A Fistful of Flowers + A Few Flowers More

Game Master Delta Arena

"Here and there in the wilds of the Verduran Forest, a
seemingly normal plant suddenly reveals themself as a leshy,
a curious little human-shaped plant crafted by a druid as a
companion or minion. Sometimes, leshys outlive their druid
creators, while many others are set free to live their own lives.
Most of those who live in the Verduran Forest today have
stories along these lines, yet recently the forest’s clusters of
leshys have seemed thinner and fewer. You are but four of
these stories."

It’s hardly unusual for the leshys of Verduran to come and go as they please, but this morning it has become impossible to ignore the fact that your numbers have dwindled significantly. Many of those who remain grow fearful, and as the larger and more powerful leshys in the area, it’s your duty to protect the smaller spirits. It’s time to admit something is wrong. It’s time to investigate.

Fortunately, you have a lead as to what might be going on. The latest vanished locals are a pair of lavender leshys who often played down by a nearby river crossing. The river is fast enough to make crossing it difficult for leshys, but most of you used the rope bridge to cross. In fact, many leshys also enjoyed using it as a swing.

Unfortunately, all that remains of the bridge are fragments of vines hanging from the trees on both banks.

How do you proceed?

"This is as serious situation. We must ensure that all the spirits of the forest are safe. They are our friends. They are family. We have to protect them," Bottlespeaker with a tinge of anger in his voice.

Popcorn is, as usual, even angrier than Bottlespeaker, but she is able to focus on the problem at hand. "I built this bridge in the first place, so I should be able to repair it."

“You would do Briboribix proud,” Reaching Rings acknowledges the druid by positively comparing him to their creator. “But it seems odd that the bridge would decay so quickly,” the fungus remarks in their usual eerily calm voice, “especially if one as sturdy as Popcorn built it. Perhaps its rapid disintegration is connected to the disappearance of the lavender leshys?”

While Popcorn repairs the bridge, Reaching Rings investigates the area, searching for any signs of the lavender leshys and any clues as to what destroyed the bridge.

Crafting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Popcorn attempts to repair the bridge with vines and branches.

It doesn't take long for Reaching Rings to find something that stands out amidst the gravel on the river bank. As they approach they realize that there are tiny purple petals scattered throughout. Some of them are crushed. All of them are wet.

As Popcorn attempts to repair the bridge, she realizes that there are not enough materials on this bank of the river to complete the repairs. The are more vines and branches still hanging from the opposite side of the river. But one thing does become clear when looking at the remnants of the bridge: the vine and branches didn't snap, they were cut by a sword, or perhaps a knife from a larger creature.

"This wasn't an accident. Someone wrecked the bridge on purpose by cutting it with a weapon!"

Without waiting for the others to react to this revelation, Popcorn attempts to jump across so she can repair the other half of the bridge using the materials on the other side.

Athletics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Popcorn falls short of the other bank of the river in her attempt to jump. She dips into the water and the current begins to drag her. She grabs unto a fragment of vine and manages to pull herself back onto the shore where Bottlespeaker and Reaching Rings are.

Popcorn feels foolish. “I need to get to the other side to finish repairing the bridge. Do any of you have a spell or something that can help?”

“Yes, that appears to be the most likely theory,” Reaching Rings responds placidly to the snapdragon's revelation about the bridge. “But was this same weapon used upon our missing leshy kin? That would be disturbing indeed. Fortunately the lack of leshy is not commensurate with an increase in corpses, so I think we may rule out that possibility. Unless they were eaten, of course.” Unperturbed, the fungus glances over as Popcorn pulls herself out of the water. “Welcome back. I don't have a spell, but I do have some rope. Would that help?” They pull a long coil of rope (100') out of their pack and hand it over to the barbarian.

“On the other hand,” Rings continues serenely, as if uninterrupted, “they might have been threatened so badly with the weapon that they shed their petals. Shaken, or stirred. See?” The rogue points out the myriad petals. “The lavender leshies were definitely here—taking a refreshing swim, given how every single petal is wet—and … hmm. Crushed petals. Perhaps crushed by feet with footprints we can track?” They investigate the ground more closely, trying to find a trail to follow.

