The party headed to find Turlang finishes their goodbyes and sets off on their quest.
The road leaving Noanar's hold curves gently toward the north, pulling away from their true destination. To the east, beyond a stretch of open ground, rises the northwest border of the High Forest. The canopy is dense and ancient, the tallest oaks and lifting their crowns high above the rest. Somewhere deep inside, beyond miles of shadow and green light, waits Shadowtop Cathedral.
Eastward as well, the Dessarin River catches the sun, winding along the forest’s edge as though inviting travelers to follow its course. From here, the river’s path and the unbroken treeline seem to run together for many miles, although its gentle winding limits how far anyone can see from the ground.
Jaliera’s owl, Whisper, arcs silently overhead, riding the thermals above the clearing before winging east toward the trees. A few moments later, images bloom in her mind—branch upon branch, layer upon layer of green, and more trees beyond that, stretching as far as the eye can see. And a bit more of the winding river, leading generally in the direction they want to head. But no paths or roads or clearings are evident even from above.
No trail marks a way forward. The forest stands quiet and still, but for a gentle waving of the leaves in the light breeze.
EE members: Intelligence (History or Nature) check (your choice)
All: Wisdom (Survival/tracking) check. In addition to posting whatever it is you're looking at, of course. Bern, roll at advantage as forest is your favored terrain.
He looks towards the forest line close to the river as tries to discern any opening from where animals would travel along.
"Suggest we find a path close to the river?"
Davroar is not suggesting to travel right along the rivers edge as that can be a little more hazardous, but it would allow them to access fresh water when they need it.
Davroar Nature Check Dugan rolled 1d20+3 and got 22
Davroar Survival Check Dugan rolled 1d20+4 and got 12
Pavel was seeing more trees than he'd ever thought possible. Especially with what Jaliera had said that Whisper told her. But he looks on and studies their area as they gaze on the forest.
"Now that is an odd impression," Pavel said pointing towards a small clearing. He rides forward slightly for a closer look.
"A footprint! By the size..." he pauses. "Giant."
He rides around to the other side of it. Glancing up at the forest and surrounding area when he does. Squinting at something he notices near the river's edge before glancing around for other footprints like the first.
Pavel dismounts and starts walking around the indentation to possible figure out which way the creature was going.
As he starts he looks over to Jaliera. "Oh send Whisper along our side of the river bank. I think I saw signs of a road over there."
He suddenly remembers being told that the High Forest under Turlang will allow those trustworthy enough to traverse through it. He stops briefly to look at the giant footprint then slowly moves towards the trees.
"Don't send Whisper too far in, Jaliera. Give me a moment to find a way. The forest will allow me, Bern and Zindra, but I remember being told the forest will prevent outsiders from entering."
Holding out his left hand in a supplicating manner, he waits a moment in contemplation then says in a low voice, "I wish to enter please. I will be responsible for my friends Jaliera and Pavel, and will guide them to be respectful toward this ancient land."
Pavel's closer observation, assisted by Bern (OOC: Ghosting as he's been offline a while), indicates that whoever (or whatever) made that giant footprint was not alone. There are also smaller human-sized footprints. They're easy to track toward the muddy riverbank, until they abruptly disappear into the forest, although there's no obvious path there.
Whisper glides low along the riverbank, the ground below alternating between patches of firm earth and sections eaten away by floods, particularly where the river turns corners. In places the stones under the waterline look too regular, as though an ancient path once clung to the river’s edge before time and weather swallowed most of it. Fallen trees stretch like barricades across narrow bends, and the banks are pocked with alcoves of bramble and stone. The chaos provides perfect hiding places for those who might prefer not to be seen. Beyond a short distance, the view becomes more of the same: river, mud, bits of road, bits of detritus... and trees without end.
Meanwhile, as Davroar raises his hand and speaks his quiet words, the trees ahead shift. At first, the movement is almost imperceptible, just a recognition that something looks different than it did a moment before. But those who look more closely can see the movement. A tangle of branches and twigs that seemed woven into an unbroken barrier stirs, creaking faintly as though stirred by wind that no one else feels. Slowly, the interlocked limbs part just enough to reveal a narrow, walkable gap leading into the forest’s shadowed depths. The air carries a hush of expectation—as if the woods are listening.
The revealed path is narrow, wide enough for one horse or perhaps two humans to walk side by side.
