Elder Heart: Flower of the world Tree

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Cid’lihn‘s eyes welled up with tears but the tears immediately turned to stars, making his vision bright and far-seeing as the spirit of the Astral Dragon embraced him. It was only now that he understood, now that he remembered the truth. Sathrensau, the Astral Dragon, protector of Gaia, guardian of the stars. He has called and I have answered. I stood before him once more, different than I am now, bearing another name, older, much older, having experienced great joys and great sorrows. I wanted to help, I told him, I begged to be allowed to. And he accepted and brought me here. I was reborn before I was actually born the first time, for souls are eternal and not subject to the ravages of time. My past is my future or rather a version of it. I am here to help for that was my heart‘s greatest desire. "I remember…", said the druid, his voice barely a whisper. "I remember", he repeated louder, more confidently. "You dressed my soul in stars, lord Sathrensau, and dropped me like a seed to this world. I sprouted and am now… Cid’lihn, tiny part of the World Tree, a would-be defender of Gaia, though I feel unfit for such a great task." Cid’lihn stayed silent for many long moments, his mind trying to make sense of all he had discovered. In the end his mind couldn’t grasp the truth in its entirety, but it didn’t really matter. In his heart he knew that he was where he was supposed to and that was enough. "Tell me, O Astral Dragon, how can I best serve? My own abilities are minor, but the power I represent is great beyond imagination. I will do my utmost to restore the balance to the world. I am a dreamer and a healer and this is my calling, this is the reason I exist, now and always. Guide me, O Keeper, so that my life will have meaning and my actions purpose. Lead me to my fate."

[Aoem]

WayShrine Cavern " Ahh Cid’lihn, your actions and purpose are your own, you will decide how to act according to how you have determined your own fate. I know that you care for the fey realm, and so do i. This is why i will send you to the border lands of the reinfleur river. The Court of the Summer has tasked you with diplomacy, so that linkage sites between the two planes would stop being destroyed. As for the dark rifts, I know not what is behind these happenings, but i will try my best to contact you when i discover more. Simply, see to protecting and guarding the beloved sites. Help the Centaurin to resist the destruction at the Gothic’s hand."

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Cid’lihn smiled and then bowed before the monolith. "I will gladly go to the lands you speak of, Lord Sathrensau. Let‘s hope that common sense will prevail and the destruction will cease. Will I be alone or are there others like me, born before their time?" Suddenly a thought seemed to cross the Eladrin’s mind and his face darkened. "Astral Dragon, what about Flaustine and Marquis? I cannot leave without bidding them farewell. Is there some way to contact them, let them know I am all right? They must be terribly worried."

[Aoem]

Eons & Ages "Worry not Cid'lihn, it would seem to Marquis and Flaustine as though you had walked through the rooted archway for a mere moment, and then returned. If you so choose, you could slip back into the fold of that dimension in seamless step with where you left off." SathrenSau, smiled back at Cid'lihn and his throat began to hum with a deep resonance. The dragons belly began to rumble with a primordial laughter. There before him, Cid'lihn saw the etheric form of the astral dragon reach out from the megalith, spread his mighty wings and wrap Cid'lihn in his starry embrace. "You are not alone Cid'lihn the Dreamer. Remember that we are always with you." The lines around Cid'lihn and the dragon began to glow luminously, Sathrensau's runic serpentine body began emanating a deep booming vibration that sounded from his very core. " Through the eons and ages, through eons and ages, through eons and ages." Cid'lihn heard SathrenSau's chant reverberate powerfully within the old cavern. The Dragons cosmic body sheltered Cid'lihn in a ghosty cool touch, as if being embraced by wings of cooling mists. Then, they both began to become very small, Cid'lihn felt his astral form suck through tiny black holes between all sources of light within him self. " Through eons and ages, through eons and ages, through eons and ages!" The primordial rumble of SathrenSau's voice echoed within the void. *** Inside a carved stone cavern beneath the roots of a rosewood tree, an old carved megalith stood solidly in the center. Around it, the lines of a small labyrinth were carved in the old stone floor. The megalith's body began to glow with amazing runic lines, that became alight and began to move. Suddenly a pair of etheric wings appeared on either side of the great standing stone. A slender boy who wore a forest green tunic appeared gracefully from beneath the dragons wings when they lifted and disappeared.

