Leaning against her tree, Elthana nods solemnly when Muir gives her the news she had anticipated about her curse. She then stiffens visibly and a hard look appears in her eyes.
She doesn't say anything for awhile, and lets the conversation go about the new found riches and how to deliver it to Hokum. But she finally gets fed up. She pushes herself away from the tree, brushes her hands together, and looks at her friends.
"Ok, here's the deal. Muir, have you found Gore yet? If not, please do - he is the best one for this." She looks at him until he gets the hint that she means now. Then, once he is off, she turns to the rest.
"Having a community fund that is set aside for specific things is likely the best way. Gore and the druids would be best to oversee the reconstruction of the town as they have an invested interest in seeing that happen and have no need for financial compensation, they live off the land. As the funds are needed, people from Hokum go to the druids. This is much better than going to Goldsheaf.
"Sam's idea of giving it to the people, I understand the reasoning behind it, but is a sure fire way of having it spent frivolously and landing the entire community in poverty."
She then finds the situation settled, and heads back to her tree. She looks up at the branches longingly, but settles herself at the base and prepares to sleep.
After searching around for a while and inquiring, Muir is told that Gore left for the town this morning to oversee the coming of the clerics and give updates on the situation, coming back to the party he reports as much.
Muir returns with the news. He walks over to Elthana and the others if they are around "I think your idea is perfectly sound. We Keepers have no agenda but to see nature and Hokum thrive together. Gore has no need for money other than a few coins here and there. He would be the perfect administrator to oversee the money and rebuilding....A fine idea"
“If the Druids are willing, that could work…” Sam says to himself, thinking on it. Finally decides it takes it out of his hands so that’s good enough for him. Of course Elthana has already walked away in the time it’s taken him to come to this realization so he shrugs to himself and looks to find his own cozy place to relax…
Muir returns with the news. He walks over to Elthana and the others if they are around "I think your idea is perfectly sound. We Keepers have no agenda but to see nature and Hokum thrive together. Gore has no need for money other than a few coins here and there. He would be the perfect administrator to oversee the money and rebuilding....A fine idea"
As she is falling asleep, you can hear her mumble.. "Of course, I do work for the Treasury, remember?"
As Muir and Vin take first watch they are surprised to be approached during the night by one of Old Thicket's animated trees. It wanders up to the grouchy old tree as if to ask something, there are bits of redcap smashed and smeared into it's leafy canopy. Old thicket, who is still guarding and half covering the cave entrance, opens a weary eye, "no, you stay 'ere, I've told the others already, you're made from these woods, you're part of them now, guard them or not, but you ain't coming with me..." The tree takes its direction and begins moving back onto the forest and out of sight, "I know they're my kids but they ain't half stupid" Old Thicket grumbles to no-one in particular before falling back asleep.
Several druids and the one elven guard come to relive Vin and Muir of their watch and take over for the rest of the night.
In the morning, as the group wakes there are several survivors already packed up and beginning to help the slower members, outside the sun has not breached the horizon but the sky is already beginning to be illuminated as dawn approaches.
Elthana wakes to find her leg back in the correct position, her limbs are more balanced and most of her boils now completely gone, as she yawns her jaw aligns itself with a click and it appears that for the most part her body has pushed through and lifted the curse of its own volition. This in itself draws hopeful eyes of some of the other mutated and some jealousy from others, but the tabaxi cleric from the night before approaches and asks what happened, explaining that his salve is no cure and was acting more like a long lasting painkiller, he is highly surprised at her sudden recovery.
As soon as everyone has eaten and is ready, the large group of survivors begin to move eastward toward their town, and back to whatever remains of their homes.
Sam wake up with a chill, his furry companions having disappeared at first light and taken their warmth with them. Sam is a grump as he goes about having some breakfast and getting his things together. "Change your hair?" he asks when he sees Elthana. "Looks good." He otherwise doesn't comment on her change. Preparing for the walk he figured a couple extra eyes to watch and their journey couldn't hurt so he pulls two of the magic summoning furballs from his rust colored bag and summons (3) the mastiff once more and a (4) regular goat. Sam chuckles and the animals but is sure he will enjoy their companionship despite their large size.
