The goat charges Heec with its head lowered ready to strike.
Heec takes his readied action as the goat approaches and dives out of the way to the adjacent five foot square
Heec make an Acrobatics check with a DC10 to see if he can remain on his feet or lands prone.
The goat is unable to account for Heecrid diving out of the way and stumbles head first into the web. The web is torn from the tree and covers the goat's horns, face and shoulders. It lets out an enraged snort of billowing steam.
Tae fires a streaming puff of noxious gas at the nearest beetle choking it with poison. It dies almost instantly. The red glands beneath its throat still shine with a bright light.
The beetle nearest the log crawls over to the other beetle that had been flipped over by the goat and manages to flip it over.
Beetle One is 25 feet away from Heec, Beetle Two is 30 feet away.
The beetle fifty feet away takes the Dash action and quickly crawls over to where Heec lands.
Heec flings himself out of the way of the charging ram. He doesn't realize the ground is slick with pebbles and loses his footing, landing in the prone position.
Having some issues down there?
Don't mock me! Take out that ram.
That's okay Mr. "We'll do anything you want, no problem at all!". I'll work on the beetles. You work on the ram.
Heec tries to stand up, but knows both the ram and the beetle will have an attack on him.
Tae attempts another Poison Spray at the beetle 30 yards away, potentially hitting the beetle 25 yards away as well.
Heec easily manages to stand to his feet (using 15 feet of movement) and doesn't provoke any attacks from the creatures surrounding him, much to his dismay or delight, due to some bizarre changes in physics that has seemingly streamlined the universe. He can now finish the remainder of his turn.
Tae uses Poison Spray on the beetle 30 feet away but the beetles hardy exoskeleton prevents it from being affected.
Heec lashes out with Martial Arts against the beetle that is within reach.
Heec rolls a 9 (3+6) and a 16 (10+6). If the first attack does damage, not only would it be a miracle but it would also do 6 damage. If the second attack does damage, it would do 5 damage.
Heec stomps on the beetle closest to him. It seems to flatten a good portion of its carapace but it still clings on to life.
The goat, angered by its reduced vision and the sticky webbing over its horns, face and front, lashes out at the tree-turned-stone that Tae is on. It brings its front hooves down hard on the trunk trying to shake Tae loose.
Tae must succeed on a Strength Check DC10 in order to stay on the tree.
The three beetles converge on Heec, who looks quite the tasty morsel, and attempt to bite him.
Beetle One rolls a 10 for an attack, Beetle Two rolls a 20 (not a critical) for attack and deals 3 slashing damage and Beetle Three rolls a 6.
Tae loses his grip on the tree and lands on the ground in front of the beast. Easy, biggun...
This is turning out to be a bit more than we bargained for...
Heec lashes out with Martial Arts on Beetle One. He rolls a Nat 20 and a 19 (13+6). He deals 16 damage ((4+4)x2) to Beetle One. After it surely dies, he turns his sights on Beetle Three and deals 5 damage (1+4).
Tae aims a Ray of Frost at Beetle Two. He rolls a 14 (10+4). If he deals damage, he'll deal... 1 damage...
Heec easily stomps two of the beetles until they are dead.
Tae turns to the remaining beetle and fires his Ray of Frost. The blue beam hits the beetle and puts a small hole through its carapace and the air around it turns icy effectively slowing it down.
The goat rears back and attempts to bring its hooves down on Tae's chest and pin him to the ground.
Goat attempts a Strength Check to pin Tae and gets an 11. Tae must counter with an Athletics or Acrobatics Check, his choice, to escape the Shove attempt.
The remaining beetle bites at Heec and gets a seven.
Tae manages to dodge the goat's attempt to pin him and starts to climb up the tree again. The goat rams Tae as he is climbing and almost renders him unconscious. Tae kills the last beetle with a Ray of Frost and although the goat manages to knock Heec down he is able to kick it in the temple and kill it.
