37. The Birds and the Seeds

8th Nymm, 999 YK

• Runmae's player, who was not present last session, recaps the session for us.
• Warren runs around the Dryad and begins trying to scrape some of the "gunk" off of the tree.
• Stormclaw tries to reason with the Dryad, but fails.
• Runmae also tries to reason with the Dryad, and gets brutalised for it.
• Bhaltair begins to sing a soothing melody in an attempt to calm the dryad. She stops brutalising Runmae and turns to look at Bhaltair.
• Bhaltair then attempts to reason with her, and asks her name. She does not respond, but doesn't attack either.
• Valaari wracks their brain and guesses that the skulls strung up around the tree are likely causing the dryad pain. They get out their rope of climbing, and direct it to climb the tree so that they can get to the skulls.
• Kryrk moves away and gets his bow out to begin shooting skulls.
• Naze, who is an expert at diplomacy, moves towards the dryad and engages his diplomacy skills.
• He seems to get through, as the dryad curls up on the floor with her knees to her chest.
• Valaari's rope begins climbing the tree.
• The group have competing concerns now, as they also need to get to Humphrey. Stormclaw suggests that he can stay and deal with the tree, whilst the group go to help with Humphrey.
• Warren activates his Arachnid Harness and also offers to help with the skulls.
• They do not loot right now, but they will need to return for Warren and the rope anyway.
• The others return to a feral badger in a cage, who looks different. Their eyes are wild, their teeth seem larger and their jaw is opening further than seems natural. They are gnawing on the cage, but it's solid steel and is holding for now.
• They discuss whether to go fetch Gwen Ostren and leave the bear for now, halfway through the cleansing. They decide that an actively possessed Humphrey is the more pressing matter.
• Bhaltair goes to get Gwen, and they return to deal with Humphrey.
• While they wait, Naze treats the others wounds.
• Gwen arrives back at the others. Bhaltair asked her to get Runmae to go meet Bhaltair, to try and drag the bear closer.
• Gwen gets to work on Humphrey, and Runmae heads off to meet Bhaltair.
• Runmae gets to Bhaltair, and Bhaltair explains their plan to relocate the bear, using Runmae's rippling, strong muscles.
• Runmae uses her rope to make a harness to secure the bear to her and make it easier, and then uses her rippling, titan wrestling muscles to drag the bear, slowly, to where the others are waiting.
• When they get back to the others, Gwen has already started on Humphrey, who has stopped actively trying to escape and is just watching the group, unnervingly.
• Valaari doesn't like this.
• After about an hour, Humphrey goes ape shit and exhausts himself, before lying down. The wildness seems to leave him, and he tries to reason with the group, saying that the demon seems to have left!
• They don't buy it.
• Naze examines Humphrey and determines that he has injured himself, particularly with the manacles digging into his wrists.
• Humphrey asks if the manacles can be removed, but Bhaltair says no, sorry
• Humphrey grumbles for the next several hours, until about 7 hours into the ritual. Humphrey then sits up and begins speaking again, asking if they have ever thought about how wrong it is what they do to animals? Cursing them with language, forcing them to work. He should be digging holes and hunting mice.
• It's interesting that is coming up now, isn't it?
• They say they can continue this conversation once the ritual is finished.
• Bhaltair asks Humphrey to tell stories, of their past. Humphrey tells a kinda generic story, and Gwen furrows her brow but can't speak without disrupting her ritual.
• Bhaltair is suspicious still.
• Humphrey asks about cities, they've never been to one.
• Runmae isn't a fan of them, and mentions Sharn. Bhaltair has only read stories of Sharn and has a kinda mythological view of it. They aren't convinced it's a real place.
• Valaari thinks it's a mountain or something.
• Bhaltair asks Runmae about what real cities are like?
• Runmae says that Sharn is a pretty good example but is almost too big, y'know? Especially as law enforcement, there's always something happening.
• Her home city, though, was a nice place. Korth is also nice, if a big dingy. They make good bread.
• Bhaltair asks what the least dark and dingy city they've been to? Runmae says that Fairhaven is alright?
• After a few hours of work, Warren and Stormclaw have cleared the skulls from the tree. It's like there was a whole village in there.
• Warren then loots the dead gnoll and the bonekeeper.
