Inside the Giant Tree

[Ginger]

No one's talking. I'll assume that means stunning success or TPK. Since the only other TPK happened while I was out of town, I'll hope that hasn't happened again.

[Perrin]

Nah, lots of dead bugbears and other strange creatures. Al and a horde of barbarians were especially effective in that regard. And Otto was the model of bugbear slaying efficiency, but that's to be expected. There's still more tree to explore.

[Wolfgar]

Diego's armor turned out to be cursed which we discovered when a critical blow destroyed it giving him AC 10. Unfortunately he was surrounded by half a dozen quaggoth (Otto recognized them from his ranger training) which quickly ripped him to shreds. Al summoned berserkers to help fight and after we mopped up the quaggoth they went running off ahead only to be surrounded by 12 bugbears and 6 tree climbing monsters. Al was down to 3 hp with one berserker still up before the remaining bugbears decided to run away. Al decided to take a nap while the rest of party caught up. Eventually we picked up Al and Winthrop flew down to retrieve Herbert, Diego, Jasper and Tony (no longer enlarged) and we continued our way up the tree. The last berserker was sacrificed to take a surprise attack by 6 bugbear archers. We have just killed more bugbears and a couple more of the tree climbers as well as finding the remains of the druids and two mostly dead prisoners.

[Dell]

otto said:

Al summoned berserkers to help fight and after we mopped up the quaggoth they went running off ahead only to be surrounded by 12 bugbears and 6 tree climbing monsters. Al was down to 3 hp with one berserker still up before the remaining bugbears decided to run away.

That all happened before the rest of the party could finish arguing about which door to go in. I guess that having a ring of regeneration makes you a little reckless.

[Mr. Trommer]

We should also mention that Otto and Raven are at full hits points so we are going forward.

[Ginger]

How was the armor cursed? Did any critical bring it to AC 10 instead of AC 2? That sucks, but isn't that bad. And does ripped to shreads=dead? Or just badly beaten?

[Dead Greyhawk]

arrowguy said:

How was the armor cursed? Did any critical bring it to AC 10 instead of AC 2? That sucks, but isn't that bad. And does ripped to shreads=dead? Or just badly beaten?

A single critical brought it to AC 10. Diego went to 0. Jasper fought his way over to him, stunning quaggoth by punching them as he went, and stood over his body, until he too went to 0. By then, the horn was blown and it was all over but the cleaning up.

Al, at 3 hp and with 1 barbarian left, was offered the chance to surrender by the remaining 6 bugbears. Rather than take it, he ran up to the bugbear chieftain and chopped him in bits. That broke the bugbears' morale, and they ran.

[Dell]

Diego's armor was totally destroyed, making it so that he was naked. And Al was using his shield at the time, so he was... well, he was hosed. He went to zero, but Otto managed to kill them off in time to keep him alive. Right now, he's wearing Dell's studded leather armor, because that's the only armor that was in Winthrop's chest. It's possible that the armor will regenerate, like magic armor ought to, but... well, who would want it?

Dana was sad that the armor hadn't gone to one of the PC's.

[Ginger]

If the armor does regenerate, we might still want to use it. I mean, if there was a spell that would give you AC 1, but had a 1.25% chance of being dispelled on each hit, you might take it.

Also, I'd be extremely careful about that frost wand. It seems to be the only thing from those ice pillars that's valuable.

[Dell]

arrowguy said:

Also, I'd be extremely careful about that frost wand. It seems to be the only thing from those ice pillars that's valuable.

Isn't Al's current axe from there too?

[Wolfgar]

arrowguy said:

If the armor does regenerate, we might still want to use it. I mean, if there was a spell that would give you AC 1, but had a 1.25% chance of being dispelled on each hit, you might take it.

Also, I'd be extremely careful about that frost wand. It seems to be the only thing from those ice pillars that's valuable.

Don't we allow you to take the critical on your shield instead of having your armor degrade? Could that be used to prevent this armor from going to pieces? Not as useful for a bow specialist or a two-handed weapon but maybe a cleric who doesn't see a lot of combat.

[venger]

What are we going to do with these prisoners anyway? After we've treated their injuries, both physical and psychological, we can't just set them loose in the tree.

