“Superstitious and small minded folk. The ability to bring light to the darkness does not a witch make.” Randal replies, giving bardic inspiration to Tess. Randal places his hand on the wall of the passage and hums a little tune allowing him to detect magic“The last time I did this, I could see the tendrils of magic running through the tree. Perhaps it will lead us in the right direction or expose some of the dangers Sier warned us about.”
Bonus action: Bardic Inspiration to Tess, add 1d6 to any save, ability check, or attack in next 10 minutes
Action: Cast detect magic active for next 10 minutes.
(DM: quick question for my resource management - did they gain any rest from their last night’s sleep?)
Tess had a good point; they had run out of other leads to investigate. Unfortunately for Lyla, that meant to get answers, she would have to confront the elf."I'll come in, but I'm not going to just jump down into his death trap immediately. Go ahead if you want, but I'm first going to try talking to Sier more."
Once she enters the tree, she turns straight to the elf. "I'm back, and with friends this time." Then, knowing that he's been asked before, asks the elf again: "Why were you stopped from leaving the inn?" Lyla asks this no matter whether or not the others are waiting around to hear more before they investigate below.
"Oh, so you came back," Sier remarks, "thought I won't see you again. But as for my condition, as I've said, it's a prison, grown to contain me inside. I've been able to manipulate its shape to turn it into an inn when it was needed some two decades ago, but I cannot alter it enough to escape. The harder I'll try to leave, the stronger the magic keeping me inside will become. But of course, that does not affect outsiders, like yourselves — my only hope of ever getting out."
Meanwhile, or after, in case Randal and Tess wait for Lyla before going down, when they descend the ladder, it only goes about a single floor down before you reach the end. And indeed, it is ground, rather than wood. It is dark there, but once Tess lights the torch, the light it sheds on your surroundings reveals that you are in what looks like a cave, formed between the tree's roots. The "ceiling", as well as the walls, are all entirely roots. The "floor", meanwhile, is mostly ground that appears orange in colour under the torch's light. While one might assume it is as red as the rest of the desert, you find it somewhat strange that the ground is not as rocky as the rest of the desert. It is, in a way, softer, though still tight enough to easily stand on. Occasionally, a stray root sticks out of the ground, walls or ceiling, forcing you to watch your step, duck under it or otherwise avoid them.
While Tess and Randal, each in their own ways, might not be strangers to magic, they do remember that the vast majority of the population is estranged from it, and fear it as one fears anything that is unknown. Whether it is right or wrong, Tess' fear of showing her magical abilities is not baseless.
Randal:
No doubt, Randal sees the tendrils of magic once more, coursing through the tree's roots. About half of those in the ceiling lead with the tunnel, while the other half do the exact opposite as if returning from it. For those in the walls, it is about the same phenomenon, but going up and down, straight through the earth. Randal can only "see" about a foot further down through the ground, but he can't spot any change happening there. He can only tell that there are more roots in the ground, right beneath them, than one would guess given the tunnel's structure.
After walking a short distance, the cave turns to the left, and shortly after, you notice the roots in the ceiling - which before were very thick - have become thinner individually, but many in number. Tight enough that they still make up the entire ceiling. Now, however, you start hearing a familiar, somewhat dimmed sound overhead. The sound of slow-running water. The Rivulet.
"Crime? I wouldn't say. A dispute, a mere disagreement, one that escalated too far." Sier answers calmly. "An Elf had his opinions on the Elven way of life and ruling system and tried to change it, captivating others in his fight. I don't know if you know that, but we Elves mostly live our lives however we please with no leaders. We value our freedom, so by trying to take it away from them and from a ruling system, he upset many other Elves.
"He wasn't just looking to gain power, though. He wanted to unify the Elves to protect their forests, which were then decreasing in size thanks to Human lumberjacks. Many Elves misunderstood it, though, and did not want to be under anyone's command. And so, a fight ensued. One side lost and... that whole thing happened just a few decades ago. This," he gestures around him, to indicate the tree, "is just one of many of its consequences."
Lyla:
Lyla knows that, to this day, there's no one ruling system for all Elves, or even for any large community of Elves. They might live nearby in what might seem like communities, but usually, any dispute will be solved in whatever way the ones involved agree upon. The Elves live long and value each a different thing, so violence is almost never a solution. If anything, it is the only solution she never heard of for a dispute. Well, excluding what she did, and what Sier just told them.
