Ethel steps down from the wagon, glowering at these tree-like behemoths.  Seeing Avaria and Ula both ensnared by the roots of these beasts, the draws her walking stick and begins to chant.  She rotates a hand back and forth as she slowly taps her cane upon the ground, the night around her seeming to darken and swirl with unnatural power.  In the air above her, a ghostly form begins to take shape.  

The shape resembles a human man, clothes torn and ragged, with iron manacles hanging from his pale wrists.  He is translucent, as though not entirely here.

"Go," Ethel commands.  "Free the little ones from the grip of those giant things."

summon undead

[You call forth an undead spirit. It manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. This corporeal form uses the Undead Spirit stat block. When you cast the spell, choose the creature’s form: Ghostly, Putrid, or Skeletal. The spirit resembles an undead creature with the chosen form, which determines certain traits in its stat block. The creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.]

With a sorrowful nod, the ghostly figure floats toward the tree-beast holding Ula, and begins pulling at the roots around her [offering the help action to Ula if she attempts to break the grapple].

Marrin canters forward again and looks at the tree grappling Ava and yells,

"Has whatever you use for a brain rotted? Run away!"

Unsettling words: -3 (on the wisdom save)

She then starts to whisper at the tree dissontently.

Dissonant whispers: 10 damage (and flee using reaction) or half damage (DC 16 Wisdom save)

"میرے لیے مرو", Jan cries out, focusing her will on the tree grasping Ula, before flicking her fingers forward, "پتھر کی طرح مارو" and a pair of crackling blasts leap from her fingers towards that tree, the air filling with the scent of pulverized stone.

Attack: 27 Damage: 20 force damage + 5 necrotic damage
Attack: 17 Damage: 5 force damage + 2 necrotic damage

((One hit also has 3 bludgeoning damage stacked too.))

((Hex conferring disadvantage on the tree's STR checks (ie, Athletics  penalty/lowered DC for Ula being grappled?).))

((I think this is the first time the party would have seen Jan releasing two blasts, they are much stronger and impressive seeming than during our escape and time on the ship. She went from 1d10 force + 3 bludgeoning to now doing 1d10+4 force on each, and one of them getting +3 bludgeoning.))

Marrin golf claps for Jan.

"Someone's been practicing."

She is still confident in dealing with this quickly, and wants to convey her confidence with a bit of light mockery (not at all vicious).

 "It's good to be back on solid ground."

The 'tree' holding Avaria shudders as Marrin's whispers reach it. It reacts quickly and backs 30' away from, Marrin and the others. Unfortunately, it drags Avaria with it.

Jan's first blast tears a chunk of trunk out of the 'tree' but unfortunately the second one strikes at the same spot and there's no tree to hit.

Both creatures look roughly equally damaged.

Avaria and Ula remain grappled (the Hex would affect future strength checks by the 'tree' if it attempts to grapple someone else or if it needed to escape a grapple itself. But this grapple has already occurred and the Hex doesn't affect that).

----------------------------

Avaria's up before the rest of the support team.

((By roughly equally damaged, are we talking significantly so, or minor damage? Is Soren, Tas, etc just falling back/securing wagons, or any of them have ability to contribute? Hammer told them to get moving, just wanted to check they had... or are helping. :p ))

((No sign of Soren at the moment, and the wagons are moving off, though slowly. Re trees - medium damage?? Not minor but not on their last legs either))

Avaria cries out as the tree squeezes her, the damage she has taken from this abomination is intense.  Garnering her strength, she breaks out of the grapple (Athletics: 19) then understandably rages from the situation.  

Not wanting to stand there as bait in her current health situation, she runs her 40' back towards the wagon, her ragged breathing coming hard (Due to her eagle totem, AoO are at disadvantage).  

While Avaria is able to break free from the tree, it still manages to clobber her over the shoulder as she moves away - AoO : 26, 28, for 19 bludgeoning (10 after rage resistance, which unfortunately brings Avaria to the ground before she can escape).

Ula flexes and tries to break free from the tree holding on to her but, even with Ethel's ghostly ally, she can't manage to do so and the roots just squeeze harder. Those watching see Ula slump over, apparently having passed out from the pain and damage she's endured.

