Brankx, Lando, and Ireena attempt to sneak around to the Gulthias tree. It is a few hundred feet to the south of the hill, and you are 100' from it when a few of the bushes surrounding it snap their heads and turn to look at you.

Twig blights? Yes and no. These are different. Bigger. 3 stand up and begin to walk forward, you see they are 10' tall and covered in vines. 3 others stand up and spikes protrud from the center, it looks like they can shoot them quite far.

All 3 are 100' away.

---

VINE BLIGHTS: AC13
1
2
3
SPIKE BLIGHTS: AC13
1
2
3

we are in init, players first, npcs, then baddies.

Lando said,"shit!" under his breathe, but quickly calculated his options. He stood tall in defiance of the threat and strode forward while drawing up his viola and playing a soft lullaby as he spoke soothing words.

Move: 10' toward the spike blights
action: cast sleep 23 hp total I set the center of the 20' radius to capture all the spike blights if I can.



This spell sends creatures into a magical slumber. Roll 5d8; the total is how many hit points of creatures this spell can affect. Creatures within 20 feet of a point you choose within range are affected in ascending order of their current hit points (ignoring unconscious creatures).

Starting with the creature that has the lowest current hit points, each creature affected by this spell falls unconscious until the spell ends, the sleeper takes damage, or someone uses an action to shake or slap the sleeper awake. Subtract each creature's hit points from the total before moving on to the creature with the next lowest hit points. A creature's hit points must be equal to or less than the remaining total for that creature to be affected.

Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren't affected by this spell.

waiting for Brankx.

2 Spike blights turn back into normal looking bushes, asleep.

The 3rd looks at them confused about it, and turns to look at you.

Dark magic cracks from Ireena's fingertips and the third spikey boy smashes to splinters.

"Brankx, you're our tanky boy, get in there."

But you won't be in melee range this turn.
Lando 90' away. Ireena 90' away. Brankx 100' away.


VINE BLIGHTS: AC13
1
2
3
SPIKE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 sleep
2 sleep
3 dead

"Brankx is our tanky boi? We are in trouble.  I mean, go get'm Brankx!"

"Well out of the three of us he's the one I'd prefer to get punched. No offense Brankx, you're just tougher looking than Lando. No offense Lando..."

Brankx looked at Ireena with a raised eyebrow. “Do I look like a bloody tank to ye girl? I’m no brainless warrior coated in steel!” He however had his daggers out. “Damn I wish I had a crossbow.” He muttered as he began stalking up on the blights

---

OOC: Movement and action to move towards them

Brankx closes in and the vine blights strike out at him, he dodges most but 1 wraps him up.

9 bludgeoning damage

Ireena looks shocked and yells "STOP" at it, and oddly, the creature obeys her command, letting Brankx free.

ROUND 2

VINE BLIGHTS: AC13
1
2
3
SPIKE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 sleep
2 sleep
3 dead

Round 2

"Brankx! are you alright!? Those things are pretty nasty up close, maybe we should strike from a distance.  Here! maybe this will help." As he put away his viola, Lando sang a melodic tune and hundreds of small wisps of violet light appeared before Brankx in the area the blights stood, and enveloped the creatures.

Move: moving to 60' from the vine blights.  If I have any movement left after my spell I want to back up as much as possible.

Action: cast faerie fire, trying to get the blights, but not Brankx in the area.

Each object in a 20-foot cube within range is outlined in blue, green, or violet light (your choice). Any creature in the area when the spell is cast is also outlined in light if it fails a Dexterity saving throw. For the duration, objects and affected creatures shed dim light in a 10-foot radius.

Any attack roll against an affected creature or object has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the affected creature or object can't benefit from being invisible.

Brankx winced as the vine wrapped him and squeezed, arms at his side, but when it’s released him he sighed. With Lando’s comments, he frowned as he attacked. “Really….such a good idea. Maybe if I had crossbow I could, ye fool!” Daggers in hand he swiped at the newly lit up enemies as he fought, roaring like a mad dwarf

---

OOC: Action - attack with dagger

Brankx rolled 24 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.
Brankx rolled 19 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger. (Advantage)

Brankx rolled 4 using 2d4+2.  Damage - dagger.

