WM/Treks/Log 2-10

Narrator: On the 7th day out from Polisberg, the delving band finds themselves in the midst of a massive forest of white yew oak trees, on the edge of a large pond. To the north is the large lake; forest surrounds them in all directions.
Shelley: (( and we're looking for treasure! ))
Narrator: Unlike the forests they passed by previously, these trees are well spaced, and mostly vine free. There is some ivy of various sorts, but not the hideous hard choking vines more common to the east.
GM: Uhm, right.
GM: You can see clouds in the sky through the gaps in the foliage, and the wind is still blowing heavily out of the north.
Marik: Onward to finding silver yew!
GM: Right, right.
GM: And your plan is?
Marik: My best guess is southerly. Heading in that direction, with the group, at least for a few miles.
GM: Continue heading south, it seems.
Shelley: Southerly, at least until I need to make another Obsession check.
** Wolfgang trusts Marik to lead us to fabulous wealth stored in trees **
Marik: (I mean really, "Search the woods for silver yew until I find some or I'm sure there isn't" is the plan.)
GM: Two hours travel brings you to the northwest corner of a large clearing, somewhat rectangularly aligned with the long axis pointing to the east, and perhaps a mile across and two miles wide.
GM: The long ruined remnants of a few posts and some crumbled fieldstone walls make you think that there was once a farming village here, long ago.
GM: To the south, the land rises past the far side of the clearing into two low hills, pretty much on either side of your direction of march.
GM: ...
GM: okay, south it still is then.
Shelley: Hm?
Wolfgang: "Any idea what this place was called?"
Shelley: (( Man, you didn't even give us a chance to react ))
GM: oh, sorry!
GM: Anyone have Area Knowledge?
Marik: Nope.
Marik: Totally *should* have made Marik a native. Live and learn.
Marik: "This looks promising, though. Should we scout it out?"
Wolfgang: "Yes, lets see if there is something still here."
Beltarne: "Begging y'highness' pardon, but scout out what?"
Ghazeb: "Hopefully more than just farm houses were here..."
** Marik points. "The village?" **
Beltarne: Looks confused. "It's an open field."
Shelley: (( Sorry, I gotta go AFK for, um, like an hour. Mom's in the hospital, which is expected, but she's convinced they won't feed her and she'll starve to death, so apparently I have to go rescue her with take out from the cafeteria. Or something. ))
Marik: "But it *used* to be a village."
Marik: ((Is Beltarne not listening to the narrator?))
Beltarne: "Well, and? I thought we were looking for valuable trees."
** Marik shrugs. "And there's evidence all over the place that this forest was cultivated, and possibly even harvested. There might be clues here pointing to where and how." **
Ghazeb: "And possibly a storehouse of the stuff."
Beltarne: "I don't really see it. Wouldn't the trees have rotted if they were stored? The fence posts did."
Wolfgang: "Well, maybe a basement or cellar"
Beltarne: "I don't really see the point, unless his highness saw some silver or gold with those keen royal eyes of his."
Ghazeb: "Well let's either look or move on. Standing here is making Ghazeb's ears twitch!"
Marik: "An hour to look around won't hurt anything. And stop calling me that."
Beltarne: "Of course, majesty."
** Marik rolls his eyes. **
GM: Looking stuff up.
GM: Oh, and make Perception rolls at -4.
Marik: Vision-based?
GM: Sure!
Marik: Perception: [3d6.skill(16,+2-4)] => [6,2,3] = 11 vs (14) or less Success! by 3 
Wolfgang: Vision (13) [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [3,4,6] = 13 vs (13) or less Success! by 0 
Ghazeb: Perception: [3d6.skill(11,-4)] => [5,3,5] = 13 vs (7) or less Failure! by 6 
Wolfgang: gah, where'd the -4 go?
Thasos: Per (11) [3d6.skill(11,0)] => [2,1,1] = 4 vs (11) or less Critical Success! [B556]
Beltarne: VIsion! [3d6.skill(14,-4)] => [1,3,1] = 5 vs (10) or less Success! by 5 
Wolfgang: fail :(
Thasos: Per (11) [3d6.skill(11,0)] => [2,6,1] = 9 vs (11) or less Success! by 2 
Thasos: ignore that second one
Thasos: misclick
Thasos: anyway, -4 or not, i guess i succeeded :D
Shelley: VIsion! [3d6.skill(12,-4)] => [3,1,4] = 8 vs (8) or less Success! by 0 
Narrator: The delvers fan out across the field in a loose skirmish line. For the most part, they find nothing of interest. Any buildings were burnt long ago, and the remains have fallen to rot and ruin, and even the old, low stone walls have mostly collapsed after centuries of neglect.
whispering to Thasos, You do notice some faint carvings on an old tree stump. They may have been painted once, but now they're barely visible at all. They're written in a language you don't understand. 
