The Dragonborn relaxed a bit upon hearing the Wisp's voice. "Afraid? No, we're not afraid." Aracynth replied calmly. At least he wasn't afraid; the spirits seemed peaceful enough, so the presumption of fear made him leery. "Is there need for us to be afraid? I'm unsure what we are to understand, though we do indeed seek. We are looking for a braided root, Mane's Braid, at the behest of the Duke Armitage of Cloverdown. He said it lay near the base of Ysmir's Rest. Does Ysmir's Rest lay down the path of the fork?" Aracynth gestures to the south-east path, listening intently for the truth of the spirit's words. 

Insight : 21

Tharin had never put much stock in the words of the dead. They didn't have much to lose if they lied. He wanted to find the root and get out of the forest as soon as possible. It was clear his kin were not around these parts of the Huntsman's Dream, and he would much rather see an elf than a spirit.

"Just the root is all we need. Then we can leave you in peace."

Persuasion 14

The wisp in front of you flits rapidly up and down and begins chiming more loudly. The sound goes from a gentle wind chime and pleasant clinking to a bell tolling off in the distance and you all swear you could hear a group of children laughing cut short...  All four of you can see it flit in and out of view in place, as if a candlelight is wicking in and out of existence from a gust of wind, but only Aracynth and Tharin can understand what it is saying:

 The light zips to a height of about 35' off the ground, zooms toward the water and apparently pops out of existence. The other two wisps are still floating slowly about in circles or patterns to the northeast and southeast. The southeast wisp is not in front of the path leading out of the forest, but near the clearing to its left. The northeast wisp is alternating between the northern most pond and the clearing beside it, blinking in and out of existence in the trees between them.

"Hmm, well so much for that..." Aracynth frowned as looked over to Tharin. "It's probably best we leave the other two poor souls in peace." The Dragonborn turned away from the now vacant pond and proceeded towards the pathway to the fork. "Tharin has a point, and the afternoon is waning. Let's go, everyone."

"Well?" Asked Fizzbang, "What did it say? I'd rather not blindly follow the words of some necromantic ball of light if I don't have to!" Fizzbang looks around the woods, particularly at the declining sun. "But I'd also rather not be bumbling around out here come nightfall. Lead on good scaly-man! Lead on!"

Aracynth recounted the Wisp's words to Fizzbang and Kynortas as they walked. "It first asked if were afraid and what we were here for, in a beautiful whisper. Hence, even though they were undead, the Wisp's seemed more like lost souls, instead of malicious spirits. However, Tharin's remarks seem to set the spirit off. It began shrieking about it's own woes, how it has been here since the Dusk Wars, and that all this region was once theirs, and that how was taken from them." Aracynth sighed. "It then flew off as you saw, clearly distraught by our words. Rather then leave the other two spirits similarly distraught, it seemed best that we should just move on." 

As they travelled deeper into the forest, Aracynth kept his focus on maintaining their bearings. 

Perception : 12

Survival : 3

As you head toward the Fork, you pass around the pond and pass the southwest clearing. The Will-o'-Wisp there is chiming quietly and floating about. It winks out of existence when you near it and the chiming stops abruptly. Almost to the path now, you notice the birds and forest animals are suddenly more quiet. The wind has completely vanished, and the sun is just beginning to set, casting long shadows that you swear have moved unnaturally as you look away. Please make perception checks (Aracynth I have counted yours already) as you are now all at the entrance to the Fork Road at the southern edge of the forest.

Perception 17

Perception: 13

Perception: 9

From the shadows to your left, presumably from the clearing you passed, 3 figures slowly trudge toward you... A deep chill and the sound of rattling can be heard from their direction as the figures push through the underbrush. The shadows move erratically and seem to spasm with some power just as the figures crest into the clearing. Three skeletal figures stalk toward you, their eye sockets housing glowing red orbs of energy... two are significantly larger than the first, but each heft weapons and their risen heads chatter in your direction! The smallest set of bones stays back a bit and its arms jerkily draw a short bow, but the two larger ones move further. One appears to be an ancient warrior still mounted on the bones of a large horse, the other is some form of abomination as it has the skeletal structure of a humanoid, but its skull is that of a bull... it menaces a huge bladed weapon in a two hand grip...

Please roll initiative and either an arcana or religion check to determine what exactly you are looking at!

As the skeletal abominations broke from the underbrush, Aracynth recoiled slightly in revulsion before drawing his greatsword.