She sits up violently, and looks around in a panic.. but settles soon after seeing the familiar surroundings and her friends. She sits there for a moment, calming her breathing and heartbeat. Shaken as she is, she doesn't even notice she can move like normal when she gets up and starts getting ready to leave. Not until Sam asks if she changed her hair, does she stop and wonder what he is talking about.
A grin like none he has ever seen on her, spreads across her face.. "I can move!!!" she elates and runs and throws her arms around Sam's burley neck in an embrace. She quickly lets go once she realizes what she is doing, and a blush creeps into her shadowy face. "Sorry.. just so happy that" and she breaks off when she notices a couple boils remain. She shrugs them off and finds a small clearing to stretch her limbs like she used to do every morning.
Before she gets a chance to the tabaxi that angered her last night stops her to ask what happened. "To be honest, I'm not sure. After you applied that awful salve I decided to not let this affliction become me. It was, the depression was seriously taking over and I couldn't let that happen, and well now? I do thank you for giving me the opportunity to rest well." Then she remembers her nightmare, shudders and goes back to her movements.
First watch is more like extended play time for the duo. They are keeping an eye out for things but they also just romp around a bit in the cold air just outside the cave. Tug or war, fetch and head scratches aplenty. They both seemed to have more energy then was expected or perhaps they were just simply not tired having so much going on. Whatever the case, Vin tests out his new flying broom stick and tries to fly it up in the sky to get a view over the tree tops just to see what it's like. Nef pacing back and forth under him and clearly distressed that she can't reach him up there. However, after getting a view of the forest above and curious if he can see the town in the distance he comes back down. When he notices the conversation between Old Thicket and the other treant, Vin seems to get rubbed the wrong way and goes over to the other tree that Old Thicket turned down. He comes back from the woods after a bit then finishes his watch.
Vin tends to wake up very early in the morning to go for a run with Nef but this morning he was just a bit more exhausted then normal. The duo sleeps in. Having found a nice nook in the cave to setup his bedroll and Nef curled up right next to him. They both wake in a panic as Elthana screams. Vin feels a rush of adrenaline as he bolts up and is expecting some attack going on. Neferox leaps from laying beside Vin to growling in front of him. Vin recognizing that there isn't a threat but seems that Elthana had a nightmare instead. Vin also notices the changes to her. seems she is getting better and whatever effect was on her was wearing off. Sam points it out and Vin smiles as he watches Elthana grin with relief that it has mostly gone away. A few boils seem to be all that remains. "I'm happy for you too Elthana. We all wanted you to get better." Nef gruffs a bit in disagreement and Vin rolls his eyes with a smirk and says "Most of us." The hound just lolls their tongue to the side tauntingly at Elthana.
Vin spends the morning helping others pack and getting the group ready to move. Certainly eager to get to the town he offers "Want me and Elthana to scout ahead for the group? Make sure the way is clear?"
The morning is slow going and the sun pierced through the canopy of the trees, the dawn pillars of light illuminate the snow wonderfully and the survivors along with the group set off toward Hokum town.
Vin and Elthana take their usual scouting positions farting through the trees and keeping a close eye on the path ahead for any sign of hostiles. The chest of gold coins and gems is tied up tight in a kind of harness buy two of the forests druids, one then casts some sort of ice spell on the underside of the chest to ease it's movement and the other transforms into a beast of burden and begins pulling it along.
The journey is slow, but the people are excited to begin with.