Bonus action - Attack with dagger (off hand)

Brankx rolled 7 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.
Brankx rolled 22 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger. (Advantage)

Brankx rolled 4 using 1d4+2.  Damage - dagger.

Lando was a bit shocked that Brankx didn't have a range weapon, but Lando didn't really understand melee combat.  He'd rather bullshit his way out of a situation, or shoot his enemies from a distance, or run if things went bad, all of which could be done better if you didn't get into hand to hand combat in the first place. "We should really do some shopping to better equip ourselves when this is over.  I could lend you my crossbow if you like."

All 3 vine blights glow from magic.

Ireena blasts an eldritch blast and it blasts the vine blight nearest brankx.

When brankx finishes hacking away with his knives he is pleased to see the vines don't grow back.

The two that remain seem to entangle each other...

"What in the world???" Ireena scoffs at the flailing Vine blights.


ROUND 3

VINE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 dead.
2
3
SPIKE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 sleep
2 sleep
3 dead

round 3

He took out his crossbow , but Brankx was way over there.  He shrugged and shot from where he was.  If Brankx wanted the weapon, he could come get it.

Action: shoot vine blight 2 for 6 hp

21:18, Today: Lando rolled 13 using 1d20+5.  attack.

21:19, Today: Lando rolled 16 using 1d20+5.  attack advantage.

21:24, Today: Lando rolled 6 using 1d8+3. damage

sleep ends after round 10, faery fire ends after round 11

Brankx wrinkled his nose in confusion at the twig blights as they moved, entangling each other. His confusion made him misjudge his attacks with both daggers, missing the target.

---

OOC: Action - attack using dagger
Brankx rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.

Bonus action - Attack using off hand

Brankx rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.

….days like this I wish I was a magic user!

BRANKX you forgot they have faerie fire, you have adv and sneak atk. I re-rolled.)

Brankx and Lando's combined attacks slay vine blight 2. Ireena peppers vine blight 3 with eldritch blasts, her fingernails crackling with black energy.

Vines wrap up around Brankx and squeeze. 9 bludgeoning damage, is grappled (escape DC 12). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the blight can't constrict another target.


ROUND 4

VINE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 dead.
2 dead
3 hp-5 constricting Brankx
SPIKE BLIGHTS: AC13
1 sleep
2 sleep
3 dead

Brankx groans as the vine squeezes him tightly, feeling several ribs crack. The dwarf, seeing red, flexed his muscles and in typical dwarven stubbornness, ducked away. “Not this time, ye leafy bastard.” He came in, swinging his daggers at the vine, slashing.

---

<OOC: Brankx rolled 17 using 1d20+1.  Strength save.

Eat that vine!

Action - Attack using dagger

Brankx rolled 4 using 1d4+2.  Damage - dagger.

Brankx rolled 15 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.
Brankx rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger (advantage)

Bonus Action - Attack using dagger ( off hand)

Brankx rolled 16 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.
Brankx rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger (advantage)

Brankx rolled 5 using 1d4+2.  Damage - dagger.
Brankx rolled 2 using 1d6.  Sneak attack. >

Lando reloaded and shot again, trying to finish the threat quickly.  His bolt struck solidly into the creature.

Pound 4
axtion: shoot the vine blight
08:13, Today: Lando rolled 10 using 1d20+5.  attack.
08:14, Today: Lando rolled 19 using 1d20+5.  attack advantage.
08:14, Today: Lando rolled 10 using 1d8+3.

active spells
sleep through round 10
faery fire through round 11 concentration.

You finish the last vine blight, and crush the heads of the sleeping ones before they wake.

Skuldja and Zrakrud soon catch up to you.

Ireena points at the huge, misshapen tree at the middle of this blight grove. Blood oozes like sap from its twisted trunk. Skulking around the tree are six more needle blights. Embedded in the tree is a shiny battleaxe, beneath which lies a humanoid skeleton.

You hear a whisper, a deep voice carried on the wind. “Long have I waited,” it says, “for one who is worthy. Take the axe. Cut Gulthias down and take her to the days of Yester. Dig me up and take my spear. My spear hungers for blood. Retrieve it, and rule these mountains in my stead, just like the mighty warriors from the early days of the Whispering Wall.”

"Sounds great. But first we gotta kill the last of the greeny meanies. You ready?"

