Draven didn't seem to notice Geim, or any others of the group for that matter, until the dwarf touched him. The dwarf tried to life his arm, as to get beneith it and give him support, but Draven gently pulled his arm away and held his hand up.

"I don't need your aid."

Draven made his way to his packs that he had left on the grass before entering the tower, dropping the massive sword and kneeling, he withdrew his water flask, and poured it over his hands, cleaning the blood off.

Geim was preparing to heal him..Without looking up from his work, Draven added.

"Save your magic. Use it on whoever still needs it."

The blood began to wash from his hands, revealing intact pale skin benieth. Lifting the flask, he poured the water over his head, and began wiping the blood from his face and hair. Seemingly the gore that coated Draven was...not his own.

Londelirinen Kingdom
Sylvari village
4th day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
7:16 pm
The goblin laughed at Elessar’s threats.

“You’re bluffing!” it piped out. “The troll is gone, and would not listen to you if he were here! He was bound to our captain by Avesaath, and without the captain he will do what trolls do.”

Somehow the goblin had gotten some confidence, after seeing through the bladesinger’s empty threat.

“But I will show you the tree anyway. There is nothing you can do now. It is turned, and its roots have bled their poison. You are too late.”

If Elessar lets him, he will stand up and guide her northwards. Luronya the mage walked with them, and told Elessar that she could not communicate with animals. She apologized and was quiet the rest of the way.

It took only ten minutes of walking when the goblin halted and pointed. Before them lay a small clearing at the foot of a hill. In the east, the heads of the Chakran mountain tops bathed in the last of the sunlight. Their toes stretched into the forests of the Sylvari, and here, at the end of one of them stood a tree that had once been a beautiful oak. Now its leaves were blackish green. Its trunk was dark and wet with a transparent slime. The young acorns, meant to be freshly green, were deep scarlet.
When they stepped closer, one of the acorns fell down. Instead of the soft thud of solid nutrition on the forest floor, they perceived a wet splash as the acorn shattered and sent a shower of ooze flying around.
Now Elessar looked closer, the forest ground was soaked with dark stains. The sand was muddy, impregnated with too much foul liquid.

The goblin sighed.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

(OOC: You have found the tree. Coming closer isn't difficult or dangerous, other than the quicksandy kind of ground.)

In Elven she speaks to the Mage. "How do we deliver the potion, and is there anything you can do to aid me or shield me from being tainted by the poisoned tree as I approach? I am not so sure that the Goblin did not lead us so readily here, if he did not think that he was putting us in danger."

Having tied the Goblin for the march, binding his hands behind him tightly, even if she had to tear stripes from her own cloak to do so, then binding his arms to his sides. Now she, held him in front of her with a tether to her left hand and with her sword at his back pressed in deep enough to be very painful.

"Now you will lead me all the way to it." Elessarae was afraid that the very tree she had come to save was in itself dangerous to her. If the Goblin were put in the same danger as she he might tell the truth about it to save himself.

Thondrek was wracking his brain about how to reenter the tower when the front door opened with a click, and out stepped draven, coated in vile gore and ichor as though he had been engulfed by some bloody gelatenous ooze.

"By the anvil, ye've looked better man!" Thondrek exclaimed as the distracted Draven passed between the startled companions.

Thondrek's fingers thumbed over another one of his precious healing potions, but instead moved to the small keg of Khordish Ale strapped securely to his side.

Hoisting the darkwood container into his hands he whistled at Draven and tossed it towards him.

"Fer washin yer insides, tho ta be sur'in I'm not sayin it'be a wastin washin yer outside either; ye reek of somethin foul and that brews got a wicked punch."

>Allowing time for reaction/ response<

"So if ye look this bad outside, what's the story inside?"

As he was talking, Thondrek tossed Draven a flask, which he caught, and promptly stopped washing himself long enough to take a long swig.

"Fer washin yer insides, tho ta be sur'in I'm not sayin it'be a wastin washin yer outside either; ye reek of somethin foul and that brews got a wicked punch."


