Session 9

After slaying the wolves the party is able to safely return to their camp where Slappy and Cosmo await them eagerly. Cyrell, Zephyr, and Twitch retreat to their tents and immediately passes out. There are no disturbances overnight and the party sleeps soundly. 

Morning has long broken until the party awakens from their exhaustion. Slappy is prepared with morning coffee, tea and some bacon and eggs for all to enjoy. In the time the party has been gone, it appears slappy has been able to set up a nice little campsite. Small wooden barricades block the open paths in and out of the camp, and logs are hidden in the overgrown brush flanking the camp in an attempt to trip any intruders. Slappy prompts the party by asking what their next steps are.

"We could go and kill the tree..." Twitch solemnly suggests. "But it is friendly to us, for now..."

"And how would we do that? Walking up to it and attacking it isn't exactly a plan. Especially when it has all its guards we saw." Cyrell responds.

Zephyr remains silent eating her food and drinking her tea.

As the party deliberates their next steps, the ground underneath begins to shake. Tree leaves rustle and fall to the ground as though in panic. The moving of earth can be heard underneath as close but solitary tree begins to twitch, its bark contorting into a face and its branches inflating, and relaxing as life passes into it.

"Good morning my dear friends!"

The withered face of Lord Aldermoore stands in front of the party. His slow, heavy speech broken up by deep breaths that shake the plants around them. 

"You have done me a great service by removing those pests from my woods. Now I can finally grow as I was meant to!" 

The rumbling underneath the ground does not stop. 

"As promised, here are your items back" He plunges a branch into a small hole within his trunk and pulls out 3 sticky sap covered items. The helm of the pestilent prince, a signet ring, and a healing potion. He extends his branch towards the center of camp and then splits, extending each item in towards its respective owner. 

"For being such loyal subjects and fulfilling my request with no hesitation, I will also bestow upon you a piece of wisdom. There are lurkers approaching your camp with evil intent. I suggest that you prepare." 

With these final words, The branches of the tree return to their natural positions. Lord Aldermoore lets out a heady sigh and the tree returns to its still state.

The party does little to prepare. Zephyr continues to enjoy her morning tea. Cyrell remains sitting pensively on a comfortable log. Twitch, proactive, moves to a nearby tree. He rips off a few pieces of bark from the tree and wipes some of the sap of the helm to stick it to his body creating a camouflage. From the trees, voices can be heard on either side of the camp.

From the east, two voices are heard conspiring.

"Is it time? Do we attack now?" Says the first.

"No you fool! We need to wait for the signal" Replies the second.

A sudden and unnatural rustling of leaves comes from the west. The eastern voices pick up again.

"Is that it? That's the signal right?" 

"I think so? I don't know..."

"CHAARRGE!" a battle cry can emerges from the western flank.

Cyrell gives a smirk, and slips on his ring of invisibility. Zephyr stands fully armed, and Twitch jumps out from behind the tree, his hand crossbow lined up directly at one of the attackers. The ambushers disoriented and uncoordinated panic. 3 figures from the western party leaps from the brush while 2 from the eastern party lag behind. 

It is revealed to be a group of four halflings and one human. Each of the halflings wearing only partial armor. A pauldron here, or single set of greaves.

Immediately a crossbow bolt is launched by Twitch - the last thing one halfling sees is the bolt as it pierces the center of his face. Another of the halfling members flinches and pauses in fear. Twitch sprints up the small hill towards the human and remaining halfling and stabs at one of them with his dagger.

Cyrell, invisible, sneaks up behind the second halfling on the eastern side and stabs him in the back. Wounded, and seeing blurry, he turns to face his attacker stunned. Zephyr departs to the western side rushing one of the two halflings. She pierces his throat with her rapier. Blood spurts across her blade coating the plants beneath as his body, with open lifeless eyes, hangs lifelessly at the end of her sword. The second halfling on the screams and is unable to maintain his composure. "It wasn't meant to go this way! IT WASN'T MEANT TO GO THIS WAY!" He attempts to flee from Zephyr as she pulls her sword out of the corpse and slashes the fleeing halfling across the back, his body collapsing to the ground.

Twitch disposes of the remaining halfling, only the single human is left. Troy casts a magic spell wounding her lightly, but she surrenders. She holds up her arms and drops her iron axe and wood shield to the ground. "Please. Please have mercy." Cyrell approaches the woman unfettered as her hands shake violently. "I have something!" She reaches into her belt pouch as Cyrell prepares himself and she pulls out a sealed letter. Cyrell relaxes. "Here! We were told not to open it - perhaps it was intended to reach you."

Cyrell opens the letter.
I knew you'd be able to take out these runts! Boys owed me some money so I took care of two birds with one stone. Told 'em I'd wipe their debt if they could kill ya! Could you imagine! HA! They paid their debt in blood - and I got a message to you! Win-win! Anyways, down to business!....Where. Is. My. Package!? 

Speak soon!
Groglick!  

The party has a chuckle over Groglicks methods of courier services and decides it is time to get on the move. They pack up the rest of their camp, hop on the back of Cosmo, and continue on their way.

The party passes nearby to a graveyard. An ominous mist hangs over it. Cyrell dismounts from Cosmo and walks into it dissapearing quickly into the fog. Twitch and Zephyr wait. Minutes pass, they call for Cyrell, but there is no response. Zephyr and Twitch walk into the fog to find him but are instantly separated as if silently teleported away from one another.

Cyrell meanwhile encounters a spirit that addresses him. He promises that Cyrell is safe. Cyrell inquires about the spirits nature to which the spirit lifts its ghostly arms and parts the fog. An unending battlefield extends in all directions from  where Cyrell stands. The spirit reveals that he was a soldier in a long forgotten battle. But darkness stirs ahead. After light persuasion he is able to see Cyrell as an honorable sort. He makes a last request to destroy the dark machine. He agrees to.

Cyrell returns on his way, and as he exits the graveyard the mist clears revealing Zephyr and Twitch standing side by side.