Trudging back to Hokum Sam is happy to be relieved of a Fey Menace to have to worry about and instead to be able to focus on more mundane matters... Like why nobody brought a cask of ale along for the trip and why the annoying chatterers always seem to want to befriend him. Then there is the crying. Not the kids so much, but the people crying about what they've lost and what they'll find when they return and just crying for the sake of crying. Not that Sam is ansympathetic, precisely... He just wishes they weren't so loud and weepy and dramatic about things. Suck it up and punch something, that's how he gets through things...
The children though... Sam is a bit astounded by just how many there are. But kids love him! And he finds them less annoying than most that gave up and became adults. There was hope for these ones yet!
As they trudge through the woods Sam just seems to naturally collect a gaggle of kids about him. Perhaps it is the animals - the goat and the mastiff - which the kids love to pet and prod and to chase and such. Perhaps it is the fact that Sam grumbles in a way that small kids seem to read not as threatening, as it is intended, but as encouragement for them to continue to use him as a climbing tree or a jungle-gym. Quite often Sam will randomly grab up a child and toss them high up into the air, hoping beyond hope that they splatter against a low branch or just lose the draw of he gound and float up, up and away forever... Inevitably this doesn't work so Sam instead catches them, swings them about a bit and then sets them down and watches as they are all dizzy like, and giggling. Kids, they never quite realize how often they come within inches of death... until they have their own.
To wow and amaze a particularly large gaggle of giggling snotgobblers Sam makes a show of drawing out and tossing his final ball from his Bag of Tricks. Throwing it about the throng of kids it shimmies and grows and growls and shakes until a sniffling and snorting, sneezing and snuffling Giant Boar erupts in the midst of them! Kids scream in fear and delight! Some flee, some run up to see what is happening, a couple wet themselves... It all amuses Sam! Boris, for his part, is as gentle and as sweet to the kids as any could hope for, as are the mastiff and the goat, of course. Sam and his trio of animals soon win back even the most scared and upset of kids and have them all taking turns riding Boris or Sam (though Boris gets those who wet themselves, Sam makes sure of that!) and running along and playing with the goat and the hound...
If nothing else, Sam makes the trip easier on everyone what with there being far less complaining and screaming from the kids for they surely are not bored or have nothing to do. Many a parent as well feels their burdens relieved by having several hours of not having to cater and tend to their children. And any kid that wanders off? Well they may be a mastiff but that there dog must have some shepard in them somewhere for they spot and stragglers and encourage them to keep up with the rest of the group. Those just too tuckered out to do so? They get extra rides on Sam's shoulders or Boris' back.
Gewyn keeps to himself through most of the night and morning his mirror keeping most of his attention, but as everyone gets started on the long trek back, he starts to pull out his pipes without even thinking about it. Then, before he can put them to his lips, he sees Sam already drawing a crowd of his own. He smiles and tucks his pipes away. He considers making a comment to Elthana, but she is in and out of the trees, scouting ahead. He is happy to see her back at it at least. It looks right for her.
Maybe he could check on Vin and make sure the kid is okay. They had been through a pretty harrowing experience together, the two of them. But Vin too is off and about, slipping through the shadows. He contents himself to walking quietly alongside Muir, still smiling as he considers what they had accomplished. Then an uncertainty sours the corners of his mouth, and he fiddles with something in his pocket.
Muir walks along with Gewyn enjoying the quiet of the nature as they trudge through the woods. As stragglers fall towards the back with them Muir will tell them stories of nature while using magic to emphasize parts of the story. It helps keep the travelers minds off the walk and what they’ve been through. Muir usually perceptive doesn’t notice Gewyn’s face sour but continues to tell stories instead.
Elthana stops alongside Vin when they come across the clearing. "We gotta inform the others."
She heads back to the group and tells them that they have reached the blighted field where we first found and fought Old thicket, with Sam's tree in the middle of the clearing having completely turned to stone. Around it there is two massive burrow marks in the ground and forming from those burrow marks, you see that the snow above seems to have melted. "There are stones are strewn around the area and a couple of spots where spiked stone like protrusions are coming from out of the ground."
