"We haven't done anything!" shouts Lilia. "We're here to help the dwellers of the forest. We've been sent to find Devarro, the druid, and request his help," she says trying to duck behind a tree to protect herself from the treant's flailing branches.
Will save
"Whell, thats whut they all shay! Oh, we're here to help the forest. We're here to help the forest. Then ya turn yer back and they're helping themselves TO the forest!"
The treant realizes he had just whacked the top off of a fellow tree. He tries to put the broken piece back on, which just falls off.
"She speaks the truth, master treant."
"Are you feeling okay? Can we offer you any assistance?"
"Ashishtance? I'll tell you how! You and all you pink little peshts can move out of our foresht and leave ush alone!"
The treant drinks something from a huge gourd it has been clutching.
"Well, Palombier the unicorn and all the dryads are our friends, too. We helped save their grove from those evil spriggans, and we are trying to save your forest whether you like it or not," Lilia yelled at the top of her lungs at the giant tree. "And you should stop drinking so much and help us save your forest!" Lilia had entered full-on lecture mode and was more mad than scared. She stepped out from behind the tree so she could see the treant as she was yelling at him.
“I don't drink sho much! I just enjoy the fruits o’ nature ever’ now and then. That’s all! Who shaysh any different? Have dose dryads been talkin’ ’bout me again?”
The treant takes another swig.
Ylera addresses it in Formal Sylvan "Master of Leaf and Root, we seek only the wisdom of Daeverro, we pledge to put aside axe and flame during our visit here and seek only to redress the wrongs done to your domain, I ask of your favor to let us pass."
Knowledge nature role
"Whell, huh. I don't know what to shay. It's been a while shince I've heard a human talk like that. Hey, you look familiar. Have I met you before?"
The treant tries to bend down to get a better look at Ylera, but topples forward and crashes into more trees. It is sheer luck that no one was crushed by the inebriated giant.
"Whell, huh. I don't know what to shay. It's been a while shince I've heard a human talk like that. Hey, you look familiar. Have I met you before?"
The treant tries to bend down to get a better look at Ylera, but topples forward and crashes into more trees. It is sheer luck that no one was crushed by the inebriated giant.
Ylera replies quickly "I would be sure to have remembered you if I had been so fortunate to have met you in the past, Lord of Leaves. For the courtesy of those present who are not schooled in the speech of the Forest, let us continue in the Common Tongue and in exchange my companions will offer a courtesy in return."
*Switching to Common* "The treant is badly dehydrated, a bit of watering would do him a lot of good."
Sarek rummages through his pack and pulls out his waterskin. He gives a silent prayer to Iomedae that he has enough for the creature.
"I know it's not much, but please take this.", he says as he hands it to Ylera.
"It would be nice if there was a stream or something nearby that we could carry him to?"
"Ylera, would one of my healing powers be enough to help him? I'm afraid I don't know much about these creatures. I've never encountered one in my travels."
Sarek rummages through his pack and pulls out his waterskin. He gives a silent prayer to Iomedae that he has enough for the creature.
"I know it's not much, but please take this.", he says as he hands it to Ylera.
"It would be nice if there was a stream or something nearby that we could carry him to?"
"Ylera, would one of my healing powers be enough to help him? I'm afraid I don't know much about these creatures. I've never encountered one in my travels."
"I do not think so, Sarek he is not wounded, he is suffering from water deprivation, as anyone would who has drunk alcohol to excess. Our best bet would be finding a stream or pond perhaps, short of that let us offer half of the water we are carrying, hopefully we should be able to abide on the rest until we can replenish our supply."
To the treant. "Perhaps friend, we can go to a nearby pond or stream, where we can share a drink of nature's bounty and then see how in aiding us, we can aid you."
"Master treant...water is just a short way from here. Please let us help you. Here is some water as a sign of good faith. Can you make a short walk to a stream if we help you?"
"I don't want yer water! I'm happy with my nodrim, thanksh you very much."
As if to punctuate his point, the treant drains his gourd then pulls out another.
