Iron Crisis (IC)

[purepolarpanzer]

Caelyn

Caelyn is silent during the burial of Gorion. Her Druidic training was all self taught, and limited to the few texts in Candlekeep on the subject. She didn't feel equipped to pray or say words of his passing. She just stood with the others, tears making trails down her dirty cheeks, and threw her handful of dirt down into the grave to put him to rest. Then she immediately went to trance and try to collect her thoughts.

Early in the morning, after her trance is completed, Caelee takes her leave and makes her way deeper into the forest, staying within whistle range but far enough from her family to be alone. She finds a tree, as she is known for, but this one stands dead, having been struck by lightning in it's past. Sitting cross legged, as she does while she trances, she closes her eyes and begins to center herself. Speaking in the language of druids, she a cascade of words begins to escape her lips as the horror, confusion, and pain of the last day flows out of her.

Spoiler: Druidic

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Spirits of nature, give me guidance. I've lost my father, my brothers and sisters are scared, and we are alone in this dangerous and dire world except for each other. In all I've read, nature has taught me many things, but nothing of death. My chest... my chest hurts and my mind is reeling. Why has he been taken away from us? What will happen to him? What purpose does his death serve? Please, tell me!

The tree is silent before her, split down the middle and and rotting slowly. She can't help but think that it is taking up earth and sunlight that the smaller plants needed to grow. It would better serve the natural order as ash to fertilize the world, it's death supporting a new generation of plant and insect life. She spoke in Druidic again, without spite or malice, a moment of clarity piercing through her pain and rage. This tree needs a fire to cleanse it. On the utterance of the word "fire", a sound of thunder rumbled, even in the bright, gentle sunlight of the early morning. Maybe she was just hearing things. Then there was a flash of light and a roar of flame.

Caelyn gave a high cry and retreated from the tree, which had burst into flames. The intensity of the heat caused the tree to crack and split, and from it emerged a creature. This amalgamation of vines, stone, and fire the size of a dog climbed it's way from the tree and floated down to the ground next to it. Flames spouted from it's tail end and danced around it's plantlike "legs". However, the fire didn't burn the undergrowth around the tree, only the tree itself. The creature half scuttled, half floated it's way closer to Caelee, the sound of it's ever burning body snapping and crackling. Caelee's meditative calm evaporated immediately as the creature came close, and she reeled backwards. NO! GO AWAY! She screamed. There was a loud whoosh of air, and immediately the creature was gone. Heart racing, she climbed to her feet and ran back to the others, leaving the tree to burn behind her. The flames were controlled, so she decided to keep this crazy event to herself until she could speak to Melian or Senna alone about it.

Later that day...

Caelee is quiet as they travel in the morning. She keeps trying to ask someone about the obviously magical incident she experienced earlier, but she can't bring herself to express it just yet. She felt... hot. Hotter than the bright sunlight warranted, as though a fire had been built inside to melt the icy pains of her heart. It felt... better. Her loss and mourning was not gone, but it did feel lessened. Maybe it will feel a little better every day... She was so distracted that she didn't notice the other travelers until hails were already being exchanged. She leaned on her hand carved staff and simply observed the situation, letting her brothers and sisters do the talking for now.

Spoiler: OOC

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Insight check- (1d20+5)[13]. Caelee is down a use of wildshape for the day