• Stormclaw tied the Bonekeeper up, as they're not dead, but lacks the means to communicate with them.
• Warren finds a wooden disc with a paw print embedded in it, but doesn't know anything about it. He asks Stormclaw, who also doesn't know anything about it. Damn.
• Warren then returns to the rest of the group. Stormclaw stays with the dryad.
• With half an hour to go, Humphrey tells the group to shut up, and says if they don't open the cage, he will kill the badger.
• They call the bluff, and then Humphrey begins trying to hurt himself. Slamming his head against the bars and trying to slash at his own throat, despite the manacles.
• Bhaltair attempts to cast Soothe to heal Humphrey, but he rejects the healing.
• Valaari sticks the butt of their spear into the cage and tries to use it to prevent Humphrey from slashing his own throat. Runmae does the same with a javelin.
• Bhaltair then also casts Leaden Steps, making Humphrey's paws heavier and making it harder for him to slash his own throat.
• Humphrey bites through Runmae's javelin, but she responds by using her greataxe in the same way.
• They have a very harrowing 20 minutes of Humphrey trying to kill himself and them trying to prevent it.
• Valaari and Naze also attempt to intimidate the vrykudlak, but it's not afraid of them. Warren also then gives it a go, and is much scarier than the other two.
• At the 8 hour mark, Gwen finishes the ritual and Humphrey begins to spasm for a bit before falling unconscious.
• Naze then physically checks Humphrey over, and finds that he has injured himself. Naze uses his staff to heal some of the injuries.
• Bhaltair also uses Soothe to further heal him.
• At this point, Gwen is exhausted, having done rituals for 12 hours. The bear will have to wait until tomorrow.
• A few minutes later, Humphrey wakes up and asks if it worked. They ask for his opinion on awakening animals, and he said he's never really thought about it.
• They think he's back to normal, but they ask Gwen. She's unnerved by how well the Vrykudlak was mimicking his mannerisms, but thinks he's back to normal now.
• They take the manacles off, and free Humphrey from the cage. Valaari gives Runmae her manacles back and then folds up her cage.
• Bhaltair wants to go back and check on the dryad.
• Valaari asks about the bear, they brought it all the way here!
• Bhaltair says they can bring it to the tree.
• Runmae is exasperated but not really, she does it.
• They return to the tree. The dryad has returned to the hollow, and Stormclaw is just talking to it, trying to soothe it. All of the skulls have been removed, and smashed.
• The bonekeeper has been tied to a nearby tree, and is snarling and cackling and just generally causing a ruckus.
• Kryrk goes and speaks to it in gnoll. Warren can hear more of it than the others, as some of the pitches are inaudible to humans and orcs.
• They make camp, and Bhaltair walks up to the dryad and offers it some bloodvine sap, from the Abyssal Forest of Khaar.
• Stormclaw asks what it is. Bhaltair explains that it is a sap they discovered, with healing properties. It heals wounds quite rapidly.
• They convince Stormclaw, who steps aside. They then explain the same thing to the dryad in Wildsong.
• The dryad takes the sap, but it has no immediate effect.
• The gnoll conversation gets cut off by a pained yelp as Kryrk impales the other gnoll with the spear end of his myrnaxe.
• Kryrk returns to the group and mutters "too far gone."
• They settle down, and Kryrk says they have all done well today, he would gladly share the bonekeeper's corpse with them.
• They are confused, Runmae expresses concern.
• Kryrk explains that when you die, your soul is met by those you killed in life. If you have not honoured them, they will be ravenous.
• Warren is horrified at the thought of this.
• Out of respect for the others customs, Kryrk only eats a finger.
• He just goes over and tears it off with his teeth and swallows. Raw.
• God damn
• Warren mentions that he looted some stuff that he wants to show them.
• He shows them the staff, and the wooden disc. He acts suspicious when getting them out of his bag.
• Bhaltair takes a look at the staff. Naze takes a look at the disc.
• Naze identifies the wooden disc as a symbol related to The Wild Heart.
• Bhaltair and Valaari both fail to identify the staff, but Runmae's seen one before.
• She explains that it is an Accursed Staff, it empowers curses.
• Bhaltair and Naze could use it, but they already have an equivalent item, so they're likely going to trade it in when they get back to Vaanka Dar.
• Valaari is once again disappointed that they are denied magic. Why?
• Runmae puts the staff in her spacious satchel.
• They rest for the night.

