The party gathers information on a relic that may assist with communication with the goblin. A ship is coming to Northgate that is said to have the relic for sale. Ember makes plans to meet with the ship’s captain to purchase the relic for a fair price. Brahi uses his contacts to learn that the merchant ship is run by pirates. The party heads down to the docks to scope out the location where the ship will be docked.
The docks are a bustling hopping shipping environment with ships transporting goods and people. There are carts and crates being moved around all the time. Groups of people that walk around to seemingly keep things in line can be seen in abundance. The city and royal guard are not seen at the docks.
Brahi uses his network of informants to gather the schedule, the name of the boat, the captain, and where everything is sourced. The ship is going to come in. It’s going to dock towards the northern end of the docks where the university casts a shadow,
Maleth finds an ideal location to provide ranged support in case something goes wrong with the heist.
Taco finds the ship plans for the ship at the university and makes a rough copy. He familiarizes himself with the ship using the copied ship plans.
Ember is concerned with how the plan has changed from a simple purchase negotiation to a heist of a pirate ship. She considers how Trussnot may get into trouble during this dangerous interaction. She plans to sneak in stealthily get the relic and sneak out.
Richard plans to supervise Trussnot so that he doesn’t get into trouble during the purchase negotiation. (Richard has not become aware of the heist plan.) Richard plans to stay close enough to Ember to assist her if things don’t go smoothly.
The party heads down to the dock in time to see the ship arriving. Brahi arranges to have a wagon near the ship so that after crates are unloaded onto the wagon he can simply take the whole load of goods.
Richard keeps Trussnot occupied by teaching him Pattycake.
Ember and Taco sneak onto the ship. Taco uses the wisp unseen stone to become invisible while Ember uses the commotion of the busy ship to be unnoticed as she heads to the captain’s cabin.
Maleth takes his position as overwatch to ensure that he is able to dispatch anyone that attempts to capture the party.
While Brahi stands next to the wagon, the dock master approaches. The dockmaster questions Brahi. “What’s your business here?” Brahi tells the dockmaster the name of the ship he is waiting on and that he is waiting for goods to be unloaded. After a tense silence, Brahi realizes that the dockmaster is waiting for his pay of the standard bribe. Brahi passes five gold coins to the dockmaster and the dockmaster heads off to attend to others.
Richard and Trussnot are now playing hopscotch.
Ember walks to the captain’s cabin and knocks on the door. She is followed by Taco who is still invisible. The captain comes to the door and asks what she needs. Ember tells the captain that there’s a fire on the deck and that the first mate is hurt. The captain pushes past Ember to see what has happened and save his ship and his crew. Taco takes this opportunity to slip into the cabin.
Maleth sees Ember interact with the captain. He watches as there is now more shouting and the ship’s crew are acting as if there is a crisis on the ship.
Taco searches the cabin and locates a well made chest. He attempts to pick the lock and is unsuccessful. He searches more of the cabin and finds a key in a desk drawer. He opens the chest and finds a stone relic with carved images all over it. He takes the relic.
The captain realizes that he has been had in some sort of ruse. He calls out to his crew to get the girl. Ember uses her flash powder to create a distraction and escapes the ship. Richard becomes aware that Ember is in danger of being captured. Ember runs down the ramp of the ship followed by some of the ships crew. One of the crew members seems to be faster than the others. Ember runs past Richard and hides in a barrel. The lead member of the ships crew giving chase comes in range of Richard who using his hammer gently knocks the crew member off his feet and as he goes flying through the air to land safely in the water the other crew members run past Richard. They keep a safe distance from Richard as they run past. Richard turns around and sees that the crew members have run past the barrel that Ember is inside hiding.
Taco makes it off the ship with items he found in the captains cabin and makes his way back to the Inn.
Brahi takes the loaded wagon back to the Inn to meet the rest of the party.
Richard takes Trussnot back toward the Inn. He takes a longer path to make sure he is not followed.
Ember makes it back to the Inn and shortly after Richard and Trussnot also arrive at the Inn. Trussnot, who had been holding Richards hand, sees Ember and runs to her.
After the party all arrives at the Inn Ember inspects the Babble relic. She realizes that she can understand the goblin as he speaks. She gives the relic to the goblin, hoping that he would be able to use it to speak to the whole party, but the goblin is unable to make the relic work. The goblin returns the relic to Ember so that she can communicate directly with the goblin.