"Wait... what?" Sam asks insightfully and excuses himself from the pack of kids he's been travelling with.
"I don't... I don't know what this could be. I know nothing about these trees. The bag of acorns was gifted to me before we started our journey and I was just told each would sprout a tree, as we've seen. I never thought there was more too it," Sam explains, trying to think through this.
"But this isn't the first. Or maybe it is, but not the only? The tree in the caves..." Sam is suddenly wracked with an involuntary shiver as he adds "Near the spiders... It too petrified. I kind of wrote it off to the Geonid things. The little rock dudes. Did you see any such near this tree? They didn't seem like they would burrow but..." Sam shakes his head. None of this is making sense to him. But if it happened upon the dried up wasteland Old Thicket had left behind and in the caves he had to wonder if it happened elsewhere...
"Where all did I plant trees?" Sam asks mostly to himself. "There was near the lone tiny fey we found, as a bit of a monument. Then latter, the pile of their tiny bodies as if they had been at war with the Not-Deer. The cave, this one up ahead... That is four." Sam opens the bag the golden acorns are in and does a quick count. He then recounts, visibly using the fingers on his free hand...
"Yeah... I am pretty sure that's all I used so far. We think they've all turned to stone and have... Things with them? The rock dudes in the cave, these burrowing things in the dried out field and so on?"
"The second tree had some sort of sentient gust or wind spirit, not entirely dissimilar to the Genoids. It seems like the trees are connected to different elemental planes,"Gewyn says, approaching Vin, Sam, and Elthana. "Let's just hope in dealing with one ancient portal, we haven't sprouted four new ones."
Muir scrunches his brows or where they would be if he had any and flaps his ears in an anxious manner
“I don’t have a good guess as to what the creature might be, but due to the fact that the tree has turned to stone and the only other time that has happened is when the Geonids came through, best guess is that something different came through this time. If these beings are from another plane then they could pose a great risk to the forests ecosystem. An invasive species could be disastrous and these creatures at least need investigating”
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Leaning against her tree, Elthana nods solemnly when Muir gives her the news she had anticipated about her curse. She then stiffens visibly and a hard look appears in her eyes.
She doesn't say anything for awhile, and lets the conversation go about the new found riches and how to deliver it to Hokum. But she finally gets fed up. She pushes herself away from the tree, brushes her hands together, and looks at her friends.
"Ok, here's the deal. Muir, have you found Gore yet? If not, please do - he is the best one for this." She looks at him until he gets the hint that she means now. Then, once he is off, she turns to the rest.
"Having a community fund that is set aside for specific things is likely the best way. Gore and the druids would be best to oversee the reconstruction of the town as they have an invested interest in seeing that happen and have no need for financial compensation, they live off the land. As the funds are needed, people from Hokum go to the druids. This is much better than going to Goldsheaf.
"Sam's idea of giving it to the people, I understand the reasoning behind it, but is a sure fire way of having it spent frivolously and landing the entire community in poverty."
She then finds the situation settled, and heads back to her tree. She looks up at the branches longingly, but settles herself at the base and prepares to sleep.
Muir nods sensing Elthana's urgency and goes to find Gore
After searching around for a while and inquiring, Muir is told that Gore left for the town this morning to oversee the coming of the clerics and give updates on the situation, coming back to the party he reports as much.
Muir returns with the news. He walks over to Elthana and the others if they are around "I think your idea is perfectly sound. We Keepers have no agenda but to see nature and Hokum thrive together. Gore has no need for money other than a few coins here and there. He would be the perfect administrator to oversee the money and rebuilding....A fine idea"
“If the Druids are willing, that could work…” Sam says to himself, thinking on it. Finally decides it takes it out of his hands so that’s good enough for him. Of course Elthana has already walked away in the time it’s taken him to come to this realization so he shrugs to himself and looks to find his own cozy place to relax…
As she is falling asleep, you can hear her mumble.. "Of course, I do work for the Treasury, remember?"