Beltarne: Suddenly shouts "Giant frog!"
** Thasos is squinting at a tree stump. **
Beltarne: "Sorry, sorry." Shakes his head. "I meant GIANT FROGS!"
** Thasos looks up at the second shout. **
Wolfgang: "What? Where?"
Marik: "Wot? I'm not seeing anything."
Ghazeb: "Any particular direction God man?"
whispering to Thasos, You can barely make out some large, mottled green and brown shapes on the far side of the clearing. 
Beltarne: Points to the east.
** Ghazeb looks to the east...at least what he hopes is east. **
** Wolfgang looks east **
** Thasos nods as he looks east, and readies his weapon for... something. **
Narrator: Following Beltarne's pointing, the delvers can make out some large shapes, as long as horses but shorter and wider, with mottled green, gray, and brown skin, coming out of the woods on the far side of the fields. Possibly, they could be giant frogs.
GM: They're also about 200-400 yards away, at least, maybe more.
Thasos: ((are they... hopping?))
GM: When they move, they hop, sure.
Wolfgang: "Does anyone know about giant frogs? If not, lets leave"
Ghazeb: "Unless they are valuable for some reason, we should probaby leave them alone."
Marik: "If they're the right kind, they could feed us for a week."
Marik: "And from where I'm standing, rations are pretty worthwhile."
Wolfgang: "So if they're the wrong kind they won't feed us at all?"
Marik: "They'll taste a lot worse, at least."
** Thasos makes a face that suggests frogs aren't on his menu. **
Beltarne: "In Polisberg, they said some of the big frogs are poisonous, too."
Marik: "The good ones taste like chicken."
Marik: ((Poisonous or venomous? >.>))
Wolfgang: "I have a feeling we can find easier prey"
Beltarne: "Poisonous I think."
Marik: "You know, you have a very strange perspective on 'easy prey'. I say anything that can't shoot back? Easy prey."
Wolfgang: "They're big and maybe poison"
Marik: "Anyway, even if they're the poisonous kind I can cook 'em so they're safe to eat. We really are low on rations."
Ghazeb: "Thing is, around here, most everything seems to be able to shoot back."
Marik: "And those things are bigger than horses."
Marik: ((Are they getting closer as we talk?))
Ghazeb: "If Ghazeb gets eaten by potential food...he will never forgive you."
** Thasos is forced to agree. **
GM: No, they've stopped by an old wall near the edge of the forest. There might be a pond near it - one of them has disappeared into a depression. It looks like there's 5 of them, maybe 6.
GM: ...
** Marik nocks an arrow and starts hunting. This involves closing to about 100 yards and then starting to fill them full of arrows. **
Ghazeb: ((edge of the forest = how far?))
** Thasos shrugs and follows stealthily. **
** Wolfgang readies his bill and gets ready to intercept charging frogs **
** Ghazeb will follow at a slight distance...10 or so yards. **
GM: Important note: the winds picked up around 11 am, and are now "very heavy". Ranged attacks are at -1 per 10 yards due to wind, and flying is basically impossible (DX based Flying at -4 every hour to avoid crashing).
GM: They're maybe 30 yards from the edge of the forest.
Marik: Wow.
Marik: That might have been good to know earlier.
GM: Sorry, there hasn't been any long range archery in the last day or so.
GM: Winds were "heavy" yesterday, but the penalty isn't nearly as bad.
GM: But I did mention it then.
Marik: Yeah, but it does sort of invalidate the last half-hour of roleplaying.
Marik: What with Marik having no intention whatsoever of mixing it up with horse-sized frogs in melee.
GM: ... last 5 minutes, but okay.
Thasos: ((only 5 or 6 of them))
Wolfgang: ((so we don't approach?))
Ghazeb: "So, are we moving on?"
Marik: ((Eh, we can take 'em, I'm sure. I'll just be useless.))
Marik: "Moving on, then."
Beltarne: "As you say, but I'm going to keep an eye on them."
