There are many reasons one would travel to the region surrounding Helmsbreach, peace and comfort are not on high on the list.  Money, fame, adventure, a new start, a scorned lover, a lover's jealous lover, a bounty on your head, the list is nearly endless.  The civilized east holds much for many, but routine is well, routine.

As Wist marches, he can't keep his eyes off the weather.  It is mid afternoon, and the sky to the west is darkening, and it is starting to cool.  This could be a bad one.  The woods nearby are sparse and won't offer much protection.

Glancing up at the gathering dark clouds, Wist shuddered as he pulled his travel cloak tighter.

~This is certainly not what I was expecting...adventuring sounded so exciting...slaying fell beasts, rescuing kidnapped princesses, finding ancient treasures...~

When he left the comfort of his village far to the east, Wist had grand visions.

But they were soon replaced by the reality of long days of walking; the occasional ride in a wagon from a friendly farmer; doing menial labour to earn a place to stay for a night or two; or sleeping in the woods in the cold.

So far his only adventure involved running away from a group of brigands who hoped to relieve him of his few possessions. And he had far less coin in his pouch than when he started.

~I could use some treasure, that's for certain!~

The elf looked around, half-hoping that he would spot a sheltered spot where he could wait out the rainstorm, and at least stay dry.

He picked up his pace. Perhaps he might make it to Helmsbreach today? And if he hurried maybe before the rain.

The sky continues to darken, the wind picks up, cold and biting.  The rain starts as a drizzle but the drops quickly get bigger.   Not too far away, Wist finds a copse, the trees looking a little larger and sturdier.

He finds one with a large hollow on the leeward, and tucks himself into it, and finds it mostly warm and dry.  A crash of lightning brightens the sky for a moment, and the thunder rumbles roll over the ground feeling all too close.  There might be enough tinder still dry to start a small fire if he were to scrounge a bit, otherwise it is looking to be another long night.

~Fire or no? I'll stay a little drier now, but I'll be colder later on.~

The elf mulls it over for a moment, then scrabbles out of his shelter to find as much dry kindling and wood as can before the rains soaks it all.

Returning to his home for the night, he wipes the rain off his face, and quickly goes about lighting a small fire. He removes his pack and digs out some of his meagre rations. He then tucks it, along with his bow and quiver, as far back into the hollow as he can. His axe stay close at hand, just in case.

He stares out into the darkening vista as he munches on hard bread and soft cheese.

~What have I got myself into?~

Wist manages to get a small fire lit, it provides a little company, and something to occupy his attention while he waits for the weather.  The bread is starting to go stale, but the cheese has a pleasant bite to it.

The weather rages for what feels an eternity, though it is more like fifteen minutes, its seemed to pass as quickly as it came up.  The winds calm, though it it still raining, more than a drizzle, but less than a downpour.

He watches the water drip off the leaves, when he is certain he hears something in the quiet.  It's not elvish, but must have elvish roots because one or two words in ten sound familiar.  It sounds like voices in an argument, two, no three.  "Lorem ipsum dolor siht found one! consectetur adipiscing not one, look eiusmod teeth incididunt ut boots et dolore magna aliqua. Ut kill it ad minim veniam, nostrud not one ullamco laboris nisi ut boots ex ea commodo stomp. Duis aute irure fire in reprehenderit inj burn forest velit esse cillum get moving eu fugiat nulla Queen Excepteur. Sint occaecat cupidatat non do something, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit hurry id est laborum"
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:05, Sat 24 Oct 2020.

~Company of some sort...welcome or not is to be seen.~

Wist carefully, and as quietly as he can, extinguishes his small fire with handfuls of damp earth.

He then hooks his axe and quiver onto his belt, flips his pack onto his back and carries his bow. He moves slowly and carefully toward the voices. He tries to move from tree to tree, if possible, to maintain some cover.