She waits to cast magic blasts at the needlers, not wanting to start the fight since the needlers seem only to guard the tree and not attack.

Once the active fight was over, Lando dropped concentration on his spell, and the glow faded away. He greeted the others when they arrived, "hail, fellows.  It's good to see you all.  I hope your fight wasn't too much trouble.  Brankx took a bit of knock on our side, but Ireena and I are unharmed."

Looking at the blights guarding the tree he said, "lets soften them up from a range before we get into striking distance, shall we?"

He closed the distance to normal crossbow range, and waited for the others to be ready before firing.

Move: 80' from the blights

Action: ready to fire crossbow once the rest of the group are ready.

I'm rolling the shot so we don't need to wait on extra posts

23:09, Today: Lando rolled 20 using 1d20+5.  attack.

23:10, Today: Lando rolled 11 using 1d8+3.  damage.

good hit.

round 1: players turns
6 needle blights ac12 hp15

Brankx, slightly injured, but still his usual surly self, waded in, his daggers a blur. His first swing missed, but as his left came wide, his right thrust with a devastating cut

---

<OOC: Action - Attack using dagger

Brankx rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.

Bonus Action - Attack using dagger (off hand)

Brankx rolled 22 using 1d20+4.  Attack - dagger.

Brankx rolled 4 using 1d4+2.
Brankx rolled 6 using 1d6.>

Skuldja gives the others a wave as she approaches. "HAIL!!!!! We stopped the ritual. That is good to hear."

When Ireena points to the tree, Skuldja charges at it, a little confused when she hears a voice, but she keeps going. She rages and then attacks a needle blight with her greatsword, but it dodges at the last second.

04:07, Today: Skuldja Blackrazor rolled 11 using 1d20+5.  Attack.

Working together Lando and Ireena kill 1, and Brankx does a great job chopping 2 up. Zrakrud catches up but stops to catch his breath.

Needles shower the area. Brankx is covered in them.

round 1: players turns
6 needle blights ac12 hp15
1 dead
2 hp-10
3
4
5
6

Brankx, already injured by the plants, takes the shredding, blood gushing from wounds, he collapses.

<OOC: Brankx is unconsious>

Skuldja roars out swinging at the needle blight, but misses again.

04:42, Today: Skuldja Blackrazor rolled 9 using 1d20+5.  Attack.

Zrakrud weaved and danced his way around the tree, with a simple motion he leveled his bone staff towards the blight and released a ray of cold towards the creature striking it, freezing a bit of the wood...

---

OOC: Ray of Frost AC 23, 3 Damage. Reduce its speed by 10' til start of my next turn.

17:06, Today: Zrakrud rolled 23,3 using d20+5,d8 with rolls of 18,3.  Ray of Frost.

Zrakrud finishes off needler 2.

Ireena yells, "BRANKX NOOOO! LANDO HEAL HIM!"

She peppers another needler with eldritch blasts.

The needlers turn from Brankx and begin to attack Skuldja. 1 hits for 6, if you're raging take only 3.

The 6th needler shoots Ireena.

---

round 2: players turns
6 needle blights ac12 hp15
1 dead
2 dead
3 hp-10
4
5
6
Ireena hp-6

Lando smiled and nodded to Ireena, and said to himself, "I could have sworn I said something about attacking from a distance, but I suppose I was mistaken"  He made his way a bit closer to the fight and called out to Brankx, "Brankx? are you alright?  This doesn't look like a good place to lie down; you should probably get up now."  Then he shot at one of the blights

Move: 60' from the Brankx

Bonus action healing word on Brankx level 2
00:13, Today: Lando rolled 7 using 2d4+3.  healing word.

Action: shoot a blight
00:12, Today: Lando rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  attack.
00:13, Today: Lando rolled 7 using 1d8+3.  damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:20, Fri 29 Oct 2021.

Air moves into Brankx's lungs again. Lando finishes off needler 3 as Ireena shoots another needler.

STILL round 2: players turns, Lando and Brankx already took their turns. Waiting for Skuldja and Zrakrud.
6 needle blights ac12 hp15
1 dead
2 dead
3 dead
4 hp-8
5
6
Ireena hp-6

Skuldja whiffs again, this time big time.

