Chapter 2: Sylvan Escape

[Jenara]

"Arggghhhh you son of a $@*#%!" Carith screams, reaching for her sword with her off hand she attempts to pull the piece of tree out of her abdomen.

She backs away from the fight, coughing up blood, her body was burnt and impaled.

[Stik]

[OOC]Huddled? Who said anything about huddling? Stick and move, baby, stick and move... [/OOC]

Callan backs away from the treant, keeping his spearpoint between himself and the trunk, and his shield at ready. "It's like this, Spooky: you can move off the road and go hole up in the woods, and we can be done for tonight. Or you can stay here until my friends get back with the oil and turn you into cinders. It's all the same to me."

[Ismaels-Legacy]

((OOC: LOL, How about hunkered?))


Torina is quickly awake and running to the storage area of the cooking wagon. She grabs a small crockery jar, dips it into a far larger crock that is half-filled with some rather foul smelling liquid, and tears off a piece of cloth from one of her well-used rags. She twists the rag into a makeshift wick and dips it into the oil, splashing a bit on herself in the process. She hands it to Hedra and says "Gods speed!"

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The undead treant is clearly unafraid of either of its remaining enemies, though it does seem a bit confused as to which to squash first. So far, the noisy one is leaking all over the ground, but the other one seems to bellow at inopportune moments, distracting it from its quarry. Perhaps it's time to squish the one hiding behind painted bark....


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As Carith watches, the treant turns away from her and moves back toward the roadway, going toward Callan. It's movements are faster and more sure of itself. Apparently it is a bit more awake than it was when it was woken by Carith's axe!

[Breila]

While Torina goes for the oil, Hedra looks for Dorir and wakes him, too. "Sorry to wake you, Dorir, but the tree has turned out to be an undead treant, and we're in trouble. Both Wolf and Carith are hurt already. I came here to get oil to burn it." She speaks dwarven, the native tongue generally gets through better in a tired mind...

She turns back to Torina to get the oil without delay. "Oh, Torina, could you come with me please? Wolf the mage has exhausted himself to unconsciousness setting the treant in flames, he should be watched, Bill is bringing him."

On her way back to the tree, Hedra must meet Bill somewhere. "Bill, please come back with me. The tree is not dead yet. We need you! Carith is badly hurt."

[Jenara]

Carith pauses, coughing up blood, she was half dead now, all because the fools didn't kill it when they had the chance..

She'd lost her axe, her clothes were ruined, the damn tree was ruining her life. She says nothing, her short side at her side. She needed fire, to burn this thing to the ground.

[Stik]

Callan continues his original tactic - wolf-pack tactics work better when there is more than one wolf involved, and a spear is hardly the most effective weapon for this type of foe, but he will do the best he can under the circumstances.

Spear thrust, move, reset, slash, give ground, always away from the roadway, and repeat. He'll continue in this vein so long as the treant is moving slowly, and he can manage to keep ahead of it. Hopefully that will buy the others enough time to bring their most effective weapon to bear.

His biggest fear at this point is that he might run unaware into some other threat while most of his attention is focused on the treant.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Dorir is immediately awake, running to the quartermasters wagon. "Iggy! An axe!!!" he shouts. Quickly a hand appears from the wagon's hatch, brandishing a felling-axe. Dorir grabs it and races for the sound of battle. On the way he motions to Carson who is also up and snatching gear. He silently motions to a few off-duty caravan guards and they grab spears and immediately follow.

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Callan does the best to draw the treants attention, though it has scented blood and keeps turning back to Carith who's making a desperate final stand, her life's blood dribbling down her chin and from various wounds previously afflicted. Finally realizing that Callan is really no threat, the treant disdainfully bats the spear away and turns to Carith to finish her off. As it looms closer, she can smell the offal, rot, punk-wood, and char from the creature. The creature has no eyes to stare into, so instead she faces down the gaping maw that widens to unnatural proportions from the trunk.

As the creature reaches for the kill, there is a solid "Thunk" as a spear embeds itself in the side of the treant, directly above its mouth. "BLOD OG AERE!" Dorir barrels down upon his foe, bellowing a warcry as the rest of the guards circle around the treant, taking the same formation as Callan. Between them and Carson's assistance, they are able to keep the creature corralled as Dorir begins to literally chop the creature's feet out from beneath it.

[Jenara]

Cairth Slumps forwards into a bloody heap, her body was battered, bruised and spent.