9th Nymm, 999 YK

• In the morning, the tree already seems healthier than it did the day before. It's wounds have started to heal, but it now seems to be in some kind of sleep or stasis.
• Bhaltair does a walk around the tree, inspecting it for any signs of corruption from the bloodvine sap. They don't see any, it seems to be recovering.
• They stay with Gwen for the 8 hours it takes her to cleanse the curse from the bear.
• At the end of the ritual, the bear vomits out all of the caustic sludge. Nice and clean again.
• Runmae asks Warren if he still thinks that bears aren't a threat?
• "Well obviously that one was a threat, but only because of the demon goo"
• Runmae tries to argue that bears are just like that!
• Bhaltair disagrees, it wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't enraged.
• Runmae thinks it still would have had a problem with Warren. They can smell weakness.
• Warren is offended, he's not weak! He's sneaky!
• Stormclaw interrupts and asks what they plan to do now.
• Valaari says they will return to the Demon Wastes, unless Bhaltair needs to do anything else?
• Bhaltair technically doesn't need to return! They could visit their dad!
• But they will go back. It is their duty.
• Stormclaw will go back to the village and start gathering the people's things, to try and inform their families. Kryrk will stay with him, but his objective is to track down the gnolls.
• Warren expresses that it is a shame they need to return to the Wastes. The Reaches are nice.
• Nobody comments on that, they let him have this one.
• Runmae also wishes they didn't have to go back.
• Duty calls.
• They return to the village with Stormclaw to see if Bhaltair's familiar has returned. They have!
• The Mask explains that they delivered the warning, and the Vaanka will alert Oalian and the Ashbound.
• They then begin heading back towards Vaanka Dar.
• Bhaltair also gathers some seeds for native plants.
• On their journey back, they come across a strange grove of odd looking trees.
• Valaari identifies the plant on the ground as Brightwort, a common ingredient in healing potions.
• Bhaltair also knows that (and knows that Brightwort is a creation of Avassh, the Twister of Roots, but they do not share this), but also has a good idea what the tree in the center of the grove is. A Tree of Knowledge, another creation of Avassh that can impart knowledge on those who eat its fruit.
• Bhaltair shares that this tree could be useful, and explains that it can grant knowledge. Knowledge that may not be useful to them, but will be true.
• Also the fruit is an orange, but weird. Runmae has seen em before, they grow in Breland. Warren has never seen the colour orange before, it just looks brown to him. (Apparently, he is colour blind!)
• This somehow never came up before!
• Bhaltair comments that they live in a blasted, orangey wasteland. Warren is like, "what? no, it's a brown wasteland"
• Runmae asks if the fruit is safe. Bhaltair says they think so.
• Warren says that if they eat it and get possessed, he's gonna be very upset.
• Naze is interested in eating the fruit.
• Bhaltair says they called first dibs. Sorry Naze.
• They want to eat the fruit, but they aren't sure about the weird bone trees. What if they are a threat?
• Bhaltair decides to consult the spirits about the bone trees. 
• The spirits take the form of spectral goblins, only visible to Bhaltair, in the grove.
• Bhaltair asks what the bone trees are. The goblins respond "Us."
• Bhaltair asks if they are aggressive. The goblins respond "No."
• Bhaltair asks what kind of spirits they are. They respond "golin'dar". Bhaltair doesn't know that word.
• Bhaltair comes out of their communion and then asks the group what "golin'dar" means?
• Runmae has heard the word before, the Sharn goblins use it to describe themselves. 
• Ah, so it's a language! Bhaltair asks them to keep saying the word so they can translate it with magic.
• They keep saying the word, and "golin'dar" becomes "fast people"
• Bhaltair explains that the spirits were goblins, and they said that they were the trees. They say they're not aggressive, and they said they are golin'dar.
• Valaari asks if the trees are people, then?
• Bhaltair says they must have been from when the grove was created. They're trees created by Avassh...from goblins.
• Hmm
• Bhaltair isn't concerned about the trees being a threat. They're a little concerned about the meat fruits.
