Ember's Tale 91: Into the Grove

Chapter 91: Into the Grove

The day only got worse as it went on. The rain continued unabated, the forest seemed to be littered with trolls - according to Cernd, there were far more of them around than there should be - and, as they crossed a particularly swampy area, they startled a pair of myconids. The giant fungoids sprayed a spore cloud at Yoshimo before they fled in terror, leaving the Kara-Turan in a state of utter confusion; dazed and glassy-eyed, he drew his katana and charged at Ember, forcing Minsc and Anomen to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking her.

"'Tis a treacherous place you have brought us to, druid," Anomen grumbled, kneeling beside Yoshimo and checking his head for fractures.

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

"Such as Faldorn,"Ember said.

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

"Yes, Boo, you are right! He is waking up!" Minsc cried, and pointed the tip of his sword at Yoshimo's belly.

The Kara-Turan groaned, moved his arms a little, and blinked a few times before focusing his eyes on the sword. "What happened..?"

"Myconids," Mazzy replied. "Their spores can make you confused and disoriented."

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

----

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

"Well, well, look who has come from the sheltered north to join his brothers in the trenches," the foremost of the men said. "Tell me, Cernd, are you here to lecture us?"

"Dalok," Cernd said calmly, and raised a hand in greeting. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We are taking what is ours to retrieve, Cernd," Dalok replied. "We are stripping the invaders of the spoils they rape from the earth! We are doing what is right!" Behind him, the other two druids cheered in agreement.

"But this is not our role," Cernd said, sounding almost as if he were explaining something important to a small child. "Balance is the goal, not slaughter. Trademeet never gouged the land, and yet you besiege it. Gragus would never have allowed this."

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

The calm expression slipped from Cernd's face. "She is a Shadow Druid! They are perversions of our calling!"

"The perversion is thinking that civilization and nature can coexist. We have taken steps in the only way we can as protectors of the wood. Faldorn says -"

"I have come to challenge her to the rituals of ascension! She may flout our way, but even she must obey the rules set down ages ago. That is her hold over you, is it not?"

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

"Death to the enemies of nature!" the other man shouted. He charged past their leader towards Cernd, who welcomed him with two precise jabs of his staff.

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

There was a bright flash as lightning struck - who? - and an acrid smell filled the area. Someone screamed.

"Do not move," Yoshimo said, his voice coming from just above Ember's head. The strangling vine loosened, as did the rest of the plants that had wrapped around her body, starting from her head and continuing down her back. She drew several deep, gasping breaths, but even in the elation of being able to breathe again, she forced herself to not move; the blade of Yoshimo's katana had to be skimming her spine as he cut her free, and even though she didn't notice it at all now, she most certainly would if she moved into its path.

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

"Is little Ember all right?!" Minsc asked, an edge of panic in his voice.

"Yes," Ember croaked.

"Allow me, my lady," Anomen said. Reaching out a hand, he gently touched the side of her neck with his fingertips and chanted a minor healing spell. Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

"Thank you, Anomen," she said, giving him a slight smile. "What happened with the lightning bolt? All of you are standing; didn't it hit anyone?"

"Oh, it did," Yoshimo said. "Our grand wizard drew the bolt to himself, and it did him no harm. It was quite a sight!"

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

"We outnumbered them, and we knew how they might fight. They were unwise to stand against us," Cernd said, looking down at the two dead bodies. "May the earth mother forgive your sins against her children."

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

---

Faldorn was sitting, poised like a queen on her throne, on a large rock at the very heart of the grove. Several other druids stood around her, but none of them moved or spoke any more than the massive trees that surrounded them did. There was an eerie stillness in the air; even the sound of the raindrops seemed muted.

"Boo does not like this," Minsc whispered.

Cernd stepped forward.

"Well, what have we here?" Faldorn sneered disdainfully. "Some fools come to stop the righteous force of nature? Laughable. Say what you must and then we shall purge the earth of your filth."

"I am called Cernd," he started. Faldorn interrupted him.

"Ah, Cernd. I have heard your name before. Come to investigate for the Grand Druid, have you? You may tell him that his way is dead. All that dwell here are now druids of shadow, and he can do nothing."

"We shall see, Faldorn," Cernd replied. "You are not invulnerable just yet, though I sense the filthy ritual you have performed. You drain from the land like some vile parasite."

Faldorn laughed. "You may frown upon the bond, but I am stronger than ever with the aid of this grove. The mother feeds me that I might fight for her!"

"You, or just the animals that you force to attack Trademeet?" Ember asked.

"We must all do our part to cleanse the forest," Faldorn said, giving Ember a scrutinizing glare.

"I remember when you would sooner endanger yourself and anyone with you than risk harm to a single animal. Funny how priorities can change, isn't it?"

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

"My lady?" Anomen muttered nervously.

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

Feeling as if she'd been startled awake from a dream, Ember let go of Faldorn and kicked her away from herself. "Do not touch me again!" she yelled at the shadow druid.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

"Enough!" Cernd cried. "Faldorn, you perpetrate gross crimes here! You are unfit! I challenge you, and by the rites laid down ages ago you cannot refuse!"

"What... what makes you think I would wish to refuse?" Faldorn replied, seeming to regain some of her composure. "I took this grove by force, and I shall keep it in the same manner. Did you think I would retreat? Oh no, Cernd, this is your end. Prepare!"

The shadow druid stalked off towards a ramshackle hut, accompanied by three of the other druids. As she reached the hut, she turned and gave Ember a wary glance, then ducked inside and out of sight.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

I don't think you would find many people who would disagree with you on that, Edwin!

Er. Shouldn't this be 'if the shadow druids took the consequences' and 'killed themselves', though? (Please note: I'm asking not to peeve you, but in the interest of my sanity... I've always been told that 'if you would' applies only if the 'will' means 'want to' / 'are so polite to'?)

