Chapter 6: The Kindness of Strangers/ Chapter 7: Metamorphosis

You“There is a great change coming, and this group is at the center of it. You will either save the world for us all or be the instrument of our destruction, but even if you succeed, the world will never be the same again. Can you bear that responsibility?”
“You don’t know the choice laid out before you, do you? I sense great suffering is ahead of you, lost friends, lost dreams, loss of self... it would be easiest to walk away from this path you are on, and enjoy what brief life that we have left in ignorant peace. I can help you with that. If you wish. I can wipe your memory of all of this struggle, and let you return to a joyful ignorance. The struggle can continue without you Magni, your part can be done. You've found a piece of the Stertre, though it may not be the true world tree, it's enough to fulfill your oath, take a sapling and your forest will regrow.”

Chapter 7: Metamorphosis

Hang a lantern on the convenience of just stumbling into the very thing Magni has been searching for.
"Hang on, you don't find this all a bit too convenient? We just happen to stumble on the very thing that Magni has been searching for. Because we happened to be looking for a kid who happened to be taken from his village, that we just happened to go to? That's a few too many coincidences for my liking. There's more going on here. I just don't know what. Just... be on your guard."


Each pool looks into another world: Feywild nine-hells elemental plain of air magicpunk world (Ebberon?) Drakkenhiem spelljammer
center pool: The multiverse
Once Magni grabs the single fruit, vines completely wrap around his body and he is encased.
Magni You feel the tree probing your mind, prying into your memories, your hopes, your dreams, your secrets, It sees you are a wood carver, it also sees that you respect the trees that the wood comes from, it sees your desire to replant the forest around Stige Pass, and it sees your willingness to fight for what you believe in.
Do you resist?
What are the rest of you doing?
Magni, The vines uncurl around you and you feel different, more connected to nature.
The rest of you see him emerge; his eyes have changed from their former red to bright greenish-blue turquoise, his skin has grown rough, almost bark-like, and a rich green glow emanates from his remaining hand.
Magni, You can hear and understand the plants around you, they all are in reverence of the tree, and of you, the tree's chosen champion. The tree itself calls to you, it does not speak in words only feelings and ideas, you understand it has chosen you and deeply yearns for you to save its Mother, the true World Tree.
Magni, As you turn to leave you feel the tree beckon you one last time. You turn and see the tree extending a branch out, the tree shudders and the branch breaks off and falls at your feet. "For your carving." you feel it think. You pick up the gnarled tree branch, about the size of a staff, or spear. A clear natural magic emanates from the branch.
Magni, you gain inspiration for completing your character goal.

exiting the Stertre chamber

You enter back into the throne room and there is no one there. The Eladrin and her Winter Wolves have vanished, without leaving even a tack. Jack looks around uneasy. "I don't like this..."

Back in the mine

The first thing you notice is that the corpses of the bear and the yeti's are gone, as if they never existed. The next thing you notice are 5 small reptilian humanoid figures crouched ready to pounce. Describe the Skittering horror slow lower itself from the ceiling, the Aberrant Zealot grinning on it's back.

Jack asks the Zealot. "So are you the one who lured us here?"
Z- "I don't know what you mean, I've been tracking you for days and only now caught up to you. If someone lured you here it was not me."
J- "If not you who!?"
Z- "I do not know, but I must thank them for helping me finally corner you."
Z- "Gwen, so nice to finally meet you, my master Nyarlathotep speaks very highly of you. 
“Try saying that three times fast,” Jack quips.
The monstrous man glares at Jack but then looks back at Gwen and continues. "After all, it's thanks to you he was able to break into this world."