I learned on Law & Order:SVU that special victims require the most care.

Also I don't think we should let the tree being, so far, entirely populated by 3 or less HD monsters lull us into a false sense of security.

[Wolfgar]

apprentice said:

What are we going to do with these prisoners anyway? After we've treated their injuries, both physical and psychological, we can't just set them loose in the tree.

I learned on Law & Order:SVU that special victims require the most care.

We could have Jasper and Herbert look after them trailing the party as able. Or we could have Winthrop fly them to someplace safe - like one of the temples or where we left Eig and Eats Salmon or an unreachable branch.

apprentice said:

Also I don't think we should let the tree being, so far, entirely populated by 3 or less HD monsters lull us into a false sense of security.

That is why Winthrop and Pfiffwin have been holding back on using their magic and Hugh hasn't used all of his healing. Unfortunately Al and Diego, who would normally mop these guys, took more damage then expected.

[Dell]

We take the surviving prisoners, beat them unconscious with our fists calm them, and leave them locked in a safe place. Leaving anyone with them is a waste - if they're too weak to fight with the main group, they're too weak to defend the prisoners against anyone that might come along.

But we need to hurry - the last prisoner we found had just been stabbed, which would indicate that they are killing the prisoners as they go, now that they're on the run. So we need to hurry after them so as to save as many as possible.

[Mr. Trommer]

Now that we have defeated the Shadow Dragon where do we go next? At least after we recover our experince a bit depending how long that takes. Do we keep on the Great Druid's trail?

[venger]

We need to get these survivors we rescued back to Gorna, or wherever they were kidnapped from.

Maybe they have some additional clues.

And we freed the Tree of Rylafane or whatever from the clutches of a vile Shadow Dragon. We should let somebody know so that it can be re-consecrated.. or something, so that it doesn't succumb to evil once more.

[Ginger]

Don't worry, we have experience when it comes to restoring druidic enclaves that have been befouled by dragons. The last time, the druids just returned when we purged the evil. Basically, our whole plan is contingent on how quickly we regain our drained energy. If it takes hours, we can be a bit more cavalier about restoring the whole complex quickly. If it takes days, we'll have to search the complex more slowly since a few bugbears could be deadly to a few 1st level characters.

The first thing to do is look outside to see if the shadow that covered the area is dissapating. If it looks like things are bright outside, I assume Arden Prindive and the elves will figure out that we've been successful and can slowly come to help. If Winthrop still has some time left on his polymorph self, he should fly over to bring Eig into the tree, where he can start to make things right. After Al's back up, maybe we can give him the ring and try to fix the leg.

As to where to go next, I think we should attack the tower again.

[Wolfgar]

Do you think the dragon is the last big threat? In the Knot we had Keefe and giant animals, a green dragon and a couple of backstabbing demons. Here we have had bugbears, a harpy, two giant owls, quaggoths, the scaly tree climbers, a demon that possessed Otto, pool reflections and a shadow dragon. I guess if you include the elementals in the temples it is roughly the same. It seems the party was its own worst enemy - Diego, Raven, Otto, Tony (twice), Al, Herbert, Jasper all tried to or accidentally did hurt the party not to mention the incident with Raven ordering Eig to open a trapped chest.

I think we should rest up in this room with the doors barricaded. Pfiffwin would like to spend sometime examining the shadow dragon. There should be all sorts of interesting illusory power you can gain from dissecting it. Also a cloak from its hide might have some interesting qualities for hiding in shadows.

Hugh should also retrieve Fido's figurine.

[Ginger]

Eig voluntarily volunteered to open the chest.

[Ginger]

To some extent, we can judge the difficulty of a dungeon by our margin of victory. Given that I'm surprised we avoided a TPK, I don't think this was so easy that we should expect an even more powerful opponent. That's not to say that we should assume that everything's clear. I think that if we don't get our power restored in a few hours, we should be extremely cautious in exploring the rest of tree.

[Wolfgar]

It's hard to determine how difficult the dragon was supposed to be. In the end the dragon didn't kill anyone. I don't remember who knocked Raven unconscious but Tony actually killed Jasper and Diego. If it weren't for the non-savable blindness we would have done much better.

But I agree that we should give it some time to see if our abilities return before venturing out again.