However, Lyla also feels that this punishment is exaggerated for what Sier told her, especially because of what was described above. Exile would make sense, but confinement, when most Elves value freedom above all else?
Randal leads Tess down the tunnel, following the tendrils of magic deeper into the ground. “The magic runs both ways further down the tunnel and back towards the tree. There are also flows going below our feet into the ground. I can imagine it is like Sier described, pulling magic from here and putting it into the tree.” He turns and looks at Tess “Don’t worry, I hide this talent from most other folks as well.” He pauses and looks up as the roots thin above them. “I think we are under the river, how far does this tunnel go?”
Tess smiles, happy she’s found someone else with an appreciation for, instead of a fear of magic. “I’m glad you have this power. I’ve spent my whole life hiding mine. It’s nice to be able to be myself, for once.” She follows Randall’s lead, holding the torch aloft.
"So you were on the wrong side of a disagreement about the ruling system? Which side were you on? And I imagine whoever trapped you here was on the opposite side then." Lyla pauses to allow Sier to respond before continuing. "Many consequences? What other consequences could there possibly be, besides determining whichever system the Elves currently use?"
Sier sighs sadly. "Does the victor end up losing? I do not know everything, but at the very least, my imprisonment here is one other consequence."
--
"Oh, it doesn't go very far from here, although it does go much deeper." The voice, coming from behind Randal and Tess, is a light soprano, and it sounds somewhat playful and curious. Turning around, they find themselves facing a woman, or something the shape of one, covered with plants. In fact, other than her face, her feet and the palms of her hands, all other body parts are either covered with leaves or moss. Where you'd expect hair, instead there are thin vines, and many leaves sprout from them. Her body is covered with plants like so, she wears nothing and carries nothing with her either. There is some wild beauty in her, but also, remembering where you are, you can be sure it's not coincidental that she's there. With his magical vision activated, Randal can see a faint magical aura surrounding her (of no particular school of magic).
She's about forty feet away at first, just at the edge of the torch's light, but then she starts walking towards you. Her steps seem light as if she barely weighs at all. She runs her hand over the tree's roots as she passes by them. "It's been so long since I've last been here, what a surprise. Almost forgot about this place, but there I am," she stops walking about twenty feet away. Just after entering the bright-lit area of the torch. "Sitting on my tree, eating a delicious apple, when suddenly I feel people walking here. It is a very strange feeling, you know? Like someone walking on your body, but I knew nobody was walking on my tree. Then I remembered this one. Did you know? Its seed came from my tree. That's why I'm connected to it, despite the great distance. I don't really like visiting here, though. I can feel he's up there. And he can probably tell I'm here now, too. So, why are you here?" She seems genuinely curious.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tess smiles with genuine wonder, oblivious to any potential danger the tree-woman might pose. “I am Tess, this is Randall. We’ve come to investigate the nature of this place. Sier asked us to- in exchange he’s offered to help us with a strange curse which seems to be afflicting us and the village above.” She studies the tree-woman’s reaction. 10 insight.
"Surely you know more about the two ruling systems though, if you so greatly opposed one. What I meant was, did the change succeed or did the old way continue? Was the old way the freer one, if, whoever he was, he wanted to command others? What sort of people would imprison you like this?"
(I'm confused about the two sides and which side Sier was on - it seems he's saying his side lost, but which side was that? Or is he deliberately not telling Lyla?)
I thought I made it clear in the spoiler at #285, but if not, Lyla can be pretty sure Sier was on the losing side, which was the one calling for change. As for which would be considered "freer", probably the one that was and still is. The change was an attempt to rally the Elves against a common threat, by forming a ruling system. Before, and to this moment, what exists is "to each their own". Or, live and let live.
"The people who imprisoned me? Well... it's hard to describe him really. I can only say that he really didn't like being told what to do and liked animals very much. No wonder he was one of the very few who could see the Elven tracking hounds - and train them." Sier sits in his wooden armchair and starts drumming his fingers.
--
"The nature of this place? It's a tree. Have you never seen a tree before?" A little confused, she walks a little more forward. "You Humans are so strange. Living your lives in stone cages, and you think a bigger cage makes you freer, or of higher status, or... whatever it is that matters to you people." She shakes her head, the leaves that make her hair rustle. Stopping again, still a short, safe distance away, she adds with mixed feelings: "But you should turn back. Tell Sier you couldn't go any further... there was an obstacle or something. Tell him one of you suddenly fell asleep, and that the other had to wake them up. He'll think it's some sort of defence measure against Humans and won't ask you to go again."
