Even the most casual observer would have noticed Liamm's obvious hesitation and nervousness when Ologeon committed his young apprentice to guide the adventurers into the Witchwood to the ancient tree where the mushrooms, morels and moss could be found. Perhaps some even heard the crinkle of parchment as the apprentice's hand fidgeted with the dutifully hand-drawn map he had prepared to alleviate the need for his services. He didn't even bother to protest, for he already knew this was non-negotiable.

Once this fact is confirmed, Liamm resigned himself to the task and did his master's bidding. Nobody ever claimed an apprentice enjoyed an easy lot in life.

The party makes preparations for the journey, which Liamm indicates should take the better part of a day. Departing the town, heading northward along a trail running parallel to the Elsir River, the party passes through several miles of irrigated farmland. The sun is already rising on the horizon and promises what should be a sweltering day. In the far distance, the party sees a bank of dark green, growing closer with each dust-rising footstep. The Witchwood.

Some folks claim it is haunted by the ghosts of the druidic people who once held sway over the region, others dismiss that as a load of poppycock. In any event, those woods are no doubt dangerous. If Liamm is pressed about it, he responds simply, "Up until a couple of days ago when I saw them dog-faced gnomes, I never had no troubles there." Seconds later he confesses that his exploration of the forest has been cursory at best though and he has mainly stuck to areas he knows well.

Around mid-day the party enters the lush, wet woodland and if they weren't sweating before, this is resolved in short order. It becomes quite steamy once the party slips under the thick canopy of trees, only the faintest of light filtering through here or there.

Traveling along the semblance of a game trail, Liamm directs the party toward their destination, the soft bed of leaves and dirt muffling their footsteps. The air is rich with the sounds of vibrant wildlife. That is, until the party presses forward and crosses the threshold into a darkened section of the forest.

The songs of birds fade as the party passes a dense cluster of trees. Up ahead, the group is greeted by an awe-inspiring sight. The broken and rotting husk of a once-mighty tree dominates a small clearing. The ground is dark and ruddy around the massive trunk, which must be nearly 100 feet across, and stretches more than twice that distance into the air, its top shorn off and splintered like broken teeth. Heavy layers of moss and lichen cling to the stump, enrobing it in rich shades of green, yellow and brown. The sickly sweet taint of mold and rot hangs in the air.

A small fissure beckons from the eastern side of the great trunk. The opening is barely three feet wide, and curls up the scarred bark like a wicked smile. A dim purple light, so faint as to perhaps be imagined, glows from within the trunk. The thrum of a low wind whispers through the forest – but as the party train their senses toward the rotted husk of tree, they realize that the sound is coming from inside the stump itself.

This is the "big tree" Liamm had talked about all morning, though his descriptions of it did not make it sound nearly as omenous as it now appears.

OOC: The party is about 100 feet distant from the tree.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:19, Wed 14 Sept 2016.

The young apprentice whispers while standing behind a large frond some 100 feet distant from the tree, "The dog-faced gnomes where skulking about just there in the clearing. They seemed to be just as afraid of the tree as I was and were talking to eachother. Well, actually yapping really."

"I hightailed it out of here as quickly and quietly as I could. I don't think they even knew I was here. And good for that!" he says, this time breaking whisper volume.

The girl with the dirty blond/brown hair stops when the others do.  Her arms are folded across her chest, with each hand holding the edges of her cloak and rubbing the opposite arm, as a person would do to ward off the cold.  Her head is hunched low and she faces straight ahead at the tree, but her eyes dart incessantly.

But that is all of her that moves: her hands, rubbing her arms; and her eyes, prying into the gloom.

She says nothing.

Eoni looked around the clearing from where she crouched in the bushes.  It looked quiet enough.  She wondered what had happened to the tree to damage it so.

She had been hoping to come across one of the roadside shrines of Avandra as they traveled, but she hadn't seen any.  Joining the others had seemed like a good way to travel safely while still following her mission to seek out and maintain the foci of Avandra's devotion.  As she'd discovered as a child, they were sometimes found in out of the way places.

The others were mostly younger than herself, except for the dwarf.  She was pretty sure he was older than all of them.  When Yhus had joined she'd been looking forward to seeing how acolytes of Pelor held themselves but it seemed that even she was more worldly than the young farm boy.  She didn't doubt his belief, just hoping to learn how other faiths spread their patron's word.

Eoni wasn't really sure what Aldara was looking for.  She wasn't sure if the woman was running away from something or looking for something to call her own. Time would tell.  In any case Aldara was in stark contrast with the street urchin that had attached herself to their group.  Eoni didn't think the young girl would be of much benefit to their safety but she was hoping to guide her toward the word of Avandra through kindness and faith.

Marklin was more of what she'd been hoping for.  He and the dwarf, Valthur, were strong and capable.  Just their presence buoyed her confidence as she hid in the bushes of the Witchwood.  They were going to collect the mushrooms and whatnot and return for their reward.

She'd barely scratched the funds provided for her pilgrimage but she knew that the journey might be long and wanted to be well prepared.  She might not have any idea of what she was doing but there wasn't any reason not to be frugal while doing it.

Not for the first time, the woman's thoughts wandered back to the question of how long before the reverend mother would allow her to return.  A few months?  A year?  Definitely less than a year.  She really should have asked.

Valthur wipes the sweat from his face and examines the stump from the edge of the clearing. "Looks like your dog-faces scattered sometime after you did. Can't say I blame them. Something about this place isn't right."

He continues to examine the clearing and the gigantic stump at its center. He can feel his heart racing. The forest made him uneasy from the moment he entered it and the moaning stump does little to ease his spirits now.
"Does anyone else hear that? Where's that noise coming from?"

Like many of his companions, the young hedge-cleric stares in quiet suspicion at the ancient tree standing great as a castle tower in the clearing before them.

He is no warrior, this he knows, but he knows too that Pelor would have him go forth bold against all things dark and evil. And anyway, they only come to gather mosses and mushrooms…

“Where d’ya find the harvest yer master seeks?” he asks their guide in a low tone.

"Umm..." he whispers sheepishly, his eyes still trained on the giant tree. "I think that purplish glow comes from the moonsong."

The young apprentice seems somewhat coy and measured in his next response, "I didn't actually see them though. Never got close enough. But mark my word, there in there!" he insists.

"Please don't tell Ologeon!" he adds in.

Liamm goes on to explain Ologeon had a vision several weeks ago while consorting with spirits. The spirits told the alchemist the answer to his question (sourcing the mushroom, morel and moss) would be revealed within "a tree that took root long ago, north of town".

The apprentice has spent the last several weeks searching. When he saw the large tree and the purplish glow, he knew this had to be it.

"They have to be here..." he says in reassurance to himself more than anyone else, his milky cheeks now rose-colored.

Eoni looked back at the boy and recognized his embarrassment.  In all fairness, the Witchwood was quite spooky and having spent days searching on his own, she wasn't surprised that the giant glowing trunk and barking dogmen had driven him to retreat.

Without the support of the others, she'd already have been marching quickly in the other direction.

If she'd just passed the stump under almost any other circumstances, one woman in the group would not have thought twice about it.  She would likely have mistaken it for any number of things, and even if she did correclty place it as what was once a tree, she would have reasoned that trees fell all the time.  It was just a fact of life.  Of course, today Aldara was not merely passing by, she'd been led here by a young apprentice in need of assistance.  And, well, this stump did warrant some looking-at.

Like the other adventurers, her attention is fixed on it.  She seems to expect something to come out at any time, and almost reaches for a dagger at her hip when one of her companions, a Dwarf, mentions noises.  She'd only begun living by her wits recently, and was doing poorly at it.  After one incident where she nearly boxed somebody senselss after they bumped into her, she had to work to check herself.  To put herself at ease, she reassures Liamm.  "Well, if spirits pointed you here, I'm sure they're here.  Only very foolish ones would lie." Needless to say, it is very clear that she does not seem too convinced of her own words.

 The trail that led them to the clearing with the large tree was without incident, and that was just fine with the Warrior. He did not like the feel of this place, it made him feel closed in, and something could be behind every tree. As for the clearing itself, it was a perfect spot for an ambush. Whatever those dog faced things where, with the pointed sticks, there could be many of them, laying in ambush, or so thought Marklin.

 His companions did not bring confidence to the Warrior, well, except for the Dwarf of course, his kind made for good warriors, handy to have in a fight. But the rest of his companions, women for the most part, he hoped they had more to them, and then met the eye.

 Marklin himself, he was a man of average height and looks, no winner of beauty contests this one. He usually had to pay for the company of a woman, but that was fine with him. His leather armor had brass studs sewn into it for added protection. The weapons that he carried, where three javelins, a mace at his belt, dagger and spear. His former lord had thought swords where for the gentry, not a common soldier like Marklin.

 He currently stood in the brush near his companions, taking the measure of the place, as he leaned upon his spear. “Nay, I like it not. We need to be careful, as those creatures might still be skulking about the area. Let’s skirt the clearing, staying to the trees, and get a better look at all angles.” He offered in way of counsel to the group.

The girl's eye movements stop; she cocks her head to one side, as if using her ear like a bug would use its antenna . . . searching, questing . . .

[Private to DM Pawn: OOC: Let's use that "Hear Noise" skill, see if Valthur was hearing something, or if he's just talking. :)]

"Of course the blasted mushrooms would be in the stump, wouldn't they," Valthur grumbles under his breath. "I mean, why would I expect them anywhere else but in the most vile, foul smelling part of this god forsaken forest?"

Having spoken(or rather muttered) his piece, he draws his sword and moves cautiously along the edge of clearing as the fighter suggested.

After a moment Sarah shakes her head softly.  Then, she realizes that at least one in the party is separating from the group.  She looks at him for a moment, then the group, then to the departing figure.

But she stays with the group.

Sarah hears nothing unusual, save for the ambient noises of the surrounding forest and the occasional crinkling of dead leaves as Valthur skirts the perimeter of the clearing.

Valthur skirts along the edge of the clear in order to get a better look at the tree from all angles. The dwarf does not spot any obvious alternate entries similar to the small fissure on its eastern side. The tree is about 60 feet tall, though it appears to have been much taller at one time, its upper portion likely having fallen down long, long ago and decomposed into the rich soil.

It's possible one could gain access to the tree by climbing up its sides and finding entrance at its sheared-off top, assuming it is hollow throughout. But there is no way to be certain without scaling the tree.

The clearing around the tree is marked by several smaller saplings and shrubs taking root here or there, but none have managed to grow much taller than man height. Those few saplings that have taken root seem quite anemic and blighted. These are not healthy specimens growing in the wake of this taller, much older tree. Rather, the clearing seems to have tainted the surrounding land, a sickness radiating outward.

As Valthur is perhaps grumbling over this mission, he steps on something hard and decidely not "woodsy". Glancing down, the dwarf spots a javelin. The javelin is crudely crafted, well by dwarven standards at least, with a shoddy bronze tip. It's a serviceable weapon, just not particularly noteworthy.

Feeling a little less skittish after Valthur decides to trek ahead, and not wanting him to be alone in his exploration, Aldara follows the dwarf.  As she does, she draws a gleaming, silvery dagger - just in case something comes up.  She knew how to use the implement, and had several more on her person for throwing, but sincerely hoped that she did not have to use it.  She, too, keeps her eye out for anything unusual.

Well, more unusual than the colossal, overgrown dead tree.

Eoni decided to follow Aldara.  Nothing untoward had befallen the dwarf and she suspected that remaining in the bushes as she was would not further their goals.

"Come with us," she said to Liamm as they set off after Valthur.

From a different angle, the tree wasn't as imposing as it had initially seemed.  She kept some distance between them as they moved and relied on her staff to push through the leaves and grasses.

It was strange that the clearing had not been overgrown in the time it had taken for the upper portion of the tree to fade away.  They had not encountered any tree so large during their journey thus far and wondered what kind it had been to grow so large and if there might be others strewn about the forest.

 Seeing the Dwarf suddenly start off into the greensward,Marklin followed him,as they scouted the fringes of the clearing. He carried a spear in one hand,a round shield upon the other. He wore a helmet with a nose guard, that was a common soldiers protection.

As more people approached the tree Sarah followed suit.  Her hands are now under her cloak, but in the same position as before: each grasping the opposite arm.

She eyed the tree, but made no comment about it.

[Private to DM Pawn: OOC: If it matters to you, Sarah won't offer to climb the tree unless and until someone (1) asks her to do it or (2) a discussion is started by someone else that someone should climb. :)]

Liamm hadn't initially noticed some of the party members beginning to skirt the edge of the clearing, being completely transfixed on the opening, perhaps expecting something terrible to burst out of it at any moment.



Eoni breaks the trance. "Yes...yes, Ma'am," he stutters while quickly following suit.

 As the group plodded through the woods, for Marklin was certainly no Ranger, as his booted feet stomped along, cracking twigs and such. But for all that, he was a Warrior with some battle experience, he had fought bandit's that had been raiding his Lord's land a few months back. He was even involved in a God's honest skirmish with another minor Lord. Something to do with a creek and water rights, or some such. That was the first time Marklin had slain another. The fool had all but run up on Marklin's spear and impaled himself. All the Warrior could do was watch the other slowly slide off and expire. The fact that Marklin heaved up his morning rations, was something he had been reminded of for weeks afterward, by the jests of his fellow Men at Arms.

 His eyes where constantly moving, as he searched for anyone or thing that might want to ambush the little band. He held his spear in an overhand grip, ready to either throw or stab downward at a foe. When the Dwarf stumbled across the crudely made javelin, the Warrior tried to look  the harder into the green that surrounded them.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:42, Fri 16 Sept 2016.