From the shadows, those conscious hear Soren's voice. He sings a short line in elvish, imbuing both Avaria and Ula with energy (Mass Healing Word for 7 hit points). Ula blinks awake and groans.

At the same time, from those same shadows, an arrow slices through the air but bounces harmlessly off the thick bark of one of the trees.

The tree holding Ula focuses on those nearby and continues towards Jan and Marrin, dragging Ula along for the ride. It swings a large, heavy limb at Marrin on horseback (29 to hit for 21 bludgeoning).

The one near Avaria again reaches out to try and grapple the shifter again (15, 28 to hit - disadvantage from Hex - DC 15 to escape), just managing to wrap Avaria up in its roots. It continues moving back towards the group, covering 30', bringing Avaria along but still 30' behind the other tree.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ethel's up then the rest of the party.

Ethel's lips curl back in a grimace when she sees both Ula and Avaria pinballed back and forth on the edge of death.  

She again taps her cane on the ground.  This time, she points at the tree carrying Ula.  "Antee-astra marcescant et marcescant, Te manet ager fertilis unde renascentia!"

An aura of necromantic energy envelopes both the tree and Ula.  

wither and bloom

Necrotic Damage:  8

Healing for Ula:  1

Ethel will observe the effects of her spell on the tree.

• If the spell appears to work as intended, she will order the ghostly spirit:  "Now!  Attack the tree!  If it will not release the little one, it will perish!"  [Ordering it to Attack the tree.]
• If the creature seems somehow resistant to the necrotic damage, Ethel will instead order:  "Continue!  Harry the tree and help the little one to freedom."  [Ordering it to give the help action to Ula's escape attempt.]

((Ava's tree used its reaction to move away with Marrin's dissonant whispers, and hadn't had a turn yet, so should be unable to make an opportunity attack, yes?))

(Good point. Missed that. Avaria is currently free and didn't take that 10HP hit).

The grass underneath the 'tree' withers and darkens. The creature itself does show some decay on its trunk from the effects of Ethel's spell. And Ula appears to breathe a little easier.

Ethel's ghost then moves in to grasp at the 'tree' (I think it attacks with Chilling Grasp but will need rolls for that).

((Is Jan in melee with the tree that just did a bonk on Marrin?))

(Yes, Jan is within melee range of that tree)

Marrin, more than slightly wobbly in the saddle, straightens and shakes her head yelling,

"How dare you!"

Unsettling words: -8 to the tree's save

She pulls her rapier and readies it as she really starts to hiss and whisper discordantly: 11 damage (DC 16 con save, half damage on save. Uses its reaction if it fails to run away)

If it runs away, Marrin will stab at it, and miss (to hit 11). She'll then make sure she backs her horse up 30'.

((I am guessing that Jan also will get a swing at it, if it runs.))

(Sweet!  Thanks Jan!  Also, did Soren still do the mass healing word so she still got 9 on top of her remaining 10 or not?)

So with Ava's run from the tree, and the trees movement, she is 10' from the one that got her and 20' from the one with Ula?  At least I'm guessing....

First, she throws one of her javelins at the one that had attacked her.  Then in quick succession, she throws a second javelin.  (She had 4, I just removed 2 from her inventory, hopefully she'll get them back!)

Attack 1: 18, Damage: 13
Attack 2: 16, Damage: 11

Running perpendicular to the wagon, further into the woods to keep the trees from going in that direction, but keeping 40' away from them she hopes to stay bait for her tree.  As she runs, she shifts into her more werewolf form, gaining 6 temp hps.

(Yes Soren still did the healing)

Both of Avaria's javelins find purchase in the tree that had so recently being given her a loving hug. While bark is missing and ugly black ichor oozes from the creature, it's still upright and its rough looking mouth looks set in a particularly angry grimace.

(Believe Marrin's Dissonant Whispers require a Wisdom save not Con save)

The tree that still has Ula in a tender embrace recoils as if stung sharply from Marrin's off-putting dissonant whispers. It starts backing up quickly, dragging the hapless dwarf along for the ride.

Marrin stabs out with her rapier as it does, but the combination of strong bark and reckless movent causes her attempt to bounce harmlessly off.

(AoO available to Jan and then Jan's turn).