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Where Cid’lihn’s first journey through space and time had been wild and wonderful at the same time, now the Eladrin sensed the will of the Astral Dragon purposefully and unerringly direct him towards his destination. He no longer felt afraid, but safe in the Keeper‘s embrace, certain that nothing could go wrong as long as the Keeper guided him. After only moments the young druid found himself facing a very similar monolith at the center of a very similar labyrinth inside a very similar cave as the one he had been before. Similar but not identical. The differences were minor, but they were there: a few glyphs he had never seen before, patches of moss that were new, stalactites at different places. Cid’lihn smiled and bowed at the monolith. "Thank you, Lord Sathrensau. I will not let you down." The Eladrin retraced his steps, this time resorting to no tricks in order to fool the labyrinth. He now knew its purpose and that he was in no danger inside the cave. Quite the contrary, for the presence watching over him was mighty indeed. He used his hand to touch the grooves in the ground and the hard surface of the rock, the soft moss and the crisp dust that stuck to his hand. Every little sensation brought a smile to his lips. Even a cave could be beautiful, for it too was a part of nature. Climbing the rocky staircase, the druid finally reached the portal, which seemed exactly the same as the one he had entered underneath the trees of the rosewood tree. Flaustine, Marquis, I hope you are doing well. Fear not, I will contact you as soon as I can. His last thoughts on his friends, the Eladrin took a deep breath and crossed the portal. His true adventure began now!

[Aoem]

The Border Lands Out of the cavern under the Rosewood tree and through a shadowed archway did the Eladrin stride. Onward, to the call of Shalashmakkar his feet carried him swiftly to the mission of his heart. There through the veiled roots of the gateway to the megaliths chamber, Cid'lihn emerged to a cool crisp wind within an autumn deciduous forest. The hooting of an owl sounded nearby, overhead the druid could tell by the blackness of the sky that it was nearly a new moon. Far off in the distance, Cid'lihn could hear the reverberations of some kind of horn and drum. The druid could feel a warming wind that blew upon his face from the south, this wind moved through the trees and brought with it lush scents of tropical aromas and the thick humidity of a temperate jungle. As Cid'lihn stood within the colored grove of maple trees, he could see signs and tracks of hoof prints within the grove. Additionally he found evidence of felled trees that were uncerimoniously chopped and discarded to make way for a wagon trail that tore through the old forest toward the south, from which was the direction that Cid’lihn heard the bizarre drumming and sound of the horn. This horn perked the druids senses as one that sounded very 'fey'.

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Cid’lihn must have been getting used to traveling through the Astral Dragon’s portals, for this time the journey through eons and ages didn’t seem that long or chaotic. The Eladrin merely concentrated on his destination and within moments found himself in fabled Shalashmakkar. Among thousands of fallen leaves of all possible shapes and surrounded by yellows, oranges, reds and browns, the druid closed his eyes and inhaled the crisp autumn air. Slowly opening his eyes once more, he let them get accustomed to the darkness of a night sky lit mainly by myriads of stars. Such beauty…, marveled the Eladrin, It almost brings tears to my eyes. An owl flew high above him and greeted him with its characteristic howl, making Cid’lihn wonder if it could have been the very same owl that had urged him to look beneath the rosewood tree. It was unlikely, but then again, stranger things had happened. The sounds of horns and drums drew his attention away from the bird, seemingly giving life to the night. Their sound seemed familiar to the Eladrin, bringing forth memories he still hadn’t made. A celebration in a grove of mighty oaks, his people along with centaurs, satyrs and other fey creatures giving thanks for nature‘s bounty. Nectar and honeyed wine filled horns and cups and there were all kinds of different fruit, juicy and aromatic. A nymph danced with a pair of satyrs, an Eladrin girl tried to imitate a trio of playful fairies, a browny dived into a large bowl of soup, his mother‘s hand fondly touched his long hair… Cid’lihn blinked. Such memories, empty and hazy though they were, were precious to him, because they were the remains of another life, a happy one. The Eladrin smiled. No one said this life could not be happy as well. Hadn’t he formed deep friendships already? Flaustine and Marquis probably still waited for him before the majestic rosewood tree, looking at the same stars he was. Perhaps he could contact them somehow. The fey were masters of the dream world, perhaps they would help him talk to his friends through a dream, let them know he was all right and following his destiny. "Great owl, if you hear me, please contact my friends on my behalf. I would hate for them to worry that something has befallen me." The sound of horns and drums drowned his soft words, but Cid’lihn knew that if the owl was truly the one that had spoken to him before, she would know what to do anyway. Removing his boots, Cid’lihn let his feet feel the soft carpet of fallen leaves. Such little pleasures were the ones that made life worthwhile. With one last look at the portal, Cid’lihn followed the sounds that seemed to call out to him. Whether the drums were those of war or celebrating the bounty of peace, the elf did not know, but hoped to soon find out.

