Wizard's Tower Monster and Animal Reserve.

 Rinaldo flutters down through the tree, feathers flying all over. He's lost several of his flight feathers on the way down. This is not a good thing.
 He disappears into the tall waist-tall grasses.

Well...technically she was still in the mages tower.  This wooded area seemed 'off' to her.  Of course, being in a human shape was...odd.  Once down she recalled her rope, then began looking for Rinaldo.  She found a few clumps of feathers, she realized were his.  From there she began to use her tracking skills, taking into account he may be stuck in a tree as well.

using tracking feat.

 She finds a few feathers more, dropped in the grass, not all in the same place though, as if more feathers came off as Rinaldo walked through the grass in bird form. Every now and then you may find a single footprint of a bird type.

 Grass is waist high and the ground is firm, not sloppy at all. The trees are acacia and dragon trees and various other trees, they may have a bite of their own...or not.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:30, Thu 18 May 2017.

Carefully Stardancer kept searching.  She could not leave Rinaldo behind.  Only stopping a few moments to sip some water before continuing.  She did notice the remarkable area, marking a few areas to know how to leave if she failed and got lost.

 A sense of foreboding seemed to hang over the area like an early morning fog hugging the ground lovingly before the hot sun fades it away.

 Was there a sound? A presence? A rodent perhaps looking for breakfast? Or nothing at all?

Carefully keep a look out for tracks she grew more and more concerned for Rinaldo.  He had to be alright, she thought.  Each step she looked about, even up in the trees incase he did not fall to the ground.  This place to her was a touch creepy and left her uneasy.  "Rinaldo?" She said in a voice shy of being a yell.  She would wait a moment to listen for any nuance for a clue.

 You think you hear a rustling in the tall grass, and a shishing sound. Is something moving in the grass? Something small perhaps?

She turned and faced the moving grasses.  She was not sure if it was Rinaldo or something else.  She kept her spear in a defensive posture.  If it was a nasty bugger she'd deal with it, but hopefully it was something she could talk to instead.  "Rinaldo??  That you?"

 The grass near your feet move and rustle as something moves toward you... SUDDENLY a vine whips out of the grass and wraps around your ankles trying to drag you off your feet!

A Wisdom save may be possible.

Otherwise take 12 damage if you fail.

Feeling the movement about her feet she began doing an awkward dance to try and avoid it.

Stardancer rolled 22 using 1d20+4.  wisdom save.

 You avoid the creature for now. Well done.

Keeping a respectable distance she eyes the area to determine what the vine like creature was or is.  Her spear more ready incase it attacks again.

Other rustlings in the grass, a rat runs across your foot..

Stardancer does a quick double step to skirt the rat.  "No wonder this place has a cat.....RINALDO!" she called out.  She was truly getting worried.

There's other rustlings in the tall grasses, and among the trees the sounds of larger creatures moving, and vocalizing. There were also sounds from the trees themselves, creatures in the branches perhaps? possibly birds, or some things bigger, badder?

Hello? what do you do?

"Rinaldo?" She asked again.  Still not sure she backed a step or two back, ready to jump again.  She still held the spear...just in case.  Anything here might be here by accident and she certainly didn't want to harm it...especially if it was Rinaldo or another of her friends "Hello?" She kept looking at the rustling area.

attempting to spot what is making the noise and movement(s):
Stardancer rolled 15 using 1d20+9.  spot
This message was last edited by the player at 01:49, Sun 18 June 2017.

 This time another root then another one and then more snakes around her ankles and legs and hefts her up 6 ft into the air, dragging her toward a tree nearby. This time she can't get loose.

 Just as she is hefted off the ground, another group of rats over-run where she had just been, sniffing the ground and forging back and forth.

Hello Stardancer? Do you have any reactions?

ooc: sorry was busy this weekend.
bic: Stardancer used the spear she had in her hands to arrest her drag.  She thought it odd that the mice were looking for scraps of..whatever.  She as starting to get a bit irritated..and she had a long patience.  Quickly she tried to break her bonds about her legs..she could not stand being bound so.  using her natural strength she would pull at the tendrils about her legs "Whatever you are...stop it!  I'm not here to hurt anyone, but I won't hesitate to defend myself" her voice a bit terse.  "I am looking for my friend" she decided to see what was attacking her, but kept bearings on where she was originally going to find Rinaldo.

