"It would be good to find another way other then burning such a noble being."
OOC: Spoken like a proper old school tree hugging Druid!
Brondelleon observes the tree itself and the ground around for a bit. The tree appears to be natural and normal if old and of particularly large size. The roots and branches are healthy. The tree itself is full of sap it being high spring so it will be challenging to burn though generous application of magical fire could accomplish it. There is a well concealed hole dropping perhaps a dozen feet. While the roots hang down into the hole making convenient ropes the lair below obviously extends well below the roots. Tunnels extend in two directions at the bottom of the hole. They are perhaps five feet high making a tight fit for the humans. He also observes lots of small humanoid footprints coming and going from the concealed entrance.
[sblock=Results of Knowledge check]Descended from even smaller fey, the mites are among the most pitiful and craven dwellers of the dark. Hideously ugly, even goblins have been known to mock mites for their homely appearances, mockery most mites take to heart and nurture for weeks, months, or even years in their tiny homes, until their distress and anger finally overcome their natural cowardice and impel them forth on short-lived bouts of bloody vengeance from the doubtful safety of a spider's back.
Mites, once closer to the strange realm of the fey, have grown larger and stockier after countless generations spent on the Material Plane. Yet still, their stature places them at the bottom of the pile in the dangerous caverns in which they live. They are typically about 3' tall. Their traditional enemies are dwarves and gnomes, particularly the svirfneblin of the deep underground caves. The one thing that gives them a significant edge over an enemy in a fight is their natural ability to empathize with normally mindless vermin—mites are particularly fond of spiders, centipedes, and cave fishers, and a mite colony usually has a few of these far more dangerous monsters on hand to defend the group. They have keen sight in the dark, but do not like the daylight and are almost never seen when the sun is in the sky. They favor small thrown weapons such as daggers and darts.
Although they have lost the supernatural ability to tinker with magic items, luck, or mechanical objects possessed by their more sinister and dangerous gremlin kin, mites retain the ability to perform minor magical tricks with prestidigitation, and often use these tricks to annoy their enemies. When faced with dangerous foes, a mite uses its ability to hex a foe—a mite's eyes bulge hideously open when it uses this spell-like ability.[/sblock]
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