OoC - no worries on the stuttering, I had Jorin not address it as a show of respect rather than a player commentary on the typing.

A look of concern crosses Jorin's face, "You have not heard from your elder in some time, and she is in the forest where the wolves are?  That does not bode well."

He turns to the group, "Seems like we should make Tarthwood our next stop and check in on this druid."

He then turns back to Brython and with a smile says, "Do not worry about us, we have cut the threads of wolves before.  Oh, but would you draw us a map of where we might find Ilyneth in the wood?"

Brython brightens up at the offer to check in on his mentor, but then gets fearful again at the mention of going into Tarthwood.

Brython goes into his cottage and comes out with a potion of healing, which is his gift for the group if they will check on Llyneth. (Someone decide who adds it to their inventory.)

While Brython will not go into Tarthwood, he is willing to give the party a ride in his Celtic-style chariot to the wood's edge. (It is big enough for 6.) Instead of a 2-3 hour march across unfamiliar territory, you would get there in an hour.

OOC > Quillary who has healing and temp hps should not hold the potion

Quillary has been checking on the animals. "Are these creatures well? They look poorly."

Brython confirms that the goats recently came down with an illness, which is why he was tending them when the party arrived. But it is only a minor sickness, so it will not be a burden to take the time to ferry the party to the forest.

Normally he uses the goats to pull his chariot, but since they are weakened he will have to use cats. Looking at the cottage, you can see 8 housecats in the windows and running along the porch.

(OoC: If you remember Norse mythology, Thor used his magic goats for transport, and Freya had a chariot pulled by cats. The module doesn't say what Brython used.)

OOC: Hildigrim already has a potion of healing and a healer's kit, so I'd say Jorin or Pascal should get the potion.

Hildigrim unrolls the piece of parchment he took from the guard's station and reminds the group of the prophecy: "An eye turns in the mist as dark blood boils and churns. Vengeance and rippling death will quake through the noblest fey. Endless shadows will howl as reality unbinds, crying to the darkness that waits in veiled lands." He rolls it up again. "To the Tarthwood we venture," Hildigrim agrees.

Along the way, Hildigrim will ask Brython about the Earthmother.

I have Mage Hand, so that might be useful!

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

Along the way, Hildigrim will ask Brython about the Earthmother.

While your group was wondering how 8 house cats were going to pull a Celtic chariot with 6 people, Brython disappears into his barn. There is loud roaring inside. He drives his chariot next to your group, with 4 tigers pulling it.

Brython’s chariot devours the miles between his home and the Tarthwood. The open moorland is perfect terrain for the chariot, and Brython likes going fast. He doesn't use the tigers often, and even he is having trouble keeping them under control. Hildigrim is a bit nervous about this ride, and asks about the Earthmother to make small talk. Brython repeats what he said earlier about the Earthmother being a primal spirit, somewhere between a god and a force of nature. ( Wiki link for Primal Spirit.)

 The warm sunshine of yesterday is a memory. The weather becomes chillier, overcast with occasional drizzling rain. When you reach the edge of the forest, the terrain slopes down, and the foliage becomes denser until it becomes thick forest. Mist stubbornly lingers in the hollows. Only dim lighting reaches the ground through the thick trees.

You can see a small hunter’s path winding its way into the forest. Brython tells the party that the Eye in the Mist can be found in a dell at the center of the forest. All the paths in the forest lead to the moonwell, including the one here. If they keep going downhill, they’ll find it.

Brython will leave a message with some of the woodland animals, before he returns to his farm. When the party returns from the forest later, some of the birds will inform him. At that time, he will bring his chariot back along this same route that he took to get here, to give the party a ride and to hear what you have discovered.

(Still need a decision who gets the potion of healing. State whether the party follows the path or does something else, the single-file order, and if any special actions will be done while marching into the forest.)

OOC > Potion to Pascal.

”Our path is clear, to us as to our enemy. We should go quietly,” Quillary says. “How far is it, Brython? Do you know?”

Once the party is ready to head down the path:

"If you carry me, friend," Hildigrim says to Jorin, "I can send Volo forth while seeing through his eyes and listening with his ears. That way, we can know what is ahead."