Randal instinctively moves to place himself between Tess and this stranger visitor. He gives an elaborate bow “A thousand pardons, my lady. What may we call you? We did not intend to interrupt you, we had no idea this was related to your tree. It is interesting though, how did it come to be here, so far away from yours?” Randal pauses as she asks them to turn back, then gives a glance back down the tunnel “Why should we turn back, what is down there, anyway? And what do you know of Sier? He is a strange one.”
Tess allows Randall to step in front of her, but her own face hardens from her look of wonder. To Randall’s comment, she adds “I mean no offense, but we are not ready to go up. The village is facing a crisis with many strange happenings. We need to understand if this place is connected to that- and Sier has offered his help if we investigate here.”
Though they're sometimes heard of, certainly not for the first time for Lyla, most Elves don't know much about them, other than that they exist. The main reason is that most Elves can't sense them, so most forget that they exist. For now, all that Lyla can recall is what Sier said earlier: "Elven tracking hounds - perceivable only by their trainers and their target, so one never comes across them by accident, and you just forget they exist. But they can track down a target even over a Jurisdiction after it traversed a path. It might take time, but they'll always track you down, eventually."
From Sier's last sentences, Lyla can guess that some people can perceive these hounds, and often become their trainers, but those are rare people to come across.
--
Nearly convinced the two of you do not know what a tree is, the woman explains: "You know how you Humans give birth, right? And you know how birds give 'birth', how they lay eggs instead? So trees are somewhat like birds. They have seeds, which like eggs, are hard shells filled with all a tree needs to start growing. You can carry a seed any distance, and as long as nothing happens to it, it will be fine. Then, by placing the seed into the ground somewhere, and giving it plenty of care, as well as water, it will turn into a tree eventually. Usually, the process can take a long time, but the Druids - like the one who carried the seed that grew to become this tree - know how to haste that process to a matter of days."
She pauses. It seems she ignores Randal's formalities, and for now, doesn't reveal her name yet, either. "Trees are sources of life. They provide shelter, or even homes for certain animals, some of them can provide food in the form of fruit. They do not cause... 'strange happenings', 'curses', or any other such phenomenon that oppose their very nature. Not even in the case of a tree such as this one, grown only to serve as an eternal prison.
"It is unfortunate that Sier ended up here, really. I liked his company near my tree. I could trust him to protect it with his life while I was away. But he made his choices, some of them wrong, and so he was punished." Now, she changes her tone, from a friendly one to a forewarning, yet non-hostile one. "Heed my warning, do not make your choices wrong. Turn back. You may call me Avium, and I was stationed here as a guardian of this tree. I do not wish for us to become foes, but it is not my choice to make."
Randal leans against the wall and tries to keep a bemused smile off of his face as Avium begins to explain the life of a tree. He places his hands wide in a gesture of peace “We do not wish to become your foes either. But we do want to understand what is behind these strange events. Could it be Sier? Why was he imprisoned here in this tree?” Randal looks back down the tunnel wistfully “and what is down there that you wish us to turn back?”
Tess adds, taking a breath to remain calm. “I’ve seen lots of trees - but never one quite like this- with an inn inside and a tunnel underneath. And we do want to see where this tunnel leads. What does it matter to you if we look around? “
"Well, it wasn't that simple, but that's about right if you sum it to one sentence. Things ah... got a little violent." While it is obvious Sier isn't telling the whole story, Lyla gets the feeling he isn't going to do so, either. At least not now.
--
"I don't know, since I don't know what strange events you talk about. Though, if you think it is Sier, you should consider what he might gain from causing them. Surely, he wants nothing more than to break out of here, and that's why you're here, isn't that right?" Avium stays put, but she's not too far anymore. She still looks mostly friendly. "Sier chose a violent path, many were killed. He had to be punished. He tried to flee, and so he reached... here. Down there," she points straight down, "is the key to his freedom, but using it will also kill the tree. Those are two things I am here to prevent. There is nothing more for you to search this place for."
“Superstitious and small minded folk. The ability to bring light to the darkness does not a witch make.” Randal replies, giving bardic inspiration to Tess. Randal places his hand on the wall of the passage and hums a little tune allowing him to detect magic “The last time I did this, I could see the tendrils of magic running through the tree. Perhaps it will lead us in the right direction or expose some of the dangers Sier warned us about.”