Valthur takes a knee for a closer look at the javelin at his feet. He picks it up and rotates it under a watchful eye. "Poor craftsmanship, but sharp enough to do a number on you if you weren't paying attention." He stares again at the mysterious gigantic stump. There is certainly something unnatural about it, and as much as he wishes to simply turn his back on it and walk away, he knows he has a job to do. And a well-paying one at that.

"All right," he sighs. "Creeping around the outside of this thing isn't getting us anywhere. Let's get on with it." With sword at the ready, he steps directly toward the stump and fully into the clearing.

Eoni let the dwarf get a dozen paces ahead and then followed.  She hoped that Liam was right and that what they were looking for was just inside the stump.

"Stay with me, Liamm," she said to the boy, motioning for him to follow.

  Marklin frowned at Valthur, but kept his own counsel,this time. He would act rear guard for the group.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:11, Sat 17 Sept 2016.

Having completed a a brief examination of the cleared perimeter around the ancient tree, Valthur leads the party toward the fissure at the bottom of the tree's eastern side.

The fissure itself is large enough for even the tallest party member to pass through without too much difficulty, but first, Valthur and the others peer inside.

The faint purple light provides trace illumination within the massive confines of the hollowed trunk. No hint of light trickles from overhead, where the walls of the great trunk race to dizzying height beyond the party's vision. The air is thick with the smell of molded wood and rot.

The source of the hazy purple light is clear once everyone's vision adjusts to the darkened interior. A massive sheet of small mushrooms sprawls across the center of the hollow. The circular patch must be at least 50 feet across, doming slightly at its centermost point. The odd curves of the crescent-shaped caps make it easy to identify these as moonsong mushrooms.

With the aid of his infravision, Valthur notices additional details which escape his human companions...

Off to the north, a tattered series of wooden planks and a twisted knotted rope are spiked
into the wall of the tree to form a crude rope ladder. The ladder trails upward for 30 feet, then disappears over a thick wooden shelf that stretches in a semicircle along the north, west and southern walls overhead.

A large fungal shelf clings to a portion of the floor and wall in the southwest. The fungal
blooms along the shelf have wide ridges and wrinkled caps, and appear pale compared to
the moonsong mushrooms glowing softly in the center of the hollow.

OOC: Everyone roll a Listen or Hear Noises check (d6).

23:15, Today: Marklin rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Hear noise.

22:21, Today: Sarah rolled 4 using 1d6 with rolls of 4.  Hear Noise (1-2).

Marklin periodically hears faint high-pitched chirping emanating from somewhere within the tree's hollow. The chirps sound vaguely like pulsing whistle blasts, albeit at a very high frequency and not easily perceptible.

It is difficult to locate the source of the high frequency chirps, but the sound was not heard until the party peeked into the strange tree.

OOC: In addition, any character who is successful in their hear noises check will hear the same thing.

"Liam," Eoni asked, squatting down to examine the iridescent fungi.  "Are these the moonsong?"

She thought they were the right ones from their description but had never seen any herself.  They were quite pretty.  She felt bad that Liamm would have to spoil the smooth blanket of fungi in order to harvest what the alchemist needed.

 Marklin looked around the area with as much care as possible. He heard a buzzing sound,and that just put him more on edge. "Does anyone else heard that weird sound?It really kicked up when we approached this bloody overgrown twig. Watch,  yourselves." Said as the Warrior took a tighter grip upon the haft of his spear.

 He would move with care towards the crude rope ladder to see what there was to see.

Liamm nods. "I think so, Ma'am," he whispers while fumbling with the buckle strap of his leather satchel.

"I've only seen real ones a couple of times, but they look like the ones I saw."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Sat 17 Sept 2016.

The faint purplish grow emanating off the assumed mound of Moonsong mushrooms does not provide enough light for one to see what they may or may not be stepping on, or into for that matter. Marklin takes a few steps through the fissure and his feet sink several inches with each step, the interior of the tree filled with what can best be described as a rich, lush woody mulch and compost mixture.

Such environs are less hostile to Valthur, who is able to see in darkness, but the others are presently operating at a huge disadvantage.

"Hold on," Valthur cautions, grabbing Marklin by the arm. "I hear it, too. Sounds like someone's raising an alarm. You can't see it, but there's a rope ladder over there. I bet Liamm's dog people have turned this rotten tree trunk into a fortress. Get ready for some pointed sticks coming our way!" Figuring the first attacks may come at a range, he stows his sword in favor of a hand axe and takes a few steps back toward the entrance while scanning high and low for an ambush.

16:44, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  hear noise.

"Quickly, Liamm," Eoni encouraged the boy as she plucked and held out two of the moonsong for his satchel.  "Take what you need and we'll run for it."

If Valthur was right, they would soon be under siege and she would much rather escape into the wood than be trapped in this ancient sarcophagi.

Eoni and Liamm walk into the hollow of the tree and head directly toward the large mound of Moonsong mushrooms, their path faintly illuminated by the strange purplish glow. Valthur and Marklin skirt along the right half of the tree, headed ostensibly toward the crude rope ladder only presently visible to Valthur. Marklin has a hard enough time seeing 5 to 10 feet ahead of him, let alone clear across the tree's interior (some 60 feet distant) to make out anything by a shadowy bank of darkness. Aldara, Sarah and Yhus remain near the entrance to the tree, still peering within trying to get a better sense for what lies within before entering.

Eoni and Liamm make their way to the Moonsong mound and the Cleric of Avandra reaches into the fungal bloom to retrieve two large caps. Liamm has his specimen satchel at the ready, but the transfer is interrupted by a chorus of high-frequency chirps, now audible to everyone, coming from the mushroom mound itself!

Then the party hears what sounds like a volley of tiny twangs. Two small needles strike Eoni in the arm, though only one manages to puncture through her clothing. The other stings, just enough to let her know something is quite displeased by her willy-nilly grabbing of caps!

OOC: Eoni is struck for 1 point of damage. Eoni and Liamm are 0 to 5 feet distant from the mushroom mound. Marklin and Valthur are 15-20 feet to the east of the mound and about 40 feet distant from the rope ladder, which lies to the northeast. Aldara, Sarah, and Yhus are about 20 feet southeast of the mushroom mound.

Everyone please make a Spot check (d6) to see if any of you see what just attacked Eoni. a 1 is a success, except for Valthur, who will succeed on a 1 or 2.

Please keep in mind, though of you who don't have infravision can maybe see 5 to 10 feet ahead of you.

?????
AC: 5
HP: 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    8/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah          6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6    7/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Surprise round complete. Round 1 begins. PCs are up first; however nobody can see any enemies at the moment, pending results of your spot check.

19:30, Today: Marklin rolled 3 using 1d6 with rolls of 3.  Spot check roll.

"Ouch!" Eoni blurted, feeling something bite into her arm.  She finished dumping the mushrooms into the satchel.

"Liam! Back!" she ordered.  "There's something in the mushrooms!"

She scooped up her fallen staff and followed suit, warily backing away from the mound.

Eoni Daflin rolled 2 using 1d6 with rolls of 2.  Spot Moonsong defenders.
Fighting Retreat 15'

"Woman, what goes on, that you are yelling?" shouted Marklin while he strained his eyes to see in the Stygian shroud.

17:14, Today: Aldara rolled 2 using 1d6 ((2)).

Straining to hear anything at all, much less see anything, Aldara cautiously draws another dagger.  Then, Eoni yelps, and she readies it for hurling.  She has just as easy a time of seeing anything, and opts to wait until whatever it is that attacked the priestess makes itself visible.

Depending on the number present, there may be negotiations made.

Sarah stays where she is; she can see nothing as it is, and she is reluctant to go further.

However, she reaches into her backpack and pulls out some candles and flint and steel.

19:52, Today: Sarah rolled 2 using 1d6 with rolls of 2.  Spot Check.  In the Dark.  At Distance (1).

Liamm feels one of the small missiles go whizzing by his ear and then he hears Eoni cry out in alarm.

"Gah!," he shrieks. "Are you alright Ma'am?" he adds in, his voice shaky and panicked.

Like others, he does not see where the vollley came from, other than the general vicinity of the mushroom field. Seeing Eoni retreat, he follows suit and remains by the Cleric's side.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:07, Sun 18 Sept 2016.

"Get back to the entry," Valthur cries, straining to see what exactly is making all the noise.

01:03, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 6 using 1d6 with rolls of 6.  spot check - what's in the mushrooms???
Fighting retreat (20'? 5')
This message was last edited by the player at 02:06, Tue 20 Sept 2016.

Yhus gazes into the gloom trying to determine who, or what, just attacked his companions. Like everyone else, he is unable to spot anything.

OOC: DM post

12:56, Today: DM Pawn, on behalf of Yhus the Musing, rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  spot.
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:59, Sun 18 Sept 2016.

Eoni and Liamm have backed away from the mushroom mound while the rest of the party struggles to see in the faintly lit interior. What is clear is something was quite disagreeable to trespassers and not afraid to show their displeasure.

Sarah has retrieved some tools that will perhaps shed light on the situation, but for the moment, the strange tree is cast in a faint purplish glow.

An agitated chorus of cricket-like chirping echoes in the tree followed by a high-pitched rebuke, louder than the others:

"Chirrt-t-t-chirrp-t-ty-Chirrtipty-Chirr!!!"

This is followed by a chorus of what can only be described as "me toos".

The chirps seem to all come from the mound itself.


OOC: Eoni, Liamm, Marklin and Valthur are ~20 feet east of the mushroom mound. Aldara, Sarah, and Yhus are about 20 feet southeast of the mushroom mound.

Chirpity Chirping Needle Hurlers
AC: 5
HP: 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    8/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah          6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6    7/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 2, PCs are UP!

Still unable to see, Sarah endeavors to light a candle.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:15, Sun 18 Sept 2016.

The flame sputters and then catches aflame on the candle, providing dim illumination throughout the tree's interior. Better than before certainly, but still shadowy in parts.

 Marklin slowly started to back away towards the light at the entrance. He swept his spear before him,just in case an enemy was closing.

Eoni shoos Liamm behind her and continues backing away from the mound.

"Outside," she whispered urgently.  "Back outside."

OOC: Continues her 15' fighting retreat towards the entrance with Liamm.

Seeing that the entrants are trying to exit, Sarah stays where she is and holds the candle aloft in case they lost sight of the entrance.

Just the same, Aldara, too, stays put, but keeps a dagger ready to throw just in case a strange chittering thing decides to get too friendly.

This message was deleted by the player at 01:46, Mon 19 Sept 2016.

Liamm quickly breaks for the exit once Eoni indicates it's time to leave, all too eager to be out of the strange place.

Valthur continues to edge his way back toward the entrance, but his armor keeps him from moving as quickly as the rest of the party. As he backpedals, he scans for anything that might be a threat hidden in the mound.

Continue fighting retreat (5'). Ready to throw axe if he sees any threatening dog people.

 Marklin slowly continued his retiring towards the entrance.

The party retreats from the tree and all make it back outside, fortunately with no hail of tiny needles at their backs. Once back outside the tree, animated and celebratory chirping erupts inside the tree.

Apparently something is quite pleased with it or themselves.

Liamm catches his breath from the brief but exhilirating experience and opens one of the three leather satchels he brought for this expedition.

Peering inside at the three Moonsong mushrooms he glumly comments, "We didn't get much of them..."

Each satchel is quite large, the intent being to fill each of these with the required specimen. Three Moonsongs is a far cry from a full specimen bag. But how to get more when the mushroom dwellers clearly don't want the party to have any?

Slightly shaken by their hasty retreat from the unknown threat in the midnight innards of the tree, Yhus frees with a trembling hand one of the torches he has lashed to his pack and sets it alight with the flame from Sarah’s candle.

Taking his study club in the other, the youth readies himself beside the entrance and looks to the others, hoping he appears more confident than he feels and offering up a silent prayer to Pelor.

Sarah puts out her candle, and stows it (with her flint and steel) in her pack.

"Probally bugs," she says.

Now safely outside, Eoni inspected her arm where she'd felt the prick.  Something had definitely struck her and it was still quite painful.

 Once outside, Marklin  leaned upon his spear and regarded the others.

" Well, that was not very well done of us. We go blundering into there, like mice after cheese. Right, we need at least two torches lit,when we go back in there. The Lad can hold one of them,I don't care who the other one be. The Dwarf and I will take the van guard, you lot follow us, but stay close. We sweep the entire area afore anyone starts collecting weeds,or whatever it be."


 The Warrior regarded the group with a serious expression upon his features.

Once outside, Valthur shrugs out of his backpack and detaches his rope, which hung in a coil from its side. "This blasted rope weighs more than Moradin's anvil," he grumbles, tossing it to the ground. "If you want it, take it."

Once reconfigured, he stares back into the rotten stump, "Whoever they are, they seem pleased with themselves, but they'd be better off letting us pick our mushrooms and go home."

[Private to DM Pawn: 1) Encumbrance is now down to 73lbs, so can move a little better. 2) Dwarves in the basic rules understand goblin, gnome, and kobold - did Valthur by chance recognize any of the chirping as one of those?]

 The Warrior followed the Dwarfs example, and dropped his pack."Aye, but I think their victory celebration,might be a bit premature."

The chirping and chittering within the hollow tree continues for perhaps a minute or so, eventually subsiding to periodic chirps. Whatever language, if such chatter can be considered language, is entirely foreign to all the adventurers' ears.

There is a certain lyrical quality to it though. If only it wasn't connected to sharp, tiny needles.

Speaking of which, now that the excitement has abated, Eoni has an opportunity to inspect her wound. The cleric retrieves a small arrow, about 4 inches long but similar in all other respects to a standard sized arrow. Small, but painful nonetheless.

Eoni held up the tiny arrow for the others to see as she pressed her other hand to the wound.

"It's an arrow," she said in consternation.  "They must be very small.

"Liamm," she asked the boy.  "The creatures you saw before that barked.  They couldn't use something this small, could they?"

