Chapter 2: Sylvan Escape

[Stik]

Callan eyes the tree suspiciously, then says in a quiet voice: "Hey, Inky - you know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that one thing that distinguishes a road from a forest is that roads are generally devoid of large trees. Granted traffic has been light of late but surely there hasn't been time for a tree since last time the road was used.
"Something is not right here," he says, looking around, "and I would not suggest getting any closer to that thing than necessary."
"We should go around it, if we can. Or burn it if we can't go around."

[Jenara]

Carith looks at Callan for a moment. "If it were just us, yes. However the Wagons need to pass." She hefts the axe, looking at the tree. It was dead, wasnt everything in this world? But could it be...

She looks back to Bill, her mind does go back to Wolf, maybe he should burn in?
"What do you think?" She asks the big warrior.

[TigerStripedDog]

"Is simple. Is tree. Is in way. Now, we move tree, yes?" Bill states flatly. Sure, its probably a cursed tree. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing he had ever heard of. There is a legend in his tribe of a cursed potato that once gnawed off a man's hand before it was finally put to boil. But that legend ended with someone eating the potato. Because after all, curse or no curse its still a potato. And potatoes taste great.

"In old country, we have song for to cut tree. Is like this: 'Tree is big, I bigger. Tree is hard, I harder. I cut tree because need much wood. I cut tree because cut tree is good'... Is good song, yes?" Bill states as he walks towards the large tree, axes in hand.

[Jenara]

"Well then.." She steps forwards, axe in hand, "Get some fire just in case." She comments to Callan, "Normally I wouldn't care, but cursed trees..."

[ooc: Tiger you crack me up, I really love Bill as a PC]

[Stik]

Callan takes up a position some distance from the tree, measuring by eye the diameter of the tree's branches and not approaching any closer than that distance.
Given all the attention the tree is drawing, this would be a perfect time and place for an ambush, so he will keep alert to the perimeter. But at the same time, he's never seen a tree eat a caveman before, and doesn't want to miss out on that, so he'll keep half an eye on Bill, too.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Carith's foot falls one step closer to the tree and....nothing happens. Everyone present stands there, staring at the gnarled branches, wary for some impending attack, though the only motion comes from the silent wind whipping through the limbs.

[Jenara]

Carith grunts and hefts the axe in her hand.

"Enough, we chop it down, I am fed up of seeing shadows everywhere." She moves closer.

"Someone go get that Caster, we might need him to set this tree on fire, if he can.."

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Several swings into the tree-felling, Carith realizes that this attempt may be more laborious than anticipated! Each time her axe sinks into the tree, it is met with a 'squelching' sound as black ooze wells up around the blade. It takes a bit of effort to wrench the axe free after each swing as well. She seems to be making headway, though. She is also taking care to avoid the skull imbedded with the knothole, though. Despite her care, the felling seems to be knocking it slowly loose from it's home.

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Dee's footfalls fall lightly on the needle-strewn ground in the arboreal forest. It's starting to get dark, though the limbs are rather thinly plumed, so plenty of moonlight is eeking through. As he continues his search, Dee notices a few patches of earth that seem to be disturbed. When he looks closer, he realizes that it's a game trail. There's a variety of tracks in the packed soil, though the most recent ones fill his stomach with dread. They appear to be canine, but far larger than any dog Dee has ever encountered before. Not only that, but they are headed in the direction of the camp...


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The camp is rather quiet all things considered. Everyone is a little nervous, but with food in their bellies and a campfire to keep them warm, everyone is drifting off into a slumber. At their own campfire, set away from the circled wagons, Hedra participates in preparations and discussions with Carson and Dorir. They are concerning themselves with the dwindling food supply, unsure as to where it is going, despite having picked up stragglers. They had accounted for extras when they left, but the grain is going far faster than it should. The fact disturbs them, since the most obvious answer is that someone (Or a group of someones) is eating the grain a little at a time in secret. After an hour, a guard approaches Dorir and whispers in his ear. Dorir sits up straighter and says "Get someone to follow you and go take his posts." He shakes his head as the boy leaves. "Someone has abandoned their post it seems. Probably just looking to get a bit of shut-eye, but there's no excuse. We'll have to have a flogging tomorrow at sunrise, it seems."

[Breila]

"About the grain, I have an idea" Hedra speaks up. "I have a small sack of it in my pack I haven't told anyone about and that no one in the camp could see. My pack hasn't been disturbed, either. Let me get the pack here and check if any of the grain is missing."

She goes and gets her pack to inspect it.

After the report on the missing guard, Hedra frowns. "Shouldn't we check that the guard really is snoring off somewhere? Maybe something other than an undead has taken him, attacking in stealth and not in numbers?"




(ooc: IL, would you please edit the post to show my character's name, not mine?)
Done - Jen

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Carson looks thoughtful for a moment before replying. "Perhaps we should start checking around camp. If he's napping elsewhere he's on his own. Of course, since he's missing, he may be part of the missing grain." Dorir nods and immediately stands, saying "I'll pass the word and go talk to Iggy myself. See if he knows what's going on since it's going missing from HIS wagon."


((OOC: LOL, sorry. It's been a while and I typed this out late last night!))

[Breila]

Hedra inspects her pack. Has any of the grain she got in exchange for her dwarven goods gone missing, too?


(ooc: Since Hedra sat with Dorir and Carson by the fire, I assume Ignatius had been presuaded to let her draw a glyph on his wagon?)

[Jenara]

"Where is that Caster?" Carith swings into the tree once more, seeing the skull shake she stops.

"I don't like this." She mutters to Bill (assuming he is here) and stops. "I have no idea what will happen.. But." She rubs her head.

[ooc: She asked for someone to get the caster, If no one does, she will.. The tree isn't going anywhere. Yet..]

[Kafen]

Dee takes off running towards the camp. He is not silent about it. The paws mean trouble. Hopefully, the rapid pace will alert the others. "We have company, paw prints!" He shouts as he starts to run.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Hedra's pack is indeed still full of the spare grain she stashed. Carson glances at her and quickly says "Put that away if you know what's good for you."

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No one is really sure where the mage in red went to, so Carith, being more proactive than most people prefer her to be, ((OOC: Sorry! It fits her character!)) sets off back to camp. If nothing else, maybe a bit of fire will dry out the rot in the tree, making it easier to fell.

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Dee goes running back to camp, only to meet a pair of perimeter guards, spears level, yelling "Halt! Go no further!" They're little more than kids themselves, and apparently scared out of their minds. One tucks the butt of his spear under one arm, keeping it leveled at Dee as best as possible, while he retrieves a whistle tied to a cord around his neck. He blows a shrill whistle that is sure to wake everyone in the camp.

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As Hedra is securing her pack, after re-stowing her spare grain, she hears a sharp blast of a whistle. "What is that?" she asks Carson in alarm. "That's trouble." he says, leaping to his feet, grabbing his gear. He reaches behind himself and pulls out a blade that is somewhere between a humongous knife or a small shortsword. He lopes toward the sound of the whistle with the silent grace of a woodland predator.

[Breila]

Hedra looks at Carson's back for a moment, thinking. He probably wouldn't need her help.
But if this was an organized attack, it might be a diversion and the real attack would come from another direction. So Hedra sets off for a perimeter check, beginning approximately at a right angle clockwise to where the whistle blow came from. Her war hammer is in her hand.