Survival: 1d1 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Oops, I realize why that roll is so horrible--I rolled a d0! Let's try that again ...
Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Haha, it wasn't meant to be.

Unfortunately for Rings, there doesn't seem to be any footprints to follow on this side of the river.

"I will help you Popcorn find vines and wood to fix your bridge," Bottlespeaker says while going off to find parts.

survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

After coming back he says to Reaching Rings,"Maybe there are some clues on the other side of the river. We should repair the bridge and proceed quickly."

Bottlespeaker concentrates in feeling his surroundings. Before long he has identified several vines and branches that could be used for the repairs. With Twinsprout's help he gathers them, bringing them to Popcorn. Together, with the aid of Ring's rope, it might be enough for a new bridge.

“An excellent hypothesis,” Reaching Rings agrees with the druid. “Hmm. But is this rope best used as part of the bridge itself, or as a separate guideline to hold onto? So many possibilities. We could even tie the rope to Popcorn—then she could swim across to attach the rope to the other side, and if the current is too strong we could help pull her back. Or …” the fungus gazes skyward, “… the smaller leshies used the former bridge as a swing, did they not? Perhaps we could achieve the same effect by tying the rope to a high enough branch and then swing across. Pardon me for a moment while I test this theory.”

The rogue takes back their rope for a moment, then finds a suitably tall tree with plenty of branches near the river to climb.
Athletics (climb): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Little by little, Rings climbs on one of the nearby trees. It takes them a few moments, weighted down by their equipment, but they manage to make their way to a high enough branch.

Popcorn rolls her eyes. "You could have just given me the rope." But she allows Reaching Rings to proceed with their plan to tie the rope.

Up in the tree, Reaching Rings securely ties one end of the rope around a strong, sturdy branch that can serve as a solid fulcrum for swinging, then rappels down to rejoin the others. “Here you are,” the fungus hands the rope over to Popcorn. “It’s all yours now.”

Popcorn attempts to swing across the bridge.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Popcorn rushes towards the rope and jumps unto it. She lets herself swing twice, building more speed with every swing, before letting herself fall. She doesn't let go of the rope completely, just enough to not have it carry her back. She lands safely on the opposite bank of the river with one end of the rope still in her hands.

Popcorn ties the end of the rope she’s holding to the nearest tree to free her hands, then starts repairing the rest of the bridge.

Crafting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Having gathered enough materials with the help of Bottlespeaker, and having crossed the river with the help of Ring's rope swing, Popcorn gets to work on fixing the bridge. Using the rope as a line she starts connecting the vines and fixing them to branches. The bridge is raise as from the river and it swings gently with the breeze.Bottlespeaker and Rings have no doubts that the bridge is safe to cross.

“Well done!” Reaching Rings praises the barbarian. “That was as quick as a sprout reaching for the sun!” The fungus crosses the bridge and resumes searching for footprints and other clues as to where the lavender leshies might have gone. With a nod to Bottlespeaker, they add “Let us see if your theory bears fruit.”

Bottlespeaker's theory does bear fruit. Coming out of the river there is a single set of muddy footprints. They belong to a medium-sized bipedal creature wearing heavy shoes with deep-carved grooves. There are occasional lavander petals besides them.

The trail leads away from the river and into the forest.

There is a unique condition for the first part of this adventure called Delayed. Thanks to Reaching Ring's Critical Success I'll Homebrew the opposite condition. The party is now Timely 1. Both Delayed and Timely affect the DC of certain checks.

Upon discovering the footprints, Reaching Rings exclaims “Definitive confirmation of your conjecture! I hypothesize that this heavy-booted creature has kidnapped the lavender leshies. Possibly even torturing them by plucking off their petals. Or, contrariwise, a random passerby leaving a trail of petals so she doesn’t get lost. Though I deem the latter unlikely.”

The theory-spouting fungus starts following the trail before pausing to look back at the others. “Quickly now! Shall we follow and rescue our friends?” Rings then continues, scouting ahead and behind in case of danger.