Tae and Heec travel further into the woods and the terrain becomes more and more rocky. Finally they come to a place with large stony steps leading down into an amphitheater type place. In the middle is a stack of stones shaped like an altar that has a chimney at the top which steam is pouring out of. In front of the altar a bear that looks like it is entirely composed of magma is lying down. Next to the altar is a rock on which is sitting an Elf Druid. This Elf has tan skin and doesn't seem to be a Moon Elf but rather a Wood Elf.
Tae and Heec speak with the elf Fel. He knows why they were sent and tells them there is no way that they can convince him to stop what he is doing. Rather it is the Moon Elves of Neverwinter Wood who are shortsighted and too cowardly to confront him. He says that he is being called by a great power inside of the mountains and that he must seek it out and discover what it is. He speculates that it could be the great primordial that is chained underneath an ancient city built inside of the mountain. These speculations are based on legends that he think may actually be true considering the visions and callings he has had of late. He is turning the woods to stone in order to hedge out the magic of Neverwinter Wood. He knows the Moon Elves will try to stop him and by weakening their magic he can buy himself enough time to go to the mountain without being stopped.
As the three elves are talking he invites Tae and Heec to join him saying that even the goblins and other creatures are likely there for the same reason and probably don't have any plans to actually attack the village. He says the Moon Elves hunt the goblins and the scouts are not a sign of an impending attack but they are defending themselves. Tae and Heec discuss the possibility of splitting up with Heec traveling with Fel to the mountains and Tae going back to the village to report. Fel says the journey may take weeks since he doesn't know how to get into the mountains or where the underground city actually is.
Tae and Heec eventually decide to start walking away and tell Fel that they must stop what he is doing. Fel causes the steam chimney to erupt in billowing steam and hides in the edges. Heec sights him and Tae attempts to strike him with a Witch Bolt. Tae misses the first time but manages to connect a second. Fel then closes in and casts Thunderwave, damaging the elves and pushing them back. Heec charges and attacks Fel rendering him unconscious. The bear and Heec fight but the bear is unable to land any attacks and between Heec and Tae they kill it.
Fel bleeds out and dies as the fighting subsides.
The top of the altar of stone has fallen off due to the power of the Thunderwave and some of the rocks have fallen in and closed off most of the steam vent which is now only coming out in wisps.
Cloak that has a magical aura to it, Druidic Spellcasting Focus (rock with carvings in an unknown language), Hide Armor, Wooden Shield, Sickle, Sling, Two Pouches of Sling Bullets (x40), Waterskin.
There is also a square pile of stones behind the altar with a thin slab laid across it.
Inside there are some additional treasures:
Coins: CP 6, SP 4, GP 4 five gemstones of different types: Blue Quartz, Turquoise X2, Eye Agate, Tiger Eye, Moss Agate A spell scroll
Heec grabs the other items but leaves the spell scroll and the box.
What to do with these... I'll hold on to the scroll for now.
And the box?
Let's hold it for now. I don't want some lava beast to come spewing out once we open it. We need to get back to the elven camp. Send the message that we've completed our task.
Heec sends the feather out into the world to notify the elves they're work is done. They rest for 30 minutes while they wait for their guide.
Tae strips the cloak off Fel’s body and dons it. The cloak looks muted and seems to blend in with the surroundings. Tae feels like a creeper that could easily hide.
Tae adds the Cloak of Creeping to his inventory. The cloak gives the wearer the benefit of the Skulker Feat as long as it's worn.
Tae also stashes the spell scroll in his pack.
Tae can choose to transcribe the spell into his spell book. It will take two hours, cost 50 gp and consume the scroll.
Heec takes the intricately designed box and uses the feather to cast a Sending spell.
Heec is able to heal 2 hit points while Tae heals 5. (If the elves aren’t able to rest for 30 min, they instead rest for the full hour). Both Heec and Tae notice the obvious silence.
H: So... that Fel character really didn’t want to stop destroying the forest. We tried to talk him out of it but all he wanted to do was expand the territory of a lava deity. Did you know Fel?
Yuey looks thoughtful and sad as he meets Heec’s eyes.
