Farian hears some whispering, at least one line of which is, "<small>The necromancer?  They killed him?!</small"  Finally the seeming leader of the pixies drops down another branch so she is slightly closer to Farian.  "Stumpkin's at your camp!  And why do you care about our tricks anyways?  You aren't from around here!"



Kelvren seems utterly delighted by the chocolate and savors it, eating it crumb by crumb.  He also makes a great show up his little claws while doing so, in case the pixies get any more bright ideas.

--



Demon stomps at that and looks at Lantamori, shaking himself all over before moving his attention back to the plugged-up tree.



"Don't you dare!" Stumpkin shrieks indignantly, thankfully muffled by the wood.



"I can't get out!  There's a plug in the way!" Stumpkin wails.  But as Narthian's spell takes effect, the plug pops out, and Stumpkin a second behind him.  He goes invisible again, but from the disturbance of the leaves and the loud panting of his breath, he's sitting in a nearby bush.

Volsh gripped Widowmaker and called out to the grigs, "we owe a debt to someone. Payment of that debt comes with the removal of you from the dryad's groves. You can do it the nice way that she," he said and pointed at Farian, "will offer you. To leave and never bother the dryad, her grove, or any visitors to her grove again. Or you can choose to do it the way I would remove you, like we did the necromancer."

A rumbling animalistic growl escaped his lips as he looked at the grigs. It wasn't aggressive or loud, but it was definitely audible, and decidedly not a noise most humans could make.

Lantamori let Averdante and Narthian take the lead intimidating the mischievous grig.

Mystique takes herself to a branch over by the bush. Haazheel walks toward Mystique, tanglefoot bag in hand.

Bruenor stood ready to back up his friends.

"What my friend here says is true," she gestures towards Volsh. "As is the tale of the necromancer." She lets a look of disappoint reach her face, which she exposes by pulling back her helm. "And that without the power of Pelor and Saint Bane that might be channeled through me, their servant. But let us not speak of this here! Our words are for you and your friend Stumpkin." She let's the thought of concern for his safety show. "Who should be safe, but the elf and wolves who pursued him are quite formidable in their own right. Not to mention our friend who remained in our camp. Let's make haste to ensure that all is well!"

Narthian forces out a laugh, more from relief that the grig escaped then mirth. "That was a near thing! Such a magical forest! The plants are so alive!"

He casts Entangle at a spot to keep the animals and elves clear, but includes Stumpkin's bush.

Dellas has a beaming smile on his face at Kelvren and he giggles a bit when he flashes his claws "Do the pixies taste almost as good?" He asks as Kelvren enjoys the chocolate, a big grin on his face that turns into actual laughter.

With a silent request to Prreet to help him keep track of the invisible grig, Dante glances toward the bush, then leans down to pick up the stone cat. "So what's it worth to you, Stumpkin," he asks idlely, stroking Prreet, "to not regale your friends with the story of you getting treed by a mere horse?"

Stellana's Grove - Volsh, Bruenor, Haazheel, Dellas, and Farian



The pixies yipe! in terror as Volsh puts on his most intimidating aspect, the trees shivering a little. There is some whispering between them, too rapid and in an unfamiliar tongue to understand, but it sounds very concerned. 



Kelvren shrugs and points to a flower, apparently indicating that pixies taste like plants.  And eats another crumb of chocolate with enjoyment as he watches the pixies squirm.



At the end of Farian's speech, with Mystique lingering nearby with long talons, and two spellcasters and a formidable swordsman at the ready, there is a little more brief whispering.  "Okay, we'll go somewhere else, you can have him and the dryad!"  And with that, there is a rapid departure of the remaining fey, flying and/or running off into the treetops at rapid speed, far, far away from all of you!

--

Near the temporary camp with Stumpkin - Lantamori, Averdante, Narthian, and Thunder



He squeaks, thrashing hard within the confines of the shrubbery.



"A lot, a lot, a lot, don't tell them!" he squeaks, clearly entirely discomfited and off his game.  "I'll go, I'll go, I swear I'll go!"

Narthian drops his spells, releasing Stumpkin, and makes sure to hold back Demon. "No harm done! There's a band of shocker lizards not far from here, near the swamp. I'm sure that they'll be good fun to torment! Beware the young bullette, though! Riling it will cause some serious damage to the forest and Old Rue won't go for that at all." He waves after the grig cheerfully.

One moment Haazheel says as he stows the tanglefoot bag and takes out a snack-size gorp ration. He show it, takes and eats a bite, and set the rest down. A token of goof faith; Something to eat before you go. Know this: Your decision to leave is wise. To come back around here would be...let's just say: Stay away! And if ever you come near us, do so openly and in peace.

Dellas watches the pixies as he feeds Kelvren and Vish allowing the others to talk. He wanted to see what additional tricks they know but figured this might not be the best time to ask them....

Glancing from Narthian to Lantamori, Dante shrugs. "Anyone can make promises when it suits them, Stumpkin, and forget to keep them later. What proof do you offer that you'll abide by such an agreement for longer than it takes you to run away from here?"

Near the temporary camp with Stumpkin - Lantamori, Averdante, Narthian, and Thunder



"All right, all right, 'tis a place where a grig can be!" he says quickly, brushing himself off, and picking up a few bits and bobs that had fallen from his pockets.