Marik: "If they come after us, we can deal with them then."
Marik: "Let's find what we're down here for and get back to the real task at hand."
Wolfgang: "Yah, we don't have to fight every beat in the forest"
Wolfgang: *beast
Shelley: "Excellent!" Turns to the north to deal with the important stuff.
Marik: ((Deliberate misunderstanding, there?))
** Thasos scratches his head a moment in deep thought. **
Thasos: "..."
Marik: "South, Shelley."
** Thasos points at a tree stump. **
** Marik examines Thasos' tree stump. **
Shelley: "You said we were to deal with the real task at hand, not this wild good chase for your sticks."
Marik: "'Find what we're down here for.' The silver yew. You know, something that actually holds profit."
Marik: "Scydd's ghost has waited years. Days don't make a difference."
Narrator: Thasos' stump was once deeply scored with lines and perhaps painted. Years have worn away the marks and now there is mostly a collection of random circles and lines.
GM: People who speak Elven can make an IQ roll at -2 to decipher the writing.
GM: And Cartographers can roll at -4 to make sense of it as a map.
Marik: IQ: [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [5,1,2] = 8 vs (10) or less Success! by 2 
Marik: Cartography: [3d6.skill(12,-4)] => [4,2,6] = 12 vs (8) or less Failure! by 4 
Marik: Luck.
Marik: Cartography: [3d6.skill(12,-4)] => [5,5,1] = 11 vs (8) or less Failure! by 3 
Marik: Cartography: [3d6.skill(12,-4)] => [5,6,6] = 17 vs (8) or less Critical Failure! [B556]
Shelley: "Hmph. You need to be more careful about how you speak."
Marik: Bah.
GM: Marik can make out words that sound like village names: Riverside, Elaniaton, The Grove, the West Sister, the East Sister, and Gloriana Park. He can't quite figure out which is which related to the place you're in, though.
Marik: "I'm using a language you monkey developed to tell the other monkeys where the ripe fruit is. It's not my fault it's not as clear as a properly civilized tongue."
GM: ... it's Wood Elf.
Marik: ((That was a reply to Shelley.))
GM: Oh!
Marik: ((And that should be 'you monkeys'.))
Wolfgang: "what's with the stump?"
Marik: "It's a map. In Elvish. Speaking of civilized tongues."
Wolfgang: "Oh good, does it show the trees?"
** Marik uses his greatcloak to keep the wind off and steady the paper while he makes a copy of the map. Maybe he can figure it out when he's got more time. "It mentions 'The Grove'. Unfortunately most of it's missing." **
GM: FWIW, Riverside, Elaniaton, and Gloriana Park are near the top, right to left. The Grove, West Sister, and East Side are nearer the bottom, almost left to right.
 
Marik: "I'm pretty sure it's south of us, though."
GM: There's also some stuff that may be additional, unreadable village names on the far left bottom, far right bottom, and near the center.
GM: errr, "almost left to right" should read "again, left to right."
GM: and elves orient north to the north.
GM: err, to the top.
Ghazeb: "Is the center of the map this village?"
Marik: "Maybe? It's not a *good* map."
Ghazeb: "Well, maybe the other places on the map are in the driection they are from the center."
Wolfgang: "Shouldn't there be a lake?"
Ghazeb: "So, draw a line from the center to the grove and its in that direction?"
Marik: "Really. I'm sure I'd never have guessed that."
Ghazeb: ((Or is the map not levelish with the ground?))
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb is just thinking out loud."
Marik: ((Once I've got my copy made, we head southward again.))
GM: Okay, there's a rough map on maptools.
GM: I put the first letter of the translated town names in the appropriate position. Untranslatable squiggles are untranslateaboe.
Wolfgang: ((south or SW?))
Marik: I'm going to aim somewhat southwest. Going with the theory that the circles without labels might be stands of silver yew, and Elaniaton is the center of the map.
Marik: (And is where we are)
GM: Elaniaton is not the center of the map - I didn't draw the stump quite right. It's not far off the center, but it's clearly not the center either.
GM: But those are your assumptions! You think that. I totally get it.
GM: So SSW?
Marik: SSW.
GM: Looking more stuff up!
Narrator: The delvers head off into the woods, and soon can't see anything in front of them. They wend their way past creeks and bluffs, moving south by southwest as best they can.
GM: Around 2:20 , everyone can roll the best of Surival (Plains +2), Vision -2, Naturalist, or Herbology.