As soon as he spots the creatures, or even their movement, he will try to  observe from cover. He will nock an arrow, but will not take an aggressive posture.

ooc: roll 1d20

The fire hisses for a moment before going silent and cold.  Wist packs up, and steps out into the rain.   The tone of the voices changes from argument to triumph, then back to arguing. "Nunc mattis Leaving enim ut tellus elementum sagittis scared vitae. Est ullamcorper eget Hurrah! nulla facilisi etiam dignissim boots stomped diam quis. Ultrices neque ornare aenean euismod. Ultrices dui help eget mi proin. Donec Queen Excepteur ti cidunt  guard arcu non sodales neque sodales in trouble big ut etiam. Eu"  Wist stands by a tree in the rain watching for something to happen.

As he listens the strange conversation, Wist suddenly realises, ~I'll be damned! They must be talking about me! So, whatever they are, they can see me!~

The elf thinks on that for a moment; they seemed to mention his fire, and then they cheered when he extinguished it. Perhaps some sort of forest sprites?

~Dare I take the chance and call out? What if I have it completely wrong? Then I'll run!~

"[Language unknown: Untetr! Wa tra o nd.]" he calls out' hoping the creatures understand Elvish.

---

15:58, Today: Wist rolled 1 using 1d20.

Low is good, right? :-)

When Wist speaks, the voices stop, and other than the rain, it is silent.  Only for a moment before they pick back up again, even more fervently.  "Quis blandit turpis Quiet! cursus in hac Heard you habitasse platea dictumst quisque."  Wist follows along the best he can, his eyes darting from branch to branch, then stops.  A bit from where he was sheltering, facing the cleft, he sees a tiny branch, bent unnaturally, like something was pushing it over.  He stares at it intently.  Dolor morbi non Sees us arcu risus quis hide varius quam quisque.  The branch snaps back to place, but he doesn't see how.  The arguing pick up again after he speaks.  Non tellus orci ac auctor augue. You Nulla No you facilisi cras fermentum odio. Alright Enim blandit volutpat [Language unknown: Li wemo wiiler es preareint atpl llicth ulio urne-anou?]"

~They must be invisible, whatever they are! Oh! And they do speak Elvish!~

[Language unknown: "Adacal! N asfi m Conic Redingarewer...ansan neee. U, Ec lllin omos forohe erna hislesure, ceen evere N..." ]

His voice trails off as he quickly looks around his feet for confirmation.

[Language unknown: "Ss set E entivetic ol te ionsetvenher. M ne osanch it iouwitonsany usntsi re Thoprovorthaill, ureie In peiola rutng lecepe pael ha ill." ]

He pauses again, wondering how to proceed.

[Language unknown: "E nt rutro seter leosliilof tio ma icathuardera men riisni?" ]

"Shush, you guys! Let me do the talking here."

The voice then increases in volume, into a clear, lilting countertenor.

"Assistance, yes? That means help! Yes! Yes, we could use your help!"

A small person, maybe a foot high, steps out where the big elf can finally see him. You can see he doesn't care much for the rain, as he holds a leaf over his head.

"Some big folk... not you, Wist Greenoak, but big like you... stole our berries! And stomped through our mushrooms, too! We need to get the berries back!"

He stops and thinks for a second, then adds, "Linis. I am called Linis, Wist Greenoak."

Putting away his bow and arrow, Wist says,

"It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Linis.

If you, and your friends, can lead me to these other big people, perhaps I can convince them to return your berries.

If you don't know where they are, then perhaps we should start at your berry patch and I will do my best to follow their tracks."

~It might not be an adventure from the legends, but helping out these little folk will be better than huddling under a tree feeling sorry for myself!~ the elf thinks to himself as he follows his new guide.

"Well, uh... we don't know which way they went." He glares at someone the elf can't see.

Then the elf's words hit home. "The berry patch? Yes! We should start there! Of course! This way!" The little person starts off, wincing a bit each time he gets hit by a particularly large raindrop.