H: We all knew him. You know, he wasn't a Moon Elf like the rest of us. He loved the woods but he didn't feel the need to protect them in the same way my brothers do. Maybe he was always doomed to be at odds with us.
We talked to him. It wasn't just that he didn't want to protect them. He was an active participant in their destruction and unwilling to do anything to curb that destruction. It was the great Junior Moon Elf King Mareton Lootger that said "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." In order for these woods to remain, Fel had to be stopped. I hope some day you'll see that.
If we are lucky all three of us will live to be centuries old. But even after all of that time we may come to find that there is a never an easy answer to these questions. What he was doing was wrong to our eyes, but we can never know the Great Cycle of all Things. Still, it is sad to see him come to such an end, no matter how necessary.
Any life lost is a travesty, especially one as young as his. All we can do is mourn the loss of a friend and try to move forward doing what is best for each other and the Woods.
That's pretty high and mighty coming from the Elf that delivered the killing blow...
And what would you have done, Tae? I didn't see you step up to defend his actions. I know you couldn't care less about these Woods but they mean something to me and those Elves back at the camp. To question what I do or why I do it is to question who I am. I refuse to continue to explain myself to you any further.
I didn't ask you to. I was merely commenting on the fact that you tell Fel's friend that he had to die for the greater good of the realm and that he needs to get over it. Let him feel however he wants to feel and be done with it. We chose our actions, we get to live with the consequences.
I will not justify these actions further. Please take us to the camp, Yuey Yewis. We have news to share with the others.
The goat charges Heec with its head lowered ready to strike.
Heec takes his readied action as the goat approaches and dives out of the way to the adjacent five foot square
Heec make an Acrobatics check with a DC10 to see if he can remain on his feet or lands prone.
The goat is unable to account for Heecrid diving out of the way and stumbles head first into the web. The web is torn from the tree and covers the goat's horns, face and shoulders. It lets out an enraged snort of billowing steam.
Tae fires a streaming puff of noxious gas at the nearest beetle choking it with poison. It dies almost instantly. The red glands beneath its throat still shine with a bright light.
The beetle nearest the log crawls over to the other beetle that had been flipped over by the goat and manages to flip it over.
Beetle One is 25 feet away from Heec, Beetle Two is 30 feet away.
The beetle fifty feet away takes the Dash action and quickly crawls over to where Heec lands.
Heec flings himself out of the way of the charging ram. He doesn't realize the ground is slick with pebbles and loses his footing, landing in the prone position.
Having some issues down there?
Don't mock me! Take out that ram.
That's okay Mr. "We'll do anything you want, no problem at all!". I'll work on the beetles. You work on the ram.
Heec tries to stand up, but knows both the ram and the beetle will have an attack on him.
Tae attempts another Poison Spray at the beetle 30 yards away, potentially hitting the beetle 25 yards away as well.
Heec easily manages to stand to his feet (using 15 feet of movement) and doesn't provoke any attacks from the creatures surrounding him, much to his dismay or delight, due to some bizarre changes in physics that has seemingly streamlined the universe. He can now finish the remainder of his turn.
Tae uses Poison Spray on the beetle 30 feet away but the beetles hardy exoskeleton prevents it from being affected.
Oh... that's weird...
What is?
Uhhh... nothing...
Heec lashes out with Martial Arts against the beetle that is within reach.
Heec rolls a 9 (3+6) and a 16 (10+6). If the first attack does damage, not only would it be a miracle but it would also do 6 damage. If the second attack does damage, it would do 5 damage.
Heec stomps on the beetle closest to him. It seems to flatten a good portion of its carapace but it still clings on to life.
The goat, angered by its reduced vision and the sticky webbing over its horns, face and front, lashes out at the tree-turned-stone that Tae is on. It brings its front hooves down hard on the trunk trying to shake Tae loose.
Tae must succeed on a Strength Check DC10 in order to stay on the tree.
The three beetles converge on Heec, who looks quite the tasty morsel, and attempt to bite him.