OOC: The order in which you walk (or ride) may at some point in the future be important. It may not be at the current moment, but you have at least two (IC) days of travel ahead. Let this serve as a polite request to be thoughtful about how Emerald Enclave (hereafter EE) members and Guests arrange themselves in the party. Asking this now so I don't give away anything in the distant future when it actually might matter.
Zindra She reaches down beneath her cleavage to pull out a pendant that hangs from a lanyard of vines. The pendant is clearly recognizable as the symbol of the Emerald Enclave.
"Thanks Davroar. I'll take the rear. Pavel, Jaliera, you should walk between us. Bern, why don't you take the middle?"
OOC: is the trail wide enough to walk double-file or is single file necessary?
OOC: is the trail wide enough to walk double-file or is single file necessary?
OOC: Two medium humanoids could walk side by side; only one large beast (riding horse) could fit. For the purposes of any relevant rules and if we need to go to a combat grid, two grid squares wide, with appropriate difficult terrain rules for passing through an ally's space. Some of the trees and shrubs are just trees and shrubs. Some are awakened trees or awakend shrubs.
This will not be for the entire journey, as there will be many clearings and other more open spaces. Also not every tree is like this... think of normal trails already existing but being hidden by "extra" awakened foliage primarily at entrances/exits/forks. Not that it will be obvious which is which unless they move.
And again, there's nothing imminent. I just want to be able to surprise you (much) later.
And if you're imagining a labyrinth maze at some point, you know my evil DM mind. Not saying that will happen, but...
Seeing Zindra is now displaying her Emerald Enclave symbol, he will do the same by flipping the collar of his hide armour where he has it pinned underneath. He nods in agreement with Zindra's marching order and adds, "We can take turns leading. It will keep our eyes fresh I think."
Walking for a minute, Davroar takes a deep breath smelling the old growth trees. He is almost tempted to shape shift into one of his animal forms to get the full sensation, but will hold off for now.
A few minutes later, if the trail allows it he will pick up his pace a bit being mindful of the trail and scanning ahead as best as he can.
She nods and then relates what Whisper had seen, thinking it is probably safer to keep Whisper aloft for the moment, just ahead, as an extra pair of eyes. She leans forward and pats Meadow's neck reassuringly, before taking her place behind Davroar. Being on horseback gives her a view forward above Davroar's head. She watches for low hanging branches.
She is happy to be respectful of this place and the life within it.
As the party enters the forest, Whisper glides just ahead, wings silent weaving between branches. But here, beneath the canopy, there's not much to see. The trees grow close together, their crowns interlacing into a ceiling of dark leaves that blocks most of the sky, letting in patches of green-tinted light. The owl can follow the trail for a short stretch, but after that the forest becomes a maze of trunks and shadows, impossible to track from the air. If Whisper breaks above the canpoy, there is little more to see—green upon green, rolling without end.
Suffice it to say, Whisper won't be much help navigating this forest.
On the ground, the party moves steadily eastward. The narrow trail threads between ancient trees, sometimes opening into clearings where shafts of pale light fall, sometimes tightening to barely the width of a horse, those mounted sometimes needing to duck low to avoid low branches. Here and there the trail brushes against other paths, faint forks where side trails merge or peel away. Some are broader, some little more than deer tracks. The foliage thickens at the mouths of these paths, as if discouraging wandering, though not enough to bar them completely.
The way forward lies open before you, a steady path east into the heart of the forest. But the forest also offers choices, seeming to sometimes open up as those bearing the sigil of the Emerald Enclave approach. Narrow trails vanishing into shadow, game paths bending north, even a broader track curving southward before disappearing behind a wall of ivy. Whether these are diversions, dead ends, or true roads, it is impossible to tell from here. What is apparent is that the forest is allowing the party to continue traveling on its own in whatever direction it chooses, but not seeming to guide or suggest any particular direction.
After a few hours of walking, Davroar will stop to take a short break for some water. Both Bern and Zindra are more senior than him with the Emerald Enclave, so he asks both, "Bern, Zindra. I know we got a long ways to go. All these other paths we've passed, you figure we just keep heading on whatever one keeps us going east?"
Davroar is just a bit worried if they do take the wrong path they would then have to retrace their steps back until they reach a different path. It is not exactly an efficient use of time, and hopes one of them has more knowledge about where they need to go.