An acorn smacks into the back of Linis' head, knocking his leaf loose. Feugiat nibh sed secret pulvinar proin  The voices begin chittering away furiously.  gravida. in trouble bigger Non arcu risus quis varius quam quisque id diam vel. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur big folk adipiscing elit. Morbi tempus not going iaculis urna id. Praesent semper feugiat nibh sed pulvinar proin

The argument goes on for some time before Linis shushes everyone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:20, Tue 27 Oct 2020.

~Obviously Linis' companions aren't in agreement!~

[Language unknown: "Ithat ndesa te miad wist E pr e has t whwe. Ca le fopeon e wasi il we M ndnd, st ha fi re tic illus th ostitithni, waai I estmi evas un ilwail alstmaio as derconand u Caweieulta."]

Wist waits to see what the response is.

Linis tells the other voices something unintelligible, then looks back up at the elf.

"Wist Greenoak, do you swear to keep our berry patch a secret?"

Wist smiles at the little creature, as an adult might to a child, making their berry patch to be of great value.

[Language unknown: "Een ma pa ere, Proousers. Er icaareone t his was nc  E, il elcon hi tiand her o kor, omeiv Ch nce wince wasanding poro acmewe a atiin anecni orethesta po vororeall!"]

Satisfied, they start through the woods, this way and that, and after fits of feverish arguing, and backtracking they make their way.  The rain stops, and the evening sun is low in the sky.  It will be dark in a few hours.

They come to the patch, if indeed it could be called a patch.  A cluster of shrubs protected by a large stone, and in the center of the patch a bush that looks different.  The leaves are slightly rounder, and the berries a slightly different shade of green. "Here..."  It has a large section torn off, and if hacked with an axe.

"...and over there." Linis points a dozen paces away.  There is a fallen log, rotting, with bright mushrooms growing in the damp shade of its trunk.  It looks as if someone or several someones sat on the log, and their feet smashed the ground underfoot.

Wist will carefully look over the ground around the berry bush and the mushrooms, looking for tracks leading away from the little garden.

[Language unknown: "As atila an ainil arth somll atieun noolha erchac ver peuras, Reacoming?"]

"Well... you see... we didn't actually see who did it. But the berries are special. The Queen can have them made into special healing berries! I don't know how, though."

"We," again shooting the glare at somebody Wist Greenoak can't see, "got into an argument. We missed the whole thing. Oh, the Queen will be so angry with us! We must get the berries back!"

"Well, let's see if we can find in which direction they went."

---

Any tracks?

Wist looks around, there wasn't any sign of subtlety.  Even with the rain, there is a pretty clear path of mudprints and broken branches.

Linis' companions collect their supplies and between the trio of them, they collect four pyskberries, and six pyskshroom cakes.  There is even a squirrel with a small riding harness.

They start out moving a bit slow as they move deeper into the forest.

Both of you roll 1d20.

19:17, Today: Linis rolled 14 using 1d20.  DM asked for a roll.

Wist follows the trail into the woods.

---

17:18, Today: Wist rolled 16 using 1d20.

The going is slow, as the mud begins to cake on Wist's boots.  Linis riding squirrel has less trouble, barely leaving prints in the mud.   They say owls are silent hunters, bringing death to the unwary mouse.  Tonight is no different, but it is the squirrel that is the target.

A large gray owl swoops out of the darkening sky, its wings nearly noiseless.  The squirrel doesn't see it coming, as it flashes by a few feet in front of the elf.   Linis is knocked clear and goes tumbling unceremoniously onto the ground.  The squirrel is in the clutches of the noctornal raptor, quickly winging away.




OOC: You are not surprised and may act, but the fate of the squirrel may be set.

The die roller really liked the owl.

"No! Not my squirrel! Come... back...." The pysk gets to his feet watching the owl fly away with his squirrel.

Wist is startled by the silent attack by the raptor.

He whirls as the bird flies way with Linis' tiny mount, and looses an arrow.

---

19:46, Today: Wist rolled 16 using 1d20+2.  arrow
19:47, Today: Wist rolled 2 using 1d8.  damage

Arrow hits AC 3 for 2 points damage

The owl is hit by Wist's arrow, it tumbles a bit in the air, drops the squirrel, and recovers its flight path, disappearing into the growing darkness.