• If nobody has any objections, Bhaltair is gonna get the fruit.
• Nobody has any objections, but Runmae checks for traps or hidden threats before.
• She doesn't find anything specific, just the vibe being a bit off.
• Bhaltair picks the fruit, and it peels itself in their hand, revealing 7 segments. Oh! The stories don't mention that!
• They eat one segment first, in case it's different knowledge in each one.
• Bhaltair learns how to change the colours of their leaves, at will. They immediately make themselves look like a rainbow.
• The others freak out, and shout if they're doing that on purpose!?
• Bhaltair says they are fine, are they coming over or should they come to them? Do they wanna try a bit?
• Bhaltair starts walking to the others, and eats another segment. They learn that a champion of one of their siblings recently died. This is amusing to them, but they are disappointed that their research on Kalashtar will be lost. If only they'd got their roots into that dragon.
• Valaari takes a piece, and eats it, and suddenly learns the language of ancient Dhakaan. They mutter to themselves, "oh...goblins" as they look at the trees. They explain that "golin'dar" means "goblins". Runmae is like, "it only told you that word? that seems like a waste"
• Runmae takes a piece, and eats it. She understands, for the first time, that she will one day die. There is nothing she can do to stop it. She's not a plant, one day her cells will fail and she'll die. She cannot propagate, any offspring she has won't be her. She feels a deep, aching sadness, for herself and everyone else, trapped in a rotting suit of meat.
• Fuck.
• Warren takes a piece, and eats it. He learns how to understand Gnoll, but his body lacks the means to make most of the sounds required. So, whilst gnolls will understand him, they will find it incredibly offputting. Warren starts making gnoll noises, and they are all very concerned. Bhaltair apologises, and says they really didn't think it would hurt them, but clearly it has overpowered Warren's mind.
• Warren explains that he was trying to speak Gnoll! He can understand it now!
• Runmae comments that all of their bodies are wrong, and finite. She's just lying in the grass, staring at the sky.
• Bhaltair says they'll deal with that later.
• Naze takes a piece, and eats it. He learns of a searing light, deep beneath the earth, which makes his roots uncomfortable. He doesn't think he has roots, but he can feel them anyway, and they are uncomfortable. He knows it is there, and where it is, but not know how to get to it. It will bother him. He's also pretty sure he knows how to change the colours of his leaves, but he doesn't have those either!
• There is one piece of fruit left. Who wants it?
• They roll for it, and Bhaltair wins. So Bhaltair eats a third segment.
• They feel a sense of sadness, and hurt. They have been betrayed by one of their children, who worked with the Gatekeepers to imprison them within Khyber. At the same time, there is a feeling of curiosity, about what this child (and their children) might do absent their influence.
• Bhaltair has a decent idea of who the child in question is, too. They think it is Oalian. Oalian never talks about the Daelkyr War, even asked about it.
• Bhaltair speaks up to the others, saying that they think they just learned who their grandmother is. "I may be, closer than I'd like, related to Avassh."
• Warren freaks out. Bhaltair is related to a demon!?
• Runmae, from the floor, states that Bhaltair is truly blessed beyond belief.
• They ask what Runmae is talking about. She stares at her hand, feeling how soft it is, and says "I don't know, man"
• They ask what Runmae learned.
• "I'm gonna die, Valaari. When I die, I'm just gonna be dead. I'm not gonna go on, like a plant."
• Warren states that plants also die.
• Valaari asks if Runmae is having a crisis. She says she doesn't know, she wants to go home.
• Bhaltair changes their leaves to a more somber colour.
• Runmae looks at Bhaltair changing their leaves, and gets our her dwarven whiskey and takes a swig.
• Valaari mentions that Runmae has lived a long time, and her species is long lived! She has a while to go before that happens.
• Runmae mutters that they're all going to die, alone, fighting demons.
• Valaari says that's what makes their actions important!
• Runmae asks "but what if we didn't have to die? What if we could live on, as plants?"
• Warren agrees, he can kill plants. Not that he would, of course.
