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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8367794" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Secrets of SaltmarshSession #058b: Eleven Months in Vinnie's Backpack.Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 7Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 7Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 7NPCsDaktari (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 7<s>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 </s>RIP*<s>Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard</s> RETIRED*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.Servants/FamiliarsGerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New TricksOwly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiarThis is session 58b, the second bit- the best bit.Garthok the Thunder Boar, the Avatar of Talos has been sent packing- back to wherever the angry boar came from. The storm overhead is fast fading, soon after the Dreadwood- or at least this part of it, will know peace.The Dark Squad, except for Newt, are however pretty beaten up.Newt quickly finds a spot to erect a Leomund's Tiny Hut, and then invites his boon colleagues inside. Just to make clear in the preceding climactic fracas the tabaxi took just four points of damage, I think he cut his hand when the bottle of gnoll's blood he used to make his protective circle shattered.Ram meantime is bleeding from hundreds of tiny cuts, and has been pummelled almost into unconsciousness by the shambling mound.Daktari was down below a quarter of his hit points, and that's hard to do to a perma-raging barbarian, he has also just spent five turns inside the shambling mound- so he ain't that fresh smelling.Vinnie is well beyond bloodied- now that he's back in shifter form, he also burned through one-and-a-half of his wildshape forms.So, there's a bit of an atmosphere inside the Tiny Hut.The chatter starts with questions for Vinnie, in summary- what's with the Moonboar, dude?The druid reveals what little he knows, which is just what he was told by the strange female voice in his head, and then...Newt, rather sensibly- at least I thought so at the time, counsels Vinnie about the foolishness of listening to the voices in your head. Particularly if said voices claim to be all-powerful (or similar) and are complimentary, and flatter the listener's ego. This strange woman who speaks to the druid could, Newt fears, attempt to lead him astray.Nobody is sure how much of the above is irony, and Bear (playing Newt) isn't telling- however everyone was laughing at the time.[Newt cautions Vinnie regarding his foolish behaviour 200 XP]But then comes rest, and healing, and... well, lots more chatter, and the storm- well, that packs up its stuff and heads on home. By the time the Dark Squad emerge from their temporary abode the weather has changed for the much better. It's a lovely spring evening in the Dreadwood.Although Vinnie is still not happy with the situation, the druid- as is his want, makes a short speech about the need to keep such ancient holy sites (the standing stones) free from the taint of Talos. Then, in a moment of genius, the druid grabs out the Quaal's Feather Token (Tree) that he has been carrying around in his backpack since the 17th of Kythorn last year.Note, this item was given to the Dark Squad by Ysdrayal, the Kobold Queen, all the way back in the Sunless Citadel.Vinnie drops the feather, the token curves and scuds its way down into the centre of the stone circle, and then... it disappears.To be replaced by a green sprouting bud, which quickly grows into a thrusting seedling, then into a sapling, until finally in a surge of groaning and urgent nature a great sprawling oak tree occupies the spot.[ATTACH=full]141899[/ATTACH]Vinnie pimps the standing stones. "Zere, zat is tres tres bet-er!"Birdsong is heard just moments later.Vinnie, grinning now, steps out of the circle- heading back to his smiling friends.What a beautiful moment.Although...There's a thud behind the druid, and then another.Footsteps.Someone, or something, with huge feet.Vinnie turns to stare at...A treant.The massive aged plant creature stretches its limbs and branches as if awaking from a particularly long sleep.“This is nice, where am I? Who are you people?” The treant asks in its rumbling drawn-out brogue.The Dark Squad are sore amazed.Eventually, after a variety of questions get asked, and sometimes answered, introductions are at last made.And the funniest thing, from my POV, is this next bit took fifteen or twenty minutes of chatter to get around to.The treant's name is...[ATTACH=full]141900[/ATTACH]Wildroot! And if you remember any of the below, taken from the list of prophecies et al, written up in session 29 here on ENWorld-SESSION 19- Belphegor’s words to Newt in the sinkhole of the Forge of Fury.“Tell Wildroot that you wish to join the pact of the flame, resist the urge to burn the woodsman to the ground- he will set you to your task.”“Discover the last ancestor, she that lives under the cover of darkness- the hag will have the answers.”“When the hands move the end will have begun.”“WAIT!”“For the pale dwarf without a face to beg you- only then should you take the ghost home.”So, here's Wildroot, he's been in Vinnie's backpack for going on eleven months now.There follows a lot more questions, and the Dark Squad are truffling for plot and, at last, have got a grip- on something. The conversation goes on for a good long while, and the Dark Squad keep on coming back for more. They keep thinking of other things to ask Wildroot.The Dark Squad however learn the following-<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wildroot knows all about the Pact of the Flame, an ancient organisation that started in this region, its task to make safe 'the people' (Elves, specifically the wood elves in the region) from the depredations of their greatest enemy. The dragons. In particular large fire breathing dragons that sought to burn and destroy the forests and the lands (and, of course, the aforementioned wood elves).