Action: Scout

survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Bottlespeaker nods approvingly of Reaching Ring's comments and says,"I believe I know how to follow our kidnapper's trail. Lets be on the lookout for any signs of him and our missing friends."

Following Bottlespeaker you make your way through the forest. At points, the dense vegetation hides the tracks, or large roots prevented tracks to be made in the first place. But Bottle speaker manages to find a lavander petal or a partial print even when the trail seems to be lost.

After about two hours following the trail, Bottlespeaker leads you to a small clearing in the forest. There is simple unoccupied campsite in the clearing. The smell of a recent fire is still noticeable in the area.

“By the Great Mold, you track as well as Briboribix,” Reaching Rings praises Bottlespeaker’s skill at following the partial trail. When they reach the clearing, the fungus lowers their voice into a cautious whisper.

“I surmise that our quarry grew tired and was forced to rest for the night. Or perhaps he felt an urgent need to clear and prepare a space to attract a mate? But in either case, the smell of smoke remains, so he cannot have been gone long. We must be close. Let us sense what we can sense.” With that, Reaching Rings steps into the clearing and begins searching the campsite for clues.

Amongst the campiste Rings finds half-burned jasmine candles and the remnants of trail rations. Furthermore, they find scatterings of shiny shells, smooth stones and burned feathers half-buried in the coals of the campfire.

Everyone recognizes these small items as common "lucky charms" worn, or carried, by smaller Leshys in the region.

Popcorn stares thoughtfully at the campfire and at the trail rations, as though trying to deduce something.

Cooking Lore: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Edit: I guess that probably should have been a secret check. Sorry.

“This is disturbing indeed,” Reaching Rings exclaims when he uncovers a wide array of lucky charms amidst the campfire coals. “Not only has our quarry removed and tried to destroy the talismans that protect our friends, the sheer number of charms suggest that our unknown foe might be responsible for all of the recent leshy disappearances, not just the lavender pair. I wonder if he acted alone, or in concert with others?” The fungus salvages what he can of the formerly ‘lucky’ charms, in the hopes of returning them to their owners.

“Bottlespeaker, can you see where the trail resumes from here?” Meanwhile Rings tries to think where the leshies might have been taken, given what the rogue knows about the forest.

They were likely taken to one of the cities or towns that border with the Verduran fores. To Ring's knowledge the closest one is the village of Petalbrook, a small settlement known for producing honey. It should only be an hour or two away.

Unfortunately, Rings doesn't know if Petalbrook is a part of the Taldan empire and, therefore, of the Wildwood Treaty that's supposed to protect the Verduran forest.

Bottlespeaker looks mortified at the situation and says,"Yes I will make sure that we find our missing friends. This is so so horrible. Justice must be served."

survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Bottlespeaker has no trouble picking up the trail on the other side of the campsite, but, as the party gets ready to follow it, a giggle comes the canopy.

I'll keep the survival roll for later.

From high-up a satchel falls, hitting Popcorn on the head. The satchel is filled with blue teardrop-shaped seeds that spill when it hits the ground. Then, a chirpy voice follows the satchel.
"Poooppcoorn! The seeds in that bag are just your type! Cook ‘em up and munch ‘em and you’ll toughen up for a bit! Sorry about hitting you in the head, but it’s such a tempting target!"

Fluttering down from the canopy is a pink-haired, yellow-winged pixie by the name of Glimmer.

Popcorn picks up the satchel and seeds. "Glimmer, this really isn't the time for this. A lot of leshies have disappeared lately, some of them most likely from this very campsite. Do you know anything relevant?"

"Oh..." Glimmer gasps. Her eyes are wide open and lips leave a gap in her mouth. "So that's what the fella was on about!

I was out and about gathering neat new seeds, like the ones in the satchel, when I came upon the campsite. There was a human man with shiny teeth, messy red hair, a green and yellow outfit, and muddy boots. He was yelling at something in his sack, saying something like 'Be quiet, or I'll throw more than your toys into the fire.' The sack went quiet at that point and he just began to eating his lunch with a big ugly smirk on his face. I watched a bit longer but nothing much really happened, so I just went up into the trees to take a nap. I don't really know how long that was but it Couldn’t have been too long though, since my naps don’t last that long!"