Ghazeb: Perception: [3d6.skill(11,-2)] => [6,3,3] = 12 vs (9) or less Failure! by 3 
Thasos: Vision (11) [3d6.skill(11,-2)] => [1,5,4] = 10 vs (9) or less Failure! by 1 
Wolfgang: Vision (13) [3d6.skill(13,-2)] => [6,2,1] = 9 vs (11) or less Success! by 2 
Marik: Survival (Plains): [3d6.skill(16,+2)] => [2,6,1] = 9 vs (18) or less Success! by 9 
Beltarne: [3d6.skill(12)] => [5,6,4] = 15 vs (12) or less Failure! by 3 (Naturalist)
whispering to Wolfgang, That large clump of vines with trefoil leaves looks unpleasant to you. 
whispering to Marik, You're leading the group into a large cluster of poison ivy. 
Wolfgang: "Watch out for the poison ivy"
** Wolfgang points it out **
Wolfgang: ((That's when I did, guess it got eaten))
Marik: I got no whispers and didn't see anything after my roll.
Marik: But poison ivy is definitely bad.
Thasos: unpleasant at least
GM: Marik leads you around the patch. As you move around it, the trees thin and open out into wide clearing. A broad expanse of water is visible on the south side of it.
GM: Responses?
Wolfgang: still no solver trees?
Wolfgang: silver
** Marik sighs. **
Marik: "I'm beginning to think we might be better off going back north; once we return to Polisberg, we can see what we can find out about the elves in this region."
Narrator: The delvers stand on the north end of a round clear, much less than a mile wide. A narrow expanse of water laps on the south side, with more trees on the far side of the water.
** Thasos nods at Marik. **
Wolfgang: "Well, at least we found some more landmarks?" *looks disappointed*
Shelley: (( I remember something about the elves around here, but I don't think Shelley heard it. ))
Marik: "Let's get going. As it is, we've probably lost a day."
Beltarne: "What about the valuable wood?"
Wolfgang: "Eh, doesn't seem to be any wood here"
Shelley: "The wood will still be here. There is a restless spirit to usher on to his final destination."
Beltarne: "There's wood all around us! We just can't find the valuable wood!"
Shelley: "Or there isn't any wood here. Either way."
** Shelley sighs. "Look, if it's not walking around obaying orders, I don't know from wood." **
GM: Marik, make a Vision roll at -4.
Marik: Vision:</B> [3d6.skill(16,+2-4)] => [3,6,3] = 12 vs (14) or less Success! by 2 
whispering to Marik, You notice a single, shining silver yew leaf floating on the water, nearly a mile away. 
** Marik suddenly stops still and squints, staring at a spot across the water. "It's there. I can bloody SEE it." **
whispering to Marik, Well, it's being blown on the wind, but whatever... more or less from the west. 
Marik: "West."
** Marik sets off. **
** Shelley sighs. **
** Thasos barely contains his excitement as he follows. **
** Ghazeb sighs and follows. **
GM: West, northwest, southwest?
Marik: As west as this little lake allows?
** Wolfgang can't wait to be rich and follows **
GM: The lake is a mile or so away to the south... so you can go southwest if you want. And you can only see as much of the water as the clearing allows, you're not sure of the full parameters here.
Marik: Right. Southwest to the lakeshore.
** Shelley follows, grumbling about priorities. **
GM: Alright, there's a drawing on the "accumulated maps" map, called "the GM should have taken a perspective drawing course.
Thasos: ((lol))
GM: Light green is the field, dark green are trees, light blue is sky, dark blue is lake. Brownish stuff seperates the near-shore forest from the far side forest.
GM: But, okay, southwest to the lake!
Marik: What you're saying is, 'we have a nice clear path straight to the lake'?
GM: Yes!
Marik: Straight to the lake, then.
GM: A half hour's scouting walk leads you to the north shore of the lake. It has two lobes, one more to the southwest that curves west and north, the other is roughly wedgelike pointing to the southeast.
Marik: Looking around the lakeshore with keen elven sight; any sign of where that leaf came from?
GM: From the lake shore, you can see a large mass of huge, thick, massive spiderwebs on the south shore.
GM: With keen elven eyes, you can see more leaves floating on the lake to the west.
Ghazeb: ((so stay away from the south shore...))
Marik: Right, then. To the west!
** Shelley eyes the south shore suspiciously. **
GM: ... by massive spiderwebs, I mean both wide strands and large webs that cover a great deal of space.