Bonus action: Bardic Inspiration to Tess, add 1d6 to any save, ability check, or attack in next 10 minutes
Action: Cast detect magic active for next 10 minutes.
(DM: quick question for my resource management - did they gain any rest from their last night’s sleep?)
Tess had a good point; they had run out of other leads to investigate. Unfortunately for Lyla, that meant to get answers, she would have to confront the elf. "I'll come in, but I'm not going to just jump down into his death trap immediately. Go ahead if you want, but I'm first going to try talking to Sier more."
Once she enters the tree, she turns straight to the elf. "I'm back, and with friends this time." Then, knowing that he's been asked before, asks the elf again: "Why were you stopped from leaving the inn?" Lyla asks this no matter whether or not the others are waiting around to hear more before they investigate below.
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"Oh, so you came back," Sier remarks, "thought I won't see you again. But as for my condition, as I've said, it's a prison, grown to contain me inside. I've been able to manipulate its shape to turn it into an inn when it was needed some two decades ago, but I cannot alter it enough to escape. The harder I'll try to leave, the stronger the magic keeping me inside will become. But of course, that does not affect outsiders, like yourselves — my only hope of ever getting out."
Meanwhile, or after, in case Randal and Tess wait for Lyla before going down, when they descend the ladder, it only goes about a single floor down before you reach the end. And indeed, it is ground, rather than wood. It is dark there, but once Tess lights the torch, the light it sheds on your surroundings reveals that you are in what looks like a cave, formed between the tree's roots. The "ceiling", as well as the walls, are all entirely roots. The "floor", meanwhile, is mostly ground that appears orange in colour under the torch's light. While one might assume it is as red as the rest of the desert, you find it somewhat strange that the ground is not as rocky as the rest of the desert. It is, in a way, softer, though still tight enough to easily stand on. Occasionally, a stray root sticks out of the ground, walls or ceiling, forcing you to watch your step, duck under it or otherwise avoid them.
While Tess and Randal, each in their own ways, might not be strangers to magic, they do remember that the vast majority of the population is estranged from it, and fear it as one fears anything that is unknown. Whether it is right or wrong, Tess' fear of showing her magical abilities is not baseless.
Randal:
No doubt, Randal sees the tendrils of magic once more, coursing through the tree's roots. About half of those in the ceiling lead with the tunnel, while the other half do the exact opposite as if returning from it. For those in the walls, it is about the same phenomenon, but going up and down, straight through the earth. Randal can only "see" about a foot further down through the ground, but he can't spot any change happening there. He can only tell that there are more roots in the ground, right beneath them, than one would guess given the tunnel's structure.
After walking a short distance, the cave turns to the left, and shortly after, you notice the roots in the ceiling - which before were very thick - have become thinner individually, but many in number. Tight enough that they still make up the entire ceiling. Now, however, you start hearing a familiar, somewhat dimmed sound overhead. The sound of slow-running water. The Rivulet.
Varielky
"Well, I thought..." Lyla catches herself mumbling and decides that the rest of the thought was better left unspoken.
"Why did they imprison you? For what crime?"
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"Crime? I wouldn't say. A dispute, a mere disagreement, one that escalated too far." Sier answers calmly. "An Elf had his opinions on the Elven way of life and ruling system and tried to change it, captivating others in his fight. I don't know if you know that, but we Elves mostly live our lives however we please with no leaders. We value our freedom, so by trying to take it away from them and from a ruling system, he upset many other Elves.
"He wasn't just looking to gain power, though. He wanted to unify the Elves to protect their forests, which were then decreasing in size thanks to Human lumberjacks. Many Elves misunderstood it, though, and did not want to be under anyone's command. And so, a fight ensued. One side lost and... that whole thing happened just a few decades ago. This," he gestures around him, to indicate the tree, "is just one of many of its consequences."
Lyla:
Lyla knows that, to this day, there's no one ruling system for all Elves, or even for any large community of Elves. They might live nearby in what might seem like communities, but usually, any dispute will be solved in whatever way the ones involved agree upon. The Elves live long and value each a different thing, so violence is almost never a solution. If anything, it is the only solution she never heard of for a dispute. Well, excluding what she did, and what Sier just told them.
However, Lyla also feels that this punishment is exaggerated for what Sier told her, especially because of what was described above. Exile would make sense, but confinement, when most Elves value freedom above all else?
