Shadow flits off circling the wagons a few times before setting out for the forest.

It is about half an hour later when shadow returns to land on Korym's shoulder.

[Language unknown: Omwh ingwh n thoantwhi, vor ad. Romtheine k tedouteen iepeha icetin-rehe. Anyyindin wirut deresseen k es ithateort menck butti ee a ad red ckad, omni K econ t hatorttra satrlo utri nce.]

"Two people in one wagon, the leader and the wizard, no doubt. With guards about.

Sounds like the forest is swarming with hunters. And...just a moment."

Korym focuses on the little bat,

Hope sits casually, flipping a dagger in her hand. "The wizard and guards sound ricky - we do the forest and some of those bastards get 'lost', the blame won't be pointed at us."

The bat tilts it's head.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:44, Sun 29 Oct 2023.

"Up to you really, since most of us are not that great with sutblty and as it gets darker my ability to assit will become less and less.

" "I don't see in the dark either, and my tactics are too straitforward to be used in this capacity. But I can turn a blind eye to your action, as long as only cultists are hurt."

"Of course it is! What a dolt I am!" Korym winks at the little bat. "There's more. Shadow said there is a song that she heard in the forest. It asked her to watch the men in the forest.

Sounds to me that there is something of intelligence out there, be it spirit of flesh."

Then Korym turns back to his familiar, "Do you want to go help the song in the forest? You have my permission, but be careful. Come back if you see any kind of battle."


"I don't think carrying lights will be a problem, Einar. Most of these would-be stag hunters are carrying torches or lamps."

---

Since familiars are actually spirits, a fey spirit in Shadow's case, she might feel some connection to the singer of the song. And Korym can always recall her if necessary.

Hope, dagger in hand, looked at Korym, arguing with his bat. A slight smile crept across her face, but she said nothing. She looked at the others and shrugged. "If you come with a torch, that will be fine, you can maybe have some form of hooded light to limit the light, but i'll be ahead scouting anyway."

She looked at Korym."if we can tell this 'thing' we are here to help, maybe - just maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Protect this stag, and take out a few guards without the blame being pointed on us"

The paladin pursed her lips, debating with herself "It is not very honorable... But the victims of Greenest call for vengeance and that is what I am here for. Very well, I will accompany you, if you say we can cull some of the cultists. Maybe that will force the leaders to push north and we can abandon this deception at being guards."

A smile slowly spreads on Korym's face. "Superb idea, Hope." The wizard looks to the bat, and says, "Shadow, I want you to seek out whoever is singing the song in the forest. Tell them that most of the men in the forest are seeking the stag, at the request of a Dragon cultist.

We will be in the forest trying to cull the number of cultists. And we will do our best to protect the stag anyway we can."

Korym sends the bat off, and looks to others, "Einar, if you have some torches, than I think we are ready!"

The group finally makes it to the forest around three in the morning, Shadow having flown off a while ago.

The feeling in the forest is in oppressive one, the trees loom close together and their trunks twist and contort making the light from the torches play off them casting eerie shadows.

Soon the group has made it's way to what was once a structure, monolithic stones weighing tons stacked on top of each other, once forming a wall or a foundation, but now little more than a ruin; moss covered, eroded, and largely covered over by soil.

A large  twenty foot toppled statue lays off to the side, also covered in moss and soil; trees growing up through the shattered broken chunks, any features that would indicate who this figure was are long gone save for a strange symbol emblazoned on the chest. No other features seem to remain no head, arms, legs, or anything else just a cracked in half female humanoid torso.


Wolf cries can be heard now in the forest at some distance, the odd shout of one of the hunters.

Korym offers to carry a torch, knowing that his companions will need their hands if trouble arises. Reaching the ancient ruin, his academic curiosity is piqued as he looks over the old construction. When the broken statue is discovered he drops the torch a look of shock on his face.

"It can't be! After all these years! Amina, I found it!"

Korym lifts the chain hanging around his neck, allowing the amulet on it to hang free. He then realises he is not carrying the torch anymore. He picks it up, and shines the light onto the broken statue with his amulet dangling next to it.

It is obvious to anyone looking that the iron amulet matches the carved amulet on the statue.

Hope narrows her eyes at the elf with a frown. "What in the nine hells are you talking about Kor?"

Saphira had never been too diligent in her religious study and she racked her brain to find if she had seen that symbol before before giving up "Don't leave us hanging, what is the significance of this?"

