From your first steps inside of the forest you feel somewhat different as the sun breaks through the trees there is a lack of real sunlight inside. The forest itself is not as bright as you would think. The trees somehow just suck the light out although during the day you have more than enough light to see everything with clarity in the forest itself. By night you can tell you will need to find torches.

The horses themselves seem to do well most of the beginning way when you first start in the forest itself. After about an hour or two in the trees seem to close in and riding on the animal seems to bit a bit more confide. The horses themselves weave in-between branches and the trees themselves.

You make your way through the forest until you reach a clearing area where it becomes a little easier to move. After a few hours you can tell the sun is slowly starting to go down. In the distance you hear a creature crying a good ways away from you. The sound echoes through the forest which gives you pause but is obviously not close.

Though a creature of spartan living, Serafina was not a denizen of nature itself.  She listened, but couldn't fathom it.

"Can anyone identify this creature?"  She asked cautiously.  For all she knew, that sound was completely normal.

Giving a moment's thought Menzar replied, "Unfortunately, it's too far away and there are too many things it could be. It won't be bothering us anytime soon though.

"If our maps were accurate, at all, I would think we should be seeing something soon. The river at least if not the tree. Hells below, even the witch's hut. Something.

---

OO:
06:58, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 3,1 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1.  Survival, identify animal call.

OOC: It sounds animal but Menzar is unsure of anything else.

Morton kept his horse on track while lady walked just ofc to one side as not to spook them in the close confines of the forest paths.

The sorcerer told lady to keep her senses sharp and let him know if anything should come sniffy too close to them.

Camara keeps vigil and tries to keep the group on the way toward the Elder Tree.

"I suppose we proceed then, though we should keep an eye out for an advantageous camp site.  I've an ill feeling about it I can't shake."  She admitted.  A cry like that just didn't sit right with her.  Part of her wanted to go look, but she was no tracker.

As you make your way through piles of branches and trees that seem to close in on you the sound gets louder. Then as if the you break through the sun pours down on you through a very open area near the river. You can see it off in the distance.

Meanwhile there are still the screams from something very close by in the clearing. You don't see anything but the trees are now cleared in this area. You look down at what remains but appears to be tree stumps. You think to yourself this is most likely the doing of the Lumber Consortium.

As you continue to look for the mysterious sounds origin you finally spot it. There is an animal stuck in what appears to be a snare near the edge of the river but surrounded on all sides by the thick forest that you have been walking through.

Well.  That wasn't what Serafina had feared, but it wasn't good either. She couldn't let that just be, even if her only recourse might be to end the agony.

"This snare may yet be its own snare to catch those who would take a free meal.  But I am going to step into it anyway. I beg the rest of you not to just yet in case my paranoia was justified. "

[OOC: Do I need to roll for Danger Sense?]

OOC: Yes, Serafina. Roll Notice and let's see what happens.

Camara says in a soft voice behind Sera, "There is danger."

[OOC: Camara rolled 12 using 2d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,2.  Danger Sense (Notice).

I believe Camara's Monk Sense is indeed tingling.]

Camara does not spot anything but knows someone's eyes or weapon is on her. The hairs on the back of her neck raise.

As Serafina inches a little closer she can see that inside of the trap is a fox with bright orange fur and its bleeding from the device it is caught in.

Morton slid off his horse and told Lady to stay the last thing he needed was to spook the creature even more with her presence.

calling the magic to him he held it in check in case he was attacked as he moved forward. He signalled the others that he would investigate then set off across the clearing keeping away from the tree stump and headed towards the trapped animal



18:40, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 6,2 using D8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2.  notice.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Wed 01 Dec 2021.

An arrow flies through the air and hits next to Morton's foot. The location is unknown but one thing is for certain, he could've hit you if he wanted. The trees lay silent a bit and then there is a voice that echoes from the trees.

"Dirty humanses. Always messing up me traps. Leave the fox and I'll spare yur life."

The voice seems to echo throughout the trees making it hard to pinpoint.

Morton stopped for a moment looking down at the arrow " now thats not a very nice way to treat a traveller. And the trap is not a far way to treat an animal"

The sorcerer held his magic in check but slowly looked about " you have the means to kill the fox in one swift way but you set a trap to snare it and cause it pain and you call me a dirty human."

