"Halt!" A stern but flute like voice calls out from ahead.  Stepping through the trees is a wooden man, more akin to a wizard's appearance than a traditional wyrwood.  His form includes soft wooden billowing robes, a wizard's wand, and even a long pointed white beard.  "Squirreling, I demand to know why you brought these invaders into our forest!?"

"Woah" The squirreling would say holding out his hands before leaping from his bugbear perch to the path below him. "We are ALL friends here... we have been tasked by the gods to put an end to the damage being done to the forest to the north.." Kip will say holding one small clawed hand out towards the wizard while motioning to himself and the others with his other hand. "As a squirreling, I would nwver sit by and allow our forest... excuse me.... our home" Kip would say locking eyes (if possible) with the wyrwood "to be threatened by anyone or anything.. and my alies...  our allies here.. are going to help us with this task" 

The wyrwood looks confused and startled; "We asked the aid of the squirrelings because they know the rules of Tytan Forest.  How would these vile creatures and their war with nature aid in saving our forest?"

"They are both powerful in their own ways.... If there is a creature causing this corruption, we can use their unique talents to defeat the creature and restore the forest to the way it used to be." The squirreling will say. "Our gods have sent us on a mission that we believe involves saving this forest... once our task is complete we will return from where we came."  He says with a smile while holding his fluffy tail in his hands now. 

(Kip, make a persuasion check; with advantage.)

Kip persuasion 10

Confused but willing to agree with the situation, the wyrwood says; "Then I guess it falls on me to show you the way." He turns instantly and begins to walk away without another word spoken.

Penris leans over Vanyel's head and whispers to Kip.  "He seems perfectly nice, I don't know why you don't like them." 

"Oh, this wyrwood is very nice indeed.. most of them are great" He says very matter of fact. "It is just Bubug that is awful and just... the worst... I mean really just a terrible creature" The squirreling says with a look of disgust. "I have no idea what Hope sees in that creature" he says quietly to himself...

"I can hear you." Hope's voice says from your stone.  "Bubug is actually really nice... I think.  He's new to us too; but he should be nice... probably." 

The wyrwood stops and spins around quickly; "Who said that!  Reveal yourself now!!"

Penris quickly speaks up.  "Oh, don't worry, cute little wyrwood! It was only Hope speaking.  She's just helping us to fix whatever is wrong with the forest."  She suddenly frowns.  "What is wrong with the forest?  Is it sick?  Have trees or animals been dying?"  She gasps.  "None of the squirrelings have gotten ill, have they?"  She looks over at Kip, horrified. 

"Hope?  Who, or what is Hope?"  You think the wyrwood may be angry, but it's hard to tell since the carved image of his face is that of an angry old wizard.

"You don't know who Hope is?" Kip says with a look of shock across his face. "Hope is a powerful goddess. She created me to for a purpose of great importance." He says with confidence as his tail swishes high above his head. "She is the warm embrace from a loved one when you are feeling sad and she is the rays of sunlight piercing through the fog to warm and nurture the forest!" he exclaims as he spins around gesturing to the forest around him. Pausing a moment he will pull his stone out of his leather vest. "She gave me this stone... we all have them.. they allow us to communicate with our gods" He says holding the pebble in his claws.

Vanyel stands there uncomfortably, knowing the racial prejudice between the wooden creatures and his kind. He kept a careful eye out for aggression so he could act as quickly as possible. 

Penris looks at the wyrwood, suddenly worried for Vanyel.  "It doesn't matter, she isn't really here, but we are, and we are here to help, so can you just lead the way, please?"  She puts on her best innocent face and flutters her eyelashes at the wyrwood.  "The sooner you lead us to where we are going, the sooner we can fix whatever it is wrong, right?  So - lead on, brave wyrwood!"

The wyrwood pauses for a moment.  "You are lucky; our creators weren't warm."  He turns and starts heading back north.

Penris lets out a sigh as the wyrwood turns and heads back north.  "Whew! That was close - I thought he was going to get mean there for a second!" she says, grinning at Kip.

"Every wyrwood I have ever met has been nice... except for Bubug, he is just the worst. He might not even be a real wyrwood now that I think about it.. he might actually be a goblin in a wyrwood costume! that would make total sense!" Kip would say with a wide eyed look. 

Penris tilted her head to the side, considering Kip's words.  She pursed her lips in thought and said, "Do you think Bubug is a goblin, Vanyel?  He seems nice enough - maybe he's just on edge because of whatever is going wrong up north, Kip."

Vanyel grunts in digust, "All those wooden abominations attack me for no reason. They are all evil from my thinking."