The apprentice shakes his head in the negative. "No, they weren't that small. About the size of gnomes." He holds his hand up to a height of about 3 feet. "Except dog-faced and mean looking."

"Not that I got a good long look at them."

[Private to Valthur Ironhelm: Liamm's description of dog-faced gnomes sounds like he is referring to Kobolds, based on Valthur's knowledge.]

  "Let's just go back into the thing and do what we have to do,already. I think my plan has the best chance of success." Said the Warrior.

Sarah says nothing, but waits for the others to re-enter.

While she waits she peers back in, hoping the torchlight enables to see more within.

Yhus shifts his pack on his shoulders and nods his agreement to Marklin’s plan.

“I’ll follow you,” he says to the man “and Pelor’s blessing on us all…”

"Dog faced gnomes sounds like kobolds to me. Nasty little buggars. But that chirping in there isn't kobold. At least not what I've heard." He gives his gear one final adjustment and heads for the entrance. "All right, let's get this over with."

Eoni put the tiny arrow into her pocket and reluctantly prepared to follow the others in.

"Liam," she told the boy, "stay with me in the back.  If Valthur and Marklin can distract them, we'll collect the mushrooms we need."

Trusting in Marklin's judgement, Aldara steps into line, so to speak, behind the soldier and Dwarf.  Her selected dagger is ready to be thrown just in case, but she also takes into account what she's heard of these strange beings the others have encountered.  If she could just see one, and try to put a charm on it...well, things might go better than expected!  Of course, her charm only worked on certain creatures, and if they were as small as she suspected given the size of the shaft Eoni plucked out of her skin, well, manipulations might not work after all.

 "Hold,Master Dwarf. The rest of us do not see in the dark as well as ye"

 Marklin took a brace of torches out of his pack and handed both of them to the boy. He took his flint and steel and started to create sparks near one of the torches,attempting to ignite it. Once that was done, he would have the lad light the second torch with the first.

Eoni wondered why Marklin hadn't just lit his torches from the one Yhus was holding.  Perhaps he wanted to demonstrate that he could light a torch with his flint?

In any case, there would be plenty of light now that he, Liamm, and Yhus had torches.

Now armed with lit torches, the party re-enters the tree's hollow in an attempt to get a better look inside. Valthur leads the way, the tree's interior bathed in flickering light.

Standing just within the entrance, the party observes the following:

No activity is seen within the large mound of mushrooms at the center of the tree and all chirping and chittering comes to an abrupt halt as torchlit pushes away the darkness. Some of the larger mushrooms within the mound are easily 3 feet tall but most are considerably smaller.

At the tree's far northeastern corner is the rope ladder. The knotted rope appears slightly frayed and ragged, but is in fair shape. The wooden slats are covered with mildew and patches of grey moss. The iron spikes set every several feet are pitted and rusty. From this vantage, the party can see that the crude ladder follows the slope of the trunk to a wooden shelf 30 feet overhead. It’s too difficult to tell if the shelf is a separate structure, or the remains of wood not yet rotted away from the interior of the great tree.

In the southwest corner of the tree, a large shelf of fungus stretches 15 feet wide and fills in the entire edge where the dirt floor and wooden wall meet, crawling 10 feet up the wall at the shelf’s highest point. The shelf appears thick and wood-like, with dozens of broad, wrinkled, buckler-sized caps dotting its surface. There’s a strong earthy smell in this section of the hollow, like freshly tilled dirt. The wrinkled surface appears flush and crimson, as if blushing, and stretches ever-so-slightly as if the great broad caps were breathing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:19, Thu 22 Sept 2016.

Valthur proceeds cautiously toward the mushrooms with shield and sword ready. "Keep an eye on that fungus to the left. Something tells me it's dangerous."

Nodding at the Dwarf's statement, Aldara turns her head to the mushroom.  She sets her jaw, mouth still shut, so that her ear canal opens just a little more, and she can hear just a little more... In particular, she is listening for the chattering devil-things.

05:19, Today: Aldara rolled 16 using 1d20 ((16)).

I don't know if anybody else does that to hear things better...

Sarah waits for those ahead of her to move, as they are blocking her.  In the meantime, she looks about, a look of unease plain on her face.

When she is able to progress, however, she does not follow the group; she moves on a more northerly direction.

[Private to DM Pawn:
OOC: No more than 3 boxes straight up from the entrance, if you please.]

 Marklin moved in locked step with Valthur, his shield held before him,spear posed to strike or be thrown. They would move towards the Mushrooms.

As Valthur and others move toward the mushrooms, a tinny voice calls out from the mound, each syllable punctuated by an insect-like crick, chitter or chirp:

"Stay *crick* back! *chirp* We're *chitter* warn *crick* ing *chitter* you! *chirp*"

"Go *chirp* Away *chitter* now! *chitter*"

Nobody sees anything unusual within the mushroom mound. It's as though the mushrooms are doing the talking, but clearly that can't be the case. That is, unless one accepts the fact mushrooms shoot tiny arrow-like projectiles. Anything is possible in the Witchwood, but still.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:25, Thu 22 Sept 2016.

 Amalric was slightly taken aback, he had not been expecting communication. " We just want to pick some of your Mushrooms and such. If you do not attempt to harm us, we will do the same."

"Yes, all we want is a couple of mushrooms," Aldara adds.  "They'll grow back..."

The young girl looks at Marklin and Aldara as they each speak in turn.  Here eyes grow big with alarm as she slowly shakes her head from side to side and she silently mouths the word "no."

His torch held aloft, Yhus follows a step or so behind the two warriors, trying his best not to hamper their choice of movement.

At the sound of the unnatural and threatening little voice, he tightens his grip on the club held in his right hand, scanning the mound of mushrooms as best he can over the shoulders of his comrades.

"Trade for them," Eoni whispered to Aldara and perhaps overheard by those in the front.  "What do they want?"

A small voice calls back, again in the same chirp-chitter-crick pattern between syllabels, the Common tongue words apparently difficult to master for any length of time.

"You. Can. Not. Take. Not. Yours. Ours. To. Take. You. Give. Nothing. Fair. Warn. Ing!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:28, Fri 23 Sept 2016.

At this the young man pauses.

The speaker has a point, he thinks. Perhaps the mushrooms do belong to them, and while Eoni had been attacked it had only been to drive them off — no pursuit had followed. Now the voice warns before taking action…

Unfriendly? To be sure, but not malevolent it would seem.

“We are not marauders come to take by force what is rightfully yours” he says in a calm, clear voice. “Can we not bargain with you to meet our need?”

Valthur wipes a bead of sweat from his face. Neither smart nor wise, he is confused by what is going on around him. Negotiations, he figures, are best left to the others, but he can't help but wonder with whom they are negotiating. "Who are we talking to?" he whispers between clenched to Marklin. "Are those mushrooms actually talking?"

The strange voice seems to originate from the general vicinity of the mushroom field itself, yet no lips or anything else resembling a mouth is seen to be moving. Yet there is most definitely something talking to the party.

Quite strange mushrooms indeed!

"Already stole. Why should. We believe. You now!" The voice becomes less punctuated by the insect-like chittering, perhaps learning the pattern of common speech with each practiced word.

"You grab what. Is not yours. Destroy Binder Buss. Garden. Tea tell tops. Roof?"

This is met with a resounding chorus of cricks and chitters.

Continung, "Maybe should have. Thought of this. Before smash grab!"

*chirp*

"Grabbing big people!"

The voice seems to originate from the center of the mound, near a large mushroom cap at the top of the heap, yet nothing stands there!

"Sorry?" Sarah whispers, with a tone conveying doubt -- not due to lack of sincerity, but rather lack of certainty as to whether she has chosen the right word.

"Didn't know . . . " she quickly adds, but her voice trails off and she never specifies what she is referring to.

More sure of herself, yet more softly than before, she says: "When caught thievin', 'ts sometimes best to give it back.  Sometimes."

Unsure exactly how to interpret the speaker's assertion, the young man speaks cautiously.

“We meant no harm to you. As my companion says, we did not know we were trespassing here."

After pausing for a moment he continues "How can we compensate you for the damage done to the…roof?”

Nodding, Aldara adds, "We need these mushrooms, too.  For potions or somesuch.  How can we make this whole situation better for all of us?"

Eoni was glad that they were going to negotiate for the mushrooms.  She was disappointed that she couldn't think of anything in her pack that they might like.  What do mushroom dwellers like?

"Perhaps they know where the other two are as well," she whispered to Aldara.

Yhus' offer for compensation and Aldara's clarification are answered with a medley of hushed cricket-like chirps. Clearly whatever the party cannot presently see is communicating amongst one another.

A voice breaks through the din, its mastery of the Common tongue has clearly progressed in short order.

"Very well. These are our terms:

There was once a band of smashing, grabbing, thieving brutes.
Who claimed simple mushroom collection their chief pursuits.
Called to task for their egregious action.
The brutes requested an amicable transaction.
To this the People said, Rid this hallowed womb of the cancer dwelling beneath her roots.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:54, Sat 24 Sept 2016.

Nodding at Eoni, Aldara begins to speak, until the voice comes out.  Looking to the two priests, who she knows to be a cut above village priests, the mage whispers, "Do either of you know how to cure cancer?"

"The followers of Avandra strive against evil and the cancers that it harbors but we have found no simple cure," Eoni replied quietly.  "But if there is true evil beneath the roots of this tree, we must find strength in our hearts and help these... petitioners."

“Aye, Eoni, rarely simple and rarely easy. One must cut away the poison growth wherever it can be found.” says the youth somberly, nodding slowly as he speaks, eyes still focused on the swell of fungus before them.

Again addressing The Voice he asks “If we do this thing you ask and square the way between us, may we return in pease and take in fairness the things we seek for another?”

In reply to Valthur Ironhelm (msg # 87):

 Marklin looked side wise to Valthur,and returned his whisper,"Damned if I knew. But something be talking to us,and it's bloody weird,if ye ask me."

"Yes. The People will honor their pledge when you rid our hearth of this dredge," the voice answers in rhyme.

Peering now into the central mound in hopes of seeing just who or what is making these demands, the party begins to see a handful of fey creatures hiding within the mushroom mound. These fey stand about one and a half feet tall and have light blue skin, forest-green hair and brown hairy insect-like legs. Each seems to be wearing brightly colored vests of tunics fastened with buttons made of what looks like glittering gems. They all have small bows and quivers at the ready, should anyone think twice about destroying their home again.

Though only a few are seen intermittently, their skill at blending with their environment outstanding, the party has the sense that many more lurk unseen within the mound.

Yhus is astonished by these strange little beings hovering on the edge of his sight.

“I am Yhus, a humble servant of Pelor, and a simple youth among men. But who speaks for The People?” he asks with genuine amazement and a little unease.

Turning to his companions, he puts the greater question to them: “Do we do as they have asked to cure this sickness and right our own wrong, earning the reward from Ologeon in the doing?”

The strange fey folk seem puzzled by Yhus' query and turn to one another with a look of bewilderment on their tiny, angular faces. Several chirps and chitters erupt, seemingly from everywhere within the mound, until they eventually coallesce into speech the adventurers can understand:

"An odd question to ask, People speak for the People. Do you accept our task?"

Eoni nodded her acceptance to Yhus who seemed to have created a rapport with the fey folk.  They seemed like honest creatures and she felt that the exchange was fair.  They would see what plagued them in exchange for the mushrooms and their good will.

The threat seemingly dissipated (and with others carrying the conversation), Sara h navigates the outer edge of the room, exploring it further.

In particular -- the fey folk mentioned a cancer at the roots of the great tree, but no way down had yet been identified.

While the others are discussing whether to enter an agreement with fey, Sarah surreptitiously skirts along the hollowed walls of the tree. The supporting structure is still thick and durable, but slick with damp moss and mildew. Looking upward she judges the interior of the tree to be about 60 feet tall. The ceiling is comprised of broken limbs and debris that has accumulated over the years and lets no light through.

Sarah skirts along in a counterclockwise direction, heading first toward the crude rope ladder in the tree's northeast section. She makes it there with little objection from any of the fey within the mound. Either they don't see her or they don't care. Hard to tell one way or the other.

The rope ladder is as previously described, a crude construction consisting of hemp rope and wood slats. The ladder goes up about 30 feet to a ledge that runs along the north through west side of the tree, perhaps 10 to 20 feet wide. What might be up there, Sarah is unable to determine from the bottom of the ladder.

Continuing on her circuitous scouting, Sarah eventually reaches the large fungal shelf. As previously described, the large shelf of fungus stretches 15 feet wide and fills in the entire edge where the dirt floor and wooden wall meet, crawling 10 feet up the wall at the shelf’s highest point. The shelf appears thick and wood-like, with dozens of broad, wrinkled, buckler-sized caps dotting its surface. There’s a strong earthy smell in this section of the hollow, like freshly tilled dirt.

The fungal shelf's wrinkled surface appears flush and crimson, as if blushing, and stretches ever-so-slightly as if the great broad caps are breathing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:34, Sat 24 Sept 2016.

OOC@Group: Just waiting on the group to weigh in on our direction before I ask The People for further instructions. Also, I'm happy to continue the conversation with them, but if anyone else wants to step in and take it up I won’t be offended…

" Maybe the evil they speak of be those short dog faced buggers. I am more then happy to gut a few of those things, if it get what we need to get paid."

Finding the creatures to be incredibly off-putting in appearance, Aldara does everything she can to not show her unease.  After all, she was trespassing in their home, and they were armed.  She says nothing to the Fey, but to Yhus, she says, "I don't see the harm in it..." She looks to the other adventurers, and gives the Fey a reassuring look, again hiding her unease.  The Dwarf was one thing...