He let his words sink in for a moment " if you were anything but a sneaking, cowardly person who would shoot someone in the back that did you no harm then you are less than a dirty human....and I should know as you say  I am one"

He then smiled and with a subtle swish of his fingers on his right hand cast a protection spell on himself



21:14, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 7,7 using D8,d8, rerolling max with rolls of 7,7.  spellcasting.

feeling his eldritch power envelop him he took a step forward " I am going to free the fox from your trap. If it is too badly injured I will put it out of its pain if not I will let it go. You can shoot at me again or you can step out of the shadows and talk like civilised people whatever you decide the fox will be treated" with that he took another step forward

"Dirty humanses. You dare?"

The creature lets out squawk which is humorous in nature but the sound of the trees start rumbling and then from out of nowhere razorcrows swarm from the trees attacking you.

OOC: Let the fight begin. There are 3 medium swarms of razorcrows. They are smallish black birds which use swarm rules. There is also a case of the creature/person that is up in the trees commanding these creatures.

Because the razorcrow are smallish creatures they are not effected by normal weapons. You can roll strength to try to swat them off you but once they are attacking they are all around you. Every round you are in them you take 2d6 damage and are considered distracted.

The creature in the tree is hidden. In order to hit him you have to bypass the armor of the tree and he is hidden currently which makes him really hard to hit. You'll need to roll a 6 at a -4 penalty to try to even hit him. Especially since you don't know where he really is.

1. AD - Camara
2. JS - Razorcrows
3. 10H  Sigrun
4. 9D Jackdaw
5. 5H Serafina
6. 5C Morton
7. 3H Creature Hidden
8. 2C Menzar

Camara does a quick dismount and then begins looking for the source of the voice but is unable to pinpoint it.

[OOC: Camara rolled 4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  Athletics.
Camara rolled 3 using 2d6, keeping the highest dice only, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Notice.]

The razorcrows sweep down with great swifteness on the group. On swarm lands on Morton or anyone near him(in this case that might Camara and Serafina).

Another goes straight for Jackdaw.

OOC: I screwed up on the swarm. Should only be two of them. I am correcting that post.

This round these creatures do no damage. Next round you are distracted and they do 2d6 damage. Roll Fighting to hit, Parry 6 to hit. Only do strength damage, no wild die.

Districted: The hero subtracts 2 from all Trait rolls until the end of his next turn.

Morton's eye blaze as blue flames shoot from his hands into the swarm



16:26, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 2,4 using D8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4.  Spellcasting.

Spend 4 points for extra damage

16:27, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 10 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4,2.  Damage.

Menzar cocked his head at the insult, "Who you calling human?!" Then duck his head at the sound of the razorcrows.

Drawing his bow he tried tracking a target in the swarm but gave up that thought. Out of frustration, and a sense of having been wronged, he loosed the arrow in the direction of the voice only to hear the arrow sail cleanly through the leaves with out hitting a thing.

---

OOC:
16:19, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 1,1 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1.  shooting at unseen voice, 6 (10 with -4).

Think I'm closer to hitting a negative 4 than a positive 6!

[OOC: With that crit fail, you may have just lost a bowstring or something.]

In reply to Camara (msg # 22):

OOC: Camara, I figured that, but I was hoping to not draw attention to it...

OOC: Menzar your bow drops to the ground as the arrow flies awkwardly towards nothing. Retrieving it will take a turn to grab and ready it again.

Morton, the energy blast kills some of the swarm off splitting in half into a much two smaller swarm. They are still on you currently.

IC: The creature in the trees laughs. "You seem to be struggling with my pets? Do want to give up? A few coin and I'll allow you to pass this land. If not try this on for size."

The arrow flies but hits nothing close to Jackdaw.

"Drat! Stand still meat!"

Morton sends a message to lady ~locate the little sod will you so I have a direction to throw my spells~

Cursing loudly, "[Language unknown: Ngssec andoerousnotantentand!]" Menzar stooped over to retrieve the bow. With a quick inspection he wan't able to see anything wrong so he readied another arrow.