Varielky
Randal leads Tess down the tunnel, following the tendrils of magic deeper into the ground. “The magic runs both ways further down the tunnel and back towards the tree. There are also flows going below our feet into the ground. I can imagine it is like Sier described, pulling magic from here and putting it into the tree.” He turns and looks at Tess “Don’t worry, I hide this talent from most other folks as well.” He pauses and looks up as the roots thin above them. “I think we are under the river, how far does this tunnel go?”
Tess smiles, happy she’s found someone else with an appreciation for, instead of a fear of magic. “I’m glad you have this power. I’ve spent my whole life hiding mine. It’s nice to be able to be myself, for once.” She follows Randall’s lead, holding the torch aloft.
"So you were on the wrong side of a disagreement about the ruling system? Which side were you on? And I imagine whoever trapped you here was on the opposite side then." Lyla pauses to allow Sier to respond before continuing. "Many consequences? What other consequences could there possibly be, besides determining whichever system the Elves currently use?"
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Sier sighs sadly. "Does the victor end up losing? I do not know everything, but at the very least, my imprisonment here is one other consequence."
--
"Oh, it doesn't go very far from here, although it does go much deeper." The voice, coming from behind Randal and Tess, is a light soprano, and it sounds somewhat playful and curious. Turning around, they find themselves facing a woman, or something the shape of one, covered with plants. In fact, other than her face, her feet and the palms of her hands, all other body parts are either covered with leaves or moss. Where you'd expect hair, instead there are thin vines, and many leaves sprout from them. Her body is covered with plants like so, she wears nothing and carries nothing with her either. There is some wild beauty in her, but also, remembering where you are, you can be sure it's not coincidental that she's there. With his magical vision activated, Randal can see a faint magical aura surrounding her (of no particular school of magic).
She's about forty feet away at first, just at the edge of the torch's light, but then she starts walking towards you. Her steps seem light as if she barely weighs at all. She runs her hand over the tree's roots as she passes by them. "It's been so long since I've last been here, what a surprise. Almost forgot about this place, but there I am," she stops walking about twenty feet away. Just after entering the bright-lit area of the torch. "Sitting on my tree, eating a delicious apple, when suddenly I feel people walking here. It is a very strange feeling, you know? Like someone walking on your body, but I knew nobody was walking on my tree. Then I remembered this one. Did you know? Its seed came from my tree. That's why I'm connected to it, despite the great distance. I don't really like visiting here, though. I can feel he's up there. And he can probably tell I'm here now, too. So, why are you here?" She seems genuinely curious.
Varielky
Tess smiles with genuine wonder, oblivious to any potential danger the tree-woman might pose. “I am Tess, this is Randall. We’ve come to investigate the nature of this place. Sier asked us to- in exchange he’s offered to help us with a strange curse which seems to be afflicting us and the village above.” She studies the tree-woman’s reaction. 10 insight.
"Surely you know more about the two ruling systems though, if you so greatly opposed one. What I meant was, did the change succeed or did the old way continue? Was the old way the freer one, if, whoever he was, he wanted to command others? What sort of people would imprison you like this?"
(I'm confused about the two sides and which side Sier was on - it seems he's saying his side lost, but which side was that? Or is he deliberately not telling Lyla?)
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Lyla:
I thought I made it clear in the spoiler at #285, but if not, Lyla can be pretty sure Sier was on the losing side, which was the one calling for change. As for which would be considered "freer", probably the one that was and still is. The change was an attempt to rally the Elves against a common threat, by forming a ruling system. Before, and to this moment, what exists is "to each their own". Or, live and let live.
"The people who imprisoned me? Well... it's hard to describe him really. I can only say that he really didn't like being told what to do and liked animals very much. No wonder he was one of the very few who could see the Elven tracking hounds - and train them." Sier sits in his wooden armchair and starts drumming his fingers.
--
"The nature of this place? It's a tree. Have you never seen a tree before?" A little confused, she walks a little more forward. "You Humans are so strange. Living your lives in stone cages, and you think a bigger cage makes you freer, or of higher status, or... whatever it is that matters to you people." She shakes her head, the leaves that make her hair rustle. Stopping again, still a short, safe distance away, she adds with mixed feelings: "But you should turn back. Tell Sier you couldn't go any further... there was an obstacle or something. Tell him one of you suddenly fell asleep, and that the other had to wake them up. He'll think it's some sort of defence measure against Humans and won't ask you to go again."