You have a favored terrain type. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for proficient skills when you make an INT or WIS check related to it. While traveling for an hour or more in your chosen terrain, difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel, your group can’t become lost except by magical means, you remain alert to danger even when you are engaged in another activity, you can move stealthily at a normal pace (while alone), you find twice as much food while foraging, and while tracking creatures, you learn the exact number, sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
The scout, experienced in these woods, speaks up. "We will arrive at Shadowtop Cathedral because that is the path we take. This is our domain and the forest welcomes us just as it defends itself from intruders."
The party makes steady progress, the trail bending and winding eastward beneath the sprawling forest canopy. Hours pass in the dim green-tinted light, the forest ceiling filtering the sun into narrow shafts that touch the mossy ground in fleeting pools. The air smells of earth and pine resin, and the silence is broken only by the creak of branches overhead and the occasional bird call that always seems to fall silent just before you come into earshot.
It's evident you're being watched. The only question is who the watchers are communicating with.
Not all is peaceful, though. Signs of disturbance appear along the way. At one point, you see that a massive tree has been snapped cleanly in half, the splintered wood raw and bright against its dark bark. The break lies ten feet above the ground, far too high for any human tool to reach. Nearby, the undergrowth has been flattened into a wide swath, brambles crushed underfoot. Near the edge of one such clearing, the mossy bark of several trees bears the mark of smeared white handprints... too deliberate to be natural, and arranged in a pattern that seems almost ritualistic.
Here the trail splits briefly, merging back into itself after a short loop. Those wearing the sigil of the Emerald Enclave might feel the forest’s subtle acceptance at these crossroads, though the choice of which branch to follow is left to the party.
At one point, a pinecone the size of a fist drops from the canopy above, bouncing squarely off Pavel’s shoulder before skittering away into the underbrush. And shortly after, a low branch seems to dip just enough to snag Jaliera's cloak after she ducks under it. The fabric tugs tight across her back before tearing loose with a faint rip. When she looks up, the branch sways slowly, creaking in the still air, as though it had bent on its own. Coincidence?
He is way out of his element and aware that the only reason he is able to travel the woods is because those around him. He remains silent and close to the others.
It seems most of the trees and shrubs are carrying on the tradition of allowing Emerald Enclave members, including guests, to follow along the paths, but every once in a while it seems one of the awakened foliage creatures objects in subtle ways. A vine suddenly reaching across the path to try to trip Pavel. A shake of a branch raining pine needles on Jaliera. Minor annoyances, but clear evidence that the guests are noticed. They're somewhat predictable, happening near points that the paths intersect with others, or open into small clearings.
After another hour at another intersection, the party's eastward travel is abruptly stopped; the forest will not let them proceed forward, bushes opening a path toward the south instead. And a short distance down that path, the trail widens into a small clearing.
Here the damage is unmistakable: saplings snapped and trampled into the earth, bark stripped from trunks in wide gouges, and a circle of undergrowth flattened as though something enormous had made camp here.
Scattered at the edge of the clearing lie a half-dozen weapons clearly meant for the hands of much larger creatures. Oversized greataxes, crude but serviceable greatswords, even a massive spear with a haft carved from a young tree trunk. Though massive and deadly in their own right, the weapons bear the look of something churned out in bulk: rough edges left unpolished, handles hastily wrapped, the kind of work that prizes speed and quantity over true craftsmanship.
And curiously, each bears painted sigils and clumsy runes scrawled in berry-dye and chalk. Shards of colored glass and hammered copper have been nailed or tied onto the hilts to glitter like enchantments in the sun. To an untrained eye, they might look magical.
But to anyone with real knowledge of spellcraft, which includes everyone in this party... the markings are nonsense.
The air in the clearing is heavy. Branches above creak as if in warning. Behind you, the trail you followed is now half-obscured, shrubs crowding across the path. The other exits from the clearing are just as blocked. For the moment, the forest seems to hold you here. Waiting to see what you will do with what it has shown you.
OOC: While the party has been navigating eastward through the forest, they were still relatively close to the river as Davroar suggested.
And maybe the forest was more friendly to newcomers before whatever happened? Or maybe there's only so much a tree, awakened or otherwise, can do vs. a giant (or a herd of them). (What do you call a group of giants?)
"The forest is telling us something. We need to study this place. It's wrong somehow. Those weapons are probably a clue." She stops and reaches with her senses to find potential corruption.
She's going to study this place several ways. First, She's going to dig into her "favorite enemies" and gets to roll an Int check with Advantage to connect giants or humanoids to the weapons and the site. She's also going to spend a spell slot to use Primeval Awareness.
He nods with Jaliera's suggestion as he says, "Yes, we should remove these items."