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

This is a very, very curious bit of conversation... I'm not sure why, but I think it's because, apart from Edwin's bits, it reads like a conversation. Not banter. They are just several people talking, not exchanging jibes, or doing quest infodumps, or mentoring each other - well, the way Ember says

"Such as Faldorn,"Ember said.

is a bit odd; but then, you later remind us that it's very personal between these two, so then, it becomes understandable that she should be thinking of Faldorn right now, should have her on her mind constantly-- But, apart from that, even Minsc isn't bantering. And, of course, if you plan to follow this with Yoshimo's treachery, this scene feels... sad, already. Poignant, even? I love his line, by the way.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

My first thought: troglodytes. (Of the thick-eyebrow, stooping-posture, 'me-be-Dalok,' Neanderthal sort.)

Also. 'the grove itself'? What's the difference? Later, you mention higher trees than the rest of the forest... Is that it?

"We are taking what is ours to retrieve, Cernd," Dalok replied. "We are stripping the invaders of the spoils they rape from the earth! We are doing what is right!" Behind him, the other two druids cheered in agreement.

All right. So he's not a troglodyte. The clubs took me in.

And he's got groupies!

"I have come to challenge her to the rituals of ascension! She may flout our way, but even she must obey the rules set down ages ago. That is her hold over you, is it not?"

Hmm? Is that non sequitur on purpose, or is something missing here? As in, 'Everyone must.'? Or does the last question go back to what Faldorn says?

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

Did he have a close encounter with a myconid any time recently? Seriously - Sarevok, at least, was a half-god!

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

Woo-hoo! Cool druid fight!

There was a bright flash as lightning struck - who? - and an acrid smell filled the area. Someone screamed.

Acrid? From lightning/ozone? Or-- Aha! From the protection, yes?

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

Oho. 'twould seem I'd learnt of a new tree today!

Also, I love every bit of this description. You didn't really write a fight, which is very cool, and you gave a great and wonderful description of a spell, and it's still clear who, probably, killed whom. Yay! Why is there no :love: icon here?

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

For Ember, this really is... uncharacteristically personal.

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest.

In the breasts? Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

Mwah. With all that growling... Just have Ember change into a tiger, Faldorn into her panther... Cat fight!

Seriously... Much as I am astounded by the depths of hatred Ember has for Faldorn, I'm even more astounded by the way she manages to annoy Faldorn so completely. It's like, completely -- huh? One of you's been tortured for months. The other is a queen in this place. And the first thing you do? Fight. Like little girls. The rest of the world? Completely forgotten.

It's... Why haven't they killed each other the first time, pray remind me?

The shadow druid stalked off towards a ramshackle hut, accompanied by three of the other druids. As she reached the hut, she turned and gave Ember a wary glance, then ducked inside and out of sight.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

...which probably means Cernd's dead meat, and you'll have to do it. :sigh:

A wonderful chapter.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme.

Theres the first metaphor that actually makes some sense to me! ...unfortunaely, Edwin would, of course, indeed blame the tree and fireball it

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

Do I detect a bit of my own influence here?

"Tell me, Cernd, are you here to lecture us?"

Yes he is.

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

*sigh* You could use idiots like these as a villain-o-meter... if they're wildly enthusiastic and call the person a "real leader" he/she is definitely up to no good.

"Death to the enemies of nature!" the other man shouted. He charged past their leader towards Cernd, who welcomed him with two precise jabs of his staff.

Nice.

"Allow me, my lady," Anomen said. Reaching out a hand, he gently touched the side of her neck with his fingertips and chanted a minor healing spell. Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

That's a better description of magical healing than 'flashy light - +3d6.'

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers.

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

"Take us to your leader..."

Faldorn was sitting, poised like a queen on her throne, on a large rock at the very heart of the grove. Several other druids stood around her, but none of them moved or spoke any more than the massive trees that surrounded them did.

A druid on a throne. Hmmmm.

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

Yes!
Uh, not that I want Ember to join the Dark Side, but it's nice to finally see some passion in her

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

Bite her head off!

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Oh poor Edwin... and wow... I would just have lost it on Cernd and all his nature methapors.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Of course not...

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

Oh... nice fight scene!

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Good for you Edwin!

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Oy! That is just cheating Fally! And daddy stalks Ember again I see.

The shadow druid stalked off towards a ramshackle hut, accompanied by three of the other druids. As she reached the hut, she turned and gave Ember a wary glance, then ducked inside and out of sight.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

Let us hope he wins but no groove for Ember?

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

I don't think you would find many people who would disagree with you on that, Edwin!

Er. Shouldn't this be 'if the shadow druids took the consequences' and 'killed themselves', though? (Please note: I'm asking not to peeve you, but in the interest of my sanity... I've always been told that 'if you would' applies only if the 'will' means 'want to' / 'are so polite to'?)

Well, it would be polite of the shadow druids to do as he suggests, wouldn't it?

Your rule for 'if you would' might be a rule for saying that phrase to people's faces, perhaps?

(I'm no good at grammar terms, but putting it this way feels right to me.)

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

This is a very, very curious bit of conversation... I'm not sure why, but I think it's because, apart from Edwin's bits, it reads like a conversation. Not banter. They are just several people talking, not exchanging jibes, or doing quest infodumps, or mentoring each other - well, the way Ember says

Even heroes need insignificant banter at times

"Such as Faldorn,"Ember said.

is a bit odd; but then, you later remind us that it's very personal between these two, so then, it becomes understandable that she should be thinking of Faldorn right now, should have her on her mind constantly-- But, apart from that, even Minsc isn't bantering. And, of course, if you plan to follow this with Yoshimo's treachery, this scene feels... sad, already. Poignant, even? I love his line, by the way.

My first draft had Yoshimo scream foreshadowing to any reader who knew his story, i.e. everyone

And let's just say that Faldorn made an indelible impression on the group in chapters 34-37.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

My first thought: troglodytes. (Of the thick-eyebrow, stooping-posture, 'me-be-Dalok,' Neanderthal sort.)

Also. 'the grove itself'? What's the difference? Later, you mention higher trees than the rest of the forest... Is that it?

Higher trees? *looks* No, just randomly massive ones.

The grove isn't really that different from the rest of the forest, but it is a nexus of sorts within the forest, a kind of focal point for nature's power. Ember and Cernd would be able to tell when they started entering it.

