Jayma guides Azu to an easier path while the rest of you make your way across. Only Maximilian slips in the mud, striking his shin against a sharply angled stone hidden beneath the marsh water. He thinks he felt the bone snap. If it did not, it certainly felt like it.
Maximilian (34/48 hp)
The leaves of the rainbow cedar sapling grow ever brighter on the other side of the field. However, as soon as you reach the other side of the field, mists roll in from all sides. You can barely seen the shadows of each other's form within the mist.
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As the mist rolls in, Arlo looks around and shouts, "Is everyone still here? Quick, hold hands with the person next to you so nobody gets lost!"
He immediately tries to grab whichever person was nearest to him at the moment.
He finds Hobbs, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Good, thank Gozreh you're fine. Can you see the others?"
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Jayma watches as the mist rolls in and finds that she has trouble finding her way even with her excellent night vision. "This is odd. I usually don't have this much trouble seeing in the mist. I suspect magical forces are at work."
She's been relying heavily on her ancestors to get through this forest and sees no reason to stop; after all, that's what ancestors are for. She closes her eyes and sends out a call. "Is there anyone available who can help me? If I keep stumbling around in this mist any longer, I'll fall into a hole and end up joining you."
"Geb is it? I haven't heard from you in a while. So you know something about magical mists do you? Excellent... Ah, so the trick is to watch how the mist moves in the air currents and use that as a guide. Clever."
Jayma leads you through the mist, though few but Hobbs are able to figure what she is following to guide herself. The result is that she leads you out of the mist and into a small clearing in the dense forest, the sun dappling through the foliage. The sounds of wildlife fade, leaving a serene silence. At the center of the clearing stands a menhir circle composed of weathered, dark stone. The rainbow cedar hums, its gossamer leaves shimmering in the light.
This is clearly where the sapling is meant to be planted.
The menhir stones are carved with images of trees and tiny anthropomorphic creatures. Hobbs recognizes them as those gremlins he saw near the guard tower. A few others recognize them as kodama--guardian spirits of the forest.
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Arlo's eyes grow big at the sight of the menhirs, and he might let out a squeal at the sight of the kodama. "Oh, this is an excellent place, certainly worth the trek! I feel peace and serenity flowing from this place. I might come back here after the mission is over and retire from being a Pathfinder. Plus, I can tend to the rainbow cedar!"
He starts digging in his backpack and looks if he has any incense to help the sapling grow.
As you begin the work of planting the sapling, Azu spies movement at the edges of the glade. From the trees bordering the clearing, hundreds of small, vaguely humanoid shapes materialize into existence, each with a featureless stone face and wearing a rope made of braided straw. Interspersed through the branches, peeking from behind trunks, standing among the roots, the blank-faced spirits stare with hollow eyes into the clearing. Then, in unison, their heads begin to shake, drowning the silence with a cacophony of chimes and rattles. Suddenly, the noise stops, and the spirits are still.
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Arlo squeals more at the sight of the Kodama. He drops whatever it is he is doing and carefully approaches one of the spirits. In Druidic, he says "Don't worry, little fellas, we're here to help the ley lines. We've heard they were all tangled up and out of balance."
As a sign of friendship, he holds up his holy symbol of Gozreh.
If the Kodama don't appear to understand him, he says to the others, "Does anyone speak Sylvan? Woodland spirits tend to understand that."
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Jayma enters the clearing and immediately feels like this is where the sapling is to be planted. She could practically feel the dormant ley line yearning to reactivate beneath her.
She pulls the sapling from her pocket and holding it before her in both hands as if it were an offering, walks to the center of the stone circle and with one of her rarely-used daggers digs a hole. She then breaks the clay pot and places the sapling's roots into the hole before back-filling it with soil. Once all is done, she waves her hand and with a "deterge", her soiled hands and dagger are once more clean.
Jayma steps back to watch what happens.
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Limping after the others into the clearing, Maximilian lets out a sigh of relief as he sits against the menhir while Garnet starts getting out the supplies. Attempting to find a comfortable spot the rogue's attention is
"Greetings friends." Maximilian says in Sylvan hands open and welcoming. "We are planting this sapling." the Taldan points to Jayma. "To help restore the magic in this place."