Varielky
Randal instinctively moves to place himself between Tess and this stranger visitor. He gives an elaborate bow “A thousand pardons, my lady. What may we call you? We did not intend to interrupt you, we had no idea this was related to your tree. It is interesting though, how did it come to be here, so far away from yours?” Randal pauses as she asks them to turn back, then gives a glance back down the tunnel “Why should we turn back, what is down there, anyway? And what do you know of Sier? He is a strange one.”
Tess allows Randall to step in front of her, but her own face hardens from her look of wonder. To Randall’s comment, she adds “I mean no offense, but we are not ready to go up. The village is facing a crisis with many strange happenings. We need to understand if this place is connected to that- and Sier has offered his help if we investigate here.”
DM:
Okay thanks that makes it much clearer. What does Lyla already know about Elven tracking hounds and who can see/hear/train them?
Nature check if required: 10
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Lyla:
Though they're sometimes heard of, certainly not for the first time for Lyla, most Elves don't know much about them, other than that they exist. The main reason is that most Elves can't sense them, so most forget that they exist. For now, all that Lyla can recall is what Sier said earlier: "Elven tracking hounds - perceivable only by their trainers and their target, so one never comes across them by accident, and you just forget they exist. But they can track down a target even over a Jurisdiction after it traversed a path. It might take time, but they'll always track you down, eventually."
From Sier's last sentences, Lyla can guess that some people can perceive these hounds, and often become their trainers, but those are rare people to come across.
--
Nearly convinced the two of you do not know what a tree is, the woman explains: "You know how you Humans give birth, right? And you know how birds give 'birth', how they lay eggs instead? So trees are somewhat like birds. They have seeds, which like eggs, are hard shells filled with all a tree needs to start growing. You can carry a seed any distance, and as long as nothing happens to it, it will be fine. Then, by placing the seed into the ground somewhere, and giving it plenty of care, as well as water, it will turn into a tree eventually. Usually, the process can take a long time, but the Druids - like the one who carried the seed that grew to become this tree - know how to haste that process to a matter of days."
She pauses. It seems she ignores Randal's formalities, and for now, doesn't reveal her name yet, either. "Trees are sources of life. They provide shelter, or even homes for certain animals, some of them can provide food in the form of fruit. They do not cause... 'strange happenings', 'curses', or any other such phenomenon that oppose their very nature. Not even in the case of a tree such as this one, grown only to serve as an eternal prison.
"It is unfortunate that Sier ended up here, really. I liked his company near my tree. I could trust him to protect it with his life while I was away. But he made his choices, some of them wrong, and so he was punished." Now, she changes her tone, from a friendly one to a forewarning, yet non-hostile one. "Heed my warning, do not make your choices wrong. Turn back. You may call me Avium, and I was stationed here as a guardian of this tree. I do not wish for us to become foes, but it is not my choice to make."
Varielky
Randal leans against the wall and tries to keep a bemused smile off of his face as Avium begins to explain the life of a tree. He places his hands wide in a gesture of peace “We do not wish to become your foes either. But we do want to understand what is behind these strange events. Could it be Sier? Why was he imprisoned here in this tree?” Randal looks back down the tunnel wistfully “and what is down there that you wish us to turn back?”
Tess adds, taking a breath to remain calm.
“I’ve seen lots of trees - but never one quite like this- with an inn inside and a tunnel underneath. And we do want to see where this tunnel leads. What does it matter to you if we look around? “
"So they really imprisoned you for life just because you disagreed with them?"
Lyla asks the question in a disbelieving tone.
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"Well, it wasn't that simple, but that's about right if you sum it to one sentence. Things ah... got a little violent." While it is obvious Sier isn't telling the whole story, Lyla gets the feeling he isn't going to do so, either. At least not now.
--
"I don't know, since I don't know what strange events you talk about. Though, if you think it is Sier, you should consider what he might gain from causing them. Surely, he wants nothing more than to break out of here, and that's why you're here, isn't that right?" Avium stays put, but she's not too far anymore. She still looks mostly friendly. "Sier chose a violent path, many were killed. He had to be punished. He tried to flee, and so he reached... here. Down there," she points straight down, "is the key to his freedom, but using it will also kill the tree. Those are two things I am here to prevent. There is nothing more for you to search this place for."
Varielky