Arien Saturday February 24th, 2007 2:18:05 AM
Arien listens to Horvis' explanation of the magic and so does not attempt to study it himself. When they arrive a pained expression flickers across Arien's face as he surveys the woods.
Arien keeps an eye on the surroundings as Horvis addresses the tree.
Peryhann [extra post to help move things along] - DM Marcin Saturday February 24th, 2007 4:21:23 AM
[The branch was from a particularily oily variety of sandalwood. It doesn't grow around Plateau City.]
[Knowledge:Nature DC15 to figure out what kind of creature is the willow. Highlight to display spoiler: {*** A treant. ***}]
The eyes of the willow focus on Horvis and it answers in its strange language again. Its voice has a wooden quality to it. The words are slow to come out and overdrawn, and there is a creaking of wood in their background, like a ship laboring on a rough sea or a windmill at work.
[Druidic: Highlight to display spoiler: {Greetings Horvis, master of many shapes. Welcome to the graveyard of my trees.}]
Then it turns its eyes on the rest of the party and adds in Common.
"The fact that you ask for permission to pass is enough for me to grant it. Those who associate with the Defilers don't bother to stop by. I would caution you not to go there, though. Death is the ruler of these lands and undead guard the way."
[Next week my posts Mon, Tue and Wed will be about 5 h later than usual.]
Monthor Sunday February 25th, 2007 8:38:26 PM
Still recovering from this most recent tragedy, Monthor follows the others and remains quiet.
Izen Sunday February 25th, 2007 9:40:57 PM
"Many thanks," Izen said politely to the speaking tree. "Tell us, please, if you would--what is the nature of the land into which we are traveling? What are the inhabitants like? You mention the undead--are all the inhabitants like that?"
Draax Sunday February 25th, 2007 9:46:49 PM
Draax eyes widen when the treant speaks of the undead, but he remains silent as the group waits for Horvis to take the lead.
Tratain Sunday February 25th, 2007 10:57:42 PM
Tratain waits and Listens to the answers the Treant Gives to the questions asked.
Horvis d20+12=15 d20+3=23 Monday February 26th, 2007 8:56:03 AM
The centaur hasn't seen such a creature before but he does have a dim recollection from his training. A treant, an animate tree, but Horvis doesn't recall much more than that. Still, it's another interesting creature of the Wold. When the creature speaks, Horvis will reply in Druidic.
Highlight to display spoiler: {"Thank you, Ancient Peryhann. I am honoured to be in your grove."}
Horvis continues in Common for the benefit of his companions.
"We have no choice but to go into the Lands of Dread, despite the threats there. We hope to be equal to the threat."
"You mention the Defilers. Are they the ones that caused the death of your trees? What can you tell them of us, since knowledge is often the best weapon?" Diplomacy = 23, natural 20
Some answers - DM Marcin Monday February 26th, 2007 10:43:08 AM
The willow closes its eyes for a moment and then opens them again. There is some sort of movement and the tree appears to have, for lack of a better word, settled. Branches twist ever so gently. The overall impression is that of hands being folded.
"The Lands of Dread are what Wold will become when the sun burns out and death claims all. This used to be part of Culverwood, old and green, but long ago Great Evil came and settled in its midst. I know not its true nature, but I can feel its presence, even now, even from here, sitting like a spider in the middle of its web... It feeds on life - nay, it gorges itself on it, slowly poisoning the land with death and unlife. I imagine the land around its abode is as dead as stone - the trees that used to grow there are dead husks and black shadows, and no longer call to me. But I have never gone that far into the Lands of Dread."
"Outer reaches of this realm are lands of strife, where vibrant life tries to oppose the death slowly being seeped into the soil. The closer to the source, the harder the fight. What you see here" - the tree points with one of its branches around in a slow, fluid motion - "is a fight that has been lost. All that is left here are dying trees, and me to mourn their passing. The Lands of Dread are like a poisoned wound in the middle of Culverwood. The center already dead, and the flesh around it festering."
The willow goes silent for a while. It might not be comfortable talking for this long, or maybe it contemplates what to say next.
"There are no animals there, no birds, no clean water... No normal settlements I know of, no roads, no paths - save one. No sane person voluntarily makes his home there. Only undead roam the land, restless, vile spirits mourning their souls consumed by the Evil long ago."
