Chapter 2: Sylvan Escape

[Jenara]

Carith storms back towards camp, axe over her shoulder, hopefully Bill wouldn't do something stupid while she was away (ooc: Post maybe? jk) "If you want something doing..." She mutters, damn Amateurs, everyone had to learn but..

When faced with the perimeter guards she just glares, walking straight towards them without stopping. "Let me pass." She says simply, the tree felling axe does not move from off her shoulder.

[Talyn]

The red robed mage had been busy doing what looked like meditating, sitting on the edge of the one the wagons towards the back of the caravan. However his eyes snap open once he hears the whistle, his gaze searching for his young ward, why is not clear.

He hops off the back of the wagon with more grace than someone who uses a walking stick would normally have as he starts moving towards the front of the caravan to see what is going on.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Carith makes it past the pair of guards posted on the road itself. They look slightly shaken but somewhat less intimidated by her presence.

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Hedra starts her perimeter check and, after passing a few posts, runs into the boy who alerted them to the missing guard. After chatting a bit, she finds out that he was supposed to be at the next post in the rotation, within eyesight of the other guards, but he disappeared. His own partner was a bit reluctant to release the information himself, though he had no idea where he went, either.

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Dee is still being held at spearpoint when Carson strides up, a wicked saex in hand. His glower is softened a bit when he sees who it is, but what is left of it is turned on the guards. "This man may pass. He's one of our scouts." When Dee returns within the perimeter and recounts his information, Carson nods to himself, knowingly. "And what of Slade? What did he find?"

About this time the man who calls himself Wolf arrives, asking about the commotion. He's quickly informed of the paw prints. Carson inquires if there's a way he could perhaps create a slow burning, controlled fire for each guard post. Something that won't burn down the forest, but will provide a bit of extra deterrent against feral animals.

[Breila]

Hedra frowns, what the young men said didn't completely make sense to her.
"What do you mean by *he disappeared*? Did you see him walk away and he never came back, or were you looking out, and the next time you looked back at him, he was just gone?"

[Jenara]

Carith walk confidentley into the camp, the axe still on her shoulder.. "Caster" She mutters, "Where is that Caster?"

She walks up to Carson, just seeing Wolf arrive. "I ain't superstitious, but that tree... I freaks me out, burn it." She frowns.

[Talyn]

The red robed mage looks at the large woman. "You claim to not be superstitious, but would still have me burn a tree down on nothing but a feeling?" he says and holds up a hand to stop the obvious rebuttal. "I will do it, lead me to it."

[Jenara]

"I know what I think.. follow me." She leads on scowling as she leads him back through the tree.

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill, confused by this hesitation follows Carith as she walks to the camp, and then back towards the tree with the caster.

"Bill think is strange for tree in road too. But, is still tree. I say we smash, then burn. Or, burn then smash. Is same. Is good."

Bill tilts his head to the side for a moment, and adds:

"Is bad for to be afraid of skull. I smash with SUPLEX when we get back to tree."


((OOC: Sorry folks, Residency got uber crazy there for a bit. Things should be better at this point.))

[Stik]

Callan stands by, watching the tree and its surroundings. Something isn't right, he feels it in his bones, but he can't put a finger on it.

[OOC] Is there no way to go around the tree in the road? What is the surrounding terrain like?[/OOC]

[Ismaels-Legacy]

[[OOC: The terrain is heavily wooded and even though you can walk abound the tree, it's not possible for the carts to pass.]]

The guard on duty looks a little nervous when speaking with Hedra and finally says, "Well, he went behind that bush over yonder to relieve himself. When I went to check it out he wasn't responding, so I looked around a bit and, well.....he just ain't there!"

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With Carson's blessing, Wolf, Bill, Carith, and Callan all return to the tree. It looks as imposing as ever, rotted from the inside out. The trunk shows marks where Carith tried to cut it, though it's now seeping a blackish sap. The skull remains embedded in the knothole where it was initially.

[Jenara]

"Wolf, it is Wolf is it not? Unless you wish to tell me your real name?" Carith smiles sweetly, "You can burn things correct? Then please do what you can?" Axe over her shoulder she watches the skull.

(What type of skull does it appear to be?)

[Talyn]

Wolf looks the tree over with a careful eye, inspecting it to see if he can't find a good spot for ignition. "The trick to burning something is finding the proper place to start. Almost anything will burn if it gets hot enough." he says aloud, not really caring who listens. "The key is to find a place to start so it takes less energy on my part."

He looks the tree over, not finding any particular suitable spots. (( My guess here IL. )) He finally sighs and looks at the knothole. "That should do." he mutters to himself before he concentrates and flings a small ball of fire at the small hole. The ball may be small, but he puts a lot of energy into so it burns hot. If the tree isn't completely waterlogged, it should start burning from a fire that hot.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

The globe of fire lands in the knothole, burning and sizzling like a hot ember. Slowly, rancid steam begins to emerge from the knothole. While it mostly obscures sight, what follows next was clearly visible to all, even in the gloom of night.

Initially, everyone heard a popping noise; a single audible crack. From within the knothole, the skull began to glow under the presence of previously unseen runes. The entire humanoid skull had been engraved with intricate designs, all of which now blazed in blue flames. The jaw slowly opened and the skull seemed to silently scream before it shattered under the heat of the fireball. All around it, more of the tree began to glow and burn. Then, without warning, there came a long groan, much like a massive tree falling in the woods. The gnarled oak rose up on it's roots, limbs slowly contorting. The knothole clenched shut, dousing the flames with a hiss. The knothole opened again like a gaping maw and dispelled the shards skull from it's arboreal orifice. It lets out another fallen-tree groan as it steps forward menacingly.

[Stik]

Callan observes the tree's transformation and grins mirthlessly. When he speaks, his tone is more resigned than angry: "I hate being right all the time," he says to nobody in particular.

He sizes up the group assembled, then calls out to them: "Heads up, people. Spread out - circle it. And 'ware the trees on the roadside.
"It's time for some diplomacy, I think."

That said, he calls out to the not-a-tree. "So, now that we have your attention, how about you move out of the road, before things get ugly?"

[Ismaels-Legacy]

[[OOC: I'm going to need locations for everyone. The road runs roughly East to West, the camp being on the Eastern side of the tree.]]