03:33, Today: Skuldja Blackrazor rolled 6 using 1d20+5 ((1)).

Uh oh nat 1. The dice are really reflecting how tired Skuldja is from her 2 levels of exhaustion. I would go into a frenzy again, but 3 levels pf exhaustion are really bad.

Brankx breaths in, but makes no movement, his eyelids flickering only on the border of unconsiousness

Suddenly there is a screeching from above. The needle blights all run. You look up to see a massive bird, called a roc, swoop down and grab Brankx and carry him away before you can do anything.

The ground around the Gulthias Tree splits open to reveal a buried and dead king, still clutching his spear.

The spirit of the tree speaks to you. "This was Kavan. He ruled these mountains before Strahd made everything so terrible. We loved each other, a man and a dryad, and Strahd cursed me to watch over his body and be the mother of the blights. Do you see the silver axe embedded in my trunk? Long ago an adventurer tried to set me free. Please, take Kavan's spear and take the axe and cut me down to release my spirit. Please."

Zrakrud looked to the tree with odd sense of wonder and distrust but he begins to move forward to take the spear and then towards the axe.

"Brankx!!!!!!!!" Skuldja goes chasing after the Roc, yelling and throwing things at it to no avail, until it disappears into the distance. Then she begrudgingly gives up. If she hadn't already used her lute to fly today, she could have used it to fly after the roc. She grumpily walks back to the tree. "Stupid big bird. I hope Brankx wakes up and stabs it a bunch."

Lando turned to Ireena and said, "see? Brankx is still breathing.  He'll be fine."  Suddenly the roc swooped in, and grabbed Brankx, carrying him off.  "uhm, what the..?"

He gave Skuldja a reassuring pat on the arm, "I'm sure he'll give it a good stabbing."

Returning to the reason the party was there, "were you able to rescue the family from the druids?  and did you recover the gems?"

"That was the fabled Roc of Mount Gherkis. It has strayed very far from it's hunting ground. I wonder if perhaps it was being controlled by Strahd. He has that ability. Some day I swear we will kill it in vengeance."

Ireena approaches the tree, "I would chop it down, but I think Skuldja would do a much better job. I don't want to hurt the tree any more than necessary to do what it asks."

Skuldja shook her head. "Unfortunately, the druids killed the boy and stuffed him in the statue. I got a nasty surprise after I cut down the statue. I thought I had kill him myself at first. We got the gem though."

When Ireena suggested she should cut down the tree, Skuldja walked up behind Zrakrud and then around him to get the ax. "Ok, stand back." She then got to chopping. She put her anger towards the Roc into each swing.

It takes some doing but when the tree finally cracks and falls it uproots from the ground to reveal a skeleton buried underneath. The man was tall and broad shouldered. Lying over his chest is a fearsome spear.

As the tree falls, a small mist comes from the wood itself, as if moisture is leeched from the tree. Gathering above it a cloud of mist, light white, floated. the mist hovered there for a moments, then floated close to the ground. As it did, it was like the mist itself opened up, and from it dropped a figure on the ground, seemingly asleep and very much naked.

The mist floated for a second then seemed to disipate and merge with the female form on the ground. Within moments, the mist was gone, leaving just the young woman. There was moments of nothing, when all of a sudden she sat up, breathing as if breathless.

The woman was young looking, in a foreign, timeless way, her ears pointed showing her elven heritage. Her skin light and without blemish other than a birthmark on her left shoulder of what looked like a tree. As she sat up you noticed her featurtes. She was young, even for an elf, and her hair (Past her shouders) was blonde except for the last 6 inches, which was the color of the stree she emerged from. Liekwise, her eyes looked to be made of bark from the tree as she gasped, blinking, no awareness of her nakendness.

As she slowed her breathing, her eyes changed from the brown of the tree, completly white, then the irises a deep green, and even the end of her hair turned from the dark brown of the tree to a lighter brown.

Her breathing now normal, she looked around with fear, mixed with confusion and wonder, like everything she saw was for the first time. she looked at her hands, the ground, the sky and all of you, an unknown expression on her face.

Then her eyes went wide, and her hands came to her head as she screamed, curling up her legs to her body. The sound echoed through the air as she held the scream for a moment, then dropped her head to her knee's, her arms wrapping around her legs.

