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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1788407" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #286] The Trees Are Watching[/PLAIN]"Easy enough to issue threats from the shadows!" Grisham growled, his weapons held wide as he circled around, looking for the source of the strange voice. "Come! Test your steel against mine, coward!""Oh that's brilliant," Ledare whispered with a shake of her head."Time for you to show you are are leader, Kitten," Vade said, tugging on Ledare's frayed cloak. "Talk us out of this one and Grisham won't give you any more trouble." The Janissary shook her head."Grisham ran ahead in that rash, emotional way of his," she whispered, grimly. "Let him speak for himself.""Show yourself, if you dare!" Grisham taunted.The treant turned itself toward Grisham then, and when it moved, it was accompanied by the tremendous sound of creaking timbers and groaning wood. To Ixin, who had spent many years in the port town of Highgate, it reminded her of being in the belly of a ship on rough seas. As the treant turned, its trunk split into two legs, and its roots came free of the soil. "Killing you I want not!" the treant groaned, its crown of leaves rustling menacingly. "But none allowed be here! Stopping you will I now!" Grisham stood his ground and by the look on his face, was working himself into one of his rages.Vade cast a nervous glance up at Ledare, saw her mouth set in a resolute line, and decided to take matters into his own little hands. "Mr. Treant, sir," the halfling called as he stepped out of the trees, a wary smile on his face. "We are only following the trail of the person who killed Grisham's friend, the Hound. You may have heard of The Hound - friend of man, beast, and tree alike, so I hear."The treant turned and took a single thundering step toward Vade, making the halfling cringe in fear as the enormous plant creature loomed over him, further blotting out the meager light that penetrated to the ground in this valley. A face, strangely man-like stared down at him from the rough bark 30 feet above, its craggy features knotted in anger. "Forbidden you being here!" it warned him. "Forbidden!""We are good guys really," Vade whimpered, his eyes wide and round with fear as he stared up at the treant. "Gosh you are tall..."Grisham moved around to flank the treant and Ledare knew well what his intentions would be once he got into a position opposite Vade. She sighed and removed her helmet as she quickly stepped forward. "What my friend here says is true," she called out loudly as she advanced confidently, her eyes flashing copper in the half-light. "We are following the path of one who has done wrong. His trail has led us to this place. We mean you no harm.""What?!" the treant moaned, looking up at the half-elf as she advanced. Its face was twisted in confusion as it regarded her. "Many unwanted guests being here. Show yourselves! All!"Ledare half-turned and called for the other members of the VQS to step forward.Morier complied at once, but Feln caught hold of Karak's arm as the dwarf moved to join him. "How fast could this thing be?" he whispered to Karak. "Let's just run for it!" Ixin shot the half-orc a meaningful 'shut up!' look as she strode out to join Ledare and Karak just chuckled sardonically."Have you ever tried running in plate mail, orcblood?" he asked as he freed himself from Feln's grip and plodded forward. He moved up near the Janissary, planted his axe on the ground, settled his feet and rested his arms on the axe haft. He nodded respectfully at the treant as it surveyed the group, but he said nothing."Bad is this! Bad!" the treant said. "Return you must! None allowed be here!""None allowed be here?!?" Feln snorted. "Someone has just recently passed, Treeman! Why he and not us?""None allowed be here!" the treant repeated, more loudly this time. "Guardian am I. Forbidden is this place!""Perhaps you were unaware of the trespasser?" Ixin said as she nonchalantly eased her cloak back over her shoulders. Even in the meager light beneath the arborial canopy her chainmail bikini glittered and flickered like a polished diamond. "We would be happy to remove him for you." The plant man shook his leafy crown emphatically, sending a few birds shrieking from his upper branches."Stopping unwanted visitors I do," the treant asserted. "None allowed be here! None!""You're a liar!" Grisham bellowed, causing the tree to whip around to face him. "I saw the tracks with my own eyes! I had always heard that treants were guardians of the forests. Why are you protecting a murderer?""Puny, rootless intruder!" the treant roared and swept its branches around in a huge arc that struck the barbarian across the torso. Grisham was caught completely unprepared for the assault and was nearly driven to the ground by the blow. As it was he had still clearly suffered greatly from the attack and he favored his ribs as he prepared to counterattack."Stop this!" Ledare commanded in her most strident voice, and Grisham paused long enough to look over at her. The treant, did the same and Ledare addressed the plant man directly. "The one we follow is responsible for tainting the reputation of a good man - Plonius, The Hound - and ultimately taking his life. We seek answers from that one, and we believe he has come here to this place. Will you let us pass?""None allowed be here!" the treant replied angrily and it turned back to glare at Grisham. "Passing you shall not! Stopping you I will!" Karak harrumphed at the creature's stubborn litany."Treant, do you know of the one called Plonius?" the dwarf called out the the plant man. "Do you know he now lies dead in the woods? Murdered? And we seek the one or ones who killed him.""Know him not, I do," the treant replied and its features softened. "But grieve I do for his untimely return to the earth.""Save your grief, Mr. Oak," Karak said. "Ye can help us catch his killer. Have you seen anyone pass through here recently?""None allowed be here!" the treant said and its tone was beginning to suggest that it thought these little animals were a bit dense. "Passing here none have." Karak shook his head and scowled."Sir, we will certainly not pass without your permission. But we hope we can persuade you to grant it," Ixin offered and walked forward in such a way that the light on her chainmail seemed to scintillate distractingly. "We were told that