Dellas watches as Narthian starts to talk to the bird "You can free the little guy... this is more of an arcane focus then anything else." He looks down upon his wrist and pats the wrist guard they had found, feeling happy to have it.

Narthian gives the stone jar to Sir Aberlayne. "I whole heartedly agree."

The others see Narthian giving the bird water, which it greedily drinks then chirps back at Narthian. "So it says also," Narthian replies to Dellas after a short time. "In its own manner, of course. It is certainly no familiar, or a prisoner of some shape changing spell, which were my concerns." Narthian fishes some nuts and berries, as are preferred by jays, from his pouch and offers them to the bird as he opens the cage. ""

"You are most welcome, Volsh." Farian is pleased to see the color return to Volsh's face.

Farian gathers his mounts reigns.  Holding them loosely he looks towards the front of the caravan.

"What might we do about that?" Farian gestures to the fallen trees in front of the caravan and starts to move foward to help.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:40, Sat 02 Sept 2017.

Haazheel is among those who look at the trees. He says We have animals that can pull wagons. Surely arrangements can be made for them to shift the trees.

Bruenor nods at Master Deyna's words.  "Yes, let's be gone from here before nightfall.  I'd prefer to camp in a spot that hasn't seen such as this..." remembering the ogre slinging the terrified mare over its head.

"Looks like the road is clear now, or not far off.  Anything left to do before setting off?"

Farian moves around the caravan and to his surprise, the road is cleared.  He was so focused on everything after the encounter with the ogres that he missed the cleaning of the road.  Mounting his horse, Farian readies for the ride.

Farian nods to Bruenor.  "Aye, a good  camp would be welcome at this point."

Lantamori remained ready to move on at the rear of the caravan whenever Master Deyna got it rolling again.

Sitting on his honeybee he again feels small next to his friend's steeds, nonetheless he rides up to them "Are we moving on or does anyone want to kiss the ogres goodbye? I'd prefer to get a move on before more of these things want to eat our horses... or us."

Dante wasn't sure if the type of rock he needed to find mattered, but with any luck he'd find enough of whatever was needed by the time they camped that he could heal his cat. They had a few more hours to go, so he was hopeful they could find what they needed by then.

Haazheel is seated on a wagon. Since he uses a crossbow, he's willing to leave the wand to Dellas.

Everyone ready, spell cast from Master Deyna's wand by Narthian to tell a messenger pigeon to take her message to Lord Uxphon, the caravan pulls out and spends the next few hours traveling until dusk is nearly upon you.  Setting up again, Gav and Maris spend a lot of time brushing the horses and checking them over for injuries, while Reetha dishes up a hearty baked dish of noodles and pork and savory sauce (or just noodles and sauce) for dinner.


The passes uneventfully for you, though you do hear the scuffle and howl of wolves, the caws of crows and ravens, and even the yelp of coyotes off in the distance as they squabble over the bounty provided today.

Rising the next day, you push on along your path, going through two more lords' territory, including one of the ambush spots on Baron Gulamin's land.  Scouting ahead by air and foot shows no danger there, and cautious probing by scouts reveals no hidden bandits, monsters, or beasts, so you are able to pass easily.  You pause briefly at a small village in the afternoon, and Master Deyna does a short, brisk trading session with some fur trappers there who seem to have been waiting for her.  She trades them fine iron tools and weapons, as this village doesn't even have a blacksmith.

  It's on the following day that trouble strikes.  This is Baroness Velthe's land, she who recently had a plague in her house that has caused her to draw back her guards to protect her shrunken assets.  Her land is somewhat more open, with a goodly several miles of road that pass in a wide meadow next to thick forest.  When coming out of the fringe of the forest, and nearly halfway through the meadow you see and hear a huge storm coming up.  The wind picks up and dark storm clouds rush to fill the sky.

There's no need to consult - such a storm would be a disaster to be caught in such a wide open space.  Master Deyna urges the wagon train to the trees, and then up into the treeline itself, not willing to trust open ground with so many horses in such bad weather.  It's a frantic scramble into the green-tinted gloom until you break into a slightly-more-open area, still sheltered with enough tree canopy to keep the caravan fairly save.

Gav, Maris, Luth, Keevak, and the drivers to go tie up the horses near smaller trees or clumps of bushes, once the wagons are circled.  As they go about their tasks, you realize, in a flash of brilliant lightning, that this campsite may be far more interesting than just a place to weather the storm.