"So if ye look this bad outside, what's the story inside?"

This brought a flash of golden light from Dravens eyes, and one corner of his mouth curled up. Gesturing the flask at the tower, he growls

"You can always see for yourself."

Lifting the flask back to his lips, Draven drank deeply, before setting the flask down and pouring the contents of his waterflask over his head. Flinging his long, raven hair wetly over his shoulders, Draven turned to cleaning the long, onyx blade of Grishnak.

Thondrek took a grim look towards the tower before walking over and peering inside.. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but he knew, knowing Draven's handiwork, it likely wouldn't be pleasant.

Alloryen Kingdom
The Exaulted Tower
2nd day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
5:30 pm
Thondrek found the interior of the tower to be precisely as he remembered it, with only one exception.

On the first floor, a few paces from the stairs leading down, lay the body of the other demonic bear. It had changed though. Its legs were longer and more humanoid, its overall build being more like a man than an animal. Apart from that, its head was laying a few feet away. A big puddle of blood had spread over the tiles, and from it, the trail of Draven’s footprints.

The tower had been reclaimed, so it seemed.

Malius had almost reached the open window when without warning the main doors opened and out walked a blood soaked Draven.
As Draven walked to his horse, though he looked very tired, it was clear that most of the blood covering him was not his and that of possibly the 2nd mutated bear.

Malius found himself for the moment with the choice of continuing through the window, after all he had climbed most of the way up or to reverse his direction and return to the ground. The choice was quickly made as the Ranger continued up and through the window to learn what had truly happened inside the tower.

(OOC: Al as I have no way of knowing that Thondrek went into the tower I will do a search of the rooms and floors from top to bottom, will put anything useful or interesting into a bag for the rest of the party to go over later.)

Geim shakes his head in disbelief when most of the blood washes off Draven.

"Draven, my lad. I'll buy the first drinks when we find decent place if you tell the story of what happened in there. Loda, I haven't forgot my promise of a arink for you either, Lass."

Geim turns to the still wounded and uses his spells to bring them up further, since all he had done was to ensure they would stay alive and he hurried to each one in turn.

"We have to burn those beasties. If we drag them away from the tower, then we can pile on the wood. Can't have what is affecting them to affect other beasts."

Before she prodes the Goblin forward Elessare looks to Comrade. "You stay with Luronya." She points to the Mage. "Stay away from that tree," she points to it. "Bad tree, evil, sick tree. Stay here"

It is all she can do, hopefully she can gain enough money to get a communicate with animals ring, for now she hoped Comrade had the intelligence to understand the few words she has used with him, bad being one of them. Then too, considering the number of times she was using her healing wand she would have to replenish it soon.

Suddenly she gets an idea, "Luronya, do you have a fly spell?"

Londelirinen Kingdom
Sylvari village
4th day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
7:26 pm
The mage's face brightened up on that question. She was finally able to help out again.

"Yes.... Yes! I do have that spell memorized! You want it right now?"

Speaking in Elven, "How long will it last?". While listening Elessarae takes out her dagger and cuts the armor off the Goblin.

Once the Mage explains the delivery method of the Potion of the Lotus of Light and how long the spell would last she will continue to do what she said first, drive the goblin before her towards the tree hoping to learn something of its dangers.

After speaking with the Mage she will turn to the unarmored Goblin, "If I safely travel to the tree and back to the Mage, I will let you free, if not you will probably die from whatever it is that tries to attack me for I will use you as a shield. Or if I am attacked and we both survive, I will track the Troll and give you to him. I suspect even now he is feasting on Goblins, for the way you chained him and treated him."

To prove her words she urges the Goblin up to the edge of the soggy ground, then in Goblin "Okay, you first." Elessarae presses the point of her sword into the Goblin's back.