Shelley: big in all ways. Gotcha.
Shelley: "I'm not sure I want to experiment with arachnoid golems. Thats a lot of legs to co-ordinate.
Shelley: "
Wolfgang: are the webs to the west too?
Marik: "I don't know. Any spider big enough to make those webs could probably carry tons."
Narrator: The delvers head west, cutting through the forest. 40 minutes later, they stand on the east shore of the northwest branch. Across the way, a grove of silvery yew trees grow above the water.
whispering to Shelley, The trees glow faintly in your magesight. 
whispering to Marik, The trees glow in your magesight. 
Shelley: "Well, there's your magic trees. I hope they don't defend themselves somehow."
** Ghazeb lets out a low whistle. **
Marik: "The trees are magical."
Marik: "I'm not sure they're supposed to be magical."
Wolfgang: "The Magic ones are worth more?"
whispering to Marik, Actually, that entire area glows. 
Marik: "Or protected."
Shelley: "Or are protected by elven magic and will strike you dead for harming them. One or the other."
Ghazeb: "Perhaps they are alive. More alive than regular treess that is."
Marik: "Shelley, are you able to identify the magic being used there, or is that beyond your powers?"
Wolfgang: "Maybe they know where some non-magicy ones are, can you ask them Marik?"
Shelley: "This green stuff is sort of out of my specialty. I get about as far as 'Yep. Magic.' and then I get lost."
Shelley: Unless a lich cast the spell, I suppose. ANy undead, Mark? :D
Shelley: Zombie trees?
Ghazeb: "Is it a holy kind of magic Beltarne?"
GM: Nothing strongly apparent. Strongly magical nature sites often have a bit of death energy associated with them, from the cycle of life, but Shelley can't see anything.
Beltarne: "Nae, lad, they're just silvery trees is all."
Marik: "Right. Well, that's a stand of silver yew, we could make a large amount of money, but the magic adds some risk."
Marik: "I like money. Who else likes money?"
Beltarne: "Now, if they were GOLDEN trees, that'd be sacred."
Beltarne: "Wait, money?"
Wolfgang: "I like money, you are they're not all like this?"
Wolfgang: *sure
Marik: "I'm not sure, but I figure I would have heard."
Ghazeb: "Just being out here is a risk. Ghazeb says do what ya need to to get us back on track."
** Marik sets off towards the yew. **
Shelley: "That said, I think I can do a working to purge the magic."
Ghazeb: ((isnt there water in the way?))
Shelley: "I'd need help. Trees are big."
Marik: ((In general, since I'm not a FISH, 'towards something that's on a lakeshore' means 'going around the lake'.))
Shelley: "Basically, it depends on if it's a proper enchantment, or a temporary working."
Marik: ((Like, I think we can just ASSUME that.))
Shelley: (( Hey, elves walk and snow and all that noise. ))
Shelley: (( so ya never know. ))
Ghazeb: "You don't need to harvest the entire tree? Just some of the branches?"
Marik: ((Marik actually has no idea how much of a tree goes into making a bow. However, Marik does!))
Wolfgang: how far from shore are the trees?
Narrator: The delvers skirt the north shore of the lake, heading toward the grove. As they cross in the mana zone, the roaring wind suddenly shifts. The bark of one of the nearby trees turns into a carving of an inhumanly beautiful woman with pale, white shining skin and silver eyes and hair, and then the woman's form stretches out from the tree and detaches. She is tall and clad in a regal gown in an elven or faerie style.
Thasos: "..."
Yew Spirit: "Hail, travellers, and well met. Long has it been since any have visited my humble grove. What brings you here?"
** Ghazeb opens his mouth and then quickly shuts up. **
whispering to Ghazeb, She appears as a beautiful white tigerwoman to you, with soft, silvery fur almost like velvet. 
whispering to Thasos, She appears as a beautiful white female minotaur to you, with soft, silvery fur almost like velvet and delicate shining horns of silver. 
** Wolfgang looks at Marik expecting him to take this one **
whispering to Wolfgang, She appears as a beautiful white female gargoyle to you, with skin of translucent white marble and transparent silver wings. 
** Marik stares for a moment, then recovers himself. "We're... seeking wood, m'lady." **
** Thasos smiles at the beautiful lady. **
Yew Spirit: She gestures the way you came. "It is all around you, traveller. You are no wood elf, to be sure, but certainly you know what a forest is?" She smiles at her joke, asking you to forgive her.
