Wispil does his best to bring Kilitsi into the action.
HP 43/122
AC 25
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +12; Ancestral Geometry roll: xx (Reflex/Will/Fort)
Hero points: 3
Effects: Wounded 1, heroism!
"What happened?" Kilitsi asks as she reaches for her ax, the talisman around her neck fleshing and lending her the snarling badger's ferocity.
She climbs to her feet and swings again at the krooth.
Alessandria scorches both of the krooths, then Gentle Storm and Kiltisi tear into them, finishing them off!
"Yipes, that was a close one!" Wispil breaths a sigh of relief. "Freakin' lizards."
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Moving to Alessandria first Gentlestorm shakes his arm returning it to normal before placeing a hand near the embedded tooth and the gushing wound. "This does not look good."
After attempting to tend to the tooth, he works his druidic magic on actually tending the worst of the wounds themselves. He makes sure to keep the group stable for some extra time in order to minimize the possibility of rending them open again.
With an utter lack of squeamishness, Alessandria helps Gentle to pull the tooth from her body. "Thank you, she breathes, finally feeling like herself."
After tending to your wounds, you continue your patrol. A short time later, you discover signs of violence along a steep, forested hillside zigzagged with switchbacks. Fresh blood speckles the ground, and humanoid footprints mar the earth.
"I wonder what happened here," Wispil asks. "Nothing good, I bet."
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Following the fresh blood and footprints Gentlestorm kneels down and dabs his fingers into a bit, lifting it to his nose. "The splay of blood here, I believe whoever made it didn't just scrape themselves, but was being chased. Hounded by someone with a bow."
He turns down the pathway he believes it's led taking in several testing breaths through his nose.
"We should investigate. This way." He stands and starts following the trail immediately without question. Part of him is realizing the sheer scale of how quickly the violence perpetuated elsewhere in the Forest is spreading. For years it hadn't been 'this' bad, he thought to himself.
Kilitsi cocks her head? "Are you sure it's not that way?" she asks, pointing in the complete opposite direction. She shrugs as Gentle Storm indicates he thinks his original direction is more likely, and continues on, ax ready in her hands.
Gentle Storm follows the footprints 100 feet uphill, where the trail ends. At the bottom of the hill, you can make out a small figure tangled in the undergrowth. They move slowly, but it is clear they are very badly hurt.
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Wispil flies down the hill.
He calls up the power of nature around himself and heals the injured creature.
Digging her hooves into the ground with enough force to churn the earth in her wake, Alessandria descends the steep hill.
Kilitsi easily makes her way down as well. It helps when she can see where she's going. She only occasionally gets lost then.
Alessandria and Kilitsi easily clamber down the hill. There, at the bottom, is a gnome merchant. The pangender gnome groans in pain, holding their obviously broken leg. They are bloodied and bruised and seem to be on the verge of passing out. "Please, help," they beg. "Before Ruzadoya's butchers return to finish the job."
Alessandria immediately perks up, watching the treeline around her, and signaling to her companions on the hilltop to be Alert!.
"Make them well enough to ride, Wispil, and I will permit them to be carried."
"Here, eat this!" Wispil hands a berry to the injured gnome and sprinkles a dash of herbs on time.
The gnome sighs with relief. "Thank you," they say. "My name's Corenna. I travel within and around the forest, trading my wares. A short while ago, though, a soldier from the new Wildwood Lodge confronted me and tried to coerce me into joining Ruzadoya's service. When I refused, she and her goons hunted me down like an animal. I managed to get away, but in my haste I took a bad tumble down that hill.
"The soldier's name was Drinesh. She's a gaunt slaugh with razor-sharp teeth, red-feathered wings, and a bald head tattooed with a spiral pattern. We'd better keep an eye out for her in case she's still looking for me!"
"My eyes are always on the skies," Wispil assures the gnome. "Any of those wares that you'd want us to take off your hands? We're working for the Rootweft Lodge, and we could take you to a safe area."
"Rootweft, you say? Well, as accustomed as I am to life on the road, it might be nice to have a safe space to settle down for a bit. Take me to your Lodge, and I'll set up a stall where we can do business!"
Your patrol completed, you safel escort Corenna back to the Rootweft Lodge. There the gnome sets up shop, dubbing their "stall" Corenna's Miraculous Market. Corenna buys, sells, and trades goods, and they can special order items for you.
Kilitsi seems surprised when they arrive back at the Rootweft Lodge. "Like, I thought it was the other direction?" she murmurs mostly to herself.
