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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3423215" data-attributes="member: 35788">Semeion scanned the horizon.  “I don’t know about either of you, but I know that my power is being drained fairly quickly for the day.  We’ve got a fair amount of traveling yet to do; and if we keep up this pace we’ll be in trouble.”Rhema nodded.  “I agree.  My powers are not as limitless as Ischarus’ strikes with the sword.  But even then we can each only stand as long as Charis has the power to heal.”Charis pointed deeper into the forest with the handle of her pick.  Her fingers tightly gripped the joint where the head and the handle met.  “I can heal a good bit more.  So far we’ve been lucky.  And I have a feeling that the best way to stay safe is to stay one step ahead of reinforcements.  The quicker we move, the harder we’ll be to find.”Ischarus slipped his blade back into the scabbard once he was sure that another attack wasn’t looming in the trees.  “I’ve got to agree with Charis.  We can’t stop here; we’re on the border of territories and are likely to attract attention from both of our enemies.  If we move deeper into the land we will have a better idea of the form that our opponents are going to take.”Semeion acquiesced.  “Lead on, then.  I’d assume the druid’s grove to be near the center of his land?”Semeion’s question passed unanswered as Ischarus pushed aside the thin branches of a nearby sapling.  His eyes had spotted a rough trail made by the passing of several animals.  With any luck, trails like these could eventually lead them to the druid’s grove.  With any luck, they would find the root that they needed before they met the druid.The journey through the druid’s land was slow and painstaking.  The land had formed around the druid’s wishes and control.  Since the land bowed to the will of the druid, he didn’t need to worry about the dangers of difficult terrain or complicated underbrush.  The earth and the plants had enough respect for the powerful druid that they removed any obstacles before the druid needed to cross them.  Wherever the druid wanted to walk the ground was easily graded and a trail was present.However, this also meant that the druid could shape the land into a foreboding landscape as well.  As difficult as he could make the land, it would always reform itself for his passing and then revert to difficult terrain once he passed by.  His creations would quickly learn how to traverse the difficult terrain.  Intruders upon his domain were put at a great disadvantage from the landscape, however.  It was as if the land conspired against them at every turn.The five adventurers passed through an area of rocky ground and Ischarus had more than once nearly turned an ankle in trying to find a passable path.  They had been slowly descending in elevation into a small valley.  If the rate of the growth of vegetation had anything to indicate, the druid’s grove was on the other side of the valley.  The hills across the valley were significantly richer in plant life; although the hills on this side of the valley were not insignificant themselves.As Ischarus passed the halfway point in descent into the valley, he also passed by what appeared to be a blue lupine plant.  Its flower spike was already stretching toward the sun and many of seedpods on the main stem had begun to turn blue in maturity.  When Ischarus passed by, the flower spike wavered as though a breeze had blown it closer to Ischarus.In an instant the blue seeds atop the main flower spike revealed their true nature.  The flower spikes were merely a disguise for a more sinister plant.  The plant bent the spike away from Ischarus and then snapped itself forward as though the flower spike was a short whip.  Several of the seedpods shot off the flower spike and nearly struck Ischarus in the leg.Charis had been right behind Ischarus when she saw the plant fire its attack.  She turned, ducked, and yelled as Ischarus dove forward.  “Watch out!”  Semeion, Rhema, and Ophee heard the warning and ascended to a safe distance along the trail they had been working their way down.Rhema turned and called to Ischarus as she retreated.  “Ischarus, are you alright?”Ischarus didn’t bother to respond.  Instead, he watched as the plant seemed to be able to uproot itself and use its roots to crawl in the general direction that it had thrown the false seedpods.  Two tendrils on either side of the plant swept the area in front of it, clearly looking for any victims who might have been hit with the attack.Charis gingerly reached to pick up one of the blue seedpods.  The seedpod was secreting a clear liquid and Charis’ eyes grew wide.  “Toxin!  This plant has a poison that is designed to stun a person and strip them of their strength!”Ischarus charged up the hill past the slow moving plant.  There was little doubt that he could outrun the plant and thus there wasn’t any need to stay around and fight the odd creation.  As he approached Charis, he reached out and knocked the poisonous seedpod from her hand and lifted her off of her knees.  “No need to stick around, Charis.  If that thing can throw a toxin to stun a person, I don’t want to see what would happen if it succeeded.  Let’s get out of here.”The pair retreated up to the safer distance and together with the three who had already retreated they watched with morbid curiosity as the plant swept across the ground in search of a victim.  Rhema was deeply intrigued by the movements of the plant.  “Well, it obviously doesn’t have eyes, or it would have known that it missed all of its marks.”Semeion nodded.  He had also taking a deep interest in the plant.  “I imagine that the blue seedpods are supposed to be a lure.  They likely attract attention and cause its victims to stop and observe them.  The tendrils must have some sort of hairs upon them that are sensitive enough to the movement of air to know when a victim has passed by.  Of course, that would mean that the plant would have to search for any victims it strikes, rather than see where the poison took hold.”Ophee frowned as she looked to the plant.  “But, if it has no eyes nor a mouth, how does it eat its victims?”Semeion smiled.  “I’ve heard of plants who behave in a similar manner.  Once their victim is subdued or dead, the plant simply excavates a hole to set the body of its victim in.  Then, it settles its own roots upon the body so that as the body decays the roots can absorb the flesh as it begins to break apart.”Ophee shuddered.  “That’s a horrible thought.”Ischarus looked up to the top of the valley that they had begun to descend.  “Indeed it is.  And I would suggest we continue to backtrack and find another way around the valley.  I’d like to think that the druid has provided trails for his minions that aren’t in danger of these plants.  