"We are taking what is ours to retrieve, Cernd," Dalok replied. "We are stripping the invaders of the spoils they rape from the earth! We are doing what is right!" Behind him, the other two druids cheered in agreement.

All right. So he's not a troglodyte. The clubs took me in.

Are you sure?

And he's got groupies!

Yes. In the shadow druid grove, even the groupies have groupies!

"I have come to challenge her to the rituals of ascension! She may flout our way, but even she must obey the rules set down ages ago. That is her hold over you, is it not?"

Hmm? Is that non sequitur on purpose, or is something missing here? As in, 'Everyone must.'? Or does the last question go back to what Faldorn says?

Don't ask me, I just cut and pasted it... and couldn't think of a good way to rephrase it But yes, Cernd is implying that Faldorn's hold over them is that she won the position of leader according to the rules, and while she is leader, she must be obeyed.

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

Did he have a close encounter with a myconid any time recently? Seriously - Sarevok, at least, was a half-god!

You probably don't want to know.

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

Woo-hoo! Cool druid fight!

Yes. A fight

There was a bright flash as lightning struck - who? - and an acrid smell filled the area. Someone screamed.

Acrid? From lightning/ozone? Or-- Aha! From the protection, yes?

I just like the word acrid. It seemed less chemistryesque than ozone, and there are probably any number of things that could cause such a smell.

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

Oho. 'twould seem I'd learnt of a new tree today!

It's kind of fun inventing trees. I've started to look up trees that grow in the habitat I have in mind, and then slightly rename them. That's where I got my sweetmaple in the previous chapter, too

(I imagine a silk willow as a willow tree where the flowers have very long, silklike hairs)

Also, I love every bit of this description. You didn't really write a fight, which is very cool, and you gave a great and wonderful description of a spell, and it's still clear who, probably, killed whom. Yay! Why is there no :love: icon here?

There is definitely a shortage of icons. Me, I often want a 'huh?' suspicious type icon

(I've noticed I worm my way out of describing fights a lot...)

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

For Ember, this really is... uncharacteristically personal.

Well, she did say she'd do that... and it would appear that Faldorn has an excellent memory.

(Their previous interaction happened before Ember turned druid, and while she was moving into her worst cranky&bloodthirsty phase. Faldorn made Minsc cry, endangered them all multiple times, and tried to flood the Cloakwood mine to cleanse it, with the slaves and the group still inside. It took Ember a measure of self restraint she barely had to send Faldorn away with her head still attached.)

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest.

In the breasts? Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow.

Xyphoid process.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

Mwah. With all that growling... Just have Ember change into a tiger, Faldorn into her panther... Cat fight!

Seriously... Much as I am astounded by the depths of hatred Ember has for Faldorn, I'm even more astounded by the way she manages to annoy Faldorn so completely. It's like, completely -- huh? One of you's been tortured for months. The other is a queen in this place. And the first thing you do? Fight. Like little girls. The rest of the world? Completely forgotten.

Faldorn hates Ember for thwarting and humiliating her, and isn't exactly known for rational reactions.

Ember is in a bad mood, and when she's in a bad mood, it's easier for the taint to escalate whatever murderous thoughts she might have.

It's... Why haven't they killed each other the first time, pray remind me?

Ember was being nice. Nicer than she felt like, to be honest.

The shadow druid stalked off towards a ramshackle hut, accompanied by three of the other druids. As she reached the hut, she turned and gave Ember a wary glance, then ducked inside and out of sight.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

...which probably means Cernd's dead meat, and you'll have to do it. :sigh:

Wait and see... (although it may take me a while to figure out how to pull off the fight, as I can't exactly duck out of this one!)

A wonderful chapter.

Glad you enjoyed it!

"Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

Boo: (Omega-variant) (Checks her manicure) "Huh? Oh. Right. Um. Squeak squeak."

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

That trick always worked well for Poison Ivy.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Raven: "Nifty trick. Won't block an ion cannon blast, though."

Harlequin: "Those things are considerably more... energetic... than lightning bolts, though. And, anyway, since when are we in the business of excessive overkill to take out one person?"

Raven: "Since I thought long and hard about the idea of using a cannon blast that could vaporize a hundred square meters of solid rock on a single person. And it made me giggle."

Harlequin: "You scare me sometimes, Lynn."

Raven:

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest.

Ouch. That'll leave a bruise. Boob punches hurt. People seem to forget that. And I wouldn't even know from personal experience, what with me being a guy and all.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme.

Theres the first metaphor that actually makes some sense to me! ...unfortunaely, Edwin would, of course, indeed blame the tree and fireball it

True, true.

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

Do I detect a bit of my own influence here?

What do you think?

(My Edwin's always thought this way, mind you)

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

*sigh* You could use idiots like these as a villain-o-meter... if they're wildly enthusiastic and call the person a "real leader" he/she is definitely up to no good.

There's no such thing as a good fanatic.

"Death to the enemies of nature!" the other man shouted. He charged past their leader towards Cernd, who welcomed him with two precise jabs of his staff.

Nice.

Cernd: Thank you.

"Allow me, my lady," Anomen said. Reaching out a hand, he gently touched the side of her neck with his fingertips and chanted a minor healing spell. Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

That's a better description of magical healing than 'flashy light - +3d6.'

My story doesn't care about hitpoints

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers.

That, and he has boots of absorption from the first game, as my Edwin wasn't stupid enough to get rid of all his loot between the two games

Faldorn was sitting, poised like a queen on her throne, on a large rock at the very heart of the grove. Several other druids stood around her, but none of them moved or spoke any more than the massive trees that surrounded them did.

A druid on a throne. Hmmmm.

Faldorn's exactly the kind of fanatic that you don't want anywhere near power...

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

Yes!
Uh, not that I want Ember to join the Dark Side, but it's nice to finally see some passion in her

It'll probably/possibly seep out a bit more often as the story progresses. Thing is, she's afraid of letting herself go, for understandable reasons.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

Bite her head off!

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Oh poor Edwin... and wow... I would just have lost it on Cernd and all his nature methapors.

