Session 14 6/3/23

As we break camp in the morning and make our way out to go towards the mystical teleportation tree, we get a funny feeling that we are being watched. Watched isn't quite right, more like hunted. Verna thinks she sees something and moves off to scout ahead. Clawfoots, it's an ambush!
 
There appear to be five of them. Verna calls out that she has the big one, and for some reason she sounds sure of herself so I leave her to it. I make my way forward and methodically slay three of them one by one. Wabnuc must not be used to hunting things that can hunt you back and ends up getting fairly wounded. I'm able to patch him up after the fight. Verna somehow tamed the big one well enough that he listens to her well enough for the time being at least. I harvest some meat and pelts from the fallen creatures. Perhaps Verna will need a riding suit if she manages to tame the beast well enough to ride. We can't let anything go to waste; these were not evildoers that needing killing, just predators who got overconfident in their home turf. May such a fate never befall us.
 
The rest of the trip to the tree is uneventful, but then things get interesting at the tree. All the usual spells and passwords of unlocking did nothing. We even spoke "Friend" but could not pass. Eventually, someone remembers a rumor that an interpretive dance would work. I'm not entirely sure how the legacy of my people became nothing more than interpretive dance, but I will give it a try. Hopefully the ritual doesn't summon you know who. Somehow, that was the key and the portal opens. Wabnuc uses a scroll of reduce on Adam so he will fit, and we decide the only way to go is forward. There's only once chance to make this work if we want Adam with us and the scroll won't last long.
 
Somehow, we find the correct path through the nexus and arrive at what appears to be the correct part of the world. We need some sort of landmark to figure out exactly where we are. Verna notices a worn, almost destroyed path in the forest and we decide that something made that so we will follow it. There is a Shambling Mound that has a creature captive! It doesn't take too long to distract it enough to give up it's prey, but the ensuing fight is drawn out.
 
It takes all our effort to figure out what is effective on this creature. I utilize all the spells in my arsenal to take it down as quickly as I can, trusting the others to do the same. Surprisingly, their tactics are getting a little better and we almost functioned as a proper fighting unit. The creature drops dead. Miles recovers a magic wand from among the vines.
 
The creature we rescued ran off during the fight. We tack him, hoping he ran towards the nearest town so we can get some direction or at least a safe place to rest for the night. We are in luck and locate the kobold village near the lake!
 
Not wanting to scare the creatures, Wabnuc and Verna stay behind with the construct Adam and the pet clawfoot. We figure marching up to town with those might be a bit much. Rex and I move forward without them, and Rex offers to take the lead on this one as I look too scary in my armor after the fight. I can see the logic in his thought, and stop at the treeline. Close enough to move in and help if he gets in a fight, but not so close as to be threatening.
 
He has a short discourse with a few of the kobolds, and then returns saying that they are scared of us and don't want us near the town, but we can stay for a night. That doesn't sound quite right from what I remember of kobold hospitality, but we report back to the others and begin setting up camp. I decide I want to talk to them and clarify that we are friends so I approach the town, and invite them to a clawfoot roast party. (Can't let that raw meat stay raw too long!) They agree!
 
Their chief and a few bodyguards join us that evening for the feast. He asks why we are camped so far away, and it comes up that Rex must have been scared of them or something of that sort as he told us to camp miles away from them. One of the bodyguards chuckles something about Rex being a coward. Rex in his hotheadedness takes offense to this and tries to start a fight, but the guard is on duty and won't make the first blow with the intent to take a life. Instead, Rex offers to have a "fair" fight with no weapons, armor, or magic, but it's kind of obvious that in a fistfight the kobold guard is favored. The chief allows the guard to be off duty and accept the fight as our evenings entertainment. We circle around and the duel begins. There are left hooks flying, a right jab here and there. Some kind of weird hug grapple move. (I have no idea where Rex learned to wrestle) Eventually, the kobold has enough and lets loose with one punch in just the right spot, and Rex is out cold for the night. We all cheer at his victory and the friendship between our party and the town is all but sealed! So long as Rex has no grudges in the morning at least.
 
------------------------------------------
Level up to 5
HP from 34 to 44 (8+2con)
Lay on Hands pool increases from 20 to 25
Proficiency bonus from +2 to +3
1st level spell slots from 3 to 4
2nd level spell slots from 0 to 2
Gain 2nd attack per turn when attacking normally
Gain two Oath spells:
Hold Person. Misty Step
Gain 2nd level spells:
Aid, Branding Smite, Find Steed, Lesser Restoration, Locate Object, Magic Weapon, Protection from Poison, Zone of Truth
(Can still only have 6 spells prepared each day, not counting the Oath spells)