(She can move, just....)

[Breila]

Not looking if Big Bill will follow her, Hedra runs (well, really, trots, she's spent quite a lot of her energy) after the men rushing to battle. Seeing the collapsed Carith, she murmurs "Oheanaeen, netnokhebber". Not wasting any of her remaining energy ot trying to drag her to a safer spot, she immediately proceeds to assess her wounds. Nearly crying with exhaustion, using stripes torn off her surcot or Carith's clothes, she binds the less seroius wounds, then lays her hands on the most dangerous ones and begins to chant. "Oheah, eebittee, deefraw hoteerleaba oisgetzt feerus. Drundoode boom isfasht gshlaga. Zeekampft feerus, zeebluut feerus, heah lossze leaba"

The last sentence is repeated over and over again. "Zeekampft feerus, zeebloot feerus, heah lossze leaba" Kneeling next to Carith's mangled body, her hands on the woman's wounds, Hedra bends over more and more, her voice becoming fainter as she drifts into an exhausted trance. She carries on, not noticing anything that happens around her.

The jug of oil Torina gave her is set on the ground somewhere close, completely forgotten.

[Jenara]

Carith lifts her head weakly. "It is NOT Dead!" Carith screams, she collapses and closes her eyes, her body going limp.

[Stik]

Seeing Hedra stop short of the task that's needed, Callan mutters: 'Send a priestess to do a warrior's job...' What is one life if the enemy survives to kill others?
Ignoring Carith, he moves as quickly as possible to her position to get the oil jug.
Assuming he can reach it, he will bring it closer to the treant and begin splashing it on the trunk.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

As the chanting ends, Carith's wounds seal shut. She is no longer bleeding, but she is still unconscious and bruising is starting to set in.

Callan grabs the oil as the Treant topples to the side. Dorir has managed to cut away all roots on on side and the creature can no longer stand. Dorir and a few of the extra guards (Who found Bill and Carith's felling axes) have started to systematically remove the upper limbs it can't injure anyone with it's flailing. Callan moves in close enough without injury and begins to splash the oil on the trunk. The creature's maw is opening and closing on empty air, reminding him much of a fish out of water, except it's making an awful, wooden wailing noise.


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Carith's tattooed body suddenly feels lighter to her. The weight of battles, scars, and wounds feel no heavier than the tattoos that cover her now naked form. She sits up and looks around, wondering where she is. The ground is solid enough, but she can't see it through the thick fog the hangs about 6 inches off the ground. Above her the sky is obscured with the same fog, but it must be night since the fog is glowing an eerie bluish tint as if the moon were illuminating it from behind.

As she gathers her wits, she hears the sound of footfalls. A single figure with heavy boots walking on stone. Various pieces of chainmail tinkle with each step. She has yet to see the individual, but it's certainly headed her way.

[Breila]

At some point, Hedra becomes dimly aware that Carith's wounds have closed. She murmurs "Oheah, idankdr", and all that she manages to do is undo her cramped crouched position and stretch out beside Carith before collapsing into an exhausted sleep.

[Jenara]

Carith stands groggily, reaching from the axe she didn't have. She takes a fighting stance, ready to pounce, ignoring her nakedness she remembers to protect anything that could be used as a handhold.

Where by the Gods where was she? This was not the Road.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" She shouts, arms at her sides, hiding her form did not even cross her mind.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

The treant is ignited and it's painful, undead groans echo into the night. Thankfully noone was bitten, nor did anyone get the caustic sap into any open wounds. The scene is grim. Wolf lay unconscious, breathing heavily. Bill rests as best he can, burns slowly smouldering. Hedra lay asleep next to Carith's badly mangled body. Callan seems to be the only member of the party to have made it out in one piece, no doubt thanks to his long service in the guard.

The group is taken back to the camp on makeshift stretchers, carried between guards, though Carith's body is carried back by Dorir and Carson themselves. She is taken to the nearest wagon and examined. It's found that she is alive, but only just. Her breathing is shallow, and her pulse is faint. Were it not for the efforts and prayers from Hedra, she certainly would have passed away under the burden of her wounds.

As the night draws to a close and the daybreak comes, the party begins moving again. Those involved in the conflict are given permission to ride in the wagons, though ultimately the choice is up to them. Doing so would mean displacing children and the infirm.

In the mean time all awake, rested, though not entirely whole. That is.....all but Carith.


-{ End of Chapter 2 }-