"Oh no this cannot happen. I am Amenia and I need life energy to save the Chiracki tree." She then shakily touches the tree and begins pouring energy into the corrupted portion of the tree. A part of the tree recovers then begins to wilt. It need more life energy. She offers her other hand to the party.

Are you willing to sacrifice your life energy to save this holy tree?

Missing her attempt to tackle the masked figure Aisha stumbles, when the masked figure snaps the branch Aisha feels something break within herself. When the ground rumbles she has no strength to stand and falls to her knees and begins to weep. She barely registers the sound of the breaking chains and is snapped out of her tears watching in awe as the beast rises out of the water, hearing the masked figure taunt this magnificent creature triggers something in Aisha and she grabs a rock from the ground and tries to throw it at the masked figure just as he disappears.

Her tear stained face molded with anger staring at the spot he vanished from is turned to blank as she sees the creature shift into the old woman, slowly standing to watch as she touches the tree. When she asks for life energy and extends her hand Aisha scrambles to her and grasps her hand, "I'll give everything I have for the Chiracki tree."

Kasbis stands and takes Amenia’s hand, willing to help with his life force as well.  “I couldn’t stop him.  I can help with this.”  He reaches deep down, also focusing on the ring on his hand, asking for any help that can be given, willing this tree back to life…

Duncan sighs, thinking to himself, "This damn tree better be worth it." and then walks over to join in with the others, placing his hand upon the tree.

Each of you can feel your life force ebb away from you as it is poured into the tree. With each second that passes the weaker each of you become. The corruption in the tree slowly heals, but the damage may never fully heal. Only time will tell.

Everyone takes a level level of exhaustion

Amenia collapses breathing ragged breaths. "I think it will live. Tell me what happened in town and where is Elder Bruth?"

Aisha glares back at the spot that Baron Brambar vanished from, "That fowl man attacked the town and Elder Bruth, she sent us here to try to stop him. Last we saw her she was injured but stable. He's also damaged the forests in this realm looking for the Chiracki tree." Gesturing to Kasbis and Duncan, "According to these men the Baron is planning to use the wood and some other items to create a crown which will allow him control of his subjects."

Kasbis adds “We destroyed the automatons that were guarding the citizens of the town, they have been freed.  We can find our way back to them.  Also, Ori, a Druid from the town who initially helped us was corrupted by a necklace that we removed, he is waiting for us as well.  One of the operatives for the Baron was left in town, at the gate to the city, and likely has let forces who were sieging the town into the gates by this point.  We’re not sure where to go from here… but we need to stop the Baron.”

Amenia rises to her feet. "I can open a small portal and can someone pick Elder Bruth up and bring her here. It will be safer with Elder Bruth with us here"

She slowly intones a spell and a small portal opens just big enough for a person to go through. There on the floor is Elder Bruth and approaching her is men and women clad in black armor.

What do you do?

There is time for a possible distraction and retrieval of Elder Bruth

Aisha will use Thaumaturgy to burst open as many doors to the sides of the black armor clad individuals mimicking an ambush, "Cover me I'll get her." And she bolts for Elder Bruth to retrieve her.

If it were possible through the portal, Kasbis would throw his last flask of Alchemist fire down the hallway at the men and women in black armor to light them on fire and allow Aisha and Elder Bruth to escape.  

If the described portal is not in a position to do so, he would have his ritually cast unseen servant march down the hall at them to slow them up.

The dark soldiers look around as thaumaturgy takes effect and the odd push from and unseen force gave Aisha just enough time to pick up Elder Bruth and come back into the portal

Amenia closes the portal "Good she still lives now hold on" she transform back into a great scaled beast and coils her tail around the party and flies through the gap in the ceiling and takes her to her home built high into a hillside

Once she lands she says "I have spare rooms on the left, please make her comfortable. I am going to try to find this Ori you spoke of" With that she leaps into the sky and flies away.

An hour passes and Amenia finally returns with little Ori and she shape shifts back into an old women. "Don't worry about the townsfolk I gave them tents and supplies. We should be safe in this demi-plane. Now tell me everything you know I might be able to help'

Aisha gets Elder Bruth to a bed and tends to her wounds Medicine Check: 22 She won't leave her side making sure she is taken care of. When Amenia returns with Ori, Aisha will tend to his wounds as well Medicine Check: 14. She'll stay quiet so she can listen to Kasbis and Duncan's story and hear it more in depth than before.

"We seem to have found ourselves in the middle of something much bigger that we could have imagined," Duncan says, looking to Kas. "We had simply gone to our lands to find a place to live, and perhaps earn a living mining, and how have found that both the gems in our mine, as well as the tree here, are connected into a much larger plot. Yet we also were targeted by assassins before even reaching the mine, leading me to believe that there are other threats that we must consider who want to do us harm regardless of this plot to create an item of power.