If that’s the case, I’d like to find one of them.”[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Semeion scanned the horizon. “I don’t know about either of you, but I know that my power is being drained fairly quickly for the day. We’ve got a fair amount of traveling yet to do; and if we keep up this pace we’ll be in trouble.”Rhema nodded. “I agree. My powers are not as limitless as Ischarus’ strikes with the sword. But even then we can each only stand as long as Charis has the power to heal.”Charis pointed deeper into the forest with the handle of her pick. Her fingers tightly gripped the joint where the head and the handle met. “I can heal a good bit more. So far we’ve been lucky. And I have a feeling that the best way to stay safe is to stay one step ahead of reinforcements. The quicker we move, the harder we’ll be to find.”Ischarus slipped his blade back into the scabbard once he was sure that another attack wasn’t looming in the trees. “I’ve got to agree with Charis. We can’t stop here; we’re on the border of territories and are likely to attract attention from both of our enemies. If we move deeper into the land we will have a better idea of the form that our opponents are going to take.”Semeion acquiesced. “Lead on, then. I’d assume the druid’s grove to be near the center of his land?”Semeion’s question passed unanswered as Ischarus pushed aside the thin branches of a nearby sapling. His eyes had spotted a rough trail made by the passing of several animals. With any luck, trails like these could eventually lead them to the druid’s grove. With any luck, they would find the root that they needed before they met the druid.The journey through the druid’s land was slow and painstaking. The land had formed around the druid’s wishes and control. Since the land bowed to the will of the druid, he didn’t need to worry about the dangers of difficult terrain or complicated underbrush. The earth and the plants had enough respect for the powerful druid that they removed any obstacles before the druid needed to cross them. Wherever the druid wanted to walk the ground was easily graded and a trail was present.However, this also meant that the druid could shape the land into a foreboding landscape as well. As difficult as he could make the land, it would always reform itself for his passing and then revert to difficult terrain once he passed by. His creations would quickly learn how to traverse the difficult terrain. Intruders upon his domain were put at a great disadvantage from the landscape, however. It was as if the land conspired against them at every turn.The five adventurers passed through an area of rocky ground and Ischarus had more than once nearly turned an ankle in trying to find a passable path. They had been slowly descending in elevation into a small valley. If the rate of the growth of vegetation had anything to indicate, the druid’s grove was on the other side of the valley. The hills across the valley were significantly richer in plant life; although the hills on this side of the valley were not insignificant themselves.As Ischarus passed the halfway point in descent into the valley, he also passed by what appeared to be a blue lupine plant. Its flower spike was already stretching toward the sun and many of seedpods on the main stem had begun to turn blue in maturity. When Ischarus passed by, the flower spike wavered as though a breeze had blown it closer to Ischarus.In an instant the blue seeds atop the main flower spike revealed their true nature. The flower spikes were merely a disguise for a more sinister plant. The plant bent the spike away from Ischarus and then snapped itself forward as though the flower spike was a short whip. Several of the seedpods shot off the flower spike and nearly struck Ischarus in the leg.Charis had been right behind Ischarus when she saw the plant fire its attack. She turned, ducked, and yelled as Ischarus dove forward. “Watch out!” Semeion, Rhema, and Ophee heard the warning and ascended to a safe distance along the trail they had been working their way down.Rhema turned and called to Ischarus as she retreated. “Ischarus, are you alright?”Ischarus didn’t bother to respond. Instead, he watched as the plant seemed to be able to uproot itself and use its roots to crawl in the general direction that it had thrown the false seedpods. Two tendrils on either side of the plant swept the area in front of it, clearly looking for any victims who might have been hit with the attack.Charis gingerly reached to pick up one of the blue seedpods. The seedpod was secreting a clear liquid and Charis’ eyes grew wide. “Toxin! This plant has a poison that is designed to stun a person and strip them of their strength!”Ischarus charged up the hill past the slow moving plant. There was little doubt that he could outrun the plant and thus there wasn’t any need to stay around and fight the odd creation. As he approached Charis, he reached out and knocked the poisonous seedpod from her hand and lifted her off of her knees. “No need to stick around, Charis. If that thing can throw a toxin to stun a person, I don’t want to see what would happen if it succeeded. Let’s get out of here.”The pair retreated up to the safer distance and together with the three who had already retreated they watched with morbid curiosity as the plant swept across the ground in search of a victim. Rhema was deeply intrigued by the movements of the plant. “Well, it obviously doesn’t have eyes, or it would have known that it missed all of its marks.”Semeion nodded. He had also taking a deep interest in the plant. “I imagine that the blue seedpods are supposed to be a lure. They likely attract attention and cause its victims to stop and observe them. The tendrils must have some sort of hairs upon them that are sensitive enough to the movement of air to know when a victim has passed by. Of course, that would mean that the plant would have to search for any victims it strikes, rather than see where the poison took hold.”Ophee frowned as she looked to the plant. “But, if it has no eyes nor a mouth, how does it eat its victims?”Semeion smiled. “I’ve heard of plants who behave in a similar manner. Once their victim is subdued or dead, the plant simply excavates a hole to set the body of its victim in. Then, it settles its own roots upon the body so that as the body decays the roots can absorb the flesh as it begins to break apart.”Ophee shuddered. “That’s a horrible thought.”Ischarus looked up to the top of the valley that they had begun to descend. “Indeed it is. And I would suggest we continue to backtrack and find another way around the valley. I’d like to think that the druid has provided trails for his minions that aren’t in danger of these plants. If that’s the case, I’d like to find one of them.” [/Sblock]</blockquote>

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