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Just to make clear, the Pact of the Flame seeks to extinguish fires, rather than start them- Newt doesn't look happy when he learns this. He also gets Belphegor's joke now- “resist the urge to burn the woodsman to the ground.” Wildroot is a 'man' made of wood.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Pact of the Flame is properly ancient, it started when the elves were the first people, thousands of years before Dale Reckoning and the age of men.      </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wildroot needs to check in with his friends- he's been stuck in Vinnie's pocket and/or the Sunless Citadel for a while. Therefore, after he is done talking to the Dark Squad, he will be heading back to his home in Silverstand, a woods not so far away from here. He will get back to guarding the Moon Pool there.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Vinnie is looking for a Moon Pool, the female voice in his head told him he would find his answers there. That fits.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Dark Squad therefore agree to come and visit Wildroot at the Moon Pool, when they have concluded their business with the Falcon.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wildroot will explain, later at the Silverstand Moon Pool, what tasks the Dark Squad will have to complete to join the Pact of the Flame. They will, the treant further explains, each have to 'enter' the Moon Pool, to prove their worth- or else to experience the power of the ancient artefact.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Dark Squad should also inform the Falcon that Wildroot is back in the game, she will help the adventurers, the treant further assures them.</li> </ol>That's pretty much it, although... well, lots of other stuff gets asked or said.For instance...Oddly, Wildroot thinks, at first, that the Dark Squad are The Eyes in the Night, a group of adventurers he remembers meeting, perhaps many years ago, he thinks- the treant is still a little out of sorts. After further chatter the treant remembers that The Eyes in the Night however very definitely had five members, including a crazy maniac wood elf with twin scimitars.Buggles?The above information causes a little consternation amongst the ranks- some of the PCs/Players think that they are The Eyes in the Night, and the Dark Squad. Although Vinnie is of the opinion that the Dark Squad are a reincarnation (in some way) of a group of adventurers called The Eyes in the Night.Spitballing the druid goes on to suggest that the present threat/action (Ashardalon, the Time of Ash, etc.) has perhaps played out many times before, perhaps...Have the Dark Squad, at last, found a corner piece of the puzzle?But, there's more...At some point during the chatter Vinnie shows Wildroot the small token that the Dark Squad were gifted by Daktari's people the Sky Pony Uthgardt barbarians, a coin sized object with a maze on one side- the other side blank.[ATTACH=full]141901[/ATTACH]Remember this?Wildroot is of the opinion that all of the members of The Eyes in the Night should have one of these items.The Dark Squad are now certain, they're looking for more of these odd buttons- they're part of the puzzle somehow.Wildroot however does not know what purpose the odd buttons serve, only that they are important in some way.Later, Newt asks Wildroot about the story of the man and the crocodile, this is yet another of the prophecies the Dark Squad have been working on, a story they were told by the ghost dwarf mage all the way back in the forges. A story that was told to the ghost dwarf mage by Durgeddin the Black.Newt, of late, has been asking more or less everyone and anyone (Granny Frogwart, the Falcon, several people in Saltmarsh etc.) about this tale- he keeps on trying to make sense of it.Do you remember any of this-SESSIONS 20 & 21- Arundil the Wizard's story of the Man & the Crocodile, delivered in the Forge of Fury-“Ah, there you are- do you remember the story he told us about the man and the crocodile?”“Man was sad because he had to cross the river which was full of crocodiles. Crocodile saw this and offered to safely transport man to the other side of his river kingdom.”Long story short… Crocodile takes man safely to the far bank, although before ferrying him across he makes man promise to pay back the favour.On the far bank crocodile immediately cashes in his favour, asking the man to reciprocate and carry him on his back across the kingdom of man.Man tries to worm out of his obligation but caught in his promise has to return the favour.Man puts crocodile on his back and carries him across the kingdom of man…At which point the ghostly dwarf asks the Dark Squad about the story- what does it mean?A variety of answers are explored, mostly in SESSION 21, however Durgeddin’s reason for telling the story is also made clear-The Man with the Crocodile on his back would benefit from being able to work together, and their ability to see further.It's all very odd.However, the tabaxi has an inkling that Wildroot will know the answer.And...Wildroot has no idea what the tabaxi is talking about.So, why did I tell you this? Well, keep reading.[Chatting with Wildroot 1250 XP]The Dark Squad are eventually out of questions, and they've done plenty of healing and are now keen to explore the area- basically, where's the phat loot.[ATTACH=full]141902[/ATTACH]Enter here for phat loot. Oh, and the Dark Squad were chatting with Wildroot for hours- it's night time now, hence the darkvision view.Wildroot watches over the Dark Squad as they discover, and then explore, three cave like lairs carved into the hill itself. Each cavern formerly home- they discover, to a (now dead) half-orc Talos adherent or two.