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will save
knowledge nature
Quietly to his friends. "Plants need water and sunlight for sustenance, this infernal fog is definatly not helping either."
Taking out his waterskin Janus takes a long drought of water. Sighing in satisfaction he raises his waterskin and calls to the treant; "Ho, friend! Noone should drink alone! Let us join you in the bounties of nature and let us share drink and tales!"
"I've got a tale fer you. It's about a buncha peshky runts who won't shtop bothering a poor ol' treant. In the end he had ta tosh 'em out of the foresht jusht to get shome peash and quiet!"
He is about to take another drink when he pauses.
"Want shome?"
Hearing that water might get the treant's head screwed on properly, Lilia decided to take one for the team. "I will drink with you, but we have to go down to the stream first. When I start drinking I like to go swimming," she said turning and walking toward the stream. C'mon, bring the good stuff and we can enjoy nature's bounty by this pretty stream."
Bluff
"Perhaps you are afraid to lose a drinking contest to one as small as me, however. You might only have the tolerance of a sapling, so I will take it easy on you," the halfling taunted the treant, hoping she could manipulate him close to the water.
Intimidate
Will save: (+2 versus charm or compulsion)
Thediar casts command plants. "Come, great one. Let us drink of the pure waters. It will clear our heads and let us set forth a plan to face our foemen."
Charisma check: .
"Hrm. I don't know why, but you, I like. Yeah, 'bout time I got my feet wet."
The treant blunders its way to the stream. Just by standing in the clear waters, his leaves become green and lustrous, his bark dark and strong.
"Now I feel better. And worse too. So, why you critters looking for Devarro?"
"What do you know of this fog and the trespassers it has brought, good ... ah ... and might I inquire as to your name?
"Name's Vinroot. Yeah, I know the Fellnight Queen. In fact, I knew her before she became the Fellnight Queen. Nice, polite little girl. Later she got into big trouble with her folk fer usin' shadow magic. But the girl was stubborn as a pine tree and wouldn't change her ways. Lots of other stuff happened and things got nasty. In the end they got rid of her somehow. Now she's back, just when the forest has enough problems already. Makes an old tree like me want to do nothing but drink. Hey, yer going the wrong way if you want to get to Devarro. Climb on, I'll take ya!"
Lilia let out a squeal when she heard the treant would be carrying them to Devarro's place. "Thank you so much for taking us. This is brand new for me. Can I sit at the top of the tree...of you, I guess? That would be really fun. I bet you could see all over the forest from up there, or you could if there wasn't all this fog. Could you help me up there, Mr. Vinroot? Who got rid of the Queen, if you remember?" Now that things had slowed down again, Lilia's focus on topic had again began to wane.
"Hey, no sitting on my head. It's not a bird's nest you know. Who put away Rhoswen? The Highgrove Vale, the Fey Court and others. Rhoswen picked a fight with just about everyone. They got together and cast a great big spell that cut her kingdom off from the rest of the world. Now she's back and lookin' to get even."
It is almost sunset when Vinroot arrives at the strange round hill, where Devarro's invisible abode should be. With a wave of the dryad's white rose, the illusion falls and the cabin becomes visible. Beside the house is a square pit. Also coming into view are three massive stone monoliths on top of the hill.
"Want me to stick around? I've got nothing to do anyways."
"Sure, Mr. Vinroot. I've never met a treant before. I have a bunch of questions for you. Like your roots for instance. How do they work with you being able to walk around? Are you constantly hugry and/or thirsty? Oh, we're here. Wonder where Devarro is? Should we just go up and knock on his door?" Lilia asks, looking around the area.
If Devarro set his encampment up to be warded even against fey, but gave the dryads special leave to come visit, this might be a delicate meeting.
"Vinroot, would you be so kind as to introduce us properly to the druid?"
"Sure, Mr. Vinroot. I've never met a treant before. I have a bunch of questions for you. Like your roots for instance. How do they work with you being able to walk around? Are you constantly hugry and/or thirsty? Oh, we're here. Wonder where Devarro is? Should we just go up and knock on his door?" Lilia asks, looking around the area.