 Stardancer is now hanging upside down in a tree, wrapped tightly with many tendrils of...the tree itself. It doesn't respond to her cries, but the mice all scatter at her voice, except one, who runs up the trunk of the tree, avoiding small tendrils that grow from the trunk but are too short to reach it. The mouse runs down a larger tentacle toward where her face is, and sits looking at her, grooming it's whiskers and squeaking softly.
 She hangs there with a soft grey mouse looking at her seemingly upside down, until she remembers it is she who is upside down. She she looks closer, hard as that is upside down, she realizes there is something on the mouses back. Is that... is that a saddle?

Stardancer held the spear to prevent being dragged tightly to the tree.  Her first fear was that it was a hanging tree or dark treant.  She had stopped the pull atleast but was still caught.  The little mouse that scampered she took a closer look at.  she was instantly smitten by the little creature.  "Oh...hello little one.  Where is your master?" Her first thought was that the tree monster had snagged it off its miniscule mount.  She remembered others about and quickly looked about before her next move.  Were the mouse mounts belonging to smaller creatures trying to stop this floral monstrosity? or in collusion with it?

 The mouse sits up and looks around then squeaks. As it does, a shimmer around the saddle appears and there is a little fey looking creature, with shimmering wings, flower petal clothing of pinks, purple and blues, appearing to be a colorful shirt and a pair of blue coveralls? In it's...her hands was a spear, a sharpened stick with a metal tip that looked sharp.

 It speaks very quickly and waves the spear around, but her voice is so quick and high it sounds more like a mosquito. When she realizes you don't understand her, she tries to slow her speech down.
 "Iz Tumbleweed Mouse Rider. Iz helps you! But watch out! Tree bites!"

Still holding the spear out so as not to be dragged to a woody maw Stardancer looked at the little fae.  "Is tree Tumbleweeds enemy?" He limbs hurting a bit, but she was not giving in without a fight.  Especially now with the little fae and her cute little mouse friend.

 "Oh, no. He's ok. Just don't get etten."

"Hey youz, lets her goes! Not fer etten by youz!" She pokes the tentacles with her spear in several places making the thing loosen wherever she poked it. The thing cringed if ever a carnivorous assassin vine ever could, and dropped Stardancer on her head on the ground.

A knock on the noggin certainly would have happened had she not been using her own spear as a brace.  Stardancer twisted a bit to make sure she did not hurt the fae mouse riders.  "Perhaps we should move out of its range for grabbing.  And very much thank you for your kind help." she smiled moving a few extra feet from the danger.  At a relatively safe area back on her path Stardancer bends down on one of her knees to speak better with her rescuer."Thank you again Tumbleweed Mouserider.  I am called Stardancer.  I came to find my friend Rinaldo, he looks like a black and white bird." Thinking about it she does have some food.  She pulls some bread dried fruit and cheese out for her new friend "My mother once said that sharing food with friends is a good thing" She offers some to Tumbleweed, her mouse and their friends.

 "Oh, yous so nice! Goes over there, safe fer now."

She flies over to a circle of mushrooms by an oak tree and sat down. She picked a mushroom growing inside the circle and offered it to her new friend then opens a tiny pouch on her belt and pulls out several fruits like berries and melons...how it came out of the tiny pouch seemed impossible.

"How wonderful" she smiled.  She liked the little fae, and always for making friends.  "May I call you Tumbleweed?  I gather you are fae, but what kind?  I've never seen a mouse rider before, you must be very special indeed" she began sharing her meal.

 She laughed and fluttered her wings, raising off the ground a bit but flew sideways. She landed roughly and sighed.

 "Iz a fairy silly. But Iz got a hurt wing. Soz Iz ridin friend Mouse de Brave."

"Hmmm...I am not a healer, but would you like me to take a look?  I know a person who is a bit of a healer" She thought perhaps there was something she might be able to do. "Mice are often very brave...I think they are cute to...fuzzy little whiskers and all" she looked to see what might be wrong with the fairys wing.  "I came here with my friend Rinaldo who landed in here, I think he might be hurt too.  If you are alone here I would be more than happy to help you and Mouse the brave get to a safer area" she was offering to get them away from the awful tree that tried to eat them.