Taking even the silence of the dwarf as a tacit agreement, Yhus turns again to The People: “How do we find this taint that afflicts the you?”

Valthur shrugs his shoulders and exhales a deep breath. Ridding a cancer beneath the roots of a gigantic rotten tree stump didn't sound quite as easy a picking a few mushrooms, but if that's what they needed to do in order to collect their reward, then that's what they needed to do.

The voice calls out again, though seeming to belong to no fey in particular, rather being a collection of the group now hunkered down in the mushroom mound:

"Into the roots it fell some time ago. Falling through crimson caps deep below. Since that day the People have seen it not. Though others of its kind the People have fought. Down you go, to the hidden grotto."

Eoni looked over at the shelf of red fungus and pointed.

"Under there," she whispered.

Sarah idly walks back to the ladder and inspects it, trying to ascertain if it would hold weight.

To the extent possible, she also examines it to determine how "new" it is [Private to DM Pawn: -- it doesn't seem to be the sort of thing the fey folk would need.]

The rope ladder appears to be rather old though it looks like it can hold weight and seems reasonably sturdy, at least those rung that are clearly visible to Sarah from her current vantage point seem to be so.

This message was deleted by the player at 02:57, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

The young hedge-cleric ponders the meaning of The People’s rhyme, waiting for Sarah to finish her circuit, and for her and the warrior to finish inspecting the ladder.

“Any sign of a means downward in the place?” he asks her. "Or do we have to go up first to go down?"

OOC: Assuming he can’t hear Eoni’s whispered reference to the fungal shelf, which sounds promising.

 Markling walked over and after he slung his shield over his back, he attempted to climb up the rope. He had to leave the spear behind unfortunately.

When Marklin begins climbing, Sarah holds the ladder -- as if doing so will aid his effort.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Valthur, somewhat embarrassed when Marklin beats him to the ladder, stands at its foot ready to climb next. "Keep your eyes open for an ambush," he warns the fighter. "I'll be coming up after you reach the top."

Marklin climbs the rope ladder and this task proves to be relatively simple as the slats are conveniently placed at what seems to be appropriate intervals for human-sized climbers. He ascends to a height of about 20 feet when one of the wooden slats groans under the weight of the burly fighter and snaps beneath his feet!

Marklin loses his balance and begins to fall from these dizzying heights....

OOC: Marklin, please make a DEX check to avoid falling from the ladder.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:32, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

23:39, Today: Marklin rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,5,5.  Dex check.

 Dex 12  I think he failed

At the first sign that Marklin is having difficulty, Sarah moves away from the bottom of the ladder.

Yhus is at once impressed and disturbed by the daring of Marklin as the fighter climbs the ladder into the blackness above, the underside of the shelf at the limits of the light cast by the torch the youth holds.

Lacking the older man’s boldness, Yhus turns instead to study the reddish fungi that climbs the southwest wall of the hollow. He approaches it cautiously from the south, torch in his left hand and study club in his right…

Marklin's foot snaps through a rotting wooden slat near the top of the rope ladder, causing the brawny fighter to lose his grip on the rope and plummet downward. His companions standing at the bottom of the ladder scramble to safety as the man-at-arms comes falling down, hard, onto the mulchy ground.

Fortunately, Marklin lands with both feet in position to roll forward, absorbing some of the brunt of the blow. The landing is painful, though not without its own measure of grace considering the circumstances.

The fighter is banged up, but not out of it. Yet.

Meanwhile, further up the rope ladder, the iron spike that had fastened the rotting slat to the tree has ripped free of the wood, sending a large section of rotting tree tumbling downward. When the dust from this calamity settles, the adventurers look up and notice two pairs of glowing antennae emerge from a large cavity that was created when the rotting wood was pulled free of the tree.

Two large fire beetles pour out of this cavity, each zealously searching for the source of the disturbance that trashed their home...

The beetles emerge from the cavity and sense motion (and fresh meat) below, a welcome change from their typical fare of carrion!


OOC: Marklin fell and took 4 points of damage. The fire beetles are located 20 feet above the adventurers at the moment.

Angry Fire Beetles
AC: 4
HP: Dead, 5


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    4/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah          6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6    7/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 1, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:37, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Eoni turned from where she'd been examining the red fungi with Yhus to see the beetles emerge.  The woman immediately looked around for Liamm.  The boy was holding his torch high for the others gathered around the base of where the ladder had been.

"Liamm!" she shouted.  "Get back!"  She started to run and stumbled in the loose footing as she struggled to reach them.

Sarah runs away from the beetles.  After ten feet she dares a look back to see if they are pursuing her; if not, she stops, and if so, she resumes running.

 The Warrior felt the ladder began to give way, then a sudden feeling of falling. With a heart felt." Aw Shyt!", the Warrior did his imitation of a lead weight. He saw the ground uping upon him. quicker then a Hobbit to a free meal. Marklin did his best to land well,and considering the circunstances, did rather well.

As he got his bearings again, doing his best to ignore the pain that was screaming."HERE I AM!!", the Warrior looked up and saw... things. Not the cute and fluffy sort of things, this was more like the, let us invite you to lunch, sort of things.

" Blood stained gods! We have critters above." Said as he pulled a Javelin from his scabbard and did his best to hurl the Iron weapon up toward one of the beasties.


10:34, Today: Marklin rolled 4 using 1d6 with rolls of 4.  Javelin damage if he hit.
10:28, Today: Marklin rolled 15 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 14.  to hit roll for Javelin.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Marklin's javelin pierces clear through the first fire beetles' exoskeleton, causing the large   bug to fall to the ground. The beetle lands with a emphatic crunch and squish.

Aldara grimaces at the sight of the beetles.  At a loss, but wanting to help the injured warrior - and not be eaten - she grabs a dagger and hurls it at the nearest living one.

13:52, Today: Aldara rolled 16,0 using 1d20+1,1d6-2 ((15,2)).

oh sweetie

Yhus turns sharply at the snapping of the rung. The sound is clear but not crisp, deadened as it is by the soft, rotting innards of the tree.

Though the plummeting warrior is beyond his help, he instinctively moves toward the group gathered at the rope ladder, keeping The People's mound on his right…

As Marklin recovers and raises the alarm, Yhus moves to place himself between the beetles scittering from the opening and his more vulnerable companions, shouting a praise for the deadly accuracy of the warrior’s cast!

OOC: Assuming he can come within reach of the remaining beetle, a (failed) To-Hit roll is below. If that is the case I'll follow with some explanation of his failure, if not the please disregard entirely.

17:06, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 7 using 1d20 with rolls of 7.  To Hit -- Fire beetle using club. (Target: 15).

"Moradin's beard!" Valthur cries while letting loose with a hand axe at the remaining beetle.

19:30, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20.  Hand axe (thrown) vs. Beetle.
19:31, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 2 using 1d6 with rolls of 2.  damage.

Aldara throws a dagger at the remaining beetle. She strikes the creature, but not with enough power behind it to take it out of commission. Valthur follows this up with a well-aimed axe throw that rends the beetle in half, both sides falling messily to the floor.

Just as quickly as it began, the conflict comes to an end. Two fire beetles slain, their glowing antennae the only evidence they were ever creepy, crawly, living things.

Eoni rushed up to Liamm and took him by the shoulders.  "Are you all right?"  She looked the boy over by moving his arm with the torch so that she could see that he was unscathed.  "I know you're brave but let the others stand in front."

The danger over, Sarah returns to the back of the group, peeking between the party members to look at the dead beatles.

"Ladder's old," she says.

Liamm appears startled and pale by what just occurred. He snaps out of the shock when Eoni addresses.

"Yes, Ma'am. I am okay. Yes. I will," he agrees.

Looking at the beetle gore now lying on the mulchy ground he says, "Whoa! Those are some big bugs!"

 The Warrior walked over to retrieve his javelin from the carcess of the bug. He pulled out the weapon,and made a face at seeing it was coated in.. bug juice. " Yuck." He cleaned off the shaft as best as possible. "Anyone have a rope and grapple?"

With the beetles dispatched, Aldara goes to retrieve her dagger, examining it to see if it is still good for another couple of throws.  After all, this was a beetle she threw it at, and not a painted circle in a tavern!

"I've rope," Aldara offers.  "But no grapple.  Would we be able to fashion some of the climbing spikes I have into a grapple?"

 The Warrior thought a moment. " I have a crossbar, that might do for a make shift grapple.

"How many spikes do you have?" Eoni asked, looking up to the shelf above them.  "Enough to climb up and secure the rope?"

Sarah looks up at the shelf.  Softly, as if talking to herself, she says: "I can climb up there.  Maybe."  Then, in a more normal tone of voice -- but with a great deal of timidity -- she asks: "Don' . . . Don' we wanna . . . go down?  To the roots?"

Valthur picks up his trusty axe, wipes it off, then returns it to his belt. "Yes, we wanna' go down. Only there's no way down." He surveys the trunk for a moment. "But maybe we should look a little closer." He begins to search the floor for anything resembling a trap door. "Maybe the mushrooms know how to get down there, although when they talk I only catch about half of what they're saying."

The floor of the tree's interior is covered in a thick mulch, some locations nearly a foot deep in rotting tree innards. At a quick glance, Valthur spots no hidden or secret trap doors. It's possible one might exist beneath the mulch, but finding one would probably require a dedicated effort and consume a considerable amount of time considering the size of the place.

OOC: Did you have any specific locations you wanted to search or did you intend to do a cursory search?

Fishing the rope out of her bag, followed by a bundle of fresh climbing spikes, Aldara says, "Twelve." She nods at the dagger she has carelessly put on the ground next to herself.  "I have three more of these, too, if you think they might work?"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:18, Thu 29 Sept 2016.

"We do want to go down, Sarah," Eoni replied to the girl, "but I think Marklin and Valthur wanted to make sure there wasn't any threat from above before descending.

"Can you use these spikes and rope to help you see what's up there?  I would think that if there were anything up there it would already have thrown something at us but this old ladder was used at some time."

Sarah eyes the ledge again and nods.  Nonetheless, she doesn't move for several moments.  Then, slowly -- reluctantly -- she takes the spikes and rope from Eoni, looks at the ledge, and then attempts to climb up to the ledge.


[Private to DM Pawn: OOC: I don't know if the spikes are necessary to climb, but I'll take them nonetheless.


08:29, Today: Sarah rolled 42 using 1d100 with rolls of 42.  Climb (87).
 ]
This message was last edited by the player at 18:07, Thu 29 Sept 2016.

 Marklin watched the nimble woman start to make her ascent. " By the gods,I wish I could do that,instead of acting like a load stone."

Valthur watches as the young thief begins her ascent up the wall. "Atta' girl, Sarah. You're doing fine. She seems to handle climbing a lot better than you, Marklin," he jests to the fighter.

He keeps one eye on Sarah and the other on the fungus in the southwest corner of the trunk. Something about it makes Valthur uneasy. He hopes they don't, but he has a dreadful feeling they might have to investigate it more closely.

Sarah climbs up to the ledge with ease.

The rough wooden ledge appears fairly stable but its surface is bowed and warped, and littered with scraps of peeled bark, rotting leaves and debris. The ledge widens to 15 feet at a few points, but tapers down to 10 feet along most of its length. The great trunk is slightly narrower at this height, and the edge of this shelf overlooks the circular patch of moonsong mushrooms below.

Though some torchlight penetrates up to this level, much of the ledge is cast in shadow making seeing very clearly quite difficult.

OOC: Sarah, please make a Spot check (d6)
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:12, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

With the fire beetles dispatched and Liamm keeping the light for the group at the ladder, Yhus says a silent prayer for Sarah’s ascent, and returns to the fungal shelf along the south wall, examining it closely but cautiously, probing with his club for for any hidden openings...

While the others await Sarah's report, Yhus slips away to the fungal shelf to investigate a bit closer. The cleric of Pelor carefully prods the area in hopes of discovered a hidden door beneath the shelf.

The shelf is spongy and collapses easily with the smallest of prods. After a few prods, Yhus sees movement out of the corner of his eye, within the shelf itself!

Turning to get a better look he sees a pinkish tendril shoot out from a section containing a large, crimson-hued cap. The tendril attempts to coil around Yhus' right arm. Rivers of pain course through the young man's body as the moist tendril delivers a venomous sting.

But the cleric does not have much time to process this pain, because now he sees two mushroom-capped stalks detach from the fungal shelf and propel themselves slowly toward the Cleric, each with one of the same whipping tendrils that just delivered a terrible ouchie.

An immature violet fungus!

The same thing that just stung the cleric flails at him again, but this time Yhus dodges out of the way before it wraps around his neck! Further back, a second foe slides slowly through the fungal bloom toward the cleric...


OOC: Yhus takes 4 points of damage and must make a Save vs Poison. Yhus is in contact with one violet fungus. The other is 10 feet distant, but moving slowly toward him at the moment. The rest of the party is near the ladder, watching Sarah ~ 50 feet from the activity...but only if one were to trample through the Grig's mushroom field. Bypassing the mushroom field puts them at about 70-80 feet distant.

Immature Violet Fungii
AC: 4
HP: 10/13, 10/10


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    4/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah          6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6    3/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 1, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:59, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Sarah ascends with little difficulty.  Looking around, she notices something that attracts her attention . . .


OOC: 08:18, Today: Sarah rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Spot Check.

Sorry for the delay . . . chalk it up to time zones.

And I'm not ignoring Yhus; like Eoni, I don't think I know about it yet.

This message was last edited by the player at 16:03, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

The convolutions of fleshy fungus protruding from the wall of the hollow are at once revolting and mesmerizing, and it costs the young cleric a crucial moment as struggles to realize what he is seeing; but there is no mistaking the almost overwhelming surge of pain from his right arm as the tentacle lays hold of him.

06:24, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 7 using 1d20 with rolls of 7.  Save vs. Poison -- Violet Fungus. (Target: 11+).