"Slow down, slow down! Yer talking to a tree here, not a chipmunk! Just keepin' my feet on the forest floor sustains me well enough. I reckon I won't last long elsewhere."
If Devarro set his encampment up to be warded even against fey, but gave the dryads special leave to come visit, this might be a delicate meeting.
"Vinroot, would you be so kind as to introduce us properly to the druid?"
"Uh, sure, why not! I haven't seen the boy in a while."
The treant strides down to the cabin.
"Hey Devarro, you inside? A bunch a' town folk is here to see ya."
Despite Vinroot's yelling, nobody answers.
James Jacobs' Gnome Fun Facts:
Gnome Fun Fact #1: A gnome can smell colors.
Gnome Fun Fact #2: Male gnomes like wearing pointed hats, but female gnomes prefer crazy hairstyles.
Gnome Fun Fact #3: When a gnome is crying, it's just because she can't think of something to laugh about.
Gnome Fun Fact #4: Gnomes can actually cut off the flow of blood to their brains and pass out simply by smiling too hard.
Gnome Fun Fact #5: A gnome's heart is on the right side of his chest, and it beats in reverse.
Gnome Fun Fact #6: Gnomes stole this fun fact from #7.
Gnome Fun Fact #8: Gnomes only have red blood when the blood is directly observed.
Gnome Fun Fact #9: Gnome fingernails and toenails actually CEASE TO GROW while they sleep.
Gnome Fun Fact #10: A mushroom is what happens if a gnome stays still for too long.
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"Uh oh," mutters Thediar.
He searches the area, to see how long its been since the place has been kept up, and whether there's any evidence of violence.
Everything about the cottage looks well-kept. Inside the pit is the rotting carcass of some sort of a four-legged animal, perhaps a wolf or a dog.
Oooh. How long dead? Also, Thediar raises detect magic.
"Let's get everyone inside the cloaked area, and then raise the illusion-screen back up. Can't imagine Devarro would be too happy if we let something nasty invade his stead while he's off on an errand."
"Excuse me Vinroot...do you recognize the animal in the pit?"
I hope that isn't Devarro's animal friend..., he thinks....
Sarak peers through the mist for any sign of movement or trouble.
Vinroot reaches into the pit and pulls out the stinking remains.
"Why it's Aspen, prince o' wolves. Now how did he end up down there?"
Maybe Devarro was on his way to the wedding, and we just missed each other, and the wolf, ah, ...
Heal:
"Janus, can you help determine the cause of Aspen's death?"
Aiding Janus' Knowledge (nature):
Before Lilia had a chance to respond to Vinroot's scolding her, she sees the body of the wolf, identified as Devarro's companion being pulled out of the pit. For the first time in a good bit, she falls quiet. In your youth she had tried to call a companion/familiar, but it had never quite taken. She could only omagine how distraught Devarro would be about this, assuming he was still alive.
How long ago? Did it die in the pit, or was it tossed in afterwards?
Sarek kneels by the animal and says a short prayer. "To treat an animal like this..." he says shaking his head as he pats the animals fur..
"Devarro must have been captured, delayed or worse..."
Sarek draws his sword and walks towards the house. He cautiously approaches the window and peers inside..
"Our foe is extra cruel to leave an animal to such a death as opposed to killing it outright. I fear the one we have come to see has met with foul play."
Perception
"Or has turned mad himself." Thediar is beginning to get a bad feeling about the wedding guests. "Uh oh."
Thediar whistles a little tune, and everybody feels a little braver. (bless, +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and saves against fear effects, duration 7 minutes).
The summer sun sets slowly but surely. In the gathering darkness the stone monoliths on the hill glitter with magic.
The door to the cabin is barred - not locked - from within. When an attempt is made to bash the door down someone inside opens it.
"Yes, can I help you?" asks a broad-shouldered, robust old man.
As the door opens, Thediar takes a step back to let Vinroot, or someone else, address the man and quietly casts discern lies.