Thick vines trail down from the sturdy trees above, leading up to dozens of building built around and between the massive forest giants, connected by wooden bridges that swing in the breeze.  The moss-and-vine covered buildings look ancient, almost as if they had grown from the trees like branches.  Another lightning bolts strikes somewhere else, giving you another bright flash of light, clearly illuminating that there does not seem to be a single soul moving about up there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:03, Sat 14 July 2018.

Haazheel continues to help Reetha.

After the lightning illuminates, Haazheel goes to Master Denya to say, "My teacher one time was discussing elven populations. He mentioned a place, the Greensward. This place might vary well be Greensward, an elven village supposedly abandoned some fifty years ago.  Supposedly this was because the numbers of villagers had grown too low to maintain the village, but others, he said, say there was some other, more sinister reason for the village to be abandoned. I suggest we move so we're not under it... at least the horses."
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:58, Thu 19 Oct 2017.

Lantamori quickly tied Cloud to one of the wagons and began unsaddling.  She wanted to get her gear into the wagon before the rain came down in full force, soaking everything.

It was probably unlikely for anything to be hunting in this weather but they'd need a watch, nonetheless.  It was what they were being paid for but she still wasn't looking forward to the soaking.

Narthian chirps at the blue bird, giving it time to get its fill of food, and chirps again as it flies off. "[Language unknown: Eveteddin meoul! Liei ilno tiurut ofosha e terent-illthu! Enusho!]"

---

Narthian was about to help with the animals, until the lightning revealed the elf village above. "We are further south then my tribe has traveled, I know nothing of the elves here." He shrugs and looks to Averdante and Lantamori. "Still, they would have good watch positions from up there. I, for one, will go up and scout. I would think the place safer after 50 years, but I would not hurry in unhitching the animals. Sir Aberlayne, keep the the silversheen handy. The bluebird did say that the ogres fought a wolf on two legs. We are likely beyond a wolf pack's range, but perhaps not a werewolf pack's." He sets Thunder to guard on the forest side of the ring, under one of the wagons. Then examines the trees to find the most climbable.

Take 20 on the Climb check. Once on a platform, he will cast Light on his lantern and wait for any others.

Huddled up in his blanket he sits close to the campfire he quickly lit and looks at the others "Going up there? Away from the warm fire?" He stands up and starts putting the blanket back in his pack "But I have to admit that I'm curious to why the village is abandoned. Maybe we can find some clues before moving on? Though there's a number of reasons that can cause a village to be abandoned.. outside dangers, internal conflict, weather, disease,..." he starts counting off his fingers while looking for an easy way to get up.

Farian startles slightly at the rolling thunder that followed the lightning.  Watching Narthian climb up and look down expectantly makes him realize that he might be waiting for others.

Looking around at the others apparently getting ready to follow, Farian dismounts, tethers his mount close to the others, and checks his saddle bags for anything he might need up above.

Nodding to himself he looks to the others.  "This is one of the more interesting sights I've seen in my travels.  I am also curious as to what might be up there."

Farian readies himself while looking up the trees for a feasible path up the tree.

The evidently abandoned treehomes above the campsite are indeed temptations, but Averdante has other, more immediate obligations -- one of which may be of crucial benefit with those structures overhead. So he secures Mask, loosening the saddle as he's been taught for a long rest, and leaving the horse cropping grass until he can return to see to him more properly.

Then he collects his stones and healing potion, and heads for the caravan's food wagon to beg a large bowl from the cooks. He'll buy it if he must, since he'll likely need it again, but if not, he's quite willing to use guilt (Preet took considerable damage while keeping the ogress too busy to harm others, after all), or immediate need to scout out the homes above, to get ahold of the bowl.

Once he has it, he fills the bottom with the stones he'd gathered since the battle. Preet jumps in next, with a few soft clunks of rocks knocking together, and looks up expectantly. "I know," Dante tells him with a quiet laugh. "I want you up there, too. Here." Uncapping his healing potion, he carefully tips the contents into the bowl.

He's going to need to get some more of those, first chance he has; normally he can rely on Farian's aid, but that won't work for Preet.

Dismounting, Bruenor looks up with a sense of wonder at the structures hugging the trees.  He ties Demon to a nearby tree, not trusting the horse's wanderlust just yet.

The thought of exploring this abandoned, possibly forgotten place appeals to him, but then he looks around at the camp...the drivers, cooks, and traders.

