Bright and early before anyone else had gotten up Devi approached Pibble and asked for help with something. Pibble agreed to help and followed Devi into the water near the boat. Suddenly the water froze above Pibble and a large mermaid offered to save Pibble from drowning in exchange for service. Unable to locate Devi but unwilling to submit to this being Pibble fought out of the ice and onto the surface above with the help of the rest of Devi’s ducks. Devi arrived a moment later and helped Pibble get back onto the boat.
Shortly after Devi, Flow and Ra’Cheep went to shore following massive footprints that left trees growing behind them. Devi explored deep into the woods and met with the clan of the Bear. These roaming people had moved down from the North-East following a massive nature spirit. They seemed to be open and accommodating. Ra’Cheep and Flow found a big beautiful tree. Ra’Cheep asked if Flow would join him in a ritual that involved the tree and would almost certainly help the group in the fight ahead. Flow agreed and as the ritual began she soon found herself floating through an astral space with Ra’Cheep and found the stubborn spirit of a rose plant. It wordlessly made clear that it wanted very badly to be given one more chance to grow and bloom and spread its greenery in the world above. Ra’Cheep offered it that chance and infused it into a massive walnut tree forming “Rose” a beautiful flowering humanoid plant.
As Ra’Cheep and Flow woke up they found themselves surrounded and protected by at least a dozen people of the bear tribe, including Dar, who they had met deep within the prison more than a week before. Dar and his father Rug introduced Flow, Ra’Cheep and the newly formed Rose to their Mother Bear. She is a massive powerful bear that seemed to lead and provide for the people of the bear-clan. She had the simple goals of protecting her people and balancing nature and was not willing to fight with a dragon or another God but offered warnings about other dangers. She also granted some information and increased Rose’s healing powers. Once the group had all gotten back together they agreed to sleep the night and go looking for a dragon in the morning.
Bubbles was sent to find the dragons while the rest of the group prepared. Xyphos and Rose would fight the dragon with the party! Almost an hour later when Bubble had not returned or reported Devi summoned him back to her side Bubbles appeared with a mouthful of roasted nuts and casually reported that there were actually TWO dragons and two bird-people in a cave. Ra’Cheep was very animated about the news that some of his people might be alive and nearby… and that the beast that destroyed his village might also be close.
The party crept up the hill and near nightfall they investigated and found that the adult dragon was already dead. Something HUGE had killed it in front of it’s lair. The party made their way inside and met KreeO’Kree and a tiny baby Aarakoa named Peep’Cheep. KreeO’kree had also assumed responsibility for a baby red-dragon who’s mother had recently died. Ra’Cheep was not terribly subtle about his strong distaste for all dragons but the cute baby dragon took a liking to Pibble and happily chirped Pibble’s name a dozen times.
Also inside the dragon lair was a mountain of treasure including some powerful magic items. Three of our heroes pulled cards form the “Deck of many things” and found mostly helpful things in those cards. Strangely one of the cards summoned an adult elf named Jimmothy to protect Pibble.
The group crept up the hill just as the light failed in the sky above and the twinkling of a massive glowing tree could be seen ahead. A creature more than twenty feet tall with more than a dozen eyes, several tongues and six massively powerful legs approached the tree. This horrific creature battled our heroes and their supporters almost killing Flow, and Jimmothy. Devi struck at the creature with her magic and bow while Bubbles found the healing fruit of the tree. Flow and Pibble peppered the creature’s many tongues with arrows while Rose and Xyphos bravely fought with the creature outside the cave that housed the magic tree. The battle ended with most of the party bloodied and Ra’Cheep swallowed up inside the creature in the form of a Raven-Lord tearing at its insides.
The tree offered several powerful gifts to its saviors. Bloodied and beaten but victorious the group limped back to the boat with hope that the tree would help the world re-grow… as long as a greater threat didn’t come to claim it’s power.
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