Uncertain of who is in the right, but pretty sure she does not want to be swarmed by the birds, Sigrun prays to her god for Protection but takes no action against the birds, the creature in the tree, or the fox in the trap.

16:13, Today: Sigrun Goll rolled 5,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2.  Protection of Torag.

A gentle glow of divine favor outlines her form.

Camara scans the trees looking for the master of the crows to point them out to anyone else looking for or attacking.

When she sees where she believes him to be she points with her staff and yells, "There!"

[OOC: Today: Camara rolled 23 using 2d6, keeping the highest dice only, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+6+5)23,(6+6+1)13.  Notice Support.

*sigh* Of course the die roller gives me this roll when I declare it a Support roll.

Well, anyone else looking for or attacking the bastard has a +2 on their roll...

RNGesus sucks.]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:44, Mon 06 Dec 2021.

The crows surround Jackdaw picking and pecking at his flesh. Tearing away little pieces of him. Luckily the birds don't seem to bother him much and can't get much done. He swats at the birds making swift work of the creatures breaking up their little party. The birds breaking into two one sticking on Jackdaw and the other going for Menzar flocking to him.

The birds attacking Morton are different story as they tear at him making short work of most of his skin.


06:05, Today: Eternal Darkness, on behalf of Jackdaw, rolled 9,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (8+3)11,5.  Attack against birds.

05:30, Today: Eternal Darkness, on behalf of Jackdaw, rolled 5,10 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+4)10.  Swatting birds.

05:27, Today: Eternal Darkness rolled 6 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.  Crows attack vs Jackdaw.

06:08, Today: Eternal Darkness rolled 9 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5.  Birds attacking Morton.

OOC: Morton I believe that is a wound and shaken. You can spend a benny to make a soak roll.

OOC: I am assuming Camara was supporting the lizard? Since Morton's pet is actively looking for the creature. Either way that works.

IC: After spending some time looking for the direction of the arrow you spot a hobgoblin up in the trees. When you see him the creature moves down a few branches as he prepares for another attack. Morton's lizard is at the base of the tree and seems to be watching the creature as it moves almost as a guide.

OOC: Note this round Morton and Jackdaw are distracted. -2 to rolls.

IC: The one group of razorcrows stays on top of Morton pecking him and attempting to stop him from attacking anything. The other group surrounds Camara landing on her and blocking her vision.

Keep in mind this is round 2 so only one action. Round 3 will come shortly after Morton and possibly Serafina or Jackdaw comes in.

Morton dropped to his knee with his arms over his face to protect it blood running freely from his forearms where their wicked beaks had cut.



19:54, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 3,5 using D6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  vigour roll.

He realised quickly that although there were a few cuts on his arms his initial fear of having taken real damage was unfounded.

Still on one knee he spread his hands over his head and let loose another burst of eldritch energy



20:39, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 7,2 using D8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,2.  spellcasting. Burst spell 3d6 damage due to rise.

20:40, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 16 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+5)11,2.  damage.

2 power points spent


This message was last edited by the player at 20:41, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

[OOC: That works. I just wish I hadn't declared it a Support roll, but then it would have tanked.]

Realizing they were stuck in a swarm, Serafina reasoned she wasn't going to be able to hit them with her sword, no matter how much she practiced.  She instead drew forth a torch from her pack, lit it, and then proceeded to menace the swarm with it, trusting in the flame and smoke to serve as a natural vermin repellent.

So my idea is to light a torch and use the heat, fire and smoke against the swarm, which I think of as a Fighting Test because it's like a tiny AoE weapon and something naturally repugnant to the creatures (ever use smoke bombs to get rid of flies and mosquitoes?).  To make this more effective, I would use Martial Flexibility to take the Feint Edge, so the Swarm has to resist with it Smarts rather than its Agility, since I'm guessing its Smarts is probably not very good.

Now that the location of the hobgoblin has been deduced, Sigrun Goll raises her holy symbol and steps forward, below the tree where he perches.

"Good fellow," she calls. "We seek medicines to help the sick. I am a holy cleric of the god Torag. Please call off your birds. We meant no harm to you in seeking to free the fox from the trap -- only to ease the creature's distress."