 "Iz stay wit youz if youz don mindz. Iz helpz youz lookin fer youz frend. Iz gotz frendz too, kin help."

She smiled "I'd like that and if you and your mount would like I can carry you both." she offered showing them pockets and pouches on herself "Are other mice here friendly?  I saw that your mount had friends.  If they are hungry I have extra cheese."  She looked up to see if she could see the window she climbed out of then sighed "I really must find my friend Rinaldo.  I cannot help but think he is hurt as well"

 "Mice nice, Mouse the Brave frends with them. They eatz ok, seeds plenty. Yer frend mite bez gone tho. We lookz tho."

"I hope not" she looked sad "He is part of my heart" she tapped her chest where her heart is.  "I climbed out that window, same one he was knocked out of and he went that way" She pointed and gestured "He disappeared into the tops of the trees about here, but I don't know if he bounced about or if something carried him off.  I was hoping to spot some feathers maybe"

 "I seed sum featherz over der. But dey ben dere long tym. Dey iz purpal. I tak yu der."

 She guided the mouse up a stalk of grass then leaped him from one stalk to another around the assassin vine tree and toward another tree that didn't have tentacles. There were big feathers spread all around with purple and green and blue colors, about 2 foot long. The ground was tore up a bit.

https://lh6.ggpht.com/TGFVkPIc...Eo6rMNknCr-mkpM=w300

Stardancer carefully followed Tumbleweed to avoid the deadly vine.  Carefully she picked up the beautiful feather "No..this was not his.  His looked more like these..." she held the black feather from his wing he plucked and gave her months ago "..and he also had smaller white ones too"

 "Oh. Dat not what dem feathers come from. DER! See up in dat tree over der?"

 She pointed toward a tree across the grassland to a tree with an animal sitting in it.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pini...s-fantasy-images.jpg

She looked up at it then smiled "Oh it is beautiful." Half cat half bird, she had never seen such or even heard of it.  She looked at Tumbleweed "Is it dangerous or mean?"  Being part cat she thought it might try to eat mice and small faeries.

"Oh, yez it can bez mean! Itz liks eatn smal stuf lik lizrdz and stuf. But theyz beutiful!"

 She watched the Bluebird Cat wishing she was that color, and watchful because it liked to chase flighty stuff around.

"There was a man who lived here who was killed.  I wonder if he created it?" She smiled at the beautiful bird-cat.  It might be hungry she thought as she saw it had no wings She didn't know if it understood common and with Tumbleweed and mouse with her she didn't want to risk it attacking them...but it might have attacked Rinaldo too.  "How about we continue to search and I'll leave him come bread and cheese so he won't chase us or Mouses friends?" She also thought maybe the tom that they followed here might be its friend.  Or was this mage mean and just dumped creatures here if he experimented on them.

 "Oh, thinkz them be from other placez maybez. Some dem only one lonely thingz."

 She speared a big bug flying by had a big red butt with a mighty stinger. She smashed it against the tree trunk beside them. It buzzed loudly until she bashed it's head in.

 "Oh, bad bad thingz, wit stingz!"

She smiles at Mouseriders quick move.  She looks at the creature she just killed so she would know what to avoid.  "Is this catbird creature alone?" She seemed sad to think of it being alone and without a companion.

(( https://www.pinterest.com/expl...iant-hornet/?lp=true ))

 "Thinkz it's alone. What it gonna mate wit? Bird or Catz?"

She looked about for any sign of a hive-nest.  Things kept up she was going to need more eyes.  "Cat I think..It does look like it has 4 legs and none being bird like.  Still it's creator was rather cruel it seems."

 "Iz thinking sometimez thingz happen as accidentz, maybez. Bein at wrong placez at wrong timez see? Or maybez training goez wrong sometimez. Stuff happenz and poof, something else showz up than what be planned, see?"

 She flits around the area they were passing through, the mouse jumping to and fro as she studies the plants and the area.