Muir takes the first watch thinking over the days events, specifically that the keepers were keepers of the portal years ago.
As Muir and Vin take first watch they are surprised to be approached during the night by one of Old Thicket's animated trees. It wanders up to the grouchy old tree as if to ask something, there are bits of redcap smashed and smeared into it's leafy canopy. Old thicket, who is still guarding and half covering the cave entrance, opens a weary eye, "no, you stay 'ere, I've told the others already, you're made from these woods, you're part of them now, guard them or not, but you ain't coming with me..." The tree takes its direction and begins moving back onto the forest and out of sight, "I know they're my kids but they ain't half stupid" Old Thicket grumbles to no-one in particular before falling back asleep.
Several druids and the one elven guard come to relive Vin and Muir of their watch and take over for the rest of the night.
In the morning, as the group wakes there are several survivors already packed up and beginning to help the slower members, outside the sun has not breached the horizon but the sky is already beginning to be illuminated as dawn approaches.
Elthana wakes to find her leg back in the correct position, her limbs are more balanced and most of her boils now completely gone, as she yawns her jaw aligns itself with a click and it appears that for the most part her body has pushed through and lifted the curse of its own volition. This in itself draws hopeful eyes of some of the other mutated and some jealousy from others, but the tabaxi cleric from the night before approaches and asks what happened, explaining that his salve is no cure and was acting more like a long lasting painkiller, he is highly surprised at her sudden recovery.
As soon as everyone has eaten and is ready, the large group of survivors begin to move eastward toward their town, and back to whatever remains of their homes.
Sam wake up with a chill, his furry companions having disappeared at first light and taken their warmth with them. Sam is a grump as he goes about having some breakfast and getting his things together. "Change your hair?" he asks when he sees Elthana. "Looks good." He otherwise doesn't comment on her change. Preparing for the walk he figured a couple extra eyes to watch and their journey couldn't hurt so he pulls two of the magic summoning furballs from his rust colored bag and summons (3) the mastiff once more and a (4) regular goat. Sam chuckles and the animals but is sure he will enjoy their companionship despite their large size.
Muir wakes up early before the townsfolk start to mobilize, to speak to Old Thicket "Good Morning!"
"AAAAAHH!!!!!!" Elthana screams herself awake.
She sits up violently, and looks around in a panic.. but settles soon after seeing the familiar surroundings and her friends. She sits there for a moment, calming her breathing and heartbeat. Shaken as she is, she doesn't even notice she can move like normal when she gets up and starts getting ready to leave. Not until Sam asks if she changed her hair, does she stop and wonder what he is talking about.
A grin like none he has ever seen on her, spreads across her face.. "I can move!!!" she elates and runs and throws her arms around Sam's burley neck in an embrace. She quickly lets go once she realizes what she is doing, and a blush creeps into her shadowy face. "Sorry.. just so happy that" and she breaks off when she notices a couple boils remain. She shrugs them off and finds a small clearing to stretch her limbs like she used to do every morning.
Before she gets a chance to the tabaxi that angered her last night stops her to ask what happened. "To be honest, I'm not sure. After you applied that awful salve I decided to not let this affliction become me. It was, the depression was seriously taking over and I couldn't let that happen, and well now? I do thank you for giving me the opportunity to rest well." Then she remembers her nightmare, shudders and goes back to her movements.
First watch is more like extended play time for the duo. They are keeping an eye out for things but they also just romp around a bit in the cold air just outside the cave. Tug or war, fetch and head scratches aplenty. They both seemed to have more energy then was expected or perhaps they were just simply not tired having so much going on. Whatever the case, Vin tests out his new flying broom stick and tries to fly it up in the sky to get a view over the tree tops just to see what it's like. Nef pacing back and forth under him and clearly distressed that she can't reach him up there. However, after getting a view of the forest above and curious if he can see the town in the distance he comes back down. When he notices the conversation between Old Thicket and the other treant, Vin seems to get rubbed the wrong way and goes over to the other tree that Old Thicket turned down. He comes back from the woods after a bit then finishes his watch.