Today: Saphira Prideflare rolled 9 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 10.  religion.

"This symbol, it was left to me by my mentor in Silverymoon, after she died.

We were never able to find anything about it. Does it represent a deity? A cult? A mundane organisation? Or something else? It was a puzzle that Amina could not solve for over fifteen years.

And now, here it is! On this broken statue in the middle of this forest."

Korym slowly stood up still looking at the broken statue, in disbelief.

"It's unbelievable!" Then, looking around, he blushes slightly. "And, of course, it may not be relevant to our current situation. This statue is not going anywhere, and now that I know where it is I will be able to come and study it, and perhaps this area in far more detail. Later."

Korym slowly pushes the iron symbol back under his tunic. And rubs his finger on the much newer Harper pin on the inside of his cloak. "We still have a cult to deal with. And perhaps a golden stag to save."

"I'll just take a quick look around here, for other signs of this symbol, and of course, stag prints."

---

If no one objects, Korym will quickly look for the symbol on any other statues or on the ruins. 10 to 15 minutes.

Hope frowned as the elf explained (in apparent excitement) the symbol and sighed. "Nothing is ever easy" she muttered.

Waving her hand, she nodded. "You've got 10 minutes, then we leave for the forest."

"Make it quick we don't really have a lot of time here before things could go wrong."

Searching about the ruins fails to turn up another symbol like the one on the statue, or anymore of the ruin, so much of it now buried and likely forming many of the hills and mounds in surrounding forest.

Moments into the search however the leaves of the surrounding trees begin to rustle, as storm clouds make their presence known, having seemingly come from nowhere, lighting brightening the sky and thunder booming occasionally.

It is in one of these lightening flashes that the group now notice on the periphery of the ruins wolves have silently gathered encircling the area, their focus trained on the group.

Stepping out of the shadows and into the torchlight a nude woman saunters unashamedly into view, an otherworldly fey like air about her. Her hair seems to be made of vegetation and has leaves either sprouting from it or woven into it. As she walks forward toward Korym, the wolves close in as well, in time with her approach, tightening the circle around the group.

She stops only feet away from Korym, holding her arm out; the small bat Shadow crawls across her arm and jumps into a glide returning to her master's shoulder.

"This spirit speaks kind words of you." She says as one of the wolves moves to her side.

Korym smiles, "Shadow is a good friend." Looking the fey-woman in the eye, doing his best to ignore the wolf standing so close, he adds, "I am Korym Nightstar, from Silverymoon. These are my trusted companions, Einer of Greenest, Hope from Stormwood, and Saphira Prideflare."

Korym gives a small bow to the lady. "I imagine you might be responsible for the song that Shadow heard?"

Saphira tensed when the wolves made themselves seen, and she relaxed her grip on her blade-staff, preparing for a fight. When the naked woman walked in, she breathed thanks to Tyr, as she would not have like to kill any animals, except in self defense. Korym presented her and she bowed to the woman, always keeping her eyes on the fey, a sign of respect and wariness.

Hope sensed the presence of enemies first and was on edge, daggers in hand and crouching as the wolves came into view. "Nice doggies." she muttered.

Then the strange nude woman sauntered in and she narrowed her eyes. Still defensively standing, she waited until she stopped and spoke to Korym. The half elf relaxed a little, but still had daggers in her hands. "Uummm, no offence lady, but can you ask your friends to not look at us like chew toys - it's unnerving."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:10, Mon 13 Nov 2023.

Einar stands near another tree leaning against it as he watches the naked woman and the wolves closely without a word.

The woman flinches slightly at another boom of thunder, her eyes drifting to the sky before recomposing herself and once more focusing her attention on the group.

"I am one of many singers, that is all you need to know. As for the wolves, I am not their master, they look at you that way because you are intruders; leave peacefully and you will not need to see their stares any longer.

I have come to tell you to leave, only because the spirit called shadow has spoken so highly of you. Otherwise you would not have had such an easy time entering or moving through our home."

Hope looked at teh woman with crossed arms. "Gratitude for you. We come to help, even warn you against whats coming and you send us away."

Saphira narrowed her eyes at the warning. "And what will happen to those who don't heed your warning? Some of those fools in the woods are innocents, if misguided, and don't deserve to die, not for following an empty promise of gold, bloody gold too, taken from the victims of the dragon cult. I have no qualm about killing the cultists, but the other guards deserve a chance, like you are offering us.