Dryad of the Corrupted Grove

Stub-class article · First seen: s02 · Last seen: s02
Dryad of the Corrupted Grove
the Corrupted Dryad · the Dryad
Portrait of Dryad of the Corrupted Grove.
Character
StatusDead
First seens02
Last seens02
FactionCorrupted Redwood Grove fey

The Dryad of the Corrupted Grove is the male dryad who ambushed the party in the Corrupted Redwood Grove in session 2: vines restrained four of them, and he offered one bark sample if they could answer a riddle [32]. They answered “tree”; the answer was “bark. Tree bark” [33][25]. In the fight he charmed Caelumn, dropped Cholmondeley with a natural-20 vine lash and strangled Caelumn unconscious, until Hugo broke free, circled behind him and beat his head in with hand axes [17][21][20][24].

Overview

The Dryad of the Corrupted Grove is the male dryad of the Corrupted Redwood Grove outside Wyrmbough Grove, and the party’s first boss fight. When Cholmondeley put his knife to the fourth tree, vines restrained Harvo, Caelumn, Vasquez and Hugo, and a man lowered himself from the canopy on vines: “You’ve come to hurt my home?” [5]. He agreed to let them take a sample if they could answer a riddle [6]. The riddle’s fairness stayed a sore point at the table [4].

Appearance and demeanour

A man, carried down on vines, who makes himself a chair of them to put his riddle [7][8]. He laughs at the party’s pleas, calls them intruders and defilers, and is sourly amused when they get it wrong: “It worked well enough for one of you to solve it” [9][10][11]. Persuasion from Cholmondeley, the “conservationist”, bought the riddle instead of an immediate attack [12][13].

Abilities as played

  • Vines. They rise from the ground and restrain several characters at once; escaping takes an action and a Strength check, and a broken vine is replaced by another [7][14][15].
  • Vine whip and lash. He pulled Cholmondeley’s dagger into his own hand [16]. A lash did 6 slashing and, on a failed Wisdom save, charmed Caelumn: “you will not attack nature, you are its ally” [17]. A shot from Harvo’s pistol broke the hold [18].
  • Hits hard. A natural 20 did 20 damage to Cholmondeley, and a vine round Caelumn’s throat did 11 and knocked him out [19][20].

Relationships

  • Cholmondeley: his chief target, and the one who parleyed with him [12][21].
  • Caelumn: charmed and then strangled by him, and the one who guessed “bark” [22][23][20].
  • Hugo: his killer [24].
  • The trees of the grove: he guards them, and cries “Defiler!” when Caelumn’s Fire Bolt hits his tree [11].

Notable quotes

“I am a wall grown from within. Storm writes scars across my skin. Take my circle and the heart goes still. Take a single scale and I live. What am I?” — The Dryad (Nick, DM), [2]

“It was bark. Tree bark.” — The Dryad (Nick, DM), [25]

“It worked well enough for one of you to solve it.” — The Dryad (Nick, DM), [10]

History in the campaign

Session 2: The Bark, the Dryad, and the Riddle that Wasn’t a Tree

Main article: Session 2

At the fourth tree, vines restrained four of the party and the dryad came down from the canopy [5]. Cholmondeley’s Persuasion bought a bargain: one sample if they answered his riddle, while the vines drew his friends knee-deep into the earth [26]. The party debated and answered “tree”; the answer was bark [27]. In the fight he charmed Caelumn, dropped Cholmondeley with a natural 20 and strangled Caelumn senseless, while Caelumn’s Fire Bolts hit the tree and started a forest fire [17][21][28][20]. Hugo broke free on a 24 and, from behind, beat the dryad’s head in with his hand axes [29][24]. Vasquez found a vial of red liquid in his pouch, a healing potion, and gave it to Caelumn [30][31].

Session 3: The Lair of Sunset is Nigh and the Death of Cholmondeley

Main article: Session 3

The dryad is dead, but at the start of the session the table fell to re-arguing his riddle. The DM said that Nancy, on a roll of 3, had still got it right, “so just showed you how low the druid intelligence was” [4].

Status

As of session 23. Dead, killed by Hugo in session 2; his body was looted [24][30].

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 2, line 1126-1276: Encounter, riddle, combat.
  2. ^ Session 2, line 1168: The riddle.
  3. ^ Session 2, line 1244-1250: 'It was bark. Tree bark.' (verdict).
  4. ^ Session 3, line 62-76: The DM re-argues the riddle at the start of session 3".
  5. ^ Session 2, line 1124-1126: Inline citation.
  6. ^ Session 2, line 1150: Inline citation.
  7. ^ Session 2, line 1124: Inline citation.
  8. ^ Session 2, line 1166: Inline citation.
  9. ^ Session 2, line 1126: Inline citation.
  10. ^ Session 2, line 1274: Inline citation.
  11. ^ Session 2, line 1378: Inline citation.
  12. ^ Session 2, line 1128: Inline citation.
  13. ^ Session 2, line 1144-1150: Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 2, line 1284-1296: Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 2, line 1336: Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 2, line 1134: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 2, line 1398-1402: Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 2, line 1504: Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 2, line 1560-1564: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 2, line 1692: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 2, line 1554-1564: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 2, line 1188: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 2, line 1402: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 2, line 1740-1752: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 2, line 1250: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 2, line 1144-1158: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 2, line 1228-1250: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 2, line 1678: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 2, line 1606-1610: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 2, line 1962: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 2, line 2028: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 2, line 1124-1150: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 2, line 1228: Inline citation.
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