Vin tends to wake up very early in the morning to go for a run with Nef but this morning he was just a bit more exhausted then normal. The duo sleeps in. Having found a nice nook in the cave to setup his bedroll and Nef curled up right next to him. They both wake in a panic as Elthana screams. Vin feels a rush of adrenaline as he bolts up and is expecting some attack going on. Neferox leaps from laying beside Vin to growling in front of him. Vin recognizing that there isn't a threat but seems that Elthana had a nightmare instead. Vin also notices the changes to her. seems she is getting better and whatever effect was on her was wearing off. Sam points it out and Vin smiles as he watches Elthana grin with relief that it has mostly gone away. A few boils seem to be all that remains. "I'm happy for you too Elthana. We all wanted you to get better." Nef gruffs a bit in disagreement and Vin rolls his eyes with a smirk and says "Most of us." The hound just lolls their tongue to the side tauntingly at Elthana.
Vin spends the morning helping others pack and getting the group ready to move. Certainly eager to get to the town he offers "Want me and Elthana to scout ahead for the group? Make sure the way is clear?"
The morning is slow going and the sun pierced through the canopy of the trees, the dawn pillars of light illuminate the snow wonderfully and the survivors along with the group set off toward Hokum town.
Vin and Elthana take their usual scouting positions farting through the trees and keeping a close eye on the path ahead for any sign of hostiles. The chest of gold coins and gems is tied up tight in a kind of harness buy two of the forests druids, one then casts some sort of ice spell on the underside of the chest to ease it's movement and the other transforms into a beast of burden and begins pulling it along.
The journey is slow, but the people are excited to begin with.
Trudging back to Hokum Sam is happy to be relieved of a Fey Menace to have to worry about and instead to be able to focus on more mundane matters... Like why nobody brought a cask of ale along for the trip and why the annoying chatterers always seem to want to befriend him. Then there is the crying. Not the kids so much, but the people crying about what they've lost and what they'll find when they return and just crying for the sake of crying. Not that Sam is ansympathetic, precisely... He just wishes they weren't so loud and weepy and dramatic about things. Suck it up and punch something, that's how he gets through things...
The children though... Sam is a bit astounded by just how many there are. But kids love him! And he finds them less annoying than most that gave up and became adults. There was hope for these ones yet!
As they trudge through the woods Sam just seems to naturally collect a gaggle of kids about him. Perhaps it is the animals - the goat and the mastiff - which the kids love to pet and prod and to chase and such. Perhaps it is the fact that Sam grumbles in a way that small kids seem to read not as threatening, as it is intended, but as encouragement for them to continue to use him as a climbing tree or a jungle-gym. Quite often Sam will randomly grab up a child and toss them high up into the air, hoping beyond hope that they splatter against a low branch or just lose the draw of he gound and float up, up and away forever... Inevitably this doesn't work so Sam instead catches them, swings them about a bit and then sets them down and watches as they are all dizzy like, and giggling. Kids, they never quite realize how often they come within inches of death... until they have their own.
To wow and amaze a particularly large gaggle of giggling snotgobblers Sam makes a show of drawing out and tossing his final ball from his Bag of Tricks. Throwing it about the throng of kids it shimmies and grows and growls and shakes until a sniffling and snorting, sneezing and snuffling Giant Boar erupts in the midst of them! Kids scream in fear and delight! Some flee, some run up to see what is happening, a couple wet themselves... It all amuses Sam! Boris, for his part, is as gentle and as sweet to the kids as any could hope for, as are the mastiff and the goat, of course. Sam and his trio of animals soon win back even the most scared and upset of kids and have them all taking turns riding Boris or Sam (though Boris gets those who wet themselves, Sam makes sure of that!) and running along and playing with the goat and the hound...