She holds up her holy symbol for him to see.

OOC: So let's start the next round first. Here is the draw:

11:29, Today: Eternal Darkness drew the 8 cards: JH, 10C, 3S, AC, 2D, 4S, QS, 9C using a deck of 54 cards.

1. AC - Morton
2. QS - Razorcrows
3. JH - Camara
4. 10C - Jackdaw
5. 9C - Hobgoblin
6. 4S - Sigrun
7. 3S - Menzar
8. 2D - Serafina

Sigrun I would ask you revise your roll. Make a social roll against the hobgoblin. Bad news is it's at the end of the turn.

Morton, the birds around you are gone since you killed them.

Serafina, unfortunately without area effect weapons you are stuck to a simple strength damage attack against the birds. The torch really doesn't offer much in the way of helping simply because you are swinging it but it doesn't give you area of effect damage.

Also you've discovered the location of the hobgoblin which means you can target him. It's still a -2 to hit due to him being in the trees themselves.

Morton quickly got to his feet now he was free of the birds and seeing Serafina in difficulty with her flock of attackers he moved quickly to her side so as not to catch her with his spell and once there he once again sent eldritch flames into their mass



18:40, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 7,8 using D8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+2)8.  spellcasting

Burst spell 3d6 damage due to rise

18:41, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 8 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1,2.  damage

Morton destroys another set of razorcrows leaving on two left to command. The birds themselves land quickly on their victims. Jackdaw may have won the first round but quickly is overtaken by the smaller swarm. Jackdaws toughness proves no match for the vengeance of the birds themselves.

Jackdaw is wounded badly by the birds and drops to his knees in pain but still remains to stand up right.

The ones flocking Menzar blind his vision and their pecks manage to break through his clothes but cause only minor wounds.

OOC:
05:17, Today: Eternal Darkness, on behalf of Jackdaw, rolled 6 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 6.  Vigor.

05:14, Today: Eternal Darkness rolled 7 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  razorcrow 2.

05:14, Today: Eternal Darkness rolled 21 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+4)16,5.  Razorcrow.

Jackdaw takes two wounds and is shaken. Menzar takes only a shaken. I spent a benny to soak and Jackdaw soaks one wound. Menzar you can spend a benny to act this turn or roll spirit.

Keeping his head as the creature worried him, Menzar attempted to swat away the razorcrow but was only able to waft it about.

---

OOC: Hope I did that right...

08:52, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 3,7 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+1)7.  spirit roll, razercrow.
09:00, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  wild die, same.
08:59, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  strength swat razor crow, Perry 6.

OOC: You did and that is correct.

Morton, having burned another flock made his way towards Menzar seeing that the creatures were too close to the little man the Sorcerer moved close enough to cast his next spell

Suddenly the little man had a slight glow about in which seemed to deflect some of the attacks.


10:33, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 17,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+7)17,4.  spell casting protection

Adds 2 to armour (couldI use my rise to add another point of protection)

2 pp down to 9

The hobgoblin up in the tree snicker at the thought of giving up.

"Yes, maybe we hasty or my pets! Return! Leave the half Orc and you may leave in peace."

The hobgoblin commands the crows that are still left alive.

Right before he draws his bow and aims directly at the wounded Jackdaw.

OOC:

Eternal Darkness rolled 14,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+6)14,3.  Shooting roll against Jackdaw.

Eternal Darkness rolled 10 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Damage against Jackdaw.

Jackdaw takes another wound dropping him to 3 wounds. He is unable to soak due to the the soak during the beginning of this round.

Jackdaw drops to the ground in a heap of pain. His body limp from the last blow. You can tell that he can't take any more damage.

Sigrun shouts at the hobgoblin in exasperation.

"Leave off your attacks, foolish creature, or we will be forced to harm you in return."

She steps between the creature and Jackdaw, placing her eerily glowing body (Divine Protection) between him and the half-orc as she kneels to render aid.

She prays to Torag and touches the half-orc with her holy symbol, a pendant in the shape of a war hammer, but something is wrong. Some dark force prevents the blessing she had called for.

08:16, Today: Sigrun Goll rolled 1,1 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1.  Healing Power.

