Meanwhile, in the Westwoods...

"I am fine," the Prince says. "I am just...not very happy with the idea of returning home after such a complete failure of my mission. Though I suppose it is thanks to you and your companions that I will be returning at all, so I have little grounds for complaint."

"All right," says the High Druid.  "Let's get some more people on their feet."  Pereth, the younger druid, stops him from going out in the rain again and sends the two guards, who haul in three farmers. "Do we have any stew left over for them?  we do?  Good, let's get to work, then."

So that Del can understand the Greater Restoration scrolls better, Master Talos walks him through the mechanics of the spell as he revives the three. The three revived farmers are also a bit befuddled, but impressed by the presence of their High Druid, and comforted by Meevis, Fithel, and the other farmers who were revived earlier, they don't shed too many tears for 'poor Mister Barleyman' before the remains of the charm spell start to wane.

"I think that's all I can manage for today," says the High Druid with a yawn. "Traveling is so exhausting, and rain is tiring as well. I think I will just sit by the fire and relax for a minute or two."  Within seconds he is snoring like a rockslide.

Quentin smiles and says, "We'd...umm....well....we'd have to talk to everyone but I wouldn't be opposed to you joining us for more. I..ummm...well I would love to talk to and get to know you more." 

Having learned something about the higher level magics - and more from hearing  the resonances in the weave than from being told the mechanics (what am I, a wizard? no, Master Talos is a good teacher, and I would not have been able to hear without first hearing what to listen for ) Del retreats to a corner of the same room very absorbed in the crwth ((it is a long attunement process))

"I would be pleased to spend more time with you as well," says the prince to Quentin with a sigh.  "But if I've been ordered to accompany Master Talos home, then I should do it.  Perhaps I can arrange to rejoin you later, with my father's blessing. At the very least, I will do what I can to stay in touch."

((Does anyone have anything else they want to do in the afternoon?  The High Druid should be awake to look at those wood strips in an hour or so.))

Raven is just going out to spend time with the foals and Rose, while attuning to the stone.

Unsurprisingly Quentin spends a lot of time with the Prince unless someone else wishes to speak to him. He’ll also take an hour of downtime to resummon Henry. 

Besides showing the High Druid the wood strips, and pestering him with questions about the possible magic behind them, Elwin will try to:

 - Assist (and watch) any further restorations of crystallized-folks
 - Attune to his new boots
 - Survey the current property from the air
 - Examine the inside of our dungeon while flying (to see if we missed anything from the ground--I don't expect anything, personally)
 - Put some equipment, and some gold, into Oroman's saddlebags

Not necessarily all in that exact order.

((You don't find anything new in the dungeon.))

Once the High Druid awakens from his nap, he examines the slips of wood with a troubled expression.  "I really have no idea what spells have been used to create the portals you have described," he says. "I rely on the plants of the forests to carry me where I wish to go, and have no need or knowledge of such mechanical artifices.  But I think I can tell you where the wood is from."

He holds up the brightly colored strips of wood. "In the feywild, in one of the great forests, there is a tree known as the Everlost tree, guarded by a powerful clan of Firbolg and their friends. It is as large and magical as the Great Pixie Tree ever was, though of course in the plane of Twilight, such trees are not so unique and remarkable as they are here."

Holding up the grey strips of wood, he says, "There is a great and mighty tree in the Shadowfell known as the Twisted Tree. It is a roost of ravens, and the center of a place considered sacred to the followers of the Raven Queen, and I can't imagine that the Shadar-Kai who guard it would allow any such wood harvesting to take place."

"And these trouble me the most of all," he says, holding the normal-looking wood strips. "I am entirely certain that these bits of wood were harvested from the Great Pixie Tree itself.  Everything above the ground was burned away last year, and a powerful association of druids and magicians guard the site jealously, and allow nobody to approach their rituals of restoration.  Unless these were harvested in past times, before the burning of the tree, I can't imagine how they were acquired. You should treasure them...it seems unlikely that any such wood from the tree will ever be harvested again, or at least not unless the restoration ritual is successful, and that is likely to take centuries."

"Perhaps, once you have delivered your message to the Hall of Courts, you could try to investigate the Pixie Tree," he suggests. "It is fairly close.  You might have trouble convincing the Restorers to let you onto the grounds, but if not, you could make some inquiries in the gnome city of Yonpinagel nearby. Any funny business going on in the area is sure to involve the city.  You also have the option of heading right away to the Feywild or the Shadowfell.  I could take you right to the trees, it's been ages since I did any adventuring.  Probably about time to get out and about again."

