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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2027761" data-attributes="member: 1210">Into the Lofta Forest9/23/368 O.L.G., 12:10 p.m., the Lofta ForestThe Lofta Forest proves to be a fey place.  How much time the group spends there, they can never after be sure, for after the arch it is always twilight beneath the overarching canopy of the trees, and one moment seems to stretch into the next.  Time is distorted, like an image from a funhouse mirror, with that same sense of derangement; but we’ll get to the arch soon enough.  Until then, the environment is pleasant enough and full of the rich aroma of the woods, dappled with the amber light of the sun through the overhead leaves.  The thick vegetation forces them away from the river before they’re half a mile into the thick woods, but they keep a reasonable sense of direction. When the plants come alive and twist all about, entangling our heroes, they are caught by surprise; but they cease their struggles and attempt to reason with the beautiful creature that steps from her tree.She wants only Timothy; she wishes to show him beauty and ecstasy like he’s never seen.  Unable to read between the lines, he easily agrees.  “I like beauty,” he says.  The dryad takes him into her tree, but after only about fifteen minutes he walks over a rise and returns to the party.“What happened?” asks Beau.Timothy looks puzzled.  “I don’t know... she said I need to be healed.”****5 p.m.Somewhat later, out heroes fight off a rabid bear.  They briefly discuss eating it, but reason that it might be bad to eat diseased flesh.  Then, as the darkness thickens, our heroes rest for a time.   ***9/24/368 O.L.G., 1 p.m.“Do you hear that?” Lita asks, puzzled, cocking her head.“What is it?” asks Sandy?Naomi is blathering away and totally fails to notice that they’ve even stopped to listen.Faintly, they can hear music in the distance.  “Ooh, music!” exclaims Timothy.  “I like music!” The group follows the sounds, veering off to their left, and soon they find a thin arch, covered in vines, leading to a manicured tunnel through a thicket.  Exchanging glances, our heroes pass through and follow the tunnel.  All around them, the plants form an almost-frightening, impenetrable barrier.The tunnel leads to a clearing, within which is a well.  Our heroes approach it cautiously.  A path leads by the well, heading out of the clearing to either side.  Next to the well is a fancy-looking comb.  Lita picks this up, interested.  “I wonder who lost their comb,” she chirps aloud, then drops the bucket in the water.  She hears it splash into liquid, so she hauls it back up.  To her surprise, there is a head in the bucket!  Even more surprising, it speaks.”Arrr!  My tangled locks!  Comb them out for me!”After a moment, Lita shrugs.  “Umm, okay.”  She starts combing the head’s hair with the comb she found next to the well.  It hisses and groans in pleasure as she does so; the whole experience is very unsettling.  ”Ahh, well done, but my brothers are not so easy!” exclaims the head.  ”But for your skills, I’ll tell ye this: STAY ON THE PATH!”Lita frowns.  “Hey, don’t tell me what to do!”  She hefts the head in her hands, a wicked grin on her face, and she drop-kicks it into the woods.“What did you just do?” exclaims Sandy.  “What are you thinking?!”Lita shrugs.  “He was a jerk.”“Yeah, but he might have been able to help us get back to the river, or get out of here, or something!”“Oh well.”  Lita shrugs again.The party chooses the left path, and they head into the thick woods again.  Almost immediately, they catch a whiff of something that smells delicious.  Something like... fresh-baked pie!Through the woods, screened by trees and barely visible, is what appears to be a cottage.  Immediately leaving the path, our heroes scurry towards it.Next Time: Well, our heroes have dug themselves in deep already and they don’t even know it!  Next they eat some poisoned pie!*What happened is that the dryad came on to Timothy, who was utterly confused.  She realized he was insane, and took pity on him; and so she released him to his companions.  Whew!  Coulda lost that kid for years!</blockquote>

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