The party goes through the crates of loot that were acquired from the ship. One of the crates has a false bottom and the party finds gold and a fancy double finger ring depicting a pair of swallows. Richard locates an adamantine Holy symbol in the crates.
In the night the party sees a little like bluish white lights. The lights flicker above the tree line of Wispwood. They don’t come out of the forest, or doing anything. They are seen every 10 to 20 minutes. They flash for about ten seconds and then disapear.
The following morning, after briefly picking up supplies, the party travels west toward the Whistwood forest. A fog covers the ground. As the party travels through the forest they hear the sound of dry sticks and leaves crunch under their feet. Richard becomes aware that the trees are twisted and unwell. The rotten trees ooze a blackish substance instead of sap. The party comes to a section of the forest that appears to be more normal and stops to make camp. The sound of rustling branches is heard but there is no sign of wind.
The rustling kind of all of the leaves, all kinds of abruptly stops, all at once. One of the trees near the party begins to move. It forms a large angry mouth and it lifts it’s roots out of the ground.
Brahi charges the tree and attacks with his great axe, but in his haste misses the tree entirely.
Richard leaps off the back of the horse he had been riding and runs to the tree. He attacks with his heavy silver hammer and then with his cloud hammer.
Maleth tries to pull the tree using his grappling hook, but the rope breaks.
Taco joins the fight with the tree and attacks with his bastard sword.
Trussnot jumps up on the shoulders of Ember. Ember engages the tree and attacks with her sword.
Richard attacks with his hammers making the twisted tree staggered.
Three giant ants, the size of Jarvis, emerge from the ground and attack Maleth and Jarvis. One bites Jarvis.
The tree attacks Ember and Brahi. Both take significant damage.
Taco attacks again with his bastard sword killing the creature.
Another tree creature reveals itself across the field.
Ember rushes across the field, with Trussnot on her shoulders, to attack the new foe. She strikes with her sword. Trussnot attacks with his whip.
Richard runs over to assist with the attacking ants. He strikes and kills one of the ants.
Brahi charges to attack the ants and hits with his great axe.
Maleth attacks an ant with his sword.
The ants attack Maleth and Jarvis.
Maleth attacks an ant again hitting it with his sword. Jarvis attacks the ant and rips it’s head off.
The tree attacks Ember and then takes a second attack on Trussnot. Trussnot dies. He falls to the ground lifeless.
Brahi charges the tree and hits with his great axe.
Ember enraged by the death of the goblin attacks the tree channeling lightning damage from her dragon bone weapon causing massive damage. The tree is staggered and Ember uses her hidden blade to finish off the tree.
Taco attacks the ant.
Richard runs to Trussnot’s fallen body and performs lay on hands to revive the goblin.
Maleth and Jarvis attack and kill the last ant.
Another tree reveals itself.
The party with only one remaining tree on the battle field focuses all their attacks on the singular target. Branches are severed. The trunk is cracked. The tree falls motionless to the ground.
After the battle with the Bloodroot Treants, the party checks on Ember and Trussnot. They seem to be stable and are going to recover.
After a few minutes, both wake up and begin to shake the cobwebs out of their heads.
Then suddenly out of the ground near where Maleth encountered the giant ants, the ground erupts!
Tens, then hundreds of giant ants rush out of the underground tunnels heading out of the grove and south into Wistwood.
Everyone notices the queen ant when she emerges being almost twice the size of the solider ants.
This continues for about 2 more minutes and the last one leaves the grove.
The grim darkness of the groove breaks away as a few small rays of sunshine peak through the clouds.
The groove has begun to change.
The trees and bushes have begun to turn from a blackened green to vibrant greens and yellows.
The grasses have started to rise to a vertical stance rather than laying against the ground.
A feeling of contentness and safety takes hold.
You spend the rest of the day in the groove relaxing and recovering.
Everyone senses a powerful magical effect begin to emanate from all around. Your exhaustion starts to subside and you feel relaxed. Richard in particular seems to have a bit of a glow about him. Perhaps Graxis has witnessed the battle and is blessing you for what is to come.
Everyone recovers as a long rest except HP is restored to full minus 1d4 unless you are already at full hit points.