Linis scurries quickly to see if his squirrel is okay, fearing the worst.

Wist joins Linis. While the pysk examines his mount, the elf keeps his eyes up, watching for the return of the owl.

"How is he?"

The squirrel is alive, a little beaten up and in shock but should make a full recovery.

"He'll be okay, but I don't think I should ride him for a while."

"Good to hear. Let's keep moving then, before we run out of daylight."

Wist moves to lead the way.

Linis sends the squirrel home to rest and recover, and then follows Wist Greenoak.

The riding squirrel scampers off up a tree to hide and rest.

Wist follows a trail of muddy boots, as the sky darkens.  He is more than fairly certain that the path they follow wasn't created by elves, quite the contrary.  Linis follows along surprisingly, considering his stature.  In the distance ahead, they see a small fire surrounded by at least three shadowed figures.

Linis whispers from somewhere you can't see him, "Do you think they have our berries?"

Wist whispers back, "Well, I was hoping that you could tell me! I suppose we should ask them..."

The elf's brow furrows for a moment.

"I have a plan, Linis, but it will require you to approach them alone...I will stay hidden, and if they appear to be the culprits, or if they show any sign of meaning to harm you, I will cast a spell that snare them.

What do you think?"

"All right. I'll go check them out." Linis will walk forward toward the fire, hiding as best he can as he goes.

Wist will shift his position, a few feet to one side. He wants to ensure that when the group around the fire see Linis, they will not be looking in his general direction.

Linis slips off into the darkness, at least Wist thinks so, since he stopped talking.

Wist keeps watch on the figures from a safe locale.  They seem preoccupied, and do not notice him. They are sitting, except for one that seems to be pacing.


After a few moments, in the distance, a black bird circles for a bit, then spirals down to the ground near the fire.

Linis will retrace his steps back toward Wist Greenoak, and once he gets back there, he will whisper, "I'm back! Snare them! They've got the berries! Snare them!"

Wist whispers back to Linis, "Very well. Implexi cum herba."

---

Cast Entangle  Duration: 1 turn  Range: 80'

Grasses, weeds, bushes, and even trees wrap, twist, and entwine about creatures in a 40' diameter area or those that enter the designated area, holding them fast and causing them to become entangled. A creature may move half its normal movement if it succeeds in a saving throw versus spells.

The grass around the campfire listens to the elf's plea.  It suddenly starts growing, the orcs scream in surprise as it begins wrapping itself around their legs, pinning them to their place.

Begin round 1.

Actions?

"It's orcs! Shoot them while they're stuck! They have the berries!" Linis will go toward the tangled orcs without entering the entangling plants. Can he see Orion and the raven?

"Orcs! I should have guessed..."

Wist takes aim, and looses an arrow at the nearest orc.

---

17:32, Today: Wist rolled 5 using 1d20+1 arrow.

But misses by a mile!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:34, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

Even with the ors standing still, Wist's arrow vanishes into the trees beyond the orcs and their campfire.

Linis scampers towards the orcs, climbing a nearby tree to get a better vantage.  He can hear the raven squawking, and see it struggling where is landed.  Orion is fighting his way towards the limits of the spell. It is slow going, but he is making progress.

The orcs continue to curse and struggle and curse.

ooc: One Pysk, One Raven, Three orcs are stuck in the grass.

Begin round 2

Actions?

The elf takes a deep breath to steady himself, and looses another arrow. This one strikes true.

"Linis, if you have a bow or sling please help! This spell will not last forever, nor does it hold them fast!"

---

18:00, Today: Wist rolled 18 using 1d20+2 (forgot the +1 for short range)  arrow
18:04, Today: Wist rolled 6 using 1d8.  damage.
Hits AC 1 for 6 damage

Linis shoots a Yarpik Thorn from his tiny bow, trying to hit Orion.