[Aoem]

Fey's call Cid'lihn reminisced within his heart about fond memories shared with creatures whom he had bonded with in the magical forest groves of the fey realm. This remembrance was triggered by the environment that he currently walked through. Although Cid'lihn could see the great trees and feel the eyes of the ancient ents upon him, he knew that his form was in the material plane. For, in the fey realm this place would surely be alive with the shuddering and swaying branches and deep groans of the tree elders. However, in this place it was eerily quiet this night as Cid'lihn walked bare foot toward the sounds of the horns and drums. Although still far away, the Eladrin could tell it would only be a mild distanced walk through the twisted dark pre dawn forest before he reached the sounds of the drums and horns. As the boy drew nearer, but was still some fields away from breaking into the clearing where he expected to find the source of the sounds, the beat of the drums stopped entirely. It was then that Cid'lihn was reminded of the same sounds from an old memory of his, when Centaurs told stories around the council fires about how they beat their drums and blew their horns before they were to enter battle. These drums that Cid'lihn heard now reminded him entirely of that story. As he moved forward and walked across the crunchy frosted forest floor, the Eladrin suddenly heard an immense Crashh! Snapp! Crunch! The sound was heavy and cumbersome, the boy heard this creature charging through the undergrowth just yards from the large twisted tree trunk that Cid'lihn was currently near. Within moments, the creature smashed through the bushes near the druid and galloped cantankerously into full view. The animal was bigger than a horse or a bull, it's coat was pure white and covered in thrashed bloody marks that painted it's body with dark patches of scarlet. The moose staggered within the clearing and nearly collapsed to it's knees, it wailed and groaned as it desperately wandered in agitation, smashing it's large antlers into trees and blindly running into thorns. The eladrin could tell from his place by the tree that this creature had lost the use of it's sight. Large lacerations covered it’s face and muzzle, rendering his eyes useless. The moose then began to lament in the druidic tongue as it trashed it's head and cried. "Cleansing waters clean my sight! Where is that well? What will become of me?" His deep grumbling heavy voice sighed desperately.

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn The drums and the horns grew suddenly quiet and the night seemed to become more sinister than before. It wasn’t because Cid’lihn was afraid of the dark forest. Quite the contrary. His eyes could easily distinguish the shapes of the many different trees around him. Even in the weak light of the stars he knew he was surrounded by friends, better yet siblings. What made him anxious was what might befall these siblings now that the horns had grown silent and the drums could no longer be heard. War, he thought and almost felt the iron taste of blood in his mouth. Silence precedes war, just like war precedes death, making the silence permanent. Where the Eladrin had walked leisurely before, he now ran. No longer touching the barks of oaks and elms or greeting the small animals that hid among the branches and tree roots, the druid sped through the forest hoping to reach the centaurs before they rode off to battle. His heart raced, his legs ached and his breathing became more arduous, but still he ran. And ran until… A great moose, white hide stained with the vivid red of blood, appeared from between two bushes, moaning in pain and shaking his large horns aggressively. Cid’lihn froze completely, the only thing still moving was his heart, beating so hard it felt it might burst. Fear gave way to shock. Who could have injured this magnificent beast so severely? Who had robbed it of its sight? Why would anyone do such a thing? Still, this was something the druid could make right. The life energy of the World Tree hummed within him and Cid’lihn longed to share it with the wounded animal. But he had to be careful. Intelligent though the beast might be, able to speak the secret language of the druids, the pain of wounds it had sustained might cause it to act irrationally. Only gentleness could make it trust him. "Do not be afraid, sibling, I mean you no harm", spoke the Eladrin as calmly and distinctly as possible. "In fact, I have the power to tend to your wounds. Just don’t move for a while and let the life energy of the World Tree wash over you. Have no fear, I do not need to approach you for the magic to work. Once you are feeling better we might talk further, yes? We must find a way to have your sight restored for I fear this is beyond my power." Concentrating on the life-giving power that surged through the roots, trunk and branches of the World Tree, just like he had done with Marquis, the youth started humming the nursery song about Quills the hedgehog. If his mother could calm baby Cid’lihn with this song, so could he the moose. Words could be misinterpreted, but the song spoke of the love one had for nature in all its aspects. The druid didn’t deem the moose so far gone that it would have forgotten what it meant to be a part of nature. He hoped he was right about this. If not, his quest might come to a sad and premature end…

