight for the magic stick." Cra'rak grouses, before hunkering back down for the night.
You finish your night's rest, and rise the next day refreshed, restored on your spells, and with some additional vitality (hit points).
You begin again, 8 corpses of our brave muskateers and their faithful laqueys lighter, you enter a dark part of the woods.
As you enter this area, where the trees are withered and twisted, you notice a particular raven following you stealthily in the tree tops.
(fail)
The bard looks warily around the twisted trees, scanning for signs of danger, Not only are these trees slightly unnerving me, but there seems to be a peculiar raven following us now. Its like we've got a little friend up there, but I don't have a good feeling about this...
”Too late to turn around now.” Karak muttered. Thinking back to the vine attack, he wondered if there was any connection to the raven following them. He hoped not, because if so it meant that they were truly in danger.
After hearing about the raven from Malik, Kazell says
I'm hoping it is just the witch's familiar, letting her know that we are coming to get help.
"Indeed. Familiars are useful creatures. We should proceed quickly. I do not like this place."
As you continue into the area, the canopy thickens to the point where there are only thin bits of light come through and it is a perpetual twilight despite being midday.
The path twists and turns in on itself over and over again. . .
Kazell casts light on her bow, hoping it will brighten things up.
Then she turns to the raven and says
Would you like to show us the way?
"Perhaps Squak! can be of some assistance. I do recommend looking away for this part. It's not for the faint of heart." From within the stout tengu's frame, a horrid cross between a bird and a bat, about the same size as the raven but slightly translucent pushes its way out of Cra'rak's body. It blinks at him.
"This is Squak! My... I suppose it is easiest to just call it my familiar. Find us a path Squak!"
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Malik looks around the woods, feeling lost, Maybe it will lead us where we need to go? But I think it's over this way maybe?
The bard wasn't wrong, just very unsure of himself. Lost in a creepy wood... great; why did I leave the bar after all?
Deep in the forest, you manage to keep your way thanks to Malik's quick wits . . . head you see a small cabin, smoke pouring from the chimney slowly.
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”Well, let’s do this. What’s the worst that could happen?” Karak said dryly as he walked forward, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
The door opens as though of its own.
Inside a dark figure looms in the shadows.
[b]"I haven't had mortal visitors here for many years. Come in. . . what brings you to see the Witch of the Woods?"[/b
Malik nervously begins with the ominous words of the Witch of the Woods, Um greetings, Sylvia suggested we seek you out for aid. Our friend, Viatrix, died, and Sylvia, who were good friends with, suggested you as someone we could seek help from. Can you help us?
Seeing that Malik is struggling, Kazell adds
We are sorry to disturb your solitude, but we are greatly in need of your exalted skills in order to save our friend. We can pay, in coin or perhaps in service if you are in need, although we seek not to endanger additional lives to save this one.
"Yes, yes. . . Sylvia did well to send you to me!"
As she steps into the dim light, you get a clear look at the Witch of the Woods.
"Yes- I will take your coin, AND a service. This shall be my price. A simple service- and one heroes such as yourself shall be glad to undertake I am sure!"
"Appropriate that Sylvia sent you, you the means by which I shall finally rid myself of an old mutual acquaintance of ours! What do you know of Witch's Covens? Not much, I'd take- well know this- to form a coven there must be three witches. Our coven was three long ago- Sylvia, myself, and one other- the Green Witch she is called."
"We split the covens over differences years ago, but still the sympathetic bond of the coven prevents me from dealing with the Green Witch directly. Kill the Green Witch and for your coin I shall raise your friend."
Karak kept his face neutral, though inside he really didn’t like this. Payment in coin *and* hunting down a powerful witch? It was a tall order, but he didn’t see any other way out of this. He looked over at his companions to see their reactions.
Pray tell, O great one, why would heroes be interested in killing the Green witch? If we must, we can travel further to get our friend restored for coin alone, and that additional cost, both in time and in weight on our souls, seems a heavy burden.
"Yes, indeed, why would heroes such as yourselves want to kill a cannibal witch who feeds on the blood of children? Your village isn't so awful far from here- she'll take food from there eventually."
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A cannibal witch? Who feeds on the blood of children? Okay, we're listening. What else can you tell us about her?
"She is a type of creature known as a green hag- a monstrosity whose claws bestow weakness, besides her witch's spells she has natural spells- she leaves no trail when she passes, she speaks all tongues, she breathes air and water, and she can hide herself from sight and more things."
”We able to hunt invisible things?” Karak asked. ”I can fight what bleeds, but I have to see it first.”
"Perhaps bags of flour might be of some assistance? I can find by smell alone anything that is bloodied and battered."
We agree that the witch needs to be killed, and we agree to do it, but will you bring our friend back *before* we go after her, so that we may have her strength to help us? The witch does not need to be part of this bargain, since we would work to eliminate a threat to our home in any case. We will pay you the money for your help, and then we may go forward with additional strength to fulfill your wishes and our need to protect our town.
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Karak nodded at this logic. "Aye. Doesn't do ye any good to send people after her, having them fail, and then ending up without any gold and an incensed enemy. Better to get paid first, and then have yer assassins go in at full strength."
"No, you will want to deal with her quickly, will you not? She may have a victim in her over as we speak, and it will take me some time to gather the supplies I need to do the casting and prepare.
I am certain you will not fail in this-- I've cast the bones myself."
”A’ight...” Karak said. ”How about potions then? Got any that’s let one of us see if she goes invisible? We could buy it from ye. Even if we beat her down, that would let us know if she runs and if so where.”
Trusting the witch less and less with every word she says, Kazell wonders if they should go elsewhere to revive Vi, for that was their primary mission, and all they had to go on about the supposedly cannibal other witch was her word. She wanted to get some corroboration from Sylvia before approaching that task.
We will definitely look into that for you, but I think perhaps we should get our friend revived elsewhere, as that is our primary need at this time.
"Oh, suit yourselves then-- perhaps you can even make it back before your little village is wiped off the map too." she lets out a pretty malevolent cackle, "This is the fastest way for you- and it eliminates another threat from the woods. What do you have to lose, truly?"
What do you mean, before our village is wiped off the map? Is there something else going on?
"Life and death are hard to balance correctly. My first and last experimentation into the field of revitalization resulted in Squak!, who cannot even go more than 100ft from me without perishing. I would kill it to put it from it's misery, but it's soul is lost between worlds, and it keeps returning to me. If you do not want that for your friend, our options are limited." The tengu pauses. "It would please me greatly if V were to come back to us. But our first priority must be to the town. We cannot afford to be gone for the extended period that a hunt for a powerful hag in her lair might take. However, if she approaches us in our lair, I'm sure she'd learn quickly that dwarven steel is not to be trifled with. Indeed, I have always wanted to study a hag..."
"Something else going on beside the two armies camped there now? Who knows when they will attack, no?"
"As for time- no need to hunt for her. No, indeed! I can send you to her. One spell and you'll appear just outside her hut- simple, no? And while you deal with her, I will prepare to bring back your friend. . ."
Kazell looked around at her group, wondering if they really had any choice at this point. None of them volunteered an opinion otherwise, so finally, she nodded at the witch.
So be it.
Karak idly touched his armor, feeling the dents and rents where bullets had pierced it. He hadn't even had enough time to do any repairs, and already they were going back into battle. With a sigh he nodded. "Aye then. Let's get it done."