While Kara is offering food to the squirrel-like creature, Fluffy quietly closes the book he was reading from, and edges behind Sir Basil. Taking another step back he almost bumps into Huergar.
Jasper is excited more than anything to see the large squirrel-seeming creature. Kara beats him to feeding it, but he watches with keen interest, always seeking to retain experiences for stories to tell and songs to sing later.
"Ratatosk, hmm? I wonder if its family is nearby."
His thoughts turn to their purpose here, and he glances back to Basil, apparently knowledgeable on the situation.
"Are we headed in the right direction? I don't think our friend here has the weapon you seek."
Jasper grins at him as be begins to whistle a lilty beat.
"I can't be altogether sure ..but if we can communicate with it maybe it can set us in the right direction..or at least stop us going in the wrong one"
Basil looks at the rickety climbing ladder and considers stripping his plate off if he has to climb
Finrod wonders, are we to climb up, or down?
The ratatosk looks at the party inquisitively, and down at Kara's hand, he reaches out slowly to the food, and snatches it away and climbs about 15 feet up as quickly as he can. "What... you... want?" It says, obviously unsure of your intentions.
Kara holds up her hands in a gesture of peace.
"We're just here to look for something, a bow like my friend has, and don't mean you any harm. None of us are going to hurt you. Could you help us look for it?"
Finrod helps by staying out of it.
Basil inclines his head towards the Ratatosk.."Perhaps there is some service we can perform for you or your tribe in return for information"
Diplomacy
Fluffy wished he'd bought some tasty treats rather than basic rations on his shopping trip. With a sigh, he watched to see the creature's reaction to Kara's offer. At least it didn't look like it was going to eat him.
Japser decides to aid Kara, though he had no reason to resist, and he knew food probably meant more than words.
"Oh, you're adorable! While Sir Basil here isn't sure what service you'd like, I have a marvelous idea: How about a song? I know quite a few!"
Still trying to decide which way to go next. Up the rungs? Along the trunk? There is supposed to be a way to the Beastlands from here...
The Ratatosk, watching intently, hears Finrod speak of the fabled Beastlands. "It's past the withered branch." He says in common.
"I can take you there, but you must stop the withered branch from spreading! It's 'down' from here, as you would call it. Your help with the withered branch would be greatly appreciated, and we can arrange future guides for you... but only so far."
"Stop the withered branch from spreading?" Findrod rasps, his eyes sharply focused on the Ratatosk. "You need to tell us more than that if we are to help. What is the Withered Branch?"
The Withered Branch? That sounded weird enough to Kara to be part of the knowledge she had collected these past few years...
Basil grins..
"A threat to the World Tree is it..well Lord Tyr would not want that to go ignored I think."
The Ratatosk looks at Basil, "You... follow... Tyr? This is a great sign indeed... The withered branch is a tree within the tree. It's eating the branch to your destination. I believe you call it "down" from here, which is an easy climb for those such as myself, but may prove... difficult for you..."
His eyes dart left and right, as if he's expecting something to reach out and grab him.
"This tree-creature, if that is what it is, is rotting the branch somehow... It's tendrils attacking anything that gets close... I've lost friends to this thing... They were wounded and wouldn't stop bleeding with but a touch, and after that... the sickness set in... It's trying to stop travel... perhaps to the beastlands... perhaps elsewhere... You will help... us?"
Huergar:
Finrod steps forward eagerly. His eyes seem to have taken on a feverish gleam.
"Where is it? Can you show us?"
Basil gives a nod to the Squirrel like creature."Aye it won't be easy but we have to do it if it's in our way.We'll deal with this 'withered branch' and make things safe for your people"
"Break out the ropes my friends we're going to need them"
Fluffy fidgets excitedly. He looks at Sir Basil and seems to be about to say something, then appears to think better of it - worried that he'll be pestering the knight again.
Next he looks at Jasper and opens his mouth. Then closes it again as the same thought strikes him.
Eventually he shuffles over beside Huergar and whispers 'do you think it would help if someone was able to fly? Mr Finrod perhaps, then he could fire his bow at things if he had to'. He glances over at the elf, but appears too scared of him to suggest it to his face.
Not even looking at Fluffy several yards away Finrod says; "That will not be necessary Mr. Thistledown."
Finrod scrambles from the branch onto the trunk, walking upright down the vertical surface next to the rungs about ten feet before stopping.
"Shall we go?"
"Well climbing down in armour isn't going to be easy but I suppose I'll have to..now then let me go first my friends so that, in case I should fall, I will not carry you away with me. We should tie a rope off to the branch and have it as a safeguard too"
"Certainly... Lead you there, I will..." The ratatosk says. "It is down 3 days, and with tying off, this will take some time... Maybe a fourth day as well... Are you okay with this?"
