Mola looks at Rixton, slaps the palm of his hand on his forehead in a “should have thought of that!” gesture, and claps the roguish monk on the shoulder in silent support.
"Around the Grandfather Tree are two rings of raised earth. Beneath the outer ring are buried the bones of the Tree Ghosts. Many strong oaks, none as large as the Grandfather Tree, are there. All of them are good trees.
You have said there might be trouble, and there is need of balance. But the trouble and lack of balance is among the children of flesh and bone it seems. The trees are not troubled. The High Forest is balanced. None threaten it. And that is all I ask of you, Rixton. Remove from the forest what troubles you, but do not harm the trees.
Looking at Jheric, Dendros continues, "Yes, you have spoken. I know much of this forest and know the name of every tree. You seek a guide? The Grandfather Tree is four suns in that direction," he points to the southwest with an enormous limb of an arm.
Then point east, he says,"Ascalhorn stands there. A walk of seven suns."
Dendros agrees to guide the party to whichever destination they select, for he explains that he has not spoken to the trees in those places in a very long time and would use this opportunity to do so. The treant wishes the party to understand that he will not involve himself in any troubles between the party and the Tree Ghosts.
Rixtonfrowns as he looks southwest. "How did we overshoot the grandfather tree by so much?" he says. "We should probably investigate it before traveling further east, though."
Aralea nods her head in agreement with Rixton. "Yes, we have indeed missed the mark. The fog has been no help."
When the wood elf finishes her remark, Dendros says, "You have spoken, elf. Your face I did not remember, but your voice is clear in my mind. I heard it many suns ago, did I not? At Shadowtop Cathedral?"
Aralea responds, haltingly, "Uh...yes..Dendros. That is true."
The look on her face speaks volume. The treant just brought something to light that Aralea had hoped to keep hidden, for it is common knowledge that Shadowtop Cathedral, which stands in the western part of the High Forest, is a place of significance to members of the Emerald Enclave. What is not common knowledge, however, is the identity of those who gather there.
"Further evidence that we mean no harm to the High Forest," Rixton says quickly. "The Emerald Enclave would not send someone such as Aralea with us if we had ill-intentions."
It would be an honor to have you as our guide, Dendros.I agree with Rixton, we should (and with this Gwin begins to softly chuckle) make like a tree and leave....southwest.
And leaning into Aralea Gwin says quietly Do not concern yourself over secrets, friend. We all have them and yours are safe with us.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Aralea glances at Rixtonand nods to him in a gesture of gratitude.
Dendros continues, "The greatness of this matter is now made known, for the Enclave sends one of its own into the heart of the High Forest to help...to help..."
The treant pauses, attempting to understand the link between Aralea and the rest of the group's members. "...to help whom? Who are you if you are not part of the Enclave? Nevermind. Who am I to ask such things? We can talk as we make our way to the Grandfather Tree."
Without any warning, Dendros turns and begins striding through the forest, apparently expecting the group to follow. For a creature so large, he is surprisingly good at making his way through the dense terrain.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
For the next two days, Dendros leads the group through the High Forest, never once pausing to determine the correctness of his path. Speaking only when spoken to, the sound of his giant root-like feet thudding against the forest floor is the only sound he makes. As dusk approaches at the end of day two, Dendros leads the group into a small clearing in the middle of which stands a circular stone tower, roughly 40' in height and 50' in diameter.
"Do you know this place, Dendros?" asks Aralea.
"If it has a name, I do not know it," he replies. "I call it the tower of lights, for whenever I have passed it, a faint orange light comes from within."
Dendros leads the group to the north side of the windowless tower where a door stands open. As promised, a dim yellowish-orange light pours forth.
"You see how I cannot pass through the door, for it is small."
The tower is made entirely of stone, has no windows, and, although it is clearly quite old, is in good condition. It stands in the midst of clearing, the nearest trees within 30'.
"If you are curious to know, Dendros, I will go inside to investigate," Rixton says as his eyes brighten at the prospect of a mystery. "But I would ask our wizard to detect any magical traps I might walk into first."
Rixtonwill also edge closer, investigating for any mundane traps.
Investigation: 15 (a second roll if anyone is helping: 13)
And an Arcana check to see if he recognizes any signs of magical warding: 22 (ditto: 21)
Mola does his best as Dendros points to the two locations to look at the compass and judge which direction both are. He’s a bit embarrassed that he managed to get lost given the sureness of the compass’ bearing.
He gives Aralea a kind expression when her cover gets mildly blown. The next day he asks if she wants to talk about it, assuring her that her secret is safe, but telling her he is somewhat familiar with the enclave.
As they near the tower, Mola offers to check out the roof of the tower by turning into a giant spider. Would he be able to fit in the door as a giant spider?
