The Squad:
DM: Calmseeker
Leader: Glanfath
Scout: Twee
Trailblazer: Bardy
Cartographer: Twee
Chronicler: Don
The day was chilly but not quite branching into winter yet. The wind blew us west today, on a diplimatic bark to the forest of thorns.
We sought out the Treant Oakmesh and his forest-kin, and on our way there, we did not encounter much for rustling tall grass. Merely a dead animal that was long gone as we took watches at the edge of the forest.
Entering the forest on the second day, we encountered a lone Dryad, Juniper. One who only seemed to speak Sylvan, Twee and I took the lead in interpreting for the party.
After a short conversation, Juniper offered to sow the way to her kin. A group of fey creatures gathered around a temple ruins.
Juniper took us to the head pinecone, the big carrot in the field, the brightest blade of grass in the bush. Their leader Treyvani.
We gave our gifts and made introductions, when Bardy decided to have a “rivitting rap battle” with Groover the satyre.
I am unsure how well that hung off the branch, but they seemed to enjoy the barking.
When right after, Oakmesh the Treant appeared.
Sowing our seeds of diplomacy, agreements were spoken of, and we found that the Dryads are having irrigational issues. Needing workers to build them wells for them to gather water for themselves and the forest.
We also got permission to expanding our road towards the forest, but only till the edge, where Treyvani agreed to build a meeting spot for our ambassadors.
We share roots and they ask if we could stay for a ceremony happening tomorrow, we agree to stay and aid in the decorating which we do. At night we grow camp by the river, which makes me wonder why they have water issues, but alas maybe roots only reach so far. Having built a well for them and aided in many faccets of decoration, we sleep heavily, worn out. The ones on watch though, have a bit more of an active night.
The first watch notices a pack of hyenas prowling about, twee collects some pretty poisounous flowers, and I find some old torn smallfolk clothes laying by the river’s edge.
Okay maybe not so active.
The next day we all convene for the marriage ceremony, watching the joining of two flowers into the bush of life. The party presents more gifts at the ceremony, as I myself craft a statue of a tree for the couple.
As the priest performs the intertwining, and Eight acost a dryad he sits by named Bethanna, a scream is heard interupting the proceedings.
Rushing to the scene, we find a terrified pixie covered in blood.
The pixie tells Treyvana and Oakmesh that a unicorn was horsenapped by a dark druid and a darker unicorn-like creature to the south east.
We offer to investigate the incident and head out.
Not very long after, as we walk through, the forest gets stranger, more warped than natural.
As I cast Aid on myself and my fellow party, the very vines and bushes around us swipe out at everyone, injuring many heavily and seemingly causing some to be charmed by the nearest individual. Pushing further, we encounter a woman begging for help as she lays on the ground.
Not one to trust a stranger after one being was already assaulted here, I keep my distance, as our sorceror Lysing watches a shady tree nearby. As Lysing attempts to discern what may be blooming in the darkness.
Glanfath smacks it.
…
Nothing seems to happen.
Lysing then turns to interrogate the woman who seems fine, and completely lying through her teeth.
Realising the apple has fallen, the woman reveals her true form, a hag.
As right then we are ambushed by a quickling elder and a forest troll.
Combat ensues, as we quickly chop down the hag then the quickling, but the forest troll proves a much hardier branch on the treetrunk. Having to resort to make-shift ways of creating flame, we finally bring the lumbering beast down.
After looting their bodies, we uproot a note from the hag written in sylvan, detailing the usages of unicorn blood and ways to capture one using a bicorn. It also mentions how it would benefit the blight.
Seeing the mention, we rush to follow the tracks of unicorn blood and happen upon a ritual being performed by the dark druid.
Once more we charge into the tall grass, as Glantfath rushes the dark druid, him and Twee quickly bring the sick leaf down. As then a demonic figure appears to assault us alongside two blighted beings of twig and branch.
A long struggle ensues, broken up as the Bicorn appears, a large stallion-like dark being of wicked energy.
Crazy shit happens.
As Glanfath is smacked by a poisonous beard, I, the least hardy bark on the tree fends off the Bicorn without a hitch and Twee, Bardy and Lysing cause major damage. Lysing and Glanfath wildly spurt 4 years older as we clash, as also Twee gets a growth spurt of two years.
Dispatching the blights first, we then gang up on the demon before Eight brings the smack down on the Bicorn, knocking it unconious.
We free the unicorn that had been tied to the altar, and rinse it awake. It offers to bring us back to the fey, and we accept, taking the unconious Bicorn with us.
We return the unicorn and hand the Bicorn over to the forest, the dryads saying that they’ll get any info they can out of it. After a well-deserved rest, we then made our way back to Port Mirandia.