Personally, I don't mind them at all, to be honest.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Of course not...

Shh, you're not supposed to know the game story up front

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

Oh... nice fight scene!

For not being a fight scene, you mean? (Thanks!)

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Good for you Edwin!

Edwin: *gloats*

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Oy! That is just cheating Fally! And daddy stalks Ember again I see.

Oh yes, nothing like a little taint of murder to get the blood boiling, you know.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

Let us hope he wins but no groove for Ember?

Wait and see.

"Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

Boo: (Omega-variant) (Checks her manicure) "Huh? Oh. Right. Um. Squeak squeak."

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

That trick always worked well for Poison Ivy.

Yeah, Faldorn and her ilk are more than a little like our dear Ivy. Other than the fashion sense, obviously.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Raven: "Nifty trick. Won't block an ion cannon blast, though."

Harlequin: "Those things are considerably more... energetic... than lightning bolts, though. And, anyway, since when are we in the business of excessive overkill to take out one person?"

Raven: "Since I thought long and hard about the idea of using a cannon blast that could vaporize a hundred square meters of solid rock on a single person. And it made me giggle."

Harlequin: "You scare me sometimes, Lynn."

Raven:

*backs away slowly*

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest.

Ouch. That'll leave a bruise. Boob punches hurt. People seem to forget that. And I wouldn't even know from personal experience, what with me being a guy and all.

Even worse, try the xyphoid process. (And I do have personal experience with how long it takes an injury there to recover...)

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

I’m with Edwin… clearly these druids are insane.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked.

I bloody well do.

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

You know, it is strange that they don’t want to look at it from such point of view.

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Yes, but it’s his little secret you won’t find out about until much later.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

Jaheira: I would have never thought of embracing Nature this closely… besides, it always seemed to me that I can feel it so much better without a crust of mud and filth standing in the way.

Theo: Yeah, not to mention that might put a little crimp into our relationship, too.

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

Yeah, no matter how insane she is, as long as she says what you want to hear, everything’s fine and dandy.

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

Ouch, nasty tentacles!

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Clever Eddie!

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

Ha… you wish!

Faldorn laughed. "You may frown upon the bond, but I am stronger than ever with the aid of this grove. The mother feeds me that I might fight for her!"

For her, is it? Ah yes, she might just be deluded enough to believe it.

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

Well, we can’t have people speaking of Ember as someone who doesn’t keep her word, right?

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

Disturbing, doubly so because she is a druid herself, after all.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

I think in the one game where I tried Cernd (in my party of pain with Aerie, Haer’Dalis, Cernd, Mazzy and Valygar) he had a terrible time against Faldorn.

The Kara-Turan groaned, moved his arms a little, and blinked a few times before focusing his eyes on the sword. "What happened..?"

"Myconids," Mazzy replied. "Their spores can make you confused and disoriented."

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Despite the weather, I love the calm-before-the-storm feeling of the opening dialogue, especially Ember's absolute fixation on the task at hand. I'm guessing she'd going to take this personally! And Yoshimo's lines with Minsc above seem sadly prophetic...

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

"Death to the enemies of nature!" the other man shouted. He charged past their leader towards Cernd, who welcomed him with two precise jabs of his staff.

This... cannot be good! And I love the descriptions of Dalok and the other druids as savages, almost. I think it lends itself well to illustrating Cernd's accusations of corruption. Go Cernd!

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

And go Yoshimo. you suave guy! Also, the battle was awesome. I could just picture it all happening, and Ember's taking-in of the situation afterwards.

Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

That is just a lovely description! Cool water... that just seems like its how a healing spell should feel. Awesome!

"We outnumbered them, and we knew how they might fight. They were unwise to stand against us," Cernd said, looking down at the two dead bodies. "May the earth mother forgive your sins against her children."

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

See, I like the way you contrast Cernd's mercy with Dalok and the others' viciousness. Go Cernd X 2!

And incidentally, as I'm typing it, I don't know if you've seen it, but the description of Dalok's band has reminded me of 'the others' from Lost, the TV show. Well, the early 'cunning savages,' anyway. It's cool!

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Woah! That's an awesome outburst. Story-wise, I mean. It's like the entire chapter is escalating into the inevitable showdown as these two competeing philosophies clash... y'know, like avalanches, to use a druid-y metaphor.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

"Enough!" Cernd cried. "Faldorn, you perpetrate gross crimes here! You are unfit! I challenge you, and by the rites laid down ages ago you cannot refuse!"

And I love that juxtaposittion between the three druids, with Faldorn and Cernd diametrically opposed, and Ember in the middle, somehow, due to the taint. She does behave like Faldorn, even drawing her into that kind of animalistic fight, despite her alleigance with Cernd because of their shared philosophies... wow.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

This is gonna be good.

Chapter 91: Into the Grove

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to the Grove I go!

The day only got worse as it went on. The rain continued unabated, the forest seemed to be littered with trolls - according to Cernd, there were far more of them around than there should be - and, as they crossed a particularly swampy area, they startled a pair of myconids. The giant fungoids sprayed a spore cloud at Yoshimo before they fled in terror, leaving the Kara-Turan in a state of utter confusion; dazed and glassy-eyed, he drew his katana and charged at Ember, forcing Minsc and Anomen to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking her.

I hate those things. I really hate those things. Stupid red phallic mushrooms making people all confuseled!

"'Tis a treacherous place you have brought us to, druid," Anomen grumbled, kneeling beside Yoshimo and checking his head for fractures.

Bran: "Question is, is it to heal them, or look for more artistic places to add them."

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

Aleria: "Forest, city, cave, mountain... all have capacity to shelter great good and great evil. Although, it does seem that swamp attracts more evil than good."

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

Spoken like a Great Indoorsman.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Cernd's line reminds me of a BG line:

Jaheira: "If a tree falls in the forest, I'll find the bastard that did it!"

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

Aleria: "Hear hear!" *Pauses* "I do believe I just agreed with Edwin. This is ... disturbing."

"Yes, Boo, you are right! He is waking up!" Minsc cried, and pointed the tip of his sword at Yoshimo's belly.