As Jayma finishes planting the rainbow cedar sapling, Erinaceinae's hat begins to glow with a pleasant green light. It also feels pleasantly warm on the familiar's head.
The heads on the tiny spirit guardians jiggle with Arlo's appeal but there is no other sign of their reaction. When Maximilian makes his overture, the spirits suddenly appear a few feet closer and dozens more appear. Their carven expressions change to slightly pleased or curious.
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Jayma whispers something to Twyl; the familiar leaps off her shoulders and unfurls his wings as he begins to fall. He glides down easily to the ground not far from the tiny spirit guardians and waves at them in a friendly manner.
She then puts on a big smile and opens her arms to show that she means them no harm (while secretly hoping that they return the favor). Speaking Sylvan, the language of the creatures of the woods, she says, "We come in peace my spirit friends. We are here to reawaken the great magic river that runs below us." She uses one hand to indicate the new sapling. "We bring this tree to the Forest’s Heart Gate as an offering in the hope that it will release the repressed power flowing beneath our feet."
She speaks calmly and softly, but loudly enough for everyone in the clearing to hear. She then repeats what she said in Common in case the spirits don't understand Sylvan for some reason.
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As Jayma finishes planting the rainbow cedar sapling, Erinaceinae's hat begins to glow with a pleasant green light. It also feels pleasantly warm on the familiar's head.
Hobbs quickly pulls the hat off of his head and checks on Erinaceinae. "Are you okay Erinaceinae? These gremlins seem to want to bespell you." He frowns as he carefully examines the glowing hat in his hands. "Or perhaps they just wish to enchant my hat. At any rate be on your guard everyone. I've heard that gremlins can be tricky."
"I don't think they were attacking me Mr. Hobbs. I think maybe they're just playing. I saw one when I went into the fallen trees. He didn't seem threatening, just curious."
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"No no no Hobbs, these are friendly creatures! They're spirits of the forest, guardian creatures that protect and maintain the woods!"
Arlo then tries to convey that he's a cleric and druid of Gozreh, and explains the tenets of his deity, in the hope that it'll appease the Kodama. He might need someone to translate, though.
Dozens more kodama appear in the clearing as well as several near the freshly planted sapling. One of the kodama near the sapling lays a braided straw rope around the rainbow cedar. The sapling takes on a glow, and then all of the hundreds of tiny kodama make a rattling sound that lasts for a long moment. The sound stops suddenly, and the kodama vanish.
At Jayma's feet is another braided rope.
You are then free to make your somewhat less arduous journey out of the forest and on to the next gate...
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Jayma lets out a small held breath when the kodama vanish. She'd been in similar situations before and things had not always ended up so blood-free. She calls Twyl back to her and looks down to see the braided rope the kodama left behind. "What's this I wonder?" She bends down to pick it up. "A gift I presume. How delightful!" She hands it to Twyl. "Put this is a nice safe place in my backpack, won't you my dear?"
Given the choice of heading down to the cove or climbing a mountain, Jayma has no doubts as to her preference. "Let's head back to see Kukuha. We can get the next focus from her and head to the Cove."
"You're back! Excellent," Kukuha says as you return to the fortress. "No time to waste."
When you explain that you intend to go to the cove next, she scurries to her campsite and returns with a brownish‑green stone shaped like a twisting double helix. “This olivine fulgurite was created from green beach sand struck by a lightning elemental. It will serve nicely to channel the latent power of the stormy sea.”
Kukuha motions to a path leading to the southwest. “Follow that path as it turns to rock, and it’ll lead you to Airishin Cove, the location where you must place this focus. I scouted the location yesterday, and it seems a sea dragon has taken up refuge in the cove, right near the Wrathful Tide Gate. From afar, it seemed as though they might be struggling in some way, but I deemed it unwise to approach the dragon regardless. It would be a shame to fight them without parleying first. Perhaps you could earn the Society a mighty ally.”
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Zelphari perks up upon hearing that the next task will bring them to the see, and what's more, that it involves aiding a dragon. Faint electricity crackles around him, and his skin seems to momentarily take on a metallic bronze tinge.
"Can you describe the dragon further? I must say I have yet to encounter a sea dragon in all my travels."