• Valaari explains that when they die, they join with Kalok Shash. They go on, serve a higher purpose.
• Runmae sighs. At best she's only got another two centuries. That's nothing.
• Warren kicks off, he's got like 20 years tops and that's if he's lucky!
• They've even seen Valaari die, a bunch of times! When the mirror was malfunctioning!
• Valaari: "Don't let the weird fruit get to you."
  Warren: "Yeah what does a fruit know? it's just a fucking fruit. You're smarter than it, cos you're made of meat!"
  Bhaltair: "What's the relevance of being made of meat?"
  Runmae: "Yeah that's the problem, I'm made of meat"
• Valaari explains that everything they've met that was immortal, was evil. Things aren't meant to go on past their time.
• Warren gives an inspiring speech, that Runmae is going to be a legend among the Ghaash'kala, she'll blaze a trail and then join with Kalok Shash. A tale told forever by bards and shit.
• Don't let the fruit tell her otherwise! Turn it into poop in her stomach!
• Bhaltair also explains that they don't even know how much time they have! They're seven now, they could only have a couple more years!
• Runmae says that she was still in diapers when she was 7. The speech had roused her up, but then she remembered that she was still wearing diapers when she was 7 and was mocked relentlessly by the other dwarven children.
• Leaving Runmae to her wallowing for a second, Valaari goes back to what Bhaltair said. Being the grandchild of a daelkyr might explain why some of the people they've met were afraid of them.
• Wait, did that mean that Oalian was the only one that betrayed Avassh? Bhaltair has so many questions. Is that why they're immune to the Demon Wastes corruption?
• Valaari comments that they need more of Bhaltair's people in the Ghaash'kala.
• Bhaltair agrees, they need to learn how to make children.
• "I thought your father taught you about the birds and the seeds?"
• "What does that have to do with making children?"
• "Honestly, as a tree I think the birds may have played a part in the seeding?"
• Bhaltair isn't even sure that they can produce offspring. They know they aren't the only sapling of Oalian to exist, but they don't know if the others still exist.
• Nevertheless, it is very useful to know that Bhaltair is able to leave the Wastes. Maybe one day they can go and see their progenitor again and ask about these things.
• Bhaltair doesn't like the word progenitor. Oalian is their dad.
• Valaari comments that Oalian didn't seem to teach Bhaltair much about themselves, maybe they're viewing him too favourably.
• Runmae comments that some dwarves believe their people originated in the stone. If only it been the bark of a tree, instead.
• Warren comments that his parents just "did it" and made him.
• "Did what?"
• "Pollinated. Like, the meat version"
  "Why are you beating around the bush?"
  "Don't beat around bushes"
• Valaari just says it, and Bhaltair is like "oooooh they fornicated"
• Warren doesn't like talking about it, because it never goes well for him. There was that one girl but she got transferred to another clan.
• Clarity: he is not an incel, he's just too neurotic to properly open up to others.
• This leads to a discussion about all of their relationships, and they unaminously declare that out of all them, Naze is the one that probably has the most success.
• They also level up

The Bone Grove

As you make your way through the deep wood, your path has diverged a bit from the path you took to get here, but you're still on track to get back to Vaanka Dar.

This slight diversion leads you to new landmarks that you missed on the way through. As you walk, you come upon a grove of odd trees, their bark has a similar colour and texture to bone, and the fruit in their branches looks suspiciously like meat.

Strange, luminescent plants line the ground around these trees.

The grove smells wrong, but you can't place any particular scent that doesn't belong or why. Even more than that, the leaves of the trees rustle as if being blown by the wind, but there's no breeze in the grove.

At the center of this grove stands another odd tree, larger than the others but not as immediately alien. It looks like a normal deciduous tree, but there's something about the texture of the bark that just feels off.

There is a single fruit on the tree, superficially similar to an orange, but there are alien patterns on the skin.