Session X: The Tree Bandit

As the adventurers cleaned the dirt off their clothes and rested among the ruins of Vanguard Keep, they all agreed it was time to move on. Their destination was a matter of contention: Sikomor needed help with his potion to drive back the poisonous swamps that were engulfing Khorvaire (the continent under them), while Blacklight was eager to finish his mission and deliver the magebred llama to Sharn. Maryo wanted to check up on his bakery. And then there was the matter of the fake vorpal sword...

Still, none of the suggested destinations were practical on foot. The adventurers would have to engage the services of House Orien. Fortunately, the closest Lightning Rail hub lay in the town that was simply named "Marketplace"; even in times of impending civil war and little-understood threats to the fate of Eberron, that was a good city to visit if you had bags of freshly looted artifacts.

With little food to go around, the party set off at half pace, with the nature experts scouting surroundings for game. Alas, foraging is not simple in the open plains of Aundair. On the third day, the caravan saw a remarkable tree towering in the middle of the rocky steppe; it took Sikomor no time to identify it as a magical oak, whose acorns are famous throughout the known world for their healing properties. The adventurers hardly expected trouble as Blade began to climb.

With the party's muscle barely ten feet above ground, the men on the ground noticed movement among the branches - not quickly enough to warn Blade, as a flying knife sliced the air, just missing the fighter. Next to this, there was magic in the air and Blade felt that he was unable to move!
As if this was not enough, the tree started sprouting flowers, which quickly turned into giant pears with jaws!
A hideous, hairy monster with knives jumped on the paralyzed fighter, and bit him hard, sending him down to the ground in an ugly crash. A hail of evil fruit followed, biting poor Blade in the face. With Blade unable to move, Blacklight swung his spiked chain, hitting the tree - with no result. As Maryo and Sikomor scurried to safety, the creature peeked out of the tree, revealing its horrifying self and sending another evil pear in Blade's direction. Fortunately, the delectable projectile missed the human and instead hit Lachlan's mule. Far from being enraged or concerned for the animal's wellbeing, the wizard was heard muttering something about beef jerky and getting it over with already...

As wave after wave of arrow and bolt went flying into the tree, it was left up to Blacklight, his dear spiked chain useless in this battle, to evacuate the body of Blade from beneath the menacing tree. Alas, the noble wood elf succumbed to a spell placed on him by the evil creature, and was relegated to stomping around, talking to himself, and aking an occasional swing at the now-conscious Blade, whom he failed to recognize as a friend.

The pitched battle raged on, with heals and ammunition expelled at an alarming rate. Before long - and before Blacklight could grab a javelin and attempt vengeance - the beast was finally overcome. Blade turned once again to the branches, swatting off the toothed pears, chasing the carcass of the unsightly creature and finally finding its nesting place. The tree was full of arrows and the creature's blood. The loot and acorns gathered, and the animal found to be inedible, the adventurers gathered up their belongings and set off once again in 3rd September, twelve days away from Marketplace, driven by visions of soft beds, cold beer, and glittering coin.