Rixton crosses the stretch of open ground and nears the tower door. He neither sees nor hears anything that suggests a trap or any sort of magical protection.
Molaspider skitters up the side of the tower with ease; the roof is flat and, like the rest of the tower, constructed of stone. A low wall, four feet in height runs the full perimeter of the roof. In the center of the circle is a wooden door, somewhat akin to a trap door, that seemingly leads into the tower when opened.
Molaspider gauges the door of the tower, comparing it with his arachnid body, and is confident he will be able to enter the tower as a giant spider.
As Molaspider passes her to climb the tower, Gwin lays a hand on his cephalothorax. Go withGuidance, dear friend.
Muttering to herself the wee cleric then drops to her knees and begins to trace three concentric circles in the dirt with her right forefinger. Upon completion of the circles Gwin reaches a hand into her cloak and produces a deck of cards emblazoned with the image of Tyr. Within these walls dare we go. Weal or woe? Friend or foe? she repeats over and over again as she methodically lays one card in the center circle, two cards at north and south in the middle circle, and two cards at east and west in the outer circle. To most observers with a bit more than a rudimentary knowledge of spells they'd recognize Gwin was casting Augury.
Mola starts a very rudimentary web across the trap door and elongates it down the side of the tower as he climbs back down and keeps one leg in contact with the web. The hope is to use web sense to know if something opens the trap door.
He then uses one leg tip to draw in the dirt a big circle, and then a small square in the middle. He looks back up at the party and taps at the square, and uses another leg to scratch the front of his cephalothorax, tilting it to one side in a questioning manner.
Rixtonsteps through the tower's open door and makes a quick study of the ground floor. It is completely unfurnished and has two significant features: a large spiral staircase that leads upward to the second level and four large symbols etched into the floor. The symbols are not part of any language or script that Rixton has ever encountered.
The source of the yellowish-orange light seems to have gone up the stairwell; Rixton can see its faint glow coming from above.
Other than the mixed results from Gwin's augury spell, there's been no indication of a hostile presence in the tower. The symbols on the floor are wholly foreign to everyone in the party.
Mola looks at Rixton, slaps the palm of his hand on his forehead in a “should have thought of that!” gesture, and claps the roguish monk on the shoulder in silent support.
"Around the Grandfather Tree are two rings of raised earth. Beneath the outer ring are buried the bones of the Tree Ghosts. Many strong oaks, none as large as the Grandfather Tree, are there. All of them are good trees.
You have said there might be trouble, and there is need of balance. But the trouble and lack of balance is among the children of flesh and bone it seems. The trees are not troubled. The High Forest is balanced. None threaten it. And that is all I ask of you, Rixton. Remove from the forest what troubles you, but do not harm the trees.
Looking at Jheric, Dendros continues, "Yes, you have spoken. I know much of this forest and know the name of every tree. You seek a guide? The Grandfather Tree is four suns in that direction," he points to the southwest with an enormous limb of an arm.
Then point east, he says, "Ascalhorn stands there. A walk of seven suns."
Dendros agrees to guide the party to whichever destination they select, for he explains that he has not spoken to the trees in those places in a very long time and would use this opportunity to do so. The treant wishes the party to understand that he will not involve himself in any troubles between the party and the Tree Ghosts.
Rixton frowns as he looks southwest. "How did we overshoot the grandfather tree by so much?" he says. "We should probably investigate it before traveling further east, though."
Aralea nods her head in agreement with Rixton. "Yes, we have indeed missed the mark. The fog has been no help."
When the wood elf finishes her remark, Dendros says, "You have spoken, elf. Your face I did not remember, but your voice is clear in my mind. I heard it many suns ago, did I not? At Shadowtop Cathedral?"
Aralea responds, haltingly, "Uh...yes..Dendros. That is true."
The look on her face speaks volume. The treant just brought something to light that Aralea had hoped to keep hidden, for it is common knowledge that Shadowtop Cathedral, which stands in the western part of the High Forest, is a place of significance to members of the Emerald Enclave. What is not common knowledge, however, is the identity of those who gather there.
"Further evidence that we mean no harm to the High Forest," Rixton says quickly. "The Emerald Enclave would not send someone such as Aralea with us if we had ill-intentions."
It would be an honor to have you as our guide, Dendros. I agree with Rixton, we should (and with this Gwin begins to softly chuckle) make like a tree and leave....southwest.
And leaning into Aralea Gwin says quietly Do not concern yourself over secrets, friend. We all have them and yours are safe with us.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Aralea glances at Rixton and nods to him in a gesture of gratitude.
Dendros continues, "The greatness of this matter is now made known, for the Enclave sends one of its own into the heart of the High Forest to help...to help..."
The treant pauses, attempting to understand the link between Aralea and the rest of the group's members. "...to help whom? Who are you if you are not part of the Enclave? Nevermind. Who am I to ask such things? We can talk as we make our way to the Grandfather Tree."