With an agonized cry he raises the alarm and recoils, swinging at his attacker with the blazing torch he holds in his left hand…

06:28, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 19 using 1d20 with rolls of 19.  To Hit -- Violet Fungus using torch. (Target: 15+).
06:31, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 3 using 1d4 with rolls of 3.  Damage -- Violet Fungus from torch.

...sending an explosion of sparks as he makes contact!

OCC@Sarah (msg #150): Agreed! :-) He has only now made his predicament known.

 Marklin was watching the  woman scale up to the ledge,like some squirrel, when suddenly, his attention ripped away by a shout of alarm. The Warrior looked around to locate the source of the calamity. The sounds of distress,coupled with the torch light waving around erratically, made Marklin utter a curse under his breath. "What  is someone doing way over there? Blood stained gods!!."

 The Warrior headed in that direction as quickly as  his booted feet could carry him. Marklin unslung his shield and armed himself with a javelin,as he moved that way.

* Yes, he makes a straight bee line towards Yhus through the  mushrooms or whatever they are.*
This message was last edited by the player at 15:13, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Marklin ploughs through the Moongsong mushroom mound, trampling the Grig's homeland in the process. This action is met with a symphony of panicked and agitated chirps. Moreover, the fighter gets several purposeful strides into the mound before he notices a cloud of tiny spores rising up all around him!

OOC: Marklin, please make a save vs Poison.

Eoni turned at Yhus' cry only to see Marklin charging through the moonsong home of the creatures they'd just negotiated with.  With the truce between them trampled beneath the fighter's jack boots, she knew they couldn't stand against their angered multitude.

"Liam!" she shouted. "Run!"  She followed suit, pushing the boy before her towards the hole in the trunk.

OOC: Running speed 90'.

Liam is confused by the unfolding situation. He hadn't even noticed Yhus slip away to the fungal shelf as he had been focused on watching Sarah's progress. Eoni's command snaps him into action though and he follows her command to flee the trunk.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Meanwhile, while the situation below is becoming quite chaotic, Sarah notices strands of silvery spiderweb hoisted along the northern edge of the tree's interior wall. The web extends from the tree wall to about 5 to 10 feet of the ledge itself, becoming thicker toward the north wall.

Sarah's eyes grow wide at the size of the web, and she is slowly backing away in the direction she came when Yhus cries out.  Her head snaps to her left and down, and she grows more concerned.

Sarah concluded for herself that retreat was a good idea even before Eoni mentioned it.  Unfortunately, in her panic-induced haste, her hand slips . . .


11:23, Today: Sarah rolled 99 using 1d100 with rolls of 99.  Climb (87).
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

15:06, Today: Marklin rolled 5 using 1d20 with rolls of 5.  Save vs Poison.

Fail

Somewhat slowed by his chainmail, Valthur sprints as best he can to the aid of the young cleric. Seeing the spores rise up like a wake behind Marklin, however, the dwarf opts for the slightly longer route around the mushrooms. "Don't worry, laddie. Help is coming!"

OOC: At current encumbrance, Valthur has an encounter movement of 20'/round. This isn't enough to get him into hand axe range (30'), so he's running for his full movement (60'), which if I figured this all correctly (which I probably didn't) he should be able to move and melee attack next round.

In her haste to quickly climb back down, Sarah slips and falls from a height of about 15 feet. She lands quite well though and is only momentarily dazed from the fall.

While trampling through the Grig's territory, Marklin kicks up a cloud of spores and inhales the toxic stuff. The fighter quickly feels light-headed and drowsy and fights off the urge to immediately fall to slumber. Tired. Very tired he is. Still, he draws to within melee range.

Valthur covers most of the distance Yhus and the Violet Fungii, drawing to within 10 feet of the confrontation.

Eoni and Liamm have fled the tree and await just outside the entrance.

Aldara is about 5 feet distant from Sarah, near the crude rope ladder.

Yhus strikes one of the Violet Fungii with his torch, singing the foe.

Both Violet Fungii flail their pink tentacles at Yhus, but the Cleric acquits himself well and staves off their attacks. Help is on the way, but will it be in time?


OOC: Sarah takes 1 point of damage from the fall. Marklin is very drowsy and all his attacks incur a -1 penalty to-hit and damage. Additionally, he now moves at half speed and suffers an AC penalty of +1 (so he is easier to hit) while in this condition.

Yhus takes 4 points of damage and must make a Save vs Poison. Yhus is in contact with one violet fungus. The other is 10 feet distant, but moving slowly toward him at the moment. The rest of the party is near the ladder, watching Sarah ~ 50 feet from the activity...but only if one were to trample through the Grig's mushroom field. Bypassing the mushroom field puts them at about 70-80 feet distant.

Immature Violet Fungii
AC: 4
HP: 1/13, 10/10


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    4/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Poisoned: -1 to-hit/damage, half move, +1 AC penalty
Sarah          6    3/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6    3/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 2, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:29, Sun 02 Oct 2016.

 "Yawn"

Sarah is startled for a moment upon landing, but her fear returns her to the here and now.  She bolts toward the entrance, taking a route that leads to the east and south of the central mushroom field.  But once south of the field she turns toward the violet fungi, approaching no closer than 20 feet.

Keeping an eye on Sarah, Aldara is almost oblivious to everything going on around herself until she hears a cry.  Hears it too late, it would seem!  While she was watching the Thief, Pelorite priest had gotten himself into quite the bind, and the warrior, too, seemed to be in need of assistance.  Except he was tromping on the homes of the Fey creatures, and kicking up spores!

What to do, what to do...

Aldara begins to move to help the warrior and priest, drawing a dagger to hurl at the menacing mushroom...but then she hears a loud thud! next to herself.  Looking down, she gasps and moves to help Sarah up from her fall.  After giving the thief an assuring nod as if to say "you'll be fine", the mage begins to move up to the Violet Fungi, taking care not to trample the Fey's mushrooms, and stopping once she reaches a distance of about thirty feet.

Just outside the tree's entrance, Liamm glances over to Eoni and excitedly asks, "Ma'am, it doesn't look like the others are listening! They're still in there!"

Thrusting his torch through the opening, the apprentice peeks into the tree's hollow...

"They're fighting...mushrooms!"
This message was last updated by the player at 18:52, Sat 01 Oct 2016.

 Marklin felt very strange, he felt like he had been up for the last three days carousing at the local tavern. What he would not give to take a long nap, right about now. Part of his brain,screamed at him, to keep moving.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:06, Sat 01 Oct 2016.

"Watch out," Eoni cautioned the boy.  "I'm afraid they'll soon be fighting the mushroom dwellers as well.  We can help them the most by staying out of their way.

"They'll retreat when they need to."

"Leave him alone, vile... thing!" Valthur growls as he slices into the mushroom that is attacking Yhus. "Marklin, what's taking you so long? Get out of there and help!"

19:19, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 15 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 13.  sword vs. fungi.
19:20, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 9 using 1d8+2 with rolls of 7.  damage.

OCC@DM: In case I need to do a save vs. Poison each round the violet fungus has hold of me…
18:09, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 2 using 1d20 with rolls of 2.  Save vs. Poison -- Violet Fungus. (Target: 11+).

Wracked with pain and horror at his predicament the young man is only vaguely aware of the upheaval all around him, but the ringing of the dwarf’s roar in his ears is unmistakable and welcome.

Bolstered by the brutal gash that his companion’s axe leaves in the soft flesh of the thing before him the  strikes again with the torch…

18:10, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 7 using 1d20 with rolls of 7.  To Hit -- Violet Fungus using torch. (Target: 15+).

…but does little more than send a shower of sparks in the blackness.

One of the Violet Fungii continues to lash its flailing appendage at Yhus. It coils around the cleric's left leg and delivers another dose of searing torment. Yhus loses consciousness and falls to the ground, the world going dark around him!

Valthur is standing beside Yhus when this occurs and the other Violet Fungus seems intent to do just the same to the dwarf. But the stout warrior has different things in mind and capably swats away the monster while stepping out of harm's way.

Marklin closes to melee range, still under the influence of the Moonsong spores.

Sarah and Aldara are further back, about 20 to 30 feet respectively, within throwing range but outside of any threat of being attacked by the fungii.

Eoni and Liamm stand just outside the tree, about 50 feet distant from the melee.

Back in the center of the tree, the Grigs chitter incessantly, their tone quite agitated. Even without the benefit of knowing their peculiar tongue, it is easy to determine they are not pleased with the Big Peoples' treachery...or donwright inconsideration. In any event, they have not started launching their own volleys yet, but it is definitely being actively discussed!


OOC: Yhus took 4 points of damage, is unconscious, and must make a Death Saving Throw.
Marklin is very drowsy and all his attacks incur a -1 penalty to-hit and damage. Additionally, he now moves at half speed and suffers an AC penalty of +1 (so he is easier to hit) while in this condition.


Immature Violet Fungii
AC: 4
HP: Dead, 6/10


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    4/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Poisoned: -1 to-hit/damage, half move, +1 AC penalty
Sarah          6    3/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    9/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6   -1/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Unconscious; Death Saves:


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 3, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 02:49, Mon 03 Oct 2016.

 Marklin,still feeling like he should lie down and take a nap, never the less, he closed on the thing attacking Yhus,and thrust his Javelin at the thing. He hoped this attack would make the thing released his companion.

2:30, Today: Marklin rolled 7 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 6.  Javelin damage.
22:28, Today: Marklin rolled 15 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 16.  Attack on plant thing.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Mon 03 Oct 2016.

From beneath her cloak, Sarah whips out a dart.  She flings it at the tendril grasping Yhus, but her concern about the possibility of hitting him causes the effort to fly wide.


21:19, Today: Sarah rolled 9 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 7.  Throw Dart (13 to hit).

"Drop your bag and follow me!" Eoni commanded as she dropped her staff and slipped out of her own pack.  "Keep the torch!"

Yhus was down and the others weren't going to last long enough to get him out once the moonsong folk organized.  She dashed in to grab him by the arm.  "Get his other arm and pull!"

OOC: Probably not able to drag Yhus until the next round.

As she closes the distance, Aldara pulls a dagger from her waist, and hurls it at the healthier-looking of the fungi attacking her companions.

19:38, Today: Aldara rolled 21,4 using 1d20+1,1d4 ((20,4)).

Woop, forget that +1 to hit, I'm doing this from long distance!

Liamm does as instructed and follows Eoni back into the tree, torch in hand. Once in position, the apprentice grabs Yhus other arm and prepares to haul the unconscious man out of his current predicament.

Daggers, darts, and javelins all fly toward their final fungal adversary. Valthur closes in, but with one eye on the incoming missiles, his swing is without merit. Nonetheless, it looks like the efforts of his companions is more than enough to finish it.

Satisfied that the immediate danger has passed, he turns toward the fighter for a friendly jab. "About time you got here!"

23:39, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 6 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 4.  sword vs. fungi (if it's still alive).

Overcome by pain and the fungus's poison coursing through his body, the young man teeters for a moment then crumples to the ground...

07:11, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 18 using 1d20 with rolls of 18.  Save vs. Death @ unconsciousness -- Roll 1 (Target: 11+).

Successes: 1
Failures: 0 (death at 3)

Eoni and Liamm begin to drag Yhus out of harm's way while Marklin and Valthur battle the Violet Fungus with support from Aldara and Sarah in the back.

The remaining monster flails its tentacle at Valthur, grazing the dwarf across the face with a stinging blow.

The Grigs are still agitated but have not turned Marklin or any of the other adventurers...but mostly Marklin...into a pin cushion yet.

But they're thinking about it...


OOC: Yhus has made one successful Death Save. Valthur takes 1 hp damage and must make a save vs Poison. Marklin is very drowsy and all his attacks incur a -1 penalty to-hit and damage. Additionally, he now moves at half speed and suffers an AC penalty of +1 (so he is easier to hit) while in this condition.


Immature Violet Fungii
AC: 4
HP: Dead, 1/10


PC             AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara         8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni           8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin        6    4/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Poisoned: -1 to-hit/damage, half move, +1 AC penalty
Sarah          6    3/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur        4    8/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus           6   -1/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Unconscious; Death Saves:


[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 4, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:29, Tue 04 Oct 2016.

Sarah scoots in six feet closer to the remaining tentacle.  She then reaches into her cloak again and pulls out yet another dart.

She contemplates it for a moment, then tosses it at the pugilistic plant.

But she misses.  Again.


12:19, Today: Sarah rolled 7 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 4.  Throw Dart (13 to hit).

 Even in his odd state, Marklin hit the mark with his Javelin, that he was using as a make shift spear.

13:30, Today: Marklin rolled 3 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 2.  Javelin damage.
13:27, Today: Marklin rolled 18 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 17.  Javelin attack roll.

13:31, Today: Aldara rolled 16,3 using 1d20,1d4 ((16,3)).

Once again, the mage hurls a dagger at the fungus.  Sure, it probably wasn't earning her or the others any friends among the Fey creatures, but gods above, one should learn to call off their pets!

Valthur swings again at the mushroom, but the stench of rotting wood and Moradin knows what else misguides his aim. "Stand still," he growls, hoping quietly that the  daggers, darts, and javelin of his friends would be enough to end the battle.

20:12, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 5 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 3.  sword vs. fungi (if it's still alive).

20:28, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 18 using 1d20 with rolls of 18.  save vs. save vs. poison (success on 8... 9 if considered a magical effect).

"All the way out," Eoni instructed Liamm as they dragged the inert form of Yhus out the entrance.  "You're doing good."

She didn't think the cleric of Pelor was breathing.  Stupid boy!  Why hadn't he backed off?  What was he trying to prove?

She just hoped that they'd reached him in time.