Oooh. Gut wound. The medieval Harvey Kietel would tell you other than the kneecap, the gut is the second most painful place to be stabbed.

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Now that's a loaded question.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Reeeaaaallly.

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

SQUEAK!

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

Bran: "Damn filthy hippies."

Jaheira: "While not quite a druid in our continuum, I do have a healthy love and respect for nature."

Bran: "So do I, but those are some damn filthy hippies. I mean, I could smell them three clicks off. In. A. Swamp."

Jaheira: *Rolls her eyes*

"We are taking what is ours to retrieve, Cernd," Dalok replied. "We are stripping the invaders of the spoils they rape from the earth! We are doing what is right!" Behind him, the other two druids cheered in agreement.

Bran: "Oh. Not hippies. Morons."

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

Aleria: "I never thought I'd ever hear 'true leader' and 'Faldorn' in the same sentence. Especially where Faldorn is the true leader."

Jaheira: "Unfortunately, there are fools throughout Faerun."

Aleria: "I know, but I thought no one -that- stupid."

Jaheira: "Stupidity never ceases to amaze."

"The perversion is thinking that civilization and nature can coexist. We have taken steps in the only way we can as protectors of the wood. Faldorn says -"

Bran: "Ahh, ecoterrorists. I've run into those twits. It's amazing the horror they can cause to bring a planet back to it's 'natural state'."

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

Spoken like a true believer. In the sense that he believes SO hard that his brain froze.

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

Don't you hate it when entangle works on you...

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

I don't know why, but I'm suddenly reminded of the first Evil Dead. Although this scene is far less creepy.

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

Attacking Minsc's witch usually provokes a dangerous response. Such as being cut in twain.

"Allow me, my lady," Anomen said. Reaching out a hand, he gently touched the side of her neck with his fingertips and chanted a minor healing spell. Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

Another nice healing description.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Hee. Nice work Edwin.

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

A nice little end to that scene.

Faldorn was sitting, poised like a queen on her throne, on a large rock at the very heart of the grove. Several other druids stood around her, but none of them moved or spoke any more than the massive trees that surrounded them did. There was an eerie stillness in the air; even the sound of the raindrops seemed muted.

Ahh. Faldorn the Queen Woodsbitch.

"Boo does not like this," Minsc whispered.

Bran: "Me neither. I say we back out and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

"Well, what have we here?" Faldorn sneered disdainfully. "Some fools come to stop the righteous force of nature? Laughable. Say what you must and then we shall purge the earth of your filth."

Bran: "Just a wee bit P-sycho, huh?"

"Ah, Cernd. I have heard your name before. Come to investigate for the Grand Druid, have you? You may tell him that his way is dead. All that dwell here are now druids of shadow, and he can do nothing."

Oh, I think he could do something. Or a whole lot of something.

"We shall see, Faldorn," Cernd replied. "You are not invulnerable just yet, though I sense the filthy ritual you have performed. You drain from the land like some vile parasite."

Faldorn laughed. "You may frown upon the bond, but I am stronger than ever with the aid of this grove. The mother feeds me that I might fight for her!"

Aleria: "Twisted. A truly twisted mind."

"You, or just the animals that you force to attack Trademeet?" Ember asked.

"We must all do our part to cleanse the forest," Faldorn said, giving Ember a scrutinizing glare.

Aleria: "Spoken like a true power hungry coward. Crave the power. The thrill, but responsibility? That is for the poor who languish under their dominion. Foul thing."

"I remember when you would sooner endanger yourself and anyone with you than risk harm to a single animal. Funny how priorities can change, isn't it?"

Aleria: "Indeed. Power is such a twisting thing."

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

Bran: "If you're going to say that to a person... just shoot them. I mean, you blink umpteen times a minute... so you're excused."

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. And I read about your Xyphoid process.

OUCH.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Ahh... someone has their Blood up.

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

Heh. Bitch got schooled.

Feeling as if she'd been startled awake from a dream, Ember let go of Faldorn and kicked her away from herself. "Do not touch me again!" she yelled at the shadow druid.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

Uberpowered catfight. Nice.

"Enough!" Cernd cried. "Faldorn, you perpetrate gross crimes here! You are unfit! I challenge you, and by the rites laid down ages ago you cannot refuse!"

"What... what makes you think I would wish to refuse?" Faldorn replied, seeming to regain some of her composure. "I took this grove by force, and I shall keep it in the same manner. Did you think I would retreat? Oh no, Cernd, this is your end. Prepare!"

/me puts 10 Quatloos on Cernd.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

And now we get ready to RUMBLE!!!

Great chapter Cel.

VH

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Nature, she can still be a real witch though.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

At least not while he still needs her to continue living so that he can continue living. He'll feel bad about it later, of course, but by then it's a little too late.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

That's what an 18 Int gets you. Too bad it doesn't get you an social skills.

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

Hah! Take that! No honorable death for you!

"Boo does not like this," Minsc whispered.

Boo has good taste.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Brynn: I had that feeling too. Go with it.

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

Brynn: ... or don't go with it. That might be a good choice too.

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

You better bet that's fear. Bhaalspawn are scary!

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

I like you Bhaaltaint. It's got a mind of it's own.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

I heart Cernd so much. But I've mentioned that before.

Wonderful characterizations, and a great chapter as a whole. Keep it up!
-Blue

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

I’m with Edwin… clearly these druids are insane.

Well, I don't mind rain, but the grove always struck me as a bit too swampy for pleasure.

"(If that one can be called sentient at all,) Edwin muttered. "The world would be greatly improved if the shadow druids would take the consequences of the drivel they preach to the fullest, and just kill themselves."

You know, it is strange that they don’t want to look at it from such point of view.

Probably because there wouldn't be anyone around to kill the rest first

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Yes, but it’s his little secret you won’t find out about until much later.

Sssh.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

Jaheira: I would have never thought of embracing Nature this closely… besides, it always seemed to me that I can feel it so much better without a crust of mud and filth standing in the way.

Theo: Yeah, not to mention that might put a little crimp into our relationship, too.