OOC: Sorry, Jackdaw, but I think snake eyes is not a good roll in this system

OOC: Worse than that. You suffer a backlash. pg 169. All powers currently activated fail and you suffer a level of fatigue from the roll.

Sigrun moans in anguish, as much from the loss of connection with her god as from the sudden rush of fatigue. The glow of her divine protection flares and fades, but she continues to protect Jackdaw with her body as best she can from the hobgoblin's attacks.

Hearing the creature continue to threaten his companions Morton pulled forth his powers once again this time though he placed his hand on the earth and allowed his energy to race through the soil to the tree the hobgoblin was in.

Grasping its essence the sorcerer commanded the tree to wrap the creature in its branches.



19:07, Today: Morton Slumber rolled 8,2 using D10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 8,2.  Spell cast entangle for 2 points.

Vines wrap around the creature as he realizes moments too soon. He is stuck high above in the tree. The crows fly around the tree popping in and out of the branches seemingly waiting.

"Dirty humanssss. How dare you?" The creature yelps down to the group.
"Leave me be and I will allow you to live. Deal humansss?"

"you dont seem to be in the position to make threads now do you" Morton shouted back

"now be a good fellow or I'll ask my friend to squeeze the life out of you and feed you to your waiting pets"

Serafina sensed a possible opportunity here, and chose her words carefully.

"You will stop this and tell us everything we want to know, then we'll make sure you're taken care of.  That is the bargain, and no other!"

"I'm not going to tell you again, not a human! And you're in no position to making a deal."

Menzar draws an arrow and nocks it, making a show of it, "How bout this: You answer the nice human's questions and the gnome won't turn you into a pincushion."

---

OOC:
09:09, Today: Menzar the Badger rolled 9,1 using 1d4-2,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (4+4+3)11,1.  unskilled intimidation.

LOL! 2 rises on an unskilled roll! Hah!

The hobgoblin snaps his fingers even with the vines holding him to the tree and the crows leave the area.

"Deal.Deal. You not hurt knifetongue and me helps you. Whats you seek?"

Morton turned to his companions " if you are ready I will lower him to the ground and let him free"

Camara helps Sigrun tend Jackdaw as the others interrogate the hobgoblin.

"You will answer all of our questions.  First, what was that screaming in the woods?  Something was crying out as we came this way.  Was that your handiwork?"  Serafina's tone was serious and hard.  She didn't bother threatening the creature, she saw no reason to.

Surprised by his own conviction and intensity in his threat, Menzar was slow to react when the hobgoblin surrendered. Coming back to himself, the gnome moved closer to their captive and held his nocked bow casually but ready at his side.



"Lower him, yes, but don't let him loose until he's answered our questions."

Morton commanded the vines to lower the hobgoblin but kept his power over them active keeping the little creature trapped

The hobgoblin is lowered to ground in a very creepy fashion as the vines twist down. His appearance leaves much to be desired but looks very much like a typical hobgoblin. What is not typical is his gear which clear shows you he is trained marksman of the sorts and probably a hunter.

"Pleassseee...no hurt knifetongue. I tell you, whats you wants to know."

Upon hearing the hobgoblin say his name, Camara looks over her shoulder at him before focusing back on helping Sigrun with Jackdaw.

She says, "Knifetongue? How could he have gotten that name? He's definitely not witty."

The annoyed Serafina repeated her question. "What was that horrendous screaming in the woods?"

She had a hard look on her face but didn't bother to menace their captive.  It would not make him answer faster and she wasn't going to use torture,  so he would either respond or they would be forced to kill him do he didn't do this again to someone else.

Having been rejected by her god in asking for divine intervention on behalf of the half-orc, Sigrun nevertheless uses her mundane skills at healing to bind up his wounds and treat the worst of the damage done to him.

09:19, Today: Sigrun Goll rolled 1,5 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.  Healing skill on Jackdaw.
Remove 1 Wound

Even there, she finds herself distracted and barely able to help him at all.

Knifetongue points to the creature in the trap. “Me sa hunting strong lady. We uses fox bait to get bigger pray.”

