The leshy crafter frowns at Thunderrot's reply, but soon turns back to digging around the valley floor himself looking for a stone. Continuing to slip along, Thunderrot can near the glowing monolith without any of the other creatures reacting too harshly to them for now. Taking in the stone up close they can see that is is covered with dozens of glowing and sinnous cyclopean runes. Drawing on their knowledge of the dark magicks involved, Thunderroot can carefully - while still trying to act casual - reach out with some stones and tools of their own and carefully strategically defaces a couple of the carved glyphs. The monolith continues to glow, but its light noticably dims.
As this is happening, Clebsch strides and slides down carefully to reach the valley floor in case is ally requires backup. The fighter is able to climb down easily, and takes careful cover amidst the rubble and bones on the valley floor
Welby moves to head down to assist Thunderrot as well. His descent however is...less subtle. The halfling's jurney down the walls disrupts enough rock and gravel and makes enough noise that severla of the odd 'leshies' look towards the halfling in confusion. The leaf leshy crafter also turns to looks at the halfling He calls out to Welby in a cheery voice.
Oh, hello! he cocks his head. You look a little creepy. But maybe you are friends too? Here to help? There are so many monsters about, and its a lot of work to fix it as just one leshy.
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Welby moves to head down to assist Thunderroot as well. His descent however is...less subtle. The halfling's journey down the walls disrupts enough rock and gravel and makes enough noise that several of the odd 'leshies' look towards the halfling in confusion. The leaf leshy crafter also turns to looks at the halfling He calls out to Welby in a cheery voice.Oh, hello! he cocks his head. You look a little creepy. But maybe you are friends too? Here to help? There are so many monsters about, and its a lot of work to fix it as just one leshy.
Welby freezes for a moment after being discovered but quickly recovers his composure. "Oh erm...Yes...hello. I was just...um...going for a stroll...in the...erm...untamed dangerous wilderness...and...uh..." He wipes the sweat off of his brow. "Well yes I imagine it is quite a lot of work fixing leshies when there are so many monsters about. I have the evening free. I would be quite happy to assist you. Have you thought of using some paste to fix your adhesion problems. I probably have some flour left in my pack. I bet we could whip some up in no time. I'm Welby by the way."
The halfling digs around in his pack and pulls out a muffin which he offers to the crafter. "Would you care for a muffin? Oh wait." On closer examination the muffin is crackling with electricity. "No not that one. It's primed to explode. Wait a minute." He digs around some more and pulls out a slightly squished muffin. "Aha! I thought I had one left. Strawberry! It's only a little bit flattened." He once again offers a muffin to the crafter."[/b]
Watching Welby's stumbling attempts at greetings from his hiding place atop Bob's shoulder, Manny shakes his head and facepalms.
Yuck. I don't need to eat food. Luckily. the leshy crafter says, declining Welby's muffin offer. Unless... He leans in slightly and squints at the food before shaking his head. No, I don't think that will work. Too fragile and crumbly. Plus the monsters might eat a body made out of that.
But if you have other things to craft with that could help! If you came this way you must have seen that the forest around here has gone all wrong. Very strange, sad. The plants are a very strange color: they’re green; the rivers never flow with blood; strange monsters everywhere! Just other day, I saw a thing. Like a rat, with a long, fluffy tail! Burying an acorn in the ground. Aah! Very horrifying! And my brother leshy says he saw a thing, four feet and a little white tail, branches on its head. Monsters everywhere! Very disturbing!
The leshy looks quite earnest as he says this. One of the smaller leshys, which looks like a fox that has been turned inside out and is leaking dead leaves from within, comes and bumps their head against the leshy crafter, as if comforting him.
So I think—something must be done! It’s unnatural, this place. But I’m only one leshy, so I’m making friends. Together, we’ll make this place work right, proper nature, with eye-mushrooms, and screaming flowers, and snakes! Not these bad snakes, only one head. Very upsetting. Should have sixteen heads! We will fix. I can do it too. Just taking a bit of time. But I am the greatest and smartest spirit of this forest! Eldest and wisest, self-maker and leshy-maker! You are very impressed? The leshy pauses, then casts a sidelong, hopeful glance at Welby. You are impressed?