Skyclad rather than mudclad, eh?

"No, he would not, and that is why he is gone. We have a new leader, one that speaks the words we wish to hear. We have a true leader in Faldorn!"

Yeah, no matter how insane she is, as long as she says what you want to hear, everything’s fine and dandy.

Just like any other maniacal leader.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

Clever Eddie!

Edwin: *preens*

Faldorn laughed. "You may frown upon the bond, but I am stronger than ever with the aid of this grove. The mother feeds me that I might fight for her!"

For her, is it? Ah yes, she might just be deluded enough to believe it.

She is, and she does.

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

Well, we can’t have people speaking of Ember as someone who doesn’t keep her word, right?

Excellent point.

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

Disturbing, doubly so because she is a druid herself, after all.

Thank you, that's the reaction I wanted

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

I think in the one game where I tried Cernd (in my party of pain with Aerie, Haer’Dalis, Cernd, Mazzy and Valygar) he had a terrible time against Faldorn.

I seem to remember him having a rough time, yes. For that matter, Ember (it's really not fair that the game won't let Cernd challenge if the PC is a druid!) has problems downing her without using a fire elemental for muscle. (Okay, so it'd probably be easier if I'd use iron skins )

The Kara-Turan groaned, moved his arms a little, and blinked a few times before focusing his eyes on the sword. "What happened..?"

"Myconids," Mazzy replied. "Their spores can make you confused and disoriented."

"Boo has to know: does Yoshimo still want to harm little Ember?" Minsc demanded.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Despite the weather, I love the calm-before-the-storm feeling of the opening dialogue, especially Ember's absolute fixation on the task at hand. I'm guessing she'd going to take this personally! And Yoshimo's lines with Minsc above seem sadly prophetic...

As long as they're sadly and not blatantly.

Dalok laughed. "There are those who obey out of fear, perhaps, but some of us can see the truth; her way is better! We fight for nature, we take what we wish from the town fools, and we will stop your feeble attempt to interfere, Cernd!"

"Death to the enemies of nature!" the other man shouted. He charged past their leader towards Cernd, who welcomed him with two precise jabs of his staff.

This... cannot be good! And I love the descriptions of Dalok and the other druids as savages, almost. I think it lends itself well to illustrating Cernd's accusations of corruption. Go Cernd!

I always think of shadow druid type druids as all but cavemen.

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

And go Yoshimo. you suave guy! Also, the battle was awesome. I could just picture it all happening, and Ember's taking-in of the situation afterwards.

Yoshimo is nothing if not skilled

Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

That is just a lovely description! Cool water... that just seems like its how a healing spell should feel. Awesome!

I make a point of comparing the healing sensation to cool water for potions and priestly heals.

And when Ember uses her bhaalspawn healing party trick, she feels it like a fire instead.

"We outnumbered them, and we knew how they might fight. They were unwise to stand against us," Cernd said, looking down at the two dead bodies. "May the earth mother forgive your sins against her children."

"We fought as our mistress commanded us," the injured man muttered, droplets of blood appearing on his lips as he spoke. "I surrender now, to return to the woods and restore the balance..."

"No. Your winter has not yet come," Cernd said. He approached the injured man and said a healing prayer over him. "Take us to Faldorn."

See, I like the way you contrast Cernd's mercy with Dalok and the others' viciousness. Go Cernd X 2!

He doesn't have 18 wis for nothing

One of these days I think I'll have to make me a party that can have Cernd and other characters that I've underutilized/avoided in it

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Woah! That's an awesome outburst. Story-wise, I mean. It's like the entire chapter is escalating into the inevitable showdown as these two competeing philosophies clash... y'know, like avalanches, to use a druid-y metaphor.

And then, of course, Ember is using the wrong philosophy to crash with...

"You... are not natural," Faldorn gasped. Was that fear in her eyes?

"Neither are you," Ember growled.

"Enough!" Cernd cried. "Faldorn, you perpetrate gross crimes here! You are unfit! I challenge you, and by the rites laid down ages ago you cannot refuse!"

... and here comes the right one

And I love that juxtaposittion between the three druids, with Faldorn and Cernd diametrically opposed, and Ember in the middle, somehow, due to the taint. She does behave like Faldorn, even drawing her into that kind of animalistic fight, despite her alleigance with Cernd because of their shared philosophies... wow.

I'm very glad you could see what I did there!

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

This is gonna be good.

I hope so!

Chapter 91: Into the Grove

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to the Grove I go!

The day only got worse as it went on. The rain continued unabated, the forest seemed to be littered with trolls - according to Cernd, there were far more of them around than there should be - and, as they crossed a particularly swampy area, they startled a pair of myconids. The giant fungoids sprayed a spore cloud at Yoshimo before they fled in terror, leaving the Kara-Turan in a state of utter confusion; dazed and glassy-eyed, he drew his katana and charged at Ember, forcing Minsc and Anomen to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking her.

I hate those things. I really hate those things. Stupid red phallic mushrooms making people all confuseled!

Especially annoying when they start hitting each other rather than standing in a corner with planets orbiting their heads.
I actually let Minsc carry Lilarcor specifically so he can use the dratted things against myconids and other confusing creatures...

"'Tis a treacherous place you have brought us to, druid," Anomen grumbled, kneeling beside Yoshimo and checking his head for fractures.

Bran: "Question is, is it to heal them, or look for more artistic places to add them."

Considering this is still chapter 2, you mean?

"The beauty of the wilderness can be deceptive," Mazzy said. "Not all is as it seems. I've defeated much that is evil in just such a place."

Aleria: "Forest, city, cave, mountain... all have capacity to shelter great good and great evil. Although, it does seem that swamp attracts more evil than good."

I think your Aleria and my Mazzy would get on splendidly.

"Beauty? This?" Edwin sneered, glaring at the rain from deep within the cowl of his overcloak.

Spoken like a Great Indoorsman.

Absolutely

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Cernd's line reminds me of a BG line:

Jaheira: "If a tree falls in the forest, I'll find the bastard that did it!"

No kidding?