"By the gods, that made all that noise?  Never mind.  Who is the strong lady?"  Serafina asked, not wanting to prolong this, but there had to be a reason this creature, or being, or whatever he or it was, was here of all places.

They never had gotten much of an explanation for how all of this happened in the first place.  Granted plagues were typically natural, but something carried them.

Morton chuckled " I think he was calling you strong lady" he said over Serafina's shoulder, his eyes still shone slightly with the power still holding the goblin with the vines.

In reply to Morton Slumber (msg # 62):

Menzar sniggered at the sorcerer's observation, "I'm pretty sure your right there." Turning his attention back to Knifetounge, "And would this bigger prey be making the screaming? Since Stong Lady asked"

"Yesss, Yess, Fox is firetail. Very loud. Makes bigger prey come from sound." The hobgoblin strains a little under the vines holding him captive.

"What more you want to know?"

"well you could describe this big thing to us for a start and if one is in the area we'd not like it if your little fox has attracted unwanted company while we are chatting would we" Morton stated

"if you answer that and any other my friends ask I might not feel inclined to tie the fox to you while you are trapped and see if its cries will bring  something that might like a ready wrapped meal it won't have to chase for once"

Serafina concurred with Morton's line of inquiry.  "Well?  The man asked you a question."

The hobgoblin looks frightened by the thought of being tied to the fox. “Me looking for a wolf that hunts these woods. They say he is the ultimate predator. Knifetongue constantly looks big threats. Legend says he is a giant wolf with magical powers.”

Serafina looked at the others with concern.  That wasn't something conducive to finding the cure.  Speaking of which...

"What were the reagents of the cure which grew in the wilds?  Perhaps this creature knows where to find them."  She turned to the others and asked, not whispering, but not raising her voice either.

Camara looks up from helping tend Jackdaw, "A large magical wolf? That certainly sounds odd."

She then pulls her journal from her pack and flips to the last few pages filled.

She says, "Elderwood moss, which is from the Elder Tree, ironbloom mushrooms, which we will get from the dwarven monastery, and rat's tail, which I think is some sort of plant as opposed to the actual tail of rats."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:29, Tue 25 Jan 2022.

Menzar took his eyes off Knifetongue for a moment, "A magic wolf and an old crone walking around in the woods. Our task is becoming more and more like a child's tale. Though the wolf would explain the dead or missing loggers.

"Knifetongue, you seem to know these woods. Do you know where we can find the witch's hut?"

Morton crouched in front of the little man held by the vines his eye flickering with eldritch blue flames. He lifted one hand and closed his fist just a little and the vines tightened just a fraction to worn the creature he should think carefully about what he was about to offer.

" you are a person of these woods I can tell" he dropped his hand to his pouch and shook it slightly coins jingled in it "We need a guide to help us find the things we need if you agree then I will pay you for your service but mark my words I control powers that put these vines to shame and I will direct it towards you if you ever decide to cross me"

Serafina shuddered at Morton's words.  "The things you did to that donkey still haunt me.  I had no idea a tree just grow through your arse like that."

She shuddered again, recalling vividly the horrible fictional incident she'd just made up.

"I know I wasn't sure thst if I just fed him a seed that I could make it grow in his stomach like that..... You learn something new everyday" replied Morton before turning back to the goblin "now where we're we? Oh yes you were going to decide if you'd like to become our guide"

As Camara puts her journal away, she looks to Serafina and Morton and smiles at their fanciful tale.

The hobgoblin looks at the adventures with concern. “I show you on map.”

The creature shows you were to find the rat tail which is near the witch hut which he also shows you on the map. “You still wish to me to travel with you?”

The gnome looked around the motley group he found himself in and scratched his beard considering the goblinoid. "The map is helpful, thanks. If it's all the same to the rest I'd like you to be the one leading us to these places. We are in a hurry and any help that would speed us along should be used. Yes?"

Sigrun will help Jackdaw back up on his feet, but he does not seem very mobile, as badly wounded as he is. She is torn between her desire to get him back to the lumber camp and bed rest and her wish to help the villagers.

She does not consider it a good idea to allow the hobgoblin to go with them, but maybe he can be compelled to take the half-orc to safety?