Staunton Bluffs V: New Blood

[ewancummins]

''I think it best that we all hang together. Splitting up now might make us vulnerable to attack. '' Jamethon is looking about the woods with a suspicious eye, alert for danger. He looks back over his shoulder twice, perhaps checking for the approach of those two terrible winged monsters.

[steveflam]

Brethana waits in front of the party, eyes darting from one tree to the next, hands gripping and ungripping her Great Sword. ever alert to any sign of danger.

[kintire]

Glances at George

"What is this about the lord of the Domain? do you know who it is?"

Suddenly, Shana loses track of the conversation as the trees come alive

"uh oh... Treants! um.." Shana raises her voice a little "We don't have any axes, or fire, and we aren't hunting...we are just passing through..."

[Le Noir Faineant]

Hestistatign and anxious, you make your way through the treeant wood.

The path is wide enough to keep out of the range of the trees' branches, but their red eyes keep constantly watching you...

After about an hour of walk, you come to a clearing.

A lonely big treeant with no leaves stands there, watching as you approach it, with a sad expression on its alien face.



Why do you bring this cursed child to me, manlings?

The red eyes seem to focus on the small boy Moorkroft is holding.

This manling's soul has long left his body. And you come here to me, with IRON in your hands... For what? - Our world is dying, and all you can do is wait for the end... Now?

The treeant's voice is sleepy and tired...

Above you, in the sky, you can see giant ball of fire rush over the woods, then hear an explosion from the distance...

[ewancummins]

''You say his soul has left his body? Where could it have gone, then? '', Moorkroft asks the treeant. '' The world is dying? Well, we are here to help save it. Don't despair , as long as life exists, is there not some hope left?''

Just then the fireball is seen in the sky, followed by a distant explosion. ''What was that? Not cannon, surely?''

[steveflam]

Brethana jumps at the Treant speaking " A DEMON TREE!" she shrieks, unsure of what to do , she sees the fireball and yells "MORE MAGIC!!!! BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"............

[LouisVendredi]

George says: "Shana, I don't know who rules here. But if we find out, maybe we can escape."

As the sad tree speaks, George replies, "Is there anything we can do for you, um, sir?"

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain stands nervously in the rear of the party, hearing the treants words. He Lets his guard drop for a moment as he listens to the treants sad questioning.
"world ending?"he mumbles to himself and gives a concerned expression, just as the fireball hurtles above them across the roof of the forest. Alain gives a terrified shreik and instinctivley crouches into a defensive posture.
After a moment, he realizes he has attracted some strange looks from the party, and slowly rises to his feet, and attempts to look calm once more.

[VAN]

Inovidil doesn't speak to the treant. She remains only a few steps behind Jamethon and Brethana, listening the conversation.

As the wizard sees the fireball and Alain's reaction, she glances him and motions slightly her head up and right, wanting to reassure him that everything is alright. Inovidil likes very much the magic and she only hopes that she will have no problem with her new companions while she uses it.

[kintire]

Shana turns to Brethana, speaking soothingly

"He's not a demon... he's a...uh..sort of nature spirit. Calm down!"

She then glances at Moorkroft

"sounded like a huge ball of fire hitting the ground to me. The huge ball of fire that whistled overhead just before the noise was a side clue. What's a carnun?"

[ewancummins]

'' A cannon is weapon. It works using blackpowder. Rather like my pistol'', he shows her his flintlock pistol- ''only many times larger and far more destructive. I thought for a moment someone had fired some sort of incendiary ball. ''

[VAN]

As Inovidil listens George's answer her heart starts beating a bit faster. Despite everything she has heard, maybe there is a way to turn back to her homeland. She gets a big breath to calm herself and she asks:

"Sorry, but you have just said that there is a possibility to escape from this plane and return to our... my homeland? Is that true? What we should do?"

[LouisVendredi]

To Inovidil, George says: "I don't know what to do and I don't know what you mean by plane. But, keeping this domain from crumbling might be a good first step. If we save the domain, maybe the Lord here will be grateful enough to let us return to where we came from. You might just get back to Darkon eventually."

[OOC: Being that Inovidil is an elf, George assumes she's from Darkon as he knows little of Sithicus and nothing of other worlds.]

[VAN]

OOC> Inovidil is human, not elf.

IC> "I'm not from Darkon, actually I'm not from this misty plane either. The plane, the land I come from is Faerun. The mists brought me here and some wizards I have met in Dementleu said to me that I'm trapped here and I cannot go back to my homeland. I hope only that they are wrong, I want to believe that I will find the way to escape. Maybe helping the domain and the lord as you have said, is my chance. Thank you for the information, for me are very precious. Maybe Fallenleaf knows something more, maybe he is the lord. He is very powerful."

[Le Noir Faineant]

Brethana jumps at the Treant speaking " A DEMON TREE!" she shrieks, unsure of what to do , she sees the fireball and yells "MORE MAGIC!!!! BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"............

The ghastly face of the tree seems worried at Brethana's words and answers slowly.

"Here, you will find no demon. Those are roaming the sky, lusting for the flesh of you manlings. They have already killed every single animal in the forests. He Who Rules has sent them out to do evil, and their vileness has awaken, the guardians of the forest, from our slumber."

For a moment, the tree-man stops, and you believe to hear resignation in his words. "This land... It is bad. Not where we planted our roots during the age of founding."

"world ending?"he mumbles to himself and gives a concerned expression, just as the fireball hurtles above them across the roof of the forest. Alain gives a terrified shreik and instinctivley crouches into a defensive posture.
.

The giant bleak tree seems to be aware of Alain's disgust.

"Yes, manling, the days of this cursed place are counted down. Soon, all will be soaked into the void that He Who Rules has opened with the blood of Her Who Protects... And noone will be spared. The manlings of that city are already dying, and when they're done with them, the demons will turn to get you..."

The tree-man stops for a moment, and a weird roaring can be heard from the other trees that surround you. Sobbing? Approval? - You can't tell...

''You say his soul has left his body? Where could it have gone, then?''

"To the void" responds the old tree spirit, and its voice is nothing more than a whisper. "All things end there... It's the end of everything..."

The weird face shudders, and closes its eyes. Within the turn of an eyelid, it isn't recognizable from the withered pale bark any more...

... And all of a sudden, the quietness of the place is gone, and a harsh wind blows through the whitened leaves.

Above you, you hear evil laughter and the soudn of wings. As you turn your heads above, you see that it is too late: One of the winged monstrosities has spotted you and turns to attack!