--
As this is happening, Thunderroot is trying a second go at deactivating the runes about the monolith. While the disguised leshy's excuses and actions are still mollifying the leshies around them for now, the bard is having a bit more difficulty finding the right runes to scratch out.
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"I am indeed impressed. It's not every day one gets to experience wisdom of this sort. I would be honored to assist you in your friend-making efforts." The halfling chef sets down his backpack and rummages through it, pulling out his cookware, healer's toolkit, and alchemist's toolkit. "So would you like me to whip up some paste or should I perhaps use some of these bandages to assemble some body parts?"
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But if you have other things to craft with that could help! If you came this way you must have seen that the forest around here has gone all wrong. Very strange, sad. The plants are a very strange color: they’re green; the rivers never flow with blood; strange monsters everywhere! Just other day, I saw a thing. Like a rat, with a long, fluffy tail! Burying an acorn in the ground. Aah! Very horrifying! And my brother leshy says he saw a thing, four feet and a little white tail, branches on its head. Monsters everywhere! Very disturbing!
"...where exactly does the blood for the rivers come from? Is there bone marrow somewhere? Trees perhaps?"
As they watch, Hallow quickly realizes that two of their least-armored allies are currently down there on their own, and follows down after them.
So I think—something must be done! It’s unnatural, this place. But I’m only one leshy, so I’m making friends. Together, we’ll make this place work right, proper nature, with eye-mushrooms, and screaming flowers, and snakes! Not these bad snakes, only one head. Very upsetting. Should have sixteen heads! We will fix. I can do it too. Just taking a bit of time. But I am the greatest and smartest spirit of this forest! Eldest and wisest, self-maker and leshy-maker! You are very impressed? The leshy pauses, then casts a sidelong, hopeful glance at Welby. You are impressed?
"I am definitely impressed as well," they say, doing their best to put a poker face to a solid pumpkin. "I was born of this strange forest, but I have since come to realize what you have--that this is not how nature is supposed to be. Since then, I have taken it upon myself to modify myself to better suit it."
They glance over at the crumbling leshies. "Adhesive is a good idea, but I might also recommend finding some way to fortify their internal structures more. Perhaps the bones of some of the larger monsters you describe, such as the thing with antlers, or metal if you have access to it."
As Bob descends, Welby and Hallow both step forward with offers of help/'help' for his work. The crafter sees you two looking around and suggesting materials with a blank expression. Metal? That wouldn't be natural. That would be very unnatural! His head also cocks at Welby's removal of metal tools and cookware. Friends and help are goo, even from creepy looking things like you. But must be serious. Not ridiculous. Need goo normal parts. Like guts to tie. Or rats with all seven feet.
As their allies keep the crafter's focus on them - to varying degrees of amicability but drawing attention nonetheless - Thunderroot sweats dew while working at their sabotage. Their actions are starting to draw attention from the other new leshies, several of whihc start to turn and approach the bard. But Thunderroot manages to catch themselves as they start to act too 'normal' and adjust their behavior. The corrupted creations subside once more, allowing Thunderroot the time to scratch out several more carvings on the monolith. The rock's glow intensifies with bright light as key glyphs are broken. It flares...and then fades...and then vanishes entirely!
At the flash of light the leshy crafter turns from the Pathfinders talking to him to observe the monolith. As the stone's light dims you all see the glow vanish from the rock in his eye as well. The leshy blinks a few times, then reaches up and rips the fragment from his face and smashes it into the ground. He stands stock still for a moment, raising a hand to touch the gaping hole in his face where the cyclopean shard had so recently rested. He gingerly probes the hole, swaying like a sapling in the wind.
Oh. Oh. The leshy crafter looks about slowly, taking in the twisted and deformed leshys, the corrupted plant life, the burnt and ruined valley. ...it’s possible that I might have misinterpreted one or two things.
There is a very long pause. Oops.
