Indeed, it is not an illusion.  Chubbs’ rock smacks hard against a thick tree trunk, further illustrating this point.  Shirok retrieves his magical gift given to him by the Wizardess Kaele.  After consulting it for a time, he shakes his head in defeat.  The enchanted parchment has preformed exactly at Ishmael had instructed; however there was a large black ink-blot in the center of the map now—no doubt indicating the newly sprung forest.  A special note is scribbled next to the blot:  "Distance?  Space distortions?"
Unlike the map’s other magical effects, as Shirok moves, so does the ink-blot.  It is clear, if they wish to return to Skyway, they will have to travel through the forest; but at what cost?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:52, Thu 22 Apr 2010.

"The map cannot pierce the magics surrounding the forest," Shirok said with a slight sigh as he tucked the map back into its case, the case back into his pack. "The most it can tell us is a distortion of space, possibly."

He stood, holding the spear taken from the Demon. "We will have to pass through. We can only hope that the forest is an opportunity, and not a trap."

Neya approached the nearest tree and sniffed it curiously, apparently finding nothing wrong with it. She look up at the others expectantly.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:55, Thu 22 Apr 2010.

"Of course it is a trap," Ilsa spit. "We find who set it. I kill him," she added, using her impenetrable logic. She started to stretch and twitch her muscles, gearing up for a fight. She really wanted to charge in, but there was no one to fight, so she stayed by Shirok's side.

Chubbs pulls out his lute and starts to strum a little tune. He takes a minute to tune it up but it isn't long before he gets a soft melody. There wasn't need of any magical song behind these words, Porto just thought that it'd do good to keep things cheery.

There are times,
When Life gets you down,
But there's no need to frown.

Life gives you lemons,
And life gives you limes,
All you can do is sing some rhymes.

But don't you worry,
When things get rough,
I'll be their to keep you tough.

"Does the distortion follow us, or is someone directing it?" Stan didn't expect any of his companions to answer.

Stan studied the map over Shirok's shoulder, noting the dark blot where there should have been more data.

"This might not be an illusion, but it is most definitely magical.

"Stay close together in these woods. I would hate for one of us to become lost in time."

"It might not have been made," Shirok considered aloud, looking at the forest carefully. "It might just...be."

After a few moments of silence he began to walk forward towards the forest, studying it carefully. If it was unnatural, then there would be signs that this was not a true part of nature. But if it did seem to be a true part, then he wanted even more to uncover the mystery at its heart; the power to create such forests at will was something he had never heard of.

Got a 31 on Knowledge(Nature), a 34 on Survival.

23:20, Today: Shirok Rezkala rolled 31,34 using 1d20+12,1d20+15. Knowledge(Nature), Survival.

Ilsa followed Shirok, staying a few steps behind him, but ready to leap in front of him if trouble appeared. She positioned herself on the opposite side from Neya. "What do you know of this?" she bluntly asked their new companion.

"Could we go around it?  We already lost days celebrating, what's a few more?" Roth suggests as he looks about the woods, more cautious than fearful.  As Shirok proceeded, Roth did his part and lowered his goggles, peering into the forest for any signs of fallen trees or rotten stumps--death would be a better judge of the forest's age than the size and number of trees.

Roth and Shirok inspect the outer rim of the forest, searching for the natural signs that go alone with a forest of this magnitude.  Indeed the forest bears all conceivable signs.  From the look and feel of the place, this forest could have stood here for hundreds of years.  The trees are thick and many are knotted or gnarled.  Many of the smaller trees were killed-off by the bigger trees in competition for light.  Because of this, the canopy is quite high, allowing somewhat of a comfortable riding/walking space, although completely without a trail of any kind.
However the thick canopy blocks out the sun’s rays, making the forest utterly dark and foreboding.  The menacing feeling is heightened by the lack of noise, the absence of birds singing and such.  Shirok nods in appreciation—aside from being magical, this is an old and angry forest.

Nachtbrise regards Ilsa for a long moment before answering.  He had his mind made-up about most of them, but this half-orc seemed to elude him.  He felt she was genuine and simplistic—something Garret could relate to, and appreciate.  However she also seemed to harbor an intense side to herself.  Something the old cleric felt would clash with his own style.  But he conceded that only time would tell.
He shrugs and gazes deeply into the dark forest.  "Nothing.  It simply is, and here we are.  Let us be on with this and not keep your Lady waiting."
With that, he spurs his horse onward.

A grunt and a nod was Ilsa's reply to Garret. She kept her pace with Shirok and tried to stay watchful. But it was just a forest. She spent more time looking for reactions in Neya's movements than scanning the trees. "We will have to camp, I think, before we leave these woods," she said.

"And what of it? We will set watches the same as anywhere else. Why fear to camp in the woods?"

But Stan already knew: if they disappeared in here, no one would ever know what had become of them.

"Not fear of woods. Just tired of you." Ilsa laughed. She knew they were tired of her too and expected them to get the joke.

Wanting to cover all options before committing to traversing the seemingly enchanted forest, the party does stray from the road a little bit.  Again, Shirok shows the party members that unlike his map’s features, which appear to have been penned many years earlier, the ink blot seems to swirl about and pulse with its own life.  It moves and slowly grows, always blocking their way to Skyway City.
With no other option apparent, they return to the road and venture into the forest.

The travel is easy-going, given the situation.  They light a few light sources and continue for several hours.  Shirok’s map won’t update until it’s been in its guided case for 24 hours, so they travel as much as they can, and setup camp before serious exhaustion sets in.

As they make camp Chubbs plays one of his personal favorites, and one that fits their current situation.

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

Chubbs then proceeds into an extreme solo and it goes on and on. You all thoroughly enjoy it and it hits a wide range of notes, moods, and sounds. It continues on until you have all but forgotten that this song had once contained words, then in a sudden and unexpected moment Chubbs opens his magical voice box and let's out the last of the words that had been waiting to emerge.

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

Shirok and Neya were silent and watchful as they passed through the forest; the age and the anger of these woods were undeniable, the darkness and silence a reminder that only the strong and foreboding trees chose to live in this place. Magical or natural, this forest would have little pity for those it chose to remove from itself. And he couldn't shake the feeling that it would only be a matter of time before it tried.

As for the wolf, she was more worried about the way she couldn't smell anything except trees, couldn't hear any flyers or see signs of burrowers. The lack of anything partly just mad her hungry, but mostly it confused her. There should be something, and the nothing just wasn't right.


Neither of them had completely dropped their guard by the time they made camp, but Neya was beginning to relax a little. She was getting used to the absence of anything. She even wagged her tail a few times as the little one played his music, perking her ears up to listen to it more closely. Shirok however remained silent, until Porto had finished. "A song with more truth in it then one would think, especially in a place like this," he said quietly. "Any place where the animals choose not to live should have its dangers treated with respect and caution."

"We should double our watches," Ilsa added. "Elf-human. Orc-wolf. Orc-halfthing." She pointed to everyone in turn, lining out three watches. And then she realized she had forgotten about Garret. "You with the small one. Shirok with me," she grinned. "But first, food." She saw no reason to make a cold camp and began making a fire.