For the most of the trip Dellas remaind silent and deep in thought, even Vish seems to have adopted his masters new mood and doesn't run as much as normal up and down Dellas' shoulders. He gives the road posts only a moment of his time before fixing his eyes on Honeybee's ears again.
But as soon as Ethrain mentions the god, Dellas looks up and smiles: "I think I would like to meet this god,I still think that we should hurry up, but only a fool charges in without knowing what he's fighting." He doesn't seem to notice Ethrain's uneasiness or seems to ignoring it... Dellas seems extremely calm.

Volsh was not exactly thrilled about meeting a god, but he had the feeling that this was necessary.  His thought about charging in, he guessed, might be slightly different than Dellas'.  In fact, he was fairly certain there would be no charging at all, for some time.

Wondering if Ethrain's uncertainty about his local deity is due to the nature of it -- her -- or due to worry over what their reaction might be, Averdante is interested in meeting her. He's never knowingly met a deity, so it will surely be a novel experience.

"Finding out if there's been a change in the situation since you left is important," he tells the old man, "so let's go see what she has to say."

Ethrain bobs his head and turns down the dim path, thickly overlaid with moss underfoot and gloomy with thick trees and vines overhead.  Glittering insects dart across the path, from one green wall of foliage to another, and flowers of deep colors add unexpected hues as you travel.  Most of the light is dim and green, though you get the occasional lance of sunlight breaking through the canopy unexpectedly.  Though the path is big enough for the horses, you have to lead them, and go single file, just to fit.  The beast seem mostly unperturbed with the greenness, though some of them try to snatch mouthfuls as you walk.

It's nearly an hour before the path opens up, and Ethrain points to several long, sturdy branches where you can tie up the horses for now.  Then he sits on a projecting tree root and removes his shoes and socks, tying them to his belt.

"To commune with her, we become one with the fen around her," he says, and looks pointedly at everyone's feet.  If everyone's willing to become unshod, he'll lead you a little further, along a path that is far from dry.  In fact, everyone is squelching through soft mud and stagnant water, the humans up to their shins, the halflings up past their knees, before a few minutes are out.  The smell of rotting vegetation and algae is thick on the air, and mist begins to gather all around you.

Finally, the path raises a little, and you pad over soft moss to a clearing flanked by finely-carved stone pillars. Beyond it stands a huge tree.  It's only when Ethrain keeps walking do you realize two things about it.  One, it is so tall that toe even reach the first branching would require six tall orcs to stand on each other's shoulders.  Two, that beneath the moss is the gray of granite, rather than the rich brown of the other trees you've seen.  The heavy fen stink of swamp gasses has faded, to be replaced with the smell of clean water and growing things.  A hum of power fills your head, and even if you had come across this place unaware, you certainly would recognize the power of one of Low'verok's small gods.

This, then, is the Stone Tree.

Though her demesne is likely very small, likely no more than a few square miles, or even much less, within it, she wields power supreme over her chosen ideals.

The tree does not move, does not speak, but there is a hum that sounds low and pleasant, and Ethrain bows his head in relief.  "They came when no one else would, and willingly," he says.

The hum increases, and becomes more focused.  And now you can hear words within it, rumbling through your feet and bones.

Spirits of the air test and trial my people.  I fear they will be next.  They could shelter beneath my branches, but they are not animals to live a simple life of existence.  Their livelihood must be preserved, as much as their lives!  Do you come with these things in your heart?  Do you come with these skills in your hands?

Bruenor is unsure what to make of Ethrain's uneasiness about the god.  Was there something he was hiding or not telling them about her?

He liked even less the idea of taking off his boots, but did so along with the rest.  Half an hour later he was wondering if they'd ever get there.

A while longer, and they were there...Stone Tree.  He starts a bit at the voice in his head...was it in his head, or was he actually hearing the sounds from the tree?

At the god's question, he instinctively answers silently in his head, "What skills I have are here to help these folk."  After a brief pause, he says the same out loud just in case; unsure why he was so compelled to respond.  Usually he let other in their group talk first...those who had a bit more 'gift of the gab'...and preferred to listen and observe.

Glad he'd removed his boots, given bare feet were easier to clean and not likely to get sucked off by the muck, Averdante follows through the bog with the others. The Stone Tree, when they reach it, is certainly impressive to look at. Then it, or the deity inhabiting it, addresses them.

