Travin's song comes to a defiant end and he sighs wearily as he follows the group, his previous anger having been exhausted through musical expression, he listens to Adam's report and responds,  "world is broken, magics is broken, mirror travels is broken... Travin feels like they is back in the junk fields, hmmm? Everything bad! Travin only been out of there for hows long, hmm? Two monthses? World has changed, Dawnguard musts adapt to survive... Peoples will become selfish, greedy, fighting only for themselves yeh? Is Dawnguards ready for that?" The junk man barely looks up from the floor.

Well at least this isn’t our fault for once. Johnathan responds when the reasoning behind the forest was highlighted. He remembers the lightning they caused when he was testing out the time device not so long ago. It does make sense in a way. Even the mages are affected by this power. No wonder the labyrinth is falling apart.

I can keep echo looking but he will need to stop at some point and rest. Additionally, I fear I would lose connection if we go to the labyrinth since it may be a different plane. So if we are set to go to the labyrinth first then Echo will not be useful unless he is with me. He pauses, reasoning what this meant to Adam. I’m sorry Adam, unless we are willing to stay in this plane there is little I can do. Echo is currently returning to me as we speak. Johnathan understood that this wasn’t what Adam wanted to hear, but he needed to be upfront with the situation.

Johnathan pulls out a book from one of his pockets and turns his attention to the rest of the party. I can use this to cast a spell to protect us in our rest, though the ground would still be an issue. Are we marching on or setting up for the night? 

Ward rolls his shoulders and sighs. “Ro is the one taken by those that we fought yes? Then after the Labyrinth and possibly after the revival of the Mare I have an idea as to where we must go. Those creatures must be killed and while we rested I learned of someone who may be able to help us in fashioning a weapon and possible protections against them. Your nephew Adam, Keldor. He is making Psionic armaments, something which I could see assisting us in dealing with the squids when we are able. I know he is not to be trusted, but it seems his expertise may be necessary.” Ward says, looking back towards Adam for a moment.

"It doesn't sound good." Shavaris responds to Adam as he asks about Gandolf's riddles.  But as Travin talks about it mirroring the junkfields, "It can't be that bad, and aren't we here to help?  Aren't we here to solve the issues if we can?"

She urges Running Bird on and to keep clear of the fires Ward is burning along their way, listening to him discuss those creatures that had frozen most of them.  A shudder runs down her spine just thinking about them.  Trying to keep focused, she then turns back to Adam, "Are we getting close to Falcon Crest?"

Dageron looks a moment inwardly, thinking on how best to respond to Adam in his compromised state. He nods, then returns Adam's eye contact. "I do not possess certainty of knowledge on these matters, and can only speak to my observations. I have served as mercenary in Subternia many times, earning my first promotions there when I was ten, and then again at twelve. The beings Ro summoned were from some other place beyond the realm of mortals, though he spoke of them as if he believed them to be from Subternia. They appeared bound - both literally and figuratively - by some sort of rules. He struck a bargain, they came to collect, the price was very high. In truth, I have suspicion that wherever they are from is somehow an inverse or distortion of the Feywild. It is perhaps for that reason that Delphinium appears so utterly at unease in these changed lands. They were perhaps an antithesis to Fey kind. Delph's observations about the nature of the beasts we have found seem to conform to those that came for Ro... not afraid of pain or death, and perhaps seeking it - or some eternal dance with it... Ro spoke of them having some power he sought. As if he would return stronger from it. If indeed a corruption has spread from that place so completely across these lands, it is highly unlikely you will find what you would consider 'survivors'. It is also likely that we will all be assailed by similar beings to those that took Ro. The rules of their distorted Feywild may not conform to any we could hope to understand. We would be at a potentially fatal disadvantage. Even the magic the others propose to use to secure us for the night represent a flaw in our thinking. How can we suppose Mithrandir and the other mages of the world are experiencing a weakening or distortion of their powers, but that other magics will not be equally affected. We will have to discover the hard way."

He thinks a moment longer, a look of concern in his eyes. "Does anyone here know from where Ro hailed? Was he native to this land? If indeed he sought to return, this may be linked to his efforts to do so..."

"Dageron is right, different planes, different magics different ruleses, Travin read something similar in a book. Yeh yeh." The simply dejected voice comes from Trav.

As Ward asks about his friend Delphinium smiles and says "Hemmingway?  Yeah, he'd be able to help.  He's really smart.  Might even know where it started.  I hope he's alright.  Not that he can't take care of himself.  He must be okay.  Right?"  The fairy seems a bit worried.

As Delphinium continues to sit on Shavaris' shoulder they seem to be deep in thought as talk of Falcon Crest and how far comes up.  Delphinium says "It has walls right?  Falcon Crest?  If this stuff can breach walls in the short time we took to rest we have lot bigger issues."

As Dageron talks about different planes and the idea of an anti-feywild the tiny fairy gives a little shiver that has nothing to do with the cold.  The feywild is about fun and enjoyment.  Yeah, sure... often at the cost of others but that was what it was at the core, fun.  The opposite of that?  Pain... Delphinium tries their best to remember anything from his mother's and father's lessons on the feywild.  Trying to think if there was anything they went over that might be tied into this Ro guy who Delph really hates right now.

History Check: 13

"walls would not stops the innate change of natural magics to unnatural abominations hmmm? It's in the air, the stone, the land has changed yeh yeh" turning from Delph, Travin gets Johnathan's attention trying to pass the time... "Johnathan is humans now hmm? Like Travin and Adam, yeh yeh! no more curse hmmm? Why does Johnathan thinks that is? Has Johnathan earneds his redemption, cleareds of all past misgivings? Yeh? Or maybe Johnathan lost a curse much likes Mithradir is losings his magic hmm??" Travin squints a little trying to gauge Johnathan's reaction, insighting any response to see if Johnathan knows the truth.

