Damaia adds, "And the stones are racist against tieflings too."

Tri looks at Damaia, a confused look on his face. "You have been complaining about the stone since it first appeared. Are you ill? Perhaps you have something that needs burning away, just like those boils and vines."

He looks down on the indentation again, trying to estimate what size would be of something burrowing in such a hole."Perhaps they are not vines at all, but roots." he muses aloud.

Damaia gives an annoyed response, "Oh so fiendish blood is a disease now." With heavy sarcasm, she adds "Thanks for that. I appreciate your concern."

Triscyne gives a start at her response, and looks up at her in genuine surprise. "What? That's what makes you so upset with the stone? Are you certain?"

Damaia makes a facial expression of a person who has heard a very stupid question. "What? You're telling me that if it hurt for you to even be near the stone, you'd be perfectly okay with trying to find another one?"

Kodiak steps between the two, holding up his hands. "I was merely suggesting it as a way of warding off the vines but if it hurts you to be near them then we do not have to find more. I would like an ally by my side more than I would like a stone."

Damaia says dismissively, "If you ask me, we should just blast anything with vines and avoid the vine-spit ourselves."

(I'm busy with work and supporting family that is effected by the California power grid shutdown sorry I have been a bit sparse.)

The time spent investigation gives way to midmorning. The day is before and you have at least one more day of travel before you get to Spindle Pine. There is a light dusting of snow and the snow falls lightly all around. It's cool but not terribly uncomfortable and the road is slick and a bit muddy from the rainfall the night before.

Damaia addresses the party and says, "So we should get going or do you want to dig up the ground to see if it has vine worms?"

"Let's go find these shadow birds" Duncan says, and starts heading towards their destination.

Damaia watches Duncan walk off towards a random direction and says, "Do you even know where you're going? I think we'd just be better off heading to Spindle Pine."

Kodiak slowly ambles over and climbs into the back of the cart. He keeps a close eye on the sky for any signs of another bird like the one the dragonborn spoke about. 

Perception: 15

As the group starts heading off, Tri walks over to the Dragonborn. "Was this your camp, Dizzik? We can't find any clues here as to what happened, so what do you want to do? Come along with us, or make your way back to town?"

Dizzik will stare at the ground for a long moment. "There is nothing for me in Spindle Pine, fare the well and I am in your debt if ever we meet again." He'll then soberly make his way South down the road.

Cut to the next day's travel. The snow picks up a bit making for a beautiful light dusting on the ground, the forest begins to thicken and you begin to see more and more frequently the twisted pairs of the spindle pines.

2 

The day goes by uneventful until you reach there edge of town. You see smoke rising from the chimneys of around a hundred single homes and two large longhouses in the middle of town. All is eerily quiet for those who've lived in a large city their whole lives.

Duncan will look towards the large longhouses and head towards whichever looks the most like an Inn saying "We should get warm first. Maybe there will be someone we can ask about the troubles over a pint."

Damaia agrees, "I could use some warming up and some ale. Honestly the inn does seem to me like our best bet to get info on these shadow things." Damaia will follow Duncan.

"No pint for me. With my small size, I get drunk a lot faster and well... A drunk wizard is not good. Last time I got drunk I sneezed and.... Well knocked a building over" Dimble looks embarrassed 

"Hah! That'd I'd pay to see! Your first round is definitely on me!" Duncan exclaims, a bit of humor helping to brighten his mood with the cold and quiet

"Oh you younglings. The answer's always Ale. Night falling? Have an ale! Suns coming up? Have an ale. World ending? Have an ale. World saved? Have an ale. Maybe if ye drank a little less ale and spent a little more time stopping the necro-romancers and warlords from getting a foothold, you'd have less worlds to save, but then where would your excuse be to drink all that ale, eh? Eh?" She rattles her staff at the whippersnappers. "Still, be nice to sit by a fire, feel the warmth in my bones one last time before the spindly fingers of death come to take me away in my sleep....." She performs an exaggerated guilt-tripping shiver while hugging herself.