Aubrey nods at the sound agreement made. He sleeps well and has the toast together with some apple tarts for breakfast before readying himself for the trek into Maggie's wood.

After a good night of sleep, Leelan comes down to join the others and will happily partake in the breakfast offered by the innkeeper. 

"Good morning, everyone. Are we ready to head out for another daring adventure?"

Guilim will he packed and ready to go first thing in the morning, ready to venture onward. "I am more then ready to head onward."

Grugga munches on an egg and scolds Aubrey for taking an apple tart, "Hey, those are for Maggie. I don't want to run out in the middle of the forest."

He turns to Leelan and Rohuzar, "any ideas for how to get through here alive? We're going to follow the warning from the old man yesterday, right? And then what?"

“Ve track the Ranger, hopefully.” 

"I...I apologize, that was thoughtless of me." Aubrey, clearly embarrassed over his mistake promptly leaves his seat and marches off to to buy an apple tart to replace the one he started eating.

The baker laughs and supplies Aubrey with a replacement tart, thanking you again for Grugga’s help with the roof yesterday.

Aubrey returns with the replacement tart and is now prepared for trek into Maggie's wood.

12

It is early on the morning of 16 May 2105 when you embark into Maggies Wood.  Overhead the sky is clear and the sun is rising in the east, but in front of you, in the direction of the forest, dark clouds linger.  You feel as though you have been listening to the distant rumble of thunder for days now.  It starts as a cool morning but there is little breeze.  As the sun starts to rise you see it is shaping up to be a warm spring day.

There are no roads into the forest but there are a few footpaths, most likely worn down by villagers heading in to pick berries or harvest forest plants, or by hunters out seeking game.  On the outskirts of the village, the forest is thin, with small patches of trees broken up by meadows full of wildflowers and heather.  Birds are plentiful here and the call of jays and warblers surround you as you march.  

There is only one encounter this morning.  As you emerge from the trees into a meadow filled with bright blue and yellow flowers, there is a flash of crimson and eruption of noise as five blood hawks take flight.  They do not attack, nor do they flee, instead circling up above the treetops as you pass.  You can see that they had been worrying at the carcass of another bird… though it’s remains are not easily identifiable.  Perhaps an axebeak or a huge turkey?  They continue to circle until you leave the meadow and then descend back to their kill.

Near mid day, as you continue northwest the forest grows darker. The trees are larger here and the footpaths are gone, and the thunderclouds ahead are much closer.  The sun is periodically lost in the clouds and you even feel brief sprinkles of rain.

"Is this her forest?" Grugga asks to no one in particular. "I suppose we're looking for the 'Dead Man's Tree' next."

Rohuzar nods and watches for any telltale signs of traffic through the woods, as we go. 

While Rohuzar and likely others search for tracks Aubrey keeps a good look out for threats in Maggie's wood.
Perception: 6
"So, is it time to drop one of those treats yet." He says.

You advance carefully.  You don’t come across anything that could be considered a humanoid track.  There are prints, but they look like wolves, deer and boar.  The forest continues to darken as the leaves of the large trees come together and shade the quiet woodland world below.  The sounds of birds are still occasionally heard, but the songful calls are replaced by the rapid flitting wingbeats of chickadees and the knocking of woodpeckers.  The flora changes slightly as well.  Gone are the grasses and field flowers.  Instead, thickets of thorny buckbrush clog the spaces where gaps in the trees allow sunlight to enter, and vines with silvery leaves track along the larger trees as they climb up towards the sun.

The storm is nearly upon you, and though the rain has not started to hit you in any great quantity, the sky through the trees alights with lightning and thunder rumbles at al times.

You don’t notice it before you, but suddenly you emerge into a wide clearing.  Despite the lack of shade, little but weeds and yellowish grasses grow in this field.  In the center, a large, leafless tree stands.  A body is attached to the truck with thick chains.  The body appears to have been burned.

Rohuzar calls a halt, examining the area first. 
perception 20 

Then advancing closer with a tap on Guilim’s shoulder to follow if it appears not imminently dangerous

Aubrey stands back, taking cover behind a tree, ready to cover Rohuzar and Guilim with eldritch magic.
Stealth: 4 Peception: 19

(While we wait to see if Guilim follows Rohuzar and what, if any, actions are taken by Grugga and Leelan)

Aubrey hides behind tree while Rohuzar slowly advances.  There is no sign of any threat at the moment.  Overheard, you get your first clear look at the storm in some time.  Dark grey and purple clouds swirls wildly and sheets of rain can be seen… but down here the air is calm, without breeze and only a few smatters of rain reach the ground.  It is loud, though, and when lightning flashes the sky roars as if it is coming apart.

Rohuzar, as you get closer you get a better view of the tree.  It bears no leaves and to all appearances it is dead, but it shows no signs of decay… the bark is still solidly attached and it doesn’t seem to have lost any limbs.  In some ways, it resembles a tree in winter, though all the trees nearby have erupted already into their spring growth.

The body is blackened and burned, certainly humanoid though the race is unidentifiable.  The head is tipped back and the mouth is open as if in a silent scream.  The tree adjacent to the body shows no scorching so it looks like it must have been burned prior to being chained here.  Of the chains themselves, they are red and rusted from exposure to the elements.  But there is more than iron there… there are veins of a silver-like metal woven into the links.

Guilim nods and moves to follow as he pulls his halberd free, getting ready for a fight. He stays close to Rohuzar as they get closer to the tree, looking around them as he does so.

Can Rohuzar examine the metal further to identify it?

Of course.  Please make an arcana or history check.

Rohuzar arcana check 9