Beetle One rolls a 10 for an attack, Beetle Two rolls a 20 (not a critical) for attack and deals 3 slashing damage and Beetle Three rolls a 6.
Not good...
Tae loses his grip on the tree and lands on the ground in front of the beast. Easy, biggun...
This is turning out to be a bit more than we bargained for...
Heec lashes out with Martial Arts on Beetle One. He rolls a Nat 20 and a 19 (13+6). He deals 16 damage ((4+4)x2) to Beetle One. After it surely dies, he turns his sights on Beetle Three and deals 5 damage (1+4).
Tae aims a Ray of Frost at Beetle Two. He rolls a 14 (10+4). If he deals damage, he'll deal... 1 damage...
Heec easily stomps two of the beetles until they are dead.
Tae turns to the remaining beetle and fires his Ray of Frost. The blue beam hits the beetle and puts a small hole through its carapace and the air around it turns icy effectively slowing it down.
The goat rears back and attempts to bring its hooves down on Tae's chest and pin him to the ground.
Goat attempts a Strength Check to pin Tae and gets an 11. Tae must counter with an Athletics or Acrobatics Check, his choice, to escape the Shove attempt.
The remaining beetle bites at Heec and gets a seven.
Tae manages to dodge the goat's attempt to pin him and starts to climb up the tree again. The goat rams Tae as he is climbing and almost renders him unconscious. Tae kills the last beetle with a Ray of Frost and although the goat manages to knock Heec down he is able to kick it in the temple and kill it.
Tae and Heec travel further into the woods and the terrain becomes more and more rocky. Finally they come to a place with large stony steps leading down into an amphitheater type place. In the middle is a stack of stones shaped like an altar that has a chimney at the top which steam is pouring out of. In front of the altar a bear that looks like it is entirely composed of magma is lying down. Next to the altar is a rock on which is sitting an Elf Druid. This Elf has tan skin and doesn't seem to be a Moon Elf but rather a Wood Elf.
Tae and Heec speak with the elf Fel. He knows why they were sent and tells them there is no way that they can convince him to stop what he is doing. Rather it is the Moon Elves of Neverwinter Wood who are shortsighted and too cowardly to confront him. He says that he is being called by a great power inside of the mountains and that he must seek it out and discover what it is. He speculates that it could be the great primordial that is chained underneath an ancient city built inside of the mountain. These speculations are based on legends that he think may actually be true considering the visions and callings he has had of late. He is turning the woods to stone in order to hedge out the magic of Neverwinter Wood. He knows the Moon Elves will try to stop him and by weakening their magic he can buy himself enough time to go to the mountain without being stopped.
As the three elves are talking he invites Tae and Heec to join him saying that even the goblins and other creatures are likely there for the same reason and probably don't have any plans to actually attack the village. He says the Moon Elves hunt the goblins and the scouts are not a sign of an impending attack but they are defending themselves. Tae and Heec discuss the possibility of splitting up with Heec traveling with Fel to the mountains and Tae going back to the village to report. Fel says the journey may take weeks since he doesn't know how to get into the mountains or where the underground city actually is.
Tae and Heec eventually decide to start walking away and tell Fel that they must stop what he is doing. Fel causes the steam chimney to erupt in billowing steam and hides in the edges. Heec sights him and Tae attempts to strike him with a Witch Bolt. Tae misses the first time but manages to connect a second. Fel then closes in and casts Thunderwave, damaging the elves and pushing them back. Heec charges and attacks Fel rendering him unconscious. The bear and Heec fight but the bear is unable to land any attacks and between Heec and Tae they kill it.
Fel bleeds out and dies as the fighting subsides.
The top of the altar of stone has fallen off due to the power of the Thunderwave and some of the rocks have fallen in and closed off most of the steam vent which is now only coming out in wisps.
Lets see if he has anything on him worth the trouble.
Heec looks around to see if there's anything else of interest.
Heec rolls a 14 (10+4).
