Finally to the pond!

We get to Tarntaise farm while it is still dark. A low moon with some stars scattered across the sky like petals blowing in the spring breeze. However, the quiet is not the quiet of a farm at night. There is a stillness of danger in the air and possibly - death!
 
We dismounted in the yard where we were just hours ago and then Brathazmus says he hears something from the house. I question his ability to hear something that I don't, but he is a druid and a bugbear so maybe? I don't think it is polite to enter a residence without being invited and the silence is getting to me. I volunteer to fly around the fields and check to make sure that our perimeter is clear and that nothing else is approaching or fleeing. I do a big picture overview and can see the edges of the farm plots and where the wild brush begins. I can also see some twinkling gray or blue lights up north where that scar in the land was. I also can see scarecrows on poles in the fields, but earlier there were only two. Now there seem to be three? I decide to do a more detailed search and call Xifeng to me to fly above me and keep an eye ahead of me and above me while I fly close to the ground and try to figure out the details. I don't really see anything weird, but that third scarecrow keeps bothering me so I fly in a spiral towards it looking for anything weird, unusual, or not normal on the ground. At least I can trust Xifeng to let me know if I am about to fly into anything.
 
I don't really see anything happening anywhere, but that third scarecrow is really the only odd thing. I do a spiral around to see if there are any footprints or hoofprints, but there are four low bushy plants planted around the base of the pole. I land about five feet in front and I can hear breathing. The scarecrow is breathing, but it is fairly shallow and has little hitches like the person, because it is plain that it is a person now, is in pain. All I can really tell right now is that is is a man and there were several here on the farm earlier. I hear Wrong Way buzzing in the distance, but I need to deal with the breathing scarecrow. I move closer to the bushes to see if I can discover if they are harmful or helpful and suddenly they reach out with their sharp and spiky leaves and try to grab me, but I am happily still out of reach. Then from the direction that I heard Wrong Way, I hear plants start to scream.
 
I decide that my time is better spent on getting this person down from the pole and away from these bushes. I untie one hand so he can loop it over the top crossbar and then fly down to untie his feet. I get that done successfully so next up is to untie the rope around his middle. I slap him around lightly to see if he can hold on while I cut him loose, but he isn't really able to help me so I quickly hold him up and cut the ropes and then fly him over to the cart trail. I investigate his injuries and determine that he is unconscious and looks very badly beaten. He also looks sunburned and like he woke up at some time and tried to get down by himself. His nose is also broken. I attempt to stabilize him, but there is only so much I can do. I know the other members of the team can help so I haul him up into the air and head straight to the house hollering for help. As I am flying that way I see a stream of fire to the side and then I see lamps and the two humans with the bugbear. I land and turn him over to the guys and they go to work. Fortunately, Jesse has a healing potion but since he is unconscious Lee puts the potion into some cooking apparatus thing and we get it down him. Jesse also does a healing cantrip and his breathing is easier. He wakes but is obviously scared. We discuss what to do next and decide that he needs to be taken inside the house.
 
We take him to the master bedroom and then he begins to talk. The story that comes out is basically a synopsis of where everyone was when the banshee scream came and then there was a monster that comes up from past the roadside stand. He describes something that is blue and apparently has his wife mesmerized. He doesn't really remember anything after that except for being tied up somewhere and having trouble breathing. Miro comes in and whacks him with the healing wand and thwacks him and he is finally able to sit up and start talking. We start getting the history of the ranchers versus farmers battle. First, they tried to work with Ms. Melinda, but all she could offer was some suggestions about various plants to put on the border to work as a natural fence. None of those worked. He then tells us about a guy that the farmers hired who was working on a more permanent solution. Jackson told us that as things escalated there were no more conversations about whether it was a good thing to do or not and then there was a description of a plant that could hit the animals. Before we settle down for the night, we decide that the barn should be investigated first. I tag along with Jesse and Bart. I decide to stay at the door to provide back up with arrows. Suddenly, Jesse is being attacked by bunny rabbits?!? I fire an arrow but miss. They are very quick little buggers. Then Brathazmus roars and they turn and run back the way they came. Then we start dumping the beer out and set up traps to capture the rabbits if they come out again. We latch the barn door closed and head to bed - finally!
 
We are all awake by noon and get some food. After discussion, we decide it is time to head to Arjory Pond and talk to the naiad. We need to get her information so that we can determine if she can help us to fix the problem in this area. Jackson decided that the best thing for him to do was to pack up and go to the padre for shelter until we can rescue his wife. We head out and reach the pond about an hour later. We turn over the conversation to Jesse as he has an affinity with naiads. When we get closer, I can tell that there are more trees, almost like a fortress around the pond. It is also clear that she is actually a dryad. Jesse feeds us bits of information as they talk and she does seem to know exactly what is going on. The problem is a combination of Ms. Melinda trying to fix the balance and failing, the man hired by the ranchers, and a hell fiend that he brought with him. Apparently, there is a meteorite that has created a dead spot where she cannot see and she is sure that is where the hell fiend is hiding. She does, however, have three of the caravan members, but they are sick and need help from Miro. She suggests that we work on the hell fiend first as that seems to be the most dangerous. Also, she thinks I will be the most effective at fighting the treant, but we are not sure if that is because I can fly or whether I am just unusual enough to confuse the monster.