Davroar will look at each of the weapons to see how these can be gathered up and perhaps transported out with a summoned animal.
[ooc: How far in the forest are we when we find this clearing? Just wondering if Davroar can conjure a pair of giant eagles or vultures to carry these items out of the forest? ]
Zindra's favored enemy knowledge comes through, though this is hardly a pristine battlefield to read. She recognizes the scale of the footprints and the way the damage spreads outward in a rough semicircle. Hill giants often travel in loose, noisy groups rather than strict warbands, and they camp hard... leaving the kind of devastation you see here. The false runes on the weapons aren’t any recognizable giantish script, but the crude work might fool less discerning giant races, such as Hill Giants.
And yes, while giants have trampled most of the ground, there is evidence of humanoid footprints as well. Likely not just humanoid... full humans based on the boot prints, as opposed to Wood Elves common to this forest.
Davroar can see the weapons are massive, serviceable and dangerous in their own right, but clearly turned out in numbers rather than lovingly made. He doesn't see any maker’s marks or inscriptions in Dwarvish on a quick inspection, which one might expect on more finely crafted weapons. The haft of the spear does show tool cuts consistent with dwarven forges working green wood under pressure. That suggests someone with dwarven training, or at least dwarven tools, were involved in their making.
OOC: Certainly large birds could carry some of these weapons away. The question is if they could find their way back to the party for a second trip.
When Zindra casts Primeval Awareness, the pulse that returns is faint, but certain: no giants, no undead, no dragons. But there are living presences nearby.
Humanoids.
More than one, within a mile. Not hostile, not trying to mask themselves.
If the group pauses and listens, they might even sense the faintest hints that they are being watched. A whisper. The rustle of leaves as one moves quietly, confident enough that they don't have to hide.
OOC: Attachment gives general estimate of how far you've traveled; you're still parallel to the river.
[ooc: AquaDyne, Davroar can summon two large birds (CR 1) so could both fly out with all (or most) of the weapons? The spell lasts up to 1 hour. Looking at the progress on the map indicated I am thinking both could fly past the High Forest's Western edge? ]
OOC: You all have been walking for (about) 3 hours at normal walking speed (30). A Giant Eagle has a speed of 80. Sure, it can make it back to where you started in about an hour.
Zindra "We've seen hill giants around. One undead one just yesterday. Who are we kidding, they use trees as clubs. What's curious to me are the markings. What is the story with that doppleganger that's been imitating Bern and you? Didn't you guys run into it back in Phandelver at that mine?"
"I sense that there are goodly folk about. Let's seek them out."
(OOC - For those players who have forgotten...., I would think the pcs would not...., I believe the Dwarf we're following was making fake magic weapons and selling them.)
From the east-northeast direction, there's a rustling sound, like wind moving through the trees. Except it's more like trees moving, causing wind. Through the trees at the clearing boundary, you can see the trail further out is parting for someone... or some thing... approaching from that direction, but not yet to the clearing where the party is.
Her first instincts are to draw her bow but she fights that urge, unsure of how the forest might react. Instead she focuses on Whisper to see who or what approaches.
Whisper’s eyes search the area surrounding the clearing. While the same branches that block the party's movement on foot prevent her from flying very far out as she circles the perimeter, her vantage point gives her more information than those at ground level.
Jaliera, through Whisper's eyes, is able to make out three figures advancing openly—humanoids with painted faces and ash-smeared skin, carrying long spears and bows. Their approach is calm, unhurried.
But the owl also senses more. A flicker of motion in the underbrush to the south. The faint creak of a bowstring from the west. Shadows shifting with too much intent to be mere animals. The sense is clear: more are out there, unseen, circling. Perhaps a half dozen, give or take a few.
For now, none raise their weapons. The forest bends to let them pass, branches easing aside as though recognizing them. One of the approaching humanoids even appears to turn and speak with an awakened shrub... and Whisper's keen sense of hearing seems to detect the shrub speaking a reply. The words are too faint to make out, however.
†Restricted forums can only be accessed by DreamLyrics members of the age of 18 years or older. Access which is granted by the Behind Closed Doors Procedure. ™DreamLyrics Play-by-Post. DreamLyrics Play-by-Post does not own copyright on DreamLyrics texts or graphics, except trademarked DreamLyrics logos and logotypes. The works contained in DreamLyrics are copyrighted (automatically, under the Berne Convention) by the original authors and may be available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence. (See Copyrights for details.) Privacy Policy
]