Kasbis first says “Greetings Ori, how are you?  Did you see anything else after we left you?”  When he looks at him, he looks him over for any strange looking necklaces or anything else that appears out of place.  Afterwards, he turns his attention to Amenia.  

He nods after Duncan speaks, saying, “It is quite a tale.  It would make for a good book, far fetched, hard to believe, but it is true.  My father Kurta died and it was always felt to be under suspicious circumstances, but nothing could be proven.  My mother Caobis grieved for only one night, then she quickly made plans to sell our estate and move away, quickly involving herself with a suitor.  She left town to head to Riganto, taking the deed to our family home (which was rapidly sold), all of the gold my father earned, and most all of the belongings of the house.  I was promptly kicked out and all I was left with was a patch of scrub land in the Kavic desert.  Which I thought was useless.  Little did I know.”  

“Duncan and I left town and headed to Widoze, coming ashore there and it was clear early on that I was being hunted.  We met with Bishop Brathir who informed me that I was being targeted by Vicount Marish, who he felt was likely the one who had my father killed.  He gave us a little help and knowledge to be able to reach the Kavic desert.  Soon after meeting some other lost souls there” he pauses to look at Duncan, tilting his head, as if to say “Remember the emerald mine?” but he continues his story, saying “we found a hidden, magical secret room, a tiny cave really, that my father had created with the use of magic.  He had all of his journals there, mining information, and this little crystal dog (points to him, wherever he is) led us to the actual mine.  We left Willoughby and his daughter Ellesia Marsenth there working the mine while we sorted everything else out.  You see, the mine is actually a source of Zamaruud Emeralds.  Very valuable.  And in one of my father’s journals, he wrote how Viscount Marish was searching the desert for a Zamaruud Emerald mine.  There was a story of the combination of Zamaruud Emeralds, some wood from the Chiracki tree, mithril, and Fayden stones (I believe it may be a Zalanthi legend..) making a crown with very strong magical properties, such that no one could resist it and he (the Viscount) could enslave the population and bend everyone’s will to his desires.  Kurta uncovered this and made notes in his journal that he was going to speak with a friend of his in the senate, Mathias, about this very problem.  That was the day that he died, and I believe that he was double crossed.  And I’m going to avenge his death.”

Kasbis pauses for a moment and gathers himself, slows his breathing, and has a sip of water.  He begins again, “We made our way to Evenviel Enclave, we heard that it was under siege by a noble named Fen Theodin.  And that the army laying siege to the area was looking for wood from the Chariacki tree.  The coicidence was too much.  We made our way there, rescuing little Ori here.  He lead us through a secret well and underground passage into the Enclave, where we met Elder Bruth.  She sent us on a mission to attack the soldiers who were sieging and destroy their siege equipment and to gather intel.  When we returned, Elder Bruth was near death and all of her guards were murdered.  We discovered that an operative of the Baron had placed a cursed amulet on Ori, turning him against us.  We removed it and he regained his senses.  Right Ori?”  He stops and looks appraisingly at the halfling.  

“Elder Bruth urged us to track down the people of the town who were taken captive, she opened a portal for us.  We attacked and killed the magical armored suits guarding the people from town and released them, then we heard from the Baron that something had been found, it was communicated magically to the armored suits.  We followed.  The Baron took a piece of the tree, I failed to stop him, or to keep him from leaving.  That’s about where you come in.  Thank goodness.  I’m exhausted just recounting the tale.  So… the question remains… what do we do from here?  How do we stop them.  The Viscount and the Baron.  Are they working together?  Any other information that you are aware of?”  Kasbis takes a breath and lets her speak.  

"That is a tale indeed. I think I can help. Well there is one obvious place for Mithril, but surly Viscount Marish would not dare to disrupt Trinity Temple. You see that is where all the gods are revered and there is mithril at the Silver Summit. Once Elder Bruth recovers she can write you a letter vouching for you. That should let you gain entry into Trinity Temple." Says Amenia

With Aisha medical skills both Elder Bruth and Ori are in good condition and she just needs some rest.

"We will need to wait for Elder Bruth to awaken so for now gets some rest and there are plenty of food in the kitchen if you want to cook anything" says Amenia. She then hands each person a pouch containing 200 gp. "This is for all you have done. I cannot thank each of you for your valor. There is a strange creature of a merchant that comes to my courtyard from time to time, let me summon him"

Amenia rings a merchant bell that you have seen before.

A large ornate chest appears in Amenia's courtyard. Then you see the lid open revealing rows of teeth "Welcome to Smigs Emporium is there anything anyone wants to buy or trade?"

Everyone can take a long rest.