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

Reeeaaaallly.

Oh hush. Still chapter 2

"The perversion is thinking that civilization and nature can coexist. We have taken steps in the only way we can as protectors of the wood. Faldorn says -"

Bran: "Ahh, ecoterrorists. I've run into those twits. It's amazing the horror they can cause to bring a planet back to it's 'natural state'."

A natural state can be many things. Heck, if you want to go all the way, you need the planet to be barren, or even molten.

She heard Minsc roar with fury, and managed to turn just enough before the plants bound her completely to see the vicious smile on the woman's face. The woman shouted a word, and a thick, wooden vine wormed its way around Ember's throat, where it tightened like a noose. She thrashed wildly, but her arms could barely move at all, much less get near her throat; she tried to breathe, but could only force a tiny sip of air past the chokehold, no matter how much her lungs demanded it. Cold fear, mingled with rage, ran through her as red and black blotches filled her vision.

I don't know why, but I'm suddenly reminded of the first Evil Dead. Although this scene is far less creepy.

I think I know why it's less creepy, but I think you do to so I won't tell you

"All done," Yoshimo said, and helped Ember pull her arms and legs out of the mass of enchanted plants. They were still twitching and writhing, eager to trap her again, but their movements lacked direction. Clearing leaves and bits of plant stems from her face, she could see why; the woman who had cast the spell lay face down in a patch of red-tinged mud, all but cut in two. Dalok lay near a cluster of ferns, his neck twisted at a very unnatural angle. The other man was the only shadow druid still alive. He sat propped up against the trunk of a silk willow, and Mazzy stood guard over him.

Attacking Minsc's witch usually provokes a dangerous response. Such as being cut in twain.

Yes. A quite reliable response, actually.

"Allow me, my lady," Anomen said. Reaching out a hand, he gently touched the side of her neck with his fingertips and chanted a minor healing spell. Cool water seemed to flow through her bruised throat, washing away the pain and swelling caused by the chokehold.

Another nice healing description.

Thanks

"Well, what have we here?" Faldorn sneered disdainfully. "Some fools come to stop the righteous force of nature? Laughable. Say what you must and then we shall purge the earth of your filth."

Bran: "Just a wee bit P-sycho, huh?"

Not exactly a wee bit, but yes.

"Ah, Cernd. I have heard your name before. Come to investigate for the Grand Druid, have you? You may tell him that his way is dead. All that dwell here are now druids of shadow, and he can do nothing."

Oh, I think he could do something. Or a whole lot of something.

He's got tricks, he does!

"You, or just the animals that you force to attack Trademeet?" Ember asked.

"We must all do our part to cleanse the forest," Faldorn said, giving Ember a scrutinizing glare.

Aleria: "Spoken like a true power hungry coward. Crave the power. The thrill, but responsibility? That is for the poor who languish under their dominion. Foul thing."

She's too good for her own dirty work, you know.

Her face contorting into a snarl, Faldorn lunged at Ember and threw her to the ground, then punched her squarely in the center of her chest. The shadow druid was much stronger now than before, teeming with the life and strength of the grove, and she put all of that strength into the rapid blows she dealt Ember. She landed four solid punches before Minsc and Anomen managed to knock her away; Minsc's sword had torn through the rags Faldorn wore, but it hadn't as much as broken her skin.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. And I read about your Xyphoid process.

OUCH.

Yes. Ouch.

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Ahh... someone has their Blood up.

In a nutshell.

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

Heh. Bitch got schooled.

You see, if you put two unnatural things in a jar and shake it to agitate them...

"Enough!" Cernd cried. "Faldorn, you perpetrate gross crimes here! You are unfit! I challenge you, and by the rites laid down ages ago you cannot refuse!"

"What... what makes you think I would wish to refuse?" Faldorn replied, seeming to regain some of her composure. "I took this grove by force, and I shall keep it in the same manner. Did you think I would retreat? Oh no, Cernd, this is your end. Prepare!"

/me puts 10 Quatloos on Cernd.

Cernd appreciates your trust in him.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

And now we get ready to RUMBLE!!!

Which means I have to write a fight scene that I can't weasel out of...

Great chapter Cel.

Thanks!

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Nature, she can still be a real witch though.

Indeed she can.

Yoshimo rubbed the spot at the back of his head where he'd been struck by the flat of Minsc's blade. "Harm our fearless leader? Why would I want to do... ah, the spores. Rest assured, good Minsc, that I wouldn't dream of it."

At least not while he still needs her to continue living so that he can continue living. He'll feel bad about it later, of course, but by then it's a little too late.

Or something.

The grand wizard in question merely grinned proudly and muttered something about not being a rank amateur who'd go unprepared into the lands of insane weather-tampering treehuggers. The ground was singed where he must have stood, but from the looks of it, the lightning hadn't as much as curled a hair of his beard.

That's what an 18 Int gets you. Too bad it doesn't get you an social skills.

Edwin: (I shall ignore the latter half of that simian's statement.)

Rage filled Ember. Bond or no bond, I'll kill her!

Brynn: I had that feeling too. Go with it.

Ember: Well, if you insist...

As the other druids moved to restrain Ember's companions, Ember threw herself at Faldorn and grabbed her by the throat, choking her just as she herself had been less than an hour earlier, just as she had done to Faldorn once before. The shadow druid gasped and pummeled Ember's torso with her fists, but Ember kept squeezing. "You still... need air... don't you?" Ember snarled at her enemy. She could all but feel the life of the grove, coursing through Faldorn under her fingers, so close and ready for the taking...

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

Brynn: ... or don't go with it. That might be a good choice too.

Yep. It would have.

Then again, not letting Faldorn kill her is, in its own way, a good choice.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

I like you Bhaaltaint. It's got a mind of it's own.

Yes it does, and I like that you call it the taint and not Bhaal himself

(He's dead, after all)

"If the Mother wills it," Cernd replied evenly. "I will do my best."

I heart Cernd so much. But I've mentioned that before.

He enjoys hearing it.

Wonderful characterizations, and a great chapter as a whole. Keep it up!
-Blue

Thanks!