21:27, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 11 using 1d20 with rolls of 11.  Save vs. Death @ unconsciousness -- Roll 2 (Target: 11+).

Successes: 2
Failures: 0 (death at 3)

The adventurers have already hacked one predatory fungus to bits and the second has also been pretty battered in the short but intense melee. Still, there is life yet in the mindless foe and it whips its tentacle at Marklin, striking the warrior across the legs. Like Yhus before him, Marklin succumbs to the excruciating pain of the blow as tiny spikes deliver their toxin.


OOC: Yhus has made two successful Death Saves. Marklin takes 4 damage and is now unconscious and dying (Must start making Death Saves), in addition to the previous poisoning which makes him drowsy
(-1 penalty to-hit and damage. Additionally, he now moves at half speed and suffers an AC penalty of +1)


Immature Violet Fungii
AC: 4
HP: Dead, 1/10


PC       AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara   8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni     8    5/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin  6    3/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20   Poisoned
Sarah    6    3/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur  4    8/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus     6    2/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20

Poisoned Effects: -1 to-hit/damage, 1/2 move, +1 AC
[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: Round 5, PCs are UP!


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:48, Sat 08 Oct 2016.

06:27, Today: Marklin rolled 15 using 1d20 with rolls of 15.  save vs death.

"We're almost there," Eoni said as they heaved at the inert form away from the entrance.  "Just a little farther."  The body weighed more than the bags of corn she'd dragged as a child.  The armor didn't help either.

[Private to GM: Probably 10' outside of the entrance.  She'll heal next round.]

Liamm helps Eoni drag Yhus outside the tree. The pair eventually pull him to safety while the battle continues inside.

Liamm excitedly cries out, "Ma'am. I don't think he's breathing. What can we do?!"

Seeing his friend succumb to the tentacled mushroom, Valthur regains his focus. "ENOUGH ALREADY," he roars while attempting a decisive blow.

17:48, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 20 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 18.  sword vs. fungi.
17:49, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 10 using 1d8+2 with rolls of 8.  Damage.

Sarah grabbed a third dart and waited: her prior efforts had missed, and she was loathe to use/waste another if there was no need.

Thanks to Valthur, there was no need.

She returned the dart to the place from whence it came.

Like Sarah, Aldara reaches for another dagger, but pauses when she sees the mighty Dwarf hew into the fungus.

"And to think they only valued them for their metalworking ability..." she mumbles, recalling a few incidents where her family looked down their noses at Dwarves.  What did they know!

Valthur finishes the second Violent Fungus off in dramatic fashion, lopping the thing's bulbous cap off with a clean slash of his sword. It was a brief but violent confrontation that took down two of six adventurers, but now it is over.

The chitters and cricks within the mushroom mound subside to an intermittent tempo. The transgressor of the rampage spree now lies dying on the mulchy ground, but the Grigs are not so sure the others won't try the same stunt. From their various hiding places within the mound, they lurk, undoubtedly with their tiny bows trained on the still standing adventurers.

Having decapped their final opponent, Valthur sheaths his sword and rushes to Marklin. "Come on, friend," he encourages the unconscious fighter while doing what he can to bind his wounds. "Nobody's dying at the hands of a walking mushroom... I hope."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:17, Wed 05 Oct 2016.

Aldara does what she can to assist Valthur.

00:59, Today: Aldara rolled 16 using 3d6 ((6,5,5)).

05:30, Today: Aldara rolled 6 using 1d20 ((6)).

Aldara is not allowed NEAR bandages...even if I kept her scores as I rolled them!
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Wed 05 Oct 2016.

Outside, Eoni puts a hand to either side of the fallen boy's neck and prays for the mercy of Avandra to spare his life.

"Blessed Avandra hear my prayers," she intoned with closed eyes.  "Though just a foolish boy, I pray that in your mercy you will allow him more time to find his way.  Let your brilliance smile upon him so that he may fight for the freedom of this glade."

A soft glow emanates from her hands and his chest rises with a shuddering breath.

Eoni Daflin rolled 3 using 1d6+1.  Cure light wounds, Yhus.

Very deliberately, Sarah walks over to those administering to the prone warrior.  Surmising they have matters in hand, she walks to her errant darts and retrieves them.

Yhus regains consciousness shortly after the battle ends. Marklin has been stablized, but barring any magical healing will likely remain unconscious for some time.

Now that the warrior seems to be in no immediate danger (at least, not of dying...yet), Aldara follows Sarah, and goes to retrieve her two hurled daggers.  She makes sure to wipe any spores off of them.

Valthur continues to fumble with Marklin as best he can. "Stay with us, Marklin. Nobody's dying in this rotten tree trunk if I have anything to say about it."

01:07, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 6 using 1d20 with rolls of 6.  wisdom check / first aid. (Wis = 8)

Marklin is deathly ill and unconscious, but stabilized. It might be some time before he comes to though. Fortunately, Eoni has channeled Avandra's power to revive Yhus, delivering the Cleric from the Raven Queen's embrace. Yhus is conscious again, though perhaps shaken from his own brush with death.

Though presently unseen, the Grigs (or as they refer to themselves, the People), watch for any sign of another Big Person trashing their home again. They got caught with their pants down once...they're not about to let it happen again!

Big People can be treacherous, they've learned all too well.

Now that the battle is over and there is no longer two seni-sentient and very dangerous fungii lurking about, the party spots a skeletal foot and the lower half of a leg protruding from the fungal shelf. It had previously been obscured by the Violet Fungus, but is now visible. The general shape of the fungal mound suggests a body might be beneath a carpet of fungus, but verifying this might require some excavation.

The foot and leg are near the back of the fungal shelf, along the tree's woody interior.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:09, Thu 06 Oct 2016.

"Stay with him," Eoni said to Liamm as Yhus came around.  "I'll check on Marklin."

She stood and quickly moved back into the enormous stump to find Valthur kneeling over Marklin.  Sarah and Aldara were poking amongst the fungi so it looked like the threat was past from that quarter.  She was still wary of the Moonsong Peoples but they had not yet retaliated for Marklin's stupidity.

"How is he?" she asked as she knelt opposite the dwarf.  She found a weak pulse on his neck and confirmed that Valthur had managed to stop the bleeding.  "We need to get him out of here."

"Gods above!" Aldara hisses upon seeing the skeletal remains.  She turns to Sarah, still whispering, and says, "I think we did these People a favour by getting rid of their mushroom-things!"

Sarah's body tenses and her neck whirls so she can face Aldara, as if she is startled by the fact that the woman is directing comments to her.  Her surprise quickly passes, and she relaxes; then, she nods in response.

The girl reaches a hand beneath her cloak toward her waist, and takes a small  step toward the skeleton.  But a single step is all she takes; whatever she intended, clearly she changes her mind.

Sarah takes a single step and notices the fungal shelf is quite spongy and slightly buckles near its middle, suggesting it has grown over an area devoid of a solid, earthen surface. A pit is perhaps obscured by the mass of fungal growth.

Sarah freezes.

Cautiously, she withdraws her foot and retreats to the safe spot next to Aldara.

"Careful," she whispers.  "Hole."

Valthur nods in agreement, sighing in relief when he learns that Marklin is still among the living. He picks up the wounded fighter and carries him toward the doorway.

Eoni followed Valthur out of the old tree.  She carried the dropped javelin and shield of Marklin as the dwarf needed no help carrying the man.

She hoped it wasn't blasphemous but she prayed that Pelor could heal as well as Avandra.

Eoni, Liamm, Valthur and Yhus are just outside the tree standing over Marklin's unconscious form. The warrior has been placed in the recovery position while the group ponders what to do next.

Meanwhile, inside the tree, Aldara and Sarah are standing near the fungal shelf discussing an apparent hole Sarah detected beneath the growth. The Grigs watch their activity with great interest.

Having stood on death’s doorstep, the young man only slowly rouses to an awareness of what passes around him.

He lies on the soft litter of the forest floor breathing deeply for a moment, breathing again at last, then with effort pulls himself up from prone, sitting his arms on his bent knees and hanging his head between is arms.

As the lad stands nearby, the young hedge-cleric offers thanksgivings to Pelor and Avandra for the gift of a life returned. Faithful indeed was Avandra’s servant Eoni if she could channel such power, and Yhus prays earnestly to Pelor to be as worthy.

It seems like hours to his groggy mind before his companions carry the bleeding body of one of his saviors from the gash in the tree's trunk — the bold fighter.

When the body is laid beside him the young cleric, still shaken from his own ordeal, turns and lays his hands lightly on the man’s muscled arm focusing all his being on the majesty and compassion of Pelor. After minutes in this mediation a brilliant surge of divine energy funnels through the youth into his ailing companion…

08:31, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 3 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 2.  Spell -- Cure Light Wounds on Marklin.

Not as restorative as might be hoped, still the cleric is awed and humbled to have felt his god’s presence so manifest and to the benefit of his friend.

Yhus' healing revives Marklin, though the fighter still feels drowsy, a lingering effect from the Moonsong mushroom spores. Having averted early disaster, the entire party is alive and well, if not a bit scraped up.

 The darkness slowly drew back it's veil to allow light to enter Marklin's world. He slowly came to thought,when his eyes fluttered open, to eexpose the tree branches above. He inhaled deeply,and let out with a groan of pain. When he spoke,it was in a hoarse whisper. " Blood.. blood stained gods....what happened?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Sat 08 Oct 2016.

Valthur holds his breath while looking for a sign of life from the fighter. When he finally speaks, the dwarf lets out a hardy guffaw and slaps the young cleric briskly on the back. "Well done laddie! It seems your gods were listening."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 17:29, Sat 08 Oct 2016.

"Valthur," Eoni asks as she looked around them with some concern, "where are Aldara and Sarah?" 

Had they lost two more?  She didn't think that she and Yhus could summon enough energy if the last two had fallen.

 Marklin struggled to  sit upright. He still felt weary,but it was mixed with pain. " What happened?"

Valthur looks behind him, surprised to learn the thief and magic user weren't right there. "Last I saw they were looking at the - maybe I'd better go and check."

The dwarf spins and heads back toward the entrance to the tree.


"Been wondering that myself, Marklin," Valthur calls over his shoulder as he enters the rotten trunk.

"The plant creature knocked you down as it did Yhus," Eoni explained to Marklin.  "Even the smallest creatures can be dangerous.  You must be more careful.

"We were lucky the Moonsong People didn't attack when you trampled their homes." She looked back at the trunk's entrance.  "Even now, they may be changing their mind as a result of your blundering."

She stopped abruptly, realizing she'd just chastised the young warrior, and turned away.

As the light sources recede, Sarah says -- loud enough to be heard by Aldara, but yet not really to her, as if Aldara is more of a known eavesdropper than an actual participant in a conversation -- "We should go, too."

With that, Sarah carefully backs away from the hidden hole and leaves the hollow with the others. As she does, she keeps her attention divided between the hole and the little folk, until it becomes necessary to turn to effectuate her exit.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:33, Sun 09 Oct 2016.

The Grigs maintain their uneasy truce and do not attack Aldara and Sarah despite the fact the two make for easy pincushion targets for the tiny fey to vent their building aggression. On this there is much disagreement amongst the People, especially as the scope of the damage becomes clear. Sensing the changing mood, Sarah convinces Aldara that they too should join their companions who are waiting outside the great tree's hollow.

As soon as all party members have departed and are safely outside the tree, the People begin furiously chirping, their collective voice becoming a rapid-fire ricochet of sound. Eventually the chirps mingle to form one voice:

The People played nice, when you did most definitely not.
Now, behold the the damage you have uncarefully wrought.
Uncontested entry, to do as you wish, we shall not allow.
Until you drive off People's enemy, the Great Crested Owl.
Doubt us you may, but rest assured a battle will be fought!

Once out, Sarah flexes her ankle -- the one that took the brunt of her fall.

"Go beneath roots . . . fight owl . . . which is it?" she muses, to nobody in particular as she continues testing her ankle.

 Marklin went prone again,with a groan. " What say we call it a day,and camp. I feel bloody awful."

"That sounds good," Eoni replied to Marklin, helping him up and handing him his javelin and shield.

"Maybe walk back to stay in town?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:52, Sun 09 Oct 2016.

"Your pets started it," Aldara grumbles as she exits the tree.  Did she keep her voice low enough?  She hoped!

To Eoni, she says, a lot more politely, "That's a good idea."

 "I say, nay, as for returning to the town,to far. Let's just find a place nearby and build a fire. We all have bed rolls,I am assuming. If any of you have a bow, we might have fresh meat for supper."

"It is a ways back to town," Eoni agreed in disappointment.  She retrieved her pack from beside the tree and made sure Liamm had collected his own.

"We won't need those torches anymore, Liamm," she said to him.  "You can put them out until we need them again."

OOC: They are further than half a days walk from town as it took them until midday to reach the edge of the forest and then some time to reach the great tree.

Valthur sighed at their mission's overall lack of success so far. Just pick some mushrooms? How hard could that be? Then that turned into ridding the tree of the cancer beneath its roots, whatever that meant. But before they could make good on that, the mission changed again to something about a blasted owl? Moradin's beard!

But on the bright side, everyone was still alive, so maybe they could still make something out of this mess. To that end, he offered what he could for advice. "If we camp out here, I suggest we keep a watch for kobolds. And let's do it away from this creepy tree stump."

"That sounds like a good idea," Eoni agreed with the dwarf.  "Let's look around for a good spot outside the clearing."

She surveyed the area from where she stood before adding, "Perhaps somewhere we can keep an eye on the tree?"

OOC: Unless there's any dissent, they look for a good place to make camp for the night.  As a note for conversation, I believe only Sarah and Aldara know of the soft spot in the red fungi.

The party agrees to make camp somewhere near, but not right next to, the ancient tree. After a brief search the group settles on a suitable spot about 1/4 mile distant. The adventurers spend some time preparing the campsite before discussing watch rotations and other mundane details before turning in for the night.