If nothing else, Sam makes the trip easier on everyone what with there being far less complaining and screaming from the kids for they surely are not bored or have nothing to do. Many a parent as well feels their burdens relieved by having several hours of not having to cater and tend to their children. And any kid that wanders off? Well they may be a mastiff but that there dog must have some shepard in them somewhere for they spot and stragglers and encourage them to keep up with the rest of the group. Those just too tuckered out to do so? They get extra rides on Sam's shoulders or Boris' back.
Gewyn keeps to himself through most of the night and morning his mirror keeping most of his attention, but as everyone gets started on the long trek back, he starts to pull out his pipes without even thinking about it. Then, before he can put them to his lips, he sees Sam already drawing a crowd of his own. He smiles and tucks his pipes away. He considers making a comment to Elthana, but she is in and out of the trees, scouting ahead. He is happy to see her back at it at least. It looks right for her.
Maybe he could check on Vin and make sure the kid is okay. They had been through a pretty harrowing experience together, the two of them. But Vin too is off and about, slipping through the shadows. He contents himself to walking quietly alongside Muir, still smiling as he considers what they had accomplished. Then an uncertainty sours the corners of his mouth, and he fiddles with something in his pocket.
Muir walks along with Gewyn enjoying the quiet of the nature as they trudge through the woods. As stragglers fall towards the back with them Muir will tell them stories of nature while using magic to emphasize parts of the story. It helps keep the travelers minds off the walk and what they’ve been through. Muir usually perceptive doesn’t notice Gewyn’s face sour but continues to tell stories instead.
Elthana stops alongside Vin when they come across the clearing. "We gotta inform the others."
She heads back to the group and tells them that they have reached the blighted field where we first found and fought Old thicket, with Sam's tree in the middle of the clearing having completely turned to stone. Around it there is two massive burrow marks in the ground and forming from those burrow marks, you see that the snow above seems to have melted. "There are stones are strewn around the area and a couple of spots where spiked stone like protrusions are coming from out of the ground."
"Wait... what?" Sam asks insightfully and excuses himself from the pack of kids he's been travelling with.
"I don't... I don't know what this could be. I know nothing about these trees. The bag of acorns was gifted to me before we started our journey and I was just told each would sprout a tree, as we've seen. I never thought there was more too it," Sam explains, trying to think through this.
"But this isn't the first. Or maybe it is, but not the only? The tree in the caves..." Sam is suddenly wracked with an involuntary shiver as he adds "Near the spiders... It too petrified. I kind of wrote it off to the Geonid things. The little rock dudes. Did you see any such near this tree? They didn't seem like they would burrow but..." Sam shakes his head. None of this is making sense to him. But if it happened upon the dried up wasteland Old Thicket had left behind and in the caves he had to wonder if it happened elsewhere...
"Where all did I plant trees?" Sam asks mostly to himself. "There was near the lone tiny fey we found, as a bit of a monument. Then latter, the pile of their tiny bodies as if they had been at war with the Not-Deer. The cave, this one up ahead... That is four." Sam opens the bag the golden acorns are in and does a quick count. He then recounts, visibly using the fingers on his free hand...
"Yeah... I am pretty sure that's all I used so far. We think they've all turned to stone and have... Things with them? The rock dudes in the cave, these burrowing things in the dried out field and so on?"
"The second tree had some sort of sentient gust or wind spirit, not entirely dissimilar to the Genoids. It seems like the trees are connected to different elemental planes," Gewyn says, approaching Vin, Sam, and Elthana. "Let's just hope in dealing with one ancient portal, we haven't sprouted four new ones."
Muir scrunches his brows or where they would be if he had any and flaps his ears in an anxious manner
“I don’t have a good guess as to what the creature might be, but due to the fact that the tree has turned to stone and the only other time that has happened is when the Geonids came through, best guess is that something different came through this time. If these beings are from another plane then they could pose a great risk to the forests ecosystem. An invasive species could be disastrous and these creatures at least need investigating”