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Cernd's line reminds me of a BG line:

Jaheira: "If a tree falls in the forest, I'll find the bastard that did it!"

No kidding?

Actually, her line was: "If a tree falls in the forest, I'll kill the bastard that done it!"

The day only got worse as it went on. The rain continued unabated, the forest seemed to be littered with trolls - according to Cernd, there were far more of them around than there should be - and, as they crossed a particularly swampy area, they startled a pair of myconids. The giant fungoids sprayed a spore cloud at Yoshimo before they fled in terror, leaving the Kara-Turan in a state of utter confusion; dazed and glassy-eyed, he drew his katana and charged at Ember, forcing Minsc and Anomen to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking her.

If only you could do that in the real game - just knock 'em out till the confusion wears off. It's a good idea.

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Ooh, I like it. You're much better at emphasising Cernd's wisdom than I will ever be. I think you need some innate wisdom yourself, really.

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

Aw, that's sweet. I like seeing Minsc interacting with people other than the usual Charname, Aerie, Imoen and to a lesser extent, Jaheira. Yoshimo always struck me as the good-natured type, so maybe a beautiful friendship will blossom.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

But ... what about Flametongue? I always love that weapon, even if I am thoroughly confused about why Dalok has it.

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

I love this paragraph. The writing is good, and I love the natural theme to it.

"We shall see, Faldorn," Cernd replied. "You are not invulnerable just yet, though I sense the filthy ritual you have performed. You drain from the land like some vile parasite."

I wonder why Ember, or Minsc don't have anything else more to say about this earlier on. I suppose Cernd deserves some time in the limelight.

"We must all do our part to cleanse the forest," Faldorn said, giving Ember a scrutinizing glare.

"I remember when you would sooner endanger yourself and anyone with you than risk harm to a single animal. Funny how priorities can change, isn't it?"

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

I quite like ferocious Ember. She's a little more ... animalistic. And if anyone deserves her loathing, it's Faldorn. Oh, druidic rivalries. Good reading, it is!

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

I thought this was a really good line. It makes sense. It makes sense for the connected grove to feel what Faldorn feels. An excellent point.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

Ooh, ominous!

Good chapter. I'm waiting for a fantastic druid fight next chapter. I'm sure it will be super.

The day only got worse as it went on. The rain continued unabated, the forest seemed to be littered with trolls - according to Cernd, there were far more of them around than there should be - and, as they crossed a particularly swampy area, they startled a pair of myconids. The giant fungoids sprayed a spore cloud at Yoshimo before they fled in terror, leaving the Kara-Turan in a state of utter confusion; dazed and glassy-eyed, he drew his katana and charged at Ember, forcing Minsc and Anomen to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking her.

If only you could do that in the real game - just knock 'em out till the confusion wears off. It's a good idea.

I especially hate it when the confused person is using a bow/sling. Makes it all the harder to avoid them

"If an apple falls, do you suspect the tree of foul play?" Cernd asked. "The forest does as it must, each part of it playing its role in the greather scheme. The myconids were merely defending themselves. There is no treachery involved; that is the domain of sentient beings."

Ooh, I like it. You're much better at emphasising Cernd's wisdom than I will ever be. I think you need some innate wisdom yourself, really.

Well, thanks

"Friend Yoshimo is back!" Minsc beamed, and withdrew his sword. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!"

Aw, that's sweet. I like seeing Minsc interacting with people other than the usual Charname, Aerie, Imoen and to a lesser extent, Jaheira. Yoshimo always struck me as the good-natured type, so maybe a beautiful friendship will blossom.

At this stage, I want him to get along with as many as possible, without actually letting any of them close.

They encountered the first shadow druids on the outskirts of the grove itself. Two men and a woman, all with matted hair and dressed in ragged, filthy hides, were walking towards them, brandishing rough clubs in a menacing fashion.

But ... what about Flametongue? I always love that weapon, even if I am thoroughly confused about why Dalok has it.

I love it too, but nobody in my party would really use it. And I think Dalok having it is some kind of design mistake.

Behind them, Dalok started to chant a series of low, rumbling words that Ember easily recognized; he was going to call lightning. Raising her staff, she ran towards the other druid. She was only a few steps away from him, almost within striking range, when the creepers and shrubs that covered the ground tangled themselves around her feet, forcing her to fall down onto a mat of twisting plants. Leafy tendrils wound around her wrists and arms, chaining her to the ground as securely as any iron manacle.

I love this paragraph. The writing is good, and I love the natural theme to it.

My casters don't overdo their spells, and I've found that I keep returning to that particular one. So, I'm getting a feel for its versatility

"We shall see, Faldorn," Cernd replied. "You are not invulnerable just yet, though I sense the filthy ritual you have performed. You drain from the land like some vile parasite."

I wonder why Ember, or Minsc don't have anything else more to say about this earlier on. I suppose Cernd deserves some time in the limelight.

It's because Cernd is the leader of this particular expedition. He's also vastly more experienced at druidry than Ember.

"We must all do our part to cleanse the forest," Faldorn said, giving Ember a scrutinizing glare.

"I remember when you would sooner endanger yourself and anyone with you than risk harm to a single animal. Funny how priorities can change, isn't it?"

"And I remember you," Faldorn said, standing up from the rock. "You said you would kill me if you ever saw me again."

I quite like ferocious Ember. She's a little more ... animalistic. And if anyone deserves her loathing, it's Faldorn. Oh, druidic rivalries. Good reading, it is!

Best of all: Faldorn doesn't know Ember is a druid

The entire grove seemed to lurch in pain.

I thought this was a really good line. It makes sense. It makes sense for the connected grove to feel what Faldorn feels. An excellent point.

It goes beyond that, actually... which I hope to explain in the next chapter.

"You have to beat her," Ember muttered to Cernd. She didn't dare think about what might happen if she let the Bhaaltaint near Faldorn again, even within the bounds of a Challenge.

Ooh, ominous!

Good chapter. I'm waiting for a fantastic druid fight next chapter. I'm sure it will be super.

Eeep, pressure!

(I do not promise fireworks.)