** Thasos pushes Ghazeb aside. **
** Marik smirks. "It's the silver yew we're looking for, m'lady. As you say, I'm no wood elf, but it was my understanding that they had some agreement to gather it in this area." **
Yew Spirit: She sighs. "Once, the wood elves tended the grove and guarded it against intruders. But those times are long past... I have be sad and alone, with my friends amonst the short-lived."
Marik: ((Sorry, phone))
Marik: "Intruders? Surely none would seek to harm you? Have you had problems?"
Yew Spirit: She frowns. "These woods are dangerous. You seem like doughty folk - have you not encountered threats through here?"
Marik: "Nothing we couldn't handle."
** Ghazeb nods vigorously and flexes. **
** Thasos flexes more. **
Yew Spirit: She looks vaguely wistful. "It would be so wonderful if I could have visitors again..." She stops, thinks, "but wait - you come from the west. Have you vanquished those dreadful vines?"
Shelley: (( didn't we come from the east? ))
Thasos: ((trees aren't good with compasses))
Yew Spirit: Err. Yes, she said east.
Shelley: (( K, wasn't sure with being AFK if we went a funny route. ))
Marik: "We've encountered vinemen, and something that looked like a lion. We've made it past the vines."
Yew Spirit: "But still they encroach upon the forest? It is horrible. Someday, they will reach even here, and strangle my beautiful grove."
Marik: "Do you have any idea what's causing them to spread?"
** Thasos fumbles in his backpack for a bit, takes out his scribe kit, and scribbles a note. **
Yew Spirit: She sighs. "I do, yet it is a private matter. I would not burden you with it."
** Thasos passes the note to Marik. **
Ghazeb: ((um dont we have one as a zombie?))
GM: Details.
GM: She doesn't seem to be paying much attention to Shelley and co.
Ghazeb: ((figured she'd be a bit freaked by that))
Shelley: (( it's obviously pacified. ))
Shelley: And carrying a bunch of crap for me.
Shelley: With its head on funny IIRC
GM: A lot of crap for you.
GM: No, it was mostly undamaged. It's... Delta? that has his head bolted on.
Shelley: Ah, right.
Marik: It doesn't have its head on funny, it has one of Marik's arrows sticking out of its forehead. From the back.
Shelley: Thaaaats right. Either way, not marauding.
Shelley: I'm not pulling that out btw. It's decorative.
Wolfgang: ((well trained))
Wolfgang: ((+1 damage on headbutts))
** Marik peers at the note, then peers at Thasos. "No." He turns his attention back to the Yew Spirit. "We would be willing to help you, m'lady - happy to - in exchange for enough wood to make four fine bowstaves." **
Yew Spirit: She looks non-plussed at Thasos' behavior. "What is the matter with the good tiller? Does he not like me? I have not seen much of his kind, yet I bare him no illwill, and would converse with him, as you all."
** Thasos looks rather unhappy. **
** Thasos ponders... and comprehends. **
Marik: "He doesn't speak. I understand it's some kind of vow."
Yew Spirit: She turns back to Marik. "Would you? It would be a most perilous quest. Unless you were the greatest of heroes of lore, worthy scions of the Storm Dukes themselves, not all of you would likely make it back to me. I would hesitate to ask anyone to risk doom for my petty concerns."
Yew Spirit: She nods at Marik.
Ghazeb: "Doom is Ghazeb's middle name."
Yew Spirit: "What a curious name. Were your parents great pessimists, and saw only bad things for you?"
** Thasos nods vigorously. **
** Ghazeb Ghazeb starts to say something thinks better of it and just shrugs his shoulder. **
Marik: "We would be happy to undertake this quest for you, m'lady."
Wolfgang: "Well, depends what the quest is, can't do the impossible, only the improbable"
Shelley: "Need I remind you all that we already have an outstanding obligation?"
Beltarne: "Yes, but the dead guy isn't paying us in valuable wood."
Ghazeb: "Maybe she knows about the ghost? The quests may be related."
** Thasos holds up two fingers, then moves them together. **
Yew Spirit: "I know of no ghosts, I assure you." She sighs. "If there is some other geas you must fulfil, I would dissuade you nor add to your burdens."
Shelley: "... did the vine problem start about the time the paladin ran into his trouble? Anyone know?"
Marik: "I see no reason we can't accomplish both quests."