The Witchwood becomes a dark, mysterious place when the sun sets. Strange sounds fill the woods all around the campsite and pools of darkness seem to well up here or there, no longer the beneficiary of stray rays of light that find purchase through the interweaving canopy. It is an eery scene to be sure, but the party steels themselves for the coming hours.

At some point near midnight somebody on the watch hears the characteristic hooting of presumably an owl somewhere nearby. Moments later the sound of flapping wings is heard, followed by a brief struggle in the brush. It is far too dark to see anything outside of the low light of the campfire, but it happened close enough to hear.

The forest becomes quiet shortly thereafter as the hours drift toward dawn. Wispy tendrils of mist slither across the soil as the dawn breaks. The party awakes in the morning feeling refreshed from yesterday's travails. Even Marklin no longer feels drowsy, the effects of the Moonsong spores having subsided.

OOC: Everyone heals d3 hit points from rest.

Sarah spent the night huddled in her light, tattered blanket, trying to stay warm.

When dawn broke, she did not look particularly rested.

"Down . . . or up?" she mutters.

 The night was what it was, fir Marklin slept the sleep of the rightios, or at least the sleep of someone drugged by mushrooms. When the droup was breaking its fast, Marklin heard the Down...or up,comment. " Nay on up or down,says I. In truth, I feel much better,but I am not my normal self,yet. I think another day in camp might do the trick."

Aldara opened her mouth to protest not going back to town, but decided to keep any complaints to herself.  Her companions were right, and some of them were injured.  Over-exertion could cause more harm than good.  Those Moonsong bug-people could have helped, though, since, again, it was their pets that started all of this, over-reacting as they did.

Looking the warrior over after the camping, Aldara nods in agreement.  "I'm with him." Being the least injured, she agrees to take first watch.

"We could at least look around for that owl they want us to stop," Eoni pointed out.

"I don't think they're going to let us go back into the trunk to look for a way down without it."

She was not thrilled with just laying around all day when they only had so many provisions.

Eoni looked at Marklin's wound as he seemed intent on pointing out his shortcomings.  It wasn't that bad but would hinder his actions.  She spent a moment in prayer for Avandra's mercy to strengthen his body and another silent prayer to strengthen his common sense.

OOC: Everyone should knock off a day of rations for yesterday.
Eoni Daflin rolled 3 using 1d6+1.  Cure light wounds, Marklin AM

When Eoni prayed, Marklin felt almost his old self again. He had a look of total surprise on his face, as he got to his feet and did some quick exercises, and then grinned. “I don't know what ye did, Lass, but I feel almost as good as new. Thank you!"

 With a quick move, Marklin leaned over and gave Eoni a quick kiss on her lips, as he winked.

Eoni stumbled back in shock from the kiss.  She turned away and stalked back to aggressively  roll up her bedroll.

It seemed as though her silent prayer had gone unanswered.

 "Alright, let's go look for the stupid owl."

Feeling at once light in spirit and drained of strength, Yhus follows his companions to the campsite. Other than his turn on watch he sleeps well and awakens much improved.

20:00, Today: Yhus the Musing rolled 3 using 1d3 with rolls of 3.  Hit Points -- recovery from sleep.

After breaking his fast with the others, he gathers his pack and prepares to follow the them in search of the great owl.

Assuming that his club and torch are still lying in the old tree where they fell from his hands the previous day, he checks the sling and stones in the small pouch at his waste, and then takes an unlit torch from his bundle as a cudgel…

After some ginger testing, Sarah determines that the night's rest restored her ankle to full health.

With everyone talking about the owl, she approaches the tree an evaluates the prospects for climbing it.

"So where do we look? I heard something stirring in the brush over there last night. Could've been our owl." Valthur scans the forest but quickly realizes he knows little about his surroundings. He'd be much happier looking for a goblin in an underground passageway than for some bird in the forest.

After morning rituals are complete, the party sets out to find the Great Owl in hopes of satisfying the Grigs' odd demands. The group has a general idea of what direction they heard the hooting overnight, but nobody actually laid eyes on an owl as it was too dark to really see. Armed with what knowledge they possess, the party begins scouring the area, searching the treetops for anything resembling a nest...

Except "...owls don't really build their own nests," Liamm asserts. "It's true," the boy adds in

The industrious of owls aside, it takes little time before Sarah spots what is most assuredly the Great Owl in question. Atop a large tree about 100 yards distant from their campsite, the party spots what unquestionably the largest owl...or any kind of bird for that matter, anyone in this party has ever seen!

The Great Owl is perched atop a 70 feet tall tree and the bird has to be at least as tall as a grown man! It eyes the party curiously as they glance up at it, the birds brilliant orange eyes as big as saucers. The owl shifts in its perch a little but otherwise does not seem to be too concerned about the adventurers.

"Maybe we could just scare it away?" Eoni suggested, making inane motions with her hand that might have scared a butterfly.

The owl reminded her of the tree.  A huge specimen of it's kind, perhaps the last.  Did they have the right to slay such a creature?

 When Marklin saw the Biiig Owl, he took a javelin in hand,and held the other two,just in case. " Something that big, I doubt it scares easy."

 The more the Warrior looked at it,the more he admired the creature. " It would be a shame to have to slay such a creature. it has a certain beauty to it." Marklin got a funny look on his face,then. " Did I just say that?" he whispered,more to  himself then anyone.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:24, Tue 11 Oct 2016.

 Marklin watched the owl a few moments,then a thought occurred to him. " Does anyone have a bow? We might be able to scare it off with shooting arrows near it. The thing is to high for a javelin."

Having spied the owl, Sarah points it out to the others -- literally, by raising her arm and pointing at it.  She stares, transfixed, as if she'd never seen such a thing before.

At Marklin's suggestion that arrows be shot near it she asks -- without moving her gaze: "Does it talk?"

  The Warrior looked at the one called Sarah. " Does it talk?" He asked in a tone of disbelief. "It's an Owl, A bloody big owl,aye. If ye count "hoot,Hoot",as talking, then I suppose so."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:38, Tue 11 Oct 2016.

The girl bites her lip and her face turns a little red.  She gathers her cloak a little more tightly around her shoulders and she steps a few paces backward, away from the tree (and away from those closest to it); but she remains fixated on the giant bird and does not look at anyone.

 Marklin saw how Sarah took his words, and he made a slight frown. He was not a bad sort, really, but he could be abrasive from time to time. His frown deepened when he saw her almost shrink away from him and the others. He sighed, and whispered to himself. “Blood stained gods. Ye can stick your Willy into a bee hive, at times, Marklin, me lad."

  The Warrior stepped over to where Sarah and smiled to her. “Ye know what, Lass? Ye might av something there, at that. It be nay ordinary Owl, so it might talk. The bloody mushrooms talk, why not an Owl. Let’s find out. "HEY OWL! Can ye understand me?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:01, Tue 11 Oct 2016.

Aldara clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes at Marklin.

"Well, there are Fey creatures around, so maybe." While the notion of a talking bird was ridiculous, she had heard of stranger things.  She waits for the owl to respond, before doing anything else.

Valthur stared at the enormous bird, amazed by the size. He, too, felt somewhat torn about simply killing it. He did his best to justify taking action. "I suppose our little friends in the stump have been on that thing's dinner menu for quite some time," he started. "But still, it's just sitting up there now. Too bad it's not an orc or something."

"The Moonsong People said we had to just drive it off," Eoni said, recalling their chant.

"What are owls scared of?  Or maybe a smell to drive it off?  We just need it to hunt somewhere else, even for a little while."

Looking upward toward the owl, Valthur waves his arms awkwardly over his head. "Go away, pesky owl. Why can't you just leave those poor little mushroom people in the rotten tree stump alone?"

Like his companions, Yhus is astounded by the sheer size of the owl perched high above them. It is not the strangest thing the young man has seen in the last day, but it seems unnatural to be sure.

“I have a sling and stones to hand” he says to Eoni, “though my aim may not be true enough to miss the bird, but make the point. Perhaps someone sure-footed should climb the tree a ways and try first to speak to it on its own level? A creature of the air may see those of the ground only as inferior, or as threats...or food. If nothing else it may roust the bird without harming it.”

At the mention of "someone" climbing the tree, Sarah's eyes dart from person to person -- too fast to meet anyone's gaze.  She doesn't say anything, however.

"I don't think we should try to climb up to it," Eoni said, gazing upward.  "Anyone climbing would be helpless if it attacked and might fall.

"I did like the idea of using the sling against it.  Just to drive it off.

"Yhus, go ahead and try," she encouraged the boy.

The party spends some time deliberating on what to do about the giant owl. The bird cocks its head curiously and grows fidgety as they discuss various options. Finally, when Valthur raises his voice in admonishment, the owl alights and sweeps away to the north, disappearing above the broad canopy.

Maybe it understood all the talk about pelting it with stones or climbing to get a closer look. In any event, the owl seems to be gone now, with no stone flinging or tree-climbing necessary to affect that reaction. Hard to say whether it will remain gone for good, but by a strict interpretation of the Grig's demands, the party has fulfilled their end of the this bargain.

Eoni looks at the empty tree, back to the giant stump, then over to the others.

"Let's go tell the Moonsong People that we've driven off the giant owl," she said simply.  The Sister of Avandra turned and marched back toward the entrance.

She didn't look back, but hoped the others were following.

Nodding her agreement, Aldara readies to go back into the tree.  Until... "Do you think we should leave a trap for it, in case it comes back?"

Liamm follows Eoni's lead. The boy has never left the woman's side from the moment they set out from Drellin's Ferry. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder to the south, he comments, "I'm sure glad we didn't have to hurt that bird. Such a beautiful thing. You know, if we have time, I wouldn't mind going back and looking to see if it shed any feathers near there," he says earnestly.

"Owl feathers are quite useful in Olo...err...my line of work," he adds in quickly.

Valthur follows the cleric toward the tree. "I say let the bird be and let's tell the little guys in the stump that he's gone. Hopefully that will calm them down. If the bird comes back, we can deal with him then. Or hopefully we'll have our mushrooms by then."

He stops to consider all the strange twists their mushroom picking adventure has already taken. He hopes there are no more, but isn't so naïve as to believe that will be the case.

 Marklin scratched his chin with the point of the javelin in thought. " Aye, that sounds like a good plan, indeed. I just hope those mushroom whatever’s buy it. If ye ask me, I say this stroll in the woods if worth more than three hundred pieces of gold. I hope there are spoils to be had below."

Eoni leads the way back to the entrance to the tree's hollow. The familiar faint purplish glow emanating off the Moonsong mound is still present, but does not yield enough light to effectively see the large area's contents. Liamm, eager to be useful, produces a torch and gets to work igniting it.

The tree's interior appears much as it did before. Anyone looking in the direction of the fungal shelf will thankfully note it does not appear to be breathing. The Violet Fungii that made their home there are now destroyed and no longer pose a threat. The decrepit rope ladder in the far northeast corner still hangs, with the suspect rung serving as a painful reminder to Marklin, while Sarah too knows all too well the feeling of falling from the ledge.

In the center of the tree, a voice once again emerges from the din of cricket-like chirps...

Have you done as we requested?
Has the Great Owl been unnested?
We heard not so much as a single scuffle!
You must be mighty to not raise a kerfuffle.
If this is true, we will begrudging allow your progress, uncontested.

Standing atop the tallest Moonsong, the party spies a solitary grig, its tiny bow at the ready but not aimed at anything in particular. The lone figure stands no taller than perhaps 18 inches, its reedy mane of hair covering most of its nakedness, terminating just before its cricket-like legs. Two silverish furled wings hint at the fey's ability to fly, a trait none have seen to verify.

 Marklin followed the others back into the trees's interior. When he beheld the small creature, he was fascinated by the sight of the fairy.. He felt a sudden regret, that his stampede through the mushrooms might have caused harm to one of these creatures. Marklin walked over to stand in front of the grig, he went to one knee. " I know it be just words, but I regret what I did. The only excuse was I saw one of my companions being attacked and I wanted to help. I...apologize. Be there something I can do to make up for my lack witted actions?"

Sarah eyes the dead foliage suspiciously.  She also creeps to near where the hole she discovered earlier begins, and tries to see through the debris to what might be below.

The solitary Grig seems unimpressed with Marklin's display of regret. Regret will not rebuild their homes and is an alien emotion for fey. Fey live in the moment, their emotions flitting here or there as whim strikes.

Up, up, we say up with you!
Rejoin your cancer-hunting crew.
The mop-headed girl has the right of it.
Down you'll go, into the dark pit.
Best be careful, or you'll fall straight through!

The Grig gestures with his free hand dismissively, indicating he has no time to Big People sorrow.

Meanwhile, Sara creeps closer to the fungasl shelf and finds what looks like a massive, hollowed tree root beneath the shelf. The interior of the root is easily 10 feet wide. It pitches at a sharp angle downward into darkness. The skeletal halfling is a few feet to the side of it. The halfling's clothes have mostly mouldered away, though Sarah spots what looks like a small leather hip satchel at its side.

 Marklin got to his feet, and removed a leather pouch from his back pack. He poured out five and twenty gold pieces, in front of the mushroom patch. “It is all the gold I have, so it is the best I can do  for Wergild. Even if ye nay want it, you have my regrets.” With that being said, Marklin walked over to stand near the hole and waited. He did this, but not before he reclaimed his spear.

As Aldara enters, she steals a quick glance at her climbing spikes, but once Marklin begins to speak, seems to take a much greater interest in the exchange between himself and the Moonsong thing.  She'd met very few Elves and Half-Elves in her lifetime, and to her the latter were far more relatable, but still so very alien.  But these things?  They made Elves seem warm in comparison!

