Artree grows in Brooklyn? 12 The Fading Another attempt to rescue Skrit... my heart sinks after each retreat but Sairina says she was able to connect with him, albeit briefly, before we were bombarded by fireballs - so he may yet still be alive... The presence of Sairina gives me hope. As does the quiet, but deadly, Adalius . He certainly proved his worth last time, even if he seems so odd at times. There’s a sadness there that I don’t know we should press - even with Sairina ‘s shield. Hopefully time and friendship will help tempt him from his shell. Furious continues to improve his skills and he is undoubtably one of the best fighters Hope has to offer. I only pray that he realises and embraces this fact! The sturdy Fergal also lends comfort, although he has maybe too much connection with his aurochs. Hopefully it won’t be a distraction as we’ll need to leave him outside while we ascend the tower. Elphim is still convinced her horse can talk... I hope it’s not a result of head trauma she sustained last time! She’s a sneaky, murderous, bundle of chaos... but maybe that’s why we like her so much?! Constance remains a mystery to me but her prowess is no mystery, I’ve seen first hand how well she can handle herself! 14 The Fading Well that’d not go as planned… After travelling for a couple of days, we came upon a “river” flowing down from the mountains. We could see the route to Fizzbang’s Tower on the other side and so we decided to cross. Has Alexandria really been so good at protecting me all these years? The moment I urged Boxer to cross, we were caught in a current and I got swept downstream for miles. I lost sight of the rest but it’s now dark and I was soaking so I decided to set up camp on my own and try to keep warm. I’m sure they’ll be better off than me… assuming they are together… and smart… I managed to catchup with the the group. Furious is dead… It seems they were attacked in the night be a couple of catoblepas and before they could abandon the camp to allow these animals to snuffle around and leave, they got caught in a deadly combat. With the body still fresh, we decided to return to Hope. Ulman Dark can revive Furious with little trouble it seems. Little trouble, but much gold - luckily Furious is a frugal chap who had coin squirrelled away for such a rainy day… 15 The Fading The party’s mood is sombre. We’re heading to deal with the menace outlined by the druid Sairina , Adalius , Elphim , and I arrested many weeks ago. From this distance, I can see there’s some sort of giant evil looking tree and a feeble looking druid. Hopefully we’re ready… 13 Leaffall I was a tree! I’ve been stuck as a tree for the last month or so after that tree petrified me! It happened early in the fight and I could do nothing to help my friends. At first, things went well (my own misfortunes aside!) as Sairina and Fergal (along with his trusty aurochs) charged in towards the clearly most dangerous foe. Joined by Furious , they seemed ready to punch a hole through to the evil tree. Adalius moved to flank the combat and take down the little druid who was walk but clearly capable of doing damage. Next thing I know, I see Fergal and Furious break off and join Constance in chasing after Adalius to deal with the pitiful druid! Leaving Sairina all on her own to handle the many zombies and tree by herself. I’m not sure how she wasn’t overwhelmed… As the tide turned, people started to fall and soon Elphim was hit by a petrification like me. Poor lass. Things looked dire but somehow, they managed to finally kill the tree and claim the loot. Luckily, they had enough coin to get the clerics to restore Elphim . There’s not much to tell of the next few weeks as I silently stared out from my “quiet” spot. Despite his “threats”, Blaze never did use me as a coatrack. Although I’m very grateful that the strange magics protecting Hope seem to have prevented any permanent scarring from those who enjoyed carving their names in my “bark”… It feels weird to be moving again though. I can’t seem to look Sairina or Alexandria in the eye knowing what they have risked to bring me back. I think I need some time out in the world helping people to try and clear my head. I think I’ll go pay Teres a little visit, name carving aside, she’s been quite the babysitter from what I’ve seen - maybe she could use a hand…