"Such is the nature of the lands you want to travel into."
"The Defilers are servants of the Great Evil, or maybe parasites feeding off its malice, I no longer know which. They are drawn to this region like flies to a fresh carrion - mages, hedge wizards, twisted sorcerers, servants of dark gods, and their ilk. No month passes here without me witnessing some power-hungry wizard or corrupted druid enter the desolation and never come back. Most die. Some are consumed by the Evil. Others survive, and these group together and build their dark towers in the swamps. There are many such groups, sometimes working together, sometimes warring. I know not what dark business they conduct, but I can smell the stench of their malice even here."
The tree blinks.
"Forgive my ramblings, solitude affects even my kind. You asked questions. Let me answer them."
"The only live beings who settle in the Lands of Dread that I know of are whom I call the Defilers: powerful mages and their servants. I suspect they have all sworn oath of loyalty to the Great Evil and serve its needs."
"There are countless swarms of undead wandering the land, victims of the Great Evil from all the ages of its existence. Most of them are of the spectral kind and of lesser power, but there are thousands of them. It is best not to draw their attention unless you want to be constantly pestered by them."
"It is not the Defilers who have slain my trees, but their hidden master. Yet the Great Evil seems to have been dormant for years, and it is its servants who now cause most harm in the lands of the living."
"I can't tell you much more about them, for each group is different. They are wary, always on the lookout for trouble. They are crafty, masters of guile, stealth, ambush, and a blade in the back. They are ruthless. They are cruel. They are paranoid. They are powerful."
"What is your business in the Lands of Dread? If you travel to Windbourne Hills you would be much better off taking a roundabound way."
Jova Monday February 26th, 2007 6:38:17 PM
Jova listens intently to the ancient tree. Madness is what he heard. And they were going to enter into such world. Looking at each of his companions in turn, he decided that the situation could be worse.
"Horvis, ask him if there is anyone, or anything that we can trust? Ask if there is anything we can do for him, while there." He can feel the intensity of Z on his shoulder.
"I have travelled much in the Wold, but I have to admit I have always skirted the Dreadlands. I will be needing direction, on fighting and dealing with the undead." He directs this to the rest of the group.
Juliander Monday February 26th, 2007 8:18:32 PM
Looking to the willow, "We're here to investigate the activities of the Sons of Dread good tree. Any advice or direction you might give would be of great value to us."
Horvis Monday February 26th, 2007 11:00:02 PM
The centaur listens intently as Peryhann relates the story of his dying forest. He has heard of such things before but now may have a chance to witness them himself.
"As my companion says, we are tasked with investigating the Sons of Dread who reside within the Dreadlands. Is there any chance that those you call Defilers may be the Sons of Dread? What you describe sounds like what we have heard of the Sons of Dread."
Horvis looks around at the dying forest, wondering what exactly might have caused this. It is the sort of thing that should be put right.
"Is there anything that we can do for you? Perhaps to help this area recover? Or do you know of any other group that strives for nature and good in the area?"
izen Monday February 26th, 2007 11:10:25 PM
Izen nodded and listened, keen to learn what more he could. He glanced at Tratain; the chosen protector of Domi would be an important ally in the travel ahead of them.
Draax Tuesday February 27th, 2007 12:16:24 AM
Draax listens as the tree speaks and then the questions asked by his teammates. He is not too happy about hearing that the group will have to deal with Defilers as well as the SoDs.
Monthor Tuesday February 27th, 2007 7:45:24 AM
Monthor keeps listening and behaving himself.
Even more answers - DM Marcin Tuesday February 27th, 2007 12:32:08 PM
"I do not think you will encounter anyone or anything in these lands that will be trustworthy. If you enter, you will have to rely totally on your own. I know of no other groups of honorable alignment whom you might ally with."
"Sons of Dread? Hmmm. Yes, it might be possible that those whom I named the Defilers gave themselves that title. I do not sense any other noteworthy power in there, so we might be talking about the same people."
<Sigh> "There is nothing either I or you can do for the forest. A wound won't heal until the gangrene festers in it. And challenging the Great Evil itself is, I fear, a feat beyond the strength of the whole Dragon Consortium combined."