Stumpkin freezes, and looks up at Averdante warily.  Prreet chooses the moment to yawn hugely, showing his entire array of teeth in close detail.

"That you'll probably come back with your evil demon horse if the tree-lady or the bear-man says anything?" he says tentatively.

--

Stellana's Grove - Volsh, Bruenor, Haazheel, Dellas, and Farian



Most of the pixies flee without a backwards glance, but one stops long enough to pick up some of Haazheel's gift, nods once, and jumps after the others, trying not to spill his bounty.

There are several moments of thrashing and squeaking.  Several more of silence.  And then the birds resume their song.  Behind you, Stellana sighs in profound relief.

"You really got through to them!  Rarely do they even pretend to have listened for more than a moment!  Thank you!" the dryad says with gratitude.

Volsh grunted in seeming surprise. "Guess all that fancy nice talk works sometimes," he said with a smile to Farian.

He turned to the dryad, "glad that we could help. I didn't see that Stumpkin with them, so no guarantees he's gone yet. Maybe Narthian was able to run him down though... he and Thunder are fast."

"You seem to have the idea," Lantamori said of the Grig's synopsis.  "Do you have anything you need to clean up before you go?

"Any leftover snares or traps still around?" she prompted.

Haazheel lets out a deep breath. Let's find the others he says.

"You are too kind!" Farian replies to Volsh with a smile. "Negotiations are always best from a position of power. Between Mystique and Kelvren, you and Bruenor, it was easy for them to see the door that I opened with my 'fancy nice talk'". She turns to Stellana. "It is the least we could do for the service Old Rue did for our companion. If they come back, send us a message through the Adventurer's Guild and we'll be back as soon as we can."

Dellas nodded in agreement with Farian, looking to Stellana *"You had to like at least one of their tricks, right?"*

Narthian waits to see if Stumpkin has an answer for Lantamori, maybe begins to act like he's casting another spell if there is too much delay in response.

Dante laughs at Stumpkin's tentative answer. "Well, yes, that would certainly happen -- but that's what we would do. That's not what I asked, however. What do you offer us, to prove your word is good?"

The fey, in most of the stories he'd heard, were very fond of bargains, and tended to keep them better than they held to any other agreement. He doubted anything as capricious as the grig would abide by anything less. It had already said it didn't expect them to stay in the area, after all.

Near the temporary camp with Stumpkin - Lantamori, Averdante, Narthian, and Thunder



"Ah, um..." Stumpkin hems and haws for a moment, looks at the four (five including Demon) adventurers staring at him, and blurts out, "Stinkhorn mushrooms around the dryad's tree that'll grow up by tomorrow and a wasp nest on the path the bear-man takes to get into the grove.  That's it, I swear!"



From the frozen expression on Stumpkin's face, Averdante was likely wise to get insurance.  With Narthian and Thunder looming, and Demon right at Lantamori's shoulder, the pressed grig looks rather desperate.  He reaches behind and takes his fiddle, holding it up by the neck.  With the other hand he plucks a hair from his head and strings it to the fiddle, then holds it out.

"By the Mother of Moons and by my music, I swear to leave and not bother the dryad or her bear-man again!" he vows, his voice squeaking.

---

Stellana's Grove - Volsh, Bruenor, Haazheel, Dellas, and Farian





"I will!  Old Rue will, or I shall send a message with a bird if he cannot. But now these flighty ones realize I have... friends," Stellana says softly.



"They are not too far from here.  My sister trees say are all together somewhere fairly close," Stellana says.



Stellana considers.  "Maybe in a year or ten I would find them amusing," she finally admits.

The group can take their leave if they wish and find the group after about a half-hour's walking back towards their temporary camp, meeting Old Rue along the way.  When they get there, they are witness to the vow that Stumpkin makes, holding out his hair-strung fiddle.

Volsh had waved goodbye to the Dryad as they left the grove and headed to meet back up with the others and set the pace back to their encampment.

He nodded and smiled at Old Rue as they encountered him with a clap on the shoulder. "It seems the creatures can be... persuaded."

When they got back to the camp and he saw Stumpkin making his vow he chuffed a bit. "Better keep that vow..." he said under his breath with a low voice as he stepped into the clearing.

He raised an eyebrow at Demon's presence with the fey, but looked to Lantamori and Dante as they seemed to have Stumpkin in hand.

Narthian looks to the other two elves, communicating silently with looks and a slight nod. "There is powerful magic in music, perhaps more than you know. And that power now holds your words." He spies Volsh in the corner of his eye. "And to include the Mother of Moons, to whom the wolves call, is serious magic to invoke in our presence. [Language unknown: Liera ev Ineecttin po Vorughnte esch p rom comur ckst astlatest lar na ca nceovethi t evsa a se na ec ousee.]", he says, his tone one of a solemn vow. Or maybe a curse. "[Language unknown: P lar o oulpo, Lamiwa iv Ivehoutin, m si verit traie!]" He suddenly shifts form back into a wolf and lets loose a series of howls that Thunder is soon echoing.

Might be fair for Narthian to roll a Bluff (a lousy +1). He assumes the Mother of Moons is an avatar of Sehanine Moonbow, but he doesn't really know. That there is magic in music is undeniable, however.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:12, Tue 03 Mar 2020.