Trees and Seeds

We return to our heros in the pouring rain, mid afternoon. Diedrik, Thalindra, and Abraham have waited for Kigee for a significant amount of time, and are concerned that she hasn’t return. Strahd mentions a beacon in the Northern Tower of Argynvastholt, to use it like a search light in order to focus in on her location. The group makes haste for the tower, the double front doors are missing a door, and the castle is very run down, ruin. Oddly, the dining room is fully intact and dry, with a long table and chairs with non-corporial figures sitting in the chairs, seemingly having a heated argument that cannot be heard. The one at the head of the table is in splendid armor with the imagery of a dragon. After a few moments, they disappear. They move on into another room and see an ornate birdbath. Flash to a view of Kigee, and she notices that the shamans that are dancing around her, they shape shift into animals and back, but not in the same way that she and Diedrik shift. (skin walker?) The vines are slowly climbing up, and Kigee notices weird symbols are on her manacles that seems to prevent her from changing into her bird forms. Thalindra dips her head into a scrying pool and sees Kigee’s scene, before Strahd pulls her away and says the pool is cursed, luckily she is not harmed. They hurry to the beacon, and see a circular crystal “ball” (multifacited) floating in the air. Strahd says some arcane words, directs everyone to think of Kigee, and touches the ball. It shoots a beam of light to the Southwest, in the direction of Yester Hill, a known terraformed/unnatural hill. Strahd announces the cannibals have Kigee, and uses Thalindra and the ball to clear the storm. With the sky clear and gray, the large writhing tree can be seen in the distance. The group makes their way out of the castle, noting a single ghost in the dining room watching as they depart. Strahd pulls out items (figurines) that make horses poof into existence, with Diedrik pocketing his.

Diedrik transforms into a wolf, and theyre off! They race on the road past the Berez Ruins, and through the dead wood that is seemingly healing, quicker than expected, eventually arriving at Yester Hill. 7 druids are visible, the sound of Kigee pleading and crawing. Thalindra casts Dancing Lights to draw the attention of the druids away from Kigee, and Abraham sneaks up to the tree. A needle-like root burrows into Kigee’s foot, and she caws again, taking a small amount of damage. Strahd activates another item and attacks a cannibal, while Thalindra blasts it with fireball. Diedrik bites and kills the same druid while his kitty runs up to Kigee, to see her feathers are thoroughly ruffled. Abraham frees her, and moves to join the fight. After Kigee rips her foot off the root, she moves away and tries to join the fight. The fight continues, and berries are seen growing on the tree, growing as time passes until they finally pop! and 12 wereraven Kigees drop to the ground. The druids all die, and finally the were Kigees fly off in random directions. Kigee chases after one until she finally understands that it is a seed. She returns to the group and collapses in exhaustion as she is very near death. Diedrik uses his cat to heal her, much to Kigee’s ignorance, and they turn to the tree. Strahd digs out what appears to be a young girl from the base of the tree, and punches it in the face. Abraham finishes it off, and Strahd produces a seed, to give to Kigee to return to her family. We take this moment for a long rest.