following our current path would lead us to important knowledge that we hope will help us in our battle against a great and ancient evil. Our path has led us to your door. For that, I am sorry, but we ask your assistance in our mission.""Nothing there is for you here," the treant said somberly, shaking its head. "Knowledge lies here not. Only an evil device from long ago awaits." The others exchanged glances."What evil device?" Morier asked and the treant seemed to shrug."Know it not, I do," the plant man said. "Laying here it was when my seed was first growing. Guarded has it been for seasons beyond reckoning.""And you've been guarding it all alone out here all this time?" Vade asked and the treant rustled as it shook its head."Tarawyn is guardian as well," it told them."Tarawyn?" Ledare prompted and the treant replied, "He is one with nature. The Green sings in his veins. He it was who planted my seed in this place.""May we speak with Tarawyn?" the Janissary went on. "Is he somewhere near?""Nearby is he always," the treant said and pointed to the ramshackle hut. "He entered his den two days ago.""You said no one had passed!" Grisham growled. His body immediately tensed like a cobra ready to strike, but Ledare held up a hand to him and several of the others shot him warning glances. He sneered but backed down."May we speak with Tarawyn?" Ledare repeated. "Perhaps he can help us and we can be on our way without further confrontation." The treant nodded."Summon him, I will," the plant man said and closed its eyes. After a few hushed seconds, its features twisted into a look of confusion and its eyes snapped open. When it spoke, there was an edge of fear in its voice. "Sense him, I cannot. Apart from the Green he has become!""Has that ever happened before?" Ixin asked and the treant shook its head."No!" it asserted and now the fear in its voice seemed fully realized. "Bad is this! Bad!""Well, where was he last time you saw him?" the drakeling went on."Passing this way was he," it said and indicated a path from the trees to the small hut. It was lost on no one that the path it marked was the same as the one that they had been following. "Into his den.""And he didn't come out?" Ledare asked and the treant shook its head. "May we look inside? Perhaps we can help." The treant's face grew skeptical and it glared down at the group."Well, you're far too large to go inside," Ixin added hastily. "And if something bad has happened to Tarawyn, perhaps we can help him." Her bikini glittered in the wan light and the treant's face softened."Go," it said with a nod.The stone building was slightly larger than it had at first appeared, but it was still only about 10 feet by 15 feet and stood little more than 5 feet high with a flat, moss-covered roof. Beyond its unusual size, its construction was also unusual in that it seemed to be made of one single piece of rock as opposed to individual stones and mortar. There were no visible seams anywhere in its visible surface. The vines that covered the majority of the building were a dark green with waxy round leaves and one or two strange-looking yellow flowers that gave off an unpleasant smell quite like rotting meat. Grisham was immediately distracted by the blossoms and he plucked one as soon as they were close enough, popped it into his mouth and began to chew."What're ye doing?" Karak grimaced. "That' smelled like death!""Its a troll-flower," the barbarian said. "It'll heal up what that fool treant did to me out there."Karak harrumphed and grumbled, "Ye had it comin' from wha' I could see." Grisham did not respond, but his lip curled into a snarl as he chomped down on the yellow blossom.There was only one door into the place, made of heavy wood planks about 3 inches thick and held together by wide strips of hardened leather. The door was held closed by a simple wooden lift-latch and according to Vade was neither trapped nor locked."Let me go first," Ixin suggested. "I can finally cast Recent Occupant and see if it tells us anything." The others hung back while she ducked her head and stepped into the odd little building.The interior was simple and unadorned. A curtain made of a patchwork of animal furs separated the room into two sections, although it was currently pulled back, revealing that the place was wholly uninhabited at the moment. The door opened onto the larger of the two areas, and it would provide just enough room for everyone to crowd inside although Ixin (and likely Feln, Grisham and Ledare) would all have to stoop to stand up within. The sorcerer saw a rough stone table on a pedestal of wood, and a pair of smallish chairs made from tree branches lashed and woven together. A wooden plate, spoon and cup rested on the table along with a clay jug. A hollowed out section of a tree trunk sitting in the corner behind the door served as a water barrel, replenished via a bamboo pipe running up to a small hole in the ceiling by the rainwater that collected on the roof of the building. Against the wall next to the fireplace were several clay jars, some sealed with wax, and sitting askew in front of the cold fireplace was a large, wooden chest.Behind the curtain was a narrow bed which, like the chairs, had been fashioned from tree limbs lashed together with strips of leather. A small stone basin filled with water was carved into one wall, on top of which rested a wooden cup and a worn cloth towel."Nobody home at the moment," Ixin told them, her head at an angle."What kind of fool builds his house with ceilings so low," Grisham grumbled through his mouthful of troll-flower as he surveyed the room from the doorway."An elf, maybe?" Morier ventured, indicating one of the small chairs. "It's about the right size.""Let's find out, shall we?" Ixin said and plucked at the strands of the Weave, knitting together a minor divination spell. "Tarawyn Alusiil, Archdruid," she announced to the others. "He was here two days ago. And, you're right, Morier, he's and el- Hold on! There's a second set of vibrations here!" She knitted her brow in concentration and then her ruddy face grew pale as she turned to the others. "The second set of vibrations overlay the first; I thing Tarawyn's being possessed or dominated or something.""And the second presence?" Ledare prompted. "Does your magic tell you who that is?" Ixin nodded."Melengar the Black, First Bishop of Aphyx," the drakeling said with an audible gulp.</blockquote>

Verification