A bit surprised, he can't help the wary look around, but there's no one visible but their own party. And no normal being could make the ground resonate under his feet like that.

The questions, though... he's not sure he should answer those. It was the cats that had gotten his attention, not any concern for the locals or their livelihoods. Granted, he also didn't like that the threat seemed to be escalating and might soon begin to prey upon people -- but that was practicality: when something dangerous is getting stronger, it's better to eliminate it sooner than later.

And it remained to be seen whether he had the skills needed to deal with the threat. How could he know that answer when he didn't yet know exactly what they were up against? If the lights had no physical form, or something more corporeal controlling them -- then probably he didn't.

Given he couldn't exactly give affirmative answers the Tree's questions, Dante thinks it better to be silent.

Volsh removed his boots and was fairly certain that the fresh grass would wilt and brown when he walked upon it, if the smell was any indication.  At the first sound of the hum, he thought maybe a swarm of insects would descend upon them and he looked about for them anxiously.  When he realized it was something else, Volsh culd feel his heart beat faster.  It was as though he was an awkward teenager again, trying to talk to a pretty girl.  His hands felt clammy, his throat dry and his heart was hammering in his chest.

"I don't know."  It came out reflexively, blurted out loud, and Volsh was suddenly self conscious.  In truth, he did not know that any of these things were in his heart.  He had come for coin, if it helped the villagers of the Fen, well that was all well and good.  As to whether he had the skills...he did not know what skills were needed.  If it was a strong arm and a sharp blade, then maybe.

While Vish seems to get more excited, Dellas was trying to take mental notes of his surrounding. In the last adventure he got hurt badly because he didn't keep his eyes and ears open. Now it seems that he steps into another world.
As he again won an imaginary argument in his head, he notices the stone tree for the first time. Leaving his mouth slightly open, he takes another step and remembers to close his mouth. The voice seems to penetrate his skin into the bone. He takes another step and bows low
"Greetings, oh magnificant Stone tree, my name is Dellas Nump. I humbly present to you my travel companions. I do not know if we have the necessary skills to help your people but together we have freed spirits of their curse to haunt their resting place. We have solved a puzzle to overcome deadly traps and defeated the undead. With my minor magical abilities and my friends martial abilities, we will do what we can to protect your people."
He pauses for a moment "I can't speak for my companions, but I for one am here to learn more about these lights and to help your people. Though I am sure that they are also here to help you and your people."
For the most time he keeps his head a bit lower while still looking at the tree.

Your will counts for more than your words.  To overcome death by your skill shows courage.  Perseverance.  Yes, you can help my people.  I do not know the face of those who haunt the village by night, but I know something of their nature.  Since Ethrain has been gone, they have come again, and they have taken the tamed alligators the people used to help ferry their rafts.

Ethrain blanches at this news, and shivers, visibly disturbed.

It was light without heat, but also a sound, too low for the people to hear.  A boy, Bralton Fescue, had been watching the beasts, and he followed as they were lured.  A spot in the wall had been weakened to let them escape.  Beyond the town's pallisade, Bralton passed beyond my sight, but I heard a yelp of surprise, and muffled shouts.  It was not the quiet of the spell-struck, but those of a struggling person.  Whatever magic is being used, there is something tangible behind it, southeast of the village wall.

The thrum beneath your feet ebbs and flows as the Stone Tree speaks, as if you were standing on the chest of a giant.  Ethrain speaks up abruptly, almost too quickly to catch, but you gather something about time.

The Stone Tree is silent, but three heavy stone seeds fall from its branches.

"Three days?  Why has no one gone after him?" Ethrain cries.

Fear.  Hence, you brought the fearless with you.  They do not live with our omens, and they are not ruled by them.

Volsh smiled as he heard what the tree related.  There was something tangible behind it...which meant that his spear might be of some use after all.  Sorcerers and witches were tricky and clever, and their magic could be deadly, but when faced with hand to hand combat the warrior generally had the advantage.

"Wait, are you saying that these folk knew that a boy was taken and did not try to recover him?"  He growled angrily.  Omens or no omens these people seemed to be cowards.  "What sort of omen would keep these folk shivering in their huts, while a boy had been taken by some witch or warlock?"

So the lights had something tangible behind them... that was definitely good to learn. Averdante would be happy to plant a few arrows into whatever was behind these predations. And they had a direction to start searching for the culprit, which was very helpful.

