Convincing the Treants--Hazlan

General Summary

Vanya did the best he could to disguise Rose, then cast disguise self and the three non-toads left. One of the cleaning staff gave you a second look and started talking to the innkeeper, but Vanya cast lullaby and they both lost their train of thought. (The maid seemed to be turning the innkeeper toward the kitchen when the spell hit.) You procured a wagon, got Constance into it, and headed for the forest. Rose scouted out a perfect spot for a campsite in case negotiations with the Circle of the Black Grove went south, but fortunately it wasn't necessary.
You met with the treants, and Vanya's ridiculous eagle's splendor-enhanced Diplomacy check convinced them that a dweomersink was the best course of action. They seemed grudgingly amenable to the idea of allowing non-wizards to stay around, but warned you that this curse was going to turn the land against humanity and it might not be entirely safe for them. They also agreed to allow you to warn the non-wizards so long as it wouldn't jeopardize the ritual. You have a dead drop location with Lalam, the woman with no mouth, so you decided to send her an animal messenger warning her when Azenwrath the grandfather treant was near. Bloodoak wasn't sure exactly when that would be other than "tomorrow," but she would feel his presence before you did and could alert you.
Bloodoak then told Rose that if she participated in the spell, she would sacrifice her innocence because it would give the land that thirst for blood, but that her sacrifice would lend the curse a tremendous amount of power. She told Rose that she wasn't going to demand this of her, only request it; a tremendously relieved and grateful Rose thanked her and said that she had a different path from the Circle and appreciated that Bloodoak understood that. (Sidebar: I was 99.9% sure Rose wasn't going to take her up on this, but if she had, your quest wouldn't have been "distract Hazlik." You know how one of the material components for cursed terrain is "the heart of a creature who dwells in the area?" And since the spell is going to be geared toward wizards, wouldn't it be more likely to succeed if it were a wizard's heart? Come on, doesn't Iskander deserve it?)
Bloodoak said that if you weren't willing to help in that way, there was something else you could do: if Hazlik became aware of Azenwrath's presence, he might be able to stop their plan. (Creatures with vulnerability to fire damage don't want the attention of the most powerful evoker in the demiplane, shockingly.) You agreed to distract him until the treants send you a signal that the ritual has begun. Hazlik is likely to be at his estate, Veneficus. You know everything about Hazlik that's on his writeup here, and also that divination spells like legend lore are iffy in Ravenloft, so he probably hasn't looked into the future and seen this coming. You rested for the night, planning to scout Veneficus as early as possible the next morning.

Related Reports

Previous session: Preparing For the Treants--Hazlan Next session: Preparing to Distract Hazlik--Hazlan

Report Date

04 Jan 2023

Primary Location

Hazlan