"Well.....If I can find my friend Rinaldo.  We'll come back and take him with us.  Atleast allow him to some freedom to roam and ...and to just be free,  instead of being trapped here" It was obvious she hated seeing things caged and confined.  It was not so long ago she was caged....she did not care for it.  She kept walking with Mouse and Tumbleweed, hoping the catbird would follow as she kept looking for Rinaldo.  "A human Magic user lived here, and died here.  Did you ever see him?  I don't know what his name was." She wondered if he was a good man or bad.

 Suddenly Tumbleweed squeals loudly and jumps off the mouse and zips around flit flit flit and rams into something bright yellow in mid air where a purple and yellow blur spins around and around before slowly stopping, showing Tumbleweed and a yellow draped pixie, arms around each other and chattering so fast with each other it's more of a high whine than anything. The yellow pixie suddenly bobs up and down for a second then flies a dizzying circle around Stardancer and the tree, screeches to a midair halt in front of Stardancers nose, smiles and pips "Hello! Goodbye!" then zips away and disappears almost as fast as she came.

 Tumbleweed flits back to her mouse and sits down again. She grins up at Stardancer.

 "Thatz Flutterby Butterhead. My SissyPooh."

She smiled "Is she alright?  She took off in a hurry." she was beginning to think there might be a colony of them about.

 "Shez fine. Shez gonna getz rest ob family to helpz look fer yer losted frend. Maybez we findz him quick dat way."

 She grinned at her and bounced up and down in the saddle.

"I hope so...Thank you" She said.  They all seemed very nice.  "Would you and your family like to get out of this confined space?  I mean when I find my friend I must go join my other friends.  There are a lot of mean beasties here.  I live in the city outside these walls on a big Island with lots of trees and flowers.  It is pretty and peaceful" she smiled  "And I believe my friends would like to meet you and your family...I know one is a bit of a healer and could probably help your wing you hurt" she again offered.

 "Oh! dat iz nice! I can askz dem if dey wantz to go."

 She leads her to a circle of rowan trees. Inside is a green patch of grass and a small pond with brightly colored fish and tiny frogs. There are toadstool growing all around and through the rowan trees in a complete circle as well. Inside the circle there are berry bushes and a nectarine tree and an apple tree.

 "Dis safe plaze, nothin bodder us herez."

"Thank you Tumbleweed, it is most kind" She wondered a moment, biting her lower lip before continuing "May I ask you a quesiton?  It may seem odd.  Were you in the battle against the dark fae?  I mean the ones that tried to incite wars not too long ago?"

 "Dawk Fey? You meanz dem like Sparkleberry? Dawk dawk blue wid sparkles on her clous?"

 She rode her mouse up a branch of a tree that drooped to the ground, circling around the trunk and up to a bunch of low hanging fruits. She reached up and took ahold of one and pulls it from the tree. She ate a few bites then offered the rest to her Brave mousie.

 "Dis sum gude frutes! Try sum? Takz sum fer laterz too.

 She seemed brighter and happier when she had eaten some fruit, and her mouse seemed happy to feed as well.

"Thank you.  Well I was a lot of colors there too.  These were Fae that wanted to hurt other fae and make humans fight each other.  There was one that sang and made all the animals go crazy.  Hurting thier ears and made them act against thier will" she ate the fruit.

 "Oh, no dawk fey herez. Just we an da fambily. Bet dat was scawy though. Itz scawy enuf herez sumtims. Youz gots youz tumtum fullz? Wher youz wantz to go nows?"

"I still need to find my bird friend Rinaldo.  He was near the one tree with those vines, but not sure exactly where" she looked a bit sad but did nod in appreciation about being full.

 "Iz sowwy, I don knowz were he iz."

 She looks very sad about not knowing where the bird was.

She smiled softly "I know...but it is why I have to keep looking" She gave her mouse mount a soft skritch "I cannot help but think he is in much trouble"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 05:52, Tue 03 Oct 2017.

 "Awe, ok. We tries but sometimes thingz not always havez happy endingz."

 She kicks at the branch she was standing on, looking glum.

"Do you and your family like living here?  I mean with all these dangers about?" she asked as she slowly got to her still new human feet.  "I live on an island with my friend Rinaldo and a few other humans and a few animals too.  Lots of plants and flowers..it is very pretty.  If you and your family can help me find my friend...I can take you to meet my friends and leave here..We can take the cat-bird and any creatures here if you like." she offered.  "We can leave the bad tree here and it won't bother you again"