[venger]

otto said:

It's hard to determine how difficult the dragon was supposed to be. In the end the dragon didn't kill anyone. I don't remember who knocked Raven unconscious but Tony actually killed Jasper and Diego. If it weren't for the non-savable blindness we would have done much better.

But I agree that we should give it some time to see if our abilities return before venturing out again.

I prefer to think of it as saving them from being killed by the dragon.

Admittedly that could have gone better...

But their corpsicles were intact, perfectly preserved in the ice for resuscitation by the extraplanar entity.

And I think it was a pretty good, albeit ineffective, attempt- what with the blindness and all.

[Ginger]

I think the Shadow Dragon was supposed to be very tough. I mean, if it were a red dragon, it would have been killed the round after it breathed on us. Enough of us have fire-protection that we'd have survived the initial blast and swarmed it.

The bugbears were the ones who brought down Raven and Jasper. The ice missed Raven and froze Jasper, nearly killing the bugbear who brought him down.

[Mr. Trommer]

So if Al agrees to let Eig use his ring so we can chop off his leg so it can grow back how long will it take to do so? By the same token if it works then maybe Al will want his own leg chopped off his own gimpy leg so if can grow back. He would probably do it himself.

[Wolfgar]

So did you manage to re-attach Eig's leg?

If you haven't left the tree yet there are a couple of things Otto et al. could do. Pfiffwin has Wraithform which he could use to investigate the last door in the throne room or the passage that we saw extend from the foul smelling hole at the base of the tree. He may need to borrow Winthrop's stone so as not to be affected by the fumes.

Also Otto, Herbert and Eig should memorize lots of purify water spells to clean the waters down this hole unless we can find the source of the foul smell and destroy it. Hugh could also contribute purify food and drink spells which seem to have the same effect.

[Dead Greyhawk]

The Company holds the Tree of Rillifane Rallathil.

The chests and doors are knocked open, with glyphs, traps, or some other magical ward releasing energy and charring the desks.

A variety of papers and other information are recovered from the desks off of the throne room. One is a set of instructions in an unknown language to someone named Bugrot from someone named Hanuman. Bugrot is to lead his men from the Castle Crag to the druid grove to hold and occupy the tree, meeting with the green-ones and taking orders from the mighty creature of darkness. The translation from Raven's helm is legible, but likely a little clunky. Grisela explains that Castle Crag is a human fortification on the eastern side of the Oytwood that fell to the humanoids long ago. She had been scouting the castle for Arden Prindive when she was captured.

A second is a letter, apparently from the druid of the tree, Aaron, to the Earl of Sterich, signed and sealed, asking the Earl to watch for large outbreaks of spiders, or anything similarly mysterious, in the Jotens and report such information to the elves of the Oytwood. It appears the letter was never sent. Rhiannon says that the correspondence she and her compatriots recovered from the gnolls said the Druid was with the spiders.

The third are documents relating to the defense of the Oytwood and the grove, a scroll and a ledger. Both show a decision by the druids to repel the humanoid intruders and active defense until roughly 8 months ago, according to the lunar cycles referred to in the documents.

The fourth is a hastily scribbled note that reads "Keefe -- Abyssal -- Darkbringer" possibly a connection to the vision seen in one of the temples.

The fifth, and last, is a sealed letter, unaddressed and unsigned, that accuses Jessa Kimbertos, Stephen Linderall, and Richard Kitesmith of supporting the humanoids and mercenaries, through provisions and receipt of plunder. Winthrop recognizes the name Jessa Kimbertos as an archaic name for Jessa Scotti, daughter of Kimbertos Scotti, King of Keoland. Raven recognizes Stephen Linderall as Jessa's betrothed and the employer of Thomas Louvain, the Reeve that attempted to hire and slay the Company.

A trap door is found in Bugrot's room that leads, by ladder, into an armory and then to the ground floor. A giant spider is found and defeated. The origin of the sickness of the tree is sussed out: effluvium from the shadowy dragon. A large pit filled with the material seeps into the roots of the tree.

The Company steadfastly finds all of the unexplored places and searches them, finding a strange ring in a trapped room. When the floor, determined as trapped by Pfiffwin, was breached by a dead bugbear, a plume of polluted water shot up and flooded the corridor, dragging those unable to hold their balance against the thorny walls.