Johnathan thinks as Travin starts talking about his cure. He glances at the strange creature with the mountain of a horde surrounding him. I haven’t really thought about it Travin. He pauses as he listens to Travin’s questions. When I died in the battle of the unicorns, all I can remember is Kelemvor, god of the dead, offer me a way to return to this world and right some wrongs. They warned me that there were consequences to coming back but I didn’t listen. I wanted to desperately return and help protect my home. 
I always saw the Dhampire as my curse, and though I may be human again I still remember what I did, what I was like. No cure will ever absolve me of that. I don’t know how this cure happened, and it brings me both comfort and concern. What power can rival that of a God? This feels different than simply magic dying in this world. My powers evolved, improved even. No, I think something wanted this curse removed. And it scares me that I don’t know why.

"Johnathan needs not be scareds of the beings that would offer him gifts of his desires without demanding a trade hmmm? Travin learned recently that sometimes answers bring you more pain and requires more efforts than simply accepting things for what they is, yeh yeh? Travin thinks maybe Johnathan finally had something's good happen to him since he died, something tangibles hmmm?" 

"It may not be all that complicated." Dageron muses to Travin and Jonathan. "The Gods themselves are imperiled by these changes. We are of the few champions who remain, trying to preserve the order of things. With so much at stake, it is likely a Greater God intervened. Of course... you should thank them, if that is true."

Travin nods at Dageron and Johnathan and then drops back a little trying to hide his smile from them both, a smile of amusement at Travin's actions being hailed as those of a Greater God. This self centered pride and amusement takes his mind off this place and the similarities that the sky holds to the junk plane, which only served him with an undesirable need to fall back into old habits and theive from his collection.

The party parlays, and comes to the decision to skip Falcon Crest, much to the protests of Adam, and they turn their attentions to moving eastward through the hellish forest.  When they stop the camp, they become very aware that the forest is much bigger than they'd anticipated; they were days away from either Falcon Crest or the Labyrinth, and the Labyrinth was probably at least a week away still.  A week...in this twisted reflection of what a forest should be...and what it most certainly wasn't.  

The forest around them was alive.  All sorts of things hooted and screeched and called in the dark.  There was a crashing noise that was easily confirmed as a tree crawling past them, dragging itself along with its roots.  There was more screaming, screaming of 'oh goddesses help me' and 'it has me oh it has me its eating me' off in the distance.  There were footsteps all around them in the dark...outside the light of their fires...

During the night Travin lights and attaches several torches and lanterns to himself, and lights up his moon touched sword which goes with his as he withdraws into his pile to sleep, muttering something about taking late watch.
Whilst trying to get to sleep the soft Tink! Tink! Tink! of his forehead thumping gently against something metal comes resonating softly from within the still pile. 

Adam sees the degree of devastation and perversion of the beloved forest that he grew up in.  After it is apparent that this is a widespread problem, he has no issue with proceeding on to the Labyrinth.  He keeps talking in stops and starts about the “ball juggler” and the “little freakish fountain pissing dwarf” from time to time.  Whenever there is any mention of a worm, or even any slug seen on their path, he gives almost a visible shiver.  As they get closer and closer to the Labyrinth, his mood is more dour and irritable, as if he is replaying bad memories in his mind.  At night his sleep is more fitful, he frequently wakes up glancing around in the dark, his hands going to his glaive and his lightsaber on his bedroll.  “Weird sounds.  It’s nothing.” And then back to sleep…

Dageron would cataloge noticable changes to his companions' demeanors. He would try to assess who is least affected by the environment, and to self evaluate any new quirks to his own behavior.

Ward takes first watch, sitting at the edge of his semi-circle covering the group. He looks across the trees, sighing at the infection that has ravaged it. Partially through his watch he jerks his head towards a noise in the trees, readjusting his NVG's before realizing whatever was making the noise was hidden. Picking up a pebble and casting something, then dropping the pebble and shaking his head. He continues to watch and then tells whoever may take a second watch, and then everyone when they awake. "Sounds like snakes, seems in the trees. Can't tell for sure though," Ward says, before sitting down closer to the group and going into sleep mode. 

Dageron will take second watch, using the time (and their new telepathic link) to try to teach Mogwai what to look out for and checking the effective range of the smaller being's darkvision. 

(( 15 total on perception check = rolled 3, plus 2 from Guidance, plus 10 perception -- Passive Perception also 15 -- Dageron has darkvision out to 120' ))

(( @DM - does Mogwai grant advantage to this roll? ))

Shavaris walks around the perimeter a bit after hearing some slithering in the leaves.. finds some creepy tentacles with grasping hooks on their heads and she jumps back away from them as quick as she can. 

Heading back to the security of the group, she thanks Ward for his sphere and asks to be woken for the third watch, "I only need 4 hours of sleep anyways" and settles in, trying to block all the sights and sounds around her in the threatening forest.

Adam wakes up in the morning, drool on his bedroll, a sound sleep finally after fits and starts, with his legs wiggling he has moved over five feet from where he started.  When morning light comes, he sits bolt upright like a shot and turns, looking around.  His hand comes down to his medallion and he looks at anyone nearby.  “The tarrasque is dead.  A message… the tarrasque is dead.”  He scratches his bedroll head and looks around, puzzled.