20:12, Today: Linis rolled 20 using 1d20+2.  shoot at Orion.

20:13, Today: Linis rolled 4 using 1d4.  thorn damage.

Wist's arrow flies true, and one of the orcs stops its struggle permanently.

Linis' thorn also strikes true, catching Orion solid.  The Pysk struggles for a few moments before slowing to stop his struggle against the grass.

Two orcs and a raven remain.

Begin round 3

Actions?

Linis shoots his bow again, aiming a Yarpik Thorn at one of the remaining orcs.

20:42, Today: Linis rolled 3 using 1d4.  damage if it hits.

20:41, Today: Linis rolled 8 using 1d20+2.  shoot at orc.

Wist lines up another orc and lets loose another arrow.

---

20:15, Today: Wist rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  arrow.
20:16, Today: Wist rolled 8 using 1d8.  damage.
Hit AC 8 for 8 damage.

Did Wist see the other pysk? Did he see Linis kill one of his own people?

Luckily the orcs are locked in place and Wist's arrow hits one of the orcs true, and it's life is over.

Linis' thorn falls short of the orc.

One orc lives and a raven continues to squawk in protest at being ground bound.

Begin round 4

Actions?

Another bow shot, this time lining up at the raven, if only to get it to be quiet.

16:45, Today: Linis rolled 6 using 1d20+2.  shoot at raven.

"Where did that bird come from?"

Wist aims for the last orc, and lets fly. The arrow strikes true.

---

23:14, Today: Wist rolled 13 using 1d20+2.  arrow.
23:14, Today: Wist rolled 7 using 1d8.
Hits AC 6 for 7 damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:17, Sun 08 Nov 2020.

Wist's arrow again flies true, the orc dies.

Linis' thorn misses the raven.

The grass continues to bind the dead orcs, and the raven remains on the ground...

"Orion was riding it, but I put him to sleep. I tried to put the bird to sleep but I missed. Let me try again."

Linis shoots yet another thorn at the raven.

19:44, Today: Linis rolled 3 using 1d4.  thorn damage.

19:44, Today: Linis rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  shoot at bird.

"Who's Orion? Linis what is going on here?"

---

The duration on the Entangle is 1 turn, which I believe is 10 rounds. And I don't think it is possible to shut it down early.

"Orion is one of the Queen's advisors! He paid the orcs to take the berry bush! We need to get the berries and let the Queen know! If we can, we should take Orion back to be punished, too!"



Did I hit the raven last round?

ooc: No, Linis is apparently a terrible shot.

Linis' thorn falls short, and the grass begins to return to normal in moments.  The raven stops squawking once the grappling grass let its alone.  A small harness can be seen on it, as it sits quietly.

The three orcs are dead, dead, Orion is mostly dead but asleep.

"Take Linis back to be punished? Didn't your arrow kill him?

Look the spell is fading. What do we do with the bird?"

Once the Entangle spell wears off, Wist moves to the dead orcs and looks through their belongings for weapons, coins, and useful equipment.

If he finds some rope, he will immediately help Linis tie up Orion, and then return to looting.

The orcs have on their person, two longswords, and a large axe, and two shields.  There is 27 gold, 18 silver amongst their pouches.  Along with a few days of mediocre rations.  There are sufficient leather thongs to tie up Orion.

Orion is wounded, its is serious, but not fatal, he is not invisible.   He is asleep, searching him, he has a pouch with a couple gems worth 100gp.

"Oh, no! Well, not quite. A Yarpik Thorn puts someone to sleep for a while." When Linis sees the gems, he says, "I bet those were for the orcs! We must show them to the Queen, too!"

"I don't know how to ride a bird. It can sit there if it wants. Can you carry Orion?"

Wist puts all of the orcs' coin into one pouch, and puts that into his pack. Once Orion is secured, he gathers the swords, scabbards, axe, and shields, and ties them into a bundle.


