Strahd's "RttToEE"

You sit around a bonfire, trying to enjoy the little warmth it spreads and to keep the fire from dying while the wind whistles around the trees, raising the rotten dead leaves with swirling updrafts, threatening to lay them like a chocking wet blanket on the fire.
The horses are tied to the nearest tree, clearly they are restless.
At first all was quiet but the wind and crackling flames of the bonfire, then tree’s branches began to rattle and cast spooky shadows over the area, and then you heard the moans, the forest moaned, a low bass voice resembling an old farmer, that tries to lift a giant pile of hay all alone, it drew closer and louder.
If it was not enough, fog began to rise, obscuring visibility in the forest to several tens of meters.

Kobryn is on his feet at once, his sword brandished. He moves a bit away from the fire, and stares off into the distance, hoping to spot something with his dwarven darkvision.

"Stay close together and close to the fire." Miltiades pulls out his holy symbol and readies it just in case.

Korbryn grumbles as he looks about for sign of an enemy. "Why it always be ghastly noises an' dark 'appenings? Why can it not be a nice, friendly ogre come fer dinner?"

[sblock= spot dc: 17]
There is something inside the trees!!
Beside it, the outlines of dark shapes can be seen barely in the fog.
[/sblock]

Suddenly, something moves from inside a nearby tree. The strange humanoid-shaped creature bears a large wooden shield and club. Small black eyes glower at you from within deep pits in its face. Its body is covered in bark and burls of muscle, and a circle of branch stubs crowns it head.
The creature speaks with a low bass voice to Korbryn and with an unfamiliar language.



[sblock=Sylvan]
"This is not a place for a rock dweller. Get out from the forest before the dead will rise."
[/sblock]

Another creature steps from another tree from the back, he glares at the bon fire and the burning wood, his eyes glare with hate and anger. He then speaks

[sblock=Sylvan]
"The dead will punish you for hurting the forest, plain dwellers, redeem and escape."
[/sblock]

Korbryn growls low in his throat, steps back into the firelight, and raises his greatsword in a guard position. He didn't know if they'd understand him, but that didn't keep him from at least issuing a warning: "Get ye gone, back t' yer trees! We've got no fight wid ye, but if ye come closer, ye'll be the worse fer it!"


OOC: How big are these things?

OOC: Spot 14

The Kid is on his feet, daggers ready. He looks over to the rest. What's it saying?

Lenuran

Roused from his sleep, the old gnome looks up at the gigantic tree creatures with amazement.

As they begin to speak the gnome curses,"Damn -- figures one of the few things on this land that I cannot understand would pop out of a tree!"

He studies its body language,"I'm no expert in their language, but I think they don't like the fire."

OOC:
No speaka da sylvan.

Spot Check=16

priest of peace and reason

Spot check 23!

"Careful, they are in all the trees here." Miltiades attempts to defuse the situation. He calmly lays down his spear, picks up a pail of water and points to it then the fire, turning to the creatures waiting for their confirmation. If they seem to want him to do so he will pour it onto the fire, partially quenching it. He will then calmly approach, hands open then show them his holy symbol, hold up a hand for them to wait and watch, cast comprehend languages, and then gesture for the lead one to speak.

diplomacy 21

Settling down the bonfire to burning coals, Miltiades cast a spell and tries to motion for the tree shape creatures. *Cast comprehends languages*

The angry one relax a little bit when Miltiades nods to the fire, he then speaks
[sblock=Sylvan (Miltiades can understand but not speak)]
"Fool plain dwellers, I assume you cannot understand me, but maybe you can. You entered in to the forest of the dead, and they are already approaching."
He nods to the mist
"We hate the rock and plain dwellers, but we hate the dead of the forest more, flee if you precious your lives and send a word that this forest is closed to outsiders"
[/sblock]

With that, the creature enters into a tree. The other one looks at Korbryn, then into the mist. Everyone can now see dark shapes approaching to the dying bonfire. The creature walks into the nearby tree and disappears.

***************************************************

Moments pass, and the dark figures take shape, looks like humans and humanoids, or what was left of them – Zombies and lots of them! and some other creepy things that do not look alive at all.
Three of them look like a skeleton that is trapped inside a bloated rotting flesh with holes that drip oozing pus. Two other are zombie like creatures but they look infested with leprosy, weird fleshy tentacles jut out from their body, their face resemble disfigured elves with sharp teeth and clawed sharp hands. Their hairless, gray skinned body is covered in oozing sores that weep a pale white fluid.

[sblock=Map legend]
Black circles with T – the undead with tentacles.
Black circles with P – the bulbous oozing things.
1,2,3,4,...,15 – Zombies.
H1,2,3,4,5 – Your Horses are tied to the trees.
W1 , W2 – are the two wood creatures that vanished into the trees.

The area is covered with twisted trunks (Green star), fallen logs (Long green lines), roots and fallen treetops, so uneven terrain is marked with brown background.
Fighting without a (-3) penalty on uneven terrain will require a balance check. Passing through it will require half movement or regular movement with balance check (but fail means falling).
If you “encounter” a fallen log you can pass a jump check to pass it and continue regular movement, failing means that you stay before the log and lose 10’ of movement.
[/sblock]





Please roll inits.