Session XIII: The Twilight Forest Report

General Summary

Before getting to the field trip, we covered that during some of the time spent between field trips, the group had met back at the Vadalis stables, at Devon's invitation, to fly around the town, leisurely. Lilli was able to mount the growing Griffon, even if the first time, she was thrown off. Flip trained to do arial flips and tricks in the sky, but failed to be good at them, at first, but both him and Tidal and improving, and the hippogryph seems more than willing to train. On a fall, he was caught by Jolie. Jolie tried to let Anathema take the reigns in full, and flew as high as it could, but there is little air all the way up, and Jolie lost their hold of the pegasus and also needed a rescue. Flip was too eager but Lilli was able to retrieve this, even if this triggered a forced landing due to the young griffon's inability to handle 2 riders.   The group then travelled via House d'Orien's teleportation circles connecting the major cities of Khorvaire, and beyond, and travelled via wagon through the forest of the Eldeen Reaches to the Manifest zone. There, it was revealed that they merged the trip with a test of the Exploration role. They would alternate between them for leadership to traverse the zone to it's central waterfall.   Through discussion, they set for Jolie, who was unsure of their role in the natural world as too foreign to them, to go first in the hopes it was the easier part. At first, all they had to contend with was lunch (points for taking it and being fast about it), where they and Lilli got a campfire going while Flip found a pond with fish to eat. They found themselves, all three (3 bad rolls) sunken in a deep mud section of the path (points loss for sinking and taking time to decide out). They all managed to pull themselves out with the use of the whip and the tree tops.   Then Lilli took charge and found the group at a strange intersection covered in giant green plants and a winding path to the right. There was a lot of hesitation and failure to identify the plants but eventually opted to go through (points lost on taking time and again for the choice of going through the plants). Still, they found themselves back at the entrance of that same patch of plants, having gone in circles. They tried the winding path. Still a circle (points lost for doing this a second time) but then sensed the magic and were able, through additional investigation, to identify that fey magic is a trickster type, and that low magic, such as this off-path way, is likely safer. This proved true and they found themselves back on course.   Then Flip took charge and found himself tailed, noting rusling bushes. Ignoring it but keeping an eye out, they saw 2 puppies wrestling, but didn't intervene. Up ahead, they found the parent-dog with the pups, hinting to a path in a 3-way crossroad. After debate and evaluating the roads, they followed the dogs but at a distance (points for following the parent, who only helped due to non-intervention with the puppies guarded by a protective parent). They then found a stream to cross, hinted by the dogs who blinked on the other side, and tried a variety of options to cross the stream. Using the rope knot cantrip, they arranged for a rope bridge to hold onto, but found quippers in the river through Flip getting his legs bitten up (Fourth injury of Flip, fifth if you count that the plants from before were poison Ivy - Tidal, Boar, Nightmare arm slice and now, the Quippers). So they used bark to protect the legs and carried Jolie across while Lilli crossed the rope bridge (points lost on time of decision making and Quippers).   They then all reached the center of the zone, where Dorm D was already present (Artemis's team). 2 Hours later, Devon and Annabelle's group (Dorm B) emerged with an injured Marcus (twisted ankle and scratched up leg) as a result of having to climb a small cliff and getting his leg stuck. Dorm C (Margo and Dusk) didn't come back after many other hours, nearing sunset. And a plume of smoke became visible above the tree canopy. After much debate, it was insisted by Flip, Lilli supporting this, to go on a rescue, taking some of the other classmates with them (Artemis refused and Marcus stayed behind due to injury), despite the professors telling them to stay put, and they would rescue them, as they were stuck going in circles.   Our trio knew the place and lead the charge. As it seems the zone enhances primordial types of magic, Flip's shape water was 10-fold and he was able this time, to part the stream. They all rushed forward until the crossroad, where a hugh tree had appeared. This turned out to be the Great Oalian, leader of the Eldeen Reaches and the closest thing most druid sects hold as a god. He was awoken in this very zone ages ago, and warned about destruction of the woods here, also asking for the fires to be tempered with.   The group listened and high tailed it out of there, and found Dorm C in the smoke, having used gust to avoid it themselves. The smoke being the burnt poison Ivy (a terrible idea), was laced with the poisonous spores, infecting Dorm C from head to toes, inside and out. They brought them back safely, apologies to the Great Deku tree on the way back, and readying for the admonishing of Professor ir'Larrian.   END SCENE (will continue is IC chat)

Missions/Quests Completed

Manifest Zone Field Trip 2 completed

Character(s) interacted with

• Annabelle, Devon, Artemis, Marcus, Dusk and Margo
• Professor ir'Larrian and Professor Peo