Yggdrasil (Afina, Moore, Jaela)

[Ebiris]

"What happened to Tree?" Afina asks, blinking as her wits return. "I don't recall seeing him ever since we approached Sehanine Moonbow. Was too busy at the time to make much of it, but... well, where did everyone see him last?"

[Nephrite]

"I... would guess he was exempted from that particular trial." Moore says. "We can return for him once our... er... once we've resolved the matters here, I suppose?"

[Anastasia]

Crystal slowly rouses herself, blinking away glassy eyes. "I understand," she murmurs, as she stands up. "Tree? I last saw him there, yes. He isn't with us?" she looks around. Indeed, Tree isn't with you anymore.

"That may be true. He did not overcome the first trial on his own merits." Ilsenine leads you ever forward, "Was he sent back or freed from this place, I wonder?"

[Ebiris]

"That makes sense. I hope he's waiting for us when we leave," Afina says, accepting that rationale.

[Nephrite]

"We can always ask." Moore says with a bit of a nod. He tries to focus, so he doesn't end up distracted and overwhelmed again. "If someone presents themselves, anyway. Although perhaps even if not."

[Anastasia]

On you travel. Higher and higher, on and ahead. With Ilsenine guiding you anew, you are able to keep your focus on the here and now. It is a long trip that does not seem long at all - time feels strangely malleable here, passing swiftly and without troubles. In time you come to a branch as tall as Hanna or so, one that is withered and dying. It extends up from a far bigger branch. The leaves on it are gone, the fruits dried husks and no signs of life on it at all.

[Nephrite]

"If you're all to do any kind of analysis with magic, please let me know. I'll make sure you succeed at it." Moore says, looking over the branch just at a glance. "Hm, actually, I can think of a spell that might help with this, too..."

Is the withering reaching down into the larger branch, or is it just localized to the one for now?

[Ebiris]

"So this is it?" Afina lets go of the twig and alights on the healthy branch, inspecting the despoiled one. "Wouldn't be hard to just burn it off..." But surely there's more to it than that. She casts detect magic, so as to gain a clue as to what the devils have wrought here. "I'm investigating now," she tells Moore.

Taking 10 for 50 on spellcraft before any Moore bonuses

[Anastasia]

Localized, yes, Moore.

Describe what bonuses Afina's getting and we'll go from there.

[Nephrite]

Moore nods to Afina. "Then you will succeed -- everyone will." Moore sounds assured of this, as if it's Afina's destiny to succeed at this.

+8 competence and +5 untyped bonuses for her, so that'd be 63.

Statblock

Spoiler: ShowHide

Moore: 277/277
Fort +33, Ref +37, Will +39
+4 Sacred bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting attacks of evil outsiders
+2 sacred bonus against fort attacks against evil outsiders
14 bardic music uses

[Anastasia]

Afina can see it. It is a sickness, a rot. This branch - with a startle you realize it is part of a world made manifest. No, an entire world. Lifasa - sickened, broken, dying. The connection is corrupted, and through that a singular force now pushes poison from it.

You remember him weaving around the Medicant Golems, always at practice.

You remember him when you helped save him from the yugoloths, shaken but safe at last.

You remember Lief, for you feel his presence. He is in agony, forever drowning in poison and torment. He is on Lifasa again. He is - !!!!

Make a Wisdom check, Afina.

[Ebiris]

[19:27] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+9
[19:27] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+9 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{19}

[Anastasia]

A pit fiend looms over him somewhere dark. No, not a pit fiend. Something that was once part of the Cycle. Her memories flare against you a moment and you recall the name of the traitor: Willah.

[Ebiris]

"This isn't... we can't fix it from here," Afina sighs. "Even pruning the branch would have disastrous consequences for Lifasa." Not as if the world isn't already thoroughly ruined, but they have to hold hope it can be fixed or else what's the point? "Willah. Lief's with Willah. We need to go to them."

[Anastasia]

"It will be a trap," Crystal says, "They're funneling us to one point, one that the Duke of Destiny or Lixer has doubtlessly reinforced with the intent of it being Aurora's downfall. We must prepare, for I fear this battle will be a dreadful one."