"Advice, hmm? Let me think..."
"As I said before, there are no roads. But there is one trail." - the tree points to the East - "Young, corrupt magelings have beaten this path in the swamp. Every few weeks a small group of two or three goes that way. I have never seen them come back."
"I came to think that this is how the Defilers get new members. If that is true then the road might be protected from undead. Maybe you could explore it and see what's on the other end."
"One more suggestion - leave your mounts in my care. If they drink the dark waters of the Dreadlands they will most likely perish."
Monthor Tuesday February 27th, 2007 1:08:59 PM
" Maybe it be time for a more covert approche. If we were to dress like these magelings and keep to the roads we may be able to avoid trouble.... yes, me said "avoid" trouble. "
... .. .
" Sounds like we're going to have to keep our clerical types healthy. Tratain, ye feel up to the task of taking out these undeads for us? Are our weapons going to be able to harm them? Have we figured out yet what kind of undead we be talking about? "
..... .. .
" It will be me pleasure to leave me mount behind. Me never liked riding on the back of these hell beasts anyway. "
Horvis d20+11=18 d20+7=20 d20+17=35 Tuesday February 27th, 2007 1:41:01 PM
The centaur nods in acknowledgement before speaking.
"Thank you, Ancient One. Your caution about our mounts, should we also leave our companions here? And ourselves, should we consume only food and drink that we carry or create magically?"
While waiting for a response from the treant, Horvis looks to the east where Peryhann had indicated a trail might exist. Of course, since he knows something of predators, he is doubtful. He turns and speaks quietly to his companions.
"Some spiders and other creatures make very interesting traps for their prey. Or, like some people do to catch fish in shallow water. They building cunning webs or nets that steer smaller creatures in, much as this path seems to be an easy path into the Dreadlands. Perhaps it truly is a safe path, or it might lead directly to what consumes this continuing stream of evil people."
Horvis pauses for a moment to gauge his companions' reactions before continuing.
"Of course, Monthor there will think that beating on the front door with his axe is the best strategy. Am I not correct?"
Once the discussion ends, Horvis will bid farewell to Peryhann and prepare to lead his companions to the east. If Peryhann didn't recommend leaving Aquila, Horvis will call the eagle to him and then direct it to seek creatures around the party. From what Peryhann said, he and his companions can assume anything moving in the swamp to be hostile.
Once he and his companions are ready, Horvis will lead the way east until the track is in sight. As he goes, Horvis will look for signs of others moving through the swamp. Handle Animals = 18, Spot = 20, Survival = 35
Draax Tuesday February 27th, 2007 1:58:41 PM
Draax continues to listen to the tree and feels a little concerned about traveling across the unknown land without horses; even if he knows it is for the best.
He snaps his head sharply and looks in the dwarf's direction. He begins to narrow his eyes wondering if the dwarf was somehow switched while they were traveling to this place. He has dealt with doppelgangers before and knows how easily they can replace someone. Draax makes a vow to himself to keep an eye on dwarf for any other out of character comments. The uncharacteristic comment from the dwarf does bring up a question from Draax. "Are the magelings dressed in any particular fashion or symbols and is there any specific time of the day when they walk the trail?"
Monthor Tuesday February 27th, 2007 2:33:09 PM
Horvis "Of course, Monthor there will think that beating on the front door with his axe is the best strategy. Am I not correct?"
Monthor " Isn't it? "
... Draxx The uncharacteristic comment from the dwarf does bring up a question from Draax. "Are the magelings dressed in any particular fashion or symbols and is there any specific time of the day when they walk the trail?"
Monthor " Right, that way, we can jump them and bash them over the head to take their clothes.... right Draax? "
Arien Tuesday February 27th, 2007 4:03:45 PM
Arien considers a moment as the others discuss courses of action. After a few moments of throught the mage speaks up, "Draax, do you remember when we worked with Marcus? It almost seems that things have come back full circle. The Sons were up to something then and we disguised ourselves with alter-egos and snuck into their stronghold, it seems to me that something similar would be fitting now."