I assume Gwen has done some studying of psionic magic and its possible origins?
The name rings familiar To you. Nyarlathotep is rumored to be an outer god, trapped in the void between plains. He is worshipped by several cults alongside chthulu, and is said to be the herald of Chthulu.
DC 15 religion check The story varries from cult to cult, but some claim Nyarlathotep and Cuthulu were responsible for the first convergence as they attempted to claw into the material plain, others claim the convergence was what banished the great old ones and outer gods in the first place. There are rumors of rituals, sacrifices and artifacts that are capable of bringing Nyarlathotep back to the material plain.

interrogating Pippin

J "Pippin right?" Pippin nods vigorously. "Did you notice anything strange about the yeti that brought you here? Was it acting odd, or look off?"
Pippin looks confused, "A yeti didn't bring me here, a nice lady did."
Jack looks taken aback, do any of you say anything?
"I don't know what she looked like, she was hard to look at, really really bright, like looking at the sun."
"She said she needed my help with something, but then she left me with the nice blue lady."

“The arcane arts are a science! This this mumbo jumbo occult crap, that’s for Warlocks and Sorcerers. No offense.”
The Lodge in Waterdeep is attacked, Ragna is wounded (replaced?) she the only one they think was not killed or captured, she was found barely alive.
The Druid Warden answers the call. Before she was attacked she had told the Druid everything she had planned

43,475 14,492 xp each

Blessing of the Stertre

You gain 4 Druidic spells, Plant Growth, Speak with Plants, Tree Stride, and Ensnaring Strike, these spells can be cast a certain number of times per day (listed next to the spell) without using a spell slot or material components. Also, your movement speed is no longer negatively affected by plants, both natural and magical. The Spell Save DC for your Druidic spells are the same as your Ki Saves, 8+ Proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier (16)

Plant Growth: 1/short rest

3rd-Level Transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action or 8 hours Range: 150 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous
This spell channels vitality into plants within a specific area. There are two possible uses for the spell, granting either immediate or long-term benefits.
If you cast this spell using 1 action, choose a point within range. All normal plants in a 100-foot radius centered on that point become thick and overgrown. A creature moving through the area must spend 4 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves.
You can exclude one or more areas of any size within the spell’s area from being affected.
If you cast this spell over 8 hours, you enrich the land. All plants in a half-mile radius centered on a point within range become enriched for 1 year. The plants yield twice the normal amount of food when harvested.

Speak with Plants: At Will

3rd-Level Transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (30-foot radius) Components: V, S Duration: 10 minutes
You imbue plants within 30 feet of you with limited sentience and animation, giving them the ability to communicate with you and follow your simple commands. You can question plan⁠ts about events in the spell’s area within the past day, gaining information about creatures that have passed, weather, and other circumstances.
You can also turn difficult terrain caused by plant growth (such as thickets and undergrowth) into ordinary terrain that lasts for the duration. Or you can turn ordinary terrain where plants are present into difficult terrain that lasts for the dur⁠ation, causing vines and branches to hinder pursuers, for example.
P⁠lants might be able to perform other tasks on your behalf, at the DM’s discretion. The spell doesn’t enable plants to uproot themselves and move about, but they can freely move branches, tendrils, and stalks.
If a p⁠lant creature is in the area, you can communicate with it as if you shared a common language, but you gain no magical ability to influence it.
This spell can cause the p⁠lants created by the entangle spell to release a restrained creature.

Tree Stride: 1/long rest

5th-Level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You gain the ability to enter a tree and move from inside it to inside another tree of the same kind within 500 feet. Both trees must be living and at least the same size as you. You must use 5 feet of movement to enter a tree. You instantly know the location of all other trees of the same kind within 500 feet and, as part of the move used to enter the tree, can either pass into one of those trees or step out of the tree you’re in. You appear in a spot of your choice within 5 feet of the destination tree, using another 5 feet of movement⁠. If you have no movement⁠ left, you appear within 5 feet of the tree you entered.
You can use this transportation ability once per round for the duration. You must end each turn outside a tree.

Ensnaring Strike: 2/short rest

1st-Level Conjuration Cast at 4th level
Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
The next time you hit a creature with an attack before this spell ends, a writhing mass of thor⁠ny vines appears at the point of impact, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the magical vines until the spell ends. A Large or larger creature has advantage on this saving throw. If the target succeeds on the save, the vines shrivel away.
While restrained by this spell, the target takes 4d6 piercing damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature rest⁠rained by the vines or one that can touch the creature can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, the target is freed.