Silence

And the girl stayed there for almost a minute, breathing. Then she raised her head, and her eyes seemed to have a sembelance of clarity as she looked around. She spoke with a light, musical voice, eyes still a little confused.

"Where am i?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

This message was deleted by the player at 03:58, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

Skuldja eyed the naked woman suspiciously, while holding the ax she used to chop down the tree menacingly. "Barovia, suspicious attractive elf who appeared from the tree. Who are you? Are you a minion of Strahd?"

The elf looked at Skuldja, a frown on her face as she was still curled up. "Barovia...something familiar about that name. I am.....I was.....i" she paused, thinking, then looked at her. "Karasha?" it was as much a question as a statement.

She sighed, then looked at them all. "....who is this 'Strahd?"

Skuldja was right; this woman's sudden appearance was suspicious, and she was certainly attractive, but Lando couldn't leave a naked woman shivering in the cold of night, unless she was into that sort of thing anyway, his sense of decorum and duty demanded that he act.  In a fluid motion he took off his cloak and settled it over her shoulders.  "The night is cold. Here. this will have to do for the moment."  Still, he was suspicious, and he listened to her with a keen ear for deception.

10:48, Today: Lando rolled 7 using 1d20+5.  insight.  He has no clue

Did Zrakrud take the spear?

Anyone can take the spear. Skuldja has the axe. Details on them after you've attuned.

Davian and Dag approach you, they have left the body of Claudiu at the wagon, but have the glowing gem. They are silent for a moment, hesitant to approach Karasha.

"Excuse us. The road is long and I know where it takes us next. The druids would have taken the rest of our family to the ruins of Berez. I wish we had more time to prepare, but you saw what they did to Claudiu when we waited a day. I knew we shouldn't have waited."

Karasha took the cloak and covered up as she stood. She looked around and saw the fallen druids, something coming to her mind as Davian spoke. “Druid.” She muttered as she went to ten fallen druids. With the cloak around her, she noted the three figures and began to gather clothes from them. Within a few minutes, the elven woman was in a simple pair of short breeches (she cut herself using a dagger), a simple tunic, sleeveless leather armor, and some gathered gear.

She came to Lando and smiled at him warmly. “Thank you for the cloak and the kindness.” She handed the cloak back, having claimed a wooden cloak from one of the druids. She held one of their staffs and had a simple dagger at her hip.  She loooked at the group. “I do not know why I’m here, but if you would have me, I would like to help you….I feel I am here for a reason, and I can help you as mush as you can help me figure out who I am.” Her mind kept coming around to the word ‘druid’, but said little.

She saw an unusual piece of the tree she emerged from, which she saw in it, an image. She picked it up and placed it in her pouch, then muttered a word in an odd elven dialect. A swirl of leaves blew around her and then dropped again, causing her to blink. “I feel…..nature’s words.” She said looking at the group.

Finally Davian speaks, "We welcome your help, druidess. Do you have a name we can call you? I am Davian, patron of the Wizard of Wines, this is Dag, my son-in-law. Our entire family has been kidnapped by evil druids, to what end? I hope not death. We must hurry to help them, but I fear maybe some of your group needs healing before we chase yet another challenge?"

Zrakrud had gathered up the spear, the naked woman though interesting due to her arrival, he was more intrigued by the metal and the spear so he was examining it as the others gawked over the woman. He looked to Davian and then to the others seeing who was injured.

The elven woman smiled and bowed her head, a hand over her heart. "What few memories i have, my name was once Karasha - that is as good as any master Davian." She looked at her hands, and saw a piece of the tree that once held her spirit. The straight wood was the size of her and reasonably straight. She picked it up and held it - a good staff for her. "I believe you to be right master Davian - i feel a strong connection to nature. Even now i feel it's flow. I do believe i have the ability of the druids9

At the mention of the 'evil druids', her demeanor became serious, her hair ends changing from brown to a deep auburn and her green eyes had a slight tinge of orange for a moment. "Such behavour is unacceptable." She looks at the group. "If you will have me, i believe i can help. What i remember of my training, i was a good healer, as well as other nature based spells."

He took back his cloak and bowed to Karasha, "you are quite welcome, and we'd be glad to have you join up with us."