The leshy crafter observes this, blinks a few times, then suddenly rips the monolith shard from his eye and smashes it against the ground.
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At the flash of light the leshy crafter turns from the Pathfinders talking to him to observe the monolith. As the stone's light dims you all see the glow vanish from the rock in his eye as well. The leshy blinks a few times, then reaches up and rips the fragment from his face and smashes it into the ground. He stands stock still for a moment, raising a hand to touch the gaping hole in his face where the cyclopean shard had so recently rested. He gingerly probes the hole, swaying like a sapling in the wind.
Oh. Oh. The leshy crafter looks about slowly, taking in the twisted and deformed leshys, the corrupted plant life, the burnt and ruined valley. ...it’s possible that I might have misinterpreted one or two things.There is a very long pause. Oops.
Hallow shrugs. "Perhaps. I don't believe your intentions were bad, however."
Hallow looks over the other corrupted leshies.
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...it’s possible that I might have misinterpreted one or two things.
"Indeed, but don't sweat it." Thunderroot smiles, raising their vines into a thumbs up. "And now you'll see what the beauty of nature is, without all that corruption and fire."
Thunderroot picks up the crumbs of the shard, looking for one particularly sharp piece that might function as a guitar pick.
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"Oh...Oh"The leshy crafter looks about slowly, taking in the twisted and deformed leshys, the corrupted plant life, the burnt and ruined valley. "...it’s possible that I might have misinterpreted one or two things."
There is a very long pause. "Oops."
"Ha! Don't worry about it my friend." Welby clasps the crafter on the shoulder and chuckles. "We all make mistakes from time to time. Heck a few months ago I spilled a whole cup of cinnamon into the dough when I was baking Manny for the day. Wow was he ever spicy! I had an interesting couple of days before I managed to bake up a new body for him."
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The leshy crafter looks around, still confused as he takes in all of the bizarre sights. Everything different a minute ago. Well, the same. But it looked like that same was 'good'. He turns to the monolith. It still stands with swirling curving script, but the magical glow is no more. I saw this fancy standing stone, clearly left by ancient druids and spirits. Then think I tripped or something. Woke up, the whole forest around looked wrong. I thought I was fixing things. But the pollution...was me?
While the leaf leshy processes what may have happened, Bláinn and Hallow looking around see that the remaining macabre leshys are still moving around. Some seem to slowly be sloughing off some of the rocks and animal parts the crafter had used for their bodies. They look like the bodies these nature spirits are animating are slowly returning towards 'normal', but some odd an ominous signs still remain on them.
Bláinn tries to approach an examine the newly-formed leshys' bodies. The skeleton can tell they clearly still bear a mark from their...unorthodox initial creation, but they don't seem to carry any deep or spreadable corruption based on what he can tell. Just lingering aesthetic signs.
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Urwal is thrilled to see the six of you return in one piece - and even more pleased when you give your report. So, the stone did indeed spread dark into the woods. he nods. The omens were right. But the leak is plugged. We will send more agents to examine and permanently dissolve the rock's magicks. Or perhaps smash it to pieces, he notes with a sigh. I foresee Kline advocating for it.
The iruxi shakes his head and smiles at you again. But those are troubles for future moons. Sit, rest, feast, sleep, before going home. What was broken is mended. You have much to revel in! Urwal also hands you in gratitude a red gemstone - "A memory of the fires now quenched" - and a single beacon shot - "A warrior's weapon". He and the Redpines are deeply pleased that the disturbance in the forest seems to have been halted.
The following morning before you pack up to head back to town and go your separate ways your tent is approached by yet another visitor. A leshy made out of hogweed strides up to you dragging a large cloth sack behind it. You note many of its petals look disturbingly like eyes as it appraches, but when it reaches out it raises its head to gaze at you with normal eyes and a normal face and says "Greatest heroes. Here is legendary sword. For good monsters." It drops the sack by your feet and starts wnadering back off into the forest. Unwrapping it you find a gleaming wrod whose blase is etched with the image of a long grasping arm