The party was able to quickly take care of the remaining few Scarecrows at the Westward Groves Crossroads and collected some loot left by a dead farmer. The light rain grew heavier as the night wore on, and the group continued the muddy walk towards the vineyard.
After a few more hours, they spotted a dark figure in the path and carefully approached. This turned out to be Adrian Martikov, brother to Urwin Martikov of the Blue Water Inn. He and the rest of his family had been hiding in the woods for the past two days after being attacked and run out of The Wizard of Wines Winery. He and his brother Elvir Martikov explained how the bushes, trees, and vines themselves seemed to attack the family. They said they saw Forest Folk, with one of them wielding a black, gnarled looking staff of some sort, possibly to control the Plant creatures. While describing the layout of the building, the family also expressed how their stubborn father Davian Martikov stayed back in the building to protect it and give time for the family to escape.
After moving across the vineyard in the dark heavy downpour, the party was able to get a peek of the winery building. They identified some possible entrances as suddenly, dozens of Needle Blights emerged from the grapevines as the group made a sprint towards safety. Moving into the loading dock area, the party survived a barrage of thorns as they made their way further upstairs. The mob quickly surrounded the winery, and the group was forced to barricade themselves into a bedroom/kitchen area by flipping a table and pushing furniture against the doors.
The commotion in the building grew before finally dying down in the night. The party decided on taking watches and preparing for some much-needed rest. Caleb was finally able to fight off the remains of his withdrawal from Dream Pastries and read a fantasy/mystery book before bed. Domitrius privately called out to The Speaker asking for more power in a strange agreement. Sometime during the night watch, loud noises were heard from somewhere downstairs. A repeated hammering noise, the snapping of wood, the breaking of glass, and a splashing sound. Eventually the morning came.
After all they had recently faced, the group felt stronger and braver as they gained level 5. They now felt ready to rescue Davian Martikov, and fight their way out if needed.
