15/10/2024
26th Day of May 1492
Weather: Clear.
High Temperature: 15 degrees Celsius.
Low Temperature: 9 degrees Celsius.
Mission: Find the Hart of the Forest
Campaign: Forest of Wyrms
Location(s): Whispering woods, Whispering Wood Village, Shrine of Mielikki.
Present: Barlyn, Zinalla, Seraphina, Brielle, Elysande, Glepper & T'or.
Into the Whispering Woods
The party stood at the edge of the Whispering Woods, dark and mysterious, filled with voices that seemed to float on the breeze. Mara had just finished giving them directions, her tone serious.
Mara: "The Hart of the Forest is the Guardian. You'll need to return to the shrine. From there, head southeast until you reach the edge. Once you find the path, follow it down. Keep your eyes open for rune stones—they’ll guide you to the Sacred Grove. Brielle, you’re the only one who can read them."
Brielle nodded, clutching her holy symbol as she mentally prepared herself for the task ahead.
Arriving at the Shrine
The group trekked back to the shrine, its eerie atmosphere matching the rest of the forest—gloomy, with faint whispers echoing in the air.
Glepper, swatting at midges buzzing around him, grumbled under his breath. "These things are driving me mad!" His frustration, however, quickly turned to alarm as a deep growl echoed from the trees.
Out of the darkness, two massive forms burst through the undergrowth—owlbears.
Glepper: "OOH BUGGER!"
Battle with the Owlbears
Without hesitation, the group sprang into action, weapons drawn and spells ready.
Barlyn was the first to act, charging forward with a roar and swinging his battle axe with deadly precision. It landed squarely on one of the owlbears with a heavy thud.
Barlyn: "Take that!"
Behind him, T’or let out a primal scream and entered a rage, but as he swung his battleaxe, it flew right over the owlbear’s head, hitting nothing but air. Flying out of his grasp it landed some 12ft behind the owlbear.
T'or: "Damn it!"
With a focused breath, Brielle summoned divine energy and cast Guiding Bolt, hitting the first owlbear with a blinding flash of light.
Brielle: "By the light!"
As the light faded, Seraphina loosed an arrow, hitting the creature in the side.
Seraphina: "Let’s finish this!"
The owlbear let out a final screech before collapsing to the ground, dead.
Glepper, shaking off the midges, darted forward, daggers flashing, aiming at the second owlbear.
Glepper: "Let’s see if this bites!"
The fight wasn’t over yet. T’or, refocused, roared again drew his maul and slammed his weapon into the second owlbear.
T’or: "For glory!"
The remaining owlbear reared up in fury, but Barlyn, seizing the opportunity, swung his axe again in a brutal strike, aiming to parry a retaliatory blow. Unfortunately, the owlbear's claw struck back, and he stumbled.
With another precise strike with his dagger, Glepper struck once more, followed by a fierce strike from Elysande, who delivered a crushing blow to the creature.
Brielle, drawing from her divine connection, cast another Guiding Bolt, landing the final hit on the owlbear.
The owlbear collapsed, breathing its last.
Seraphina: "Anything on these things?"
Brielle: knelt beside the bodies. "Just feathers."
After the Battle
The party gathered themselves, weary but triumphant. Brielle immediately moved to T’or, casting Cure Wounds to heal his injuries.
Barlyn, ever the pragmatic one, borrowed a dagger from T'or and knelt beside one of the owlbears and began attempting to skin it.
Glepper, watching with a grin, called out, "Anybody need a loincloth?" A second attempt on the 2nd owlbear was just as futile.
T’or, still catching his breath, used the moment to reclaim and clean his dagger on the fur.
Zinnalla used his Lay on Hands ability to heal himself and Seraphina, while Seraphina bandaged the remaining cuts.
Once the party was stable, they made camp. A fire was started, and the aroma of roasted owlbear meat filled the air. They set up their alarm system—rope tied around trees and pitons ready to clatter in case of trouble. Glepper took the first watch.
A Midnight Encounter
As the fire crackled, Glepper noticed something strange—a tree moving. His eyes widened, and he nudged Brielle awake.
Glepper: "Brielle, wake up. Something’s moving."
They both watched as the tree stepped forward—an awakened tree! It paused before them, towering and ancient.
Glepper: "Do you understand me?"
The 'Tree' tilted its head and, to Glepper’s surprise, repeated his words back in a deep, resonant tone. As it spoke, one of its massive hands looped the rope they had set as an alarm around its branches.
Brielle: "We should take that down…" She gently removed the rope.
The 'Tree' regarded them with curiosity and then spoke, "You can trip over this." It pointed a knotted branch at Brielle. "Is this your wife?"
Glepper, caught off guard, stammered, "No! No, not my wife!"
The 'Tree' nodded sagely, as if understanding something profound.
Glepper: "I am Glepper. Do you know of the Hart of the Forest?"
The 'Tree', still slow and deliberate in its speech, introduced itself, "I am Longtrunk Slowwalker. The Hart has not been seen in the high forest for some time. In the morning, go to the edge and follow the sun. It will lead you to the path down. I will watch over you tonight."
A wave of drowsiness suddenly swept over Glepper and Brielle, and before they could respond, they fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Morning Departure
The next morning, the group awoke to the sounds of birds singing, the sun shining through the trees. Longtrunk had stood guard through the night, as promised.
Before they left, he pointed ahead, "Half a mile left. Follow the sun. You will come to the path."
Glepper, grateful, bowed his head. "Thank you, Longtrunk."
Before departing, Longtrunk extended his long branch and handed over several lengths of rope—seven 50-foot pieces in total.
The Cliff Path
The group marched through the forest for about a hundred yards before the trees parted, revealing a sharp drop—300 feet down into the forest below. The path ahead was narrow and steep, leading down the cliffside. Only one person could pass at a time.
In single file, Brielle took the lead, her eyes focused on the distant horizon, guiding the rest of the group down the path into the heart of the Whispering Woods.
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