Sarah continues surveying the area.

[Private to DM Pawn: Is it possible to ascertain the hole's boundaries, such that I can get the pouch off the skeleton?  If so, do so as surreptitiously as possible.]

The Grig gives Marklin a queer expression, equal parts gentle fascination and abject bewilderment. Big people are odd. Very odd.

Probably for the best the world of fey and mortals very rarely intersect. For both parties.

Meanwhile, Sarah continues her examination of the hollowed tree root, carefully examining its boundaries. After a short time she completely navigates it without incident. Cool, damp air rises from hollowed out root. The air smells of loamy earth.

[Private to Sarah: You reach down and grab the leather satchel with ease. It is halfling size, so quite small, about the size of a small purse. Judging by the weight, there seems to be a few items within.]

Valthur nearly chokes when he sees the Marklin donating his gold to the mysterious little people. "Twenty five gold pieces?" he mumbles to himself. "I coulda' found good use for that." But still, he admits to himself the act is somewhat noble.

Resisting the urge to take a few pieces for himself, he instead joins the young thief as she surveys the root which descends into the darkness below. "This way to the cancer, it would seem." He peers downward with his dwarven darkvision to see if it tells him anything.

Eoni picked up the fallen torch that had been smothered where Yhus dropped it and relit it from the one Liamm held.  The two had paused before reentering to light one of his torches.

Looking about with the newly lit torch, she spied what she was looking for and picked up the accompanying club.  She turned and handed it back to the young disciple of Pelor.

"There is value in retreat when the fight is too costly," she told him.  "We may not all have second chances."

" If one one objects, I will take point on this descent." Said as Marklin peered at the hole they had to enter to get to the bottom of tree.

"Your willingness to lead us into the darkness is appreciated, friend," Valthur begins. "But I should remind you that I am the only one of us gifted with dark vision. Therefore I should take the lead."


OOC: I don't really care who leads us, but Valthur (I'm equating low wisdom to vanity) would be someone who takes great pride in going first and being recognized for things like dark-vision.

Valthur asserts himself into the lead position. The party clears away the fungal growth near the hollowed root cavity. Once this is accomplished, the tunnel itself is about 10 feet wide and pitches down sharply below ground level. Fortunately it is relatively easy to find one's footing in the tunnel and the going is not difficult.

The air grows even more stale and damp. The massive, gnarled root twists its way into the earth, hollowed out by rot and decay. The main root widens to nearly 15 feet across where you enter a strange cavern, the walls which are woody and natural. Indeed, the party is within a very large root of this strange tree!

The spongy floor of this cavern is caked with debris and molded wood. The soft purplish glow from the moonsong mushrooms abobe seems swallowed up in the darkness as you descend further into the earth.

A few smaller tunnels spiral off from the main root chamber ahead, but soon end clogged with mud and debris. This, a huge pile of splintered wood, earth and stone stands at the far end of the root chamber, about 40 feet distant. A pale silverish glow is seen through cracks and small crevices in the pile of debris indicating some strange light source beyond, the source of which is not evident due to the ramshackle obstruction.

OOC: The party has descended about 30 feet below the ground level of the tree. The PCs are presently standing about 10 feet distant from the two smaller tunnels (about 5 feet wide) which shoot off to the north and south of the main cavern. The pile of debris at the far eastern end of the root chamber is about 30 feet beyond the small tunnels leading north and south. The general width of the root chamber is about 15 feet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:56, Wed 19 Oct 2016.

Yhus pauses behind the others as they reenter the tree, meditating quietly on the strangeness of returning to the place where a day before he had almost become one with the Light that is Pelor...

Knowing it will take far longer than he has at present to plumb those depths of profundity, he soon follows Eoni and Liamm to the fungal shelf and accepts the proffered torch and club, acknowledging with a solemn nod the wisdom of the woman.

"Should I follow the warriors where my torch will help the one and hinder the other, or follow the group against the chance that we're beset from rear?" he asks as he prepares himself to descend with his companions into the darkness.

"Marklin will need the light in the front," Eoni replied to Yhus.  "Liamm can carry the light for the rest of us."

Eoni wondered what kind of creatures threatened the Moonsong People from below.  They must be smaller than themselves to have crawled from beneath the fungi without damaging it.

Valthur edges into the cavern, stepping carefully and checking the floor and ceiling as he moves. He glances down both the north and south passages for signs of life, but his attention soon focuses on the debris ahead... and the silver glow behind it.

"Many choices," he thinks aloud. "Which way leads us to whatever it is that plagues our tiny friends?"

The ground is mulchy and organic, an somewhat unsettling sensation for Valthur, who is more accustomed to tunnels and caverns hewn from living stone. Hard to believe the party is now delving the hollowed out root of an ancient, decaying tree, but such is the stuff of high adventure!

Valthur takes a few steps forward to regard the smaller north and south tunnel at either side and is greeted with a thick, rank, musky odor that hangs heavily in the air. Without delving further into the cavern, it is difficult to determine whether the odor seems to originate from the north or south tunnel, or beyond the pile of debris ahead to the east.

 Marklin took the measure of the root cavern, and the options before them. “Well, my counsel is to choose one of the smaller passages, and explore them both. We can always come back and attempt to clear the barricade latter, and besides, there might be a way around it from another angle. Since it will be single file, at least at first, I think I should be in the second rank behind Valthur. In this way, I can use my spear to thrust over his head. Have a torch in the third rank so it won’t bother Master Dwarf’s dark vision so badly.”
This message was last edited by the player at 11:02, Thu 20 Oct 2016.

Sarah pears around everyone, contorting her body to and fro, over and under, trying to see -- first north, then south, then north again.

"Just pick one, Valthur," Eoni whispered.  "We'll follow you."

She poked at the soft ground with her staff.  Were they really ready for this?

Valthur's chest puffs out proudly when Marklin suggests he take the lead and again when Eoni recommends he decide which way to go. Ironically, each proud breath fills his lungs with the stench of rank rotting wood air. So instead of heroically leading them down his selected passageway, he starts with a series of coughs and chokes.

Finally, while still trying to find his voice, he just takes a few steps toward the north passage and waves them along. "To the north," he gasps.

He proceeds into the north passage. Stepping carefully and watching above and below for signs of trouble.

Accustomed as he is to the airiness of the open vale, Yhus finds this first taste of the underground stifling and unwholesome.

Though he has known few and none well, strange indeed are the dwarves, he thinks, that they should dwell by choice so often below the the world of fresh winds and sunlight.

Yet still he is comforted that Valthur is there, and at Marklin’s suggestion the youth drops in to line behind the warrior, calm and alert.

 Marklin fell in behind the Dwarf, spear carried in a throw or stab over hand grip. He attempted to discern what he could, in the flickering light of the torch behind him. " Damn odd place." He said more to himself then anyone with him.

Valthur approaches the north tunnel and a hissing sound issues forth from the smaller tunnel, followed by what sounds like scurrying. A fraction of a second later, a giant rabid ferret comes into view with jaw held wide open, its jagged teeth visible amidst frothy drool. It races at the dwarf and leaps for Valthur's face!

Valthur gets his weapon and shield up in time to prevent the brunt of the attack, but he is momentarily stunned from the sudden impact.

Nearly simultaneously, a second giant ferret emerges from the south tunnel and leaps at Marklin! The fighter steps aside in time and the rabid ferret snarls in protest.

The giant ferrets are nearly 3 feet long and partially covered in mangy sable-colored fur. Both are foaming at the mouth.

OOC: Valthur is hit for 2 points of damage. Valthur: Please roll a save vs. Disease (Poison).
One ferret is engaged with Valthur. The other is on Marklin. Everyone else is within 10-15 feet of either ferret.

Rabid Giant Ferrets
AC: 5
HP: 3/6, 3/5


PC       AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara   8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni     8    6/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin  6    6/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah    6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur  4    7/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus     6    5/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: PCs are UP!
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:28, Sun 23 Oct 2016.

 Marklin saw the Ferret,but before he could react, the thing attacked him. Thank the Gods the rabid beastie missed him,but his repost of a spear thrust at it's head missed the mark entirely.

00:22, Today: Marklin rolled 5 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 4.  Spear thrust at ferret.

MISS!

With the farthest underground Aldara had ever been being in the cellar of a tavern, she could only defer to the Dwarf.  "You can say that again..." she says, nodding to Marklin.  Like Marklin, she was caught unaware by a pair of very large ferrets, both frothing at the mouth like something out of a terrible story!

Ye gods, what was wrong with the world!  Wasting no time, she tore the nearest of her normal daggers free, and hurled it at the nearest of the beasts.

00:18, Today: Aldara rolled 17,1 using 1d20,1d4 ((17,1)).

Hurling dagger at ferret.
Unsure of distance.

Aldara slings her dagger at the nearest giant ferret. The blade grazes the elusive creature for a nicking wound. The ferret does not seem phased by the wound and continues to thrash about in the front ranks.

At least the dagger hit. Kind of.

In the close confines of the hollowed root, Eoni couldn't get her staff clear of the walls to swing at the Ferret closest to Marklin and struck the wall in a shower of debris.

"Back up!" she shouted, following her own directive.  "We need room!"

Eoni Daflin rolled 2 using 1d20-1.  Staff whack! Ferret on Marklin.

Sarah looks about, although it's unclear as to whether she's (1) looking for more dangers or (2) looking for an escape route.  Regardless, she keeps her position in the middle of the pack and pulls out a dart.  She then throws it, hitting one of the rabid ferrets in the neck.



08:06, Today: Sarah rolled 16 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 13.  Dart (14 to hit).
08:06, Today: Sarah rolled 2 using 1d4 with rolls of 2.  Dart Damage.

"Aargh," Valthur growls as he attempts to beat back the yellow fanged ferret. "Moradin's beard. These things are huge... and vicious!"

He holds the foul beast at bay with his shield, then swings desperately with his trusty sword, but the beast scurries under his attack and hisses.

22:33, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 3 using 1d20 with rolls of 3.  saving throw vs. poison.
22:40, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 12 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 10.  sword vs. rabid feret.

OOC: Yes, I mis-spelled ferret in the dice roller. I thought about correcting it in the post, but editing anything from the dice roller struck me as starting down a slippery slope, so I'm leaving it. Make fun of me if you must... "Feret? Isn't that like a weasel with a French accent?"  But I stand by my mis-spelled principals!

Yhus swings his club at one of the giant ferrets, striking it with a glancing blow. Not enough to ward the thing off, but enough to let it know he was there.

OOC: DM Post to keep the game moving.

07:25, Today: DM Pawn, on behalf of Yhus the Musing, rolled 18,2 using d20,d4 with rolls of 18,2.

The party rallies around one another to fight off the savage, mouth-foaming, hissing giant weasels. The things are the size of large guard dogs...what is it about this tree that causes such strange mutations?

In any event, fight they do, their jaws snapping here and there as they wildly race around the adventurers biting at legs, arms, anything in their path. The party defends themselves well though and avoids getting bitten.

For his part, Liamm stays well away from the fray.

OOC:
One ferret is engaged with Valthur/Eoni. The other is on Marklin/Yhus. Everyone else is within 10-15 feet of either ferret.

Rabid Giant Ferrets
AC: 5
HP: 3/6, 3/5


PC       AC    HP   9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3  Notes:
Aldara   8    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Eoni     8    6/6  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Marklin  6    6/8  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Sarah    6    4/4  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Valthur  4    7/9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20
Yhus     6    5/7  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

OOC: PCs are UP!

 Marklin plied his spear in the form of a downward thrust to the Ferrit. " Take that, ya over-sized Squirrel."


13:59, Today: Marklin rolled 21 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 20.  Spear thrust, on Foaming Ferret.

Critical Hit! Max damage of 7
This message was last edited by the player at 19:31, Sun 23 Oct 2016.

Beautiful, means Aldara's at Medium Range!
11:44, Today: Aldara rolled 10,1 using 1d20,1d4 ((10,1)).

Another dagger is hurled at the ferrets...this one seems to miss entirely!

Well, I'm gonna share a quote with you from Bob Ross, now, Aldara.  I hope it makes you feel better about missing that Feret.

 “If you have to do something over again, it doesn’t mean you’re bad, it just means you’re normal.”

Sarah takes careful aim at the beast fighting Valthur and Eoni . . . and calmly tosses her dart in the creature's eye, piercing its disease-riddled brain.

14:10, Today: Sarah rolled 23 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 20.  Dart (14 to hit).
Natural 20, so max damage of 4.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:44, Sun 23 Oct 2016.

Valthur waves the point of his sword in front of the ferret while it hisses and snaps its nasty yellow teeth at him. It is all the dwarf can do to keep the shifty, foul beast at bay while he looks for an opportunity to land the decisive blow.

Then to Valthur's surprise, the ferret falls where it stands, a dart protruding from its eye. He gasps, turning to see what deadly sharpshooter could have dealt such a shot. Much to his astonishment, he sees only the young thief.

"Missy, was that your dart?" he inquired, not fully believing his salvation could come from someone as meek as the normally silent girl.

He looked back and forth between the girl and the ferret. "Because if it was, I owe you a large mug of ale when we get back to the village."

His attention then turns to the pain in his thigh where the ferret's teeth found their target. "That was a nasty bite," he surmises to nobody in particular. He examines the wound casually, not considering the potential danger the poisonous rodent may have delivered.

Sarah and Marklin finish off the giant ferrets in spectacular fashion. The ferrets hiss and snarl as they enter their death throes and then all is quiet.

Only Valthur was bitten by the rabid weasels, the angry wound on his calf a painful reminder of it. The wound is not too bad, but surely their foaming mouths harbored unknown nastiness that might rear its head later.

"That was bloody weird, over sized Squirrels that foam at the mouth. You alright Valthur?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Mon 24 Oct 2016.