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Marigold's arrow strikes true, then Ulfgar somehow finds enough of the misty creature to bury his war axe into to finally dispel it to the winds.
Marigold
Ulfgar -25 damage <hunt prey red>
Graeyson -24 damage <gravity weapon>
Tandang
Elsha -20 damage
Red weasel -78 damage <dead>
Czav -60 damage <moderate fire energy mutagen>
Orange weasel -53 damage <flying 5 feet up, 2 persistent fire>
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Graeyson and Czav try to down the final weasel as Elsha turns to a more beneficial task.
Marigold
Ulfgar -25 damage <hunt prey red>
Graeyson -24 damage <gravity weapon>
Elsha -20 damage
Czav -48 damage <moderate fire energy mutagen>
Tandang
Orange weasel -56 damage <dissociated form, flying 5 feet up, 2 persistent fire>
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His simple words echoing through the valley, the druid's icy ray is forceful enough to scatter the elemental into diminishing wisps that scatter away.
Marigold
Ulfgar -25 damage
Graeyson -24 damage
Elsha -20 damage
Czav -48 damage
Tandang
Orange weasel -67 damage <dead>
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The griffons at the top of the ridge eye you with some suspicion, one even taking a few cautious steps out to investigate.
The gate appears to be along the path far enough away from the griffons that you could approach it without disturbing them.
What do you do Pathfinders?
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Ulfgar gives a singular nod of accomplishment as he dispels one of the wind weasels.
He gives another nod of thanks to Tandang for the elixir before downing it.
He then gets out his healer's gear to sew himself up, taking advantage of some of the lichen growing around to stop the blood flow and seal the wounds.
He almost picks the Orange lichen by mistake but then finds some Red Lichen.
Finally, he gives a nod, makes sure his weapons are put away but close at hand and carefully approaches the griffons.
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"Hush now, frightened griffons! We mean no harm. We just eliminated those that threaten you." Tandang tells the griffons in hush words,
After trying to ease the instinctive worries of the griffons, Tandang can Treat Wounds w Natural Medicine feat.
Ulfgar:
HP for Ulfgar
Graeyson:
HP for Graeyson
Elsha:
Hero Point!
HP for Elsha
Czav:
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The griffons watch as Czav simply approaches the gate, but seem to allow it.
Tandang carefully mends the minor wound of the injured griffon. With full trust, the other two griffons part to allow entrance to their nest. The heads of nine wide-eyed griffon chicks pop up from over the edge of the nests within the cavern. With encouragement from the adults, the chicks scale the nests and approach you with curiosity, walking in turn toward each of you that approach. One carries a gold necklace in its beak with a pearl pendant. The chick drops it at Tandang's feet with a chirp and then scurries back to the nest.
Czav finds the ancient shrine gate is relatively intact, although wind erosion over the years has worn away at some of the stone elements. You can still make out two distinct faded carvings in the back wall of the gate: a katana framed by the sun, and a crescent moon etched with a depiction of the moon cycle.
At the center of the gate is a dais covered in carved channels, where Czav places the sky diamond. When he does so, the prism catches the afternoon light and refracts golden rays across the summit that flow through the dais’s channels into the mountaintop. Another wisp of the primal energy enters his pack. Remembering the previous shrine, he checks and sure enough, his mirror shines with golden light and dances lightly in the air for a few seconds when released.
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Returning to the center of the island, you can express your latest adventures to the tengu and prepare for the final gate.
Kukuha walks over to her campsite and returns bearing the small clay pot. Planted within the pot’s soil is a small sapling, with gossamer, rainbow-hued leaves sprouting from its budding branches.
“This is a rainbow cedar sapling, a magical tree attuned to the earth. It should make for an ideal focus for harnessing the power of the land.” Kukuha gestures toward the northwest. “It would seem the Forest’s Heart Gate rests within Makuzen. Journey deep within—this little one will let you know when you’ve reached the location.”
After deciding who shall bear the sapling, the team can set off on the path to the northwest.
In this direction, the forest grows dense, and as you travel, it becomes difficult to maintain a clear sense of direction. You spot occasional deer or birds darting between the trees and cross gentle streams, climb up root-ridden slopes, and pass by the countless trees. The path soon disappears into a tangle of vines and brush.
