Adventure Notes – The Adventurers 07

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Having used their javelins to fortify their small camp the party recovers from their previous battle with the Displacer Beast.

  • The party gathers their supplies and begins moving back towards The Mother Tree (sometimes called ‘The Spear’ or ‘The Arrow’ – depending on the legend of the Tree’s origin)
  • They stumble upon a clearing where several animals are piled in the center, all of them dead
    • Upon closer inspection, none of these animals appear to have been killed by another animal; all of them have slits across their throats or stab marks in their vital organs. None of them appear to have been hunted for any other reason for the sheer thrill of killing them.
  • The party then hears a rustling in the bushes; and as they slowly begin to retreat, a Carrion Crawler emerges, feeling that the party is threatening what it considers its food source.
  • Sensing that the armored one is the greatest threat, it immediately lunged at Adrian and managed to grasp it within its tentacles; however, due to his flailing, was not able to consume him in one bite.
    • The party reacted, attempting to free Adrian.
    • Adrian however, called upon his goddess, and enchanted his blade with Sacred Flame and scored a critical hit upon the Carrion Crawler, striking it in the left eye.
    • Apostrophe told everyone to move to its left, because it was blinded.
  • The creature then lunged for Rex James, which it had managed to ensnare; and believing itself now in dire trouble (having taken damage) attempted to flee with the Draconian Bard as a meal, but the party was able to put it down as it attempted to flee with their comrade.
  • Rex and Apostrophe try to enter the Carrion Crawler’s corpse, certain that their might be treasure in its gut that it’s swallowed; but Apostrophe is barely able to bare the breath of the creature, who reeks of rotten meat; and Rex is able to take a few steps inside the large creatures maw, but is forced to turn around because of it’s rancid odor.
  • The party eventually arrives closer to the Mother Tree, where they see what appears to be a blond, elf female casting a spell – and the ring around the tree (20′ radius) seems green and there are animals there.
  • Believing she’s Elven, Dick approaches her and speaks in Elvish; but they are all stunned when she looks up from her casting and see that she is perhaps one of the most beautiful women they’ve ever seen – and Dick realizes that she’s not an elf – but rather a Dryad.
  • She explains to them that she sensed the demise of her “sister” Danela (and the Unicorn, Starhorn) and sensed great evil being done – so she left her forest home to travel here to try and heal the Mother Tree.
  • She tells the party that there’s a band of demon worshipers near by that have constantly attacked her; and she’s been able to hold them off – but she claims there’s a witch with white hair that’s with them – that seems to be the source of their power and danger – and that she must be destroyed to save the woods. As she does this, she picks up a rabbit with white fur and begins to stroke its fur.
    • She goes on to explain that they attack at random times; riding upon horses; but when they do; the witch with white hair is always with them and directing them what to do; she sighed, exhausted, as she placed her hand on Dick’s shoulder (thankful for someone to be there to help her) and is excited to see the party is there to help.
  • The party agrees to help the Dryad and learns that the demon worshipers are to the north of the Mother Tree.
  • As the party moves North, they see horse tracks in the tainted forest (now more of a jungle).
  • Eventually they spy a Quasit, which are known to be servants to evil wizards (and potentially the “witch with white hair”)
  • The party opts to surprise the Quasit and put it down as quickly as possible, so that it can not telepathically warn the witch, or teleport away and warn her.
    • Launching a volley of weapons – each of the party members strike and hit their target, killing the Quasit.
    • Dick then uses the Unseen Servant spell to carry and make the Quasit move as if it were still alive (in front of them, in the event one of the demon worshipers or witch spot it)
  • Continuing north, the party spots a Barbed Devil; so Dick uses the Unseen Servant to make it look like the Quasit is alive
  • They hear the Barbed Devil ask, “What is the status of the witch?”
    • The party tries to use mimicry and play it off; but Morsus feels like it’s going poorly and the party agrees to launch an attack
    • They fight the Barbed Devil who seems to be putting up a great fight; but as it gets bloodied, it stops and says, “Fine, kill me demon.”
    • The party is puzzled why the Barbed Devil is calling them a demon.
    • Dick who understands it suddenly speaking Elvish, explains that they’re not demons; that he’s the demon.
    • After a back and forth with the Barbed Devil; something becomes very clear; both sides have been played
    • Dick discovers that when the Dryad placed her hand on his shoulder, she had invoked an illusion upon him and the others to appear as demons.
    • Using detect magic, they discover the war paint on the Centaurs has been tainted with magic that creates an illusion that they’re demons. That is due to the tainted water they use for their war paint on their bodies.
    • Suddenly it becomes clear that the horse tracks they saw back on the path actually belonged to the Centaurs (when they were attacking the “Dryad”)
    • They also discover that the Quasit they killed, was a teenage female Centaur named Karastone Shadestepper – and was this renegade Centaur’s tribe greatest (and youngest) scout/rogue.
    • It then dons on the party that the “Dryad” was telling them everything; just through twisted lies…
      • The “Witch With White Hair” was actually her, holding the white rabbit
      • Her directing the “attackers” was actually her directing the party
      • Her excited to see the party “help” was actually her excited to know she was going to cause more misery and tragedy using the party; destroying as much innocence as possible
      • When the “Barbed Devil” (actually the Centaur) asked the “Quasit” (actually Karastone) about the status of the “witch” – it was because Karastone was on her way to spy on the “Dryad”
    • The Centaurs are furious that the party killed Karastone, but the Chief – Chief Bloodhooves knows that the “Dryad” is to blame for this. They also know that they need the party if they hope to destroy the Dryad.
    • They make a plan that the Centaurs will attack from one side, while the party attacks from the other.
    • Requiring a full night’s rest, the party camps a bit away from the Centaur camp; and when Adrian takes watch, nothing happens. He taps Dick to take the next watch, and just before sunset; Dick hears the sound of a mourning woman and calls out to her. When she says she’s “here” – Dick immediately tries to wake up the others but only Morsus awakens; once he sees the spirit, he uses a spell to awaken the others – except for Adrian (who sleeps too deeply to awaken).
    • They learn that the “Witch With White Hair” kidnapped her husband and daughter; then snapped her own neck; and that now the ghostly banshee is cursed to “awaken” each day at the same time, to repeat the same thing of looking for her husband and daughter, yet bound to the area where she was killed. The party explains they’re going after the “Witch” – and that upon her demise, the ghostly Banshee’s curse should be broken so that her spirit can move on.
    • The following morning, with Adrian’s plan of purifying the water, Morsus is able to ritual cast the spell – so that the Centaurs can reapply their war paint without the “Witch’s” foul magics.
    • The party then moves in to attack – and in doing so – discover the “Witch” is no longer attempting to hide the illusion – and reveals that it’s a Green Hag, who never buried the Dryad, Danela – but rather cut out her heart and used the Fallen Angel’s essence to open a dark portal that has brought unnatural creatures into the forest, spreading destruction; which knowing a Green Hag’s obsession with tragedy – things were made much clearer.
    • The party moves in to attack – and spells and weapons fly – and the party does get her bloodied…
    • But… the battle had to be cut short for now… to be continued.