If the Goblin informs her of the dangers she will make whatever other decisions that she can. One course is to continue eto use the Goblin as bait or a shield while she flies behind him. The other would be to leave him tied to a tree with orderes to the Mage to get him back to the Tower for further questioning.

"Luronya," cast your spell," Elessarae will fly carefully to the tree on extreme alert, deliver the potion as the Mage directed and return.

When Geim has time he goes through the tower. When he spots the nest with the maggots he stops and calls out

"We need to kill all these maggots up here and check this place out for any more that might have gottten away from here. We don't need giant blood sucking insects to hatch from these things. Some one have some oil and fire we can burn this nest."

In the meanwhile Geim uses his ax to cut the things in two. He whacks, hacks, smashes, and squishes the wiggly maggots. He is taking no chances that these things may also be infected with whatever causesd these giant aborrant mutations.

Alloryen Kingdom
The Exaulted Tower
2nd day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
5:30 pm
The Sylvari bladesinger examined Draven from a short distance while the others went over to him. When Thondrek went into the tower to find out what had become of the bear, she moved closer. Catching his eye, persisting should he try to look away, she made it obvious she was watching him, but her gaze was one of concern, not of judgement.

“Please, what happened in there, Black Warrior?”

Then Geim offered a wise advice, and she nodded.

“We will all want to hear your story. Now we should find dry wood, which could prove difficult with this kind of weather.”

They worked together to find a good amount of sticks, twigs and leaves, and put them over the bear that was laying outside. With joined efforts they hauled the beheaded body of the larger demonic animal from within the tower, and put it up against its mate. Then they set the wood to flames.

At first, the fire did not seem to want either of the creatures, and they had to get more wood, as the bears remained untouched and unchanged by the heat. But the temperature rose, and soon the thick hairs started to curl and the leathery skin became black and dry, until it burst, and the flames were free to consume the flesh and goo that lay within.

They were all there, except for Malius. They had not seen him since he passed into the tower through the high window.

(OOC: Brianna, I will update soon what Geim finds in the tower.)

---

Londelirinen Kingdom
Sylvari village
4th day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
7:26 pm
“My Flying Spell will last well over an hour, but I can only cast it on you if you’re standing next to me. I have to touch you in order for it to work on you.”

And so Elessar took her first steps towards the tree, with the goblin as a shield. She was expecting some form of attack, and feared the goblin was not telling her everything.

Then they came close enough to see the red spotted ground before their toes. Elessar took to the air, holding the bound goblin by the rope. The creature was calm, and stepped forward without hesitation. It cursed under its breath, though the swearwords were directed at Elessarae and the way she treated him.

Upon reaching the first branches, the goblin started watching the acorns ready to fall down. He stayed clear out of the way of the splashes, but at one point wasn’t fast enough. A soft thud sounded as an acorn burst on the green, bald head.

“Demon’s Grizzly Joy!!! Free my hands so I can wipe myself clean, you stinking blade-syl!”

Elessar herself had trouble dodging the gross grenades. She had stained her cloths with the blood coloured, sticky substance, but it caused her no other harm. She safely reached the trees trunk and rubbed the ointment over its bark, as Luronya had instructed her.

Nothing happened. No drastic change occurred, but after a short period of time, the bladesinger realized that the acorns were no longer falling. And the fluorescent aura of disease slowly ebbed away from the tree, though it was more a feeling than a physical change. As the heavens turned pink in oncoming night, the tree refound the urge to grow healthy again. It would still take a lot of fighting before it was healed completely.

But Elessarae’s part in that was over.

Draven looks up at Geim as the dwarf mentions burning the bodies of the bears, and then starts to head to the tower. Standing now and resheithing his blade behind his back, he growls

"I don't think we should waste any more of our precious time. Are we going to help every commoner, kill every goblin, and go after every wanted fugitive we find on our way?"

He looks at the shield maiden who had been outside the tower on their arrival.

"Leave them for her. Surely she doesn't need our help cleaning out the tower as well as slaying the beasts?"

((Do we have horses??))