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[Arcalian]

Viconia's flail continued to glow and tremble in her hand. She supposed it meant that there were Rakshassa nearby. They would have to face them too, however many of them there were, before this was over.

Twice more that day they battled. First they watched some of Faldorn's Shadow Druids take on a group of Trolls. Perhaps Faldorn didn't consider Trolls to be part of the balance either, or perhaps it was simply a matter of control of the Grove. They waited for one side or the other to weaken themselves. The Druids finally won, after about losing half their number, and Adrian's party mopped them up.

They had not gone much further before a werewolf came crashing through the frozen weeds. They readied for battle, but the werewolf just looked at them....and turned into Cernd.

"We almost killed you." Adrian said.

"I ran into some myconids back there," Cernd explained. "They would not let me pass. I regret it; for now I shall have to stay here to help remedy that unbalancing once Faldorn has been defeated." There was a look of real guilt on that solemn face.

"Myconids?" Adrian asked.

"Walking giant mushrooms," supplied Edwin. "Very unpleasant."

"Aye, Tree and I fought some of those in the sewers below the Copper Coronet, where we found that talking sword," Anomen added. "They can cast dewomers on the mind." He shuddered inside his armor.

Tree and Cernd discuseed Faldorn. Apparently one of them would have to face Faldorn in single, ritual combat to unseat her. Otherwise, she could simply call upon the power of the Grove to destroy them. There was some argument over which one of them would challenge Faldorn. Tree won by showing more passion for the fight, and by pointing out that Cernd could face her next if Tree fell. Even Cernd noticed how personally Tree was taking this. He wondered, as Adrian did too, wether there was more to their shared history than Tree was saying.

In any event, Cernd fell into rank and was a great help during the next fight, with a half dozen of the Shadow Druids. These were fresh, with all their spells handy, and the party was not. But Cernd shifted back to werewolf form, in one of those disgusting bloody spurts Adrian could never get used to, and he, Tree and Korgan made short work of the enemy before the rest of the party could even move.

After that battle it was a short walk to the inner sanctum of the Druid Grove, a half Henge surrounding a small building carved from a single giant boulder. They made camp less just over the hill from teh entrance to it.

"The time has come," Tree whispered to herself as they camped. "Faldorn shall learn whom the Oak Father truly favors."

[Laufey]

"Myconids?" Adrian asked.

"Walking giant mushrooms," supplied Edwin. "Very unpleasant."

Oh yes, so they are. Very nasty things.

Tree and Cernd discuseed Faldorn. Apparently one of them would have to face Faldorn in single, ritual combat to unseat her. Otherwise, she could simply call upon the power of the Grove to destroy them. There was some argument over which one of them would challenge Faldorn. Tree won by showing more passion for the fight, and by pointing out that Cernd could face her next if Tree fell. Even Cernd noticed how personally Tree was taking this. He wondered, as Adrian did too, wether there was more to their shared history than Tree was saying.

Of course there is...and I'm sure Tree will enjoy this.

"The time has come," Tree whispered to herself as they camped. "Faldorn shall learn whom the Oak Father truly favors."

Great!