 

1. Cid‘lihn tries to persuade the moose that he means it no harm.
Charisma (Persuasion) check:

Dice Roll:

1d20+1

(5)+1

Total = 6

2. He uses the „Balm of the Summer Court“ to restore

Dice Roll:

2d6

1, 1

Total = 2

HP to the injured animal. The moose also gains 2 temporary HP.

Comment: Truly terrible rolls!

[Aoem]

Weavers Grace The moose groaned and shuddered in agonizing pain, the creature fell to it’s knees after spending some moments wobbling upon it’s shaky legs. It surrendered it’s body to the weight of gravity and crashed heavily upon the leaf strewn dirt. The moose laid among the twisted roots, a dark pooling liquid soaked the dirt and leaves underneath the beast. The aroma was metallic and layered with the smells of fresh blood. Cid’lihn approached the White Moose and carefully tried to calm him. The Eladrin could tell that his words were nearly lost upon the great Moose’s torn ears, and when the boy reached out to channel his healing energy, the Moose flinched at his touch and jerked his great antlers around toward the Druid. (DC 13 dex save) Un aware of if he had struck the Eladrin or not, the Moose could barely tell that someone was near him. Although, the small blessing of life force that Cid’lihn was able to impart upon him was enough to grant the creature a great deep breath. It sighed and lowered it’s chin heavily into the soil. The moose moaned and twisted it’s head rolling onto one side. It wheezed and said in a rasping whisper. " I know you are near spirit, my wounds are grave. Inflicted by poisoned claws that tore deep into my body." The moose chomped and ground his teeth, clenching his jaw as he dealt with spasms of pain. "Go to the rosewood tree and seek the trail of weavers. They will lead you to her, she possesses magic webs that will heal my wounds. Hurry! I can feel the warmth slipping away, i know that you will reach me in time! "

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Cid’lihn had kept his distance from the moose, but had miscalculated the wounded animal‘s speed. Within moments the beast was upon him, his huge antlers mere inches from his head. The youth was too agile to be actually hit by the pain-crazed animal, his fast reflexes enabling him to evade the attack at exactly the right moment. His bond to the World Tree was temporarily severed however, making him able to heal only the most minor of the moose‘s wounds. Thankfully, the animal seemed to calm down, either persuaded by Cid’lihn‘s actions that he was a friend or simply too exhausted to continue fighting. Coming to its senses, the great beast spoke once more, more calmly this time, and asked the druid to help him. Go back to the rosewood tree? Will I still be able catch up with the centaurs in time? It doesn’t matter. The moose‘s life is at stake. It is the only thing that’s important now! "Fear not, master moose. I will soon be back with the healing web. Don’t lose hope!" Running back the way he had come, especially glad that his eyes could see so well even without the light of the sun, Cid’lihn halted only when he actually reached the rosewood tree. As he was still catching his breath, the Eladrin looked around in an attempt to locate the spider marks the moose had talked about. Were there any webs he hadn’t noticed before? Would they lead him to a spider queen with healing powers? He hoped the wounded animal was right. He truly did.