The news that a child from the village had been taken though, wasn't good. And if he was understanding Ethrain and the tree aright, there'd been no attempt to go after the boy.

He frowned at that. It was both appalling and morally offensive to him that the theft of a child had been so ignored, when it should have had the entire village up in arms. It was a human thing, he knew, that with children born so easily to them, many placed little value on what they'd been blessed with -- but were they so complacent they'd sit around their village waiting to lose more, too?

Dellas listens attentively and automatically gets the urge to step away from Volsh. He still can clearly remember how he wield his great weapon and almost cleaved enemies in two. Three days would be a long time for the missing boy, if he's still alive.
"Great stone tree, I believe that we're eager to look for the boy and of course into stopping whatever is taking the animals. Is there any other help you could offer? Any piece of information that could help us to know what we're dealing with here? I am in hope that the boy might still be alive and we might be able to bring him back to his parents." He didn't want to seem rude, but since the beginnning of this quest, Dellas felt that time is of the utmost importance

With the knowledge that there was something tangible behind these 'attacks', the first question that came to mind was who had they angered.  "Are you aware of anyone or anything that the village may have given offense?  Or perhaps a rival that might seek to undermine them?"

Bruenor listens to the Stone Tree's words, not saying anything.  He thinks they're not likely to get much more from the Stone Tree, and silently agrees with Dellas...time was of the essence.  If the others spent much more time conversing with the god, he would speak up and urge haste.

Whatever was plaguing the village and its animals had crossed a line of sorts by accosting the boy.  If he was gone three days now, they'd best be after him.

They have seen their animals go, one by one.  At first it was odd.  Then it was alarming.  With the loss of their alligators, frightening.  Then, the loss of one of their children?  Terrifying.  They have formed the turtle; they have withdrawn to protect themselves and their remaining children from what seems to want to take them.  The priest sent out a messenger to try to find Bralton, an ally of celestial waters, but it did not come back.  When allies of the heavens are swallowed up, fear spreads.



You ask wisely.  I can give you the swamp's roots, that you walk easily in the mire.  And the stone heart, that you know what does and doesn't belong.

You feel the faint touch of roots against your bare feet, touching them, then seemingly penetrating them with no pain.  The sensation lasts but a moment, but then you feel much more firm in your footing than you were in the soft mud.  There is a faint shiver from the tree, and into each of your hands drops what seems to be a seed, made of stone.

Swallow it.  It will guide you.

If you do, it goes down with no trouble.  And you have a faint sense in your mind of unease to the southeast, and a vague mental map of the area, as if you had grown up here as a child.



No known rival, but it is possible this is a new one.  There may be another god trying to move against me.  To destroy a god, first you must take one's worshippers.  The battle plays out amongst the people first.  The Stone Tree sounds incredibly sad, and Ethrain gives a moan of what sounds like sympathetic pain at his god's sorrow.

His first reaction was to move his feet back, but knowing.. or better hoping that this god wouldn't do something to harm them, he stands there and let the roots penetrate his feet. The pill was surprisingly not hard to swallow and a sense of familiarity washes over him. Knowing where to go and with more help from the Stone Tree, Dellas feels bold enough to go and rescue the child.
"We thank you for your gifts. I believe the time of our departure has come and hopefully our next meeting shall be the celebration of the return of the child."

With this he turns to the others "I'm not sure how much good it will do to ask around the village first. The people are clearly scared and have probably not seen much..." looking at Ethrain "Maybe you should go back to the village and tell the people to take care of themselves. Lock the doors and make sure that the children are safe. Maybe go and check the wall."

Averdante flinched at the feel of something that felt like literal roots wriggle against his feet -- then seem to pass right into them. Alarm froze him in place, because something that felt like that could do more damage if abruptly ripped away. The realization that there was no pain came a moment later, and by then the sensation was gone. Oddly enough, he felt steadier, although he'd been perfectly comfortable on the grassy hummock before.

He still had to lift a foot to examine the sole, but aside from some bare skin showing through the mud where it had been wiped away by grass, there seemed no visible redness or other mark present. Interesting.

Catching the seed, he was a little suspicious about swallowing a stone. A stone seed, at that. Some things hatched inside living bodies, after all... but he watched Dellas swallow it, and saw a look almost of surprise, and comprehension, come over the halfling's face.