After a few days time, Emorga All-Seer calls for a conclave to review recent findings and plan next steps. Once everyone has gathered, Emorga begins.
"Welcome. Thank you for your patience. The Rootweft Lodge sprouted in a hurricane, and while time is precious, it’s important we act with forethought."
Grendabor the arboreal nods. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our guards and scouts, we’ve learned Ruzadoya has three objectives. First, sparking war between the Verduran Forest, Andoran, and Taldor. Multiple strike forces roam the forest to root out and destroy any allies of Andoran and Taldor, likely affecting settlements like Bellis, Fusil, and Wispil. These strike forces will likely target settlements beyond our borders when Ruzadoya has eliminated sympathizers and rebels—rebels like us. I have dispatched forces of our own to track and waylay these foes.”
Emorga nods, adding, “I will bend my divinations to aid the scouts in their endeavor.”
“Second,” Grendabor continues. “Wildwood agents are conscripting residents to join Ruzadoya. Those who refuse are captured or killed. We can’t stop such a widespread effort, but we are spreading word to help innocents avoid this fate. All of us who travel beyond Tern Hill should watch for such behavior and offer aid when possible.”
“Lastly, Ruzadoya seeks Ghorus’s legacy,” adds Emorga, drawing a collective gasp from attendees. “Yes, I share your fears. Ruzadoya has ordered her followers to locate, plunder, and reactivate sites with a connection to Ghorus and his long-fallen lodge. You’ve all heard tales of the devastation Ghorus unleashed during his ill-fated war with Taldor before he fled in disgrace. I’m sure you know of the nightmares that could descend upon us: experimental magic, volatile weapons, mutated beasts, and much more that has been lost to history. Ruzadoya would wield this legacy against all of us—to reshape our home into a vehicle of war. We can not let her.”
Emorga turns to the four of you and asks you to perform a special mission: learn about Ghorus, visit his holdings, and retrieve any magic and weapons from these sites before the Wildwood Lodge does. Emorga provides you with two leads.
Corazal: You have a powerful ally in Corazal. Emorga suggests you visit Corazal to learn about Ghorus and where his ancient strongholds might have once stood. Emorga reminds you to be patient, as Corazal requires time to scan for lost lore and sift through their memories.
Felivaine: One of Ghorus’s followers still lives—an immortal dweomercat named Felivaine. Emorga suggests you find and speak with Felivaine, for there’s no greater source of information on Ghorus and his past operations. At this, Grendabor disagrees, noting that Felivaine can’t be trusted. After all, if the dweomercat fought alongside Ghorus, he might be equally sympathetic to Ruzadoya. Felivaine lives in Eilwith Glen, in the northeastern Verduran Forest.
When the conclave ends, Grendabor gives the guards and scouts deployment information, and the other attendees disperse. Emorga reminds you that Rootweft Lodge is here to support you and that Tern Hill will always be a safe place for you to rest, resupply, and take solace in community.
"We should talk to that big marble in the tree first, in case he needs time to take a nap...er, divine the secrets of Ghorus," Wispil suggests. "You gotta be careful around big cats, anyway. They aren't to be trusted. Present company excluded, of course."
Kilitsi looks a little confused about why Grendabor thinks Wispil is a settlement, instead of a duck, but she shrugs it off. Some people are, just, like a little bit clueless.
Kilitsi agrees with the general plan, though. See what information Corazal might be able to provide and then go approach Felivaine.
When you arrive at the Viridian Nexus, Corazal greets you telepathically in a chorus of whispers. "The rootweb told me you were coming, and what information you seek. Some of Ruzdoya Swiftmane's followers also visited recently, seeking information on Ghorus as well. I judged them as unworthy and turned them away. But I stand with you, and your cause.
"Join with me in communion, and we will delve into the annals of the past to see what secrets we might unearth."
VIRIDIAN NEXUS (LIBRARY 8)
Corazal Entreat Corazal to sift through the past on your behalf; Maximum RP 5; Research Checks DC 20 Diplomacy, DC 24 Performance, DC 24 Society, DC 29 Intimidation
Foliar Treatise: Corazal’s leaves detail events of the past in tiny, ever-shifting text; Maximum RP 10; Research Checks DC 19 Academia Lore or Library Lore, DC 22 Nature, DC 24 Society, DC 26 Perception
Rootbound Record: Spiritually connect with Corazal’s roots to tap into the soul of the Verduran Forest, and view visions of the past; Maximum RP 15; Research Checks DC 19 Academia Lore or Library Lore, DC 22 Diplomacy, DC 22 Occultism, DC 24 Perception (Sense Motive)
Wyrwood Researchers: Dozens of wyrwood attendants perform their own research, some have information pertinent to your studies; Maximum RP 5; Research Checks DC 22 Diplomacy, DC 24 Stealth, DC 26 Society
"Let's take a look at these leaves. There's probsbly something useful recorded!" Wispil starts to pore through the treatis.
