Session 11: Next Steps Report
General Summary
Lacy eyes after where the young elf scurried off too, seeming confident for a few long moments before she cusps a hand to her mouth, doubling over slightly, but seeming to keep her own sick in as the stench of the dire rats hits her.
"I believe we should give the mayor the teeth as well…although I am curious as to what will happen tonight, I don’t know if I trust these supposed protectors of the town." Ayame says, looking to the group.
Naomi scratches her head, "Well...Yeah. I dont either. Lets just get our pay and move on? That's what I thought the plan was before all of this anyways."
Eleanor holds up the bag of teeth. "I just wanna get paid, and then don't care about leavin' so I'm good with the plan already."
Lacy still stumbles, regaining her composure and takes to her chariot, unlocking it and pulling out a few things. "How was the general reaction when you four came into town?"
Ragia flutters her wings. "Chill."
"Yeah, no one cared." Ayame says, stretching out a bit on the shoulder of her companion.
"Nothing much. Same as any other town we've been to so far." Naomi says with a shrug.
"Any threats?" says Lacy, ruffling through her stuff.
"Just those rats." Ayame points to the pile of corpses.
"And we delt with them already." Ragia points out.
Naomi squints at the kobold. "Maybe they want us outta town because you tried burning the tree down when we were taking care of those rats."
"Yeah, thought as much..." Lacy says, pulling out manacles, rope, and a small bag. "Maybe we should put on a show? Convince them I've 'disarmed' you?"
"Uhm..." Naomi shits unconfortably. "W- why do you have all that?"
"Hey the tree didn't burn! Like not even a little to make me happy." Ragia pouts.
"To make you... happy?" Questions Eleanor towards the firestarter.
"Im just fine waltzing up there with this pyromaniac flapping about." Lacy retorts.
Naomi looks to Ayame. "Our group is made up of psychos. Like, its not even a question anymore." She says before turning back to the other three. "Maybe we should get the money and go, something tlels me if we stay any longer we're boned. Buuut... its up to you all I suppose."
"Well I was really proud of my idea is all im saying." Ragia says, crossing her arms.
Eleanor chuckles. "I haven't been called a psycho in a while."
Ayame giggles and nods. "Definitely a colorful group to be sure."
"Also, I was sorta playin. We didn't damage the tree, so there's no reason really for them to be kicking us out." Naomi says. "Lets just.... get a move on and talk to the mayor for now. If we see that guy from earlier that tried to get us to go, let's make up some excuse about having forgotten luggage in our rooms."
Lacy finishes packing her things from her supply and treks off toward the steps. "Burning spell light."
The party makes their way back up the tree, and easilly back to the mayors house. Out of the people that were there sick, only two remain in addition to the mayor, who is watching over them closely. He turns to the party as they enter with a smile. "Either I've been too busy, or that was fairly quick. Feels like you were here just this morning." he says with a chuckle.
"A bit of both I guess, Ellie, do you got the teeth?"
Eleanor nods to Ragia, holding up the bag, "Yea, they've been on me the whole time."
The mayor chuckles, making his way to Eleanor. "Thank you for fixing that for us, its been an issue for sure, but people are already healing. As for the root wardens..." He thinks to himself.
"Also yeah like ayame say, there was a hooded guy who was willing to pay us not to come back to town when we were on the ground picking up teeth from ripe rats fallen from the tree." Ragia says with a shrug.
He sighs, hearing this and shakes his head. taking the teeth and counting them should Eleanor hand them over. "The root wardens are unlike the normal wardens, however it is unclear as to who was here first. It is my belief that the root wardens are only as old as the tree here is, 400 years starting tomorrow." he finishes counting the teeth and looking at the party. "Wolle is the leader, and sole mastermind of the root wardens, but his goal is always pure. He wants to keep the tree safe."
The mayor gives a light chuckle. "He is basically a dryad at this point. Even to a point where he no longer leaves his roots."
“Fair enough…I just suppose I find it strange that they would be willing to pay adventurers to leave rather then stay” Ayame says with a shrug.
"Its especially strange after having hired me to craft them a scroll to help protect the tree." Naomi says with a sigh. "It's just a little... much... don't you think?"
"Oh that's not very strange really. The root wardens never liked people living here. Ever since the city was made 50 years ago, after a group of soldiers was brought in to force them to allow for a home in the canopy under the orders of the queen."
"He said something about our presence risking disrupting the ritual happening tonight, should we be worried about that?" Ragia asks.