If the group is obliged (hiding the rolls so they doesn't sway anyone's decision):

Brython replies to Quillary: "I can follow shortcuts and a direct route. I'm familiar with the forest. A little over 2 hours for me... This trail winds around, but you won't get lost. I'd say about 3-4 hours for you."

(OoC:  Pascal - Add a potion of healing to your inventory)

Jorin stoops down and scoops Hildigrim up on his shoulders.

He begins down the path, then turns back to Brython, "Perhaps you could send one of your animals to Ilyneth to let her know we are coming?"

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

He begins down the path, then turns back to Brython, "Perhaps you could send one of your animals to Ilyneth to let her know we are coming?"

If Brynthon could do that, he would have already done it during the past month. Brython is only communicating with the animals outside the forest.

When he said he has been inside the forest before, that was some time ago, before the Black Bloods moved in and started prowling.

"We should be there before nightfall, but I would appreciate some scouting ahead," Quillary nods at Hildigrim and Volo.

The forest becomes creepier as the party ventures deeper into the woods. Knotholes seem to be watching the party as they walk through the forest.

Hildigrim being (voluntarily) blind and deaf is also going to take some getting used to.

After an hour, you notice something distinctive. Ahead of you near the path, 60' away, you see some sort of figure either floating above the forest floor or beneath a tree branch. It’s humanoid, but you can’t make out any more about it because of the mist.

For Hildigrim only:

Quillary looks at Hildi, realizes he can’t see her, and asks quietly, “What does the little owl see?”  She doesn’t know if he can hear her. 

OOC: So, if Hildigrim is deaf while using the eyes and ears of Volo, that means he can't even hear his own voice vibrating in his head, right? So, he would have no idea how loud he was being. And if he wasn't expecting this, wouldn't it make sense that he would increase the volume of his voice more and more as he tried to make his voice work, thinking he wasn't making any sound?

Hildigrim says in just above a whisper, "There's wolves —". A little louder, "There's wolves —". A little louder than normal volume, "There's wolves —". Now shouting, "There's wolves!" He suddenly shakes, blinking rapidly and squirming a little, looking around. "My voice ... why can't I —". He stops, one hand grasping the front of his throat. As he realizes his voice was working, he looks confused. "What ... ?" With wide eyes of sudden realization, he gasps, "Volo!" in a stage whisper. His eyes are blank again.

He makes sure Volo is still safe and then instructs the owl to keep an eye on the wolves — to stay out of harm's way, but to not lose sight of them.

Then he's back. "Sorry. I need to practice this new skill. There are three wolves up ahead. They appear to be more intelligent than standard canines. One is quite large. I don't think we'll be able to see them from the trail until they're upon us. Volo can see them, which means I'll be able to see them if I'm looking through his eyes again, but it's hard to communicate with you when I can't hear my own voice. Anyway, that ... thing ... up there is some kind of macabre scarecrow made out of deer bones. They're a short distance past that." He looks up at Jorin. "I imagine it will be problematic engaging while carrying me. Perhaps I should stay back here. I can watch through Volo, and when I need to give a signal, I can do so using my new message spell. Or," he says with a slight shrug, "we can try to go around, but they know we're here. They might give chase if we try to circumvent them."

Quillary smiles as she looks ahead to the “scarecrow.” “Only three? That is a small pack. How far away are they? The big one will be trouble, but the little ones will have to be dealt with lest they harry us from the sides.”

(OOC: If Hildigrim wants to stay in his own head, he will still get telepathic messages from Volo. The spirit may look like an owl, but it is not a bird-brain. Hildigrim would get basic information like if the wolves moved to a different hiding place, or if they have started to attack.)

"When I was a boy, before going into the Hall, I was on a hunt with my father in the snowy mountains.  We were tracking a snow tiger that had been preying on our herds.  Had found its den and believed it to be inside.  That was when the snow tiger lept out from a rocky outcropping behind us.  The snow tiger must have seen our approach and laid in wait.   Two men were killed before knew what was happening."

Jorin nods towards the path, "The wolves think they know where we are, but yet, let us be as the snow tiger and attack from an unexpected angle.  We could take a wide arc off the path, using the scarecrow as a beacon and launch out attack from beside them."

"I am not sure that 'off the path' is advisable in these woods," Quillary says. "But I like the way you are thinking. I can make us one with the gloom, and deaden our approach, as I did the last time we encountered the moon-touched."