"I did not get too close, as I said," Kukuha says. "But it had iridescent, sky-blue scales. Its body is long and thin. Probably easily as long as two horses standing end to end. Pearl antlers and long ears."
Preparing yourselves for the draconic encounter, you head down the path. Just as the tengu said, the path empties onto a water-worn trail upon volcanic stone that leads to the cove. Ocean waves gently lap at the sands of this horseshoe‑shaped cove. Rocky outcrops skirt the water’s edges, partially separating the cove’s waters from the larger sea. Near the beach, an azure, serpentine dragon lies on the sand, limbs folded despondently under his body, in front of a rocky peninsula stretching out into the waters. At the end of the peninsula sits a large dais.
The serpentine dragon springs to life, snarling and spraying water from his maw. “You! How dare you tread upon the domain of the great Aojimitsu, sovereign of Kayajima! Prepare for the unbridled wrath of the storm, the incarna—” The dragon coughs and sputters, then wipes his mouth and continues. “The incarnation of the sea’s fury! Bow before... before me... Oh, what’s the use...” The dragon collapses across the entrance of the peninsula.
“I couldn’t even defend what small stretch of ocean I claimed as my domain. What would the ancestors think of me now? Perhaps my destiny lies elsewhere...” the dragon cranes his neck, gazing out across the horizon. Aojimitsu sighs, then turns back to you. “I suppose my pride gets the best of me. I can at least defend this sand, this stone. So, who are you, and what are you doing treading upon my land?”
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Jayma looks on the despondent dragon and can't help but be impressed by their lithe shape and shimmering blue scales; it was an impressive and beautiful creature. Something had obviously put the dragon's spirits into the dumps though and she wondered what it was. She suspected that asking about it directly might not be the smartest way to start a conversation. She thinks back to what Kukuha said about trying to turn it into an ally of the Society and considered what the best way to go about it might be.
Her experience dealing with such people though was that a mixture of awe and flattery was a good way to start.
"Ah, so you're the great Aojimitsu we've heard such wonderful things about? We are extremely honored to finally meet you in person. I'm sorry to say that the descriptions we've been given of you do not give your impressive presence the proper credit. What reason could such a beautiful and awesome creature such as yourself have for such despondency? Surely any setbacks you've experienced are merely temporary in nature and easily rectified."
She pauses a moment to see how the dragon reacts to her words before continuing. "We are members of the Pathfinder Society and will soon be setting up a new lodge on the island. We have no intention of encroaching on your territory and in fact would consider it a great honor to help you defend the island and surrounding seas from outsiders intent on doing it ill. Does such an arrangement hold any appeal to you?"
Aojimitsu rises to loom higher as Jayma speaks. "You've heard of me? Yes. I am--or at least was--impressive," he says as the gnome pauses. "Those sea serpents, they were so... Ah, but how could I defend anyone else if I cannot even defend myself?"
As Arlo watches the interaction between Jayma and Aojimitsu, he discerns that the dragon seems lonely and that learning about an organization with the Society's values of cooperation would appeal to him. He also appears to have lost confidence in himself.
Influence Round 1.
Arlo
Azu
Hobbs
Jayma
Maximilian
Zelphari
Erinaceinae barely manages to maintain her perch atop Hobbs's head as he bows. She waves at the dragon.
"Hello."
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Zelphari study the dragon for a moment, then concentrates briefly. His naturally bronze skin suddenly takes a metallic tinge as claws manifest on his hands, crackling with electricity.
"The amount of draconic blood that runs through me is miniscule and I do not deign to compare myself to you. I had once thought this a curse, but I have come to recognise this as a gift. You are a dragon, and that is a thing of wonder and awe."
"Well, I have my teeth and my claws, of course," Aojimitsu answers Azu. "Not that they were much help against those sea serpents. I can turn into water; that is useful for getting away from danger. If someone were foolish enough to use forged weapons against me, my scales become even stronger. So don't try it."
He looks over at Maximilian. "Can't you see my injuries? Those wicked, nasty sea serpents... It is ridiculous, which is why I'm not a very good dragon." He sighs deeply as Zelphari reveals his own draconic heritage. "Your claws are probably stronger than mine."
Influence Round 2.
Arlo
Azu
Hobbs
Jayma
Maximilian
Zelphari