The mayor sighs, shaking his head. "Its a wives tail, and not even an old one. There is no ritual that would focus soly on non-elf entities, or have to do with them. At least to my knowledge. He is a druid, so It would make more sense if it were more likely that animals would interfere with a ritual than any humanoid."
He takes the bag of teeth to a small box near the archway leading into the dining room the party was in earlier, counting out coins. "He is a superstitious old elf that needs to let the younger generation move forward, not stick to the past."
Ayame shrugs. “Well thank you for clarifying anyways…now to the payment?”
"Jeze Ayame." Naomi says sarcastically. "Always straight to the point with money huh."
"Well there was more than a coin payment. There was also the matter of teaching the faithful one here about herbalism as well." The mayor says with a smile, and a handful of gold coins. "140 gold, as promised."
"She's got a right head..." Lacy says absentmindedly.
Naomi perks up about the teaching lession. "Mhm! What about that, surely we can't stay if the ritual is tonight..."
Sebastian takes the coins and has Ayame count them out, splitting them evenly between those that fought against the rats.
"Nonsense! You are my guests and this is my tree. Ill even pay for your rooms tonight to make sure you get a good nights sleep. And a trip to Welni's."
"Well If you're leaving tonight, I wanna collect that gold from the root wardens before we head off." Lacy says, holding her coin pouch. "Do they make a habit of running non elves out of town? Yearly?"
The mayor looks to Lacy and shakes his head. "More often they try to get the residents to leave. Those that arrive by ship are alright however."
Ayame smiles, bowing her head. "It is greatly appreciated."
"Welni's? Is that the cook?" Ragia says, looking to her companions.
"Yup." says Naomi. "He was the super nice cook, Ragia."
"Yay! I remembered the name of a non dragon!" Ragia says with a chear.
"Good job!" Naomi says with a smirk. "Does that mean you still don't know our names?"
The mayor smirks. "Does anyone here even remember my name?"
"You're 'the mayor' right?" Ragia says, uncertain.
"You're Chief golv. Of course we remember." Naomi says, a bit full of herself. "How untactful would we be if we couldn't remember our hosts name." she says looking directly at Ragia the entire time.
Mayor golv points to Naomi, "And thats why I would love you as a student."
Ayame pouts, but says "I knew that." quietly.
Naomi looks practically giddy at Golv's compliment. "You flatter me!"
Mayor golv takes out a slip of paper, and writes something down on it while one of his patients cough like crazy for a few moments. "Here." he gives Eleanor the paper. "Hand that to the lady at Sleepy Bees and she will keep your rooms free tonight."
Eleanor grabs it and blinks," Oh well thank you! I wont turn down free stuff."
"Me neither!" says Ragia.
"I'm gonna be sick" Lacy says, half sarcastically in response to the mayor's cheesy nature . "Where are those wardens. I'd like to pick up a down payment for-" she pauses... looking at group, counting their heads, skipping Naomi, and then continuing "safe-keeping."
"What, don't trust us miss lacy?" Says Naomi.
"Ground floor, but don't be surprised if they turn you away." Says the mayor.
"Oh I trust you..." Lacy says, heading out the door. "Thats the problem."
Ayame shrugs, making her way back to the inn as Mayor Golv moves to Naomi, putting an arm around her neck and pulling her towards the back room. "Let me teach you about the different herbs you can find in the forest here, and we will have dinner with your companions at dusk?" he says, looking to Ragia questioningly.
Naomi nods, and makes a shooing motion to Ragia, who quickly complies.
The party goes about their business overall, until around dusk, where everyone but Lacy manages to meet up together back at Welni's place along with Golv and Naomi. Even on their way to the restaraunt, Golv is instructing her on the differences between certain mushrooms, when an interesting topic came up out of the blue. "And then there are sweat berries, which arn't really a fungus, but seem to persist like them."
"Uh. Sweat berries? Like as in the liquid that comes out of our body when it's hot?"
"Yes, you see its a sort of parasitic plant that exists throughout Gwillith, and considered a delicacy. Its the sweetest fruit you would ever have tasted, but there is a catch, in that it releases an enzime that makes people sweat profusely."
"I...See....Are there any medicinal properties?"
"It is known to help against poisons, but only the milder types. Otherwise, its mostly for eating."
"I can't imagine wanting to sweat profusely. But then again I've never tried the thing."
"Actually, I think welni might have some in stock for tomorrow if Im not mistaken. Probably going to throw a few pods in a fire up here, watch the seeds fly away."
"Interesting...Well I look forward to it, then."