"Like, can't you do it?" Kilitsi asks, batting her big eyes.
Alessandria isn't at her best in drawing forth the inner secrets of things, but rather in hunting or other service. Still, she knows her leaf-lore well enough, and spends time examining the foliar treatise.
At the end of the first day, you've made some progress, but not enough for any significant discoveries.
Wispil continues to poke through the archive.
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Gentlestorm can be found the second day still sound asleep in the nook he's found himself in Corazal's rootway. Though the days after he can be found looking over the shoulders of the other researchers much to some of their consternation. He even has to cleanse himself of strange visions at the end of the groups third day here.
Kilitsi continues to spend time with the other researchers, trying to get them to do the bulk of the work, since she's not particularly interested in it herself.
Alessandria stays amid the leaves with a single-minded focus that borders on mania, even if it doesn't reach the heights of what she would wish.
By the end of the fourth day, you've made some progress with your research into Ghorus and his legacy:
Ghorus founded his lodge, the Goroth Lodge, in response to Taldane expansionism. Incensed by Taldor’s unchecked greed and the destruction of swaths of the Verduran Forest, Ghorus rallied the forest’s inhabitants to fight back and resist. He often spoke to his followers from the same location—a quartet of ancient menhirs nestled into a hillside in the eastern Verduran Forest. His followers named this site Coronet, but with the fall of the Goroth Lodge, it was abandoned, and its location lost. Today, Ghorus’s legacy is complicated—he was a powerful spellcaster who deeply cared for the wilds, yet his aggressive strategies caused countless deaths.
Ghorus was well-known for pushing the boundaries of magic and nature and experimenting with plants. He created countless new spells, items, weapons, and even creatures, most of which involved plants and fungi. While leader of the Goroth Lodge, Ghorus conducted these experiments within his private abode, a place he referred to as his garden. Many of the weapons Ghorus created were terrifying and caused widespread devastation—from crops animating and strangling their farmers to half-beast, half-tree terrors spilling out of the forest to level villages. Many believe the nature of these experiments is why the location of Ghorus’s Garden remained secret to all but Ghorus’s most loyal and devoted followers.
As the war with Taldor dragged on and Ghorus spent more and more time isolated in his Garden, the forest’s inhabitants grew weary of conflict. Taldor mounted a decisive strike against Ghorus and his waning lodge. Ghorus survived and fled the Verduran Forest with what disciples, specimens, and weapons he could, eventually settling in Nex where he’s more famous for creating ghorans. Ghorus was forced to leave behind many of his creations and experiments. The few that have been rediscovered have caused death and destruction.
Your research uncovers the location of one of Ghorus's old storehouses in the eastern reaches of the Verduran Forest. Perhaps exploring it will yield more insights...
After days of research, Wispil is ready to spread his wings.
"Should he go to the warehouse? All of this reading is giving me a headache," the goose gripes. "If I look at any more leaves, I'm going to turn into a squirrel."
Kilitsi nods. "But it sounds like it may be tough to find..." she says hesitantly. She looks out to the west.
"Ugh...fine!"
Wispil goes back to the treatise.
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Little do the others know but, really Gentle Storm was just using this as an excuse to get another nap in the cozy nook. He just really enjoyed dozing off in this grove, so well connected to the rest of the greater woods.
But all things must eventually come to an end and the next day he is ready to do his best at leading the group onward to the lost warehouse of Ghorus.
Just as Alessandria fears her eyes will fall out of her head before she learns anything new, a chance reference sends her down a new rabbit hole that leads to discovery after discovery!
Kilitsi turns to the Wyrwood Researchers for help, but finds dealing with the little wooden people a bit taxing.
You glean some more insights, but not enough to reach a new threshold of knowledge.
***
The next day, you travel through the Elder Oak and make your way east several miles through the forest to site of the supply depot. This storehouse was one of many in the Verduran Forest. Magically constructed of stone, it’s a multi-room structure with a single entrance blocked
by a metal gate. The building is overgrown with dense vegetation.
The metal gate is ajar. Inside, the floor is coated in dirt and other filth, and tenacious plants grow along walls and flagstones.
"Careful there: Tracks coming in and out--at least one of them is human-shaped."