Without any warning, Dendros turns and begins striding through the forest, apparently expecting the group to follow. For a creature so large, he is surprisingly good at making his way through the dense terrain.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
For the next two days, Dendros leads the group through the High Forest, never once pausing to determine the correctness of his path. Speaking only when spoken to, the sound of his giant root-like feet thudding against the forest floor is the only sound he makes. As dusk approaches at the end of day two, Dendros leads the group into a small clearing in the middle of which stands a circular stone tower, roughly 40' in height and 50' in diameter.
"Do you know this place, Dendros?" asks Aralea.
"If it has a name, I do not know it," he replies. "I call it the tower of lights, for whenever I have passed it, a faint orange light comes from within."
Dendros leads the group to the north side of the windowless tower where a door stands open. As promised, a dim yellowish-orange light pours forth.
"You see how I cannot pass through the door, for it is small."
The tower is made entirely of stone, has no windows, and, although it is clearly quite old, is in good condition. It stands in the midst of clearing, the nearest trees within 30'.
"If you are curious to know, Dendros, I will go inside to investigate," Rixton says as his eyes brighten at the prospect of a mystery. "But I would ask our wizard to detect any magical traps I might walk into first."
Rixton will also edge closer, investigating for any mundane traps.
Investigation: 15 (a second roll if anyone is helping: 13)
And an Arcana check to see if he recognizes any signs of magical warding: 22 (ditto: 21)
Mola does his best as Dendros points to the two locations to look at the compass and judge which direction both are. He’s a bit embarrassed that he managed to get lost given the sureness of the compass’ bearing.
He gives Aralea a kind expression when her cover gets mildly blown. The next day he asks if she wants to talk about it, assuring her that her secret is safe, but telling her he is somewhat familiar with the enclave.
As they near the tower, Mola offers to check out the roof of the tower by turning into a giant spider. Would he be able to fit in the door as a giant spider?
Rixton crosses the stretch of open ground and nears the tower door. He neither sees nor hears anything that suggests a trap or any sort of magical protection.
Molaspider skitters up the side of the tower with ease; the roof is flat and, like the rest of the tower, constructed of stone. A low wall, four feet in height runs the full perimeter of the roof. In the center of the circle is a wooden door, somewhat akin to a trap door, that seemingly leads into the tower when opened.
Molaspider gauges the door of the tower, comparing it with his arachnid body, and is confident he will be able to enter the tower as a giant spider.
As Molaspider passes her to climb the tower, Gwin lays a hand on his cephalothorax. Go with Guidance, dear friend.
Muttering to herself the wee cleric then drops to her knees and begins to trace three concentric circles in the dirt with her right forefinger. Upon completion of the circles Gwin reaches a hand into her cloak and produces a deck of cards emblazoned with the image of Tyr. Within these walls dare we go. Weal or woe? Friend or foe? she repeats over and over again as she methodically lays one card in the center circle, two cards at north and south in the middle circle, and two cards at east and west in the outer circle. To most observers with a bit more than a rudimentary knowledge of spells they'd recognize Gwin was casting Augury.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Mola starts a very rudimentary web across the trap door and elongates it down the side of the tower as he climbs back down and keeps one leg in contact with the web. The hope is to use web sense to know if something opens the trap door.
He then uses one leg tip to draw in the dirt a big circle, and then a small square in the middle. He looks back up at the party and taps at the square, and uses another leg to scratch the front of his cephalothorax, tilting it to one side in a questioning manner.
Gwin brings her divination spell to an end, awaiting an omen of what is to come. Within a few seconds, she senses both weal and woe within the tower.
Rixton nods at Gwin and, before Jheric can detect any magic, he pulls up the hood of his cloak and steals into the tower as quietly as possible.
Stealth: 18
Molaspider stands ready to enter should Rixton give the word.
Rixton steps through the tower's open door and makes a quick study of the ground floor. It is completely unfurnished and has two significant features: a large spiral staircase that leads upward to the second level and four large symbols etched into the floor. The symbols are not part of any language or script that Rixton has ever encountered.
The source of the yellowish-orange light seems to have gone up the stairwell; Rixton can see its faint glow coming from above.
Gwin will cast Guidance on Rixton as he enters the tower.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
(OOC: we haven't been given the impression this is a hostile person/entity, right? Other than the "woe" part of the weal and woe augury?)
Also does Mola recognize any of the symbols? He speaks primordial and of course druidic.
Other than the mixed results from Gwin's augury spell, there's been no indication of a hostile presence in the tower. The symbols on the floor are wholly foreign to everyone in the party.
Rixton quietly climbs the stairs, saving the mystery of the unusual glyphs for another time.
Stealth: 14