[ATTACH=full]141903[/ATTACH]The caverns beneath the hill, with lights on for easy viewing.There's plenty of treasure to be found, all of it obviously taken from the cult's victims. The Dark Squad have got plenty of time, and so there's lots of Detect Magic and Identify in use during their treasure-hunting. There are no stand-out (magic or insanely valuable) items in the hoard, and yet there are few stand-out moments.Well role-played all of them.Daktari finds a very nice ink pen (worth a few gp), the barbarian believes the item to be some sort of dagger, only with a very small blade.Several members of the Dark Squad, but mostly Newt (I think, from memory) attempt to impress upon the barbarian the fact that the pen, it is said, is mightier than the sword.Daktari is not at all happy with this kind of loose talk, he starts waving Shatterspike around and inviting any of his colleagues to come at him with the pen, let's see how that works out.In conclusion Daktari states- “It is naughty word weapon, not mighty, it go in bag!”Note, the bag in question is a bag of holding with just over 200lbs of saleable stuff (treasure) in atm.A little later...Vinnie finds a painting depicting a bucolic countryside scene, set in a beautiful woods- a crystal clear pool situated within the sylvan arbour. Oddly, when Vinnie views the scene there are scantily clad elven (perhaps) ladies frolicking in the water. None of his comrades however can see this scene.Furthermore the druid, thinks he recognises one of the ladies in the pool.Vinnie, of course, takes the painting- for later private perusal, he explains.And then, a little later...Newt finds a crocodile mask- a real/authentic and slightly scary-looking crocodile mask. The item isn't particularly valuable, but it's travelled a long way to be here today.All the way from Chult, the jungle continent, Vinnie (correctly) suspects.The place that Newt's ancestor's escaped from.Funny that, he was just asking Wildroot about the story of Man and the Crocodile.He's a little obsessed with the tale.I know you really can't be 'a little' obsessed, but you get me.The warlock, obviously, lays claim to the item- this after spending a small age further investigating the thing, but that's all of the story.It's just an ornamental mask, from Chult.But the Dark Squad have plenty more items to sell when they get back to Saltmarsh.[Searching for the Talos bods treasure 300 XP]Then, after yet more chatter and Wildroot's departure, a night's rest. Undisturbed- that's nice.Then, the next morning, the journey back to the logging camp, Tarbin Tul and the ex-prisoners of Granny Frogwart should still be there, as will the Dark Squad's horses (except for Newt's- RIP).Note, Daktari still has one level of Exhaustion after all of his raging on the previous day, but the Dark Squad have a purpose, and again there are no untoward encounters, and the going is good through the Dreadwood.[ATTACH=full]141904[/ATTACH]Heading out of the Dreadwood, oh and look Silverstand is just to the west of Burle and the Falcon's Nest.That is until the adventurers are only an hour or two away from the logging camp, and it's mid afternoon, and all is well with the world- even in the Dreadwood.And then there is music, a swaying perhaps slightly melancholy sound, but at the same time the tune is full of life, and also perhaps death- it's strange, haunting and alluring at the same time. The music comes from just a short way, perhaps, further into the trees.The Dark Squad, of course, investigate.They don't find the musicians, and yet the music seems to go on- perhaps. In a clearing are three beautiful, and dreamily clad, women- elven perhaps.[ATTACH=full]141905[/ATTACH]Such nice music, and so very charming young ladies. The Dark Squad can't believe their luck.Then Vinnie fails his nature check, and none of the other adventurers even try rolling theirs, the Dark Squad (most of them) therefore wander gawping into the encounter.Although, Ram avoids the situation entirely, the rogue instead ducks into the shadows and watches his companions, completely hidden from sight (with a Stealth '20').Within the clearing, several moments later, and the three beguiling ladies are now dancing, seductively around the three grinning adventurers.Daktari is lost to the moment, entirely charmed by the young lady that slowly circles the barbarian.“You am love!” He confidently pronounces.Newt meantime is still talking to his beautiful partner, but the tabaxi has his lute in his hands and is joining in with the escapade.Only Vinnie retains his full faculty, the druid has the insight to understand what is going on here, and he's bargaining hard with the beautiful maiden before him. Sotto voce he's attempting to convince the divine creature(s) to release the barbarian from their spell, and to allow the Dark Squad to be on with their very important business.But the beautiful fey is equally keen to keep a hold of the barbarian, at least for a little while.The whispered negotiations continue between the druid and the- well, sounds like 'druid'. The charming woodland maiden goes on to explain that she and her sisters have only just recovered from a close encounter with a sharp-tongued wild elf, oddly the ranger was accompanied by a surly armoured skeleton.Buggles!But the druid still needs to strike a deal- if he wants to keep Daktari, or else he wants to know more about the fey creature's interactions with the wandering wild elf, but that however is all we have time for this evening.The Dark Squad’s to-do list reads a little like this-<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    Back to the logging camp, then to the Falcon?    </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    To the Moon Pool.    </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    Goblins in the Dreadwood.    </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    Nightshade in the Dreadwood.    </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    To Blackedge, find the Goblin Stair.    </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">    Return to Fallowstone Holy for answers- the Witch’s Tor & the Pact of the Flame.     </li> </ol>Stay safe and well you lovely people.Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</blockquote>

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