 

1. Cid‘lihn tries to avoid the moose‘s antlers.
Dexterity save:

Dice Roll:

1d20+2

(12)+2

Total = 14

2. He looks around the rosewood tree, trying to locate spider marks.
Wisdom (Perception) check:

Dice Roll:

1d20+6

(6)+6

Total = 12

[Aoem]

Indeed as the boy searched around the Rose Wood Tree's great gnarled roots, the dark hour of the night did very little to aid his efforts. The moon was nearly vacant in the sky and layers of fallen leaves blanketed the earth where he searched, one thing that he could surmise, is that a large number of creatures must call the cavernous knots of the trees body as home. One creature that seemed abundantly thriving within the branches were, spiders. In the thin sliver of pale moonlight, Cid'lihn could see silvery gossamer ribbons of web that floated within the bare branches. Colonies of these weavers made their perch, hung abreast of the outspread hands of the Rosewood Tree.
However, Cid'lihn's eye was drawn to a twisting crease within the tree's skin, that led downward from the crook of a high branch and all the way into the dirt.

OOC* Perhaps a light spell?

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Despite the lack of a good source of illumination, the druid would not give up. His sharp eyes looked left and right, examined every branch, every irregularity of the great tree‘s bark and every pool of shadow that was determined not to easily give away its secrets. What soon became apparent to him was that the rosewood tree was the home of dozens, hundreds perhaps, of little spiders, though none seemed to be larger than his hand or to possess healing skills. Normally, Cid’lihn would have called out to them, asked them about this mysterious healer that was the moose‘s last hope, but he felt absolutely drained. He had called upon the World Tree so oft when Flaustine, Marquis and him had been digging the earth to uncover the Astral Dragon‘s portal, that his bond with the great source of life seemed to be strained at the moment. He felt he had somehow reached his limit after the extremely long day and that only a good night’s sleep would be able to refresh him. No!, he protested inwardly. This is no time to sleep and dream. A life is in danger. Search, Cid’lihn, search. The healer is bound to be here! Taking out a torch from his satchel, the elf gently blew at it, his breath as warm as the south wind. Before long the rags tightly bound around the wooden stick started glowing much like embers do, only to burst into flame moments later. With a smile Cid’lihn looked at the tree again, this time aided by the flame‘s soft glow. "There!", he called out more to himself than anyone else. What is this line? Some kind of… opening? Uncertain what exactly he was seeing, the druid used his free hand to touch the strange crease, trying to open it like one would a door. Would it budge?

 

1. Cid‘lihn casts „Druidcraft“ to light one of his torches.
2. He tries to determine if the „crease“ actually belongs to a door-like opening.

[Aoem]

The druid appraised the gnarled crease upon the rosewood tree. His torch was freshly lit by one of his druidic incantations and glowed warmly in the grove. A bright red and orange glow began to illuminate the scene before him. The Eladrin focused his keen eyes upon the space before him, and tried his luck at opening the crease as he would a door. Despite his innate intuition that led him to search the crease for some sort of handhold, the druid soon came to realize that the crease would not move in any direction that he wanted.

Soon, Cid’lihn was able to see that this crease was kin to a large human road, except this one for spiders.
The crease was full of small spiders that busied themselves walking upward high into the branches where they spun webs and were held aloft within their silken homes. Alternatively, Cid’lihn felt upon his dirty bare toes, the sensations of many tiny spiders crawling over them. He looked down and his light illuminated the scene upon the ground.

A thin trail of spiders coming and going from the bottom of the crease upon the Rosewood was now visible to the elf. The small band of Arachnids moved in a drifting line of meandering bodies that disappeared into tree line beyond the grove.

A trail of weavers! Cid’lihns inner voice immediately chimed in.

[Elanir]

Cid’lihn Cid’lihn pushed and pulled hoping to open what could not be opened and it was only after these failed attempts that he realized that what he had taken for a door‘s crack was in fact a road -a highway of sorts!- for spiders. For a few minutes the druid could do nothing but stare at the tiny spiders purposely moving away from the rosewood tree, heading deeper into the woods. Careful not to step on the small creatures and aided in this by the soft radiance of his burning torch, the Eladrin followed the „trail of weavers“ as quickly as he could. He was eager to find the one whose webs could heal, but also a little apprehensive. How would the great spider -if the fabled healer was indeed a mother spider- react when Cid’lihn appeared before her unannounced? Would she welcome him or accuse him of trespassing? Shaking his head, the druid tried to clear it from such thoughts. Had the spider been dangerous the moose would have surely warned him, wouldn’t he? Don‘t be foolish, Cid’lihn. Trust in the kindness of all living creatures. Prove that you yourself are no threat and you will be treated as such. And above all, hurry up!