The ratatosk's tail twitches as he begins his descent, leading the way for the party. He's avoiding the rungs, but, of course, seems to be having little trouble navigating the great tree.
Finrod is clearly eager to travel quickly, but he restrains himself and helps the rest of the company climb down.
Climb check 1:
Climb check 2:
Climb check 3:
Climb check 4:
He also tries to check the rungs ahead of the company, to make sure none of them are loose.
Perception 1:
Perception 2:
Perception 3:
Perception 4:
"Well at least we get to have a nice relaxing climb now, instead of fighting sword and bow for our lives." Kara says as she begins her descnet.
Basils climbs slowly and deliberately as there is no immediate threat.
Take 20 on each climb roll for a 15 total on each..(20 if we use the ropes)
"Last time I climbed a tree I was still in short britches. If I remember right that adventure ended with me arm in a splint and a bruise on me head the size of a duck egg. Ah... good times."
Climb checks
1d20+4 [19,4] = (23)
1d20+4 [16,4] = (20)
1d20+4 [19,4] = (23)
1d20+4 [18,4] = (22)
Jasper whistles a tune in a minor key as he unwinds his rope of climbing to use.
Climb 1:
Climb 2:
Climb 3:
Climb 4:
Fluffy looks rather nervously at the rungs on the tree. Despite being surefooted while walking along the branch, when it comes to climbing he appears much less confident. He carefully places one foot on a rung, and slowly starts to climb down.
If necessary Basil will remove his armour and take 10 instead of 20 giving him a 14 [19 with a rope]
While the party climbs, it takes more than 4 days to get down to the place where the 'withered branch' is. The rope of climbing assists Fluffy and Jasper quite handily. The ratatosk stops at the base of this branch. "This placed is owned by the withered branch." He whispers. "Cannot go further, it will eat me... Past the withered branch is an archway of branches... Walk through them, and you will be in the Beastlands."
The trees branches here are silent. Nuts, leaves, and other tree detrius cover the ground. All around you moss, barren branches, and split wood containing black hollows abounds. Some of the holes and splits in the bark are natural, as far as Finrod can see, while some of the marks are freshly torn or show bite marks that only a HUGE animal could make. The teeth must be several inches wide could have made. You hear a loud snap, as if a part of the tree itself were breaking, and suddenly the leaves are swirling around you. There are blackened branches coming from the black hollows, and they are grabbing for you!
Fluffy:
Initiative:
Perception:
Perception
Basil will begin to scan with detect evil as soon as he gets to the branch.
Initiative 20
Perception
|
Four climb checks:
1d20+13=22, 1d20+13=21, 1d20+13=16, 1d20+13=26
Perception check: 1d20+15=30
"Fluffy, now might be a good time for all of us to fly!" Huergar prepares to commit serious vegecide with his axe if necessary.
[bump]
Fluffy, Huergar, and Finrod:
Two of the tentacles reach out and slam at Corvax bouncing off of Corvax's armor, With another pair striking at Basil with but one succeeding for 18 points of damage (and the wound will bleed for 3 points a round hereafter).
Fortitude Save
Basil calls upon Tyrs power to smite evil slashes back at the tentacles using vital strike to pinpoint the weak points of the growth.
Activate smite as a swift action weapon bond to make sword holy as a standard action and vital strike as an attack action
Attack (34 if the opponent is an evil outsider)
Damage (36 if the opponent is an evil outsider)
You see a section of the limb that appears to have been gnawed through, and there is movement there. Somethign is definitely moving and growling from that position.
Frustrated at not seeing a target, Finrod tries to peer through the murk to that area.
Perception:Drawing a sunrod arrow from his quiver, Finrod strikes it alight with a sweeping movement against the ground, then draws it to his cheek and fires it right at that darkened area; its flight arcing up and wobbling like a blazing comet.
Shot:
Finrod's arrow wobbles into the air, and hits a nook in the tree, sticking there and glowing with the light of the sun, and inside (lit for everyone to see now), is a form that looks half rotted, with a tentacle or two weaving its way in and out of the whole (much easier to see now). The distance at this point from the "creature" is about 30 feet.
Basil's strike at the tentacle cleaves the thing in two, with the remaining tentacle writhing at his feet, another one soon takes its place.
Remember everyone within 10' of Basil gets a +4 on all saves against fear and charm effects
'Lorks!' exclaims Fluffy, 'look at the size of those tentacles'. He instinctively leaps back - even though the tentacles are not threatening him - and cowers behind Huergar, peering at the spot where they are emerging from behind the dwarf.
Standard Action - using Bit of Luck. If Huergar rolls a D20 before Fluffy's next turn he can roll twice and take the better result
Kara hums a tune as she draws her bow and knocks an arrow. She aims carefully and fires, sending a second arrow quickly after the first.