Arien pauses a moment before continuing, "I have a spell that will disguise us as whatver I choose." Arien is speaking mostly to the newer members of the party since they might not have had experience with the spell before. "I could disguise us as a band of evil looking adventurers which could help us infilitrate these lands. Of course any wary spellcaster will discover the illusion and may try to counter it. Which of course would be bad for our health. I would almost suggest a double layer of disguise, now many do not have the means to disguise themselves right now so it may be beneficial if we were to teleport back to a location with an outpost of the Catacombs so that we could prepare ourselves fully."
Juliander Tuesday February 27th, 2007 8:34:02 PM
Looking to Arien, "I have some illusory magic, but it is very temporary. How long does the dweomer that you speak of last? It may be our best option."
Tratain Tuesday February 27th, 2007 9:13:07 PM
Tratain says "I Don't think its a good idea for us to Try and Infiltrate that deeply into thier stronghold. We Have several members who could sneak around thier stronghold and discover what we need. We can disguise ourselves with Ariens Veil spell as something really small so we can avoid detection from long range. Once we get Close I bet Horvis and Izen can sneak around and find information."
He continues "I really dislike the Idea of us walking into that place even in disguise when we have no idea how many enemies there may be in there, it may be impossible to fight our way out if we get detected. Theres also probably no way I could go undtected for long in an encampment of the Sons of Dread, Being a cleric of Domi I put off an Aura that will scream who I am to anyone who knows what it is they are senseing."
"We also need to be careful not to wake whatever it is that sleeps there. The treant said he wasn't sure if the entire consortium could defeat it if it awoke, thats not something I think we want to be responsible for. It would be best if the Dread never knew we were in thier lands at all, we need to take a slower Pace. Scout out our obsticles and find the best way to overcome them without being seen if possible. Then let Horvis and Izen at least search for what they can find out without all of us trying to sneak into one of thier camps, I'll bet they could learn more in a few days sneaking around listening that we could in Months trying to gain thier trust as new initiates."
Izen Tuesday February 27th, 2007 11:19:23 PM
Izen nodded at Tratain's words. "Our mission was to investigate and bring back word of what we found--not to confront the Sons of Dread." He looked meaningfully around the group.
"There are many means of concealment, and we would be wise to consider all of them. We must not only hide our purpose and our appearance, but also our auras, and even our very life forces." He retrieved a potion from a pouch in his ever-present backpack--indeed, the item seemed to be sitting right on top of the pack, as if he had expected to need it, or as if it had come to his hand-- "I have a few potions that could hide me from undead creatures, but they are ... rudimentary at best. Someone with divinely granted powers could do far better."
The halfling looked at Tratain and Horvis. "Your presence here is both our greatest risk, and our greatest resource. We need whatever powers you can grant to hide our presence here. As for the rest of us--" he looked around once more-- "It's our job not to be noticed."
Jova Wednesday February 28th, 2007 12:32:18 AM
Listening to the others talk and plan he is silent for some time.
"Can I make a suggestion? Since we are here to gather information, why should we ponder going to the heart of the land. What if we just made a wide berth, skirting the land on its fringes. That way maybe we find supply routes, or other important secrets. Ifeel Tratain is correct, we are not strong enopugh to rouse the true enemy. Our talents would be served scouting."
The Trail - DM Marcin Wednesday February 28th, 2007 8:12:49 AM
The tree answers some final queries.
"Shadows. Wraiths. Some spectres. A ghost of an evil mage every now and then."
"Yes, you are definitely better off not eating or drinking anything you find in this land. As for your animal companions, it is your decision if you take them or not. I imagine it will depend on the tightness of the bond between you."
The willow gathers the mounts left in his care. One of the ponies starts to nibble on his leaves and he gently brushes it off. [I believe the general consensus was to leave the mounts behind. Please let me know if you prefer to take yours along instead.]
"There was no special pattern I would be able to discern between the times of travel and the attire of the ones who take the trail. Maybe the knowledge of the existence of the path is something that identifies them as petitioners?"
"You probably can expect to travel along the trail for a day or two before coming across the first group of the Defilers."
"The Great Evil itself is many days of travel deeper into the center of the desolation. If you start to feel the very Wold itself nibbling at your life force you will know you have gone too far."
The group gathers to depart. The tree watches the Knights calmly, and finally bids them farewell.
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