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Graeyson adeptly finds a quick route through the thicket. Near its center, an ancient guard tower is surrounded by trees that have grown since its abandonment. The tower consists of a crumbling staircase connecting the empty ground floor to a partially caved-in upper deck. Within its crumbling stone walls a rusted lockbox lies dormant that contains some ancient coins.
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Further ahead, a number of trees have fallen across the path, completely blocking the way.
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Before...
Before Czav recovers the focus, Elsha explains that this as a shrine to the lovers Shizuru (goddess of the sun, honor, ancestors, and swordplay) and Tsukiyo (deity of the moon, jade, and spirits).
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And now...
Elsha is thankful Graeyson can lead them through the thicket so confidently.
Elsha pipes up when they come across the tower.
This guard t-tower is similar in construction to K-Kayajima Fortress.
Then they arrive at the fallen trees and Elsha watches, impressed, as Marigold squeezes through easily. He is neither so nimble nor particularly athletic.
He eyes the trees for several moments...
I think if we moved the trees like so...
He points at very precise spots, explaining
These are points of l-leverage that makes the problem easy to clear up!
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The two dwarves do get stuck between the trees but (with Elsha's sage guidance) eventually make it through to meet up with the other party members. Within the tangle of trees is the remnants of an ancient kiln. The bare remnants of its past use, notably bits of clay with carved channels and a small glazed clay toy (shaped like a dog) lie scattered around it.
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The trees themselves open into a field that has turned to mud in recent rains.
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Ulfgar nods his thanks as he is helped through the trees.
He examines the abandoned kiln thoughtfully.
But sees nothing but interesting, if ancient craftsmanship.
At the swamp, he spits into the water, looking around carefully before trying to pick his way through. After all, a shallow bog to a human is neck deep trouble for a dwarf.
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Tandang recognizes the clay toy that is shaped like a dog. He picks it up and easily activates it before returning to the ground, causing energy to flow through the dog and cause its head and legs to move. The dog runs around in a playful pattern and wags its tail. "This dog is sure worth something! Let's bring it back in the Lodge!"
Tandang easily finds solid ground to avoid muds and bogs.
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Elsha appreciates the toy as explained by Tandang.
I used to s-see a lot of toys like that back in Qauntium.
He then moves to follow his teammates to solid ground. Seemingly they all proceeded smoothly.
He gets a little over-confident in picking a patch near Ulfgar that's less solid than what the dwarf is standing on.
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Czav smiles at Tandang playing with the dog but very quickly changes mood when seeing the swamp.
As expected, Czav is heavy and clumsy. He stumbles with difficulty through the logs, falls multiple times and gets increasingly more annoyed by the whole thing. At some point, pissed by his inability to get through, he draws his sword with anger and starts hacking things around... to no avail. With resignation, he calms down and goes on.
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Tandang and Graeyson are confident enough to even help Elsha and Czav through the worst of the gunk. Not all is well, as Marigold and Elsha have cut themselves on rocks and sharp branches hidden under the mud when they faltered.
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As the group leaves the mud field, a magical mist rolls in that limits vision and threatens to waylay the party.
At the edge of the mist, a crumbling shrine and trickling fountain hidden among the trees. Those of you who examine the ruins can notice faint imagery of what seems to be of a nine-tailed fox.
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The group combines talents to push through the magical mists easily. When the last of you has past the edge of the mist, an odd chime rings out behind you.
The dense forest gives way to a small clearing, 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. The menhir circle contains etchings of trees with depictions of thin faceless spirits interspersed.
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Ulfgar shrugs. He pulls out his clan dagger and goes to the side of the menhir. Giving it a little space he starts to dig with the weapon/tool.
Once he gets a big enough hole, he takes the sapling, carefully removes it from it's pot and places it in before then sweeping the dirt back over the roots.
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@Elsha Pretty close...
With the others gathered around, Ulfgar plants the delicate sapling. A lone bird cries out in the distance.
The sapling’s latent magic restores the gate, energy flowing from the sapling and illuminating the etchings of the menhir with lines of green light that plunge back into and course through the earth. A wisp of that energy intercepts the dwarf's pack and he finds his multitool now shines with a dull green light and exudes a pleasant warmth when handled.
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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When the embodied spirits appear, Ulfgar clutches the dagger in his hand tighter for a moment. But as they do not leap to the attack, he wipes the blade clean then sheaths the weapon.
He gives them a nod, then tamps down the loose soil around the sapling a little more before pointing to the menhir, then the tree then making an expansive upward gesture to indicate growth.