Popcorn quivers with barely restrained anger. ”Well, we know what our quarry looks like now.”

"Your quarry?" says Glimmer. Does that mean you're going after him? Oh, are you going to save the missing Leshys? That's wonderful news!"

While Popcorn talks with the pixie, Reaching Rings takes a minute to examine the blue seeds in the satchel. As a past hermit, the fungus isn’t particularly well adapted to social situations.

“Thank you for your gift,” Rings finally turns and addresses Glimmer. “Though I prefer to derive my nourishment from the old and decrepit, rather than the youngest of the young, the gesture is appreciated nonetheless. And thank you for the information about the human—that is helpful indeed. I conjecture that this human is probably taking our friends to a nearby settlement. Petalbrook is the closest village—perhaps an hour or so from here—and the most likely option. We should hurry and regain the trail, if what Glimmer says is true about her naps.”

As the fungus prepares to follow Bottlespeaker, they add “But beware—Petalbrook may not be part of the Wildwood Treaty that protects our forest. And worse, it is well-known for stealing from bees. I fear that our leshy friends might face forced slavery in an apiary if we do not rescue them.” The rogue pauses, then glances at Glimmer. "Is there anything else--besides this generous gift of unborn children for Popcorn to cook and eat--that you can offer, to aid us in our quest?"

A touch late to the area Fluff Fang catches up nearly out of breath. "Hooo, that was a trek, sorry to have kept you all waiting." They start. "Did you see that the bridge fell? I thought that bridge would stand as long as the Grandbridge." they finish with a slight sad nod to Popcorn

Recall Knowledge You recognize the seeds as Barkskin seeds. There seems to be enough for the four of you but they need to be cooked first. When cooked, they have a sweet taste and turn the consumer's skin to bark. They provide the same benefits as an oak potion, which is to say the same effect as the Oaken resilience spell. If consumed uncooked, they have a bitter taste and no significant effect besides staving off hunger.

What?! What do you mean the bridge fell? When did this happen? Is this all related to that nasty guy? She flutters around in circles, her face twisted by sadness and fear. I really wish there is more I could do to help you, but I can't. Besides keeping a watch on the camp. Would that help?

"You have always been a valuable member of this community and keeping watch of the camp would be a great help.," Bottlespeaker says kindly.

"Friends lets go rescue of those leshies. It may be fraught with danger but I know we can do it together.," he says turning to his friends.

Sorry I've been having computer issues lately

Glimmer waves at the party as they leave. "Good luck, I do hope you find everyone alright."

Bottlespeaker leads the party for another hour and a half, following the man's trail. The trail leads to the southern end of the forest and to the village of Petalbrook, which can be seen from the edge of the forest, where the trees start to thin and are replaced by fields of crops and wildflowers.

The party stands at the edge of the forest, with only the fields of crops and wildflowers separating them from Petalbrook.

once you leave the forest and into the fields you'll be out in the open.

As they continue following the trail, Reaching Rings describes what they know about the Barkskin seeds. But when they reach the edge of the forest, the fungus lowers its voice to a cautious whisper. “We should be careful now—this human has already kidnapped a number of leshies. I conjecture that he won’t be happy to see us on his trail. Worse, he might try to kidnap us too.”

Rings flattens himself to the ground and directs any others who might wish to follow his lead. “Just pretend that you’re part of the great underground fungus network, spreading everywhere unseen.”

Will help anyone wishing to Follow the Expert to Avoid Notice. Rings also has the Quiet Allies feat. I’ll let the GM roll the Stealth check depending on who (if anyone) follows suit.

Although it's not usually her style, Popcorn does her best to be sneaky.

Follow the Expert to Avoid Notice

Bottlespeaker, fluffy Fang, do you follow as well?

Yes I will follow as well. Sorry yesterday was a chaotic day.

"Yes I'll follow your lead. I'll do my best fungus impersonation. I like... decay. I like... decay," Bottlespeaker says following along very quietly.