Tae and Heec search Fel and find the following:
Cloak that has a magical aura to it, Druidic Spellcasting Focus (rock with carvings in an unknown language), Hide Armor, Wooden Shield, Sickle, Sling, Two Pouches of Sling Bullets (x40), Waterskin.
There is also a square pile of stones behind the altar with a thin slab laid across it.
Inside there are some additional treasures:
Coins: CP 6, SP 4, GP 4
five gemstones of different types: Blue Quartz, Turquoise X2, Eye Agate, Tiger Eye, Moss Agate
A spell scroll
and a small wooden box with intricate carvings.
Tae takes the cloak and puts it on.
Heec grabs the other items but leaves the spell scroll and the box.
What to do with these... I'll hold on to the scroll for now.
And the box?
Let's hold it for now. I don't want some lava beast to come spewing out once we open it. We need to get back to the elven camp. Send the message that we've completed our task.
Heec sends the feather out into the world to notify the elves they're work is done. They rest for 30 minutes while they wait for their guide.
Tae strips the cloak off Fel’s body and dons it. The cloak looks muted and seems to blend in with the surroundings. Tae feels like a creeper that could easily hide.
Tae adds the Cloak of Creeping to his inventory. The cloak gives the wearer the benefit of the Skulker Feat as long as it's worn.
Tae also stashes the spell scroll in his pack.
Tae can choose to transcribe the spell into his spell book. It will take two hours, cost 50 gp and consume the scroll.
Heec takes the intricately designed box and uses the feather to cast a Sending spell.
Heec must choose a target and a message.
Heec chooses to send the message to Yuey. The message says "We're finished. Fel is no more!"
Tae looks at the spell scroll to see what the spell is available to transcribe into his spell book.
Heec mentally sends the message to Yuey and he responds:
“On my way”.
Tae unfurls the scroll sees that it contains the spell Thunderwave.
After about an hour Yuey returns to lead the elves back through the forest. He seems quiet and contemplative and doesn't make conservation.
Heec is able to heal 2 hit points while Tae heals 5. (If the elves aren’t able to rest for 30 min, they instead rest for the full hour). Both Heec and Tae notice the obvious silence.
H: So... that Fel character really didn’t want to stop destroying the forest. We tried to talk him out of it but all he wanted to do was expand the territory of a lava deity. Did you know Fel?
Yuey looks thoughtful and sad as he meets Heec’s eyes.
H: We all knew him. You know, he wasn't a Moon Elf like the rest of us. He loved the woods but he didn't feel the need to protect them in the same way my brothers do. Maybe he was always doomed to be at odds with us.
He looks away and doesn’t say anything else.
We talked to him. It wasn't just that he didn't want to protect them. He was an active participant in their destruction and unwilling to do anything to curb that destruction. It was the great Junior Moon Elf King Mareton Lootger that said "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." In order for these woods to remain, Fel had to be stopped. I hope some day you'll see that.
Tae sighs deep. I hate it when you quote elves...
Yuey replies:
If we are lucky all three of us will live to be centuries old. But even after all of that time we may come to find that there is a never an easy answer to these questions. What he was doing was wrong to our eyes, but we can never know the Great Cycle of all Things. Still, it is sad to see him come to such an end, no matter how necessary.
Any life lost is a travesty, especially one as young as his. All we can do is mourn the loss of a friend and try to move forward doing what is best for each other and the Woods.
That's pretty high and mighty coming from the Elf that delivered the killing blow...
And what would you have done, Tae? I didn't see you step up to defend his actions. I know you couldn't care less about these Woods but they mean something to me and those Elves back at the camp. To question what I do or why I do it is to question who I am. I refuse to continue to explain myself to you any further.
I didn't ask you to. I was merely commenting on the fact that you tell Fel's friend that he had to die for the greater good of the realm and that he needs to get over it. Let him feel however he wants to feel and be done with it. We chose our actions, we get to live with the consequences.
I will not justify these actions further. Please take us to the camp, Yuey Yewis. We have news to share with the others.
The two elves were wondering if they'd ever make it back to the camp...