Harmony Session 29: Rockwood, Paper, Scissors

The Suckhole Six were making easy work of their trek into Ferrous Forest. The Woodsman clambered along loudly, but instead of attracting attention, it seemed to repel any trouble. Until, of course, one night when a great crashing of trees and a furious war cry signaled the midnight arrival of the one and only Zoran... and two giant sloths looking to kill him.   Azarki Kevin-Kevin roused his compatriots and they joined battle alongside their friend.  

Secrets on the Wind

  The reunited adventurers furiously battled the sloths. Malachai was quite free with his use of his new rapid fire module, despite how often it ended up burning him. Enno summoned the great branches of the Ironwood trees to aid in the battle, even saving Zoran from what would certainly have been a lethal blow. In the end, the sloths fell, the crew healed, and Zoran explained how he came to be here, 30 miles from camp in the middle of the night.   Though it took some pointed questions, Zoran told the Six everything. Well, almost everything. Playing his flute by the fire in camp one night, Zoran received a message through his intimate connection with The Evervoice, imploring him to dive into Ferrous Forest. He admitted he had been summoned by his patron, an unnamed member of The Panoptic Legion, though this information was to remain secret. Zoran received congratulations for his deeds against the centipedes, with his contact claiming that things could not have gone better, even in burying the portal. She implored that he continue to fight against the monsters he finds here on Vardura, and encouraged him to use the extremely powerful Evervoice to do so. Not only could Zoran access destructive might here, but information. The Corvus asked, "What do you know needs killing?"   The Corvus then led the big man on an impromptu hunt into the Forest. Zoran lost the lithe warrior between the trees but followed her voice urgently until it reached a duo of giant sloths. A tactical retreat guided in part by The Corvus' ghostly voice led Zoran right into the Six's campsite for a proper battle.   Zoran was very interested in discussing everyone's thoughts on The Evervoice, but was met with some hesitation. The idea that the only reason the Evervoice was helping them because it aligned with some intentional purpose yet lingered over them.  

Paths Not Taken

  The quiet of Ferrous Forest began to unnerve our heroes. When they awoke to a strange smell of burning roses, they tried to follow, but after about 30 minutes returned to the Woodsman to continue their quest. Good thing too because later that day, the Woodsman came across a somewhat familiar logged clearing. Stretching north, this was obviously the southern end of the Woodsman's trail the Six had previously followed. The Woodsman turned southward and continued doggedly toward its destination.   After awhile, the Six came across some megafoot prints. Where before they had only found a single print as the megafoot moved through the ethereal plane, these were many. Whether due to his innate tracking ability or connection with the forest, Enno could tell that this megafoot had been injured. Azarki and Zoran discussed whether or not this was preventing the megafoot from entering the ethereal plane, but this soon devolved into a small argument about what the Six should do about the megafoot. Zoran saw that his and the Legion's desire to eradicate these plane-hopping threats was not shared by his fellow adventurers. Zoran could hear the whispers of The Corvus saying, "What do you know needs killing?" and accused his companions of being "weak sauce."   Ultimately, the Six chose to stick with their plan and follow the Woodsman. Perhaps these trails will be followed another day...  

End of the Line

  When Enoch fired up the Woodsman the next morning, the machine was very energetic, almost excited with anticipation. Soon enough down the trail, a treeline slowly rose from the far end of the path, finally signaling its end. Gorr remembered a vision of the Charred Woodsman freeing itself from its igneous prison to march all the way down here to this familiar clearing.   Pieces of ancient stonework jutted out of the soil in a circular pattern with a giant Evervoice-carved stone in the middle. The Woodsman promptly stepped upon this dais and it almost immediately started to lower into the ground. The Six scrambled to join the automaton, but were stymied when the elevator shuddered to a violent stop. A closer inspection revealed a large root jammed against the lip of the hole, holding the moving disc. The root writhed against the platform like a giant water snake as the edge of the woods began to move with life. Trees and shrubs before unnoticed came to life and attacked! It was a Rockwood ambush.   The fight was furious, with Enoch boldly charging the Woodsman into combat against one of the Rockwoods. Malachai managed to entangle the other one, relegating it to chucking rocks for the entire fight. The Six made fast work of the blights that accompanied the Rockwoods, slicing through their grasping vines and spiky twigs like nothing. Eventually, only one Rockwood was left, still caught in Malachai's spell. It took one look at the situation and pulled itself free, diving down into the earth to escape.   The Six briefly considered letting the thing go until Enoch stepped up and said, "NO LONGER WILL THEY RUN!" They could not see their quarry, but they knew it was close. And this one, they were not about to let get away.