"Perhaps one or two of us should stay here to protect the camp?" he asks.  "Wouldn't do to have us all off exploring the trees while somethings sets upon the caravan.  I'll stand guard down here."

"No, I will guard, me and her," Volsh says, nodding at Lantamori and her alert stance.  "Go settle what ghosts remain in this place so we can rest without risk of upsetting the ancestors of the elves."

"A fair point... also I'd be worried that one of these old places might fall down on us while we sleep," Master Deyna says.  She waves to Gav and Maris, pointing at a spot a little farther away where they can circle the caravan and make a makeshift paddock for the horses by running chains between the wagons.



While the caravan is circling and everyone is tending to their beasts, Averdante can beard Reetha in her lair, speaking with Haazheel.  With a bit of convincing, she parts with a basin.  With the smooth pebbles in the bowl and Prreet squarely settled down amongst them, Averdante pours in the potion.  Prreet purrs, which sounds like a bunch of rocks rubbing against each other, and curls up to take a nap amongst the stones.



"Maybe so.  Good place to watch, also a good place to hide if anything has decided to move in in the elves' absence.  And if the boards are rotted, then I'm lighter than you, m'lad," Sir Aberlayne says.  "Go on up, I'll knot a rope so the rest of those inclined can get up easier."

Narthian examines the possible ways up: there are some thick vines trailing down, and several of the massive trees have some rough bark.  The vines look sturdy enough, and with some effort, Narthian gets himself up on the walkway outside a mossy building.  Using the vines, he can lower one to Sir Aberlayne, haul up the rope, and fasten it near a trunk to make a relatively easy assent for those inclined.

Dellas, Sir Aberlayne, Farian, Averdante and Bruenor (if they wish), even Haazheel (should he be so inclined) can make the climb up without too much trouble.

Up above, it seems curiously quiet, with little animal sounds.  There's the sound of rain, the boom of thunder, but the thick forest canopy keeps the heavy deluge down to a thick mist and heavy drips, though it's clear anything not under cover will be thoroughly saturated by morning.  Flashes of lightning illuminate the place in stark contrast to the light in Narthian's lantern.  There are homes wrapped around the huge trees, some of them even penetrating into the living wood.  Where you are seems to be smaller buildings that might have been homes, while a bit farther distant are larger structures with broader walkways that were likely communal halls, workspaces, shops, or even churches.  Walkways sway in the gusts of wind that sometimes penetrate the canopy, ruffling the bright blue and purple trumpet flowers that nearly glow against the green moss that covers every surface.

A nearby door opens and slams shut in the wind ceaselessly, until it abruptly stops.  A faint wisp of a fluttering curtain seems to reach out of a house the next tree over, as if grasping after owners long-gone.  Other than that, the Greensward is still... as if waiting.

"There is something... unsettling about this place," Narthian says, barely above a whisper. He doesn't know why, but the thought of the ancient legend of the banshee comes to his mind. He holds the lantern in his left hand, and draws his scimitar with his right, then waits for Sir Aberlayne to take the lead. "The suddenly not banging door is that way," he offers helpfully.

Haazheel frets and worries, but finally takes himself up to the abandoned settlement at a point nearest the camp. He holds his crossbow and waits.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Tue 12 Sept 2017.

Dellas looks almost... bored? In a normal voice which seems to disturb the silence far greater than it normally would he says "Well, what are we waiting for? Someone with some armor and a shield should go first!" He looks half amused half lovingly at his big sister. "Or did we come up here just to have some exercise ?"

"I'll walk the perimeter," Lantamori said to the much bigger man.  "See if there's anything to worry about before the storm hits us like loose branches or dead trees.

"Why don't you go in the other direction and we'll pass one another on the far side and then back to here."

Sir Aberlayne shoots her brother an exasperated glance, grins, and takes out her axe.  Shield forward, she starts off in the direction Narthian indicated.  She tests her footing carefully on the swaying bridge as she crosses over.  She does point to one board as she passes, shaking her head and pointing at the larger members of the party to avoid it.

You reach another tree with a platform around it, this one with the door to the home wedged shut.  There are two windows, and those taking a look inside can spy a lot of vines spilling in a window in the back, a mossy chest, a cupboard, and as another bolt of lightning brightly illuminates the area, a flash of something shiny against the far wall, and something dark staining the floor below it.