Shelley: "There's demons involved, and it's getting very complicated the more people we talk to."
Yew Spirit: She makes a moue of disgust. "Oh. The demons." She shakes her head. "No, the vines have come since then. They are in no ways related, I fear."
Ghazeb: "Are they natural beings or caused by some eveil magics?"
Marik: "M'lady, if we can find and remove the source of the vines, we will. Any information you can share would be of aid."
Shelley: "If it raises your spirits any, I believe we'll be fighting the demons before long."
** Thasos moves his fingers apart, but points to his hand with his other. **
Yew Spirit: Her eyes widen and her brows raise. "But they are long gone. Do you plan to travel to the infernal realms? Truly, you are great heroes."
GM: ...
GM: everyone on the phone?
Marik: "I suspect not all of them are gone, m'lady. Or, at least, enough of what they left behind remains to be a problem."
Wolfgang: ((was letting the talky people talk))
Marik: "In any case, we will happily rid the forest of the vines; if nothing else, it will make traveling through here easier."
Yew Spirit: She shakes her said. "Truly, I know so little of what happens beyond my grove." She sighs again, a heart-tugging sound. "The matter of the vines."
Yew Spirit: Shakes her head.
Wolfgang: "Ah, let us know how to stop them and we might be able to do it, you never know!"
Yew Spirit: "I cannot grant you the bowstaves you seek now. They are formed from the corewood of the trees, and harvesting them would kill the treespirit inside. Once, I would have been able to shunt her to another tree, but that power has been taken from me."
Shelley: "That's a mighty and worrying feat. Who could do such a thing?"
Yew Spirit: "A most fell spirit, a malicious ...", she shudders in disgust and chooses her word carefully, " 'aristocrat' of the Unseelie Court blinded me with foul and eldritch magics, then crept into my grown and stole my crown. Without it, I cannot control my sisters. With it, she can influence other trees... and hence, the vines. She seeks to destroy me."
Wolfgang: "So, where is this spirit?"
Yew Spirit: "I cannot leave this grove, for I am bound to my trees. I can feel the crown, for it is still bound to me... but faintly now. It is somewhere to the southeast, amidst the infestation of vines, still held by that black witch."
Yew Spirit: and yes, I did mean SOUTHEAST.
** Thasos holds up his hands, flat and parallel to each other, one above the other, about a foot apart, and looks questioningly at the spirit. **
Marik: "I think he wants to know how far."
Ghazeb: "Dose this witch have a name?"
Thasos: ((we didn't come from the southeast did we?))
Marik: ((We came from the northeast. Mostly north northeast.))
Yew Spirit: "I never learned her name." She sighs. "And for the distance... I do not measure time or space as you do." 
Yew Spirit: "A day's travel, perhaps? Or two? Or mayhap a week." She frowns again. "You have to sleep when the sun has gone down, do you not?"
Marik: "We do."
Shelley: "It helps, yes."
Marik: "Well, they do."
Marik: "I tend to lean against a tree and shut my eyes for a few hours."
Wolfgang: "I don't think we have food for that long of a journey"
Yew Spirit: "I thought I sensed that about you."
Shelley: "The food is becoming a problem. Unfortunately we need to eat regularly as well."
** Thasos pulls out the bag showing his few remaining ritual components then puts it away. **
Shelley: "And our silent friend has spiritual obligations."
Marik: "M'lady, we may need to return to town for supplies before we deal with your witch. How long can you wait? It looks like the vine growth is rampant."
Yew Spirit: "Oh, yes, I remember." She almost giggles but restrains herself. "The sun does not nourish you as it does me. A shame." She sighs again. "I can provide you safe haven in my grove tonight, but no food."
Yew Spirit: She thinks. "It is a most pressing matter. The vines will be here within 3, at most 4, growing seasons. With the power of my crown behind them, I will hardly be able to resist long after that."
Ghazeb: ((for her that's an very short amount of time))
** Marik looks around. "I think we can arrange to have your problem solved before then." **
** Thasos nods enthusiastically. **
Marik: "I think a night's rest in a safe haven would be a great boon, m'lady."
Yew Spirit: She claps her hands together! "Oh, most excellent. I will be truly grateful to you." She considers again. "Though I can provide little more than silver oak bowstaves. I have no gold or other wealth."
Marik: ((I assume she meant 'yew'.))
Marik: "A few bowstaves, m'lady, would be more than generous payment!"