Dante was still hesitant. He glanced around at the others, then at the Stone Tree. He had no sense of evil from it. Ethrain didn't seem evil, either, and he looked calm, as if this sort of thing were normal.

After another look at Dellas as he thanked the Tree, Dante considered the seed again, then a bit uneasily put it in his mouth and swallowed it. And blinked, as awareness of the area rose within him.

Well... that was... efficient. And apt to be very useful, indeed -- although he really hoped that discomfort to the southeast wasn't actually another deity attempting to take over the area. He offered a silent bow to the Stone Tree in thanks for the aid gifted to him, and hoped he and the others would be able to live up to the Tree's expectations.

Turning to Dellas, Dante asked, "Will Ethrain be able to handle all the horses alone? I don't think they'll do well in the swamp."

Volsh had no idea how to respond to that information.  Gods killing gods!?  Was this work that they could complete?  If they did, then would they make an enemy of this other god? The northerner fared much better when dealing with foes made of flesh and blood.   At the same time they had made an agreement, and while he might argue that this was not what they had signed up for, the party had agreed.  He was loathe to break his word and seem a coward.  Plus, it might not be a god, so that bridge could be crossed at a later date.

Bruenor seems unable to lift a foot as the sensation reaches the soles of his feet.  How would he describe it...?  Wriggling?  In any case, it soon passes; and he does, in fact, feel more sure-footed where he stands.

He raises an eyebrow in admiration mixed with alarm at how quickly Dellas swallows the stone seed; but watches the halfling's reaction and decides it's safe...and helpful.  He follows suit and then turns to look at the source of unease.

"Yes, we should be off," he voices agreement with Dellas.  Then, turning back to the god, "Many thanks for your gifts.  May we all be celebrating a success in the coming days."

"If they haven't already gotten themselves in the council house, I'll get them there," Ethrain promised.  "If you circle the village on your way towards the lights, I'll call out what I see in the wall myself."



I can protect your beasts.  If they stay under my branches, nothing can harm them.  Go, and find this source of trouble.  The Stone Tree's voice echoes in your head, and in peculiar rippling of the swamp, a rather confused herd of horses and ponies rises from the mire, untouched, next to the Stone Tree's trunk.

Sir Aberlayne lets out a sigh of relief.  "Valiant, my friend, I know you would be unhappy trying to charge through a swamp.  Stay here and protect the others with the Stone Tree."



Go.  And find those luring my people. The Stone Tree's voice is thunderous as you turn to go.  Ethrain gives you a little salute and wades ahead of you, going on what you now realize is one route to the village.  And now you can tell there is another route that bends to the southeast, towards where the boy was last heard.

You walk as if your feet had eyes, avoiding deep pools of water or quicksand, tangling roots or trailing vines.  You make excellent time on a parallel course to Ethrain, and a little over an hour later you see the log-and-stone palisade of Fen-on-the-Fen come into view.  Just outside the walls, you can see partially-protected flooded plant beds meant to secure waterplants from encroachment by other vegetation or hungry creatures.  The walls are made of dense, water-logged trees, extremely hard to hack through and nearly impervious to fire, based in stones to hold them secure.

Inside the palisade, you can hear faint conversations.  It's actually somewhat encouraging, because at least the town isn't ominously silent.  Circling around to the southeast, you examine the wall carefully.  Averdante and Lantamori spy something, a subtle break between the stones and one of the larger trees of the palisade.  Atop the wall, you hear a grunt, and then Ethrain's old face looks down at you with alarm.

"Ah, you're here!  I have everyone in the council house, and counted heads twice.  Jemma Darali, she no more than twelve, went after Bralton just barely an hour ago!  She must have went after him just after we spoke with the Stone Tree!  Her parents were about to lead a party to go after her, omens or no, when I arrived.  I just managed to get them calmed down for now."  There are a couple of raised voices from below inside, and Ethrain ducks his head to shout something back before his face appears again.  "They're farmers and swamp-gatherers, not warriors.  In their heart of hearts, they know this.  There are some faint marks in the dust here at ground level, so I think Jemma got out here."  Ethrain points at the large tree in the palisade.  "And here, for you, and the children if need be."