"No!" says Pereth the attendant, and he is joined in this protest by the two guards and Prince Lintelér, and even the farmers look shocked.

"You are FAR too old to take any such risky journeys, Master," Pereth scolds.

"The kingdom of Lomalos simply can't spare you," the Prince adds. "Especially with your successor Edeleth still out in Dwarf country fighting the Red Dragonborn clans. You would leave our land without a High Druid, and leave the sacred Naranda tree without any interlocuter."

Pereth suddenly looks intensely interested and says, "Well....I suppose in such a case, if someone were truly needed to step in and take the office, I could always--"

"Oh, bah!" says the High Druid. "I was adventuring before either of you infants were born, and I can do it again. I would argue with you, but I feel another nap coming on." The old elf stomps away to drop on the couch in front of the fire. As he curls up in a blanket, he mutters, "I suppose, if you went to Kalaine and found the wizard Zanderfell, he could send you wherever you liked. If you could find him."

After a few minutes of silence from the couch, Lintelér leans over to Quentin and whispers, "He is absolutely NOT going with you."

"I heard that," comes a mutter from the couch, just before the snoring starts again.

Quentin chuckles at the antics and says, “No problem. I could ask Zanderfell. He’s been visiting me lately. Helped me decipher that book you gave me.”

"Oh, good," says the prince. "I took that from the castle library out of curiosity, since it was unlike any spellbook I had seen before, and I was unable to make heads or tails of it. I am glad you were able to make more of it than I. Zanderfell has been speaking to you, you say?  That is almost unheard of. He must see great potential in your abilities."

Quentin blushes some saying, “I guess.” Obviously embarrassed at the compliment before saying, “Should you return it to the library?”

"I suppose I could, if you are completely finished with it," Lintelér says. "Nobody has studied it for ages, and it is unlikely anyone will come looking for it soon. If you still have need of it, you may keep it as long as you like, of course, and bring it back when you are finished.  Perhaps I would rather you had a reason to return to the castle..."

Quentin blushes some and says, “I’ll....I’ll hold onto it. There are still a couple chapters I have left to read. Though....perhaps I could share what I did learn with you in private since....well....well you were the original one to check out the book.”

"Do be careful, Quentin," says Lintelér with a mischievous glint in his eye. "The last time you asked to study alone with me, we had a...misunderstanding. But yes, I would be very interested in hearing your insights into this strange magic.  Though I imagine I won't understand above half of it."

Quentin nervously chuckles before saying, “Well....umm....hopefully I’ll....I’ll be able to explain everything a little better this time so there’s no misunderstanding.”

Sometime in the waking minutes, Del will explain his vision of the small folk mining wood, and how the farmers reported the leaders taking the new captive children to someplace called "the splinters"

The high druid listens to Del and says, "All the more reason for someone to investigate. I do urge you to do so as soon as we have finished here."

The rest of the day and the night pass without incident.  In the morning, the High Druid frees another five farmers, and after another nap, goes on a little walk around the farm with his  bodyguards to 'get to know your trees better."

(The rain has stopped, and a light mist hangs over everything.)

Raven stays with the druid as he walks around the property, wanting to act as a host, to some extent anyway, while the druid is there.  She would answer any questions the druid has about the property, but would otherwise just be interested in what the trees had to say.

Over the rest of yesterday, the evening, and this morning Del gets attuned to the old crwth. I guess now he's a crythor. Her name is Ziia he will tell everyone ad nauseum After the Dryad who made her out of her own dying tree He's playing a bunch of tunes like this and he walks with the High Druid if allowed, in order to get used to being able to Speak with Plants

 You spend the morning on a pleasant tour of the Blackblade grounds and farm.  Del finds it interesting to communicate with plants for the first time.  All the farm trees seem content and relaxed, if not too bright. They mainly converse about how much rain there's been, how much sun they might expect today, and the fruit trees brag about how many apples, pears and mulberries they plan to produce this year.

Once you get to the trees bordering the nearby swamps, though, the trees are in communication with each other through the complex root system of the forest, and the ideas are more sophisticated as well. Around noon, you learn that 'walking brambles' are disturbing the peace of the forest to the southeast, and that the master of the farm, Raven's father, is in deep trouble. The trees wonder if he will make it back, and if not, worry about how their lives might change with a new landowner, who might want to clear more farmland.

Meanwhile, back at the manor house, Mindartis rides up on Caizana!  Looking slightly chewed-on.