Looking at the trussed up Pysk, Wist laughs, "I think Orion will be the easiest thing to carry." He places the Pysk into his pack, ensuring his head remains out...he might be a prisoner, but Wist was not keen on killing him by accident.

He puts his pack on his back, and picks up the awkward bundle of weapons.

"If I can manage to get these to Helmsbreach, I might be able to get some coin for them," he explains to Linis.

"All right, lead the way, Linis."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Thu 12 Nov 2020.

Linis makes sure Wist Greenoak can see him the whole time, as he leads the big elf to home and the Queen.

Wist has no trouble bundling up the weapons, and tying them with an orc belt.  He carefully picks up the sleeping Pysk, and the two set off.

The darkness is deep, and it is only his elven eyesight that keeps Wist from tripping all over himself.  They start back, and as they near the grove, they can hear a commotion from where the berry bush was stolen.

The elf can only see Linis at the moment, but somehow is he certain he is not alone.

Linis sees

"Linis, what's going on? I can't see anyone, but I can hear them."

Wist, puts down his bundle of weapons. He carefully removes his pack so he lift Orion out. He places the Pysk on the ground, so he can put his pack on again. He then picks up the captured Pysk.

"Where do we go, Linis?"

"Wait, I can explain everything!" Calming down, Linis looks up at the elf. "This is Wist Greenoak. He helped me learn the truth. Orion here was going to pay three orcs to steal the berry bush, which is back with the three dead orcs. I can't believe Orion betrayed our Queen! I shot Orion with a Yarpik Thorn while he was talking to the orcs. Wist Greenoak killed the orcs, but we left the berry bush there so you could see the orcs for yourselves. Come back with us!"

Wist whispers to Linis, "What do I do with Orion?"

"Keep him for now...." Linis waited for the guards' response.

From Wist's point of view, nothing seems to be happening, and then suddenly the world opens up. The area lights up, and the elf sees at least a dozen pysk, all with drawn bows pointing at him.  Two pysks on ravens flutter out from among the trees.

A pysk on the ground near Linis gestures for Wist to put Orion on the ground.  He looks to be in charge.  Two other pysk are bound with their arms behind them.   The commander looks to Linis.  "You had better be telling the truth."

"You'll find two expensive gems on Orion that he was going to give to the orcs. I didn't take them."

Wist steps back reflexively as the veil of invisibility is removed abruptly.

He carefully places Orion on the ground, and then stands back with his empty hands held out, "I mean no harm to the Pysk, I simply helped Linis as he was in need."

Time passes, the tensions are high.  After a few tense moments, one of the ravens returns, with its rider.  He lands, and speaks with the captain.  The captain then turns to Linis.  "They found orcs and the bush, just as you said."  He says, looking up at Wist.  "Thank you for your help." A couple of guards take Orion, and disappear into the brush.  One of the guards, taps Wist on the leg, offering up a small pouch.

"Linis, the queens wishes an audience with you." the captain says, gesturing back into the darkness.  "And with Rogan and Benet."  The sun will be up soon.

Wist accepts the pouch, "Thank you...Linis will you be all right? Shall I come with you?"

"No, that's okay. I'll be fine." Linis reaches up a hand for a miniature high-five. "Thank you for all your help, Wist Greenoak. May you fare well in your journeys to come!"

Wist smiles at the little Pysk, "Best of luck to you too Linis."

As he tucks the pouch into his pack and picks up the bundle of weapons, he calls over his shoulder, "Make sure you keep track of your berries in the future."

The elf then heads away from the Pysk village toward Helmsbreach.

---

If the orc stuff is of reasonable quality, and similar to arms he is able to use, Wist will use a longsword and shield.

Wist soon finds himself alone in the dark.  The sun begins just peeking through the trees, and he puts it to his back and continues towards Helmsbreach.

---

ooc: The orc weapons are decent, but not better than the ones he carries. (you had a LS and Shield on your sheet already)

The small bag contains three green berries, and the two gems that Orion had. (50 GP each)

27 gold, 18 silver
(2) longswords,
large axe
(2) shields

250 XP