He tosses down several packages wrapped in moss.  There are five small gourds with wax stoppers, something sloshing inside, four balls of damp leaves bound together with what looks like honey, and three small, capped wooden pots of what looks like rich red paint.  "Healing potions, antitoxins, and battle wode.  I shall try to keep everyone here so no one else is lost!  Blessings upon you!"

Vish quickly climbs up Dellas' leg and nestles himself between his shoulder and collar, he quickly says his goodbye to honeybee and gives her a carrot from his pack. The way to the village seems to be easier for Dellas than before, the Stonetree's blessing is truly a magnificant gift, it is as if his feet exactly knew where to step.
Even his head was filled with a sense of memory and a feeling of going home, which filled Dellas' heart with sorrow... thinking about his own lost home.
Staying quiet the whole time, he almost didn't notice the huge (for him) palisade until the whole party stops.
His face turned pale when he heard that the girl, Jamma Darali, went after the missing child. He knew that they should have been faster... had they only started their journey in the evening.

He quickly picks up the items and gives each of his companions a gourd, everyone gets a ball of damp leaves except for himself and the three wooden pots to Bruenor, Volsh and Abby.

"Thank you, we'll try to find her and bring her back safely." turning away from Ethrain he turns to Averdante "Can you track them? I don't think we should waste time now"

Looking around he asks quietly: "What is battle wode?"

OOC: Each gets one healing potion, all of you get antitoxin and our front line fighters get the battle wode.

Averdante searches the break in the wall, and the ground before it, for any clues the intruders might have left regarding their nature -- footprints, dropped items, or perhaps a hand print.

When Ethrain appears atop the wall, while Dellas collects the bundles, Dante suggests to the older man, "It might be wise to take a group of your people and inspect all the walls. It's possible the ones preying on your village are preparing their access points in advance. Then you can either make repairs, or prepare to ambush them if they return before we do."

Accepting the gourd and bundle of leaves from the halfling wizard, Dante tells him, "Narthain and Thunder are probably better trackers than I am, but I'll look around, too. And even then, we can feel which way to go, thanks to the Tree."

Volsh accepted the gourds, and pots and leaves and decides the best thing is to stow them in his pack for now.  he had no idea what battle wode was, so he simply shrugged at the question.  Hopefully it was something good, but he guessed they might find out.

"I have little skill at tracking, but will do what I can to help.  If teh ground is soft, maybe we can find some footprints."

"I think our barbarian friend would be more familiar than I, though I've heard of it in passing," Sir Aberlayne says peering at the contents of the pot.  "It makes one more fearsome in battle, braver and stronger, though a little reckless, according to the stories.  Powerful stuff, particularly if you're already hopping mad about something."

She slings the items in her belt pouch and gets ready to follow the trackers as soon as they can find a good direction to go.

"We'll do that!" Ethrain says, looking pleased that his agitated and frightened fellow villagers will have something constructive to do.



Narthian gives a nod to Averdante, and shouts up to Ethrain.  "If you have any items with their scent, toss them over!  Thunder will be able to track them!"

Ethrain lights up with smiles and disappears for a few minutes, returning with two items of clothing, a battered, hand-woven hat and an old shirt.  "The hat belongs to Jemma, the shirt to Bralton!"

Narthian puts the items under Thunder's nose and lets him sniff them as he, Averdante, and Volsh hunt on the soft ground for any prints.  Volsh spies a few in the mud heading off to the southeast, and Averdante follows the line until he sees that places where the trail "disappears" in fact goes up into the trees, as evidenced by barely-dry mud on low branches.  Thunder sniffs at a few places on the tree, and gives a low whine.  Narthian nods; Jemma has passed this way.

You can head off to the southeast with care, making sure you don't overlook tracks, and keeping a weather eye out for trouble, traps, or ambushes.  The marshy ground is not exactly pleasant to walk through, but at least you're not slipping and falling every few steps, and you know when to avoid what would have been very deep holes in seemingly semi-solid ground.  While Bralton's trail is fairly cold, Jemma's is much easier to spot.  Between Averdante and Narthian, you follow it for nearly a mile.

Ahead, you can see a section of the fen when the mist grows thicker, and the trees grow in tighter groves.  The inevitable songs of insects and frogs that have been your background for now seem to grow softer, and there's a faint chittering sound, more deliberate than any animal.  Within one of the groves, you can see faint light, blue, red, and the golden gleam of fire.  Oddly, the tracks from Jemma seem to circle off to a grove just south of the glowing one...