Once the Company recovered from that, another chamber was found. The large door, latched and barred, was unlocked and released only to have the mass of shadow dragon effluvium flood the room and flow over the Company. The whole Company would have perished, drowned in the vile muck, nauseated by its stench, except for Winthrop and his Ioun Stone. Polymorphed into an ogre, Winthrop dragged the drowning others out of the muck, with only Jasper suffering harm. Long, cold baths were taken by all in the watery torrent.

The Company sent to Dell, informing him of their location, and settled down to train and wait. Eig's presence in the throne seemed to help the tree, and regular deluges of water down the effluvium shaft is slowly purifying it, but the tree and the forest is yet sick.

The Company searches the ruins of the druid grove, avoiding wild plants and native creatures, but finds nothing of interest. After some waiting, Arden Prindive, four Oytwood Scouts, Dell, and Adrienne arrive. Arden is amazed at the success of the Company. He is able to bypass the thorn wall by entering into one of the seasonal temples and invoking Rillifane's name, the tree outside the temple, and the season within. Touching the altar teleports him into the arch within the thorn wall. Raven wishes he had known that before. "An unfortunate oversight," is Arden's supercilious reply. Enthused by the Company's success, Arden fawns over the Company, engaging Antonus in conversation. Antonus is more than willing to describe, repeatedly, his destruction of the bugbears and the dragon with his mighty wand of cold. After Diego begins to brood, Dell collects the wand of cold from Antonus.

The Company remain more than two weeks in the Tree of Rillifane, training Perrin, Eig, and Antonus. Arden and his men take monies from the Company and return with the consumables needed for training and the baking of goods.

Arden tells the Company that with the forest no longer fighting against the elves, Arden is attempting to convince the faerie folk to come back to the Oytwood, to fight for their home. It is a difficult time, and he hopes to be able to move forward and retake part of the Oytwood. With Grisela's information about the possession of Castle Crag by this "Green Tree" group, Arden thinks the Company could strike a vital blow for the Oytwood. The Company seems to lean towards finding the Druid, which Arden supports, though less wholeheartedly, but Raven continues to raise assaulting the Bergheim Mercenaries at Karmuk's tower. It is plain a decision must be made.

Treasure from the Tree of Rillifane

18 (19) Onyx (100 GP each) (1 used for training costs)
15 (16) Drusy (50 GP each)(1 used for training costs)
11 (12) Black Spinel (500 GP each) (1 used for training costs)
7 (10) Star Sapphire (1000 GP each) (3 used for training costs)
2 Quartz (25 GP each)
2 Gold and Jade Necklaces (300 GP, 500 GP)
Jeweled Dagger (200 GP)
Wooden Shield
3 Cat's Eye Agates (10 GP, 25 GP, 125 GP)
Silver Plate and Cups (75 GP)
Iron Barbed Fish Ring
12,016 Sterich CP
1,998 Sterich SP
709 Sterich GP

Herbert can take the Giant Owls as animal friends, but they are currently nesting and incubating eggs. The eggs hatch into two owlets as the Company finishes training, but it will be about six months before the owlets are mature enough to survive on their own. Eig would also like to have Herbert around for aid in running the defense of the grove through the power of the druidic thrones.

Training costs are 900 GP for Perrin being trained by Hugh, 1500 GP for Antonus being trained by Winthrop, and 750 GP for Eig being trained by Herbert. Normal costs are twice this. Costs listed are for materials only. The monies for training have been deducted from the treasure list above.

[Ginger]

While everyone else is training for new abilities, we'll take the opportunity to train Rhiannon and Grizzela in wound binding and horsemanship. Anyone else (Perrin?) who doesn't have those skills will learn them also.

Where are our horses? Did we leave them with Arden? If so, did he bring them to us?

I assume Dell has sufficient pearls to identify our two new magical items.

[Dell]

Yeah, pearls aren't a problem. Also, your new minion needs a spellbook, and spells to put in it.

[Perrin]

Perrin could definitely use both horsemanship and wound binding.

So where are we going next?

[Mr. Trommer]

We need to go get Cedrus since he has Dell's pouch and scrolls.