[KAUAI]The Rod of Seven Parts: Of Hexes and Gems

[Mista Collins]

Nodding to Voadam's offer of healing, Chev smiles. "I appreciate the gesture, but the Battle God smiles down upon those who carry his blade."

Using his holy symbol as a focus, Chev channels the positive energy from one of his prepared prayer into that a healing prayer. The wounds in his leg, thigh and side close up completely, leaving nothing but dried blood. Look down at his torn clothing, he frowns. "I'll have to find a decent seamstress once we get out of here to fix these."

OOC - Casting Cure Light Wounds in the place of Magic Weapon, Chev heals 9 points of damage.

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Gamad

Let me see that horn.
The deformed dwarf says to Mael.
Cut one for me goblin friend ... maybe I can grind and brew something with such an interesting ingredient.

 

[Voadam]

"Hmm. That was ... disturbing. I hope we don't get attacked by squirrels next. Or trees." Brakkus starts out trying to be light hearted, but ends with just a scowl as he realizes the trees may in fact be closing in.

"The trees are . . . active. One tried to get my attention during the fight. Whether it is fey tricks, treeherder wakening, or something else I cannot say. Its not even clear whether it was a malign attempt at distraction or a try to tell me something. Let me know when you are done here then." Voadam will head over to the oak tree and stand before it, his eyes roving over its bark looking for any details like the hidden face of a treant, or other attempts at communication by the tree. Even whether there is a feeling of growing malice and oppression when he tries to get a feel for the forest.

 

[Ambrus]

With one gauntleted hand on a horn and another on the dead creature's neck, the Gudwulf warrior works to pry the prize free with a last blow of his axe and a grunt. A loud crack and twist and the horn comes away free in Maelicent's hand. Looking over at the albino, the panting goblin pauses as if taking measure of the odd dwarf from beneath the shadow of his helmet's brim before turning and tossing the spiral horn his way. Stepping over to the next animal's carcass, the Gudwulf warrior offers the demon-hunter his own insight into the peculiar flora: "Yah. Tha trees here be movin around quite a bit, coverin up trails and tha like ta turn ya around. Sometimes they even take a swipe at ya, but they're bark be worse than their bite. As long as ya don't be pissin em off then they mostly leave ya be." Maelicent lifts his axe overhead to resume his grim task, seemingly oblivious to the unintentional joke and pun he's just made.

 

[Voadam]

"You said to me before that this is your home, Maelicent. What more can you tell us of this wood and what lies within it?"

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Gamad

The trees are moving?
Gamad inquire nervously and gaze deep into the wood.
I hate trees.
He mumbles and loads a bolt to his crossbow.

 

[Mista Collins]

"I am not surprised you saw the trees move. This entire place gives me the feeling like we are being watched and followed." Chev says as he eyes the forest around him. "There is something truly wrong about this place. I say we move forward."

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Each horn freed by Maelicent is quite dense and weighs 5 lbs. While Maelicent works at extracting two horns from two of the giant rabbits, Voadam crosses the clearing and stands in front of the large oak that tapped him on the shoulder. Peering closely at the tree for any sign of a face and trying very hard to detect movement or motion, Voadam comes away from his inspection with little other than the closer he gets to the old oak, the tighter his own heart feels, as if being unpleasantly squeezed. The tree is still and nary a leaf sways.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

With Maelicent to guide them, the group continues heading north. After half an hour's careful walk and one missed turn to skirt a thick bramble guarding the outer curtain wall, the trees begin to thin and the afternoon's bright sunlight again filters through the wood. The hearts of the companions lighten and hope returns; thrushes and sparrows call out to one another and the wood is filled with the sounds of humming insects, a breeze rustling in the upper canopy of the forest, and the occasional crackle of a dry leaf or twig underfoot as some animal nearby scurries away as the group passes.

The natural disorder of the forest grasps at Gamad, who finds the underbrush's disheveled and haphazard piles of leaves, unfurling fern fronds, and dead logs to be nearly unbearable. Gamad fights a strong urge to cull the dead undergrowth from the forest. When his eye catches a bit of damp earth on the heel of Brakkus's boot, the dirt seems a horrible affront, something that must immediately be cleaned, lest both his own and Brakkus's character be impugned.

Chev, perhaps still nervous from being attacked by giant rabbits, is the first to notice a pair of feral eyes staring out at the party from behind a bank of ferns. The eyes blink at Chev then the owner of the eyes steps out from behind the old burled tree trunk. A badger, oversized but squat, with stout legs ending in clawed feet, two broad stripes painted lengthwise down its back, and brief well-muscled legs ending in clawed feet and a wide mouth full of wickedly sharp teeth, fixes Maelicent with a baleful stare and hisses like a bucket of snow thrown onto a white-hot forge.

"Thisbe! Stop that! Wait until they bite first." The voice is clear and cheerful, and the speaker pops into view with a twinkle. A short gnome with pale skin, a bulbous nose and tangled locks orange as a clementine in winter comes crunching through dead leaves and stops just beside the hissing badger. The gnome extends gnarled fingers and roughly grasps the badger by the scruff of the neck. "Well. No need to be unpleasant. Mazzel Quickblade, Thisbe, and company at your service. Just passing through, or did you use it yet?" The gnome winks at Voadam.

 

[Ambrus]

Maelicent gestures vaguely northward with a newly severed rabbit horn. "My land's up by tha north end there. Never had much reason to come down here. Trapping is good, plenty of squirrels, rats and rabbits about. Nice an quiet in this place; I aint ever come across another livin soul over tha last half year. Tha trees move around, but mostly when ya aint lookin; always trying ta get ya lost. The walls don't move though so it's better ta keep em in sight when movin rather than tryin ta follow a trail."

Seeing that Voadam is curious about the tree, the goblin offers a few words of warning: "I only pick the deadfall for my fire and tha trees don't usually bother me. I figure they didn't take too kindly ta tha guards hackin an openin though. Made the whole place nasty feelin. That's Rot-root, a nasty bastard oak yer lookin at though; it'll take a swipe at ya if ya get too close. It was closer ta my camp a few days ago; it moves around a lot."

The Gudwulf warrior moves to collect the last of the three horns. "There's ghosts tha wander around here sometimes, mostly at night; they aint bothered me much either. We forest denizens pretty much all keep ta ourselves."

Gesturing towards the inner curtain wall and then southwards Maelicent offers a few last comments; "The inner keep is locked up tight; never had any good reason ta try gettin in. I seen daylight shinnin off a lake down in tha south end, but I aint ever been there meself.