Mayor Golv waves to Welni and he sets up a table large enough for everyone to sit at. It looks like Naomi and golv are the first two here, but he still prepares Naomi's seat for her while they settle in.
Naomi smiles as she sits down. "The food here is so good!~" she says with a sing song as Ayame arrives as well.
Ayame smiles and sits down with the other two. "How were lessons?"
"They were good!" Naomi says. "Mayor Golv is very knowledgable, which I appreciate greatly."
Mayor Golv chuckles. "Mostly it was just saying the different herbs and plants in the area, a good student is rare, especially one who eagerly looks for information."
"Well..." ayame says with a smirk. "Naomi is definitely eager."
"Mhm! I love learning. It's just so fun getting to know so much!" Naomi says, still hyped up by her day while ragia sits down at the table wordlessly.
"Well that's good that you got something out of this Nao, from what I heard I definitely couldn't follow as a student." Eleanor says sitting down as well.
Everyone is given a plate of food, as delicious as it was the night before as Golv strikes up a conversation. "You know, Im unsure why i've been thinking about it so much, but you are right. The wardens have been acting a little stranger than usual lately."
Naomi leans towards the chief. "Hmm, what do you mean by that?"
"Wolle hasn't exited the roots of the tree in five years, yet he still gets more people to crawl out of the woodwork to join his cause of protecting the tree. The worst that we have had happen was a troll trying to attack the tree about six months ago, and in the past fifty years its only been petty thievery and a few brawls up here in the treetops. Yet they keep claiming that something dark and dangerous is coming soon." The mayor says, taking a bite of food. He thinks for a moment before continuing his monologue. "Then there was that scroll, which I do believe they intend to use, but they have never asked for magical items in the past..."
"you think they know something you don't?" Eleanor says between mouthfuls of food.
"I know they know something I don't. Im not a druid." Golv says with a chuckle. "If its dangerous however, I don't know if you should leave or not. You all fought the rodents and came back with only a few scratches here and there." he says pointing to Ayame's new cut on her ear. "But... that last minor consumption did make things a bit strange regarding how to create scrolls, so they might have been confused by the old ways."
Ayame pouts and gently rubs her ear.
"Well, I've only known my newfound friends for a short time, and while they're...oddballs...They're plenty strong." Naomi says.
Eleanor flexes and nods, "One swing wonder here, plenty strong is my middle name."
"One swing in that its all you can muster, or one swing till either you or your opponent falls?" Golv says with a smirk, as Welni comes out and pours everyone a glass of wine.
"Sweet!" says Ragia picking up the glass. "Getting drunk will surely help with my headache!""
Eleanor chuckles, "Meaning as soon as one swing hits I've usually won" she says before chugging down her wine.
Naomi notices Eleanor chugging and hurms slightly. "Eager to drink huh Elly?"
"Mmh?" Eleanor sounds out, mouth full of food before swallowing, "Always, why do ya ask? Somethin wrong?"
"N-no. You just uh...remind me of my mom. She drinks a lot. Sorry, I know thats not something you wanna hear." Naomi says bashfully.
"Hah! Your mom sounds fun~" Eleanor pauses and thinks about that sentence, shrugging to herself, "well I assume that puts me in a positive light at least, I don't deserve that but I'll take it!" Eleanor turns to the mayor, "I've held my sense to direct my weapons and strengths through a lot. even in moments that were so in the heat of battle that I lost my own sense."
“I like to think im pretty relaxed in battle” Ayame says smugly.
"Im a doctor, not a soldier. I heal the wounds of soldiers more often then not." The mayor says, almost quietly.
"It may not look like it, but i'm the brain of this here team"
"you... Are?" Says Eleanor questioningly, "I honestly thought that was Ayame."
Ayame barely restrains herself from grinning widly at the compliment. "Thank you." she says to Eleanor.
"Im sure all of you have skills that the others do not." Mayor Golv points to Naomi. "Someone trained in surviving the woods while you travel through them..." He points to Eleanor, "A skilled warrior if your spells run dry." he points to Ayame and Ragia, "And the skillful knowledge of the arcane arts, and how to put them into practice."
After a short admittance of flattery, the party is fed desert, and except for the Lacy, everyone went back to sleep for the night. Lacy, had her own tasks to focus on that night.
Rewards Granted
140gp (split 4 ways), Nahemah Dai'Gishkin gained information on surviving within The Great Forests of Vitium, and now gains advantage when trying to feed people, or find medicine within the region when using a Survival check.
Missions/Quests Completed
The Dire Rats of Willows Reach
Character(s) interacted with
Chief Golv of Willows Reach.