Initiative : 14

"Divine Bahamut," he intoned solemnly, "what monstrosities are these?" 

Religion : 6

"Damned undead. Re-dead? They're certainly not alive. I think. Let's hope they don't like arrows in any case."

Initiative 15

“No, Fizzbang, we’ll go back into the woods, Fizzbang. Definitely nothing will try to feast on your flesh or devour your soul, Fizzbang.” 

Initiative: 4

arcana: 12

Kynortas didn't recoil. He blinked as the red from the glowing eyes in front of him spurred a flash of memory. Cold, unending, calculated fury coursed through his muscles and before he could think readied him for action. 

Initiative: 16

As he readied Kynortas quickly searched his mind for any information, any briefings or experience as to what these things were that he was about to destroy.

Arcana: 19

Aracynth's survival skills remind him that being at the edge of the forest... the Fork will likely lead you back out onto the roads proper. South may not be the correct direction for your current quest.

The three (or really, 4) undead before you are undead skeletal warriors. The one standing back slightly hanging by the edge of the forest is a simple raised skeletal archer. The mounted skeletal warrior is just that, a skeleton warrior on his undead steed, both raised from the grave by some necromantic force. The third is unlike most beings you've encountered thus far. It is another undead skeletal warrior, but if a minotaur were to be killed, decomposed, and raised... it would look quite a bit like this. From what you can guess they appear to be tough, but brittle, and since there is no flesh poison probably won't be of much use...

The skeletal mount stomps its hooves and clatters loudly, as the bull-headed skeleton raises its huge axe above its head, throws back its skull, and its jaw drops in a silent scream. Lowering its head once again, horns menacingly bared, they prepare to attack...

Kynortas, you're up first! Then Tharin! Skelingtons are after, then Fizzbang and Aracynth in the rear. I will interject periodically to describe things as that seems to work better than possibly swinging at already dead monsters (should that happen).

"I WILL CRUSH YOU!" As Kynortas warcry sounds he stows his spear while charging forward. Skeletons have no flesh to pierce. He will crush their bones with his bare hands. Charging toward the mounted enemy he uses his momentum to grab the leg of the warrior to drag him from his mount and wrest him to the ground. There Kynortas would pummel him into nothing more than the dust from once he came.

Strength: 14 

Unarmed Strike: Attack: 12 Damage: 4

Tharin takes aim at the minotaur skeleton and lets an arrow fly.

Attack: 11 Damage: 6

"Fizz, mind taking care of the archer? I don't know if I can take it out from here."

As the suddenly animated human rushes the recently animated dead the skeletal war horse rears, not expecting a frontal charge. As this happens Kynortas rips the warrior from his mount, slamming him to the ground with such force that the bones rattle and clang against the ancient armor it wears. Bashing his fists against any open bone he can find, Kynortas swings without abandon. The blunt force actually seems to have great effect! The skeletal warrior looks a bit worse for wear, some bones are cracked and he is prone, but the eyes still burn brightly.

The bull-headed skeleton's shoulder jerks slightly as an arrow snaps against it. Still sticking from the collar bone on its right side, the skeleton turns its massive head toward Tharin, eyes blazing.

The limbs and heads of the various undead now jerkily make their movements, creaking bones and clanking armor clack and twang as they move to strike. 

The prone skeleton Kynortas threw to the ground stands up and strikes at him with his sword! As he draws his short sword back Kynortas sees the drastically telegraphed motion and sidesteps away from it, unharmed.

The minotaur skeleton turns its attention to its side and brings the axe down on the furious human! Luckily the massive weapon clangs off Kynortas' shield as he had enough forethought to leave it on before attacking bare-fisted!

The war horse, now relieved of its rider, rears up and attempts to slam its hooves down on Kynortas as well! As they come crashing down with time-hardened force, they catch Kynortas in his unshielded shoulder, smashing against him for 13 damage!

The archer attempts to strike at its opposing sharpshooter, hoping to be the only range on the field. It creakily draws back its bow and Tharin's side blossoms into pain as an arrow finds purchase among his armor for 5 damage!

Fizz? Seriously? Fizz? Not Fizzbang the Magnificent? Or even Fizzbang the Exemplary? Those rolled of the tongue well enough!

"Heinous undead archer, right, you got it!"

Fizzbang casts Magic Missile at the undead archer! 9 damage