** Shelley smirks. "That would be a fine enough token of your favor, I think." **
GM: Technically, yew is a type of oak.
GM: I think.
Shelley: (( I think yew might be mistaken ))
Shelley: (( can't get back into MapTools, name is in use. ))
Marik: ((Yew is a coniferous tree.))
Shelley: (( what iwth... that, yes. ))
Shelley: (( Id' have got there first if it weren't for that damned DC ))
GM: well, so I'm a retard and she said yew.
Shelley: "A safe haven for the night would be a lovely change, m'lady."
Marik: ((What time is it in-game?))
GM: About 4:30 pm.
Wolfgang: ((plenty of time for foraging/hunting))
Marik: Yup. Early camp in a safe spot, and foraging for... three hours?
GM: About.
Shelley: Zombie maintenance!
Marik: Survival (There are lots of trees, so I'm calling it woodlands, dammit): [3d6.skill(20,0)] => [2,4,5] = 11 vs (20) or less Success! by 9 [3d6.skill(20,-2)] => [3,6,6] = 15 vs (18) or less Success! by 3 [3d6.skill(20,-4)] => [6,1,5] = 12 vs (16) or less Success! by 4 
Marik: I will Luck the second roll, I think it's up.
Marik: [3d6.skill(20,-2)] => [2,2,4] = 8 vs (18) or less Success! by 10 
Marik: [3d6.skill(20,-2)] => [1,4,5] = 10 vs (18) or less Success! by 8 
Marik: I like success by 10.
Narrator: The beautiful spirit gestures casually, and three huge trees float across the ground, their branches passing without pausing through other trees. Strangle lights glint on their bark exteriors, as you think they are looking at you.
Marik: "...I think I saw those last night."
Yew Spirit: "These fellows will see you to a safe rest and guarantee your safety. You will have nothing to fear from outside the grove while they are with you."
** Shelley examines the tree spirits with interest. **
GM: Well, they're pretty clearly elder wood elementals.
Marik: ((Boy, am I glad we didn't go with 'kill the Nymph and take her stuff'.))
GM: Alright, a quiet night.
Marik: And 23 meals of forage rations to turn into normal rations.
GM: You see more of the wood elementals, in various sizes, traipsing through the grove that night. Do you want some forage rations for Clyde?
Shelley: Only with permission.
GM: Yeah, sure.
Marik: Can I make that third roll for Clyde, then, or should I go for one more forage roll?
GM: No, 3rd roll is fine.
GM: Anything else you guys doing that night?
Wolfgang: not really
Thasos: not sure if there's other things to be done
Marik: Catching up on sleep, assuming the tree I'm leaning against doesn't get up and leave.
Shelley: General repair and doctoring on the skeleton krewe
Thasos: hmm... can i stretch my ritual component supplies with meditation?
GM: Yes, the rules on the wiki cover that.
Ghazeb: Sleep, followed by nap, followed by cat nap...
Shelley: Especially Mr. Decaying.
Thasos: i mean, before i actually run out
GM: You can skip a day.
GM: You'll need to make up the days at some point.
GM: But you can do that in otown.
GM: I suppose if you want to go on half-incense, I would give a bonus on the Meditation roll, but you'll still need to make it up at some point.
GM: Okay....
Thasos: how many days do i have left? i'm thinking 3
Thasos: including today
Narrator: The 8th day out from Polisberg dawns bright and very, very windy. Any clouds forming in the sky are dispersed by the turbulent weather.
GM: 3 on the night you meet the dryad.
Marik: I think north and west, aiming to get to the lakeshore near the tower.
GM: It is the High Holy Day of Disease, Fate, and Fire.
GM: So what's the plan?
Marik: As above: North and west, aiming for the lakeshore near the tower.
Shelley: (( dropped from MT again ))
Wolfgang: ((Off to free the pally, really this time!))
GM: The wood elementals lead you on the northwest side of the grove, on the edge of an open field, vaguely kidney-shaped. THat last remnants of a burnt and looted elven town are visible on the south side of the clearing.
Marik: I am no longer going to be sidetracked by already-looted elven towns.
Marik: But I will note the location for future exploration.
Marik: And press on.
GM: To the northwest, more forest is on the far side of the clearing, and some wooded hills rise beyond that. Those trees are mostly oak, with a few white yews. 
GM: ...
GM: Okay, I didn't think you'd get this far, so I need to do some prep work.